Harry's twin || Between Light and Shadow

April 13th

The Easter holidays had arrived, but the usual excitement was drowned under a mountain of homework. With just around eight weeks until exams, the castle was a pressure cooker of stress. The library was packed, students hunched over books and parchment, their faces illuminated by flickering candlelight. Daisy, overwhelmed by the workload, decided to visit Hagrid for a much-needed break.

When she reached his hut, she was surprised to find the curtains drawn tightly shut.

Daisy knocked.

"Who is it?" Hagrid's voice called from inside, tinged with unease.

"It's me, Daisy," she replied.

The door creaked open, and Hagrid ushered her in quickly, shutting it behind her. The hut was stiflingly hot, a roaring fire blazing in the grate despite the warm spring day. Daisy blinked, adjusting to the dim light, and was startled to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione already there.

"What's going on?" she asked, her eyes landing on the enormous black egg nestled in the heart of the fire.

"Ah," Hagrid said, fiddling nervously with his beard. "That's—er..."

"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" Ron crouched by the fire, peering at the egg. "It must've cost a fortune."

"Won it," Hagrid said proudly. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

Hermione's eyes widened. "But what are you going to do with it when it hatches?"

"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," Hagrid said, pulling a large book from under his pillow. Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit. "Got this outta the library. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em, see? When it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here—what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

Daisy's jaw dropped. "A dragon?"

Hermione chimed in, "Hagrid, you live in a wooden house!"

But Hagrid wasn't listening. He hummed merrily as he stoked the fire, oblivious to the horrified looks exchanged between Daisy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Daisy decided the best course of action was to pretend she'd never seen the egg—or been there at all. She quickly waved bye to everyone and left.

---

April 27th, Monday

The Easter holidays ended, and the castle fell back into its usual rhythm. Classes, meals, and free periods filled the days, but the looming exams cast a shadow over everything.

That evening, as the Slytherin girls prepared for bed, Daphne dropped a bombshell.

"Did you hear? Draco's got detention."

"He did?" Daisy asked, surprised. "What for?"

"Out past curfew," Daphne said, smirking. "The funny part is, his excuse was that Potter had a dragon."

Tracey burst out laughing. "A dragon? What a load of rubbish."

Daisy chuckled dryly, knowing full well it wasn't a lie.

"He lost us twenty points," Pansy grumbled. "Twenty."

"Good thing Gryffindor lost a hundred and fifty," Daphne added. "Potter, Granger, and Longbottom all got detention."