Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 90 Hagrid and the Dragon

Dumbledore wanted Vaughn to return to Hogwarts as soon as possible, of course, because Harry had successfully mastered Occlumency.

Two days ago, on a night when, as usual, the skies over the Scottish Highlands were shrouded in clouds and drizzle.

As usual, Harry dawdled and hesitated until late at night before reluctantly arriving at the Potions Office—Professor Snape believed that the Room of Requirement's study/lounge was too comfortable and very unfavorable for practicing Occlumency.

Even though several days had passed, Harry still remembered the malice in Snape's drawn-out voice when he suggested to Dumbledore that they change their practice location:

"That lazy, complacent fool needs a harsher environment to remind him that what he's learning now might just save his life!"

Harry strongly suspected that Snape moved his practice location to the basement because it was a remote, sparsely populated, cold, and damp place that even Slytherin students avoided when there were no classes.

It's practically the perfect place to kill someone and silence them.

That day, Harry angrily told Ron and Hermione what had happened.

He wanted his two best friends to stay by his side recently, in case he was silently murdered by Snape one day.

Hermione dismissed his concern, saying, "Professor Snape can't kill you. There's no need. He just needs to break into your brain and implant all sorts of horrible self-destructive thoughts in you, and you'll jump off the observatory yourself!"

Harry's face turned ashen and his lips turned white.

Fortunately, his good friend Ron always manages to make him laugh again.

"Ha, Snape knew the basement was awful? I thought he liked those bat caves!"

Ron was laughing loudly in the busy corridor when Professor McGonagall caught him.

The fair-minded vice-principal was trembling with rage. "Weasley, how dare you slander and insult a professor like this? It seems the last detention didn't teach you a lesson. Now, go clean the washrooms, and no magic... hand over your wand!"

Ron hesitated, unwilling to pay.

Hermione, standing nearby, spoke up righteously: "Professor, Ronald doesn't know the Cleansing Charm yet, so it doesn't matter whether he hands over his wand or not!"

Ron stared at her incredulously, seemingly unable to understand why she was so vicious, actually revealing his academic failure in front of the usually strict Professor McGonagall.

Sure enough, Professor McGonagall's expression grew increasingly grim. "Mr. Weasley, I think I'm not mistaken, the Cleansing Charm is one of the simplest spells for first-year students. Professor Flitwick should have taught you this three months ago. Even with a troll, three months..."

Her good manners allowed her to swallow the words that were about to come out.

But her impending rage made her lose control and grab Ron's ear, dragging him to the office despite the onlookers among their classmates.

Watching Ron's pathetic figure recede into the distance, Harry couldn't help but smirk—when you have to face someone who hates you every day, someone who might even want to kill you, and then look at your carefree companions beside you, anyone would inevitably think:

I really want him to suffer bad luck with me!

Harry suddenly felt really good; even the gloomy sky seemed a bit brighter. However, he still kept Hermione's words in mind.

So, that night he desperately resisted Snape's Legilimency, and it was a very strange scene: the two of them, one big and one small, stared at each other in the basement, making all sorts of ferocious expressions.

They would only stop when one of them was completely exhausted, shivering and panting heavily.

The scene was too much to bear.

Even after practice ended, Harry didn't relax at all. His fear and anxiety about Snape caused him to unleash a potential he never imagined.

On the morning of the 21st, as soon as Harry opened his eyes, he subconsciously observed his surroundings—a habit he had recently developed. His not-yet-fully-mastered Occlumency technique always dissipated after he fell asleep due to the relaxation of his subconscious, triggering the punishment mechanism of his automatic response personality.

Harry had almost forgotten how many people or animals he had "transformed" into since the implantation of the auto-responder personality.

But to his surprise, he didn't appear in any strange places today.

The familiar dormitory came into view. To his right, Neville lay sprawled on his bed, the memory orb in his hand emitting a scarlet light.

I wonder what he forgot in his sleep.

Ron was sleeping on his left. Scabbers was in a cage and placed on the bedside table. The fat rat woke up with a yawn when it heard the noise and stared blankly at Harry.

Seeing Scabbers always reminded Harry of the feeling of it wriggling in his mouth the last time...

vomit!

Harry turned his face away, forcing himself to forget the horrific scene. He sat on the bed in a daze for a while, then pinched himself hard.

The pain in my arm was very clear; it wasn't a dream.

Harry's first thought was one of confusion: had the auto-response personality failed? He quickly dismissed this question, because he clearly sensed that his thoughts were enveloped by a thin, yet incredibly distinct barrier.

It doesn't have a physical form, but rather a feeling, a faint, cool sensation that covers the brain. If you're not paying attention, you might even mistake it for an illusion.

"Is this... Occlusive surgery?"

Harry muttered to himself hesitantly.

