pairing: BaekChenLay
length: 4047 words

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

Black lines began emerging on the parchment to the three boys’ delight as they crouched behind a granite statue of a centaur, not far from the Fat Lady’s Corridor. Within seconds, little dots and the names of every person in the castle also appeared, some of them moving around while others were still, depending on what each person was doing at the moment.

“Merlin, why are Hyunwoo and Joohyun patrolling the seventh floor again?” Baekhyun hissed as he watched the dots belonging to the sixth year male Gryffindor prefect and this year’s Head Girl slowly traverse the top floor of their school. “Hyunwoo knows to stay out of our way around this time!”

“At least it’s not Chanyeol with Joohyun,” Jongdae said, making a face as he looked for the sixth year Slytherin prefect’s name on the enchanted map. Within seconds, he located Park Chanyeol on a patrol with the fifth year female Ravenclaw prefect, Park Sunyoung, on the third floor. “We’d be dead meat if that were the case.”

His eyes still watching the patrol walk past the classrooms on the seventh floor, Baekhyun said, “Okay, Yixing, you’re going to have to flirt us out of trouble if we get caught.”

“What?!” the eldest of the trio screeched before Baekhyun quickly shushed him, eyes trained carefully on the dots of the patrol which were luckily at the other side of the seventh floor, far enough away that they couldn’t hear any outbursts made from the three Gryffindors. “Why am I the one who has to flirt with Joohyun?!”

“Because everyone in the school knows she secretly fancies you,” Baekhyun answered with a smirk.

“She does not!”

“Then why does she keep sitting next to you in Potions class?” Jongdae pointed out as he teasingly poked Yixing’s shoulder.

“How do you know that?!” the seventh year incredulously asked while swatting away the younger sixth year’s hand.

“Minho told us,” Baekhyun replied, referring to the other seventh year Gryffindor in the N.E.W.T level Potions class. “He says he always gets paired up with Kang Minhyuk, one of the Ravenclaw prefects, which he doesn’t mind since they always get full marks when they’re brewing potions in class.”

“Joohyun and I get full marks too!”

“Well, duh, it’s because she wants to impress you,” Jongdae said, shaking his head at how oblivious the eldest of their trio was. “So if something goes wrong, you have to turn up your charms to the max and distract Joohyun while we make our escape.”

“You two are bloody mad. I hope you both fall off of your brooms during Quidditch practice later today,” Yixing muttered darkly.

“And let you steal all of the glory when you score everything while we’re incapacitated? Nah, dude, there’s no way that’s happening.” Baekhyun was about to continue goading the seventh year when he noticed Hyunwoo and Joohyun’s dots moving down the stairs to the sixth floor. “Oh, thank Merlin. Hyunwoo must’ve finally remembered that I asked him to keep any patrols far away from us while we’re working. Mum threatened to send me a Howler if Sooyoung told her I got another detention.”

“For a second year that isn’t even in our house, she’s really nosy and well-informed,” Jongdae commented as the trio slowly began making their way towards the Room of Requirement, now that the seventh floor was completely empty except for them.

Baekhyun scowled as he explained, “It’s because she’s cousins with bloody Park Chanyeol. He’s her source of information. I still can’t believe Mum thought it was a good idea to betroth me to a snake, much less a Park, and Sooyoung is an idiot for going along with it.”

“She’s only twelve,” Yixing reminded the older sixth year. “It’s just an innocent crush on her part.”

“Yeah, she’ll probably grow out of it in a few years when she falls in love with some other bloke who’s way cooler than you. She’ll probably beg her parents to break off the engagement then,” Jongdae added.

“She’d better,” Baekhyun grumbled. He had no intentions of getting married to Sooyoung and becoming part of—he shuddered involuntarily when he thought of it—the notorious Park family. He’d rather face an army of one hundred ballistic Blast-Ended Skrewts than join those blood purists.

“That being said,” Jongdae began snickering loudly, “I’m so glad I don’t have any Slytherin girls slobbering after me.”

