"Expelliarmus!" (Disarming Charm)
Neville shouted, and Hermione's wand flew out of her hand, landing on a nearby cushion.
"You did it!" Hermione exclaimed joyfully. Instead of retrieving her wand, she rushed over and hugged Neville.
"Amazing, Neville!" Theo clapped enthusiastically, then picked up Hermione's wand and handed it back to her.
Neville finally smiled, saying happily, "I even practiced at home, and my gran was really pleased. She said my dad couldn't cast the Disarming Charm in his first year either!"
"Is that a new wand?" Michael asked, examining Neville's wand closely.
"Yes." Neville proudly showed off his new companion to everyone. "Cherry wood, unicorn hair, Mr. Ollivander said it suits me perfectly."
The first time a young wizard is chosen by their wand, the feeling of having found their other half is unforgettable. Each of them took turns checking Neville's wand, and they all confidently said that he was sure to become an excellent spell caster.
As they chatted and laughed noisily, the door of the umbrella room slid open. Neville turned to see Harry entering with a frown. Neville greeted him enthusiastically, "Harry, you're here too!"
"Hello, Neville," Harry replied hastily. "Oh, Hermione—great, you're here too! Michael, do you know where Wade is?"
"He went to the library to borrow some books. He should be back soon—Why? Do you need him?" Michael asked.
"It's about Hagrid," Harry said. "He asked me to invite Hermione, Neville, and Wade to visit his hut."
—Hagrid? The gamekeeper? That giant fellow...?
Michael raised an eyebrow slightly.
Hogwarts students often saw Hagrid's little wooden hut from across the lawn, but few ventured near it. To most students, the extraordinarily large Rubeus Hagrid appear intimidating. Some even thought of him merely as a servant of the castle and didn't know his name.
Most of what they knew about the gamekeeper came from stories involving the Weasley twins, who were often caught by him sneaking out of the Forbidden Forest.
It is surprising that Harry has such a good relationship with him—but why did Hagrid want to invite Wade as well?
As they were talking, Wade came in carrying his books. After hearing about Hagrid's invitation, he put down his books, and the group headed to Hagrid's hut together.
On the way, Harry explained, "Hagrid said—the baby dragon is about to hatch, and he wants us all to see it. After all… not many people get to witness a dragon hatching, right?"
As Hermione stared at him in disbelief, Harry's voice trailed off.
"I can't believe it—he actually knows he's raising a fire-breathing dragon!" Hermione said angrily, "And he lives in a wooden house!"
"Don't—Hermione—" Harry said quietly, "At least don't argue with him today—Hagrid's really excited—"
Hermione's face remained tense, but she gave a reluctant nod.
When they reached the hut, Harry knocked on the door, and Hagrid opened it, looking extremely happy.
"Come on, you're just in time!" Hagrid said excitedly. "The baby's about to hatch!"
As Harry walked in, he suddenly froze.
Ron was already sitting inside the hut. He glanced over at them but quickly avoided their eyes, staring intently at the dragon egg as if studying the patterns on its shell.
Hermione glanced between Ron and Harry, clearly unsure what to do.
"Come in, don't just stand there," Hagrid said, oblivious to the awkward tension between the group. With a sweep of his large hand, he ushered them all into the hut.
He then turned to Wade and said, "I'm really glad you could come, Wade. Not many people get to see a dragon hatch, and I figured you'd be interested, right?"
"Of course, thanks for the invite, Hagrid," Wade smiled, replying warmly. He stepped inside, ignoring the awkwardness between the others, and sat in an empty chair, his attention drawn to the dragon egg on the table that was making cracking sounds.
—A dragon!
Even though it is a Western fire-breathing dragon, who wouldn't be eager to witness such an event?
As Wade sat down, he felt like he saw something odd. He glanced up and noticed a long, soft strand of white hair hanging from the ceiling, dangling alongside a few copper kettles. It looked like some kind of tribal decoration.
In the midst of Hagrid's messy hut, the white hair stood out with an unusual, clean, and sacred presence.
Hermione, eager to change the subject, immediately asked, "What kind of animal does that hair come from, Hagrid?"
"Oh, it's unicorn hair, pulled from the tail. It got caught on some branches in the forest," Hagrid replied, not initially thinking much of it.
But when he saw Wade also staring at the hair, he added, "Oh, Wade, you're studying alchemy, right? Take it if you need it. I've got more."
Hagrid generously grabbed a large handful of the unicorn hair and handed it directly to Wade.
Wade tried to refuse, "It's too valuable, Hagrid! A full strand of unicorn tail hair can cost 10 Galleons."
Ron, who had been sitting with a stiff expression, almost fell out of his chair. He stared wide-eyed at the strands of white hair, which he had assumed were just horse hair. His eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets.
The Weasley family had seven children, and they lived very modestly. Ron didn't own a single new item—he wore hand-me-down robes, used an old wand, borrowed old textbooks, and even his pet was an aging rat that his brother no longer wanted.
In all his life, Ron had never held more than a single Galleon in pocket money.
"It's no big deal," Hagrid shrugged, unconcerned. "I find them in the forest all the time." He forced the unicorn hair into Wade's hands.
Hagrid's thought process was actually quite simple—on the night the Potters died, Hagrid had been the one to carry baby Harry from the wreckage of his home.
From that moment, he felt a strange sense of responsibility for the small, fragile child. When Harry turned eleven, it was Hagrid who personally brought him into the wizarding world.
Hagrid saw Harry almost like a parent sees their child. When he learned that Harry had been under Wade's care at school and had learned many useful spells from him, Hagrid had been thinking about how he could repay Wade on behalf of Harry's parents.
Now, seeing that Wade had taken a liking to something, and knowing he had plenty to spare, Hagrid was more than happy to give it away.
Though Hagrid himself couldn't fully articulate these complicated feelings, Wade understood a bit of it. He glanced at Harry, who seemed oblivious, and accepted the gift.
—It doesn't matter how valuable the gift is; Wade knew he'd have a chance to repay Hagrid someday.
Suddenly, Hermione exclaimed, "Look, it's hatching!"
The egg cracked with a sharp snap, and a small white nose poked out. Soon, a black baby dragon struggled out, its wings were covered in bony spikes. With a thud, one wing slapped against the table, and a few tiny sparks flew from its nostrils.
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