A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

Where are you going?

"Dumbledore wants to speak with me in the Headmaster's office."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, not putting the question on Abe's mind.

In his view, Dumbledore probably just wanted to find out the details of what happened last night, since the matter was quite serious and the headmaster had a responsibility to find out.

“Professor Snape.” Harry turned his gaze to Snape, whose face was stern, and bowed sincerely. “I’m sorry, I should apologize to you.”

I may have harbored some unfavorable suspicions about you due to some personal subjective reasons.

Snape stared into Harry's eyes, remained silent for a while, then turned his face away and walked past him on his own.

“Don’t worry about it, Harry,” Professor McGonagall explained. “That’s just how Professor Snape is; he’s not good at expressing his feelings with words.”

But I can tell he has forgiven you, or rather, he never blamed you at all.

Harry was somewhat skeptical, after all, he hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Moreover, he instinctively felt that Snape's attitude towards him would not change in the slightest because of this apology, and that Snape would continue to target him in various ways as before.

“By the way, Professor McGonagall, do you know about Professor Snape’s relationship with my, my parents?” Harry asked curiously.

Professor McGonagall paused for a moment, then shook her head slightly. "I don't know."

“Alright!” Harry then looked at Aaron. “There’s something you need to know. It seems like the whole school knows about us breaking under the trapdoor last night.”

We certainly didn't tell anyone, but the secret just spread like wildfire.

"What?" Aaron frowned, completely bewildered.

Several suspects flashed through his mind, but he eventually settled on the smiling Dumbledore.

Only a few of them knew about this. Although Hagrid couldn't keep a secret, it was impossible for him to leak it so quickly, let alone make it known to everyone in a single day. In the entire Hogwarts, only the headmaster had that ability.

Aaron's expression was not good. He didn't know what benefit Dumbledore would gain from doing this, but he was certain it wouldn't do him any good.

He was originally just an excellent Slytherin with a certain degree of fame, which was in line with his character.

But now he has become famous, which will bring him into the public eye much earlier.

“Let’s go, Aaron,” Professor McGonagall reminded him.

"Good professor."

A few minutes later, the three arrived at the principal's office.

Snape knocked on the door, and a voice inside the office said, "Come in."

As soon as Aaron opened the door, he couldn't help but pat his forehead, because standing next to Dumbledore was a giant who couldn't stop smiling: Rubeus Hagrid.

He beamed with joy, as happy as a child weighing several hundred pounds.

Hagrid had always wanted to know what kind of magical creature Abe was, but because he had offended Aaron several times in the past, he had been too embarrassed to ask. Today, he was finally able to get his wish.

“Good afternoon, Aaron,” Dumbledore said.

"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore." Aaron sat down in a chair with an air of familiarity. "Professor, did you call me here to return my potion?"

Dumbledore gave an awkward laugh and took a vial of potion from the drawer. "Here you go! It's safe now."

However, I still want to remind you, don't let anyone else know you have this potion, or you'll be in great danger.

Aaron eagerly put away the resurrection potion. His personal panel had already proven that it was genuine, so he wasn't worried at all that Dumbledore might tamper with it.

Feeling as if he had been given a second life, Aaron was instantly filled with a sense of security.

“Now let’s talk about something else,” Dumbledore said, getting to the point. “I’ve learned a little about your plans from Harry and the others, and what happened under the trapdoor.”

They are shrewd, astute, self-protective, and prioritize victory, but they also demonstrate a high degree of responsibility and commitment.

"You're a perfect Slytherin, no wonder Voldemort valued you so highly."

"Actually... it's not that exaggerated."

"That's true, Aaron."

"Even I have to admit, I wasn't nearly as good as you when I was your age," Dumbledore praised, then turned his gaze to Abel, pausing for a moment in surprise.

Abe was staring intently at Fox on the golden branch, his eyes shining, and drool involuntarily dripped from the corner of his mouth.

This time he was certain that Abe was indeed quite interested in the phoenix.

But isn't this a bit too much? To actually try to eat a phoenix? How much must he have drunk?!

Chapter 93 The Academy Cup must not be allowed to...

"Aaron, is it a dragon?" Hagrid asked expectantly.

Although Abe has little to do with dragons in some respects, he has a certain intuition about them, having raised so many magical creatures.

Aaron hesitated for a long time before reluctantly nodding.

"A dragon, a special dragon."

However, it is neither a mutation nor a hybridization.

If I had to say, my Abe is the only, and most noble, being among dragons.

As soon as he finished speaking, four pairs of curious and surprised eyes fell on Abe, which made Aaron feel a little displeased, and he subconsciously hugged the pet in his arms tighter.

“Don’t be nervous, Aaron,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “We won’t do anything to it. After all, it played a really great role last night, even decisively.”

If it weren't for it, Professors Snape and McGonagall might have suffered much more than just minor injuries.

