At nine o'clock the next morning, Adrian arrived punctually at Hagrid's hut.
However, it seemed Adrian had arrived late. When he got there, he encountered Lockhart just emerging from Hagrid's hut.
"Good morning, Professor Westeros!" Lockhart said cheerfully. "What a coincidence! Have you given proper consideration to my suggestion since our last conversation?"
Adrian raised an eyebrow with a puzzled expression. "What suggestion?"
"Oh, don't play dumb!" Lockhart said in an affected tone. "About your adventure stories—are you planning to write them into a book? For instance, the story of your encounter with your Thunderbird. What do you think?"
Only then did Adrian recall that during their previous conversation, Lockhart had indeed mentioned something about writing a book.
"You'll gain the same fame as I have," Lockhart continued persuasively.
However, Adrian simply shook his head.
"Fame is hardly a good thing," He said quietly, his gaze calmly meeting Lockhart's. "It only brings unnecessary trouble, like moths drawn to flame."
Lockhart's smile froze on his face, a flicker of gloom passing through his eyes.
He stepped back several paces, his voice suddenly dropping: "Professor Westeros, that's not a very wise thing to say. In this world, fame is very important—it can bring you Galleons, status, and..."
As Lockhart spoke, his fingers unconsciously moved toward the wand at his waist, his eyes flickering uncertainly.
After finishing his words, he noticed Adrian's gaze lingering on his hand and immediately moved it behind his back, his face resuming that familiar false smile.
"Ah, I should be going," Lockhart winked at Adrian. "My fans are still waiting for my replies!"
After Lockhart left, Adrian knocked on Hagrid's door.
Soon, the door opened and Hagrid's head poked out through the gap. When he saw it was Adrian, he breathed a great sigh of relief.
He opened the door completely and welcomed Adrian inside.
Hagrid brewed a large pot of tea for Adrian.
"I thought it was Lockhart again!" he said, his face flushed red, apparently having encountered something that made him angry. "That fellow..."
"What did he do?" Adrian asked curiously.
"Nothing but his usual boasting," Hagrid said, forcefully taking teacups from the nearby cabinet and placing them on the table with agitation. "Teaching me how to make kappa drill into wells, and how to deal with banshees—if what he said was true, I'd eat this teapot on the spot!"
"That sounds very much like something Lockhart would say." Adrian accepted the teacup. Sometimes, foolish people say things that anger others without realizing it.
Clearly, Lockhart was exactly this type of "fool."
Hagrid had already been irritated by his stupidity.
Just then, another urgent knocking sounded at the door.
"Please don't let it be that Lockhart again..." Hagrid muttered, striding toward the door.
When he pulled open the wooden door, several unexpected figures appeared before them.
"Ah, it's you! Welcome—I've been wondering when you'd come to see me." Hagrid's delighted voice reached Adrian's ears.
Adrian turned to look and saw Harry and Hermione struggling to support a pale-faced Ron as they entered the hut.
After Harry and Hermione dragged Ron to a chair, Adrian asked with concern, "What happened?"
Harry wiped the sweat from his forehead and only then noticed Adrian was present.
"It's the Slug-Vomiting Charm," he told Adrian. "When we were at the Quidditch pitch, some Slytherins insulted Hermione, then Ron stood up for her and got hit with a Slug-Vomiting Charm."
"Only Ron was cursed?" Adrian looked at Ron, whose condition was indeed problematic.
"The Slytherins got cursed much worse!" Ron said, lying on the table with a greenish complexion and sticky green liquid hanging from the corner of his mouth, struggling to speak. "I didn't lose!"
After saying this, Ron suddenly hiccupped, and a small slug slid out of his mouth, dropping onto the wooden floor with a splat.
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, quickly drawing her wand. "Scourgify!"
But the spell only made the slug disappear; Ron's condition didn't improve at all.
Then Hermione began recounting what had happened.
Because Draco Malfoy had called her a "Mudblood," Ron had stood up for her and fought with Malfoy.
Eventually, it escalated into a full-scale brawl between Gryffindor and Slytherin students.
Ron had hit several Slytherins with the Slug-Vomiting Charm, but ultimately a spell rebounded and hit him, causing him to be afflicted with the same curse.
Adrian couldn't help but glance at Ron. It seemed Ron was stronger than he had imagined.
After all, the Slug-Vomiting Charm was not a simple spell for a second-year student.
"Your courage and actions are commendable, Ron," Adrian nodded at Ron.
"I agree!" Hermione said somewhat happily.
A flush of red appeared on Ron's pale face. He tried to sit up straight but bent over from a wave of nausea.
Another slug slid from his mouth, but he still managed a smile: "Thank... thank you, Professor."
Meanwhile.
"Mudblood... how outrageous," Hagrid muttered to himself.
Hearing Hagrid's murmur, Hermione showed a confused expression: "Speaking of which... about that word Malfoy used... 'Mudblood'... what does it mean?"
"A very serious insult," Hagrid said angrily. "It's not a good word—it's how those wizards who think they have noble blood insult wizards of Muggle birth."
Hermione nodded thoughtfully.
"He's calling you dirty blood," Ron lifted his head from the table to comfort Hermione. "Don't take it to heart, Hermione. The whole Malfoy family is like that."
Harry nodded in agreement.
Ron hiccupped again, and another slug fell to the floor.
He weakly wiped the corner of his mouth: "Let's... let's not discuss this now. Can someone tell me... ugh... how to deal with these damn slugs!"
Hearing Ron's words, everyone's gaze focused on Adrian.
Here, only Adrian had the strongest magical power.
"I don't know the counter-curse for the Slug-Vomiting Charm..." Adrian paused. "Wait... I've thought of another method. Ron, come stand beside me."
As he spoke, Adrian had the Devil's Snare extend from beneath his robes.
Hagrid lifted Ron and brought him before Adrian.
"Finite Incantatem!"
The Devil's Snare and Adrian cast the spell simultaneously, and a beam of light shot toward Ron's body.
Ron immediately felt the sticky sensation in his throat disappear.
"So, it's this spell..." Harry thought to himself.
At the train station, Adrian had used this spell before.
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