Hermione shot Ron a disapproving look. "The exams are in two months. Are you sure you're going to pass?"
Ron retorted, "Hey, of course I will! Don't jinx it!"
Dylan shook his head helplessly and went back to reading his Divination book.
"Luck and fortune are also elements of Divination," he murmured.
Hermione, who had nearly finished her homework, glanced over at the book Dylan was flipping through and leaned in curiously.
"Dylan, do you think Divination is real? I mean, prophecies and all that?"
Dylan's fingers gently turned the yellowed pages of the book, producing a soft rustling sound. He paused at Hermione's question, tilting his head slightly in thought before replying softly, "Divination isn't like a spell where you can see immediate results, but I believe it holds ancient wisdom and mysterious power. Many seers have been able to glimpse hidden truths through crystal balls, tarot cards, or even tea leaves."
Hermione's gaze followed Dylan's words, settling on the book in front of him. The pages displayed a star chart, with shimmering constellations and intricate symbols intertwined.
"Sounds even more mysterious than magic," she remarked.
Dylan smiled faintly. "If magic exists, why can't Divination?"
Hermione blinked. "That sounds like there's more to what you're saying."
Dylan didn't deny it. Instead, he continued, "Perhaps you should believe that anything is possible. That's what I've been researching lately. Professor McGonagall plans to discuss it with me during our next tutoring session—about the connection between magic and the power of the mind."
A flicker of envy crossed Hermione's eyes. "I wish I could get tutored by the professors every day too."
Dylan smirked. "You could join, but... the pace might be a bit too fast for you."
He was being polite.
Hermione nodded in agreement. "I'll stick to reading on my own, then."
Meanwhile, Ron was furiously copying Dylan's homework. Even with the answers right in front of him, he couldn't focus entirely, occasionally glancing around the library.
Suddenly, he noticed a large figure sneaking up to their table.
"Hagrid? What are you doing in the library?" Ron asked, his pen still moving. "Did you just run ten laps around the Forbidden Forest? You look like you're overheating."
"Just a bit under the weather," Hagrid muttered, his eyes darting around nervously. "I wanted to see if you lot were here."
Dylan looked up and noticed Hagrid's hands hidden behind his back, clumsily concealing something.
—His hiding skills were truly terrible.
"Hey, mates, you're still buried in these mountains of books, trying to figure out who Nicolas Flamel is?"
—His attempt to change the subject was equally awkward.
"So... you're worried we'll find out who Nicolas Flamel is?" Hermione chimed in, her lips curving into a subtle smile. "Don't worry, we already figured it out right after Christmas!"
"And we're just doing homework now!" Ron added, his eyes darting between Dylan's notebook and his own as he scribbled away.
—He clearly didn't care about the quality of his handwriting.
"What! You already know?" Hagrid's eyes widened like saucers.
"Not just that! That three-headed dog is guarding the Sorcerer's—" Ron started, but Hagrid frantically waved his hands to cut him off.
"Hey! Shh! Keep it down! Do you want the whole world to know?"
Harry looked at Hagrid. "We just want to protect the Sorcerer's Stone. If you could tell us what else is guarding it—like, are there more traps or challenges?—we could do a better job."
"—And don't say you don't know. After Quidditch practice, I overheard Snape talking to Quirrell on my way back from the locker room. Quirrell mentioned all the preparations he made for the Stone. It's not just Fluffy guarding it, is it?"
Hagrid looked utterly defeated.
Ron and Hermione glared at Harry. "Hey! Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"
Harry ignored them, his gaze fixed on Hagrid. Hermione and Ron exchanged a glance, then turned their attention back to Hagrid.
Under their intense stares, Hagrid glanced at Dylan, who was quietly reading and seemingly uninterested in the conversation. He let out a long sigh.
"...Alright, alright! You've got me."
Hagrid lowered his voice. "After you finish your homework, come by my hut to see Fang—but remember, I'm not promising anything!"
With that, he straightened up. "Make sure you come! And stop talking about this here, or I'll get an earful!"
He turned abruptly, clutching something hidden under a cloth, and hurried away.
As Hagrid left, Dylan caught a glimpse of something round wrapped in fabric. He glanced at Hagrid's retreating figure for a moment before returning to his Divination book.
Meanwhile, Ron, having finished copying both assignments at lightning speed, couldn't sit still. He fidgeted in his seat.
"What do you think Hagrid was hiding? He was so sneaky about it."
Hermione frowned, her lips pressed together as she watched Hagrid disappear. "It looked like some kind of ball."
"A ball?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Why would Hagrid be carrying a ball around? And why hide it from us?"
"Maybe it's a magical orb that can destroy the world!" Ron joked, his legs bouncing uncontrollably. He suddenly jumped up from his seat.
"I noticed he came from over there. Since when does Hagrid read books? I don't buy it!"
Ron darted off, weaving through the shelves and scanning the titles. Soon, he returned with a stack of books in his arms.
"Look at this! These must be the books Hagrid was just looking at. They're not even fully pushed back into the shelf!"
"Hagrid's so careless, no wonder Harry managed to get information out of him so easily," Hermione muttered, her lips twitching as she glanced at the books Ron had spread out on the table.
"*Raising Dragons for Fun and Profit*, *From Dragon Eggs to Inferno*, *Dragon Species of Britain and Ireland*, *Truly Effective Dragon-Raising Methods*…"
Hermione looked surprised and raised her head. "Why is Hagrid suddenly reading books about dragons?"
Harry tilted his head and pointed at one of the dragon-raising books. "When I first met Hagrid, he mentioned that he really wanted to raise a dragon."
"What?" Ron's eyes widened. "So he's planning to raise a dragon at Hogwarts?"
