"Well then, make sure you deliver it safely."
"Right, leave it to us."
"Then we'll be off!"
Harry and Ron, with a deeply sleeping Norbert in a basket, put on the Invisibility Cloak and left.
They were heading for the Astronomy Tower, where they had arranged to meet with one of Ron's brothers, the dragonologist, Charlie.
Actually, if I had wanted to, I could have sent him there with Apparition, but there was no real reason to.
Having dealt with the last remaining troublemaker, Norbert, I let out a sigh and stretched.
My goodness, all this trouble because of one dragon aficionado.
Hopefully, after an experience like this, he won't be spouting nonsense about raising a dragon from now on.
As I let out a light sigh with that thought, I felt a presence behind me.
Well, there was only one person who would come at this time.
"So, is everything taken care of?"
It was Albus, approaching with his purple robes trailing behind him.
Seeing him manage to snag the Malfoy family in a net he had cast without much thought, and then proceed to rope in the entire Board of Governors, was quite impressive even to me.
Albus approached me and said.
"Thanks to you, everything has been resolved, Sir. Of course, it would be appreciated if you could give me a heads-up next time something like this happens."
"Well, all's well that ends well, isn't it?"
Though Albus was grumbling, I just accepted his complaint this time.
Because I had to admit that Albus's handling of the situation had been flawless.
"To suddenly send Ardeura, telling me that Lucius Malfoy has arrived and to come and clean up the mess. Do you know how flustered I was?"
I let out a small laugh and replied.
"For someone who was so flustered, the way you were pressuring him earlier was incredibly natural, wasn't it? Weren't you planning this to some extent from the beginning?"
Albus let out a light sigh and affirmed.
"Well, I had a general idea of how things would go since the rumors started. Of course, Lucius's actions were faster than expected, so if you hadn't moved the dragon, Sir, it might have been a bit dangerous."
I lightly brushed off the accusatory gaze that implied this whole rumor was my fault in the first place.
"By the way, what happened?"
"What do you mean, what happened?"
"Don't tell me you didn't know Hagrid was raising a dragon. A sly old fox like you couldn't have missed that."
Dumbledore's trust in Hagrid had a side that was, to an extent, strangely thick.
It would be hard to find someone as steadfast as Hagrid, but Albus, at least, should have known that he was not careful enough to be entrusted with important matters.
At my question, Albus replied.
"I do not like politics. No, I am rather on the side of avoiding it. But as you know, Sir, all sorts of things get tangled up with people who have power."
I nodded in agreement. Of course, in my case, if all sorts of things got tangled up because of my power, I just crushed them with even greater power, but Albus wouldn't have been able to do that.
"That is why, when one rises to this position, one realizes all the more what a beautiful treasure a simple man like Hagrid is. I can entrust my very life to Hagrid. Even if he has a somewhat careless side to him."
"...So, in a word, you're letting Hagrid off the hook because he's just that kind of person?"
At my words, Albus fell silent.
In that silence, I could feel the remnants of a headache, and for a moment, I even felt a sense of pity for Albus.
I felt like I had seen an unexpected side of Albus. Hmm, well. The existence of a trustworthy person is more precious than a thousand pieces of gold, so it's possible. But...
"Even so, you could have at least warned Hagrid, couldn't you? Even Hagrid himself must have had the awareness that raising a dragon was wrong."
Albus let out an even deeper sigh and said.
"Sir. Do you know why Hagrid was not able to graduate from Hogwarts?"
"I heard he committed some crime and had his wand snapped and was expelled, but I don't know the details."
"In his third year, he was expelled for smuggling an Acromantula from abroad and raising it in his dormitory closet."
"...."
"...Really? A mere third-year?"
Wow, even for me, who prided myself on flouting the rules and regulations as a man of the 19th century, this was bewildering.
What on earth was a third-year thinking, an Acromantula... wait.
Just in case, I asked.
"Albus. I'm sure I cleaned up the Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest and exterminated them, but it was strange that there were still spiders there."
"Indeed, after that, Acromantulas were not seen in the Forbidden Forest."
"Then the Acromantulas that are in the Forbidden Forest now are..."
"As you think, they are the descendants of that spider. I hear that Hagrid even brought a female spider for it later."
Good heavens. He even brought a female. What kind of human is he?
My mouth agape, Albus shook his head with a resigned expression and said.
"Hagrid's love for magical creatures is already in the realm of his life's purpose. There is no way."
"I... I see."
For a moment, I felt as if I had glimpsed the extent of human madness. Hagrid was a scary person in a strange way.
"Well, aside from that, I have a rough idea of how he obtained the dragon egg this time."
"Oh yeah? What do you think happened?"
"I believe it is likely related to Quirrell."
"Why Quirrell all of a sudden?"
"As you know, I have hidden the Philosopher's Stone in a room in the third-floor corridor. I had several professors and staff members place obstacles, and Hagrid placed one of them."
At this point, I had a feeling I knew what kind of obstacle Hagrid had placed.
"Don't tell me it's an obstacle guarded by a magical creature? And don't tell me that was just an excuse to collect some rare animal...?"