He had never felt this coldness before, but Vaughn had told him that if one day he felt as if something had appeared in his head, it meant he had completely mastered the Occlumency technique.

...Snape said the same thing!

Cold, cool, hot, hollow...

Everyone's brain enclosed technique is different; it all depends on what the "raw materials" you use to "construct" it.

The raw materials can be false memories or emotions.

Harry wasn't quite sure, and just as he was lost in thought, Ron on the next bed suddenly sat up, his face flushed, and shouted, "Professor McGonagall, I really can't eat anymore, I..."

His voice stopped abruptly, and he and Harry stared at each other in bewilderment.

"Uh, Ron, are you dreaming?"

"……yes……"

Harry's eyes darted around, and as if remembering something, he asked with feigned curiosity, "I remember Professor McGonagall asked you to clean the toilets yesterday, how come you dreamed about eating...?"

Then Ron, his face flushed with anger, rushed over and tore at his mouth.

After some playful banter, the two left their dormitory and arrived at the dining hall. When they found Hermione, Harry finally told his friend about the strange feeling and speculation in his head.

"Great!" Ron slapped his thigh. "Once you learn this, you'll never have to go looking for that old bat again..."

His voice trailed off as Hermione stared intently at him from the other side.

Ron muttered resentfully under his breath, "Hmph, you framed me in front of Professor McGonagall yesterday, and today you're acting like you want to eat me alive. All I did was say a few bad things about Snape, you traitor!"

Harry and Ron felt that Hermione had been acting strangely lately.

Especially around Valentine's Day.

Everyone originally thought that Snape was the Man in Black, and even Hermione's own observations and speculations led to a similar conclusion.

Even though she didn't want to believe it, she only remained reserved in the face of Harry and Ron's doubts.

But for some reason, one day she suddenly started to defend Snape.

When the two asked her, she wouldn't give a reason, and she became quite eccentric.

Of course, apart from that, she is still the know-it-all Miss they know.

For example, in terms of dealing with homework.

Ron was too intimidated by Hermione's gaze to speak, and Harry wasn't spared either. He didn't even have time to celebrate learning Occlumency before Hermione dragged him to the library after breakfast.

Hermione, who was already a head taller than Harry, carried a stack of books that were taller than her and placed them on the table. Then, under the fearful gazes of the two, she took out a notebook.

"Now that Harry has mastered Occlumency, from now on you will all be reviewing with me!"

Hermione said sternly.

That expression made Ron think he was seeing Professor McGonagall.

That was the person Ron feared most in the entire school. He only dared to fantasize in his dreams about Professor McGonagall inviting him to dinner and praising him as a genius or something.

Ron stared blankly at the stack of books. "Review? Are you crazy? It's only February..."

"It's almost the end of February, March is just around the corner, and there are only 13 weeks left until the final exams. June is exam month, do you really want to wait until then to start studying?"

Hermione stood with her hands on her hips in front of the two of them, and her figure appeared so tall and imposing against the backdrop of the stack of books next to her!

It sent chills down Harry and Ron's spines.

Even Harry couldn't help but complain: "Hermione, can you stop changing the concept of time every time? There are still more than three months left. Even if you convert it to weeks, it's impossible to make it shorter."

"Have you thought about Nicolas Flamel? He lived for over 600 years; three months would be nothing to him..."

Ron interrupted her: "We're not Flamel, and we won't live to be over 600."

"That's why we should cherish time even more—"

Hermione always managed to confuse Harry and Ron with her clever little brain. By the time the two came to their senses again, they were already sitting at a table in the library, with Mrs. Pince, holding a feather duster and eyeing the young wizards menacingly, not far away.

No one dares to make noise or disrespect books in front of her, otherwise, the feather duster in her hand will teach you what manners are!

Harry and Ron had no choice but to bite the bullet and get to work turning the pages.

Although they didn't understand.

It's one thing for those two academically challenged students to study, but why does Hermione have to study too?

That afternoon, when Ron saw Hermione flipping through her notebook, writing down her plans with different colored markers, he finally couldn't help but ask her, "You clearly know everything; you can recite everything in the book with your eyes closed. Is making these review plans really useful for you?"

Hermione sneered, "Ronald, if you were as smart as your brother, you would never say such arrogant things. Even Dumbledore wouldn't dare say he knows everything!"

Ron blushed, not out of shame, but out of rage.

He felt that Hermione was becoming more and more like Vaughn, becoming equally mean, mean, and sharp-tongued.

That noon, while he and Harry were out in the men's restroom, they ran to the courtyard for some fresh air. He complained, "That silly little girl, don't think I don't know why she's working so hard. It's because Vaughn is so talented, she feels the pressure... Just like those little girls in Autry St. Catchbolt village when they were kids, frantically flipping through potions books just to have something to talk to Vaughn. So stupid!"

"I'm telling you, Harry, never force yourself to change yourself just to attract someone. Anyone who does that is a fool."

