Chapter 121
Days passed by, one after another.
Every day, apart from attending classes and studying knowledge, Soren participated in the activities of the Sleeping Dragon Society at regular intervals.
He had a preliminary grasp of the content in the "Book of Ancient Dragon Language." Of course, he did not possess the ancient "Dragon Power" in his bloodline, so he did not believe he could cast spells using the Ancient Dragon Language.
He also understood the principle of not biting off more than he could chew, so he abandoned the study of dark magic and shifted his focus to transfiguration. After all, he had the bloodline power of the shapeshifter Magus, along with the Black family's secret spells, "Forbidden Transfiguration," and "Thousand Changes and Illusions," which gave him a unique advantage in the field of transfiguration.
Oh, right, he also needed to pay more attention to Cho Chang; he hadn't forgotten that Chang He promised him the Chang family's secret transfiguration technique.
Additionally, he did not plan to give up on studying spatial magic and ancient rune casting, but resources for learning in these two areas were extremely scarce and hard to come by, so progress was slow.
As for the Sleeping Dragon Society, they had already held at least four exchange activities. Under his guidance, the members gradually showed significant improvement in their academic performance and combat abilities. Astoria and the Carrow sisters became standout figures in their second year, adding a lot of points to Slytherin House.
Soon, October 23 arrived.
Hagrid's hut, Care of Magical Creatures class.
Hagrid stood outside the little wooden hut, one hand holding the collar of his massive hound, Fang. At his feet lay several open wooden crates, from which strange clattering sounds emerged, occasionally accompanied by faint explosions.
These were the magical creatures Hagrid was primarily teaching this semester—Exploding Tail Lobsters, a new species he had artificially bred by crossbreeding a Manticore with a Fire Crab.
They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, grayish-white and slimy, with a terrifying appearance, their numerous legs sticking out in all directions, making it hard to see where their heads were. They also emitted a very strong smell of rotten fish and shrimp. From time to time, sparks would shoot out from their tails, and with a soft pop, they would propel themselves forward a few inches.
Nearly two months into the school year, the students still had not figured out what these creatures liked to eat.
Hagrid was very pleased; as part of the "project," he suggested that they come to his hut every other day to observe the Exploding Tail Lobsters and record their unusual behaviors.
"I'm not coming," Draco said bluntly. "I've seen enough of these disgusting things in class, thanks." Hagrid's smile faded.
"Do as I say," he bellowed. "This is an assignment! Everyone must participate. What makes you think you have the right to be exempt?" Blaise Zabini let out a disdainful snort.
Hagrid remembered how much trouble Blaise had caused him last semester with his most respected Professor Dumbledore, and anger flared up inside him as he glared at Blaise. "What do you mean by that?"
"What else could it mean? Draco asked you before—why are we raising them? What can they do? What are they useful for?" Blaise sneered. "As a professor, your failure to answer is already dereliction of duty, but it doesn't matter; you said it would be covered in the next class..."
"We've been in school for almost two months, and even these creatures have grown so much, and you still haven't figured out the answer? How can you call yourself a professor? Are you not ashamed?" Blaise continued.
"Their appearance may not be pleasant, but that doesn't mean they are useless." At this point, Hermione couldn't hold back and stood up to refute him. "Dragon blood has magical properties, but would you want to keep a dragon as a pet?"
Draco coldly replied, "Granger, last time I let you off because of my brother, are you trying to stir up trouble again? You can bring Potter and Weasley, and we can find a time for me to take you all on!"
Here we go again! This damned, familiar scene! Soren felt a headache coming on. He wasn't sure what Draco meant by these words; so much time had passed since last semester, and his deliberate mention of old matters seemed aimed at undermining his authority, which Soren found hard to believe.
Slytherin had not yet reacted, but Harry and the others across from him could no longer sit still.
Ron, feeling the most insecure, felt insulted. His face turned red, and he glared fiercely, immediately drawing his wand and shouting angrily, "If you want to fight, then fight! Who's afraid of whom! There's no need to pick a day to duel; you can draw your wand right now!"
"Just you?" Draco said with a cold glint in his eyes, slowly drawing his wand while sneering, "Let's have Potter join in too; I wouldn't want to be accused of bullying the weak..."
Hermione's gaze flickered with panic. Rationality told her she had to stand with Ron and Harry; Draco and Blaise were clearly trying to provoke them. However, recalling the events of last semester made it impossible for her to make a firm decision.
She bit her lip, looking at Harry and Ron, who gazed at her with expectation, feeling a deep bitterness in her heart.
The words spoken by Shelin in Defense Against the Dark Arts class echoed clearly in her mind, that familiar, low voice sounded as if Shelin was truly speaking to her heart: "To protect the people around you, you may have to give up a friendship..."
"Do I really... have to be enemies with Soren? Is there really no way to salvage my relationship with him?"
"Forget it; this matter arose because of me. It's because I spoke out that all of this happened, so I will bear the consequences!" Thinking of this, Hermione felt a pang in her heart, stepped in front of Harry and Ron, and drew her wand.
"Malfoy! This matter has nothing to do with Harry and Ron; if you want to duel, I will face you alone!" Hermione spoke with great bravado, but her hand holding the wand trembled uncontrollably, showing no sign of a duelist.
Draco wore a disdainful expression, his gaze fixed on Hermione's wand, while his wand was raised slowly, as if in slow motion.
Soren frowned; he clearly felt Draco's scrutiny!
