"I... I brought back some of it, but there's still a lot more stuff, and I don't think you'd have any use for it, Young Master."
Peeves said quietly, then furtively glanced at Dylan's expression. Seeing that he was calm and showed no reaction, Peeves quickly added, "I was just afraid of making you wait too long for me, so I brought out some things first."
Dylan waved a hand. "Alright, I get it. It's mostly junk anyway; I doubt finding more would be any use."
Dylan gathered all the items and then snapped his fingers.
Instantly, a faint blue light shimmered, and a surge of magic drifted out, enveloping Peeves.
Peeves startled, letting out a sharp shriek.
He thought Dylan was about to unleash a malicious curse on him without warning.
But they hadn't even disagreed on anything!
Invisible magical ripples swept through the poltergeist's translucent body.
He covered his eyes like a startled bat, the mischievous smoke swirling around him trembling.
Silence hung between them for three seconds.
After a pause, Peeves felt no harm had come to him, and no pain radiated from his body.
He secretly squinted one eye, his black pupils cautiously examining Dylan.
The other had already stood up.
Then, he carefully opened his other eye and lowered both hands.
"Is it over?"
Peeves' voice sounded like a crow being choked.
His transparent hands gestured wildly in front of his chest.
After a moment of processing, he suddenly tore off half a streamer, watching it pass through his body without obstruction.
"I... I'm still alive?!"
Peeves suddenly let out a cackling laugh, spinning around the wall sconces, the air currents he created overturning several nearby parchments.
"Hahahaha! The greatest Peeves has defeated the Unforgivable Curse!"
Dylan was about to leave when Peeves suddenly started shouting inexplicably.
Dylan frowned, turned around, and looked at the fool with distaste.
"What in the world are you yelling about? When did I use an Unforgivable Curse on you?"
Peeves, who was still spinning, froze.
"You—I mean, you, just now, didn't you use evil and terrifying dark magic on me?"
Dylan: ?
Tilting his head, Dylan chuckled. "That spell was to prevent you from blabbing unnecessarily to others. Why would you think that? Unless—"
Dylan's gaze swept over Peeves.
"You want to experience what it's like to be hit by an Unforgivable Curse?"
Peeves' face twitched.
He stopped circling and rushed back to Dylan, kneeling before him with a look of reverence.
"No, no, Young Master, I had another one of my fits just now. You know, I occasionally love to act crazy. I think there's no need for you to expend your magic and use an Unforgivable Curse on me again. I don't want to experience being hit by such a wicked curse..."
Dylan rolled his eyes.
That much was true.
Just from these few interactions with Peeves, he had already sensed a faint "madness" emanating from the poltergeist.
Perhaps it was from being sentient for too long.
This guy also didn't have a physical body like a wizard, or a real "brain."
That's why he acted so疯疯癫癫 (crazy).
Dylan ignored him and left the Room of Requirement.
After receiving permission to leave, Peeves incessantly mumbled about hoping to serve his Young Master again next time.
However, he immediately darted into the wall and vanished.
Dylan watched Peeves, who looked utterly bullied and abused, finally fleeing in disarray, and shook his head.
As for why Peeves didn't call him "Master" or "Lord" but instead started calling him "Young Master," it was because the last time he was chatting with Tom, he coincidentally mentioned Malfoy.
Dylan had casually said that Malfoy was a "young master" and that his arrogance was quite normal.
Unexpectedly, Peeves overheard and assumed Dylan would like others to address him the same way.
So he changed his address.
Dylan didn't mind it.
He wasn't particular about how his subordinates addressed him—as long as it wasn't "Dad."
He was underage; he couldn't have sired a non-existent being that had lived for so long.
After leaving the Room of Requirement, Dylan transformed into a dark shadow, phasing directly through the Gryffindor common room door guarded by Sir Cadogan, and returned to his dormitory.
Sir Cadogan, half-asleep, felt as if something had flashed past and entered his body.
But when he groggily opened his eyes, he saw nothing, then closed them again, muttering incoherent sleep talk.
