Everyone felt a great sense of satisfaction after beating up Malfoy.
Especially Ron and Harry, their faces flushed with excitement, unable to contain themselves.
Malfoy was always taunting and mocking them, and this time, they had finally gotten their revenge—one that felt particularly sweet. Their hearts were filled with joy.
"Hmph!"
Malfoy let out a cold snort, and his meaning was clear without words.
"Fine then, since that's the case, I'll teach you a lesson, just so you won't lie."
Zhao Lun, unfazed, stamped his foot, and with a thud, he left a footprint on the ground.
Malfoy turned pale, terrified, and stumbled backward. In his panic, he sat down hard on the ground and then scrambled to his feet, rushing toward the school.
"Hahaha..." Ron laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying the moment.
Malfoy found their laughter grating and grew even more resentful of Ron. He swore under his breath that the next time, he would make them pay.
With Malfoy gone, the air cleared.
"Ron, Harry, Allen, you shouldn't be fighting," Hermione said.
"Would not fighting stop him from reporting us?" Ron retorted angrily, upset with Hermione for pulling them apart just when he could've delivered a few more punches and kicks. The opportunity was wasted.
"Alright, Hermione, it's done. There's no use talking about it now," Zhao Lun said.
"Thank goodness for Allen. If he had seen it, things would've been bad."
Hagrid expressed his gratitude to Zhao Lun and cheerfully beckoned them toward the cabin.
The group fell silent as they followed him inside, still excited by the events, though only Hermione seemed to care about the scuffle. As Zhao Lun said, it was done, and what were they going to do—expel them?
Zhao Lun didn't think so.
They quickly reached Hagrid's cabin to witness the hatching of the dragon.
Hagrid took the dragon egg out of the stove and placed it on the table.
The shell was covered in deep cracks, and something inside was wriggling, emitting strange clicking sounds.
Everyone gathered around in a circle, nervous not to miss any of the action.
A series of faint noises came from within the egg, and soon a hole appeared in the shell, revealing a small head.
With a determined effort, the little creature broke free from the shell, and with a soft thud, it landed on the table.
It resembled a crumpled black umbrella, with wings that seemed too large for its skinny body.
Its nostrils were large, and it had a pair of bump-like horns on its forehead. Its bulging eyes were orange in color.
The little creature sneezed, and two sparks flew out of its nostrils.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Hagrid said softly, his voice full of warmth, like a loving mother. Even if it bit his finger with its poisonous teeth, he didn't mind—he saw it as a sign of affection.
"It recognizes its mommy!" Hagrid added proudly.
"It does look quite beautiful, and it's certainly lively—perfectly hatched, Hagrid, you did well."
Zhao Lun commented, his eyes fixed on the little creature.
Though small, it exuded a unique kind of 'awe.' This 'awe' resembled the legendary dragon's majesty, though the dragon was still too young to unleash any real intimidation.
The fact that it could breathe fire indicated considerable power, which intrigued Zhao Lun, showing its potential, as Hagrid had said—its strength was truly magnificent.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione exchanged puzzled glances with Zhao Lun and Hagrid. Beautiful? They couldn't see it.
Hagrid beamed with joy, finally having someone agree with him.
But soon, his smile faded as he worried about the dragon's future—his little dragon would eventually have to leave him.
On their way back to school, they encountered Snape, his face dark as expected—Malfoy had reported them.
"Potter! Weasley! Granger! Fighting students, Gryffindor loses thirty points!" Snape announced loudly for all to hear.
The Gryffindor students glared at Harry and Ron with displeasure as they returned to their common room, looking worse for wear.
"Snape is being too much!" Hermione fumed, nearly in tears as she realized she too was being punished by the loss of points.
She hadn't fought; in fact, she'd tried to break up the fight. She didn't mind not being rewarded, but why was she being punished? It was completely unfair.
"It's Malfoy! He must have said something bad about you!" Ron grumbled.
