Chapter 121: First Day of School
When Dylan saw the two return, he put away the book in his hand, stood up, walked to the bedside, picked up the recent issue of Transfiguration Today from the bed, and began to tidy up.
He stacked the periodicals by month, the parchment page corners creased with the Hockwood family crest he had magically embossed.
He hadn't had the summer holiday issues sent to his home; instead, he had them all delivered to Hogwarts.
"So, what was your punishment?"
"Huh? You really didn't guess?" Ron was taken aback.
Dylan blinked. "Didn't you say I definitely wouldn't guess?"
Ron gave a sheepish smile, scratched his head, and then collapsed into the patterned armchair, wailing, "Ugh! Professor Snape originally wanted us to accept Filch's arrangement to clean out chamber pots for the entire school year! Otherwise, we'd have to leave Hogwarts!"
Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Whose chamber pots?"
"Filch's, of course!" Ron grumbled, his freckles becoming more prominent in his embarrassment and annoyance, his fingers unconsciously tugging at the tassels on the armchair.
Harry rubbed his arm, looking relieved. "Luckily, even though Professor McGonagall was angry—"
"I was almost scared to death by the look on her face!" Ron added.
Harry nodded in agreement, then continued, "But in the end, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore intervened. We just got detention and were given lines to write, but they didn't make us do anything else."
"And no points were deducted," Ron added again.
Dylan looked at the two of them, feeling like they were developing a tendency to become like the Weasley twins.
How did their way of speaking become so back-and-forth?
"Just detention, huh? That's actually not too bad."
Dylan's nostrils twitched, and he suddenly smelled a strange odor. He looked at Ron's pocket.
"Look on the bright side," Dylan flicked his wand, and a Dungbomb toy floated out of Ron's pocket, startling him.
"At least you set a new record in Hogwarts transportation history, didn't you?"
Dylan tossed the Dungbomb into the wastebasket.
—The anti-odor runes Dylan had inscribed on the edge of the wastebasket flickered faintly, transforming the stench into a faint minty fragrance.
"Hey! When did they put that thing in my pocket?" Ron exclaimed, wide-eyed.
Harry also blinked. "I was wondering why there was a weird smell all along. I thought it was the car exhaust."
Dylan didn't really care if Harry and Ron got detention. In fact, Dylan thought that getting detention was actually a good thing.
—It meant he could be in the Forbidden Forest openly.
Of course, for Harry, many of his current actions could be considered Dumbledore's tests.
Dumbledore needed a savior to truly grow, so naturally, he would need many hardships.
—Dylan didn't want to interfere unnecessarily.
"I wonder if Quirrell has said anything to Dumbledore after all this time."
When he confronted Quirrell back then, he had completely denied using the Unforgivable Curses on Quirrell in the Forbidden Forest.
However, he was wearing his Invisibility Cloak at the time, and the person who attacked Quirrell was also invisible.
Dylan felt that this alone was a huge flaw.
Even if he had glossed over the Invisibility Cloak incident back then, perhaps he could have made others believe he had borrowed Harry's cloak.
But he couldn't be sure if Dumbledore would suspect him because of this.
But he was just a child, so there shouldn't be too much to suspect, right?
After all, the person who attacked Quirrell must have been an adult wizard who had mastered extremely profound dark magic.
—How could a little kid possess the ability to cast the Unforgivable Curses so many times?
Combined with the fact that even when he occasionally robbed dark wizards during this period, no one bothered him.
Dylan felt that even if Dumbledore racked his brains, at most he would connect the person who attacked Quirrell with the Karthus who appeared during the summer.
"It shouldn't lead back to me."
Dylan mused to himself.
"Unexpectedly, being young has become a kind of protective charm for me."
Ron and Harry's journey to school this time was very dangerous. They rested in their dormitory for a long while but still hadn't recovered.
Until Seamus and Neville also returned to the dormitory.
Neville was holding a pot of bright little flowers, preparing to put them in the dormitory as potted plants for decoration.
Seamus accidentally flicked an Exploding Snap card behind him, which burst into rainbow-colored sparks, startling the Fat Lady portrait on the wall outside into hiding in the neighboring frame.
"Oi, what are you doing?!"
Ron jumped up and patted the magic sparks that had splashed onto his trouser legs, only to find that they were actually harmless fireworks improved by the twins. He then breathed a sigh of relief.
Closing the dormitory door.
After Neville and Seamus saw Harry and Ron, the group immediately began chattering away.
At this time, Ron was no longer tired. With colorful magic sparks still burning on his legs, he was enthusiastically bragging to Neville and Seamus, his face flushed.
Dylan flipped through Transfiguration Today for a while longer, gaining a lot of new knowledge points and rather novel perspectives on Transfiguration.
It wasn't until it was time to sleep that he cast a Scourgify on himself and then lay down on the bed.
