Chapter 36: Chapter 36
It was clear that the teachers hoped students would become top scholars, or at least assumed they were top scholars.
After the match, the teaching pace accelerated as the final exams approached. They assigned a lot of homework, and the Easter holidays were not as enjoyable as Christmas.
It was hard to relax without Hermione reading about the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements.
The only good thing was that Albert drew strength from Hermione's determination, though he now seemed fatigued. In addition to learning classroom material, he had to constantly practice the piercing charm.
For instance, he would sit by the fireplace in the common room every day, using the piercing charm to see if he could open the barrier to the Gryffindor common room with his current level of the charm. Fortunately, being only 11, he avoided trouble with the teachers. Despite seeing him direct his wand at the door, they never complained about his activities.
Aside from this, Albert still struggled to keep up with Hermione. This was good news for Harry and Ron, as Albert's proactive review sessions with Hermione meant she had less time to focus on them.
However, the teachers had assigned a lot of homework, so they spent most of their free time in the library, sighing and yawning as they did their best to complete the heavy workload.
"I'm never going to remember this," Ron said one day, unable to take it any longer. He threw down his quill and gazed longingly at the blue sky outside the window, but the homework kept him from truly escaping his work.
Harry was engrossed in searching for "White Fresh" in "One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi" when he suddenly heard Ron exclaim, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"
Hagrid appeared in his lion-skin coat.
"Just taking a look," Hagrid said in a mysterious tone, instantly piquing their curiosity. "What are you doing here?" he suddenly seemed suspicious. "You're still looking for Nicolas Flamel, aren't you?"
"Oh, we figured out who he is a while ago," Ron said triumphantly. "We also know what the dog is guarding. It's the Philosopher's Stone—"
"Shh," Hagrid interrupted again. "Listen—come see me later. Remember, I never promised to tell you anything, but don't shout here. There are things you're not supposed to know, and I think I've told you enough..."
"Alright, see you later," Harry said.
Albert, disturbed by the commotion, looked up and regarded Hagrid with suspicion.
Hagrid did not strike Albert as someone who enjoyed reading, especially since the library seemed to be a secluded place for him.
Furthermore, something in his memory was stirring, so he decided to check the book Hagrid was reading to confirm his suspicions.
A few minutes later, Albert dumped a pile of books onto the table, startling Hermione, who was absorbed in writing.
"What are you doing?" Hermione asked angrily, while Harry and Ron looked at Albert in confusion.
Albert whispered, "Hagrid is looking for information on dragons! Look at these: 'Types of Dragons in Britain and Ireland,' 'From Hatchling to Nirvana,' 'A Guide to Dragon Breeding.' I don't know why he's looking into this. Did he really get a dragon?"
"That's impossible!" Ron said. "In the 1709 Wizards' Conference, a bill was passed prohibiting the breeding of dragons. Dragons in backyards are hard to miss, and taming them is dangerous. You should see the burns on Charlie from the wild dragons in Romania. Live dragons and dragon eggs are heavily regulated. Even if available on the black market, Hagrid couldn't afford them."
Hagrid had always wanted a dragon. When I first met him, he mentioned it, so he might really have one," Harry said.
"So what is Hagrid planning to do?" Hermione asked, confused by the boys' discussion.
"I think it's better to ask him directly. There's no use guessing here," Albert concluded.
An hour later, they knocked on Hagrid's cabin door, surprised to find all the curtains tightly drawn. Albert felt it was just a cover.
With the high windows and foggy glass of Hagrid's home, people outside couldn't see anything as long as the windows were closed. The drawn curtains would only raise suspicions.
Hagrid first shouted, "Who's there?" before allowing them in, then quickly turned and shut the door.
The cabin was stifling despite it being a sunny and warm day, and a fire was still burning in the hearth. Hagrid offered them tea and sandwiches, which they politely declined.
Afterwards, Harry began thinking of ways to trick Hagrid into revealing the mechanism guarding the Philosopher's Stone.
Under Hermione's slightly flattering influence, Hagrid told them that every professor had set up a mechanism inside. However, Albert felt that Hagrid deliberately revealed this information. Despite his imposing height, Hagrid gave a genuine, almost childlike impression. But at the end of the day, he was a man in his sixties. Given Hagrid's life experience, it was entirely unlikely that a first-year student could easily deceive him into revealing something.
This must be part of Dumbledore's training plan. In the original world, Dumbledore probably thought Quirrell just wanted to steal or was ordered to steal the Philosopher's Stone, not expecting Voldemort to be latched onto the back of Quirrell's head.
Besides, with Dumbledore's character, Harry Potter wouldn't directly confront Voldemort after meeting him and leave Harry to face the final boss.
When Harry and the others finished questioning Hagrid, Albert feigned curiosity, pointing to a large black egg lying under the cauldron in the middle of the fire, and asked Hagrid, "What's this?"
Hagrid, looking a bit flustered, replied evasively, "Oh, that—"
"That's a Grade A restricted item as stipulated by the Ministry of Magic," Ron crouched by the fire, examining it more closely.
"And that's something that will soon become a Class S item." Albert scrutinized it and continued.
"What?!" Harry was a bit confused, not understanding the puzzle Ron and Albert were discussing.
Albert, seeing the confusion on Hermione and Harry's faces, explained, "In the Ministry of Magic's hazardous goods classification, dragon eggs are regulated as Class A items, while live fire-breathing dragons are Class S."
"How is that possible?" Hermione asked. "Every student has a pair of dragon-hide gloves, and an ounce of dragon liver costs just one galleon. How can such a common item be so strictly controlled?"
"It's quite simple. Most dragon products on the market are dragon blood," Ron turned to Hagrid. "This must have cost you a fortune!"
"I won it," Hagrid said with a grin. "Last night, I was drinking in the pub and playing cards with a stranger. To be honest, that stranger was keen on getting it."
Seeing Hagrid's delighted expression, Albert sensed a new problem arising.
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