"Hermione! It's your fault! If you hadn't pulled us apart, we could've gotten a few more hits in! This is all your fault!" Ron snapped, his frustration turning into anger, and he lashed out at her.
Hearing this, Hermione felt her eyes well up with tears.
Not wanting anyone to see, she turned and stormed off.
Zhao Lun sighed, letting Ron vent, and followed her.
"Ron, you went too far!" Harry said, his voice full of reproach.
"I was so angry, I couldn't control myself..."
The voices of Harry and Ron faded as Zhao Lun walked ahead, uninterested in the conflict. He'd rather spend the time in the library, reading and making notes.
As for Snape, who rarely bothered him, Zhao Lun had no reason to worry.
The next day, they saw Malfoy again. His bruises had healed, and he looked as smug as ever, flanked by his two cronies. As soon as he saw Ron and Harry, he began to taunt them.
Really? After getting beaten yesterday, he still dared to provoke them? Zhao Lun shook his head.
Malfoy, though, knew better than to challenge Zhao Lun. He pretended not to notice him and focused his ire on his usual targets.
"Isn't this Weasley and Potter? What's the matter? Are you enchanted by Hagrid's little palace?"
"Oh, look! Mr. Weasley, who lives in a dump, can't even afford clothes! These must be his brother's old ones—look at all the patches!"
"Hahaha..."
Malfoy's lackeys, Goyle and Crabbe, laughed in unison.
Ron's face flushed red with embarrassment. Growing up, he had always worn his older brothers' hand-me-downs, and it had become a sore spot for him. Hearing this made him furious, and he raised his fist to strike Malfoy's annoying face, but Harry held him back.
"Ron, Snape's over there!" Harry whispered urgently.
"Ugh!" Ron muttered, but with Harry pulling him along, they walked away.
"Hey, Weasley, where are you going? Going to cry to your mom?" Goyle and Crabbe's mocking laughter echoed in the distance, further fueling Ron's frustration.
It was a difficult week for both Ron and Harry.
They had fallen out with Hermione and couldn't copy her homework, leaving them struggling to complete assignments, which only added to their stress.
On top of that, Malfoy's constant taunts made everything worse, especially since the dreaded rumor kept resurfacing, pushing them to the brink of confrontation.
Both Ron and Harry would grumble whenever Malfoy was mentioned, and Ron would curse, "That damn bastard!"
They had hoped Zhao Lun could help, but he was always with Hermione, and Ron, proud as ever, didn't want to ask.
Harry, respecting his friend's pride, refrained from bringing it up. After a week of this, they found solace when they visited Hagrid's cabin.
The dragon had grown significantly in just a week—its body had tripled in size.
Its nostrils now frequently exhaled smoke.
The cabin was a mess, with empty bottles of brandy and chicken feathers scattered across the floor. The space had become too cramped for the growing dragon.
As expected, the dragon would soon have to be sent away. Before that happened, Zhao Lun visited daily, gathering dragon blood.
Now that the dragon had become fiercer, with a more imposing appearance and temperament, even Hagrid, with his giant blood, could barely handle it. Zhao Lun used his power from the Spiritual Kingdom to restrain the dragon long enough to draw some blood.
The dragon's hide was tough, making it difficult to handle. Only Zhao Lun could manage it without Hagrid noticing, as extracting blood from it in secret was no easy task.
Dragon blood was a potent material, rare and highly sought after.
This dragon was a troublesome creature with an intense destructive urge. Only someone like Hagrid, who loved fierce animals, could tolerate it.
Looking at it, Zhao Lun understood why dragons were seen as powerful and ferocious creatures in legends.
Originally, Zhao Lun had planned to take the dragon to the Spiritual Kingdom, but seeing its behavior, he abandoned that idea.
With enough material gathered, Zhao Lun no longer wished to imprison the creature, nor did he want anyone to learn about the Spiritual Kingdom.
Hagrid, however, was keeping the dragon, and Zhao Lun was certain that Dumbledore wouldn't remain ignorant for long.
Hmm... And with dragons around, how far off could unicorns be?