That evening, when Aiden returned to Ravenclaw Tower, he found the little eagles gathered in the common room waiting for him.
"Aiden, don't be sad, we know this isn't your fault," Edmund said, coming up to comfort him.
"Yes, it's all that hateful Karkaroff," Ethan also spoke up supportively.
The other little wizards started chattering excitedly.
"That old zombie." "Curse him to encounter Death Eaters later." "Oh, that's a bit much..."
"Alright, alright, thank you all for your comfort. I'll pull myself together and actively face the upcoming competitions!" Aiden announced loudly.
"Good." "You've got to work hard." "Show them what Ravenclaw can do..."
Amid the enthusiastic clamor, the little wizards gradually dispersed.
"Are you really not bothered at all?"
Edmund put his arm around Aiden's shoulder, trying to find disappointment in his eyes.
"Come on." Aiden knocked his head playfully.
"Do you think this score has any real meaning?" Aiden asked back.
"Uh, victory, glory, superiority?" Ethan suggested.
Edmund, who had been through extensive information baptism, found the key point: "Nothing."
"Yes, the victory of the entire competition is taking the final trophy. No one told you that getting high scores equals winning. Everything is just illusions we've imagined ourselves, or illusions someone wants us to imagine," Aiden said with a casual shrug.
"This..." Ethan was momentarily speechless.
"Buddy, it looks like you still have a lot to learn," Edmund said, patting Ethan's shoulder sympathetically.
"Let's go, let's go back," Aiden said, walking toward his dormitory.
On the other side, in Gryffindor's common room, the twins lifted Harry up triumphantly.
"Make way, our dragon-slaying king has arrived!" George laughed with obvious pride.
"Welcome Harry Potter to his loyal Gryffindor subjects," Fred joked dramatically.
The common room was filled with a joyful atmosphere, and Harry took the opportunity to raise the golden egg.
"Do you want me to open it?" Harry asked the eager crowd.
"Open it!" came multiple voices in unison.
Then, under everyone's expectant gaze, Harry opened the golden egg, and piercing screams spread throughout the entire common room.
"I know! You have to face banshees in the second task!" Seamus was first to react.
"I think it's the Cruciatus Curse," Neville suggested with growing worry.
"Or maybe attack Percy in the prefects' bathroom?" George and Fred also came to join the speculation.
"Looks like it needs more research," Harry said, staring at the golden egg thoughtfully.
Since the competition had run very late, Harry hadn't had dinner yet.
So Hermione and Ron took Harry to the kitchens for food.
"The kitchen is located in the basement. You just need to tickle the pear in the fruit painting to get in."
Ron led Harry while explaining, reaching out to tickle the painted pear.
The kitchen door opened, and Harry and the others received a warm welcome. The house-elves greeted them with obvious enthusiasm.
"Look at you two, sweet like an old married couple again," Aiden said, narrowing his eyes while feasting at the dining table.
"Aiden? What are you doing here?" Hermione asked with curiosity.
"Came to eat," Aiden said simply, forking a piece of steak into his mouth.
"Harry Potter!" came a familiar, shrill voice.
"Dobby!" Harry smiled with genuine warmth. "How are you here?"
"Of course it's because shameful Dobby demands wages and freedom!" another house-elf said, looking at him with obvious disdain.
"Winky?" Harry encountered his second acquaintance.
"Oh, merciful Mr. Potter, thank you very much for pleading for me before," Winky said, bowing deeply to Harry.
"What's going on with all of you?" Harry asked with growing confusion.
"The headmaster took in these homeless house-elves, and for this, an innocent school governor had to pay them all salaries."
Aiden, having eaten his fill, wiped his mouth with satisfaction.
"You're paying the house-elves wages?" Hermione asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"What else? A Hogwarts governor joining the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare couldn't possibly do nothing," Aiden said, raising an eyebrow.
"You're really rich. I'd rather spend that money on myself," Ron muttered under his breath.