"Oh no, he'll get arrested by the Ministry of Magic! It's completely illegal for wizards to privately raise dragons. They're an extremely dangerous species!" Ron couldn't believe Hagrid was playing with fire like this.
Worried that Harry and Dylan might not understand the seriousness of the situation, Ron lowered his voice and added, "My brother Charlie has tons of scars from burns he got while dealing with dragons in Romania. Those wild dragons are so hard to control, and they're incredibly aggressive!"
Dragons?
Dylan, who had been quietly reading, looked up upon hearing their conversation. "Earlier, I saw Hagrid carrying something round, like an egg. Could it have been a dragon egg?"
"A dragon egg?!" Ron exclaimed. "Where would he even get a dragon egg? He's always watching over the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. How could he possibly get his hands on one?"
"And he's just casually carrying it around Hogwarts? He's out of his mind!"
Harry raised his hand, gesturing for Ron to lower his voice. "Not so loud, Ron. Someone might hear you."
Ron pursed his lips but didn't say anything else, though he clearly wasn't happy about it.
Dylan glanced at them. Wasn't it a bit late to try to keep things quiet now? If anyone had been listening, they would have already overheard everything. Shaking his head, Dylan turned his attention back to the star chart he was studying, observing the movements of the celestial bodies.
Curiosity about Hagrid's dragon-raising plans seemed to motivate Harry and Ron, as they sped through their homework assignments. Before long, they had filled several pieces of parchment.
"Not bad!" Ron said, looking at his completed work with satisfaction.
"It's passable—if you ignore the handwriting that looks like a dog's paw prints," Hermione remarked, glancing over.
"You really know how to ruin the mood," Ron huffed, pushing his homework back to Dylan and stuffing his own into his bag.
"Dylan, are you going to check out Hagrid's hut?" Harry asked, packing up his things and looking over at Dylan.
"I might as well take a look," Dylan said, closing his divination book. "If it really is a dragon egg, I could use some of the egg whites for my potions. If Hagrid's hiding a dragon egg, maybe I can extract a bit of it."
Ron's eye twitched. "If you take the egg whites, won't the egg die?"
Dylan thought for a moment. "Dragon eggs probably have strict environmental requirements for hatching, and the egg whites provide nutrients and moisture for the embryo. So, yes, removing them could kill the egg."
"…"
Ron, Harry, and Hermione all stared at Dylan with odd expressions.
After a pause, Harry finally said, "I don't think Hagrid would agree to that."
"Well, it's just a thought," Dylan replied. "But honestly, Hagrid won't be able to successfully raise a dragon anyway. If he decides he doesn't want the egg, I'd be willing to buy it from him."
Dylan's mind drifted to a recent conversation he'd had with Professor Snape about potion ingredients.
"I just happen to have the chance to test whether extracting the egg white from a dragon egg and using a potion can replenish the egg's nutrients."
Moreover, his system had provided him with a pet storage space. Since Hagrid couldn't raise a dragon, did that mean he had the opportunity to raise one himself?
In any case, whether out of curiosity or logic, he had to see what was going on with Hagrid's dragon egg.
After packing up their things, the group left the library and hurried over to Hagrid's hut.
From a distance, they could see that the windows of Hagrid's hut were tightly covered with curtains, leaving no gaps whatsoever.
The door was also firmly shut, with no cracks between the door and its frame.
—Originally, there had been small gaps in the wooden planks near the door, but now they had all been meticulously sealed.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances before stepping forward and gently knocking on the door.
*Knock knock—*
"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry called out.
"Quick, come in!" Hagrid's deep voice responded.
The door to the hut immediately swung open.
A wave of intense heat rushed out.
"Wow, it's so hot in here!" Ron exclaimed, feeling the scorching air hit his face.
Dylan pulled out his wand.
"*Aguamenti* (Water-Making Spell)!"
"*Glacies crystallorum* (Ice Crystals)!"
He cast two spells in quick succession.
A thick stream of water shot out from the tip of Dylan's wand, swirling around him.
At the same time, another surge of magical energy enveloped the water, causing the molecules to rapidly freeze.
In an instant, shimmering ice crystals formed in front of everyone, and the stifling heat in the air began to subside slightly.
"Ah, that's so much cooler!" Ron's eyes lit up, and he quickly moved closer to Dylan.
But before he could fully enjoy the refreshing chill of the ice, Hagrid grabbed his arm and yanked him inside the hut.
"Hurry up, get in!" Hagrid urged again.
Hermione and Harry filed in, and Dylan followed, the ice crystals around him moving along with him.
"Take a seat. Would you like some rock cakes?"
Hagrid's large head peered out the door, looking left and right to make sure no one was following them. Then, with a *bang*, he shut the door and turned to face the young wizards.
"No, thank you," Dylan was the first to decline.
"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry," Hermione added.
"Alright then. If you have questions, ask them quickly," Hagrid said, nodding. He didn't insist on forcing his rock cakes on them.
He had already noticed that the only ones who seemed to enjoy his rock cakes were his dog, Fang—and himself, of course, along with some of the magical creatures he cared for.
—Like Aragog and its adorable children.
Dylan didn't respond to Hagrid's question, as Harry was there to do the talking. Instead, he took the opportunity to look around the interior of Hagrid's hut.
It was so hot inside—clearly, Hagrid had already gotten his hands on the dragon egg.
What he had said earlier in the library wasn't a lie; he really did want to extract some egg white.
—He needed it for a potion he was working on.
"If I had dragon egg white, I could use it to brew a potion to soak Professor Snape's robes in. That way, he'd glide around even more smoothly."
(End of Chapter)