After a day of traveling, he was also a bit sleepy, so he didn't summon Coal but fell asleep on his own.
Ron and the others also talked until their throats were dry, and finally, after tidying up, they all lay down on their beds.
Nothing happened overnight.
Until the morning sun poured in through the window the next day.
Dylan and Neville went to the dining hall for breakfast with the others.
The few of them had just sat down and chosen what they wanted to eat.
Suddenly—
"Coo-coo!"
A slow-moving owl flew in from outside the door. As if it was out of energy, it had just approached their table when it plummeted headfirst.
"Blimey—Errol! Not again!!"
Ron exclaimed, but he couldn't stop his old owl from diving headfirst into Dylan's Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup like a clumsy, out-of-control feather duster.
It fell with a solid thud.
Soup splashed everywhere.
The old owl continued to flap around frantically.
Dylan hadn't expected Errol to dive into his bowl so quickly. Fortunately, his reaction was equally swift, and he managed to avoid getting any soup splashed on him.
"Tergeo!"
Instantly, a spiral vortex of air erupted from the tip of Dylan's wand, forming a circular whirlwind barrier around Errol at an extremely fast speed.
The splashing soup was all blocked by the barrier, swirling at the edge of the whirlwind.
With a gentle flick of Dylan's wand, all the splashed soup was gathered together by the whirlwind and then tossed by Dylan into an empty bowl.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Errol slowly rose from his soup bowl, suspended in mid-air.
"Scourgify."
A soft magical light enveloped Errol, cleaning all the soup stains and dirt from its body. Even its old and messy feathers became much fluffier and smoother.
"Coo-coo!"
Errol shook its body, placed the red envelope it was carrying in its beak in front of Ron, and then let out a clear hoot.
Hermione, seeing this old owl she had seen during the summer holidays, couldn't help but ask Ron, "It's really old, when are you going to consider letting it go?"
Ron ignored Hermione, staring at the red envelope in front of him, his whole body seeming to slump.
"A Howler, I wonder who sent it to you?" Dylan brought over a new breakfast, blinking. "It's really hard to guess."
Ron's face was ashen, staring at the letter, his head shaking slightly and continuously. "It must be my mum! I feel like I'm going to get yelled at again!"
"Look on the bright side," Dylan cut a thin slice of smoked salmon, the knife and fork clinking against the porcelain plate. "At least your father can take the opportunity to inspect that flying car."
"Don't look on the bright side, he can't inspect it at all. That car has already been handed over to the Ministry of Magic by Hogwarts," Ron said, his vision darkening.
Harry coughed beside him. "I heard Howlers are very dangerous. Either way, you should open it, otherwise..."
Neville also nodded in agreement.
"I know, I know, otherwise, the consequences will be even more terrible."
—Like the letter exploding directly.
—Or chasing after Ron to explode.
Ron took a deep breath, his face ashen, and swallowed hard as he looked at the red envelope.
Finally, steeling his resolve, he gritted his teeth and picked up the Howler, which felt like it weighed a ton, slowly breaking the wax seal.
—Dylan had already cast a Muffliato Charm on himself beforehand.
Many of the younger wizards who had noticed the commotion also quickly covered their ears.
Then—
"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY—!!!"
Mrs. Weasley's usually gentle voice was now filled with fury, amplified dozens, even hundreds of times by the Howler, booming through the dining hall like a thunderclap.
The Howler dropped onto the table, standing upright as if alive, the envelope's mouth opening and closing wide, the ribbon on the wax seal looking like a tongue.
"HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR? I AM ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS WITH YOU! I AM ASHAMED OF YOU—!!"
The angry voice shook the candelabra on the table slightly.
Many students from other houses stopped what they were doing and stared at Ron in unison.
Ron's face instantly turned crimson, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the floor. He lowered his head in embarrassment, his ears as red as ripe tomatoes, muttering, "Mum, I know I was wrong, please stop..."
"Do you know how we felt when we came home and found the car missing? How ashamed your father and I were last night after receiving the joint letter from Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore?!"
"I can't believe you would do such a thing! Your father is now being investigated by the Ministry of Magic because of this! And you almost got Harry killed along with you!"
Harry's lips twitched, and he buried his head deeply, even using his spoon to shield his face.
"If you continue to misbehave at Hogwarts, you will come straight home! Do you hear me, Ronald?!"
The Howler flicked its ribbon at Ron, as if sticking out its tongue.
Then, the letter suddenly turned sharply towards Dylan.
Dylan suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
"Oh, dear, I didn't get a chance to say a proper hello at the station. Happy birthday to you."
"And Ginny, congratulations on joining Gryffindor. Your father and I are both very proud of you."
After the Howler finished speaking, it spat at Ron again and then tore itself to shreds.
Dylan was silent for a moment, then said, "Being able to fly a magical car to school is still pretty cool—it's just that it's really dangerous, and Mrs. Weasley is just worried about you."