But he was silenced by Hermione's sharp elbow to his stomach.
"We could have given them ten Galleons weekly wages and four days off, but they refused and kept begging us not to fire them."
The well-fed dragon paced back and forth to digest, while nearby house-elves smiled warmly at Harry and the others.
This statement made Hermione realize the special nature of the house-elf race.
"So, still planning to continue your political aspirations, Miss Granger?" Aiden asked with interest.
"Of course," Hermione said, holding her head high and forcibly dragging her two reluctant boys onto her warship.
"Heh, then I wish you success," Aiden said with a yawn, leaving the kitchen.
The competition's turmoil quickly ended, and the second task was scheduled for February next year.
Hogwarts' peaceful and tranquil study time began again.
Who had been happiest during this period? Of course, Harry Potter.
Since his battle with the dragon, the entire school's opinion had completely reversed. Girls began constantly 'appearing' around him to greet him with obvious interest.
On Tuesday, in Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall required everyone to transform guinea fowl into guinea pigs.
The little wizards easily completed the task. Harry and Ron were scolded by Professor McGonagall for having a knight's duel with fake wands in the back row.
At the same time, Professor McGonagall also announced about the Christmas Ball in class.
After class, Aiden brought his thesis to find Professor McGonagall. Because the surprise came so suddenly, Professor McGonagall even forgot to tell Harry about the champions' opening dance.
"You completed that?" Professor McGonagall asked with obvious excitement.
"Yes, Professor, let's talk as we walk," Aiden said, stepping aside to let the professor pass.
Unexpectedly, Professor McGonagall was more anxious than Aiden, dragging him all the way to her office.
"Now, Mr. Prewett, I need you to give me a detailed explanation," Professor McGonagall said, quickly sitting down.
She hurriedly made Aiden tea and took out paper and pen to hand to him.
"Professor, no need to rush. Let's first look at something."
Aiden tore off some of the paper Professor McGonagall handed him. Magic surged, and the paper scraps became an iron rod.
"Professor, look, this is an iron rod transformed by Transfiguration."
Aiden gently bent it, the iron rod broke and returned to its original state.
"We use Transfiguration, but we achieve transformation while ignoring conversion. Usually, in wizard duels, even when we use Transfiguration to create vines or transform animals, we choose hard objects. Why do you think that is?"
"Because mass and hardness give our creations stronger offensive capabilities," Professor McGonagall answered automatically.
"Then, Professor, whether enlarging or shrinking objects or wizards, where does the excess mass go?" Aiden continued asking.
"Of course it's carried by magic power. Such a simple..."
Professor McGonagall was about to give the standard answer but suddenly fell into deep thought.
"Magic power's carrying capacity... such a simple elementary question, why didn't I think of it..." Professor McGonagall murmured with growing realization.
"Yes, our magic power offsets the mass and volume we delete or add during transformation," Aiden nodded approvingly.
"But magic power cannot touch the essence of things," Professor McGonagall said, frowning again.
"Our magic power cannot touch it, but what about magic power as the world's blood, flowing through the world?"
Aiden picked up parchment and drew a moon wheel on it with precise strokes.
"Change, moon wheel, rotation, conversion, transformation," Professor McGonagall read out what Aiden really wanted to convey.
"Yes, Professor, that's the answer," Aiden said, pointing at the parchment.
"Introduce the Gyfu moon wheel into human transformation to absorb the moon's magic power, the Jera seasonal cycles to stabilize the balance between Transfiguration and lunar magic, and Tiwaz justice to ensure that foreign magic power can be expelled in time when transformation fails."
"But wouldn't Transfiguration designed this way only be usable when the moon rises?" Professor McGonagall, as a technical expert, immediately saw the flaw in this magic.
"Not necessarily. Next, let me take you to visit... the goblins' treasures."
As Aiden's voice stretched out mysteriously, Professor McGonagall fell into darkness.