The hem of Dylan's robe brushed past the lingering warmth of the still-smoldering fireplace in the common room. He grabbed Fred and George, one on each side like they were his kids, and hauled them back to the dorm.
Seeing their expectant looks, Dylan let out a helpless sigh.
"Didn't you guys already sell out of those amethysts?"
At that, Fred and George immediately started unloading their woes on him.
"When we came looking for you today, Neville said you'd taken a day off to head to Diagon Alley—" Fred's voice shot up at the end, sounding a bit like an owl getting its neck wrung.
"If we'd known, we would've asked you to grab some cheap, unwanted crystals for us while you were there!"
"Ugh! After we sold out of the amethysts today, someone offered to sell us raw materials. But guess how much they wanted?"
"Almost half our profits! They're nuts! We'd rather just stick to selling wooden plaques!"
Dylan blinked, flicked his wand, and a huge crate of crystals appeared on his bed. Yellow, blue, green, purple, pink—you name it, it was there.
The crystals' glow cut the twins' chatter short. Their eyes practically bulged out of their heads.
"Dylan—don't tell us—"
"You got these for *us*?!"
Dylan gave them a look like they were idiots. "Who else?"
"What, you think I'd buy a pile of useless stuff to play with myself?"
"Merlin's hairy thighs! I can't believe it!"
"Dylan, we love you!"
Dylan smacked them both upside the head.
"Get lost."
"Yes, sir!"
The twins snapped to attention at the foot of his bed.
"I must've owed you two in a past life," Dylan muttered.
He gripped his wand, light flaring as he cast two charms, enchanting the pile of crystals with a Protective Armor spell.
"There. Take it."
Fred and George's throats bobbed in sync, their gulps echoing loudly in the suddenly quiet dorm.
The pair lunged at the crystals like starving dogs spotting food on the roadside.
"With all these types, we could rake in *thousands* of Galleons!"
"Thousands are totally doable!"
"Dylan, just wait for your cut!"
"We'll hype these up as once-in-a-millennium protective charms!"
Dylan waved them off impatiently, shooing them away so they'd stop wasting his time.
*Wonder who's unlucky enough to fall for their sales pitch this time?*
"Oh, right—here's your share."
As George and Fred packed the enchanted crystals into a small, beat-up-looking bag and turned to leave, Fred paused. He pulled out half the Galleons they'd earned from the amethyst sales and dumped them on Dylan's bed with a clatter.
The dark golden coins glinted, jingling as they collided.
Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Your little amethysts actually sold for over two hundred Galleons?"
The twins grinned smugly. "All thanks to your awesome charms, Dylan!"
With the weekend still on, the twins were itching to get back to business. They gave Dylan a quick wave and bolted out the door.
Neville, who'd been tidying his desk, glanced back at the sound of clinking coins. "They're really good at making money," he said.
"I've seen them pitch those charms to other students. The stories they come up with? I almost believed them myself."
Dylan chuckled. "They've got a knack for it. Why else would I bother helping them out?"
He swept the Galleons into his money pouch, then pulled out a book. With a quick Cleaning Charm to dust himself off, he kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the bed.
He didn't even check his latest achievements—he was too eager to unlock the suitcase's ecosystem upgrade.
He couldn't wait to see how his suitcase would transform into a whole little world!
"I'm gonna read for a bit," Dylan chirped.
"Alright, I'll keep it quiet," Neville nodded, leaving him be.
Dylan flipped open the book, pretending to read while his focus shifted to the money tab on his character panel.
---
**[Money]: 1,335,190 Galleons**
---
He'd converted all his Sickles, Knuts, and pounds into Galleons this time, pushing his total to over 1.3 million!
That was a pretty insane number!
"Too bad I've only just scraped together a million, and now it's about to vanish in one go," he sighed inwardly, shifting his attention to the pet space suitcase in his inventory.
---
**[Item]: Pet Space Suitcase**
**[Description]: From now on, whether it's Little Three, Four, Five, or Six, you can raise them all here. Happy yet?**
**[Abilities]: Spatial Connection, Spatial Expansion, Self-Contained, To-Be-Unlocked Abilities…**
---
Spatial Connection and Expansion were the suitcase's default features. The Self-Contained ability—unlocked earlier for 10,000 Galleons—let him store it in his inventory, even with living things inside, so he didn't have to lug it around everywhere.
It was convenient *and* secure—no one could steal it.
This suitcase was his big investment, after all. If someone swiped it, he'd turn into a raging Obscurial and take the whole world down with him!
"Alright, let's see what a million Galleons—or five million pounds—gets me with this internal ecosystem upgrade!"
