His eyes swept over his two legendary abilities, Legendary Life and Legendary Power, and Char's gaze couldn't help but become heated. In a way, compared to his magic, these two abilities were his greatest, most fundamental strengths. If the reward from the Blood Jade could truly allow these two abilities to achieve some kind of breakthrough, it would mean everything to him. He had already experienced the difference between the Legendary and Mythical levels with the roots of the World Tree; the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.
So, when Hagrid invited him to witness the dragon egg hatching that evening, Char nodded happily. "I will definitely be there tonight."
Hagrid looked immensely relieved. "That's wonderful! Otherwise, I'd be there all alone, and if something unexpected happens during the hatching, I don't know what I'd do."
Char nodded, then asked subconsciously, "Hagrid, didn't you invite Harry and the others?" In the original story, Harry and his friends had been there, an event that had led to them getting caught and punished with a trip to the Forbidden Forest. So this time, they didn't come?
A look of regret crossed Hagrid's face. "Isn't it because of that blasted subject review? Char, you don't know, after you were put in detention, Hogwarts was in chaos for a while. Those judges were sitting in on classes, checking assignments, causing all sorts of trouble. Except for Snape, all the other professors were nearly overwhelmed. Harry and the others were convinced Snape was behind it all, trying to create an opportunity to steal the Philosopher's Stone. They've been standing guard against him, taking shifts every day. They only just stopped two days ago. They must be exhausted."
Char didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How did the blame for the subject review fall on Snape's shoulders? He could only conclude that Snape's perpetually grim face made him an easy target. A moment later, he shook his head. It didn't matter. It was probably for the best that the trio didn't come. Otherwise, they would have undoubtedly started complaining about Snape's "evil conspiracies" again, and Char had no desire to hear it.
"I understand, Hagrid," he said. "Don't worry, I'll be there tonight. But…" Char gestured toward the boisterous crowd of Hufflepuffs surging around them. "As you can see, it seems the house has prepared a welcome-back party for me. I'm afraid I can't get there early. By the way, do you want to come and have a bite to eat? I'm sure they have the best butterbeer."
Hagrid swallowed hard, clearly tempted, but he shook his head regretfully. "No, no, I'd better not. I'm afraid something might happen to Norbert. You go on, Char. This is your welcome party. Have fun." With that, Hagrid pushed his way through the crowd and headed toward his cabin, a worried expression on his face.
Char, surrounded by his fellow students, was swept back toward the Hufflepuff common room. After three weeks away, he barely recognized the place. Banners were strung up everywhere: "Welcome Home, Char!" "Hufflepuff's Strongest Beater!" "Glory to the Badger!" The common room had been rearranged, dominated by a long banquet table. Floating above it was a huge cake that nearly touched the ceiling, magically depicting Char riding his Nimbus 2000, swinging his bat.
Cedric patted his shoulder and winked. "Quite a scene, isn't it? We've been preparing for a whole week, with the Head of House's full support." He leaned in mischievously. "Do you know the girls in the house have been fighting for a long time over who gets to eat the piece with your face on it? Would you like me to introduce you to a few of them?"
Char looked at him, surprised and a little exasperated. "Cedric, can you please return to the gentlemanly demeanor you had when we first met? Why are you acting so smug?"
Cedric just laughed and gave Char a tight hug. "Hey, Beater, welcome back. Enjoy your party. We're only one game away from the championship. Three weeks of confinement haven't softened your grip, have they?"
Char laughed too, responding with a firm pat on Cedric's shoulder that made him grimace in mock pain. The other students were staring at the delicious food on the long table, their eyes wide with hunger, while the girls gazed at the magnificent cake. Soon, all expectant eyes fell on Char.
A surge of warmth filled his chest. He drew his wand, and with a flick, a cloud of colorful smoke spread through the room, twisting into the shape of a badger's head that spun and danced above them. Amid the cheers of the crowd, Char's voice rang out.
"Thank you all for your hard work! Now, let's eat!"
In an instant, the common room was a flurry of motion. Butterbeer and champagne flew through the air, and plates were piled high with cake and apple pie. The entire house was immersed in pure joy.
At that same time, a figure hurried from Hogwarts, appearing in Hogsmeade village and taking a seat at a shadowy table in the corner of the Hog's Head Inn. Aberforth, the bar owner, immediately noticed the hooded figure. A Hogwarts student, most likely from Slytherin. He was used to it. With a silent, warning glare, he skillfully brought over a glass of butterbeer. The student drank it in quick, nervous sips, clearly uneasy.
Soon after, another short, stocky figure walked into the bar and sat opposite him. A sickeningly sweet voice sounded from under the second hood. "Honey, you came to see me. I trust you've brought me some good news?"
