Harry had been in a lot of very sticky situations before: first with the Dursleys (from turning his teacher's wig blue to cleaning up after one of Dudley's candy binges), then at Hogwarts (see: basilisk, giant). This certainly had to be one of the strangest and, in Harry's mind, the scariest.

After seeing Norbert for the first time in several years, Harry had gratefully returned to the tent, ready for a bit of rest and a large dinner. Instead, he had been ushered from the tent to Dumbledore's office and plunked down onto one of the impossibly plushy chairs.

He was now surrounded by Madam Maxine, Karkaroff, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Moody, and Hagrid, who looked quite thrilled at the whole thing.

"Crikey, 'arry!" he had exclaimed as Harry had sat down. "That was something, there in the arena! To think! Yeh got that close to a proper dragon, eh?"

"That ees what we are all wondering!" Madam Maxine said crossly, her accent coming through more thickly than ever. "That close to a dragon, without a 'air on 'is 'ead 'armed!"

Harry reached up to rub his hair a bit. He wouldn't say that none his hairs were harmed. Norberta had licked his head quite roughly back in the arena. All of her attempts to straighten him up, however, just succeeded in making his hair stand up worse.

"I agree!" Karkaroff said. "The boy must've cheated somehow!"

Harry tried not to sputter at Karkaroff's hypocrisy.

"Stop being such an idiot, Karkaroff," Moody said with a roll of his glass eye. "How was Harry to know about the dragons?"

Hagrid tried not to look too guilty.

"I am sure Harry has a very logical explanation for the matter." It was Dumbledore who spoke now. He looked entirely serene and at ease. Harry wished he could look like that whenever he wanted

"I 'ave a logical explanation!" Madam Maxine said fiercely. "Eet's obvious ze boy knew the dragon some'ow! Zey seemed downright friendly with each other!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw McGonagall's eyebrows rise and he wondered whether or not she had put two and two together: Malfoy's claims in first year that there had been a dragon and now this. She met Harry's eyes and he was unable to stop himself from blushing hotly and looking away.

He had never been good at lying, but it looked like the only way he was going to get out of this was going to be by learning how to do it quickly.

As in right now.

"Where would Mr. Potter have seen a dragon?" Professor McGonagall scoffed. If she had realized where Harry knew Norberta from, she wasn't letting in on it.

Madam Maxine sputtered and Harry took the time to say, "I don't know any dragons!"

"Then how do you explain your encounter with the beast?" Karkaroff demanded.

Harry stuttered. His mind was whirling. Just tell them you have no idea. Tell them you have no idea and hopefully they'll believe you and think it was a freak accident.

Instead, when he opened his mouth what came out was, "My cologne!"

The silence that met this statement was rather impressive. Even Snape, who's face almost always wore the same expression, seemed surprised. Dumbledore said, politely doubtful, "Your cologne?"

"It was a birthday gift from the Dursleys," Harry said. This, of course, was completely false. The Dursleys hadn't given him a proper gift in years. "I wore it today for good luck. Something in it must've, you know. Attracted the dragon."

Harry was internally hitting himself. Out of all the ridiculous things-

"There you have it," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "A simple coincidence. Stranger things have happened you know. I myself happen to have a scar that looks like a map of-"

"Oh, forget your scar!" Karkaroff scowled. "Are you telling me this boy just so happened to have a dragon aphrodisiac as cologne?"

"Do you have a more likely option?" McGonagall demanded. Karkaroff and Madam Maxine were both quiet. "In that case, Mr. Potter, you are dismissed."

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He sprang up and dashed out of the office, almost tripping in his haste. As he descended down the stairs, he could still hear the argument going on in the office, but he decided that he didn't care. He was going to go back the common room, get a bite to eat, and laugh about this whole, mad thing with Ron-

Oh.

Except he and Ron weren't talking anymore.

Suddenly feeling more tired than ever, Harry didn't notice Hagrid running to catch up with him until he put a large hand on his shoulder.

"Hagrid!" Harry jerked in surprise, turning around. Hagrid was panting slightly and his face was red. It took Harry a moment to realize that it wasn't red with exertion, but embarrassment.

"Hagrid?" Harry asked hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Hagrid nodded, still gasping. "Jus' fine. Listen, 'arry, I was wondering-"

"Yes?"

"Could I borrow some of that cologne of yers?"

AN: Alright, so I'm not too thrilled with this, but this has been requested so much and I wanted to do it so badly that I finally gave in. This was the most ludicrous explanation I could think of Harry giving. Let me know if you enjoyed it.

tinyrose65