*"Gurgle..."*
Dylan felt his stomach growling, and Dumbledore stopped his explanation of the spell just in time.
Dylan smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Professor."
"It's all right. It's about time for a meal anyway." Dumbledore didn't mind and simply waved his hand, causing the silver phoenix to dissipate.
— That's right. Throughout his lesson with Dylan, he had continuously maintained his Patronus Charm.
"No wonder Minerva likes you so much. You truly are a talented and intelligent young wizard."
"You flatter me."
Dylan stood up. "Then I'll head to the Great Hall?"
"Of course." Dumbledore nodded, making no move to see him out.
Just as Dylan reached for the door, Dumbledore suddenly spoke. "Dylan, I hope you remember something."
Dylan paused and turned back. "Yes, Professor?"
Dumbledore pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "True power in magic always comes from the strength of your heart and your courage."
"If you ever have to face darkness, don't be afraid. Call upon the light within you, and your Patronus will always be there to guide and protect you."
Dylan pressed his lips together, then nodded seriously.
For the first time, he lifted his eyes to meet Dumbledore's gaze.
"I will, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Dumbledore chuckled. "I heard from Minerva that you once made a prophecy—that she would become Hogwarts' next headmistress?"
Dylan was taken aback before nodding. "Yes."
"Did you truly see that?"
"...Yes."
Dumbledore fell silent for a moment, then gave a small nod. "I see. Go eat now—don't let yourself go hungry."
"Goodbye, Professor."
Dylan opened the door and stepped out.
After closing the office door, he glanced at the two small notebooks in his hand.
"I originally just wanted to ask some questions, maybe gain a little knowledge or insight, but I didn't expect Dumbledore to teach me these two spells without holding anything back."
Dylan sighed inwardly, then quickened his pace toward the Great Hall.
It was already noon—definitely time for lunch.
And since Dumbledore had no intention of joining him, that meant the headmaster wasn't hungry. Naturally, Dylan saw no reason to ask him about it.
If he did, and Dumbledore suddenly decided to join him, then he'd be stuck walking with the headmaster the whole way.
And there was no way he could casually ask about more magic along the way, right?
If Dumbledore started asking him weird questions instead, Dylan didn't want to waste energy dealing with that.
---
*"Some magical creatures are classified as true magical beings—like my little furball, or dragons,"* Dylan thought as he walked, recalling the phoenix in Dumbledore's office.
Since Dumbledore had once taught Professor McGonagall Transfiguration, was it possible that he himself was an Animagus?
Typically, a wizard's Animagus form matches their Patronus.
But an Animagus can't be a magical creature.
So was Dumbledore actually an Animagus or not? Dylan wasn't sure.
*"I should ask Professor McGonagall about this sometime."*
That afternoon, after lunch, Dylan returned to the library to finish reading the books he hadn't completed.
He stayed there until late at night.
Once back in his dormitory, he lay down for a while. Then, after making sure everyone was asleep, he put on the Shadow Ring, concealing his presence.
Using his pet's ability to phase through walls, he slipped out of Hogwarts and ventured into the Forbidden Forest.
He still hadn't decided whether to return home for the summer, but there was no rush.
— Even if he went back, he wasn't guaranteed to find them.
— Or, he might find all three of them.
*"I wonder if my parents have finally created their alternate accounts."*
Dylan smirked.
Even though he hadn't decided on his summer plans, Hagrid was worried that if Dylan left permanently after the term ended, there'd be fewer people around.
And if something happened in the Forbidden Forest over the summer, the professors might notice.
So a couple of days ago, Hagrid had asked Ron to pass on a message, arranging to meet Dylan in the Forbidden Forest tonight.
— As for why he didn't just write a letter? Well, that was to prevent certain people from intercepting and reading it.
Coincidentally, the fresh meat Dylan had ordered for Arno had just arrived.
Even though most of Arno's food was provided by Hagrid, since Arno was his pet, Dylan naturally wanted to provide extra, high-nutrient meals to support its growth.
And since Hagrid didn't have enough money and refused to hunt creatures in the Forbidden Forest, Dylan had covered most of the expenses. He even arranged for Hagrid to secretly purchase specialized food for young dragons from outside sources.
*"One expense after another... I really don't have enough money right now."*
Dylan sighed.
Whether it was mastering spells, improving his wand and wizard robes, or brewing potions—all of it required money.
