[The Patronus you summon reflects your inner self and has nothing to do with the system!]
Cro silently put away his wand, dispelling the massive basilisk that had coiled around him.
"Alright, system, let's keep opening chests. You did well this time, so keep it up and aim for even greater things!"
Climbing back onto his bed as if nothing had happened, Cro tried to brush off the unsettling incident. Though he knew it wasn't the system's fault, summoning a Dark creature as a Patronus was still a bit shocking.
He couldn't help but imagine Dumbledore's reaction if he'd witnessed it—probably even more shocked! The entire wizarding world might tremble because of him, and all the wizards studying the Patronus Charm would come knocking at his door.
Cro rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
"Alright, Diamond Chest, let's go again!"
[Congratulations! You've opened a Diamond Chest and received: A Mysterious Dragon Egg!]
[Mysterious Dragon Egg: Laid by an unknown dragon species. It can be hatched, or used for breakfast!]
As soon as the system's voice fell, a massive egg over a meter tall appeared out of thin air, causing the bed to sag slightly under its weight. Cro gazed at the dragon egg in wonder.
"Why would I get a dragon egg? Is it because of Hagrid? But didn't he fail at raising a dragon? Or maybe it's from a pureblood family that keeps pet dragons?"
Cro's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"But why is it a mysterious, unknown egg? Could it be... some sort of forbidden love between species? Different species produce different kinds of offspring, after all!"
"Such a mess!" Cro shook his head dramatically, pretending to be scandalized.
Then, turning back to the ash-gray egg, he muttered, "This thing... I can't really turn it into breakfast, right? But I don't know how to hatch it, and even if I did, where would I keep it? Should I give it to Hagrid?"
Cro furrowed his brow, feeling conflicted as he examined the egg.
Was the reward bad?
Well, it was a dragon egg, and dragons weren't exactly small creatures that could be tucked into a pocket.
But here at Hogwarts, hatching a dragon would certainly cause no small amount of trouble.
Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Cro sighed.
"I still have one Diamond Chest left. Let's see what I can get. Hopefully, it'll help solve this problem. If not, I'll settle for another Fantastic Beasts Ball."
Firmly resolved, Cro caressed the dragon egg and commanded, "Diamond Chest, open!"
[Congratulations! You've opened a Diamond Chest and received: Bone-Crushing Curse!]
[Bone-Crushing Curse Lv1: A powerful curse that shatters the target's bones, resulting in instant death.]
[Note: The Bone-Crushing Curse is extremely dangerous; use with caution!]
Cro's mouth twitched at the system's final warning.
"Are you worried I'll come looking for you again later? Am I that kind of person? Come on... Can't I use the exchange template again?"
The system remained silent.
"Don't be so stingy! You'll have to install it eventually anyway, so what difference does it make if you let me use it now or later? None at all!"
Cro continued trying to persuade the system, but this time, it seemed resolute. No matter what he said, there was no response.
Sighing in defeat, Cro lay back on his bed, gazing at the dragon egg with concern.
"You came at the worst time. If only you'd shown up a few months later, maybe I'd have gotten the Undetectable Extension Charm by then, and you could have a proper home."
He lightly patted the dragon egg.
"But now... Let's just hope no one discovers you. Otherwise, you really might end up as boiled dragon egg."
As if understanding his words, the egg trembled slightly.
Raising an eyebrow, Cro was about to get up and take a closer look when—
Bang!
The old bed, unable to bear the weight any longer, suddenly collapsed. Cro and the dragon egg crashed to the floor, but fortunately, the house-elves had kept the room clean, so the impact didn't kick up a cloud of dust.
Rubbing his head, Cro stared at the broken bed with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.
"I knew the school was old, but I didn't think the furniture was this flimsy!"
"Reparo!"
With a few waves of his wand, the shattered bed pieces flew back together, seamlessly restoring the bed as though time had reversed itself.
Except now, the massive dragon egg was no longer on it.
"It's not that I don't love you, but you're just too heavy for this poor old bed. You'll have to sleep on the floor from now on," Cro said, giving the egg a light kick, sending it rolling to the wall where it came to a stop without tipping over.
Nodding in satisfaction, Cro grinned.
"If I don't make it as a wizard, maybe I'll have a future as a football player. With skills like mine, I'd be a legend in the entire football world!"
Feeling pleased with himself, Cro climbed back into bed. Staring at the moonlight streaming through the window and listening to the faint sounds of celebration outside, he found himself struggling to fall asleep.
Gazing at the wand by his pillow, Cro was suddenly struck by the surreal nature of it all.
He had actually made it into Hogwarts.
And not some theme park version—the real Hogwarts.
"But I wonder... When will little Luna Lovegood enroll? She's a year below Harry Potter, right? So that means next school year?"
Cro sighed with mild disappointment.
For now, his treasure trove of unique girls was down by one.
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T/N:
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