Chapter 313: Who Sent the Firebolt? The Dragon Claw in the Crystal Ball
It was Christmas.
Aaron woke up early in the morning to a pile of gift boxes at the foot of his bed.
He rummaged through them and found Gines' gift: a crystal-clear crystal ball.
"I knew it." Aaron carefully placed the crystal ball on the table and, following Professor Trelawney's instructions, concentrated and began to divine.
However, after more than ten minutes, he only saw some blurry fragments in the crystal ball.
A goblet with blue and white flames flickering inside, and in addition to that, a white paw.
Aaron shook his head abruptly, taking a good while to recover.
He had been studying Divination for less than half a year, barely an apprentice Diviner, and using a crystal ball to divine the future was still quite taxing for him at the moment.
"That paw looks like…"
Aaron pondered, turning to look at Abey, who was rolling around on a bed made of marshmallows, and couldn't help but feel a pang of annoyance.
It should be fine, right? Although his dragon was a bit mischievous, he wouldn't cause any trouble.
Aaron unconfidently reassured himself in his heart, then opened the gifts from his parents.
Just as he thought it might be postcards, a familiar dossier appeared before his eyes, with a few words of inscription:
Guaranteed to be much more detailed than the last one.
Hope you choose carefully, don't make us wait too long.
Gollum!
Aaron couldn't help but gulp, instinctively stepping back a few paces.
On a perfectly good Christmas, they actually sent him a dossier of blind date candidates; they must have been trying to annoy him. This was even worse than postcards!
Creak!
A section of the floor in the corner opened, and the thought form emerged from it.
"Merry Christmas."
"Don't mock me, this is the worst Christmas I've ever had." Aaron, speechless, shoved the dossier into the gift box, preparing to leave it in the Chamber of Secrets to gather dust.
"How's the renovation downstairs coming along?"
"You know, Transfiguration isn't omnipotent." The thought form sighed meaningfully, "We're not Salazar Slytherin; the resources we can mobilize are quite limited."
"Renovate as much as you can!
But at least the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, training room, and Potion room must be separated."
"I understand, after all… I'm the one living down there."
Aaron gave an awkward laugh, "I'm going to eat first. You arrange things yourself, and don't forget to practice the magic array."
thought form:...Upon arriving at the Great Hall, a large dining table was set in the center.
Since many students chose to go home for Christmas, only about a dozen people were dining there: PrincipalDumbledore, the Deans of the four Houses, caretaker Filch, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and two First Class students and one Fifth Class student.
"Gaius, have a seat!" Dumbledore said with a smile.
Aaron naturally took a seat at the dining table, and Abeyalso got a seat and began to enjoy his lavish breakfast.
"Did you send Harry a Christmas gift?" Ron asked curiously.
"A broom model! I mentioned it before."
"Really?" Ron was a bit skeptical. "Harry did receive a magicbroom this morning, but besides the Nimbus 2000specimen, there was also a world-standard firebolt.
We've ruled out everyone we could, and now only you have this capability."
"If it really was you who sent it, just admit it openly. There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Hermione said with a smile.
"But it really wasn't me." Aaron shook his head. "I regret the Nimbus 2000, but that doesn't mean I have to send him the best flying broom. Even with money, that's not how you spend it."
"But if it wasn't you, then who could it be?" Harry frowned slightly. There was no signature on the broom, and he didn't know any wealthy person who would spend so much money on him.
"How should I know? Maybe it was Hagrid, you can't tell."
"Impossible, absolutely impossible for it to be him." Ronsaid with great certainty, "Hagrid simply couldn't afford a firebolt."
"Hehe!" Aaron couldn't help but chuckle, "How ignorant. Although Hagrid looks a bit scruffy, he is definitely one of the few wealthy people at Hogwarts.
Don't forget, he relies on the Forbidden Forest—Unicornfeathers, Acromantula venom, Hippogriff, and so on, plus all sorts of precious herbs in the Forbidden Forest.
As long as he wants to, he could casually sell some things in Diagon Alley and make more than a Professor's salary."
The three looked at each other, stunned. They had never imagined Hagrid was so rich. He usually didn't even have a decent change of clothes, and his living place was... indescribable.
Yet, he was a hidden tycoon among them, truly blinding their dog eyes.
"But even so, it wouldn't be Hagrid." Hermione said after a moment of thought, "He's been worrying all these days about how to deal with the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, and he simply doesn't have the time."
"Buckbeak?" Aaron raised an eyebrow. "This has been dragging on for a bit too long, hasn't it?"
"He needs to prepare a full and strong defense. If he loses the case, Buckbeak might…"
"I understand." Aaron nodded. "So you've been running back and forth to the Library all these days to help him find some useful precedents."
"That's right, but the results aren't very good." Harry said regretfully, "There are almost no successful cases of defending magical creatures."
"I also advise you not to waste your efforts. Many people saw Draco get injured. In the face of such ironclad evidence, any defense will be pale and powerless."
"But Malfoy provoked him first." Harry said indignantly.
"I don't deny that.
But that's not important at all. Malfoy's safety is far more important than an unruly magical creature."
"I don't think so." Ron said, annoyed.
