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This was probably the worst detention Scaramouche had received in all five years at Hogwarts—though it certainly wasn’t his first. As a dignified Slytherin prefect, nothing was more humiliating than having to clean the boys’ bathroom every afternoon after class. To make matters worse, his accomplice—Kaedehara Kazuha—seemed far too pleased with this whole “operation,” and just one glance at him was enough to irritate Scaramouche.
“At least Durin escaped in time. Otherwise we’d be in serious trouble,” Kazuha whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.
“It’s only a matter of time before they find it. The forest isn’t that big,” Scaramouche muttered.
The problem was… the two of them were secretly raising a baby dragon in the Forbidden Forest. Yesterday after class, they’d been caught feeding it.
Everything had started about half a year ago, when they accidentally got dragged into a brawl between Slytherin and Gryffindor. While trying to stop the fight from escalating, they were spotted by a professor and punished along with the troublemakers. The next morning, the unlucky group of students was herded to the edge of the Forbidden Forest to feed Professor Ifa’s magical creatures.
While busy driving a pack of three-headed dogs back into their enclosure, Kazuha suddenly noticed a large round object hidden deep beneath a tree root. Thanks to his knowledge from Care of Magical Creatures, he immediately recognized it as a dragon egg.
The thought of raising a dragon of his own filled him with excitement. He secretly brought the egg back to an abandoned room in the castle, placing it near a fireplace to incubate it, checking on it daily and turning it carefully to maintain the right conditions.
On the fifth day, Scaramouche discovered him.
“Well, well. Model Gryffindor student Kaedehara is secretly raising a prohibited creature in school?” Scaramouche smirked. “If the teachers hear about this, you might get expelled.”
Realizing how bad the situation was, Kazuha clasped his hands together. “Please, Scaramouche—just this once. Keep this secret for me.”
“Are you stupid? You think you can handle a wild creature on your own? You—”
Before he could finish, they heard a cracking sound.
Crack… crack…
Both of them froze, staring at the trembling egg. The shell split open, revealing a tiny dragon covered in shimmering purple scales.
“rrrp… rrrp…” The hatchling opened its eyes, whimpered softly, crawled toward Scaramouche, and rubbed its head against his leg.
“Scaramouche, it thinks you’re its mother,” Kazuha laughed.
“What the—” Scaramouche muttered, but he couldn’t resist how adorable it was. He’d loved dragons since childhood, had begged Ei to buy him countless books about them.
If Kazuha hadn’t found the egg first, he probably would’ve stolen it to raise himself.
In the end, Scaramouche compromised. Together, they cared for the baby dragon and named it Durin.
Now they were crossing the hall toward the Forbidden Forest at midnight.
Two shadows slipped into a dark corridor, their footsteps so quiet only the rustle of fabric could be heard. An invisibility cloak draped smoothly over them from head to toe.
“Aunt Ningguang really knows how to pick gifts,” Kazuha whispered. “This cloak is supposed to be a rare collectible. Without it, we’d have been caught the moment we left our room.”
“Shut up. If that bored History of Magic professor catches us, I’m blaming everything on you,” Scaramouche hissed, though his hand still tugged Kazuha closer to the wall when they heard the unmistakable footsteps of Professor Zhongli approaching.
Slow, steady… getting closer.
They held their breath. His tall figure appeared in torchlight, robe brushing softly against stone. He stopped and turned toward their direction, golden eyes scanning the empty corridor as if sensing something off.
“If we get caught, I’ll say I’m taking you out for a midnight snack,” Kazuha whispered near Scaramouche’s ear.
“You think that stupid excuse will save us?” he muttered, though the corner of his mouth twitched.
Luckily, Professor Zhongli only frowned slightly before continuing on. His footsteps faded into the night wind.
They exhaled and hurried across the courtyard. Cold air from the drained lake carried a damp scent; the crescent moon reflected off Hogwarts’ sharp rooftops. In the distance, the Forbidden Forest loomed dark and silent, hiding whatever waited inside.
Durin was in there—and they couldn’t leave it alone without dinner.
“Hurry, before Nahida and her aranara spot us,” Scaramouche murmured.
Under the cloak, they disappeared into the night.
Deeper in the forest, darkness swallowed everything.
“Lumos!”
A gentle light bloomed from Kazuha’s wand, illuminating their faces. It was already one in the morning, and nothing good ever welcomed visitors at that hour in the Forbidden Forest.
They reached their usual clearing and shouted:
“DURIN!!”
After a tense wait, a low growl answered from the trees. Branches parted. A massive head covered in black-silver scales emerged, golden eyes flashing in the wandlight.
“Kazuha…” Scaramouche whispered.
“It’s okay,” Kazuha murmured, crouching. “Durin, come here.”
Recognizing them, the dragon rushed forward and nearly tackled Kazuha, rubbing against him in relief.
“We’re here… we’re here,” he soothed, stroking its head.
“Idiot,” Scaramouche muttered, gently running a hand along its neck. “Running off and making us search the forest at night…”
Kazuha pulled fresh meat from his bag. Durin perked up instantly, devouring it with messy enthusiasm, looking absurdly like a spoiled cat.
Then Scaramouche sighed quietly.
“They’re taking Durin tomorrow. This is probably the last time we’ll see it.”
Durin paused mid-bite, staring at them as if it understood. It whined softly.
“Where will they take it?” Kazuha asked.
“I don’t know. Somewhere ‘safe,’ they said. But…” Scaramouche swallowed the rest.
“At least it had us,” Kazuha whispered, resting a hand on his shoulder.
They knelt beside the dragon.
“From tomorrow on you’ll have better food and a better place to sleep,” Scaramouche said, forcing a smile.
“And when we graduate,” Kazuha added softly, “we’ll come find you again.”
Durin pressed its head against both of them and let out a long, low rumble.
They held it for as long as they could.
On the walk back, the forest felt even quieter.
Under the cloak, Scaramouche’s fingers brushed Kazuha’s hand—not quite holding, just touching. A silent thank you. A search for balance.
Kazuha didn’t pull away. He turned his palm slightly to meet his.
“Now that Durin’s gone,” Scaramouche said lightly, “I guess I won’t have a reason to see you anymore.”
“If you want, you can sit with me at meals,” Kazuha offered.
“Idiot. I can’t just jump to the Gryffindor table. I’m a prefect.”
Kazuha smiled. “Then I’ll think of another excuse.”
“I never said I’d allow it.”
“I don’t need permission.”
Scaramouche huffed… but didn’t argue.
As the castle came into view, he muttered:
“…Saturday mornings. The library’s quiet. Don’t be loud.”
Kazuha blinked, then smiled.
“Alright.”
Snow began drifting in the air as warm light spilled from the castle windows. Beneath the invisibility cloak, the two students stepped back inside as if they had never left.