**[Message]: Spend 1,000,000 Galleons to unlock Internal Ecosystem Self-Sustainability?**
**[Message]: Spend 100,000 Galleons to unlock Forest Ecosystem?**
**[Message]: Spend 235,190 Galleons to expand suitcase space?**
"Yes!"
"Yes!!"
"Yes!!!"
Dylan agreed to all of them in one breath.
So bold!
So satisfying!
**[Message]: You spent 235,190 Galleons to expand space by 23,519 cubic meters!**
**[Message]: You spent 100,000 Galleons to unlock the Forest Ecosystem!**
**[Message]: You spent 1,000,000 Galleons to unlock Internal Ecosystem Self-Sustainability!**
As the system notifications popped up like crazy, Dylan quickly checked the suitcase's updated panel.
---
**[Item]: Pet Space Suitcase**
**[Description]: A suitcase its owner finally shelled out cash to upgrade.**
**[Space]: 36,750 cubic meters**
**[Abilities]: Spatial Connection, Spatial Expansion, Self-Contained, Internal Ecosystem Self-Sustainability, Pet Tracking & Summoning (To Be Unlocked)…**
**[Ecosystem]: Forest**
---
"Sweet!"
Seeing the suitcase's description change on the panel felt *so* good—ignoring that snarky little comment, of course.
"Now, let's see how this thing's turned out!"
Dylan snapped the book shut and hauled the suitcase out.
"I'm gonna do some research. Don't wait for me for dinner," he called to Neville before diving in eagerly.
In an instant, a damp, earthy scent—something that hadn't been there before—hit him with a gentle breeze.
The 36,000-plus cubic meters of air unfolded in the folded space. The smell of rotting oak clashed with the sweet tang of fresh moss in his nose.
The once-empty suitcase, previously stuffed with bookshelves and racks, was now completely transformed!
Before him stretched a decently lush forest.
Dylan glanced down. The ground beneath his feet was soft, blanketed with thick fallen leaves. One step, and his boot sank deep into the humus layer.
Each step made a faint *rustle*.
Looking up, he saw tall, sturdy trees all around.
He wandered around for a bit. With only 36,000 cubic meters, it was volume, not flat area. The sky was higher now, but the forest itself wasn't huge—about the size of two standard soccer fields, he guessed, like a man-made woodland.
Still, this little forest made his suitcase feel alive.
The air carried not just wind but a fresh mix of resin and grass. Sniffing closely, he even caught a faint whiff of flowers woven in.
Birds chirped and bugs buzzed in his ears. Every now and then, small animals darted through the underbrush.
"So unlocking an ecosystem comes with some life thrown in?" Dylan's eyes lit up.
Made sense, though. This self-sustaining ecosystem had cost him a million Galleons! Without little critters, how could it cycle?
"Not a bad deal!"
As he kept expanding the space with Galleons, the unlocked ecosystem would grow alongside it, thanks to the self-sustainability feature! Even better, he could tweak the ecosystem boundaries with his thoughts, like some kind of creator god!
This was *totally* worth the cash!
Dylan glanced toward a corner of the forest. There sat a simple little hut he'd conjured up earlier, still holding his old stuff—lab table, spider pen, and all.
The bookshelves and racks stood in neat rows outside it. Probably when the suitcase unlocked its new abilities and ecosystem, it avoided messing with his original setup, shifting it to the edge instead of the center.
Handy—saved him the hassle of moving everything again.
He turned his gaze upward. The space had always been a blank white glow, bright without a sun.
But now that the ecosystem was self-sustaining, he wondered—how could it work without sunlight? And even with sunlight, wouldn't moonlight matter too?
His space had neither—no sun, no moon. At 36,000 cubic meters, it couldn't support any celestial bodies anyway.
After a bit of observing, he noticed something.
The forest's light was dimmer than midday, tinged with a sunset-like hue.
Dylan raised an eyebrow. Was the ecosystem adjusting its own lighting without a sun?
"You guys are working hard," he murmured.
He pulled up the suitcase panel again, scrolling through the locked abilities until one caught his eye.
---
**[Locked Ability]: Fully Automated True Sunlight (Sun)**
**[Unlock Cost]: 10,000,000 Galleons**
---
Seeing the price, Dylan quietly looked away.
He stood there for a moment, then couldn't hold back.
"Are you *insane*? Where am I supposed to get ten million Galleons??"
That's *ten million*! Ten times a million!
"What, you want me to rob Gringotts and get an achievement that just hands me ten million as a reward?!"
He almost slammed the panel shut, but after a pause, he scrolled down to moonlight.
---
**[Locked Ability]: Fully Automated True Moonlight (Moon)**
**[Unlock Cost]: 2,000,000 Galleons**
---
Dylan's eyes bulged. "Twenty million?!"
