As Adrian had anticipated, the young Thunderbird was quite fond of the newly arrived lightning-struck wood.
Moreover, the small Thunderbird showed no signs of unfamiliarity toward Adrian, behaving as if they were like a crup(a wizard dog) and its master who had spent years together.
As for Remus, the young Thunderbird still seemed somewhat afraid of him. Whenever Remus approached, it would raise its feathers and watch him vigilantly.
This left Remus feeling rather helpless.
The Thunderbird had built a nest on the lightning-struck wood. Whenever it wanted to play, the tree would summon small storms, allowing it to dart freely between the lightning bolts.
Adrian stood nearby, watching the young Thunderbird tumbling excitedly through the air, and couldn't help but rub his chin thoughtfully.
Although the weather changes were beneficial for the young Thunderbird, they weren't so great for the local environment.
That afternoon, Adrian's plantation was constantly besieged by either howling winds or thunderstorms with heavy rain.
Fortunately, Adrian's plants and herbs were grown in greenhouses, and weren't affected by this weather.
Having settled the Thunderbird's living arrangements, now he needed to figure out how to get the headmaster's permission to showcase the young Thunderbird to his students.
After all, the Thunderbird was a protected species, and was certified by the Ministry of Magic as an "XXXXX" class magical creature.
Even though it was just a juvenile, it certainly possessed a degree of danger.
'What should I do? And how should I convince him'
The next morning, in the headmaster's office.
A steaming cup of coffee sat on the desk with a plate piled high with golden honeycomb toffee beside it.
Dumbledore was leisurely checking letters sent from around the world, as was his custom.
As an internationally renowned figure, he received numerous letters every day, so Dumbledore could only select a limited number to read and respond to.
This was his daily routine. He would handle the rest in his spare time. But today, he felt something was missing in his office.
Dumbledore paused what he was doing as his eyebrows were slightly furrowed.
He scanned the large office, his gaze naturally falling on the massive perch where his phoenix usually rested.
Strangely, it was empty.
"Fawkes?" he called softly, his eyes searching around the room.
However, there was no sign of the phoenix—not by the fireplace, on the bookshelves, nor near the windows.
Dumbledore wrinkled his eyebrow, set down the letter in his hand, and stood up.
Fawkes was no ordinary bird; it wouldn't leave him for long without good reason.
Dumbledore slowly walked to the window and opened it. Cold wind mixed with light rain struck his face, bringing a slight chill.
"Fawkes doesn't like this weather," he murmured.
Just then, his eyes caught a glimpse of a red figure streaking across the distant sky.
Seeing this, a relaxed smile appeared on Dumbledore's face.
Fawkes landed gracefully on the windowsill. As Dumbledore groomed its feathers, they chatted casually.
"Where have you been, Fawkes?"
"Ah, you went to play with a new friend? You never mentioned this to me."
"Who is your new friend?"
"A large white bird? Well, I'm glad you've made a new friend. Where is it?"
"What? It's already here!?"
Dumbledore looked out the window and, indeed, through the misty rain, there was a white figure.
"That is..."
As it flew closer, the outline of the white bird became increasingly clear.
From its two pairs of wings—one large and one small—Dumbledore recognized its true identity: a Thunderbird.
"You've found quite the remarkable friend," Dumbledore said, looking somewhat surprised at his phoenix.
An hour later, Adrian appeared in Dumbledore's office. As soon as he entered, Adrian noticed the young Thunderbird standing alongside Fawkes the phoenix.
Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, carefully reading letters.
The young Thunderbird called softly to Adrian, as if greeting him.
"Fawkes has generously shared his perch with his new friend," Dumbledore noticed Adrian's arrival and looked up with a smile. "Please sit, Professor Westeros. I believe you can answer some of my questions."
"Of course, Professor."
Adrian obediently sat down across from Dumbledore, and a freshly brewed cup of coffee floated over to rest in front of him.
Dumbledore gently set down the letter in his hand and gazed kindly at the juvenile Thunderbird.
"This must be your bird, yes?" he asked softly, turning his gaze to Adrian. "What is its name?"
"Well," Adrian pondered for a moment, then said, "It doesn't have an official name yet."
Dumbledore nodded, seemingly a bit surprised, and seriously advised: "You should decide on its name soon. For powerful magical creatures, names are very important. They view names as bonds—if it accepts the name, it will be willing to establish a deeper connection with you."
"Are names really that important, Professor?" Adrian couldn't help but ask, noting Dumbledore's serious tone.
"Names are a form of magic in themselves," Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles and explained, "Much like with wizards—take, for instance, he-who-must-not-be-named."
With this explanation, Adrian suddenly realized that Voldemort's name must have been enchanted with some sort of magic—that's why once it was directly mentioned by someone, he would sense it.
That was why everyone called him the Dark Lord.
Moreover, Ruskin hadn't told Adrian the young Thunderbird's name, likely because she wanted Adrian to name it himself.
"I understand, Professor," Adrian nodded and said, "I'll carefully consider a name for the young Thunderbird."
After speaking, Adrian glanced at the small Thunderbird next to Fawkes.
"Well then, Adrian," Dumbledore clapped his hands together and continued, "Let's set aside the matter of names for now. What I'm more curious about is where you brought this Thunderbird from. Thunderbirds are quite rare in Europe, you know."
"In fact, Thunderbirds are rare everywhere."
As Adrian spoke, he beckoned to the young Thunderbird, which immediately bounded over to his side and nuzzled his arm.
"A friend of mine has recently made some breakthroughs in raising Thunderbirds," Adrian explained further, "And, well, as you can see."
Dumbledore thought for a moment, then seemed to recall something.
"'The Possibility of Artificially Raising Thunderbirds'?" he said, "I believe that was the title of your previous thesis."
"You've read it?" Adrian nodded in surprise, "I'm honored."
"A wizard's most important quality is to maintain a thirst for learning," Dumbledore stood up and winked at Adrian, "Isn't that what you once told me?"
"Ah, yes." Adrian scratched his head, embarrassed. This was something he had said to Dumbledore at his graduation.
Thinking about it now, the statement seemed somewhat presumptuous.
After all, the person he had said this to was none other than Albus Dumbledore.
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