"But most people do, and most importantly, the powerful, influential, and wealthy Lucius Malfoy thinks so. He won't let Draco get injured for nothing."
Hearing this, a hint of disappointment appeared on the faces of the three.
Unless Lucius Malfoy showed mercy, Hagrid's defeat was a foregone conclusion, and Buckbeak would certainly not escape death.
After a brief silence, Hermione looked at Aaron, "If Gaius is willing to help, Malfoy should change his mind, right?"
As her words fell, Harry and Ron also looked at him with hope.
"I'm sorry, I might have to disappoint you." Aaron said bluntly, "I'm not familiar with Buckbeak, so there's no reason for me to save him.
Besides, Draco is my friend. What would he think if I saved the Hippogriff that hurt him?"
"So there's no hope?" Harry lowered his head, a little disappointed.
"Not entirely without hope." Aaron lowered his voice, "Couldn't you just secretly release him?"
After all, Buckbeak was a Hippogriff; even the Ministry of Magic would have to expend a lot of effort and time to catch a flying magical creature.
From what he knew of Fudge, he would most likely try to downplay the incident and make it go away.
"Alas!" Hermione slowly shook her head, "Due to negligence, the Ministry of Magic will hold Hagridresponsible. Last year, Azkaban brought him great fear; going back in would drive him mad."
"Then there's nothing more I can do, unless…"
"Unless what?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Unless Buckbeak's escape has absolutely nothing to do with Hagrid. For example, he suddenly breaks free during transport, or he scratches the executioner and escapes during the execution.
That way, it becomes the Ministry of Magic's responsibility. However, with your abilities, achieving this is almost impossible."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances, everything unsaid.
This idea was a bit rotten, but it was much better than doing nothing.
Aaron saw their expressions and was instantly speechless.
However, he hadn't intended to stop them. When the time came, they would back down when faced with difficulty.
"Speaking of which, if the firebolt wasn't from Hagrid, then who could it be?"
"I might know." Hermione bit her lip, looking at Harry and Ron with a complex expression, "I guess it might be Sirius Black."
"That's impossible, absolutely impossible."
Harry and Ron said in unison.
Sirius Black was a wanted criminal; he had no money to buy a firebolt, let alone send a firebolt to his enemy, Harry Potter.
"It is possible." Hermione said with difficulty, "He can't get into Hogwarts, but sending a broom isn't difficult. What if he put a curse on it?
I suggest letting Professor McGonagall examine it first, to check it carefully."
"It wouldn't go that far, would it?" Aaron chuckled awkwardly, "If Sirius wanted to harm Harry using such methods, there'd be no need to send a flying broom. Sending some snacks with poison would be the same.
And this is a firebolt, the most expensive flying broom in the world. Spending so much money just to make Harry fall during a Quidditch match—isn't that too absurd?"
"That's absolutely right." Harry agreed deeply. The firebolthad been in his hands for less than a few hours, not even warmed up yet; he couldn't bear to give it away.
Hermione also felt she was being a bit overly worried, so she gave an awkward laugh and started eating her breakfast.
Just then, the Great Hall doors suddenly opened, and Professor Trelawney walked in. Perhaps to match the festive atmosphere, her attire was much brighter than usual.
"Sybill." Dumbledore said with a smile, "What a pleasant surprise!"
"I was just looking into my crystal ball, and destiny guided me here. Please forgive my lateness." Professor Trelawneysaid, her voice trembling slightly. "Thirteen people?
My Merlin! When thirteen people dine together, the first one to stand up will be the first to die."
"With you, that makes fourteen, Professor." Aaron said, a little speechless. Trelawney's Divination skills were impeccable, but she was just a bit eccentric.
Dumbledore waved his wand and conjured a chair next to Aaron. "Please, sit down, Sybill."
Trelawney hesitated for a moment, then slowly sat down.
"Isn't Professor Lupin here?"
"Professor Lupin is ill; he probably won't be well until next Class." Harry said with some concern, "He looks a bit weak."
"It's nothing serious." Dumbledore reassured him, "Professor Snape will brew a Potion for him."
Snape nodded expressionlessly.
"Professor, I have a question about Divination that I'd like to ask you." Aaron said after a moment of deliberation.
"Ask away, Mr. Gaius." Trelawney seemed particularly excited, and the others also looked at him with interest.
"I used my crystal ball for Divination today, but the future I saw was a peculiar cup with blue and white flames inside."
"The Goblet of Fire?" Dumbledore said in surprise, "You actually saw the Goblet of Fire?"
"What is the Goblet of Fire, sir?" Harry asked curiously.
"A powerful magic artifact." Dumbledore hesitated, "I believe you will know very soon."
"Hmm…" Professor Trelawney pondered for a moment, "Did you only see the Goblet of Fire?"
"I also saw a paw." Aaron raised Abey's right paw, a little embarrassed.
"Him?"
Trelawney blinked blankly, then her mouth fell open in disbelief, "I can only say, Mr. Gaius, that you have a magical pet, and his role is very crucial."
Aaron:...Is that all?
Harry, Ron, and Hermione, along with the Professors, however, nodded subconsciously, not doubting it at all. Abeywas indeed the most mysterious among dragons.