The hurt expression on Ron's face didn't improve much at Dylan's words.
Dylan waved his wand, cleaning up the scraps of the envelope, and then continued, "And your father is being investigated by the Ministry of Magic, I don't know if he'll be able to keep his job. I completely understand Mrs. Weasley's feelings."
Ron's face changed again and again.
"Alright, the first class is Herbology. Let's finish eating quickly and get ready for class."
Neville, who was sitting next to Dylan, looked a bit excited when he heard that the first class of the new semester was Herbology, his chubby little face showing anticipation.
With Dylan speaking, the students from the surrounding houses also began to eat, no longer paying attention to them.
Only some of the Slytherins occasionally let out some snickering sounds.
"Are they laughing at me?" Ron turned his head away.
"No, perhaps they just have asthma," Dylan smiled.
Malfoy's face instantly stiffened.
But when Dylan looked over, he didn't dare to meet Dylan's gaze and just silently lowered his head.
That damn Hockwood!
After their encounter in Diagon Alley last time, his father had given him a severe scolding when he got home!
It was all that annoying guy's fault!
And his father too, why did he have to mock others in front of him?
His son hadn't even gotten first place!
In the end, he was mocked in return!
Malfoy angrily jabbed his knife and fork at a small piece of lamb chop in front of him.
Ron and Harry quickly finished their breakfast and left the dining hall.
Dylan didn't walk with them. Instead, he finished his meal slowly and walked towards the classroom side by side with Neville, who was going the same way.
"I haven't asked how your holiday was yet. Was the summer good?"
Neville clutched his bag strap with one hand and nodded with a happy smile. "It was pretty good, or rather, very good."
"Professor Sprout usually tells me some little tips about cultivating flowers and plants—like adding a bit of moonstone powder to the soil makes the leaves of the flowers more shiny. I experimented with it and found the effect to be particularly obvious!"
"This made my grandmother very fond of how I took care of the flowers and plants at home. She even scolded me less often, hehe~"
Speaking of this, the smile on Neville's face became even brighter, the corners of his mouth turned up high, and his eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.
"Hmm, that sounds really good," Dylan nodded.
"I haven't heard about you yet. What did you do during the summer?" Neville asked.
"Well, verified some magical knowledge, did some experiments, and made some money... that's about it."
"Wow, that sounds very fulfilling! You must have gained a lot, right?" Neville said enviously.
"Gained a lot, huh~" Dylan chuckled. "Indeed, quite a lot."
Just then, before the two approached the greenhouse, they saw Professor Sprout walking towards them, her fluffy hair swaying slightly with her hurried steps, a clear displeasure in her eyes.
Ron and several other students were following her.
Before Dylan could react, he heard Professor Sprout say, "There's a problem with Greenhouse Two. Greenhouse Three, we'll have class there!"
This was the first time Dylan had heard such an impolite tone from Professor Sprout.
—Neville too.
But soon, when Dylan saw Lockhart walking out from behind, he instantly understood why Professor Sprout was angry.
"Oh! It's Dylan! I only found out after I took office that you were the top student of the last year. It's a pity I didn't get to treat you properly in the bookstore back then."
Lockhart's laughter was extremely exaggerated, making anyone who heard it involuntarily frown.
He was wearing a pale purple robe, and a huge golden brooch in the shape of his own profile relief was pinned to his collar.
Lockhart gave everyone present his signature dazzling smile, his white teeth almost reflecting the sunlight.
"Oh, you probably don't know what Professor Sprout and I were just doing, do you?"
"After Harry asked how to treat the injuries from the Whomping Willow, I simply demonstrated it to Professor Sprout. I don't think Professor Sprout would know much about that, would she?"
"Of course, I don't want you to think I'm more knowledgeable in Herbology than Professor Sprout. She is the real expert."
"It's just that during my many years of traveling, I've encountered many magical and rare plants, which is why I'm able to understand these extremely tricky and rare pieces of knowledge."
But in just the short time since they met, Lockhart had already begun his long-winded speech.
Dylan directly turned around and followed behind Professor Sprout.
Neville also hurried over.
"Heavens..." Neville clicked his tongue a bit. "Is this professor's behavior... this flamboyant?"
"I really don't know much about that. Some people might just be like this," Dylan shook his head.
Neville smacked his lips. "That's really pitiful. I think we should sympathize with him."
Hearing this, Dylan couldn't help but laugh. "You're right."
"But that professor took Harry away..." Neville looked a bit worried.
"Don't worry, when Harry and the others were flying over in that magical car, they crashed into the Whomping Willow in the Forbidden Forest and were accidentally whipped. But it's not a big problem, and he'll be here soon."
Dylan quickly caught up with Professor Sprout's pace. "Let's go, we should hurry and get ready for class."
(End of chapter)
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