"Ted! This is serious—you can't keep going off on your own!" Hermione snapped, arms crossed and eyes blazing.
Ted had been planning to sneak off to the abandoned classroom again to continue his research. Time was running short. But Hermione was having none of it.
With the growing threat of the creature in the Chamber of Secrets, the school had issued strict rules: students were not to go anywhere alone—not even the bathroom. Groups were mandatory, and fear hung over the castle like a storm cloud.
Despite the anxiety, many students had flocked to the Dueling Club, desperate to learn spells that could protect them. Unfortunately for them, Professor Lockhart had been ousted, and Professor Flitwick had taken over. Lockhart, ever the coward, had already tried to file for leave, giving Dumbledore some half-baked excuse.
But Dumbledore's response was firm: "If it gets out that a professor abandoned the students at a time like this, the school's reputation could collapse."
That single line pinned Lockhart in place.
And now Hermione was determined not to let Ted out of her sight. "Wherever you're going, I'm coming with you!"
"Even if I'm going to the bathroom?" Ted grinned.
Hermione rolled her eyes and punched him lightly on the arm.
So, Ted brought her to the Room of Requirement. It was about time she joined the project anyway. She'd make an excellent assistant.
Wearing enchanted safety goggles, the two of them stood side-by-side, looking every bit like a pair of futuristic magical researchers.
Anzu padded ahead of them, tail flicking curiously.
Hogwarts had grown eerily quiet.
The castle's corridors were empty, most students opting to stay in their common rooms unless escorted to class by prefects.
Tension was thick in the air.
As they entered the Room of Requirement, Hermione looked around in wonder.
She'd been here before, but last time had been completely different—a cozy little café-like space with tiny round tables, warm lights, tea, and cakes. That had felt like a quiet date.
Now, though, the same door led to a bright, spacious laboratory.
The walls were clean and white, shelves and racks filled with magical books, ingredients, and tools.
A massive three-meter-long wooden workbench curved slightly in the center of the room.
Nearby stood an iron cage containing a long-tailed monkey with patchy fur—clearly in the middle of some transformation.
A smaller cage held an overly plump white hamster.
And roaming freely on the floor was an enormous rooster—tall, strong, with a fiery red comb and a proud, strutting gait. It had once chased poor Jerry nearly into a fireplace.
"This is your lab?" Hermione asked, eyes wide as she took in the room.
Her mouth hung open slightly, reminded of her father's dental clinic—only this was bigger, cleaner, and more magical.
"Pretty much," Ted said, summoning a chair with a flick of his wand. It glided over smoothly. "Sit down. Here's a stack of books on ancient runes—you'll like them. I've got to get back to work."
He turned and called out, "Chicken Come here"
The enormous rooster strutted over proudly and flapped its wings before hopping onto the table.
Ted touched the bird's feathers with his wand, muttering a string of experimental incantations.
Faint sparks of magic flickered at the wand's tip.
The spell was one he'd adapted from the notes of the late Professor Quirrell—designed to analyze magical creatures' blood composition and resilience.
It was a shame what happened to Quirrell.
He had great potential—his research into magical bloodlines was extensive, even systematic.
But Voldemort had manipulated him, leaving behind traces and notes that led Quirrell right into the dark path.
On the workbench, a large piece of parchment lay open, a magical quill scribbling down Ted's findings.
At the top of the quill was a small crystal—Ted's own invention. It was enchanted to pick up his thoughts and write them automatically.
Way faster than taking notes by hand or dictating.
Currently, Ted had narrowed his ideas down to two potential transformation plans for Brother Chicken, and he was refining the details.
First, the rooster needed better physical endurance. While it was already an elite fighter among poultry—strong enough to beat Jerry in a straight brawl—it wouldn't stand a chance against a basilisk.
The goal wasn't for it to fight the serpent head-on, but to be agile enough to run or fly short distances, avoiding a fatal tail strike.
For that, Ted was looking into magical enhancements—possibly infusing it with traits from sturdier magical creatures.
Next, magical resistance.
Many magical beasts had natural resistance to spells. While chickens weren't inherently magical, generations of breeding in the magical world had left some traces.
It wouldn't be difficult to enhance this.
Finally—and most important—was its crow.
Basilisks are born from a chicken egg incubated by a toad, which makes them particularly vulnerable to a rooster's crow.
But ancient, powerful basilisks wouldn't be killed—just pained or weakened—by a single cry.
Realistically, it might take a hundred roosters crowing non-stop to kill one.
Ted's goal was to amplify Brother Chicken's crow as much as possible.
Maybe even magically project it, or use a sonic amplifier.
Whatever gave them the edge.
He paced, thinking aloud.
"Griffin tail feathers—boost aerial agility and muscle strength. One strip costs 22 Galleons. Brother Chicken, you better appreciate this!"
"Some scales and a beak from a Thunderbird... Helps with both magical and physical resistance. Still can't believe Hagrid had that lying around."
"And the tongue of a Screaming Finch—excellent for vocal enhancement! Mr. Jiggers really really has some useful connections, huh?"