"...You have to go through an underground door guarded by a Cerberus."
Goodness, that man is crazy about magical creatures.
I even felt a sense of respect for his tenacity in bringing even a Cerberus into Hogwarts.
"In any case, I believe he traded the dragon egg in exchange for information on how to get past that Cerberus."
"Albus, I'm asking this out of genuine concern, but is it really okay to trust a man who would trade that secret for a dragon egg?"
"I always keep such minor details in mind, so it will probably be fine."
As he said this, Albus looked a little, just a little, unsure of himself.
"Even so, Hagrid is a courageous man."
After nodding for a moment, I was suddenly struck by a minor question.
"But Albus. Why does Quirrell need that information?"
"Pardon? Why, to get past the Cerberus..."
"No, I mean, he's a so-called Dark Wizard, why is he looking for such a peaceful method? Can't he just subdue it with magic?"
No matter how great a Cerberus is, there's no way a self-proclaimed Dark Wizard wouldn't be able to subdue it.
Albus, momentarily at a loss for words, answered after a moment, holding his head.
"Sir, generally, when a problem arises, one tends to think of a way around it first. The option of just crushing it with force is usually the last resort."
...Latte, everyone just crushed things with force. Are wizards these days all about finding loopholes first?
After sighing at the changing times, I said.
"Anyway, now that Quirrell has a solution, it won't be long now."
"Yes, I plan on showing a gap soon by pretending to be away in London."
"Then let's watch Harry handle it well together in the Headmaster's office with the crystal ball."
Whether Lucius Malfoy's plan was shattered or not.
Whether Quirrell was plotting something or not.
The Hogwarts term continued to flow, and finally, the season of exams had arrived.
Of course, I was confident that I would pass all subjects with excellent grades, so I had no intention of studying for the exams, but I was forcibly dragged to the library by Hermione to study with Ron and Harry.
No, I feel like it would be more appropriate to be researching ancient magic at this time.
In the end, unable to overcome Hermione's nagging, I opened a book. It was a Potions book, one that at least had something worth learning.
Of course, it wasn't a first-year textbook, but a book that Snape had prepared separately for me.
It was a sixth-year N.E.W.T. level book, and since it had been a hundred years, it was a book I had never seen before.
Though it was surprising that the book had been in use for over thirty years.
In any case, the book Snape had brought was an old book with frayed pages.
Just as I was about to curse him for giving me a tattered old used book instead of a new one, which was so typical of his personality, Snape convinced me by telling me it was the book he had used.
As if he had studied hard during his school days, the book was filled with Snape's notes.
The most surprising thing was that most of the notes Snape had added were things I had never seen before.
For example, in the process of extracting juice from a bean, instead of the usual method of grinding it in a mortar, if you crush it with the back of a knife, it becomes a more effective medicine in certain situations.
Snape's understanding of Potions was nothing short of marvelous.
Indeed, his personality was garbage, but his ability was useful.
I studied, skimming through Snape's notes.
After a long time of comparing the normal potion-making process with Snape's special method and analyzing the differences, I lifted my head to see what the other kids were doing.
The sight was so predictable that I let out a small laugh.
Hermione was studying with a stack of books so high it was hard to count, and Ron was just lying face down, asleep.
Harry was also looking at a stack of books like Hermione, but the difference was that, unlike Hermione, Harry's face was full of fatigue.
As if she had sensed me looking at her, Hermione lifted her head and stared at me.
And then, since it was the library, she just mouthed to me.
'Stu-dy!'
I let out a small laugh, twirled my index finger, and lightly manifested a spell.
A piece of a note wrote itself and flew to Hermione.
'I bet I'll do better than you on the exam even if I take it now.'
That was the general message of the letter.
Hermione, who had read the letter, furrowed her brow, scribbled on a piece of a note, and threw it at me.
'I might lose in the practical, but I'll win in the theory!'
Oh, what is this confidence? I smiled gently and sent another note.
'Want to bet on it, if you're so confident?'
At that, her face flushed red, as if she had remembered the result of our last bet.
Since our last bet in Charms class, Hermione had been pointed out three times for not opening her textbook in class.
Hermione, who was hesitating with such a bad memory of betting, was sent another note by me.
'It's okay to refuse if you think you're going to lose. I understand.'
After receiving that note, Hermione bit her lip and glared at me.
In the end, Hermione slammed her fist on the desk and said.
"Fine, let's do it! Let's do it! ...Ah."
And, of course, this was the library.
"Miss Granger, whatever you're planning on doing, I'd appreciate it if you'd do it outside the library."
"N-no! This is! Ugh! It's a misunderstanding! Really!"
Hermione, being kicked out of the library by Mrs. Pince, who had suddenly appeared.
As she was being dragged out, she sent me a resentful look, but this time, I was truly innocent. I mean, who told her to shout?
Harry looked at me and shook his head.
"Master... why do you keep making a little girl cry?"
"No, she didn't cry this time!"
Even as I protested my innocence, only a hollow echo returned.