"Don't run! Fight me face-to-face if you dare!—Wait, I surrender, don't hit me anymore, at least not my face!"
Back in the dormitory, Dylan checked the time.
It was already two or three in the morning.
Moonlight slanted through the window between Harry and Neville's beds.
The entire room was so quiet that only the intermittent sounds of breathing could be heard.
And Ron's loud snores.
Dylan looked over and saw Ron curled up in a ball, wrapped in his blanket.
Neville and Seamus's bed curtains were drawn low, and faint snores could also be heard.
However, everyone else was asleep.
Only Harry was still awake.
At that moment, he was leaning against his headboard, a parchment in his hand glowing faintly.
Sensing someone enter, Harry looked up.
Dylan met his gaze and nodded slightly.
Harry returned the slight nod, his expression momentarily subdued.
—It seemed Harry was still agonizing over the Wormtail situation.
And, during his absence, Dylan guessed Harry had already figured out that Ron's rat, Scabbers, was Peter Pettigrew.
Harry saw Dylan return but wasn't curious about where Dylan had been at this hour.
He knew Hagrid sometimes invited Dylan to meet in the Forbidden Forest.
The purpose of these meetings was naturally for Hagrid to see Norberta.
In fact, Harry also wished to see Norberta again.
After all, she was a dragon they had raised from an egg.
However, first, he felt awkward asking Dylan for such a thing, and second, they were all keeping the secret precisely to prevent the dragon from being discovered.
So, unless he happened to go to the Forbidden Forest one night and coincidentally met Dylan and them, Harry didn't want to bring up the matter individually and increase the risk of Norberta being discovered.
Harry assumed Dylan might have gone to the Forbidden Forest again just now.
Of course, he wasn't certain exactly where Dylan had gone.
After all, when Dylan gave him the Marauder's Map, he had already cast a spell on it in advance, preventing the map from displaying his location.
"Uh, Dylan, there's something I want to—"
After a moment of hesitation, Harry's gaze shifted from the Marauder's Map in his hand.
Then he spoke softly to Dylan.
However, when he turned around, he saw Dylan had already slipped back into his bed, with the bed curtains drawn. Harry's voice abruptly stopped. He knew that any sound would be blocked by the spells Dylan placed around his bed once he got close. So, what he'd just said must have gone completely unheard by Dylan.
"Uh, okay..." Harry scratched his head. He had wanted Dylan to cast a few more protective spells on him, just in case. But now, Dylan had been busy until so late and was already in bed. It would be a bit inconsiderate to disturb him further. Harry pursed his lips, leaning against the pillow behind him, his gaze slowly shifting to Scabbers beside Ron, his eyes lost in thought.
He was really conflicted right now. Because he was now certain that Scabbers was Peter Pettigrew. If that were true, didn't it mean there was some hidden truth to what Professor McGonagall and the others had said? It concerned the death of his parents. How exactly did the mysterious man find his mom and dad? Harry's mind was racing, making sleep impossible.
Dylan had no idea what Harry was thinking. Kids' minds were always busy. With so many people already looking out for Harry, Dylan, as a friend, could sometimes help, but he obviously couldn't guide Harry through everything. Let his little brain ponder things for a while.
A Quiet Night and a Busy Morning
And so, the night passed without incident. Although Dylan went to bed late, his sleep quality was quite good. And after waking up, he even cast a Energizing Charm on himself. Combined with his Fatigue Vanishing Charm, his mind was clear and he wasn't tired at all.
Pulling back his bed curtains, Dylan immediately saw his roommates already packing.
"Good morning, Dylan!" Neville greeted him, seeing Dylan awake. Tomorrow was Christmas, so they could start packing their things to take home, and those who wanted to leave could take the train directly.
"Morning," Dylan replied. Since there were no classes, Dylan indulged himself by waking up a little later. He wasn't in a rush to go anywhere anyway. After getting Ravenclaw's Diadem yesterday, Dylan went straight to sleep and hadn't researched whether the diadem had unlocked any achievements for him. Dylan planned to claim any new achievements once he got back home and had time.
