That's really great! Let's go!"
Neville couldn't help but feel happy when he saw that he had dragged Dylan along. He was even more excited when he heard there would be something delicious to eat.
Dylan didn't really pack his things—he just stuffed all his books onto the table, stood up, and got ready to head to Hagrid's hut with Neville.
"Moo~!"
Coal Ball followed immediately.
"You want to come too?" Dylan smiled.
"Moo!" Coal Ball called out crisply.
"Alright, let's go." Dylan curled his lips into a grin and opened his arms.
Coal Ball suddenly jumped up, turning into a shadow mid-air, and the next moment, it landed neatly in Dylan's arms.
Neville looked at the fluffy little creature with some envy.
He wished he had such a cute pet.
"Hmm? Wait a minute, I feel like I forgot something again."
Neville paused, blinking.
Dylan, who had already walked ahead, turned back and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"Ah? No, nothing." Neville shook his head quickly and caught up with Dylan.
As they walked, Neville tried his best to find topics to talk about so Dylan wouldn't get bored.
Dylan chatted with him all the way.
By the time the two of them—and the cat—arrived at Hagrid's hut, they found Hagrid standing at the door, busy with something unknown.
When Hagrid saw them coming, his eyes lit up.
"Two little wizards! Why didn't I see Harry and the others today?"
Dylan stepped closer. "Harry had a match, and Ron went to watch it too."
"A match? Oh! What a pity, I can't go watch it!" Hagrid looked regretful.
But soon, he noticed Dylan's messy hair and furrowed his brows. "Have you been fooled by those ghosts?"
"No."
Hagrid blinked, then lowered his gaze to look at the fluffy Coal Ball in Dylan's arms.
"Hey, little guy! How are you? Want to play with everyone today?"
Coal Ball had snuck out before and visited Hagrid's hut, so it naturally knew him.
With a whoosh, it leaped into Hagrid's open arms and started playfully pawing at his thick beard, making Hagrid laugh.
Although Hagrid was a big guy, he was quite gentle with the little creature.
He scratched Coal Ball's chin gently, then stepped aside and led Dylan and Neville into his house.
The room was warm, filled with the scent of wood and smoke.
Coal Ball happily bounced around the large room as Hagrid went to the kitchen.
A moment later, he came back with a plate of steaming snacks.
"I just made some rock cakes today—fresh out of the oven! Want to try one?"
Neville saw the steaming cake in front of him and remembered Dylan saying something about it being delicious. Without hesitation, he nodded.
"I'll take one, please!"
"Oh, of course."
Hagrid handed him a whole rock cake without cutting it.
"I'll pass—I just had dinner, and it's still early for afternoon tea," Dylan declined with a smile.
"Alright," Hagrid nodded, then looked at Neville expectantly.
Neville's eyes sparkled. Without hesitation, he grabbed the rock cake in front of him and, under Dylan's equally expectant gaze, took a bite.
Crack!
Neville's eyes widened instantly.
His mouth hung open, and his face contorted slightly in pain. His expression fell.
"Ouch..." Neville immediately covered his mouth with his hands and looked at Dylan with a miserable expression.
Dylan held back a laugh, but the corners of his mouth twitched, his shoulders shaking. Finally, he couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! It's actually delicious—just a little hard to chew."
"Dylan!" Neville paused, then playfully punched Dylan in mock anger.
Hagrid scratched his head. "Still a little hard to chew? Then—"
Fang, Hagrid's large dog, had already read the situation. He jumped over, wagging his tail and sticking out his tongue at Neville.
Neville glanced at Hagrid.
"Just give it to him—he loves them," Hagrid nodded.
Neville quickly handed the rock-hard cake to Fang, who happily devoured it.
Dylan, now finished laughing, got to the point of their visit.
"We need special nutrients for the Flame Thorns," he explained.
Hagrid looked confused. "Didn't I send some to Professor Sprout?"
Dylan nodded. "The professor has them, but Neville doesn't. Professor Sprout specifically gave Neville a Flame Thorn to grow, but the special nutrients have run out. It wouldn't be appropriate to keep asking the professor for more."
"I see," Hagrid nodded in understanding.
Flame Thorns weren't easy to care for.
These magical plants were highly aggressive and needed nutrients mixed in special proportions to thrive.
Without the right care, they could even catch fire.
"But Professor Sprout must think highly of you if she gave you a plant like that," Hagrid added, looking at Neville.
Neville blushed. "It's all thanks to Dylan."
Indeed, the professor had given him the responsibility of growing the Flame Thorn thanks to Dylan's influence.
Dylan had asked Professor Sprout for extra tutoring after class, and Neville, who had a natural talent for herbology, had been included in these lessons.
Over time, Professor Sprout decided that if she was going to give one student special treatment, she might as well include another.
So she agreed to Dylan's request.
Neville often found himself lost in the fast-paced lessons, just watching as the others handled various magical plants.
But despite the challenge, he had made significant progress thanks to all those extra classes.
"The special nutrients for the Flame Thorns aren't easy to prepare," Hagrid said. "They require a lot of ingredients. Luckily, there's plenty of fertilizer in the Forbidden Forest. If we gather enough, we can mix something with a similar effect. Would that work?"
"Of course!" Neville agreed immediately.
Dylan was just accompanying Neville, so he stayed quiet as they discussed the details. Instead, his gaze drifted toward the window.
The Forbidden Forest stretched before him—tall trees with dense branches and thick foliage. It was difficult to see what lay within.
The Forbidden Forest is a great place, he thought to himself.
Recently, he had been doing a lot of potion research with Professor Snape.
Almost every time Snape gave him special lessons, he provided the ingredients.
But Dylan couldn't rely on that forever.
He couldn't possibly do all his potion research in just one day—Saturday—when he had lessons with Snape.
If he wanted to experiment on his own, he needed more ingredients.
But he couldn't keep asking Snape for them.
After all, the materials Snape used were meant for brewing advanced potions.
It would be a waste for Dylan to use them just for practice.
So where could he find the materials he needed?
His gaze lingered on the dense forest beyond the window.
The Forbidden Forest...
(End of Chapter)
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