Not to mention his everyday necessities.
*"Maybe I should go home for the summer and push my parents a little. They can start their side gig whenever, but we need the money now!"*
They spent all their time enjoying their romantic two-person adventures, traveling wherever they pleased, without worrying about how to make money, where to make money, or how much to make.
Dylan would have to put together a detailed plan for them.
They could just follow the blueprint—brains off, money flowing in.
What a perfect life!
*"Damn it, when are my parents going to become rich second-generation heirs instead?"*
---
The Forbidden Forest was dense, its towering trees twisted in eerie shapes.
Branches intertwined overhead, blocking out almost all light, with only a few strands of moonlight filtering through, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor.
Dylan stepped forward, his foot pressing into the soft earth.
He made his way deeper into the forest, arriving at a hidden cave.
Pushing aside the vines and leaves partially covering the entrance, he stepped inside.
"Hey, Dylan! Good evening!"
A warm, golden glow illuminated the space.
Dylan looked ahead and saw Hagrid's massive figure standing there.
In one hand, he held a lantern, waving at Dylan with the other.
**"Finally, I've been waiting for you! Come over here—I've prepared a lot of food for Arno this time!"**
Dylan looked at the large lantern in Hagrid's hand. **"Aren't you afraid of being noticed hiding here? If someone finds out, wouldn't that look super suspicious?"**
Hagrid scratched his head and chuckled. **"I just got here not long ago. I figured I'd light the place up first so we wouldn't be fumbling in the dark. What if you couldn't see?"**
**"…"**
Dylan twitched the corner of his mouth. Under Hagrid's eager and expectant gaze, he pulled out his wand and gave it a gentle wave.
**"Swoosh!"**
A large young dragon appeared out of thin air.
Along with it, a black creature—somewhere between a lynx and a black cat—landed gracefully on the ground.
The moment the two little creatures arrived, the once-quiet cave became lively.
**"Hiss hiss! Moo!"**
**"…Stop imitating your buddy Coalball's sounds!"**
Dylan glared.
Arno shrank his neck slightly, but his head turned from side to side, his beady black eyes darting around as his nostrils twitched. It was unclear whether he had actually heard Dylan's words.
Coalball, on the other hand, shot Dylan an annoyed look before turning to Arno. **"Moo moo! Moo!"**
Arno glanced cautiously at Dylan. **"Hiss… moo?"**
Dylan sighed, feeling a little helpless.
**"Just let it make whatever sounds it wants. It's kinda cute this way!"** Hagrid grinned excitedly, stepping forward and gently stroking the young dragon's head.
**"Good lad! Every time I see him, he's grown so much!"**
Dylan waved his wand again.
Several cans of high-protein, highly nutritious food appeared.
He opened them and poured the canned meat into Arno's large iron food bowl.
Hagrid also took out the meat he had bought for Arno and dumped it all in.
The moment the food appeared, the little creature's eyes lit up.
Coalball also stared intensely at the large bowl of meat.
**"You eat this."**
Dylan took out a few more cans and poured them into a small iron bowl specifically prepared for Coalball.
**"Moo moo!"** Coalball let out a couple of calls.
Once Dylan gave the go-ahead, Arno's nose twitched, and his head immediately dove in, tearing into the meat with big bites. He ate with great enthusiasm, occasionally letting meat juices dribble from the corners of his mouth.
Compared to Arno, Coalball was much more reserved.
His small bowl was placed a bit away from Arno's, because if he got too close, bits of meat flying from Arno's enthusiastic eating would hit him.
Coalball carefully licked the canned meat, his pink tongue rolling up tiny chunks before swallowing them.
While the two little ones ate, Hagrid walked around Arno a few times. Seeing that he was in good spirits, he finally relaxed and turned to Dylan.
**"No trouble at school lately, right?"**
Dylan blinked. **"Emm… no, everything's been pretty normal."**
**"Arno usually stays in my pet space, so no one has noticed I'm keeping him."**
Hagrid nodded, his expression turning serious. **"You absolutely can't let anyone find out about this. If we get caught, we—and he—will be in big trouble!"**
Dylan looked at Hagrid. **"As long as you don't slip up over here, we should be fine."**
Today, old Dumbledore had taught him the Fidelius Charm, and Dylan was already considering whether he should master it and, once he was skilled enough, make himself Hagrid's Secret-Keeper. That way, the secret would be locked in his mind forever.
