The next day, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
In a Care of Magical Creatures class that felt more like Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hagrid nervously rubbed his giant, spade-like hands together. He looked at the tall "alien creature" approaching him and blurted out a greeting.
"Good afternoon, Professor Norn! Are yeh... are yeh a magical creature?"
Ethan (disguised as Professor Norn): "..."
The gathered Gryffindors and Slytherins: "???"
They stared in horror at Hagrid, who had seemingly decided to start the lesson with a death wish. Ron clutched his face and groaned, "Bloody hell! Are we gonna get 'dismissed' before the class even starts?!"
By "dismissed," he clearly meant seeing Hagrid get pulverized by a single punch from the "alien" professor.
Harry hummed absentmindedly, pressing a hand against his eye in discomfort. Ever since Ethan had "taught" him Occlumency, his eyes had been thumping with a dull ache. There was a strange burning sensation, as if something were suppressed beneath the surface, desperate to erupt.
"...I have no idea what Ethan actually stuffed into my head," Harry muttered.
Previously, Professor Snape had come to inspect his progress. However, the moment Snape attempted to use Legilimency on him, it was as if the Potions Master had been hit by a localized explosion. Snape had collapsed to the ground with a scream, clutching his head and rolling around in agony.
To be honest, the scene had been incredibly satisfying. It would have been perfect if Snape hadn't later docked twenty points from Gryffindor for "conducting improper human experimentation."
At that moment, Harry wasn't sure if Hogwarts' academic atmosphere was exceptionally inclusive or just plain chaotic.
"I just hope my brain is still normal and hasn't undergone some... Ethan-style mutation," Harry grimaced, rubbing his eyes again. He looked up, trying to focus on his dear Professor Hagrid's lesson.
At this point, Hagrid finally realized that within the first minute of class, he had potentially offended Professor Norn—the very man holding the power to evaluate him—beyond repair.
"I—I mean! Yeh look a bit like a magical creature—no, wait—I mean, welcome to our Care o' Magical Creatures class!" Hagrid stammered, desperately trying to backtrack.
Looking at the expressions of the surrounding students, it was clear they thought Hagrid's best move would be to simply shut up.
In the midst of the awkward silence following the "magical creature" comment, Ethan remained quiet. Just as the students began to hope the class might be turned into a self-study period, Ethan suddenly waved a hand with uncharacteristic bashfulness.
"Oh, you flatter me, Professor Hagrid."
Comparing a plain old human like him to a wondrous magical creature? Ethan thought Hagrid really knew how to butter someone up.
The students: "???"
They stared in bewilderment at Professor Norn, who was practically radiating joy. A row of mental question marks popped up over their heads. Flattery? Where exactly was the "compliment" in that?!
Ron was dumbfounded. "Did their brainwaves actually just sync up? Fine, I keep forgetting—the guy on the other side isn't exactly 'normal' either."
One couldn't judge these things by human standards of beauty or logic.
Hearing Ethan's response, Hagrid froze for a second. Then, a look of pure, surprised joy broke across his rugged, hairy face! Professor Norn's approval seemed to give him a massive boost of confidence.
He thundered a fist against his chest and promised, "Trust me! I'm gonna give yeh the most excitin', most interestin' Care o' Magical Creatures lesson yet!"
"Follow me! We've got a new resident in the Forest, an' I guarantee he'll make yer jaw drop!"
"Oh? A new resident that'll make my jaw drop?" Ethan's interest was piqued.
Was it a Giant? But Giants had been shown off last term—he'd heard one had nearly boiled a Slytherin who had been talking trash. The Norwegian Ridgeback mother and son weren't exactly "new" either. Ethan ran through the list in his head and realized he truly didn't know what Hagrid was planning.
He nodded and followed Hagrid. "I'm looking forward to it."
After walking a short distance, Ethan realized that aside from him and Hagrid, the space around them was empty. He turned back.
The students were all standing exactly where they had been, looking as though they had been collectively Hit by a Petrificus Totalus.
Ron's face was deadpan. "The last time Hagrid was this excited, he was taking us to see the Acromantulas."
Harry and Hermione nodded in grim silence. The other students looked terrified. Draco Malfoy was shouting nonsense about how "last time it was feeding us to Giants, this time he's gonna throw us to the dragons!"
Seeing this, Ethan tilted his head and said helpfully, "Careful now, you wouldn't want to fail your end-of-term exams~"
The moment the words left his mouth, Hermione took the first step with grim determination. Under the admiring gazes of her peers—as if she were a knight marching toward a dragon—she walked up to Professor Norn.
She looked up, staring into that terrifying vortex mask. Her eyes held no fear of death, only a burning desire for academic credits!
—Professor Norn, witness me!
"Excellent. Two points to Gryffindor for your courage," Ethan said, his eyes crinkling behind the mask. He realized Hermione couldn't see his expression, so he reached out and patted the top of the little overachiever's bushy head.
Hermione's lips parted in surprise. Feeling the warmth from his hand, her cheeks began to burn for some reason.