“I already told you, Joohyun doesn’t like me!”
“It’s not my fault Sooyoung is weirdly obsessed with me!”

“Alright, alright, geez, it was a joke,” the youngest of the trio immediately said after being yelled at by the other two simultaneously. “So sensitive,” Jongdae added under his breath.

By now, they had arrived in front of the tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach ballet to trolls. The three boys gave a short greeting to the wizard woven into the moving tapestry before turning around to face the empty wall where the Room of Requirement was hidden. They linked hands, with Baekhyun in the middle, and then silently paced in front of the wall three times. As soon as the third pace was completed, a large wooden door appeared in the wall and Yixing grabbed the doorknob to swing it open before they jumped through the entrance.

The room that appeared for them was mostly bare, save for a round table stacked with thick hardcover books and three comfy armchairs for the three Gryffindors. At the right side of the room was a large fireplace, burning warm and bright, with a large vivid crimson egg that was speckled with gold that was nestled in the fire. As soon as the door closed behind them, the three boys went to the fireplace to check on the egg.

Baekhyun cast a spell to check the temperature of the fire and seeing that it was slightly lower than it should have been, he motioned for the other two to help him carry a few logs from the pile next to fireplace so that they could feed the contained flames. Beads of sweat began forming on their foreheads, since they were standing so close to the searing heat, but they ignored the perspiration gathering on their skin and continued monitoring the egg instead.

It was about a foot long and the golden speckles shone like stars against the deep red shell, which was too vivid to blend in with the orange flames. Somehow, it was as polished as a gem, despite none of the boys touching it since placing it in the fire when they obtained the egg the previous month. Baekhyun wished he could run his fingers down the beautifully smooth shell.

“How long d’you reckon it’ll be until it hatches?” Jongdae finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Dunno,” Baekhyun answered in a forlorn voice. “It doesn’t help that we don’t know when it was laid. The book I was reading last night said it’s different for every dragon egg too. Some of them only take weeks to hatch, but others could take years.”

“We don’t have years though,” Yixing protested, feeling the most pressure since there were only four months left until he graduated from Hogwarts. “If it doesn’t hatch by May, who knows what’ll happen over the summer when none of us are here.”

“Can’t you owl your great-uncle and ask him if he knows how long Chinese Fireball eggs incubate?” Jongdae asked the seventh year.

“And risk our mail getting intercepted? No way,” Yixing flatly answered. “We’d get caught with an illegal object tin our possession and my great-uncle would get punished for giving three underage wizards a dragon egg. I don’t even know where he is right now, which makes the journey even more dangerous for Illya,” he said, referring to his barn owl.

“It’s fine, Yixing. We don’t need your great-uncle’s help,” Baekhyun said as he continued staring at the dragon egg. “If the egg doesn’t hatch by May, I’ll try to sneak it out of here somehow and keep it somewhere in my place. Merlin knows my house has too many rooms in it,” he added disdainfully. “I’ll be seventeen by then, so I can conjure a magic fire for it so it can incubate as long as it needs to.”

“And if it hatches? What’re you going to do then? I don’t think it’ll be that easy to hide a baby dragon from your parents in their own house,” Jongdae reminded him.

“Considering they’ll probably be kissing the Parks’ feet some more and arranging more wedding preparations for a union that’ll never happen,” Baekhyun snorted loudly as when the ludicrous thought of marrying Sooyoung reappeared, “I’ll probably be able to hide the dragon until school starts. By then, Jongdae, you’ll have to help me sneak it back in here.”

The youngest of the trio smacked his forehead after hearing his roommate’s unnecessarily dangerous plans. “I swear to Merlin, if you get me expelled from Hogwarts before I even get to experience what it’s like to be a seventh year, Byun Baekhyun, I am going to haunt you for the rest of eternity as a ghost. I’ll ask Nearly Headless Nick how to become one.”