Wait, no—he'd misread an extra zero.
"Two million?"
He blinked. Why was moonlight eight million cheaper than sunlight?
"What, celestial discrimination or something?"
After a moment's thought, he closed the panel for good.
Either way, he was broke now. And this space was still tiny.
Plus, with the ecosystem self-regulating its light already, he didn't need to rush for a sun or moon.
Judging by the ability names and descriptions, even if he unlocked them now, his small space would probably just get some light effects. Only when it grew massive—world-sized—would a sun or moon actually appear.
So, not a priority.
With a wave of his hand, Dylan summoned Coalball and Norbert into the space.
Since the pet space and suitcase were linked, he pulled them straight through the suitcase's channel.
*Whoosh.*
A path opened in the air.
"Moo?"
A small head poked out of the gap—Coalball. Its ears perked up, catching every sound.
Right behind it, a much larger figure emerged slowly.
"Graw?"
Norbert wasn't fully grown yet, but compared to Coalball, it was already pretty big. Its nostrils flared, puffing out warm wisps of breath.
The two little guys glanced around, spotting Dylan nearby. Their eyes brightened.
Coalball's tail shot up, and with a *whoosh*, it darted out of the gap. But when its front paw hit the soft ground and sank in, it wobbled, startled by the new sensation. Still, it instinctively bolted toward Dylan.
Norbert wasn't about to be outdone. With a powerful flap of its growing wings, it glided out of the gap, each beat kicking up a gust that rustled the nearby branches.
*That's why I didn't let them in here much before,* Dylan thought. A couple of Norbert's flaps could trash everything he'd set up.
Coalball scampered to Dylan's feet, its fluffy body pressing against his leg. With a quick scramble, it climbed up and perched on his shoulder.
"Hungry? I'll feed you in a bit," Dylan said, tickling Coalball's chin with his finger.
"Moo~"
Coalball purred loudly, rubbing its head against Dylan's cheek over and over, its tail flicking his ear now and then.
Norbert landed gently—after a few scoldings, it had learned not to crash down and send everything flying.
It stuck out its tongue, giving Dylan's cheek a big *slurp*. He quickly swiped a Cleaning Charm across his face to wipe off the drool.
"Hagrid gave me some meat yesterday—not top-shelf stuff, but I picked up some new canned goodies too. I'll mix it up for you later," Dylan said, patting Norbert's neck.
"Graw—!"
Norbert let out an excited roar, tilting its head back.
After a year of growth, it was the size of an adult horse. Its wings, when spread, could block out a chunk of sky. The scales gleamed metallic in the light, cool to the touch as Dylan gave them an extra rub.
Norbert's sharp claws pawed the ground lightly before it nuzzled Dylan's hand, letting out a low, soft growl.
"This is the new world I made for you guys. Like it?" Dylan gestured around.
Coalball and Norbert's eyes followed, scanning the forest. They froze mid-nuzzle, like they'd been hit with a Stunning Spell.
Norbert's big, goofy eyes widened in surprise, its massive head swiveling to take it all in.
Coalball stopped rubbing, ears perked, eyes round as saucers.
"Go play—just don't eat any of the little critters, you two."
Before he could finish, Coalball turned into a blur of shadow and shot off.
The little guy darted between trees, leaping onto thick trunks, then diving into dense bushes, yowling excitedly and startling a flock of birds from the branches.
"Moo moo moo!"
Pausing, Coalball waved at Norbert.
"Graw?"
Norbert glanced back at Dylan, who nodded with a grin.
"Go ahead. It's not huge, but you can stretch your wings. You've been cooped up too long."
Poor thing hadn't gotten a real flight in ages. As a baby, it could flap around freely, but as it grew, Dylan had to restrict it—no zooming around the Forbidden Forest.
"Graw!"
With Dylan's okay, Norbert looked up, let out a thrilled roar, and launched into the air with a mighty flap.
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh!*
The wind went wild.
Dylan stood there, hair whipping around, until he flicked his wand to calm it down.
Looking up, he watched Norbert soar. The forest was still a bit cramped for its size—no wild acrobatics—but it flew with gusto anyway.
Norbert circled overhead, each wingbeat sending gusts that shook the leaves. Every so often, it swooped closer to Dylan, glancing down like it was sharing the joy of flight.
Watching his two little buddies, Dylan's face softened with a fond smile.
At the end of the day, wasn't all this money-making just so his "kids" could live well? Nothing else mattered!
"Ahem!"
*No hidden meanings here, nope.*
Seeing them romp around happily lifted his mood too.
They were so into it, he didn't call them back. Instead, he shouted to Coalball, "Don't go too far!"
"And you, watch out—don't crash into the branches!"
(End of Chapter)