Weeks passed, and my first year was quickly coming to a close. Learning with Professor Quirrell in our private lessons had taught me so much more than the standard first-year curriculum. Over time, I began to learn more about Quirrell's life.
"Well done, Mr. Peterson," Quirrell congratulated me on successfully casting my charm. The floor became bouncy, jiggling when pressed.
"Now, how might you use this spell?" he asked, taking a sip of tea he had brewed while I practiced the spell and its pronunciation.
I thought for a moment, easily recognizing the most obvious use.
"To help me—or anything else—survive a great fall?" I suggested.
Quirrell nodded with a smile but remained silent, his eyes focused on me, waiting to see what else I might say.
"Perhaps if I had known this spell when facing that troll, I could have used it on the ground beneath him to make him lose his footing…" I mused aloud, continuing to brainstorm possible uses for the spell.
As Quirrell taught me, the true power of any spell lay in how it was used. I wasn't sure about being "powerful," but it was still good advice.
"Perhaps…" I mumbled, testing the spell by jumping on the enchanted floor. To my surprise, I was launched into the ceiling.
"Spongify!" I yelled, casting the spell at the ceiling to soften the impact. However, I didn't expect to be flung back down to the floor, starting the cycle over again.
After a few cycles of bouncing up and down, I was starting to feel sick. Finally, Quirrell canceled the spell on the floor, chuckling as I groaned in slight pain.
"That is indeed another way to use the spell… one I hadn't thought of before… hehe."
Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of our private lesson. We exchanged goodbyes, and I was left on my own again. I had already taken my medicine for the day, knowing I would have to return to that old, dusty room tonight—my magical power was at its peak today.
I had dinner with Pansy, who kept glancing at me from time to time. It was evident that my eye color changed from blue to green when my energy built up. Since I had no explanation for it, I simply ignored it and let Pansy wonder in silence.
After dinner, I left early, as usual, and headed to the lake to feed Abarrane.
"Abarrane!" I called out at the water's edge, while Val splashed in the shallows, enjoying the cool water on his scales.
It wasn't long before Abarrane's tendrils slowly crept from the blackened depths, eagerly poking and prodding me. I chuckled at her ticklish behavior and offered her some food from dinner.
She happily devoured it but kept one arm attached to me at all times.
"I wanna play! I wanna play!" Val yelled excitedly.
Soon, Abarrane took another tendril and began tossing Val into the air over and over again. She laughed and squirmed while he soared through the air.
I placed my wand against her arm, allowing us to communicate more clearly.
"Thank you," I said with gratitude.
Abarrane's tendrils squirmed around me, gently pulling me close and wrapping me in a multi-armed hug.
"Hay** Hel*****Y*u," she said in her garbled language.
Her words were still difficult to understand, but her feelings were clear. I smiled and began telling her about my day.
Abarrane, bored from time to time living in the lake, enjoyed listening to my daily life, with Val occasionally chiming in.
"We flew high today! I could see so far above everything else!" Val cheered, swimming through the water with Abarrane's help.
"*FunHaha…" she responded, letting Val and me back onto the shore.
I had been talking for so long that I didn't even notice she had carried me further from the castle, perhaps to avoid interruptions.
In fact, I had forgotten that I was nearing the release of my magical power. The medicine dulled the pain enough for me to lose track of time.
"Oh, I should hurry! I need to get back to my special room!" I exclaimed, quickly getting to my feet. Val slithered up my wrist.
"Right! I forgot that Lucas' special day was tonight!" Val yelled, causing Abarrane to chuckle.
"Alrht**BSae," she said, waving her arms goodbye.
Val and I waved back as we ran toward my room. He always slept in a separate room so I wouldn't accidentally injure him, and I didn't want him to spend the night on a dingy floor.
"Oh, Lucas. Turning in for the night?" Pansy asked when she saw me in the common room.
I knew I didn't have much time—curfew was about to take effect in ten minutes.
"Yes. I'm just putting Val in his tank before finishing up my own things," I replied.
Pansy nodded and returned to the book she was lightly reading on the couch.
I rushed into my room, placed Val inside his tank, and quietly slipped back out the door.
'Pansy is preoccupied… I have a good chance of sneaking out without her noticing…' I thought, hoping to avoid any complications.
However, Pansy watched from the corner of her eye as I quietly left the common room. Once I was gone, she closed her book.
Draco emerged from the rooms behind her.
"Where's Lucas?" he asked, adjusting his robes.
"He just left," she replied, still staring at the door.
"He's breaking curfew? What for?" Draco asked, surprised that the prefect was knowingly breaking the rules.
Pansy frowned and shrugged.
"Let's go see," Draco grinned, eager to break some rules himself.
Walking through the corridors, I quickly made my way outside, avoiding older students who might send me back. I took a deep breath of fresh air, the cool breeze whispering across my face.
As I headed toward the Willow tree, I heard a noise. I turned and spotted someone with disheveled hair entering Hagrid's hut along with two others.
Curiosity got the better of me. Since I still had time, I carefully approached the hut, making sure not to make any noise.
Just as I was about to peer through the window, it shattered.
I stumbled back, falling to the ground in shock.
"Oh my—!?" I heard Hermione yell in surprise.
The now-open window allowed me to hear everything inside.
"Mama…?" I heard a small girl's voice weakly chirp.
"Oh, look at that! He knows his mummy!" Hagrid cheered.
"Mmm… Hungry… I smell… food!" the small girl's voice yelled.
Suddenly, I heard crashing and shouting before a green blur leapt through the window and into my robes.
'Oh no!'
Panicking, I quickly opened my food container and let the creature eat, hoping it would leave before anyone saw me.
"Mama!! Yummy!!" she yelled, devouring the food at an incredible pace.
"Ow!" I winced as she bit my finger, still tasting the remnants of my deep-fried fish balls.
"Lucas!?" Hermione called out in shock when Potter opened the door.
I grit my teeth as my migraine intensified.
"Get her off me," I ordered, moving my hand toward them.
Finally, I saw the creature clinging to me—a baby Norwegian Ridgeback dragon.
"What are you doing here, Peterson?!" Weasley lashed out.
Before I could answer, Hagrid shoved the trio out of his hut.
"Doesn' matter! You lot best be back in your houses! Now! I need to keep Lucas here for a moment! Off you go!" he barked.
Once they were gone, he turned to me with a wary gaze.
"Just take her, and I'll be on my way," I muttered, too exhausted to argue.
Hagrid frowned but took the baby dragon.
"Tasty! Want more!" she chirped, flapping her wings in protest.
As I left, I heard her cry out for more food.
"Feed the girl something unless you want her to die looking for food in the middle of the night. She mistook my hand for a snack," I muttered before slamming the door behind me and running toward the Willow tree.