Hermione glanced at Ron with disdain. "The exam is in two months. Are you sure you can pass it?"
Ron responded confidently, "Hey, I'll be fine, okay? Don't say those unlucky words!"
Dylan shook his head helplessly and continued reading the divination book in his hand. "Auspiciousness and good fortune are also elements of divination."
Hermione, who had almost finished her homework, leaned over curiously upon seeing the divination book Dylan was reading. "Dylan, do you think things like divination are real? I mean, prophecies and stuff?"
Dylan's fingertips gently turned the yellowed pages of the book, making a slight rustling sound. After hearing Hermione's question, he tilted his head slightly, pondered for a moment, and replied softly, "I think that although divination is not like a magic spell that can directly show its effects, it does contain ancient wisdom and mysterious power."
"There are fortune-tellers who can indeed see hidden things through crystal balls, tarot cards, or even a piece of tea leaves."
As Dylan spoke, Hermione's attention shifted back to the book in front of him. The left and right pages of the book merged into a star map, with twinkling stars and many strange symbols and lines intertwined.
"It sounds like divination is more mysterious than magic," she remarked.
Dylan smiled softly. "If magic exists, why can't divination exist?"
Hermione blinked. "You sound like you mean something else."
Dylan didn't deny it but continued, "Maybe, you should believe that anything is possible. This is what I've been researching recently. Professor McGonagall plans to discuss it with me during our next tutoring session. It's about magic and the power of the mind."
Hermione's eyes sparkled with envy. "I wish I could be tutored by professors every day."
Dylan raised the corners of his lips. "In fact, you can also join, but... the progress may be a bit behind schedule."
He said it so mildly.
Hermione nodded in agreement. "So I should just read more books myself."
At that moment, Ron was copying Dylan's homework quickly.
But even with homework to copy, he still seemed absent-minded. While copying, he occasionally looked up and scanned the room. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large figure sneaking up to them.
"Hagrid? Why are you in the library?" Ron was startled but didn't stop writing. "Oh! Did you just run ten laps in the Forbidden Forest? Why are you so hot?"
"Nothing, I'm just a little irritated," Hagrid replied weakly, his eyes darting around like a thief. "Also, I just wanted to come and see if you were here."
Dylan looked up and saw Hagrid, his hands hidden behind his back, as though he was concealing something.
"Hey, guys, are you... still here digging through a mountain of books to find out who Nicolas Flamel is?" Hagrid asked, changing the subject abruptly.
"So… are you worried about us finding out who Nicolas Flamel is?" Hermione also looked up at Hagrid, her lips curling into a small smile. "Don't worry, we found out by Christmas!"
"Besides, we are doing homework right now!" Ron added, glancing at Dylan's homework while continuing his own.
"What! You already knew?" Hagrid's eyes widened in surprise.
"There's more to it than that! The three-headed dog should be guarding the magic..." Ron began, but Hagrid quickly waved his hand to silence him.
"Shh! Why are you talking so loudly? Do you want everyone to know?" Hagrid hissed.
Harry, looking at Hagrid, said, "We just want to protect the Philosopher's Stone. If you could tell us what else is guarding it, like whether there are other mechanisms behind it, I think we can do a better job."
"—Don't tell me you don't know. When I was coming back from the locker room after Quidditch practice, I overheard a conversation between Professor Snape and Quirrell."
"Quirrell talked about the many preparations he had made for the Philosopher's Stone. Clearly, Fluffy isn't the only thing guarding the Stone, right?"
Hagrid looked defeated.
Ron and Hermione glared at Harry. "Hey! Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"
Harry ignored them and kept his eyes on Hagrid.
Hermione and Ron stopped questioning Harry. Instead, they focused on Hagrid.
Seeing the three of them staring at him, Hagrid glanced at Dylan, who was quietly reading and didn't seem prepared to say anything. Sighing, Hagrid finally spoke.
"...Alright, alright. I can't do anything about it." Hagrid lowered his voice and said to Harry and the others, "After you finish your homework, come to my cabin to see Fang — listen, I didn't promise anything!"
With that, he straightened up, "Remember to come! And don't continue talking about those things here, or they'll tell on me!"
Hagrid turned abruptly, put his hands back in front of him, and hurried off.
As Hagrid turned, Dylan caught a glimpse of something round hidden behind the cloth he was holding.
He quickly glanced at Hagrid's retreating figure before looking back down at the divination book in his hands.