Harry, who had run into Cho Chang at the restaurant at noon but failed to speak to her, was thinking about how to find out her hobbies so he could strike up a conversation when he heard this, his face turned red.

Ron, oblivious to his surroundings, continued speaking fluently: "Muggles call this kind of person a 'Simp' (something like a bootlicker). I don't know exactly what it means, but it's obviously not a compliment... Harry, what are you looking at me for?"

Understanding what the word meant, a slightly embarrassed and annoyed Harry stammered, "You know so much about it, isn't it because there used to be a little girl you liked, but she preferred to play with Vaughn?"

Ron: "..."

The ship of friendship can capsize at any moment.

However, for children of this age, a momentary unease is far from escalating to the level of discord or hatred.

The next day, the two made up as if nothing had happened.

The reason, besides the fact that neither of them took the awkwardness to heart, is that the so-called "review" is no longer limited to Hermione's personal behavior.

The professors also seemed to feel that it was time to put the students under pressure!

There is no compulsory education at Hogwarts.

To advance from first grade to second grade, you need to pass an exam; those who fail will have to repeat the grade.

Therefore, starting on the 21st, professors from all subjects began assigning a large amount of homework.

Their content covered all the knowledge points of the entire school year, as well as a large number of papers. Faced with a mountain of homework, Harry and Ron had no choice but to put aside their differences and stick together for warmth.

"Merlin, when will this end!"

In the library, Ron, who had only managed to stay awake for half a day, felt like he was about to die and slumped onto the desk with a soft sigh.

Across from him, Harry was sweating profusely as he flipped through a book.

He is searching for a plant called Dictamnus dasycarpus in "A Thousand Wonderful Herbs and Mushrooms".

Although the title "A Thousand Magical Herbs and Mushrooms" sounds like a herbalism book, it is actually a Potions textbook. This afternoon, Snape sarcastically remarked to Harry that he had absolutely no idea what White Pepper was for.

They say his thick, crowded head is already packed with things and absolutely can't hold any more.

So Harry vowed that even if he died of exhaustion today, he would find that damned "White Fresh"!

Ever since Snape learned that Harry had learned Occlumency, his temper has worsened, and his attitude towards Harry has become more hostile than before.

Harry didn't want to give in to a guy like that.

Seeing Harry completely absorbed in his studies, and Hermione engrossed in writing something in her notebook, Ron looked out the window at the sky with a bit of boredom.

The sky remains overcast and rainy today, with thick, leaden clouds.

In the Scottish Highlands after spring arrives, the rain is so heavy it feels like the surrounding seas are about to be poured out. The last time you see the sun feels like it was a lifetime ago.

Since spring, Ron has never seen Hagrid take off his heavy raincoat... Wait a minute!

"Hagrid? What are you doing here?"

Ron stared in surprise at Hagrid, who was at least 11 feet tall and lurking behind a row of bookshelves by the window, and couldn't help but shout out.

As soon as he shouted, Ron remembered that he was in the library and quickly covered his mouth.

Sure enough, Mrs. Pins, clutching a feather duster, quickly ran over.

Those eyes, brimming with fighting spirit and a sense of oppression, swept fiercely around the room.

The trembling young wizards at the surrounding desks all pointed at Ron in unison.

Subsequently, Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid were all kicked out by Mrs. Pince...

"I really can't believe what you're thinking about all day, Ronald Weasley? I haven't even finished taking notes, and those books are hard to borrow. I had to go to great lengths to get Mrs. Pince to reserve them for me this time, and you..."

Hermione, whose study had been interrupted, went berserk and unleashed a torrent of abuse on Ron.

Harry, on the other hand, felt a sense of relief.

He had spent most of the day studying books out of spite, and he was at his limit. Now was the perfect time for him to rest.

Moreover, he was curious about why Hagrid had come to the library.

Although it's not good to label people.

But to be honest, Harry doesn't think Hagrid is the type of person who can sit still and read, unless it's about magical creatures.

Seeing Hermione's temper growing increasingly volatile, Harry quickly asked:

"Hagrid, what are you doing at the library... uh, are you hiding something on your back?"

Hagrid, with his hands behind his large raincoat, stammered, "I'm looking for some books on agriculture... yes, books on growing pumpkins, books that can make pumpkins big and sweet, or books that can make them taste like fried cod or fried potatoes..."

He started rambling incoherently, then quickly urged them, "You should go back now and apologize properly to Mrs. Pince. I heard you have a lot of classes... By the way, you haven't been investigating the Philosopher's Stone lately, have you?"

Upon hearing this, Harry immediately perked up and tentatively said:

"We've found out. It was Snape who wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Hagrid, you…"

"It can't be him." Hagrid shook his head repeatedly, interrupting Harry. He looked around and saw that there were people coming and going outside the library, so it wasn't a good place to talk. He then whispered, "Come to my house tonight, and I'll tell you why."

