A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"Hahaha! Hagrid, you can't deny that there really is a small group of geniuses in the world."

They are different from others, outstanding, better at thinking than others, and have unique perspectives.

"Now one thing is certain: besides you, me, and the four heads of the houses, all the other faculty and staff are on his suspect list." Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head. "He's probably gloating over his successful deal right now!"

But this little scheme didn't escape my notice. Using the authority to temporarily summon two professors to cut off Voldemort's other avenue for resurrection—that was a huge win.

Snape's lips twitched; he finally understood why Aaron had been so calm when he left.

This is a clash between an old fox and a young fox, neither of whom are easy to deal with.

“Severus,” Dumbledore suddenly said, “you must guide this student carefully, and not let him follow in that man’s footsteps, or it will be another disaster.”

Upon hearing this, Snape's expression suddenly turned somewhat ferocious. "You mean you want me to spy on him?"

Dumbledore noticed the change in expression and sighed, “Not surveillance, but as much attention as possible.”

I once neglected the education of a student, which led to a series of tragedies that I will regret for the rest of my life.

If I could, I would like to…”

“Enough, Professor Dumbledore,” Snape interrupted him angrily. “Aaron Gaius is my student, and he will choose his own path. I will not deliberately guide him.”

Besides, I am not you, and he is not Voldemort.

"Calm down, calm down, Snape."

That's not what I meant, please don't misunderstand.

"Phew!" Snape suppressed his anger. "I lost my temper, Headmaster."

If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. Goodbye.

After Snape left, Hagrid said, "I've never seen Snape so angry. What were you trying to say?"

“It’s nothing,” Dumbledore shrugged. “I just hope Aaron can transfer to Gryffindor, but it looks like that might be difficult.”

......

Slytherin common room.

Aaron lay on his bed in the dormitory, petting the adorable Holy Dragon while checking his personal profile.

[Host: Aaron Gaius]

[Magic Power: 1126 (High-level mage, barely capable of handling things independently, but still negligible)]

[Talent: Once in a Century (Upgradeable, increases magic power by 2 points daily)]

[Items: Moon Drops, Felix Felicis, Invisibility Potion]

[Magic Points: 778 (Gain 10 points per day by checking in at Hogwarts)]

"It's gone after all!"

When Aaron saw that the resurrection potion had disappeared from the inventory list, he felt a sense of emptiness, as if he had lost a very important sense of security, even though he was somewhat prepared.

He then opened Abe's attribute panel.

[Pet: Abe]

Race: Dragon (Saint: Unawakened)

[Magic Energy: 496 (Increases by a little each day; although its potential is limitless, it is currently extremely weak.)]

[Talented Ability: Flight, ???]

There are only four days left until the Holy Dragon's first evolution, and that's the only thing he's looking forward to right now.

Although Abe will need a period of 'investment' to awaken other talents and skills, its size will definitely increase.

I don't expect it to grow to ten or twenty meters tall like other dragons, but it should at least reach the size of a centaur. This is the first step in evolving from a pet into a battle pet.

"System, could you please tell me how big Abe will grow in the next stage?" Aaron asked somewhat nervously.

One meter.

Click! Click!

Aaron blinked, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

"What good is a meter? You're not even as tall as me!"

I thought that after this it would be able to carry me flying, but I was so naive.

"Host, you can't think like that."

The evolution of the Holy Dragon takes time.

"Time? It's capital, isn't it?" Aaron said dismissively. "At the rate my magic points are growing, feeding them into a dragon seems like a long way off!"

"But the rewards are worth it," the system said seriously. "Although the size of the Holy Dragon has not increased much, its strength, speed, defense, vitality, flight speed and other attributes will be improved to a certain extent."

Furthermore... it's not impossible for the host to experience the feeling of flying.

"Oh?" Aaron was suddenly wide awake. Could there be a chance for things to turn around?

"It can't carry you flying, but it can support you while you fly."

Upon hearing this, an image flashed through Aaron's mind.

He floated high in the sky, with a pair of pure white, sacred wings behind him, looking down on all living beings like an angel.

But when you turn around, there's a silly, adorable creature hanging behind you, reluctantly turning its head away. The cool factor instantly drops, and it becomes incredibly comical.

"Hiss! Forget it." Aaron shivered. "I'll never do this again unless it's to save my life."