Ron, now finished copying the homework, couldn't sit still anymore. His legs began to shake.
"Tell me, Hagrid was hiding something just now, and he wouldn't let us see it."
Hermione furrowed her brow, pursing her lips. "It looked like a ball."
"A ball?" Harry blinked. "Why is Hagrid holding a ball? And is it necessary to carry it around like that?"
"Maybe it's a magic ball that can destroy the world!" Ron joked, shaking his legs anxiously.
Ron couldn't hold back any longer and jumped up. "I noticed he seemed to be coming from that side. Hagrid actually reads books? I don't believe it!"
Ron quickly moved around the bookshelves, scanning them carefully. Soon, he came back with a few books in his hands.
"Look! This is the book Hagrid was reading earlier. None of these have been fully returned!" Ron exclaimed.
"Hagrid is so careless. No wonder Harry managed to trick him into talking so easily," Hermione muttered, her lips curling as she looked at the books Ron had spread out.
"Dragon Breeding for Fun and Profit, From Egg to Hell, Dragon Species in Britain and Ireland, The Real Way to Keep Dragons…"
Hermione was surprised. She looked up and asked, "Why is Hagrid suddenly reading books about dragons?"
Harry, pointing to one of the books on dragon breeding, replied, "When Hagrid first met me, he said he wanted to raise a dragon."
"What?" Ron's eyes widened. "So he wants to keep a dragon at Hogwarts?"
"Oh my god, the Ministry of Magic will catch him! The law doesn't allow wizards to privately raise dragons! They're dangerous creatures!"
Ron was shocked that Hagrid was attempting such a bold feat.
To make sure Harry and Dylan understood the seriousness of the matter, Ron lowered his voice and said, "My brother Charlie has lots of scars from when he worked with dragons in Romania. They're incredibly violent creatures!"
"Dragons?" Dylan was still reading the book but couldn't help looking up.
Hearing this, he couldn't help but comment, "I saw something round in Hagrid's hand earlier. Could it have been a dragon egg?"
Ron exclaimed, "How could he get a dragon egg? He watches the Forbidden Forest every day, but how would he get one?"
"And he's actually walking around with a dragon egg? He's insane!"
Harry raised his hand and gestured for them to lower their voices. "Don't be so loud, Ron. We don't want anyone overhearing."
Ron pouted but said no more, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself.
Dylan glanced at them, wondering if it was too late to stop now. If someone was listening, they would have heard everything. Was there any need to keep quiet?
Shaking his head, Dylan returned to flipping through the star chart, observing the changes in the star trajectory.
As Harry and Ron's curiosity about the dragon grew, they copied their homework even faster.
Soon, several parchments were filled with writing.
"Very good!" Ron looked at his pile of homework with satisfaction.
"It's alright — if you ignore the dog-crawling handwriting," Hermione said, glancing at Ron's messy work.
"You really don't know how to talk!" Ron grumbled, pushing the homework back to Dylan and stuffing his own papers into his backpack.
"Dylan, do you want to go check out Hagrid's hut?" Harry asked as he packed up his things.
"I'll go take a look too," Dylan replied, closing his divination book. "After all, it's likely a dragon egg. I just need some egg whites."
"If what Hagrid hid is really a dragon egg, I wonder if I can extract the egg whites," Dylan mused.
Ron's eyes widened. "If you extract the egg whites, won't the egg die immediately?"
Dylan thought for a moment before replying, "Dragon eggs require a very specific environment for incubation. The egg whites provide vital nutrition and moisture for the embryo's development. Removing them might cause the egg to die."
"..."
Ron, Harry, and Hermione exchanged odd glances.
After a pause, Harry said, "Then I don't think Hagrid would let you do that."
"Well, I was just thinking about it. But Hagrid probably won't be able to raise the dragon, so if he doesn't want the egg, I might buy it from him."
Dylan thought back to a conversation he'd had with Professor Snape while brewing potions.
"I could try using potions to provide the necessary nutrients for the dragon egg after extracting the egg whites," Dylan added.
His system also provided him with a pet space. If Hagrid couldn't raise the dragon, perhaps Dylan could.
In any case, he had to check on the dragon egg.
After packing up, they hurried out of the library and made their way to Hagrid's hut.
From a distance, they saw the windows of the hut tightly covered with curtains, with no gaps visible. The door was shut so tightly that it seemed as if Hagrid was trying to hide something.
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