The student became even more agitated. He lowered his voice. "Can you really help me get a position at the Ministry of Magic?" There was a hint of doubt in his tone. "I heard you were sidelined after that hearing. The Wizengamot demanded a review of the Ministry's employment procedures. You're not trying to trick me, are you?"
The sickly sweet voice lost none of its cloying confidence. "No matter how sidelined I am, I was once a high-ranking official. You don't want one of those coveted, high-paying positions, which would indeed be difficult. But a simple administrative post? I can still manage that. And as for the Wizengamot's review," the voice chuckled, "at worst, they'll find a few scapegoats who got in through improper channels and get rid of them. But touch the regular employees? So many of them are connected to high-ranking officials. The Wizengamot can't afford to offend them all. That is the least of your worries."
A fat, pale face was revealed from under the hood, a hypocritical and disgusting smile plastered across it. It was Umbridge, her political career seemingly in ruins after her recent public humiliation. Her eyes, like those of a venomous toad, were fixed on the Slytherin student, making him shudder.
"My dear," Umbridge said quietly, "I have given you my promise. Now, you must let me know if you have obtained the information I want."
The student hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. He remained silent. Umbridge showed no impatience, that sickening smile never leaving her face.
"Do you know why I chose you among so many students?" she continued. "Because seeing you reminds me of my past self. Life must be tough for a half-blood in Slytherin. It's your seventh year, graduation is just around the corner, and your classmates from more prestigious families have had their futures secured for years. Most will take over their family businesses and live a life of luxury you can only dream of. Power and money are their birthright. The few from less fortunate families can still rely on their connections to secure a place at the Ministry. The most leisurely, well-funded positions are reserved for them. But what can we do? The pure-blood families are all interconnected, aren't they? That leaves people like us, half-bloods with no background, fighting for the scraps no one else wants."
Umbridge's eyes bulged, becoming more toad-like than ever, but a strange, childlike gleam shone within them. "In one's lifetime, there are not many opportunities to change one's destiny. If you don't seize this one, you will regret this day for the rest of your life. I have experienced that feeling before, and it is truly unpleasant. So, are you going to tell me? If not, I will leave."
Her words finally broke the student's resolve. He gritted his teeth. "I found out. That gamekeeper, Hagrid. He has a dragon egg. Tonight, Char Sprout will go with him to witness the hatching."
Umbridge's short, thick fingers tightened into a fist, but she showed no other reaction. "Where is the evidence?" she pressed.
"I checked the library," the student said quickly. "Hagrid has been checking out books on dragon breeding, specifically on hatching and caring for baby dragons. The egg must be about to hatch. Char's detention ended today, and Hagrid went to meet him. I was eavesdropping in the crowd. It was noisy, but Hagrid's voice is loud. I'm certain I heard him say that tonight, Char will go with him to hatch the dragon. It's a 5X-rated dangerous magical creature, illegal to breed privately. And it involves Char Sprout, the one you hate the most. Is this news enough?"
Umbridge finally gave an appreciative smile. "Honey, you just wait for your employment notice. With your abilities, you will climb very high in the Ministry of Magic."
The Slytherin student said nothing more, quickly leaving the Hog's Head Inn. Umbridge leisurely finished her butterbeer, then slowly walked out of the bar. Her steps grew faster and faster, a twisted smile appearing at the corner of her mouth, her eyes bulging with a cold, manic light.
"In one's lifetime, there are only a few opportunities to change one's destiny," she muttered to herself. "I climbed from a lowly clerk to a high-ranking official, step by painful step. I haven't made it to the top yet. I haven't become Minister of Magic. I will not let my career be ruined like this! So what if I lose once? I can still climb back. This is my chance!"
She clenched her hands tightly. This time, she would not make the same mistake. She would get the crucial evidence herself.
"Tonight, at the gamekeeper's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest." She repeated the words, engraving them in her mind. Then, her figure disappeared into the Hogsmeade night.
Late that night, in Hagrid's hut, he was pacing back and forth, his eyes fixed on a black dragon egg. There were several dents on its surface, but nothing more was happening, and Hagrid was a nervous wreck.
Just then, Char's figure suddenly appeared in the room, startling him. "Huh? Char?" He immediately understood. "You came in the Invisibility Cloak, Harry's one?"
Char nodded, his eyes on the egg. "How is Norbert's hatching going?"
Hagrid shook his head, his face a mask of worry. "It looks like he's trying to break out, but not every baby dragon can. The hatching rate in the wild is maybe only one in three. And Hungarian Horntail eggs have the hardest shells of all. Plus, Norbert has some… congenital defects. He might not be able to make it." At that, Hagrid began to cry, his sobs shaking the small hut.