After saying that, he hurriedly hugged the books he had hidden behind his back into his arms, said goodbye to the trio, and quickly disappeared into the rain.

Watching Hagrid's retreating figure, Ron curled his lip: "The book he borrowed definitely wasn't about agriculture, at least not about growing pumpkins. Otherwise, why would he be hiding? Could he possibly grow pumpkins that eat people?"

Harry didn't think so either.

Hagrid was clearly unwilling to talk about it, and there was nothing he could do. However, to his delight, Hagrid, who had always been tight-lipped and would get angry whenever they pressed him about the Philosopher's Stone, was actually willing to tell them some things this time.

This made Harry very excited.

Just as he was wondering why Hagrid was so sure it couldn't be Snape.

Hermione, who had quietly left sometime earlier, returned with a note.

She spread the note out in front of Harry and Ron and snorted, "Hagrid is looking for books about dragons. Look, 'The Dragon Taming Guide,' 'The Complete Book of Dragons,' and 'How to Hatch an Egg.'"

Harry immediately lost interest.

He shrugged. "That's not surprising. Hagrid has always wanted to have a dragon. He told me that the first time we met."

"But it's different, Harry. You can ask anyone at Hogwarts and they'll know that Hagrid likes dragons."

Ron suddenly said, "That's no secret at all. I bet if someone showed any interest in raising dragons, Hagrid could talk about it all day long, instead of being afraid of being discovered like this today."

Harry was taken aback: "You mean...?"

"That's right, Harry. Liking dragons isn't illegal, and there's no need to sneak around, unless Hagrid has one... a live dragon, no, maybe a dragon egg!"

At this point, Ron excitedly flared his nostrils and began to breathe heavily.

Hermione immediately poured cold water on the idea: "Ronald, don't forget, keeping dragons privately is a crime punishable by Azkaban."

"..."

Ron, whose daydream was shattered before it even began, snorted and said nothing more.

Harry, a slacker who wasn't very familiar with the wizarding world and didn't like reading, was surprised to hear this: "He'll go to Azkaban? Hagrid, on the other hand..."

Hermione glanced at him, then at the bustling corridor. "So, when you're discussing this, could you find a quiet place?"

Ultimately, they decided to study at the Room of Requirement, as there was no better place to study and chat in all of Hogwarts.

No boy can resist a live fire dragon.

On the way to the Room of Requirement, Harry kept asking Hermione and Ron about dragons.

Even in the magical world, fire dragons are powerful, majestic, and mysterious creatures.

Harry at least didn't see it at Hogwarts.

In response to his question, Ron explained, "Because all the dragons are protected. They are not kept in captivity, but rather each country's Ministry of Magic has designated a protected area and hired professionals to reinstate the dragons in the wild. This is mainly to prevent poachers from attacking the dragons for materials such as dragon blood and dragon nerves."

"Charlie works in the fire dragon reserve in Romania."

Under Charlie's influence, he was somewhat of a dragon enthusiast and could readily recall some basic information about the subject: "...Actually, there are still wild dragons in the wild. I heard that not too far from Hogwarts, in the Hebrides of Scotland, there lives a group of black dragons."

"That's one of the only two types of fire dragons left in England; the other is called the common Welsh green dragon..."

Throughout the afternoon, Hermione remained busy with her study plan, while Ron educated Harry on his hearsay knowledge about dragons. His erudite manner made Harry once again wonder what he was doing all day.

As night fell, the three of them went to a restaurant and had a quick bite to eat.

Hermione went back to her dorm and brought Fruit Tea with her, planning to let Fruit Tea get some fresh air while she went to Hagrid's hut.

Ron was very unhappy about this because it meant he could no longer take care of Scabbers.

"Can't you even consider my feelings? Banban is so pitiful, I have to keep it locked in a cage all day now."

"Isn't the fruit tea pityable? There are mice right in front of it, but it can never get a bite!"

Ron was dumbfounded. Could a human say such a thing?

At this moment, Fruit Tea, who had been quietly following behind Hermione, suddenly raised its nose, sniffed the air a few times, and then meowed as it ran towards a corridor.

"Fruit tea!"

"It's all your fault, Ronald. Fruit Tea is very smart; you must have hurt its feelings."

"Stop talking nonsense, it's a cat, it doesn't understand human language!"

"Alright, alright, let's hurry and find it! We need to get to Hagrid's place as soon as possible!"

The three of them, arguing and shouting, quickly caught up.

But soon they stopped—after turning the corner of the corridor, Guoguocha hadn't gotten lost.

This chubby big cat is showing its belly and hugging a boy's leg, acting all cute towards him.

Hearing footsteps, the boy turned around: "Hi, Hermione, Harry, oh, and my brother, Ronald Weasley!"

(End of this chapter)