Dylan was always worried that someone might trick Hagrid into spilling the beans.
Hagrid laughed heartily and patted his chest. **"Don't worry! I guarantee nothing will go wrong!"**
Dylan's eyelid twitched.
That's a major **flag** you just raised. Now I trust you even less.
**"Looks like I really need to find an opportunity to use that Fidelius Charm…"**
**"Huh? What? What did you just say?"**
Hagrid was squatting beside Arno, watching him eat, and hadn't heard Dylan muttering to himself.
**"Nothing."**
Dylan shook his head and then walked over to Arno.
**"Arno's gotten pretty big now, and his features are more defined. It looks like he's not a little boy but actually a little girl."**
Hagrid froze for a moment before seriously observing Arno, who was currently munching away with her tail raised.
After a moment, he nodded. **"You might be right."**
Dylan blinked. **"Since she's a girl, the name 'Arno' doesn't quite suit her as a proper name. How about we call her 'Nobeta' from now on? 'Arno' can be a nickname, or we can call her 'Beta' for short."**
Hagrid nodded again. **"That sounds great! She deserves a proper name. 'Nobeta' has a nice ring to it."**
As they spoke, Hagrid pulled out a biscuit from his pocket.
**"Here, little Beta, eat this too! The more you eat, the faster you'll grow!"**
Dylan glanced over—it was one of Hagrid's homemade rock-hard biscuits.
**"…"**
Who gives **that** kind of thing to a kid?
Yet, when Hagrid tossed the biscuit into Beta's food bowl, the little one seemed to love it. She actually ignored the meat and immediately dunked the biscuit into the juices at the bottom of the bowl before chomping down on it.
**"…"**
Yep. Teaching kids is **not** a group project—you gotta do it yourself.
Dylan rubbed his forehead.
After calming down, he looked back at Hagrid and Beta.
The scene of them happily bonding…
**"Sigh… This is definitely gonna be trouble."**
Dylan didn't ask Beta for any dragon scales or blood today.
Lately, he hadn't needed to brew many potions. His focus had been on spell research and other magical studies.
Because of that, Beta had enjoyed some peaceful days.
She finished eating quickly. Once the meal was over, Dylan was ready to take his two pets and leave.
Hagrid was reluctant to part, but there was nothing he could do.
Before leaving, Dylan said to Hagrid, "Don't be sad. It's not like we'll never see each other again. When you get back, make sure to prepare some extra delicious food for Beta."
Hagrid immediately promised, "I'll spend most of my salary on it!"
"...That won't be necessary."
It almost made him seem like a dragon owner who didn't feed his own pet, instead treating others like an ATM, constantly withdrawing gold coins.
—Of course, he had indeed considered that before.
But now, even though he was short on money, he wasn't so desperate that he would skimp on feeding his pet.
After recalling Beta and Coal back into the pet space, Dylan bid farewell to Hagrid, quickly left the Forbidden Forest, and returned to his dormitory.
—At this time, Harry had not yet returned and was still in the infirmary.
—Ron was keeping him company.
The next morning.
Dylan woke up.
He spent another full day studying in the library, delving deeper into his research on the Gryffindor courage charm.
When the year-end feast finally arrived, Dylan made his way to the Great Hall.
By then, the entire hall was draped in silver and green.
—Slytherin had won the House Cup for seven consecutive years.
Even behind the faculty table, a massive banner hung.
—It depicted an extremely vivid and lifelike Slytherin serpent.
Dylan casually found a seat.
Hermione had already arrived.
It wasn't until most of the students were present that Harry finally showed up, arriving noticeably late.
—Clearly, Madam Pomfrey had finally deemed him fit to leave.
The moment Harry stepped inside—
The once noisy and bustling Great Hall instantly fell silent.
But just as quickly, an even louder wave of chatter erupted.
Dylan overheard students discussing Harry's unconscious state.
And Gryffindor's point deduction.
—Because Dylan had taken the baby dragon away, Professor Snape, despite his usual attempts to target Gryffindor in class, hadn't been able to deduct too many points from them.
However, since he and Harry's group had entered the Forbidden Corridor—something they had evidently done more than once—they still ended up losing a total of one hundred points.
On this matter, Dylan genuinely felt wronged.
He had never entered the corridor with Harry and the others before—this was actually his first time!