“Yeah, I agree with Jongdae on this one,” Yixing said, causing Baekhyun to scowl, even though he knew the other two only had good intentions when they opposed him. “It’s way too risky to sneak the egg to your place, especially since you have so many house-elves. We got really lucky when we brought it here undetected from my great-uncle’s safe. I don’t think we should push our luck any further than we already have, especially since we’ll need it for when the egg actually hatches,” he added grimly.

“Alright, fine,” the older sixth year relented as he tore his gaze away from the beautiful dragon egg. He then walked to his armchair and plopped down in the seat, sighing heavily as he closed his eyes. He then heard the other two walk over to join him in their respective seats and then there was the rustle of pages to his right as Yixing picked up one of the thick textbooks on dragons.

The eldest Gryffindor began thumbing through it for the umpteenth time, hoping there would be an answer—any answer, really, because the three of them honestly knew nothing—on dragon egg development that they could use to prepare for the eventual arrival of the scaly magical creature currently incubating several feet away from them. He felt some responsibility for landing them in their present predicament, since he had been the one to invite his best friends to his house over Christmas break after his great-uncle had hinted that there was something extremely magical and dangerous in his safe, which was located in the forest behind Yixing’s house. His great-uncle had left afterwards, since he had another mission to fulfill as a Curse-Breaker. And, of course, being the amazingly daring boys that they were—although, Yixing was starting to think that this daring streak was dangerously stupid instead—they had decided to open the safe and take the Chinese Fireball dragon egg that was nestled inside, just as smooth and shiny as the rumors said it was.

If it weren’t for his big mouth, they wouldn’t be in this mess right now and he wouldn’t be laying awake every night, thinking about why the egg wasn’t hatching yet, when it would finally hatch, and what it would be like to care for a real Chinese Fireball dragon,

He got shivers just thinking about it.

The trio of Gryffindors quietly sat in the Room of Requirement as they read the textbooks on dragons, trying to glean as much useful information as they could in preparation for when the egg finally hatched. If anyone who didn’t know them had walked in during this time, he or she most likely would have assumed that the three boys were Ravenclaws instead, due to how studious they were being. Even Jongdae, who had the most trouble sitting still out of all of them, was silently turning pages as he mouthed the words he was reading.

They had no choice if they wanted to properly care for the baby dragon once it arrived. If it ended up going berserk, just because they couldn’t learn how to tame the magical creature…Baekhyun didn’t even want to entertain the frightening possibility. He would rather be forced to take Sooyoung on a proper date, which he had sworn he would never do. The thought of that happening made him want to throw up.

So they sat and read, letting the hours gradually tick by, as the atmosphere grew bleaker and bleaker as they continued finding information that was completely unrelated to dragon egg hatching.

Several hours later, Yixing sighed after he looked up at the clock hanging over the fireplace. “C’mon, it’s time for Quidditch practice. We can come back tomorrow night after dinner.”

“But we haven’t found anything,” Jongdae groaned as he slammed shut the book he had been reading. “So much for the Room of Requirement providing everything we need to,” he then muttered under his breath.

“Well, if we want to ensure that we wipe the floor with the Slytherins and Park Chanyeol’s slimy face, then we need to practice as much as we can before the game next week,” Yixing said, although he also secretly wished that they could continue researching dragon eggs. Right now, that was the more enticing option, but he had duties to carry out. “So as your Captain, I am commanding you two to prepare for Quidditch practice.”

“I’m going to pummel Slytherin into the ground,” Baekhyun growled as he bookmarked his spot and stood up from his seat.

“No, you won’t. Amber and Bomi will,” Jongdae corrected him, referring to the two Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. “We’re going to score so many goals that their heads will spin and they hopefully fall off of their brooms,” he gleefully continued.

“If we don’t win with a minimum of a three hundred point difference, then I’m making the team do extra drills until the end of the year. You two included,” Yixing added before either sixth year could protest with an excuse.

“I’m blaming you if the egg hatches while we’re outside,” Baekhyun said as he looked at the crimson red dragon egg, nestled in the warm fire, once more.