Hogwarts can't afford to lose two professors, much less two heads of household, so... its contribution is immense.

"Thank you for the compliment."

"But merits and demerits are clearly distinguished." Dumbledore changed the subject. "We must acknowledge that you defended Hogwarts and even prevented a potential catastrophe."

However, it is an undeniable fact that you brought a magical creature to this magic school, so you must accept some punishment.

I came up with a good idea, which was commendable but also flawed.

"The good and bad cancel each other out. You can keep it, but it can't be at school starting next semester. What do you think?"

Aaron frowned, feeling that the phrase "merits and demerits cancel each other out" was full of profound meaning.

"Professor, if I may ask, how is my contribution calculated?"

Dumbledore interlaced his fingers, placed his hands on the desk, and adopted a serious expression.

"The credit goes to the house grades. Harry, Hermione, and Ron, the three Gryffindors, performed exceptionally well last night, and I will give them some encouragement."

Of course, the same goes for you, and your reward will be even greater because you deserve it.

"Oh!"

Aaron suddenly realized that the only thing that could be related to the score was the Academy Cup.

Gryffindor is second to last, a few points ahead of Hufflepuff, so Slytherin's victory is practically a done deal.

However, if a major event causes Gryffindor's score to surge, even surpassing the 150 points Harry and his friends lost, then that gap will be infinitely narrowed.

Unless Slytherin can also raise their score accordingly, it's not impossible for them to be overtaken.

But why did Dumbledore do this? Could it be that Slytherin's six consecutive House Cup victories were something even this old wizard from Gryffindor couldn't stand?

It's possible, but the chances are very small.

The College Cup is an honor, but if it weren't for the system mission, Aaron wouldn't even care about such a meaningless honor, let alone Dumbledore, the greatest white wizard of this century.

Thinking of this, a sudden inspiration flashed through Aaron's mind.

Dumbledore was indeed doing it for Gryffindor, or more precisely, for the three wizards of Gryffindor, and even more precisely, for Harry Potter.

The honor of the House Cup can indeed greatly encourage him and make this boy, who is relatively unfamiliar with the magical world, more confident, especially since he defeated Slytherin, who had won the House Cup for six consecutive years, in his first year of school.

It's unbelievable that he, a Slytherin, was favored by the Dark Lord, while Harry Potter, a Gryffindor, was favored by the White Lord.

"Okay! I've figured some things out." Aaron rubbed his temples, then said in a solemn tone, "But I'm sorry, I don't want to give up on this year's Academy Cup."

Dumbledore was taken aback; he hadn't expected Aaron to see through his intentions.

Snape frowned slightly. Aaron's words made him realize Dumbledore's purpose.

To be honest, he wasn't very interested in the House Cup, but he was very interested in defeating Gryffindor and putting Harry Potter down.

If Gryffindor gains the upper hand over Slytherin because of Harry and the others, he might be depressed for a while this summer.

Professor McGonagall felt like she'd won the lottery; although Aaron hadn't agreed, it was only temporary.

Unless he can convince Dumbledore that it is justifiable for him to keep this magical creature, which is obviously impossible.

“Let’s talk about my mistake, Professor Dumbledore,” Aaron said meaningfully, then glanced at Fawkes on the golden branch. “If keeping a magical creature is a mistake, it seems that besides me, there are other people at Hogwarts who keep a magical creature.”

Headmaster Dumbledore, you can't be so hypocritical!

"I am the principal."

Does being a school principal make you superior to students?

"Or does the headmaster not have to follow Hogwarts' rules?" Aaron retorted. "And I don't recall any rule against keeping magical creatures, do I?"

“It’s not written down,” Dumbledore said in a deep voice, “but dangerous animals are not allowed to be kept as pets, for example... dragons, or thunderbirds.”

They can cause a lot of damage with just a sneeze. There are too many people in the school, and most of them are not very strong. What if something unexpected happens?

Our authority on this matter might be better positioned to speak on it; he once kept an eight-eyed giant spider, and the result was obvious—he was severely punished.

Hagrid lowered his head slightly and said in a somewhat dejected voice, "Aragok is innocent; it has nothing to do with that so-called secret chamber."

"But you can't deny its danger; it is inherently ferocious and instinctively preys on humans."

Even if it obeys you, Hagrid, you can't guarantee that it won't want a different taste someday, or something different.

“Um… well, I can guarantee my Abe is safe,” Aaron said.

“It’s a pity,” Dumbledore shook his head. “Hagrid thought so too, but such a baseless guarantee is not convincing at all.”

Moreover, a safe magical creature wouldn't suddenly grow that big, nor would it dare to attack a dark wizard who could plunge the magical world into panic.

Aaron, your pet is more powerful and more dangerous than you think.

"Professor, please forgive my bluntness."