Yet, under the professors' questioning, Ron, being too quick to speak, let it slip that they had previously sneaked into the corridor.
So, the points deduction was set in stone.
Dylan, however, didn't particularly care.
His gaze shifted to Dumbledore, seated at the head table.
"Go ahead, Old Dumbles, start your performance!"
Let him make a grand prophecy—
No need for extravagant predictions, but within the next seven years, this Great Hall wouldn't see a hint of green. It would be entirely draped in the bright red of Gryffindor!
Dumbledore looked pleased and energetic. Once everyone had gathered, the Great Hall doors closed, and he stood from his seat, his eyes sweeping across the students.
"Another school year has come to an end."
"And once again, it's time to listen to this old man's clichés."
Dumbledore chuckled at his own words.
"Many things have happened this year. I believe all of you have learned a great deal. Now, as for how each house performed—"
"Let's see who will claim the House Cup!"
"Now, I shall announce the house points—"
Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the hall.
The result was unsurprising.
Thanks to Dylan's contributions in class and Harry's performance in Quidditch, Gryffindor had once held first place.
—No matter how hard Professor Snape tried, he couldn't deduct enough points to change that.
However, after Harry fell unconscious and another house took the Quidditch Cup, the scores shifted again.
And with Dylan, Harry, and the others getting one hundred points deducted for entering the Forbidden Corridor—
Gryffindor had fallen straight to the bottom.
—At least third place went to Slytherin.
—Because Malfoy had snuck out during curfew, attempting to spread rumors about Harry owning a dragon, Slytherin had been heavily penalized.
This allowed Ravenclaw to claim first place instead.
When Dumbledore announced this, both the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables fell into a heavy silence—one could even call it dead silent.
Meanwhile, the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables erupted into enthusiastic applause.
Dylan remained calm, completely unfazed.
Sure enough, after Dumbledore clapped twice for Ravenclaw, he suddenly changed the subject.
"Congratulations to Ravenclaw. However, recent events must also be taken into consideration—"
The Ravenclaw students, who had been celebrating, suddenly froze.
"I must acknowledge—Miss Hermione Granger, despite facing terrifying flames, was able to deduce the correct solution with remarkable reasoning skills. For that, Gryffindor earns fifty points!"
The moment his words landed, Gryffindor students, after a brief moment of silence, erupted into cheers, their applause thunderous.
Hermione, looking a bit embarrassed, lowered her head.
—If she had actually solved the puzzle, that would be one thing. But when she and Harry entered that chamber, the correct answer had already been figured out by someone else!
—Although she had indeed done some reasoning at the time…
Still…
This counted toward her score?!
Dumbledore pressed his palm down.
The Great Hall fell silent.
He immediately spoke, "And—Mr. Ron Weasley, who demonstrated extraordinary chess skills, the finest Hogwarts has seen in years!"
"—Awarded fifty points!"
Gryffindor erupted once again.
Applause filled the hall with loud, rapid claps.
—Ron lowered his head.
What was this about? That chess game had been a complete mess, and he had only moved a few pieces to win.
Such praise made him feel rather undeserving…
"The third—Dylan Hawkwod and Harry Potter!"
Dumbledore's voice echoed once more, and the Gryffindors instantly shut their mouths, blinking as they turned their attention to him.
"Their courage and ability, their boldness and wisdom, are truly admirable!"
"For this—Gryffindor is awarded one hundred and twenty points!"
In an instant, Gryffindor exploded in cheers once again.
"What? Oh my god! One hundred and twenty points?!"
"Merlin's nose! How many points do we have now?"
"No idea, but we're definitely in first place! We were already leading, and now we got back the hundred points we lost, plus another one hundred and twenty—what else could we be but first?"
"Exactly!"
Amidst the deafening cheers, Dylan glanced at old Dumbledore, who was smiling from his seat of honor, and subtly curled his lips.
—Old Dumbledore, oh, old Dumbledore, this is so like you!
A mere hundred points? He had deducted them as if it were nothing—so what?
Not only did he give them back, but he even added over a hundred more!
This time, Gryffindor didn't just surpass Slytherin—they leapfrogged over Ravenclaw and secured first place!
As for Slytherin…
They had now fallen to dead last, in fourth place—a nearly unprecedented event.
At the Slytherin table, not a single student was smiling.
Each one sat stone-faced, as if they had just received the worst news of their lives.
—Just like Professor Snape.
(End of Chapter)