Why... why does this feel so familiar? But this is clearly Professor Norn's scent...
With Hermione leading the way, the rest of the students exchanged glances and reluctantly began to move. Ron caught sight of Hagrid's pitiful, pleading expression, gritted his teeth, and stepped forward.
"Anyway, Hagrid wouldn't actually feed us to dragons! The Aragog incident was a lesson enough...!"
Faced with Professor Norn's "offer they couldn't refuse," the group followed Hagrid deeper into "Hogwarts' back garden" with the solemnity of a funeral procession.
Hagrid beamed. "Professor Norn, yeh won't believe the beautiful, powerful, an' magical creature I've got for yeh today! Yeh won't find an experience like this anywhere else in the world!"
"Haha," Ethan laughed. "Then I shall wait and see."
As they spoke, they reached the heart of the Forbidden Forest. The air grew colder, and the usual sounds of wildlife vanished. A deathly silence hung over the area, broken only by the crunch of their boots on the snow.
Ethan looked around and whispered, "No insects, no birds... that means there's a predator with a powerful presence nearby."
He watched the flow of magic in the air, his smile fading slightly as his brows furrowed. "Wait? This magic feels a bit familiar..."
Right then, Hagrid stopped. "We're here."
Hagrid reached into a massive basket on his back and pulled out a slab of raw meat the size of a small child. He yelled toward a dense cluster of pine trees, "Oi—come on out! Little White!"
Little White—White——ite—
The shout echoed through the woods. Just as the Slytherins were about to sneer at the ridiculous name, the trees moved.
Ethan's gaze had already locked onto the spot before the movement started. In the midst of the white snow, two orange-yellow vertical pupils, the size of lanterns, appeared as if out of thin air.
The group went silent instantly. The glowing eyes lowered, and dagger-like fangs emerged, snapping up the giant slab of meat and swallowing it like a tea biscuit.
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
The sound of chewing reached their ears—the sound of bone being ground down like dry wood. It was bone-chilling.
"Thud!"
Malfoy collapsed onto his backside, staring at the gargantuan creature in a state of tremors. He opened his mouth and let out a blood-curdling shriek:
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
He scrambled up, using both hands and feet to flee into the woods. It was as if he had fired a starting pistol. The Slytherins all screamed and bolted, leaving only the pride-bound Gryffindors frozen in place.
"...Bloody hell, he really is feeding us to a dragon!!" Ron stammered, his face turning a shade of red that suggested he was seconds away from bursting into tears.
The previous Ridgebacks had been so fierce they were kept in the deepest part of the forest, so the students had been "spared" before. They hadn't expected Hagrid to be so stubborn as to actually force a dragon into the curriculum!
"Wh—where are they goin'?" Hagrid asked, looking anxious and confused. Seeing that Professor Norn was still watching, and with only the Gryffindors left, he forced a smile and introduced the beast excitedly.
"Look at 'im! This is 'Little White,' a rare albino Norwegian Ridgeback! Just reached adulthood!"
"He's the dragon rescued from Gringotts with the help o' the famous Ethan Vincent an' his brilliant team o' students!"
"Oh—poor little baby, look how thin he is." Hagrid stroked the white dragon—which was currently letting out a satisfied burp—with immense affection.
He turned to Professor Norn expectantly. "So? What do yeh think? Yeh've never been this close to a dragon before, have yeh?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately. He looked up at the white dragon, which was noticeably larger than he remembered.
"Interesting... but still not as good as a hybrid," Ethan muttered.
What a coincidence. Not only had he been "close" to a dragon, but he was the one who had snatched this specific white dragon out of the bank in the first place.
Ethan shook his head and began making notes in his little book. Hagrid's inspiration seemed to be running dry lately. It looked like it was time to teach the great "Hybrid Artist" the secret art of the [Fusion Nest].
Hagrid panicked, squinting his eyes to try and see what the Professor was writing. Was the Thestral the right choice after all? But the Giants had taken the Thestrals recently, saying they wanted to breed them as mounts...
No, don't panic. Hagrid told himself. He still had his trump card!
Hagrid's gaze hardened. He looked a bit worriedly at "Little White," who was currently rubbing its head against a tree trunk. Its tail was lashing back and forth, giving off a vibe of restless irritability.
Lately, Little White had been a bit moody. But as long as no one provoked it, it should be fine. He had to make the best impression on Professor Norn!
Hagrid puffed out his chest and tried to look authoritative. "Ahem! Right, let's get on with the lesson! Today, we're gonna learn how to live in peace with dragons—"
Ron: "Is this something we'll need in daily life?"
Seamus: "Yeah, about as often as finding a Blast-Ended Skrewt in your mailbox."
"Pay attention!" Hagrid snapped, trying to look serious. "Dragons are sensitive creatures, so everyone must stay calm. Don't shout, don't use magic, an' don't do anythin' to startle 'em—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a piercing scream erupted from among the students!
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