Hagrid pursed his lips, and his thick beard twitched slightly as it lifted upwards.
"I've read a lot of books about raising dragons in the library. I think I can raise it properly."
Seeing that Hagrid didn't seem to have the slightest idea of what he was getting into, Root raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure your little house is big enough to hold a full-grown Norwegian Ridgeback? They can breathe fire, and your house is made of wood, right?"
"Also, have you considered how much food this dragon will need when it grows up? If I remember correctly, a Norwegian Ridgeback can double in size within a week after birth."
"That means the amount of meat it consumes daily after six months will be enormous..."
Root looked Hagrid up and down.
"Your weight alone is enough for it to eat for a day."
Ron, standing beside them, nodded. "You can't raise a dragon here and expect to keep it a secret from the entire school. It will be exposed eventually! Then you'll be arrested and sent to Azkaban for illegally raising a dragon!"
Hagrid nodded but didn't seem concerned.
Hermione sighed and turned to Root. "We can't persuade him now. His mind is completely focused on hatching the dragon egg."
Root also looked at the small egg in the fire—it seemed comfortable in the warmth, absorbing the heat. He was worried his Imperius Curse might not be strong enough to influence the creature, so he cast it repeatedly.
As a result, he was beginning to feel mentally drained. After all, magic required energy, and using the Unforgivable Curse multiple times took a toll on him.
"Next time, I should modify my wand's effect to chain lightning. That way, I can unlock the Avada Kedavra lightning special effect."
Root couldn't help but wonder: if Voldemort had access to such an ability, would he still have been defeated by Harry's Expelliarmus?
Dodging one Killing Curse was easy. But what if it were Avada Kedavra Chain Lightning? How would anyone escape?
"And this is just ten bursts. If I complete more achievements, I might be rewarded with a hundred bursts! Or even a thousand bursts!"
Just imagining it excited him—a single wave of his wand, and hundreds of Killing Curses would rain down, covering the battlefield.
Who could possibly stand against him?
"Hey, Root, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing that Root was lost in thought, Hermione frowned.
"Huh?" Root snapped out of his reverie and shook his head. "Nothing, just an interesting thought."
Hermione was about to ask more when Root spoke again: "If Hagrid really wants to hatch the dragon egg, we should let him. It will fulfill his dream."
"At worst, after the dragon hatches, we can contact Ron's brother. Isn't he working with dragons in Romania?"
Hermione blinked and nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Well, let Hagrid try. He might not even be able to hatch this pitch-black egg."
That wasn't necessarily true.
Root once again cast the Imperius Curse on the Norwegian Ridgeback egg in the fire.
Suddenly, his system panel vibrated.
Root was thrilled. He quickly checked the magic scroll icon, and a new achievement prompt popped up.
However, upon closer inspection, the achievement remained grayed out.
[Achievement]: Dragon Lord (Locked)
[Description]: Becoming a dragon master is not about controlling the dragon but about taming its power!
[Requirement]: Make a dragon loyal to you by any means.
[Reward]: Additional pet slot, ability to control pet powers.
Aha!
Root's eyes lit up at the sight of the achievement, even though it was still locked.
He hadn't expected an achievement to trigger in advance.
This time, he had used the Imperius Curse on a dragon egg, and it had hinted at how to unlock the achievement.
"A new pet slot? Control over a pet's power?"
Previously, when he had just entered Hogwarts, he had a small pet named Alanna, a shadow-like lynx.
Alanna had a unique ability—she could merge into the darkness, pass through walls, and move undetected.
Since then, he had never triggered another pet-related achievement.
But now, he had a chance to tame a dragon!
If he could make the dragon his pet, he could store it in his pet space.
Unlike Hagrid, who risked getting caught, Root could simply release the dragon in the Forbidden Forest at night, harvest dragon scales, claws, and blood, and even intimidate the forest creatures to make hunting easier.
This was an endless resource!
And judging by the ability's name—pet power control—he might even be able to tap into his pet's abilities for himself.
Would he be able to breathe fire or manipulate flames?
More importantly, would he gain dragon-like physical strength and magic resistance?
If he could match a dragon's resistance, even the Unforgivable Curses might not work on him!
Root swallowed as he stared at the black dragon egg, still absorbing the fire's warmth.
"If trying to control a dragon can trigger an achievement, what if I turned the newly hatched dragon into a potion ingredient...? Would I get a potion that grants dragon-like abilities?"
If so, his Animagus form might evolve into a dragon—something unheard of in the wizarding world!
A wizard transforming into a dragon, immune to most spells, breathing fire, and wielding powerful magic?
"Imagine using a Patronus spell to summon a dragon... That would be legendary."
Root grinned at the thought.
Meanwhile, Harry and Hagrid continued their conversation, but Hagrid was distracted.
After all, he had already revealed too many secrets to Harry and Hermione.
He cared more about hatching his Norwegian Ridgeback egg than anything else.
After leaving Hagrid's hut, the group returned to their dormitories.
It was getting late, and they decided to get some rest.
Yet, even in bed, Harry looked worried.
"What if someone finds out about Hagrid's dragon?"
Ron, half-asleep, muttered, "Then he'll be sent to Azkaban."
Root, lying comfortably in bed, paid no attention to their conversation. He was too preoccupied with thoughts of the dragon.
Time passed.
Root's studies in divination had left him with little time to visit the Forbidden Forest for materials.
At the same time, he prepared Professor Snape's birthday gift.
January was approaching, and he wanted to impress Snape this time.
He had even studied fashion design to create a custom robe.
Professor Trelawney had noticed his sketches in his notebook.
Surprisingly, she was well-versed in clothing design.
"Clothes reflect fate," she had said, waving her hands dramatically. "New clothes bring new fortune."
Root took her advice seriously.
He ordered 44 custom-made robes from Madam Malkin's shop in Botham City, spending nearly a thousand Galleons.
"Who cares if it's true? The professor said it, so I'll follow along."
His focus on divination had not gone unnoticed. Professor McGonagall had reprimanded him several times.
"You've neglected your Transfiguration practice."
Even Snape had made comments while supervising his potion brewing.
"I heard you've been wasting time on divination with that old bat."
Root could only smile and nod.
Then, one day, Harry rushed into the library, looking frantic.
"Malfoy found out about Norbert!"
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