“Then you’d better make as many goals as you possibly can, Like your life depends on it,” the seventh year shot back with a smirk as he walked to the door. “You guys ready to go?”

Baekhyun and Jongdae nodded, both of them stealing one last glance at the egg.

After opening the door a crack and peering through it to make sure no one was nearby, the three boys dashed through and quickly made their way back to the Gryffindor dorm to grab their Quidditch gear.

--

It was past midnight when Jongdae was roused from sleep upon hearing rustling noises in the bunk bed above his. He groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes before peering up and whispering, “Baek, what’re you doing?”

There was the sound of footsteps against the wooden ladder connecting the top bunk with the floor before the older male whispered back, “Sorry, did I wake you up?”

“’S fine, but why’re you awake right now?”

Baekhyun put a finger to his lips, which Jongdae could barely see against the faint moonlight streaming from the dorm room window, before pointing to their sleeping roommates. He then motioned for the younger male to follow him to the common room, where they could properly speak without disturbing anyone.

Once they successfully moved locations without getting caught, Jongdae asked again why his best friend had decided to suddenly wake up after an extremely tiring Quidditch practice, especially since they had Care of Magical Creatures as their first class the next day and that was definitely going to be strenuous. When Baekhyun didn’t answer, the younger sixth year heaved a loud sigh and guessed, “You want to go to the Room of Requirement to check on the dragon egg again, right?”

“I just have this feeling, Dae. It’s bound to hatch soon and I need to be there to see it happen.”

Jongdae sighed again, knowing there was no changing the other sixth year’s mind. “Okay, I’ll come with you. We should wake up Yixing too. He’s never going to forgive us if we go without him.”

Baekhyun nodded in agreement. “I’ll grab the Marauder’s Map while you wake him up. We’ll meet back here in five, okay?”

“Gotcha, see you in a bit.”

--

Since it was almost two in the morning, all of the other students were already asleep on their respective dorms. The only ones still prowling about were Mr. Filch, the caretaker, and his cat, Mrs. Norris. Luckily, they were nowhere near the seventh floor, so it was easy for the trio to sleep into the magical room undetected.

There was no change to the dragon egg as it lay just as still as it had been ever since they had discovered it. Baekhyun sighed when his gaze settled on the motionless gold-speckled crimson object, partly out of relief and partly out of frustration. At least he hadn’t missed anything, but the egg looked no closer to hatching than it had earlier today, yesterday, or even last week. The Room of Requirement’s fire was at the optimal temperature for a dragon egg to incubate and they had given it ample time—well, maybe he was just impatient, but Baekhyun honestly thought that a month was plenty—to develop in the fireplace’s warmth.

He didn’t know how much more he needed to do for it to feel safe and ready enough to emerge from the egg. All he wanted was to finally befriend the young creature and watch it grow into the majestic creature it was meant to be. There was so much to learn about dragons that most wizards didn’t know and Baekhyun knew he couldn’t let this precious, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip from his fingertips.

Now, if only the dragon would just hatch…

The three boys fell into their armchairs and silently sat in them, not knowing how long they would be in the Room of Requirement for. Around two hours later, both the eldest and the youngest of the trio were fast asleep while Baekhyun’s eyes were slowly beginning to close s the day’s exhaustion gradually caught up to him.

Perhaps nothing would happen… Nothing that important…

Just as Baekhyun was about to fall asleep as well, an earsplitting crack filled and the sudden noise jolted all three males into jumping up from their seats. Baekhyun was the first to recover and his head snapped back to look at the now-vibrating crimson dragon egg that had a gigantic crack forming down the center. “Guys, it’s—it’s happening! It’s finally happening!”

“Blimey, you sure it’s not just some crazy dream that the three of us are coincidentally having at the same time?” Jongdae asked, not daring to believe that a real live dragon egg was actually hatching in front of him.

“Pinch me,” Yixing said and he then let out a loud yelp when Jongdae promptly pinched his upper arm without restraint.

“You asked for it.”

