"An adult female dragon?!!!"
Ron's expression was like he'd just had a toad shoved down his throat, and he blurted out,
"Mate, are you insane?"
"Hmm?"
Ethan turned his head and flashed Ron a smile.
Ron's senses snapped back into place immediately.
"Ahem! I mean, do you really want to keep that thing?"
Ron extended a hand, pointing at the ugly little black dragon hatchling with a face full of disgust.
The little creature promptly huffed a puff of flame at him, charring a section of the thick wooden table.
Ron yanked his hand back in a hurry, shooting Hagrid an accusatory glare.
Hagrid let out a delighted squeal, "Oh—how spirited!"
"But, Ethan."
Harry steered the conversation back on track, doing his best to keep up with Ethan's line of thinking:
"Even if you want to use a female dragon to raise the hatchling, where on earth would you keep them?"
"An adult dragon could squash Hagrid's hut flat with one foot!"
Ethan was just about to explain.
Then he heard Miss Hermione Granger suddenly exclaim,
"You idiots! There's already a perfect spot right here!"
Hermione folded her arms, her eyes gleaming with confident pride.
As if she'd just cracked a tough riddle from a professor, she declared triumphantly,
"Hogwarts itself might not have the room, but isn't the Forbidden Forest plenty spacious?"
"We can raise the mother and child right there in the Forbidden Forest!"
?!
Harry and Ron were utterly stunned.
After two seconds of dead silence, before Hagrid could chime in with enthusiastic agreement, Harry quickly shot back,
"But, but that's illegal!"
Hermione the Rule-Breaker Granger lifted her chin and smirked,
Giving Harry a look reserved for someone tragically short on brain cells, she said,
"The books clearly state that during the Goblin Rebellions, dragons lived in Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest—and more than one at that. They only migrated to reserves later because of rampant poaching."
"The dragons settled in the Forbidden Forest all on their own, so how can anyone say we're raising them?"
"We haven't broken any laws!"
Harry & Ron: (Mouths agape) !?
It could work like that?!
"This is Ethan's brilliant plan!"
Hermione said excitedly, her eyes sparkling.
"First off, it lets the young dragon experience a natural environment and a mother's care. Second, it means Hagrid can visit it anytime in the Forbidden Forest without having to part ways!"
Hagrid was moved to tears: "Oh—Ethan!"
Hermione paused, cleared her throat, and finally added,
"Third, it'll enrich the biodiversity in the Forbidden Forest, restoring its former glory and making Hogwarts great again!"
"And who knows, future third-year Care of Magical Creatures classes might even get to interact with real dragons!"
Harry & Ron: "..."
Please, anything but that—
"Ethan, am I right? Is this exactly what you had in mind?"
Hermione suddenly whipped her head around to look at Ethan, seeking approval.
Ethan, who had simply wanted to snag an adult dragon to serve as a boss for his ancient ruins: "..."
You've figured it all out—what else is there for me to say?
After a moment of thoughtful silence.
Ethan lifted his head, flashing a smile, and said firmly,
"Yes."
"That's precisely what I was thinking."
Right away.
Hermione spread her hands wide, tipped her nose up, and peered down at Harry and Ron through her nostrils.
Her expression practically screamed:
See? That's exactly what Ethan had in mind!
Harry and Ron were left speechless.
Glancing at Ethan, even though something felt off, they found themselves gradually swayed in the undeniable atmosphere.
"Oh, so that's it. Ethan came up with all that in such a short time—"
"So thoughtful, truly brighter than the three of us put together. As expected of Ethan—"
"Waaah—thank you, Ethan—you're such a good person—"
Amid the chorus of flattery, Ethan gradually started to bask in it.
Hermione: "But, Ethan, there's still one thing I don't get. Where are you planning to get an adult female dragon from?"
Ron yelped in horror: "Don't look at me! My brother Charlie works with dragons, but there's no way he'd send me one—"
Before he could finish.
Hagrid's face suddenly twisted in alarm!
He jumped up and dashed to the window, whispering urgently, "Someone! Someone was peeking through the curtain just now—it was a boy—he's running toward the school!"
Harry and Ron bolted to the door, peered out, and exclaimed,
"It's Malfoy! He saw the dragon!"
Harry's face darkened: "He's bound to cause trouble—he might even snitch to a professor."
Hermione's face went pale in an instant, and she wailed in distress, "W-what do we do?"
Ron (undeniably relieved): "We don't have time to hunt for a female dragon—we need to ditch this little pest right now—"
"Excuse me."
Ethan's calm voice cut through their bickering.
His cobalt-blue eyes stared intently out the window.
"You're blocking my view."
The next second.
A dark portal opened simultaneously inside and outside the room.
"Thud!"
Malfoy, who had been sprinting away gleefully moments ago, tumbled heavily to the floor from inside the portal.
"H-help—!"
Malfoy shrieked, flailing his limbs wildly like a fish flopping on dry land.
He looked up and locked eyes with five faces staring down at him.
Malfoy: —Hello.
Malfoy was promptly immobilized by Hermione's Full Body-Bind Curse.
He lay rigid on the ground, eyes bulging in terror, completely unable to move.
Ethan: "Now, I'm going to tell you what I need you to do."
"If you have any objections, just blink."
Malfoy, under the Full Body-Bind: ? Are you even speaking English?
Ethan: "I need you to procure an adult female Norwegian Ridgeback for us, preferably one that's just lost its egg. Place it in the Forbidden Forest."
Malfoy: Huh? Me???
Ethan cracked a kindly smile, squatted down with his knees apart, raised a hand, and gently patted Malfoy's cheek, murmuring softly,
"I believe the Malfoy family has both the means and the eagerness to assist me, don't they?"
Malfoy looked like he might shatter the curse through sheer willpower, his whole body quivering.
Ethan turned his head and announced cheerfully, "He says he's very eager."
Hermione clasped her hands together: "Ethan, you're an absolute genius!"
Harry & Ron: "..."
Mate, maybe you should get your head examined.
And the only adult in the room, Hagrid, was fully lost in the dreamy vision of keeping the young dragon close by.
He kept sniffling "Thank you," opting for selective blindness.
Ethan stood up straight, casually waved his wand with a Finite Incantatem, and freed Malfoy.
Malfoy instinctively: "I'm going to tell my father—"
Ethan: "Go right ahead. I'll be waiting for the good news."
Malfoy: choked.jpg
Ethan offered a gentle reminder: "Oh, and if you let the secret slip, I'll seal you in my painting and let you have some quality playtime with my Hellhound."
"—Waaah!!"
Malfoy fled in tears.
Aside from Hagrid's sniffles, the room fell into dead silence.
"Alright," Ethan turned back with satisfaction and addressed Ron, "You—"
Ron suddenly shuddered, snapped to attention with a sharp salute, and barked, "Yes!"
Ethan: "...You should still write to your brother Charlie, but just mention that a dragon has wandered into the Forbidden Forest and ask him to bring some colleagues to help."
"After all, when it comes to dragons, they're the experts."
And besides, I'll need help subduing an adult dragon.
Ethan already had a plan forming in his mind.
Stuffing a dragon straight under the trapdoor was impractical.
He needed a new painting—a second-tier one capable of sealing creatures inside, a "Canvas Cage."
He'd use that bottle of extraordinary pigment, the Color Out of Space.
--
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