"By the way, will it produce any unusual phenomena when it evolves?"

I remember it was quite miraculous when it was born.

"No way!" The system immediately poured cold water on the idea, "Birth and growth are two different things."

Birth is the birth of a new life, but growth is a natural process. You can speed up this process, but please don't overthink it.

"Is that so?" Aaron was a little disappointed. He had originally planned to let Abe complete his evolution in the Forbidden Forest, but now it seemed that this step had been skipped.

However, this may not be a bad thing, since getting into the Forbidden Forest requires getting past Hagrid first.

He's really offended me these past two days, and he's feeling incredibly guilty, so I guess he'll agree to this request.

However, given this giant's personality, it's likely that no sooner Abe finished evolving than he couldn't resist going to the principal's office to report him.

Who knows if Dumbledore will consider keeping Abel around for a while?

However, if one were to sneak into the Forbidden Forest without Hagrid's knowledge, the danger level would skyrocket.

The magical creatures and dark beings in the Forbidden Forest may give Hagrid face, but they won't give face to anyone else.

With his small frame, he can protect himself on the outside, but if he goes deeper and ends up in the lair of some magical creature, he might not be able to escape unscathed.

......

the next day.

Aaron sat up in bed, stretched, and looked refreshed.

Although a lot of bad things have happened these past few days, he knows that it's all over now.

The dangerous confinement, the blood-drinking Voldemort, the unfathomable Dumbledore, and the idle Rupert Hagrid would no longer bother him; he could simply attend classes and study diligently.

At least he could play it safe and develop his strength for a while before Voldemort stole the Philosopher's Stone.

However, things didn't turn out as he had imagined. One class taught him that he was wrong, and quite terribly wrong at that.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts class was taught by Professor Quirrell.

Aaron considered himself a good student, but he didn't hear a single word in this lesson.

Professor Quirrell, the object of Voldemort's possession, would look at him every few minutes with a particularly pale smile on his face, which made Voldemort extremely uneasy.

However, in order to avoid revealing any flaws and causing Quirrell to give up or even kill him to cover it up, he had to pretend to be listening attentively to the lesson, occasionally returning a kind smile to the teacher who was watching him, his facial expression somewhat stiff.

After class, Aaron breathed a sigh of relief, picked up Abe, and prepared to leave.

“Wait, wait, wait a minute,” Quirrell stammered. “Mr. Gaius, could you wait a moment?”

"I have something I'd like to discuss with you. Please come to my office."

Aaron: ......

Chapter 74: With eyes like these, who would even bother studying?

Aaron looked at the stammering Professor Quirrell, and a million thoughts raced through his mind.

I thought today would be a fresh start, a day where I could develop my character peacefully and quietly as usual, but I never expected the shock to come so suddenly.

Professor Quirrell's invitation? Don't be ridiculous, it's almost certainly Voldemort's doing.

This invitation must be refused.

The Dark Lord's methods are beyond the comprehension of a mere high-level mage like myself. Going to see him alone would be like being a fish on a chopping board.

“Mr. Gaius,” Professor Quirrell called softly, “could you come here?”

“Professor, I’m afraid I have to apologize,” Aaron said sincerely and regretfully. “I have to go to Professor Snape’s office today to ask him something, as we agreed yesterday.”

Quirrell paused for a moment, "How about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow won't work either. I need to consult Professor McGonagall about some advanced metamorphism; that's what we agreed on."

"The day after tomorrow?"

"Surely I'll be free the day after tomorrow?" Professor Quirrell gritted his teeth in struggle. He didn't believe Aaron could refuse. Even if he had to make an appointment, it should be his Defense Against the Dark Arts class by now!

“This…I’m afraid that won’t work either.” Aaron shook his head. “For some reason, Professor Dumbledore specifically asked to see me. I need to take some time to deal with this matter, and coincidentally, it’s the day after tomorrow.”

“Dumbledore… Headmaster?” Professor Quirrell frowned.

Aaron noticed the fleeting fear in his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he was afraid.

“I don’t know why he contacted me. I guess Hagrid told him about what happened in the Forbidden Forest.” Aaron said, glancing at Abe with concern in his eyes.

Seeing this, Quirrell felt much relieved.

Hagrid knew him well; he probably told Dumbledore about Aaron keeping a magical creature.