"You guys woke up so early..."
Just then, Harry belatedly pulled back his bed curtains, revealing a pair of panda eyes that looked like he'd been punched. Ron was already awake and, seeing Harry's state, paused but didn't say anything. Instead, he reminded him, "Harry, we have an appointment with Hagrid today. Don't forget."
"Huh?" Harry, who had just woken up, had practically stayed awake until morning before finally dozing off for a short while. He felt like his head was throbbing.
Seeing Harry's appearance, Dylan, who had already gotten out of bed, simply pursed his lips and cast Energizing Charm and Fatigue Vanishing Charm on him too. Harry instantly felt much better. He quickly looked at Dylan and thanked him.
"No problem, but tomorrow's Christmas. You shouldn't be in this state," Dylan waved him off. He casually pulled out his wand and lightly tapped it a few times. Instantly, his bed was neatly made. Dylan didn't have much to take with him. Whatever he wanted or needed was usually already in his suitcase.
"When I get back this time, I'll properly set up my manor, and I can expand my suitcase space again."
Harry nodded sheepishly. He didn't bring up asking Dylan for protective spells in front of the others.
"Harry, what kind of agreement did you and Hagrid make yesterday? I heard he's suing the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. It seems Malfoy and his dad caused some trouble," Seamus said.
Ron immediately nodded. "They're the ones who caused trouble! Malfoy's dad insists that Malfoy being attacked by the Hippogriff was Hagrid's fault, and he wants to execute the Hippogriff. They're seriously messed up! I wonder if their brains are wrapped around their cerebellums!"—Clearly, that last line was something he'd picked up from Dylan.
Dylan smacked his lips. He felt like he was leading some people further and further astray.
"That's too exaggerated, wasn't Malfoy just being stupid back then?" Seamus scoffed.
Neville also scratched his head. "Malfoy didn't listen to Hagrid's instructions, so how can they sue Hagrid?"
Ron shook his head. "You guys know Malfoy's a lunatic, and so is his dad! Harry and I promised to help Hagrid with this lawsuit, so we have to go to the library to research documents and files!"
Seamus looked at Ron with some surprise. "You're actually going to the library to read files? That's a lot of information, isn't it?"
Ron puffed out his chest. "Of course! Hagrid is our friend, and when a friend is in trouble, no matter how difficult, we have to help!"
Seamus gave Ron a thumbs-up. "That's cool!"
"Yeah, and going to the library means no catching up on sleep today," Harry sighed. He didn't need to pack anything—after all, he wasn't going home for Christmas. But thinking about the promise he made to Hagrid yesterday, his head still ached now that he remembered it.
Yesterday, he was in a terrible mood, and Dylan disappeared as soon as he returned. Ron and Hermione, to cheer him up, took him to Hagrid's hut. Their original intention was for Hagrid to talk to Harry and lift his spirits. Unexpectedly, as they talked, they learned that Lucius Malfoy had filed a lawsuit with the Ministry of Magic, accusing Hagrid of allowing his magical creatures to attack students—who that student was, of course, went without saying.
Upon hearing this, Hermione immediately offered to help Hagrid with the lawsuit. Ron and Harry naturally wouldn't refuse. That would be disloyal.
Dylan thought for a moment. He vaguely remembered Hagrid having such an issue. But with Harry and his friends involved, the outcome would naturally be fine. Dylan decided not to bother with it. The holidays had arrived. He didn't want to stay at school any longer. He had quite a few things to do once he left.
After everyone had more or less packed their belongings, they headed together towards the Great Hall for breakfast. Dylan didn't have much of an appetite in the morning. He simply had a bowl of seafood porridge, three youtiao (Chinese fried dough sticks), a pork floss bun, an egg burger, and a large cup of drink.
After a simple but satisfying meal, Dylan grabbed his things and, along with Neville and the others, said goodbye to Harry and his friends.
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