[Note: Read up to Chapter - 139 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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It was early winter, and a scattering of fallen leaves still carpeted the Forbidden Forest.
Aris stepped softly on the crisp, not-quite-rotted leaves, taking in the bleak beauty left behind when towering trees shed their foliage.
There was something uniquely haunting about it.
Soon enough, the first snow would probably fall.
To be honest, he hadn't seen such untouched natural beauty in ages.
In his past life, he'd been just another cog in the machine — stuck in the daily grind.
Every day was work and then retreating to his own little nest to catch up on sleep.
Forget about pausing to admire the scenery; even the commute was a blur.
If he was delayed more than ten minutes, he risked missing the ride — and a fine for being late wasn't far behind.
It wasn't like now, when there was time to think about the future or just relax a bit.
"Hagrid, have you seen Iris over the last couple of days?"
Hagrid followed quietly, perhaps still feeling guilty for accidentally spilling a secret earlier.
After Aris asked, he looked up and scanned the surroundings before answering, "No," and added with a sigh, "You know, the little one doesn't seem too fond of me..."
Aris could tell Hagrid was still a bit down about it.
"So what's she been up to these past couple of days, then?"
Peering into the depths of the Forbidden Forest, the boy couldn't help feeling a bit helpless.
He just hoped the little dragon wouldn't get into trouble again.
Not far behind, less than fifty metres away and hidden behind a large tree, Hermione and the others were carefully watching their surroundings.
They all looked a bit scared, probably because of the forest's chilly, eerie atmosphere.
Thankfully, they were still on the outskirts and hadn't come across any hostile creatures yet.
If they had, there's no way the three of them would've dared move forward.
"This place isn't as scary as I thought it'd be," Harry muttered quietly.
"Right? I half expected werewolves to jump out and grab us as soon as we set foot in the forest..."
Ron kept glancing around, trying to keep his spirits up, though he tried to sound casual.
"This is just the edge of the Forbidden Forest — no danger here, surely!"
Hermione nodded. "Hagrid's job is to keep the creatures deep in the forest from wandering near the castle, so he patrols the outskirts every day to keep us safe," and added, "But if we push further, we'll be heading into the forest's heart, and that's where…."
After hearing what Hermione said, Ron started feeling uneasy again and couldn't help but speak up. "We might as well walk with Aris and Hagrid. Even if we end up the laughing stock, that's better than running into danger..."
"Actually, I'm with Ron on this one!" Harry chipped in.
Both of them were pretty brave — otherwise, they wouldn't have followed Hermione into the Forbidden Forest in the first place.
But as they ventured deeper, their nerves about the surroundings grew stronger.
They were close to turning back.
"Do you reckon it's just a matter of stepping out on your own and getting laughed at?" Hermione sighed, a bit helpless.
"Once we're here, we've broken school rules. Don't forget, Hagrid's an administrator too — he could give us a right telling-off."
"Then let's leg it..." Ron swallowed hard.
Not long ago, he'd seen a long, slippery snake slither nearby and nearly lost his nerve.
If things were already like this, he didn't want to imagine what horrors waited in the forest's depths.
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound came from ahead.
"What's that noise?"
The three of them jumped, and Ron went even paler.
They all stared forward at the same time, instinctively sensing something was off.
Only Hermione looked puzzled, her eyes uncertain.
"That sounds like... a roar?" murmured Hermione.
"But what kind of beast would roar like that?" questioned Ron, trembling slightly.
Even Hermione wasn't certain…
"A dragon's roar, maybe?!" Suddenly, Harry suggested.
"How on earth could there be a dragon here?!" reasoned Hermione.
"I mean, if there really was a dragon in the Forbidden Forest, wouldn't Dumbledore have sent it packing?" Ron agreed with Hermione.
"But what if it's… Hagrid's Dragon?" suggested Harry, squinting ahead, trying to catch a glimpse of the roaring creature.
To him, magical beasts like dragons were dangerous, sure — but also fascinating and downright desirable.
After all, it is a freaking dragon!
In the Muggle world, legendary creatures like that only existed in myths & legends.
Just as the three young wizards were watching intently, Aris's eyes suddenly flickered with recognition.