“No, it’s real,” Baekhyun cut in before Yixing could curse at Jongdae for being a brat. “Now shut up, you two! I don’t want to miss a second of this!”

With bated breaths, the trio of Gryffindors watched as the egg rocked back and forth while more cracks began appearing on the crimson red shell. A golden light began pouring out of the egg and they had to shield their eyes so as not to go blind from how bright it was. Once the light slightly dimmed, they could make out the silhouette of thin horns atop a bony head with a narrow snout. It was connected to a slim, scaly body that had long, spindly limbs with sharp claws attached at the ends. The back of the dragon was ridged with golden triangular plates that contrasted greatly against the crimson red body. And lastly, a long tail swished behind its petite body, flicking every which way now that it was free from the confines of the egg.

The baby dragon then faced the three boys and blinked, showcasing a pair of striking golden eyes that seemed to be powered by the sun itself. It slightly tilted its head to the left as it curiously observed them.

“It’s… It’s beautiful,” Baekhyun breathed out, his eyes sparkling like diamonds.

“I can’t believe it actually hatched,” Yixing said, staring in absolute awe. “I was starting to think it was maybe a dud, but…it actually hatched…”

“It’s so small and cute,” Jongdae commented, his hand outstretched as if to pet the magical creature.

“It’ll definitely get bigger in the future, but honestly…it’s perfect.” Baekhyun could feel his heart racing as his adrenaline levels spiked to previously unknown heights. He didn’t think anything else could be more wondrous and magical than witnessing the birth of one of the most powerful creatures on the planet. This little Fireball… It was everything and then more.

And then, the baby dragon let out a loud yawn and curled its body in the nest of fire, puffs of wispy gray smoke escaping from its nostrils. It closed its eyes and let out a low purr, not unlike a cat, as it slowly drifted into slumber.

“We should probably let it rest,” Yixing advised before Baekhyun and Jongdae could go closer to the fire and further inspect the dragon. “It’s also really late for us and if we get caught out of the dorms this late, we’ll probably get suspended from the Quidditch game and the Slytherins will never let us live it down if that happens,” the seventh year added with a grimace.

As much as Baekhyun didn’t want to admit, Yixing had a point. And if they were caught out-and-about past curfew, they would be jeopardizing the baby dragon’s safety as well, which Baekhyun refused to let happen on his watch. “Let’s meet back here right after breakfast,” he suggested, his eyes still glued to the sleeping hatchling. “It’ll probably be hungry, so let’s sneak out some food for it, since the Room of Requirement won’t generate anything for it to eat.”

“We should name it too,” Jongdae piped up. “It feels kind of weird calling it an ‘it’.”

“Any ideas?” Yixing asked. “I don’t have any good ones,” the seventh year added sheepishly.

“Neither do I,” Baekhyun replied, “but I don’t think we need to rush in giving it a name right away. It has to be perfect,” he stressed as he gazed fondly at the scaly winged reptile.

“Okay, I guess we can just name it whenever we feel like it’s ready for one or whenever we think of something that might fit.” A large yawn then escaped from Jongdae, who motioned for the door. “C’mon, let’s go back to bed. Maybe the perfect name will pop up in our heads while we’re sleeping.”

Even though he was loathe to leave, Baekhyun managed to tear his transfixed gaze away from the baby Chinese Fireball dragon and he followed the other two to the entrance of the Room of Requirement. Dozens of worrisome thoughts passed through his mind, like what if it woke up crying because no one was there to keep it company or what if the fire wasn’t hot enough or what if the fire was too hot or—

Yixing suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder, startling the younger male out of his running thoughts. “Baek, don’t think so much, okay?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” Jongdae chimed in. “And we’ll be back in a few hours. What can go wrong?”

Little did the naive young sixth year know, a lot could happen in such a short span of time, especially with a baby dragon involved.

Baekhyun would soon regret letting his best friends convince him to go back to bed after the hatching. Because this little dragon was a complete fireball of trouble.

And he loved it.

♈♈♈