Draco's eyes seemed to be looking at Harry and the trio in front, but in reality, he was spying on himself! In the past, Draco would have attacked first; what was wrong with him now? Was he so arrogant that he wanted to take on three opponents alone, and now it seemed he wanted to wait for the other side to strike first?
Looking at Hermione's demeanor, if Draco let her take the initiative, she would likely just be crushed.
Hagrid roared loudly, "What's wrong with you all? Do you think I don't exist as your professor?" He stepped forward, wanting to stop the dispute, but was blocked by a figure.
Blaise was toying with his wand and said softly, "Professor Hagrid, while we call you a professor, your knowledge and teaching ability seem to be greatly questioned in our eyes. How about this—" A strange light appeared in Blaise's eyes, and a smirk curled at the corners of his mouth, "I want to challenge you, Professor, to see how capable you really are and if you are truly worthy of being a professor?"
Whispers and sneers erupted among the Slytherin students.
Since the establishment of the faculty hiring committee, the authority of professors in the original story had faded. Interestingly, most of the power to veto professors came from Slytherin's parents. This made Slytherin's wizards lose much of their respect for professors.
Moreover, the public exploits of the Malfoy brothers challenging the renowned Professor Moody further made them understand that professors were not invincible.
"Bastard!" Hagrid was furious, even cursing without thinking. Being questioned about his qualifications as a professor was the hardest thing for him to face. He was also worried that Harry and the others would suffer; the Malfoy brothers were not easy to deal with. In that moment, he was both angry and anxious, unable to think of any solution.
"Stop arguing! No matter what, Professor Hagrid is still a professor, a legitimately hired professor—" Soren spoke up: "Brother, Blaise, I don't think we should speak to a professor in this tone; it undermines the nobility of our family."
Soren paused for a moment and continued, "To get to the point, Miss Granger is actually quite right. I've already learned some insider information from Professor Dumbledore. The breeding of Blast-Ended Skrewts is licensed by the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and they will be used in the Triwizard Tournament, so they are not completely useless. I think we should follow Professor Hagrid's instructions and raise them well!"
Sure enough, as soon as the insider information about the Triwizard Tournament was mentioned, the focus of the little wizards shifted immediately. Several of them began to show interest in the Blast-Ended Skrewts and started whispering to each other. They all wanted to know what role the Skrewts would play in the tournament and what events might involve them.
A complex expression flashed in Draco's eyes, and he let out a cold snort of dissatisfaction before turning to leave.
Blaise wore a playful smile and said, "Of course, we all listen to you, Soren."
The other little wizards from Slytherin looked at Draco and then at Soren, unsure of what was going on between the two brothers, and fell into silence.
Soren shook his head and directed the other Slytherin little wizards to use the Levitation Charm to separate half of the Blast-Ended Skrewts into different boxes. This way, they could handle feeding one Skrewt at a time, greatly reducing the chances of injury.
Soren remembered from the original story that although it was never determined what the Skrewts actually liked to eat, they still grew to ten feet long.
The Gryffindor little wizards saw Slytherin's method and began to imitate it, but their mastery of the Levitation Charm was clearly not proficient enough. Dean Thomas ended up with a few blisters from being stung, and Seamus Finnigan almost triggered an explosion with a Skrewt. Fortunately, Hagrid reacted quickly, grabbing the Skrewt and tossing it far away.
Hermione hesitated for a long time, finally mustering the courage to walk over to Soren and softly said, "Malfoy, thank you."
Soren looked at Hermione, sighed, and said, "No need to thank me; this matter isn't your fault... I should actually apologize to you. My brother... never mind, I won't say more..." Soren knew very well that this was clearly Draco trying to stir up trouble; on the surface, it targeted Hagrid, but in reality, it was a way to lure Potter and his friends into the fray. Ultimately, the target was probably still himself.
"If there's nothing else," Soren heard Daphne calling him and immediately said, "My companions are calling me; I need to get busy."
Hermione watched Soren's departing figure, biting her lip. She wasn't stupid; although she didn't know what had happened, she had a feeling—she must have caused trouble for Soren again.
Why do I always complicate things for you? Hermione's mood suddenly became irritable.
She remembered that the last time she had a falling out with Soren, she had been like this too, unable to control her emotions, and almost ended up fighting with Slytherin—though Soren had spoken harshly, it didn't mean he didn't have her protection in mind.
She bit her lip tightly, repeatedly telling herself in her heart, there won't be a next time! Absolutely not!
"You've done so much for me; every time I'm in danger or hurt, it's you helping and comforting me—" Hermione made up her mind, "I've had enough; next time, it's my turn to give back to you!"
After the Care of Magical Creatures class ended, the little wizards returned to the castle, where the entrance hall was crowded with them.
At the foot of the marble staircase, a large notice was posted.
"What are they looking at?" Daphne asked curiously.
Soren, using his Seer's Eye, could see the contents of the notice from afar and said, "It's about the Triwizard Tournament. I'll read it to you: Representatives from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive at 6 PM on Friday, October 30th. Afternoon classes will end half an hour early, and students are asked to return their bags and textbooks to the dormitory, then gather in front of the castle to welcome our guests and attend the welcome banquet."
"Only one week left!" Daphne's eyes sparkled, "Soren, are you planning to participate in this tournament?"
Soren could not deny, "Let's take a look first, and then we'll see how Dumbledore selects adult wizards. To be honest, I have no confidence in breaking the magical restrictions set by the strongest wizard of our time."
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