Through his special perception, he sensed a familiar presence, drawing near, fast.
It was Iris!
"Master!"
Before she got close, the little dragon's voice rang out.
Then, like a cannonball, a small dark-red shape whipped through the air, kicking up a gust of wind as she swooped down towards Aris.
"Iris, wait!"
Aris's face went pale. If she crashed into him, at least, she'd snap a few ribs of his… and that'd only be the best case scenario!
Thankfully, she was smart enough to understand this… just as she neared, she flapped her wings fiercely and pulled up from the dive.
The boy's robe billowed wildly in the rush of wind.
She then gently clambered into his arms, but from her expression, she didn't look entirely pleased with him.
"Master, I haven't seen you for two whole days. Iris has missed you terribly~"
The little dragon's tone always had a silly sort of charm, and right now, with a hint of cheekiness, it sounded even more adorable.
"Couldn't you have just come back to me at the castle...?" murmured Aris, shaking his head as though wanting to complain before sighing in relief, amused as he stroked her head.
Thankfully, the little girl had matured a little and learned her master's physical limits.
Probably because Aris had given her more than a few lessons along the way.
Thinking back to the first time she knocked him clean onto the bed still sent a shiver down his spine.
If he'd hit the floor that time, his arms and legs would've been sore for days, even without serious injury.
"Hello, Iris!"
As the pair laughed and played, Hagrid's huge head popped out from behind a tree, greeting the dragon with cautious politeness.
"Hello, Big Hagrid!"
The little dragon raised her head proudly and gave Hagrid a nod.
Then she glanced behind Aris.
"Master, those three little wizards are your friends, right? Why are they so far away?"
Iris's sharp eyes fixed on a nearby big tree — the very spot where Hermione and the others were hiding.
The senses of a Dragon were far keener than any human's, especially since Aris currently had no perception magic to rely on.
Hermione and the others managed to avoid being spotted by Aris and Hagrid, but they couldn't fool Iris's keen senses.
"Hmm?" Aris frowned and glanced back.
Hagrid's expression darkened, growing even more serious.
He knew just how sharp Iris's abilities were and didn't doubt her for a second.
"Who's there? Show yourselves now!" he called out.
Behind them, Hermione realised they couldn't stay hidden.
In truth, she wasn't keen on hiding anymore — Iris's sudden appearance had unsettled her.
To her surprise, Harry's wild guess had proven to be true… The roar had indeed come from a Dragon.
It's just that his second guess doesn't seem to hold much merit…
Why was the dragon so close to Aris if it was Hagrid's?
Could it be that... that dragon wasn't Hagrid's, but Aris's?
"..."
Though surprised and curious, the embarrassment of being caught sneaking about made the three feel a bit awkward.
They stepped out from behind the big tree, heads lowered.
"I knew it..." Aris muttered, rubbing his forehead in disbelief.
He should've figured this sooner — with their insatiable curiosity, how could he expect them not to wander into the Forbidden Forest after him and Hagrid?
As for breaking the school rules? This is the Golden trio… is there a day when they don't break the school rules?
Even the supposedly well-behaved Miss Know-It-All wasn't quite as model a student as you'd expect her to be.
"You three are a right bunch of bold ones!"
Hagrid's face shifted when he saw them emerge from behind the tree.
He knew better than anyone just how dangerous the Forbidden Forest could be.
Three first-year wizards actually dared to step into the Forbidden Forest without so much as a single adult to keep an eye on them!
Don't they realise they're just asking for trouble? It's practically suicide!
"Hagrid, we were wrong!" Hermione admitted, her voice firm and decisive.
"We were wrong!" Harry and Ron both hung their heads in agreement.
"You lot know you're in the wrong, then!" Hagrid, a straightforward sort, was so mad his big beard was practically shaking with anger.
But Hermione's curiosity about Iris made her tune out Hagrid's following rant.
She stepped closer to Aris and stared at the little dragon curled up in his arms, eyes wide with surprise.
"It's really a dragon! Aris, is this... your pet?"
Even now, Hermione couldn't quite believe her eyes!
