The chaotic buzz in the Great Hall only began to settle when the students finally returned to their respective House tables for lunch.
But the electric current of excitement in the air hadn't faded in the slightest.
The young wizards and witches clutched their red-and-white Pokédexes tightly in their hands or rested them carefully on their laps. Some were so impatient they were poking at the screens with grease-stained fingers while gnawing on their chicken drumsticks.
Naturally, the quickest to figure out the mechanics were the students who always adapted fastest to new gadgets.
Someone in the crowd suddenly yelled, "How do you add friends?!"
Immediately, the frantic exploration of the "Friend List" and "Communication" features spread like wildfire.
"Right here! Under the Social menu!" a sixth-year Ravenclaw showed off to their friends. "You just type in their real name and Pokédex ID to send a request. Merlin's beard, this is way better than a Two-Way Mirror!"
"Look, I just added Cedric Diggory!" an excitable younger Hufflepuff girl squealed.
"Fred and George's friend requests must be completely maxed out by now, right?" someone guessed, glancing over at the Gryffindor table.
And they were absolutely right.
The twins were completely mobbed. Flushed with success, their fingers flew across their screens, accepting a tidal wave of friend requests and soaking up the hero worship.
Percy stood nearby, trying his hardest to maintain order, but he couldn't suppress the proud smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Over in a quiet corner of the Gryffindor table, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had their heads huddled together.
"Alright... Add Friend... type in Harry Potter..." Ron muttered, jabbing at the screen clumsily with his finger.
Harry's Pokédex gave a soft buzz. A pixel-art animation of an owl carrying a letter popped up on the screen, with a prompt below it:
Ron Weasley wants to be your friend. [Accept] / [Decline] Smiling, Harry tapped Accept.
Almost at the exact same time, Hermione's request came through. Within seconds, all three of them had each other's names listed under their Social tabs, complete with a tiny green dot indicating they were online.
"This is bloody brilliant!" Ron said, his eyes shining. "We can actually chat from our dorms now! Come on, let me see which partners you guys got!"
Harry opened his My Partner tab and turned the screen toward them.
A delicate, meticulously rendered pixel bird appeared on the screen. It had brilliant golden feathers, a plump, fluffy little body, and wings that shimmered at the tips. It was spinning gracefully in the center of the screen, shedding tiny motes of golden light.
Next to its image was the name: [Golden Snidget].
"A Golden Snidget!" Hermione gasped, her eyes going wide. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them says they're practically extinct! They're the ultimate dream bird for Seekers—unbelievably fast and a symbol of pure luck! Harry, your luck is insane!"
Harry rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish.
"I don't really know how it happened. I was just exploring this glowing, golden patch of forest in the virtual map when I got the notification." A genuine smile broke across his face as he recalled the moment he'd bonded with the rare creature.
"Check mine out!" Ron interrupted, practically shoving his screen in their faces.
A highly detailed, vivid red baby dragon was standing proudly on the display. It was only the size of a palm, covered in fine crimson scales, with bright, amber eyes burning with energy. But the most striking feature was the crackling, jumping tuft of orange flame right at the tip of its tail.
The label read: [Charmander].
"I named him Charlie!" Ron announced, naming it after his older brother who studied dragons in Romania. "Don't let the size fool you, it's got a wicked temper! In the virtual space, it nearly torched an entire patch of bushes before I managed to calm it down. It's totally badass!"
"Ron, be careful. Even if it's a virtual partner, you need to follow the safety protocols," Hermione pointed out automatically, though her eyes betrayed her intense curiosity. "How hot is its flame? What's its preferred diet? Does the Pokédex have a detailed breakdown?"
"Obviously, Hermione. This thing is basically a mobile library," Ron said, swiping through the data. "Let's see... Hatchling stage. Flame temperature is currently low. Primarily feeds on small magical insects and magic-rich mineral fragments... Requires regular, controlled fire-breathing practice in a safe environment to manage its abilities..."
Now it was Hermione's turn. With a rare flash of showmanship, she tapped her screen to reveal her partner.
On the display, a breathtaking butterfly that looked as though it was folded from illuminated manuscript pages spread its wings. Its wings were thin and vibrantly colored, rippling with light and shadows that formed ancient runes and microscopic text. Its body was incredibly delicate, and its antennae looked exactly like the tips of finely crafted quills.
It hovered silently, its wings fluttering occasionally to scatter tiny, ink-scented motes of light. The label read: [Prismatic Book-Butterfly].
"A Prismatic Book-Butterfly..." Hermione's voice was laced with awe and pure delight. "I read about them in the appendix of Rare Magical Creatures and Their Habits! They live in massive, ancient libraries or studies, feeding on the 'fragrance of knowledge.' Merlin, it's absolutely beautiful. And look here," she said, zooming in on the image.
"Watch the light shifting on its wings. It looks like it's actually displaying paragraphs of text! This is incredible. It's definitely going to help me track down and process new information."
"Whoa," Harry and Ron muttered in synchronized awe.
Hermione's partner was quite literally the most perfect match for her in existence.
"What kind of pathetic garbage are you lot showing off?"
A familiar, drawling, highly grating voice sneered from nearby.
Draco Malfoy had sauntered over with his two massive shadows, Crabbe and Goyle, wearing his trademark arrogant smirk. He was holding his own Pokédex, raising it deliberately high so the screen was facing Harry's group.
On his screen, a slender, elegant silver creature was slithering gracefully. It had the serpentine body of a snake, coated in iridescent, shimmering scales, but it sported a pair of delicate bird wings and the sharp beak and talons of an eagle.
[Occamy]. And it was in a newly hatched, infant stage, making it look exceptionally intricate and almost cute.
"See this? It's an Occamy," Draco boasted, looking terribly pleased with himself. "Extremely rare, highly adaptable, and capable of shrinking or growing to fit any available space. A true, ancient magical beast. Not some common, garden-variety insect... or a glorified fire-lizard," he added, shooting a pointed sneer at Ron's screen.
Ron's face instantly went as red as his hair. "Yours looks like a bloody furry earthworm!"
"At least my 'earthworm' is solid silver and can fly," Draco scoffed. "Potter, a Golden Snidget? Hmph. I suppose that shows a shred of taste, but at the end of the day, it's just a pretty little bird," he said, waving his Pokédex mockingly.
"Malfoy, if your only goal was to come over here and parade your Occamy around, congratulations. You've done it," Hermione said, her voice dripping with ice. "Now leave. We're trying to eat our lunch."
Draco gave a dismissive snort and spun on his heel, his goons following close behind. But clearly, his mission to show off had been a massive success. Several Slytherins nearby were already whispering enviously about his ultra-rare Occamy partner.
However, the brief interruption didn't sour the trio's mood in the slightest.
They quickly dove right back into the immersive magic of their Pokédexes, eagerly comparing their partners' stats, analyzing the different zones on the "Virtual Exploration" map, and actively plotting to "party up" and explore the uncharted territories after class.