Char looked at the egg, his expression serious. The hatching of this dragon was tied to his ability to cultivate the Blood Jade, which in turn was tied to the advancement of his legendary abilities. There was no room for error. He could feel waves of anxious magic coming from the young dragon inside the egg.
Boom, boom, boom. The baby dragon slammed against the shell several more times, creating more dents, but no cracks. Char's heart sank. Hagrid cried even harder.
"Char, what should we do now?"
Char took a deep breath. "Let me try." He took out the small silver bucket. It had saved the egg once before; perhaps it could help again. He placed the egg in the bucket and, just as before, poured boiling chicken-blood brandy over it.
The effect was immediate. A faint dragon roar came from within the egg. The impacts against the shell became more frequent and more powerful. The dents grew more numerous. Both Char and Hagrid's eyes lit up. It was working!
Hagrid quickly brought more buckets of brandy, and they continued to pour it over the egg. The shell grew thinner and thinner under the relentless assault from within. Char could see a ferocious, spiky silhouette launching itself against the inside of the shell, a palpable fierceness radiating from it.
No wonder the Hungarian Horntail is the most ferocious of all dragons, Char thought, a thrill of excitement running through him. The strength of the dragon meant the magic in its blood would be more potent, which would in turn make the cultivation of his Blood Jade more successful.
Just then, Hagrid let out a cry of surprise. "Char, look! There's movement!"
Char looked closer. A tiny crack had appeared on the egg. The young dragon inside, sensing the sliver of light, seemed to redouble its efforts, smashing its spiked tail against the crack like a battering ram.
Click!
The next second, the eggshell shattered, and a young dragon with a black, metallic sheen, covered in spikes and mucus, roared at the sky.
Hagrid was crying with joy. "Look at him! Isn't he beautiful! Norbert, Norbert, let Mummy see!" He leaned over, and the next second, his finger was bitten by the newly hatched dragon. If Norbert hadn't been a newborn, his teeth would have been sharp enough to do real damage. But Hagrid didn't care. He chuckled. "Look at that! So full of life!"
Char felt a wave of helplessness. He was just about to advise Hagrid not to spoil the young dragon, when his gaze suddenly flickered to the window. In his focus on the hatching, he hadn't noticed it before, but his platinum-level night vision now caught the faint glimmer of magical light emanating from the darkness outside. Someone was there. He initially thought it might be Draco Malfoy, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He knew the nature of Malfoy's magic. This was different. This magic made him feel sick.
"Umbridge!"
The moment the name left his lips, Umbridge, who had been lurking outside, turned and fled, a look of pure triumph on her face. Got it! I got the photo! This is my ticket back!
Hagrid, seeing her retreating figure, turned pale, as if his soul had been sucked out. "It's over. I'm done. It's illegal to raise dragons. If the Ministry finds out, I'll be kicked out of Hogwarts. She had a camera! I'll be sent to Azkaban!" The thought of the wizarding prison filled his face with pure despair.
A cold light flashed in Char's eyes. He had known Umbridge would seek revenge. He just hadn't expected her to be so well-informed. If she spread this news, it would be a disaster. While he himself would likely be fine, Hagrid would lose his job, and the young dragon would be taken away. His plans for the Blood Jade would be ruined.
A chill ran through him, his eyes fixed on Umbridge's fleeing form. A dent formed in the ground under his feet as he launched himself forward like a cheetah.
Only his voice echoed back to Hagrid. "Don't worry, Hagrid. It'll be fine."
The next second, Char's figure rushed into the night, disappearing from Hagrid's view.
Umbridge, as she ran, felt a cold gaze lock onto her. She turned and saw a figure chasing after her, moving with incredible speed. At this rate, he would catch her before she reached the castle. And what difference would that make? The castle was Dumbledore's territory. She would never be able to get her evidence out. Her plans would be ruined. The days of being powerless were worse than death.
With that thought, she plunged into the dark Forbidden Forest without a moment's hesitation. The forest was dangerous, but it was beyond Hogwarts' immediate reach. If she could just get far enough away, Dumbledore and the professors couldn't stop her.
But as she ran, a new thought emerged. Wait. In the Forbidden Forest, there is no one to watch. No rules. Why am I running? It is the weak who run from the strong. She had been running because she feared the authority of Hogwarts. But here, there was no authority. If Char dared to chase her into the Forbidden Forest… a cold light flashed in Umbridge's eyes. The scars on the back of her hand, left by Char's enchanted scissors, began to throb with a phantom pain. She finally stopped running.
"I will teach him again," she hissed to herself. "Fairness belongs only to the strong. And I am stronger than him."