On the floor of the laboratory, a magic circle about two meters wide glowed faintly.
Three materials and three ancient runes formed the six corners of the hexagram.
"Brother Chicken, just stand here and don't move. I promise you'll be safe," Ted said with a confident grin.
Hermione, standing nearby, rolled her eyes. "He's wrapped up tighter than a cursed scroll, Ted. He couldn't move if he wanted to."
The poor chicken was indeed bound stiffly in place, looking more like a feathered statue than a living creature.
Hermione had been pretending to read a book for a while now, though her eyes never left Ted as he bustled around preparing the ritual.
"This setup should work. It's the most cost-effective method I could come up with. But we can't use the castle's magic to this..." Ted muttered to himself, glancing toward the ceiling, as if Dumbledore might descend from it at any moment. "I'll use my own magic. Should be enough."
Unlike Anzu's dramatic evolution of her Dark Crow, this transformation wasn't expected to require quite as much magical energy.
Ted began charging the magic circle. Each of the six corners had to be powered three times. Luckily, his magical recovery rate was fast, and with the help of enchanted items like [Forged Lucky Coins] and some homemade potions, he was up to the task.
One by one, the six corners glowed with a cool blue light.
Ted pulled out his [Mysterious Dance Flute (Green)], gave it a quick glance, and looked toward Brother Chicken. "Alright then—evolution begins now!"
As Ted swung his wand downward, the magic energy flowed through the silver dust lines of the circle.
The entire formation lit up.
Hermione's jaw dropped. She had never seen anything like this.
Ted raised the mysterious flute to his lips and began to play a surprisingly energetic tune. It sounded vaguely like... an anime theme?
[Digimon Adventure: Braveheart]
The magic circle responded immediately, pulsing with light. Ted tossed the flute aside, but it kept playing on its own!
Then he pointed to a device on the wall—a self-made magical karaoke machine—and it burst to life. Music filled the lab as Ted sang:
"Nigeru koto akirameru koto wa dare demo dekiru kara aruki tsuzukeyou...
Kimi ni shika dekinai koto ga aru aoi hoshi ni hikari ga nakusenai you ni...
Tsukame! Egaita yume wo!
Mamore! Daiji na tomo wo!
Takumashii jibun ni nareru sa..."
Lights flickered and danced around the room. Rainbow colors spun from magical bulbs Ted had enchanted earlier.
Ted grinned. "Come on, Brother Chicken, I've set the mood! You're not seriously thinking of chickening out now, are you?"
Brother Chicken (mentally): Stop singing! I get it! I'll evolve already! Just stop the music!
Hermione, meanwhile, had somehow started spinning in a circle without realizing. "Why am I twirling?! What's happening to me?!"
(Background voiceover: "Kitten-girl Super Evolution—Celestial Beast Mode~!")
When the light faded, standing inside the circle was a very different chicken.
Its feathers shone like polished metal, reflecting the lab lights in shimmering waves. Its golden beak gleamed, and its comb was a fiery red.
A stylish tuft of feathers parted right in the middle of its head.
Its claws scratched deep lines into the stone floor, and its eyes—sharp, unwavering—locked onto Ted.
It let out a mighty cry that echoed with a strange magical resonance—and then it lunged!
A blur of feathers and fury, Brother Chicken launched itself at Ted like a beast set free.
But Ted was ready.
With a flick of his fingers, the magic code baby—hovering just above the magic circle—glowed briefly. Brother Chicken froze mid-pounce and collapsed to the ground, stiff as a board.
"You think I wouldn't prepare a fail-safe?" Ted chuckled. "I've seen what happens when things go wrong. Remember Quirrell's experiments? I'm not taking chances."
From the side, Anzu quacked with laughter, thoroughly enjoying Brother Chicken's faceplant.
"As long as the transformation worked," Ted said, grinning. "We can fine-tune the rest later."
Hermione's face remained frozen in shock. She blinked slowly, finally managing to speak: "Was that... Japanese?"
Ted nodded. "It's good to pick up a few foreign languages when you're bored."
Hermione groaned. 'He has time to study foreign languages too?!'
She pointed at Brother Chicken, who was now sulking in the corner while Anzu teased him. "Wait—does he understand Japanese?"
Ted smirked. "That's not the point. Whether he understands or not doesn't matter—I understand it."
Looking at his creation, Ted couldn't help but puff with pride.
Compared to Anzu's wild ritual last time, this one had gone pretty smoothly.
He chuckled to himself. "Digimon. What a genius idea!"
He looked thoughtful for a moment.
"You know why Agumon is always the first to evolve? Because courage has to lead the way.'
You know why Patamon is the last? Because after your trust, honesty, love, knowledge, innocence, and light have been crushed, you still need hope.
You know why Taichi's crest is courage? Because when love is taken by friendship, and light is swallowed by despair, you've got nothing left but courage."
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Wait... hold on. I was supposed to be learning about Pokémon evolution, not Digimon! Eh, doesn't matter. As long as it works. Probably..."