On closer inspection, she saw that although the little dragon was small, nowhere near the size of a full-grown dragon she had read about in the books, its shape matched the legendary creatures perfectly.
Only smaller, cuter, and if you looked closely, downright adorable.
Iris was now about the size of a large owl, but that wasn't because she couldn't grow.
She was used to using magic to keep herself in this chibi form, perfect for cuddling up to her master.
But when she switched into her normal mode, she could instantly transform into a proper dragon!
Though still young, she was already three to four meters long…!
"That's Iris — she's my partner!" Aris introduced her to Hermione.
Then, he gave the little dragon's head a gentle stroke.
"This is Hermione. You know her, don't you?"
"Of course!" The little dragon flapped her wings and looked at Hermione with curiosity.
"I often see her with Master when we're back at the castle. Though I'm usually invisible then and don't greet them properly, my memory's sharp!"
"Uh… uh… is that so?!" uttered Hermione, not sure what else to say, and tried to give the dragon a tentative greeting, "H-Hello?!"
Even if she had read a bit about the dragons… facing the real thing was much too different… not to mention, not a book said that the Dragons can talk in the Human Tongue, yet here she was, a cute little thing in Aris's arms, talking fluently in the Human tongue, making her wonder, 'Could it be that the books I have read about are incomplete? Is there more to Dragons, and I'd have to read other books to figure that out?'
"Don't be nervous, Hermione. You're Master's friend, so you're naturally Iris's friend too!"
The little dragon puffed up proudly, patting her tiny chest like she owned the place.
Hagrid, watching all this, felt a bit out of sorts.
He'd been trying his hardest to build a good bond with the little dragon, but it seemed Hermione was closer from the get-go.
Could it be that dragons just take to cute little girls more naturally?
That's just not fair on us half giants!
"Aris, how on earth did you manage that? It's incredible!"
Harry couldn't help but edge closer, staring at Iris in amazement, like he'd just spotted a miracle.
Aris has a dragon!
It felt like a dream!
And it seemed this dragon's intelligence was on par with humans — maybe even sharper!
Are there really creatures like this in the world?
"This is no ordinary dragon!" Ron swallowed hard, staring at Iris like she was some sort of alien.
"My brother Charlie studies dragons in Romania. I can guarantee this little dragon is a species he's never come across — otherwise, he'd have been bragging about it to us ages ago.
"As far as Charlie has told me, very few dragons out there match human-level intelligence… the ones that do, don't speak in the human tongue… yet here she is…!"
"A talking baby dragon like this? Can't even imagine it!"
"If Charlie saw her, he'd probably faint from excitement!"
"This world must be mad!"
Ron's astonishment was even greater than Harry's or Hermione's — because he was the one who knew dragons best, thanks to his brother's expertise.
"I hope you'll keep this under wraps!" Aris sighed.
He hadn't wanted Iris's existence getting out to too many people.
But things seemed to be slipping out of control.
It wasn't that he doubted the three young wizards in front of him, but kids have that inexplicable urge to one-up each other, and he couldn't be sure Ron wouldn't go bragging.
Naturally, even if word got out, it wouldn't be the end of the world —
Especially since Dumbledore was now Aris's staunchest ally.
The Forbidden Forest is basically Hogwarts' back garden, and Dumbledore has every right to keep a dragon there.
As long as he can make sure the beast doesn't wander anywhere near or farther from the castle or endanger any student, that is.
With the old wizard's unmatched clout in the wizarding world, you can bet there are plenty who'd back him on that.
"Aris, don't worry!" Harry nodded seriously.
Ron nodded too, saying, "I promise I won't breathe a word about her existence to anyone…!"
Needless to say, Hermione kept the lab stuff strictly under wraps.
She's not the sort to go running her mouth about secrets.
Still, she was a bit puzzled.
"So Dumbledore knew about this all along, then?"
"He actually agreed to let you raise a dragon in the Forbidden Forest?"
"There's still loads you don't know!" Hagrid muttered, thinking about the recent shifts among the centaurs.
Then, grinning proudly, he added,
"Don't be too jealous — I'll have a dragon of my own soon enough!"
Thinking about the dragon egg he'd swapped for with a stranger in the pub, he couldn't help but smile.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 139 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]