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Chapter 96: Memories
Chapter 96: Memories
Newborn creatures almost always possess an innate cuteness, and the Norwegian Ridgeback dragon was no exception, despite its bald appearance. The little dragon spread its wings and flailed its claws on the table, lacking the intimidating presence of an adult Fire Dragon; instead, it looked like it was pouting.
However, when it opened its mouth to reveal its slender fangs, the cuteness vanished, replaced by a subtle sense of threat.
But in Hagrid's eyes, this little dragon, smaller than his palm, was adorable. He quickly assumed the role of mother dragon, lovingly caressing the little dragon's head and touching its wings, only to be blasted by a burst of angry fire from the hatchling.
"Look, it can already breathe fire!" Hagrid said proudly, brushing away the sparks from his beard.
"Hagrid," Hermione said worriedly, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow?"
"Oh, they don't grow too fast," Hagrid said affectionately. "But they can reach a length of 50 feet when fully grown."
"50 feet!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Yeah—it's so tiny and pathetic now, isn't it?"
Hagrid completely missed Hermione's concern. He fetched a bucket of brandy from the corner and took out some chicken blood that he had prepared in advance. "Who wants to try feeding it?" he asked.
Harry and Ron eagerly raised their hands, while Hermione leaned back, her refusal clear.
Viktor had been quite interested, but seeing their enthusiasm, he lowered his hand and warned, "Be careful—its teeth are venomous."
Hagrid first demonstrated how to feed the dragon, then passed on the honor to the Gryffindor duo.
Viktor watched for a while, satisfying his curiosity, before bidding farewell—mainly because Hagrid had made the hut unbearably hot in his efforts to hatch the dragon egg, and it didn't take long for him to break into a sweat inside.
Soon after, Hermione also stepped out. Viktor waited for her and said, "I thought you were planning to head back to the Gryffindor common room with Harry?"
"I was thinking that," Hermione said. "But I feel... well... maybe they need some space to have a proper talk."
...
Inside the hut, Harry and Ron avoided looking at each other, taking turns to feed the little fire dragon with well-coordinated, non-intrusive actions. Hagrid babbled on about his love for the little creature and racked his brains for a suitable name.
"Maybe I should consult a book—there's always an answer in books," Hagrid mumbled, pulling out an old book from a cabinet cluttered with bottles and pots. He flipped through the pages with his thick fingers in search of a name.
Harry, his mind elsewhere, fed the dragon slowly, and the little dragon didn't hesitate to snap at him!
"Watch out!"
Ron swatted Harry's hand away, causing a spoonful of brandy to spill onto the table.
The little dragon huffed angrily at its caretaker, about to spit out a fireball, when Harry quickly pushed the rest of the chicken blood and brandy toward it, letting it drink its fill.
The tiny black dragon stumbled into the liquor, floundered in panic for a moment, then discovered the delicious treat surrounding it and began gulping it down. The two boys breathed a sigh of relief, and the intentionally indifferent atmosphere between them naturally eased.
Harry hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke the words that had been turning in his chest for several days: "Ron, I've been wanting to say... I actually wanted to ask something the other day, but the club rules state that no one can be introduced to the group unless everyone agrees. I thought... it would be better to ask everyone privately first and then bring it up."
Of course, the first person he asked had shut him down, but Harry felt that detail could wait for another time.
Ron exhaled, his tense shoulders relaxing. "You know what I thought? I thought that since you'd made some cool friends, you were starting to distance yourself from us..."
In fact, Ron had also been feeling rather uncomfortable lately. Malfoy had even taunted him, saying, "So, has Harry Potter finally realized that some people are beneath him and dumped them? I have to say, although he's stupid, he's finally made a right decision."
Ron was so angry that he got into another fight with Malfoy, and now his ribs were still aching. But compared to the physical pain, the feeling of his friend drifting away hurt even more.
"No! Of course not! How could I?" Harry exclaimed in surprise, quickly denying it and adding, "You're the first friend I made!"
A smile immediately appeared on Ron's face, and he asked curiously, "What do you guys usually do in that club?"
After asking this question, he also felt relieved—finally able to ask this question openly.
Harry explained to him, "The SSC is a study group. We usually just write papers together. But after dinner, Viktor teaches us some spells that we haven't learned in school, mainly Dark Magic Defense Charms. I've recently learned Expelliarmus and Protego, they're really difficult, and I got hurt many times before I mastered them. Do you want to learn? I can teach you."
"Is that okay?" Ron asked hesitantly, "Won't that violate the club's rules?"
"No, Viktor said we can teach others... it's just that my teaching might not be as effective..."
...
For Viktor, the changes in elementary school friendships were not really within his scope of concern. He now had more important things to do.
Early on a weekend morning, Viktor walked back and forth three times in front of the Room of Requirement, concentrating and thinking, 'I need a room with a Pensieve... I need a room with a Pensieve... I need a room with a Pensieve...'
An ancient, narrow peach wood door appeared on the wall, and Viktor opened it and walked in.
The place looked like the home of an ascetic monk. There was only a simple wooden bed and a low stool in the room, next to which stood a stone pillar that was half the height of a person. On top of it was a shallow stone basin with intricate ancient magical engravings on its rim and a circle of thumb-sized gemstones around it, looking out of place compared to the simplicity of the house.
This was the Pensieve, a magical item used to store memories and thoughts, and even to enter those memories and relive the past. It was a powerful and complex magical artifact that even Professor Mori admitted she couldn't create.
Viktor pointed his wand at his temple, whispered the incantation, and concentrated, recalling those long-faded memories.
After a moment, he moved his wand away, and a thin silver thread was pulled out from his temple, extending longer and longer. Viktor gently twirled his wand as if collecting the thread, winding it around. After a few turns, the thread finally snapped.
It hovered like a spider's silk at the tip of his wand, one end drifting towards the Pensieve. Viktor gently tapped the Pensieve with his wand, and the silver thread fell into it, swirling gently like mist and emitting a soft glow.
These were... his almost-forgotten... memories of his past life.
Viktor took a deep breath and plunged into the silver memories.
(End of Chapter)
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