Chapter 215: Ron’s Breakdown
Aside from his notorious difficulty keeping secrets, Hagrid's talent for naming magical creatures was... hard to put into words. This time was no exception.
"Norbert" did have a nice ring to it, but this dragon was a female. It was like calling a little girl "Iron Egg." Fortunately, Norbert couldn't understand, or she might have already singed Hagrid's beard with a fiery outburst.
"Hagrid, I don't think that name is quite right. It's..." Kyle began, but then paused as he noticed Hagrid's unusual behavior. Hagrid was covering Norbert's ears, looking at him with alarm.
"Don't say it, Kyle. His name is Norbert..." Hagrid's voice was almost pleading.
Kyle had seen this reaction before. Hagrid was thinking of his owl, Ratton, who had refused to acknowledge him after Kyle had suggested a name change. Hagrid was terrified the same thing would happen now.
"His name is Norbert," Hagrid repeated, clutching the dragon's head even tighter. But his hand was so large it nearly engulfed Norbert's whole head, leaving the little dragon bewildered. As soon as she realized what was happening, she began to kick her legs and flap her wings in confusion. In the end, she resorted to a burst of dragon fire, which landed on Hagrid's hand and made him wince in pain.
A burnt smell filled the air, but Hagrid didn't release his grip. He simply continued to stare at Kyle with a desperate look.
"Alright, I won't say anything else," Kyle said, picking up on Hagrid's concern. He wisely held back any further comments, wanting to avoid getting thrown out. Norberta can stay as Norbert, he thought. She's still young and won't remember; the name can always be changed later.
Hagrid, oblivious to Kyle's thoughts, finally released Norbert and hurried over to a large tub of water to plunge his hand in, sighing in relief as the burn cooled.