Dylan did not comment on what the kids said.
If simply going to ask a teacher questions counted as "brave," then Harry and the others were not wrong.
"Hopefully Professor Snape will be in his office over the weekend."
That evening, he still needed to set aside time to answer his doubts about Potions.
So he planned to wait until the weekend to bother Snape.
As for the afternoon, he had other things to do.
Walking out of the classroom with Harry and Ron,
he turned his eyes to Harry.
"Are you heading out now?"
Over breakfast, he and Harry had agreed that after class they would go together to visit Hagrid at his hut.
He had barely finished speaking when Harry's stomach rumbled loudly.
"Uh, I was thinking we could go after we eat."
The day's Potions class had drained him completely; he was desperate to put something in his mouth.
"Fair enough. You look starving." Dylan nodded.
Harry pulled a wry face. "Only Merlin knows what it's like to have Professor Snape staring at you all day. My back's been ramrod straight the whole time."
Dylan chuckled and went with Harry and Ron to the Great Hall.
After eating,
Harry looked more energized, and Ron practically came back to life.
When he heard Dylan was planning to visit Hagrid, he immediately shouted that he was coming too.
Dylan had no objections.
The three of them left the castle and headed toward Hagrid's hut.
"Hey, big guy, we're here to see you!"
They had barely come within sight of the door when Ron started yelling.
"Oh, it's you little wizards."
Seeing Harry, Hagrid warmly waved them inside.
"Have you had lunch yet? I've got some rock cakes here—delicious. Try one."
Hagrid brought over a plate of large, rock-like cakes from the table.
"We've eaten, but we can still have some dessert."
Ron was the first to grab one and pop it into his mouth.
Crunch.
Hiss.
Ron's eyes went perfectly round.
He felt like his teeth were about to crack off.
"How can bread be this hard?"
Curious, Harry picked one up as well. He chewed and chewed and still could not bite off a proper mouthful, only scraping off a few crumbs from the surface.
"Merlin, did you use the Hardening Charm on these? I want to learn Reductor Curse right now, this instant!" Ron yelped.
Dylan had already learned that spell, though not very well; he had just scratched the surface.
He did not touch the cakes on the table.
So he did not have to stand there getting a rock cake covered in spit while thinking about whether to try Reductor on it.
"Sorry, they taste fine to me."
Hagrid scratched his head, suddenly remembering that these were not something an ordinary first-year could chew.
"If you really can't manage them, give them to Fang. Magic can fix injuries, but chipping your teeth is still not worth it."
Harry immediately tossed his rock cake to Fang.
Ron still wanted to keep fighting his.
Fang gulped down Harry's cake,
then wagged his whip-like tail and trotted over to Dylan.
Dylan only rubbed his big head.
Seeing there was no food, Fang ran over to Ron instead.
He bounded back and forth between them, tongue hanging out as he panted heavily, snorting and snuffling.
His thick legs moved with clumsy steps, and every now and then he would run too fast and slam into the sofa where they were sitting.
In the end, Ron gave up on doing battle with the rock cake and quietly slipped it to Fang.
Hagrid poured everyone a glass of water, then turned and noticed Fang's behavior.
He let out a booming laugh. "Looks like Fang really likes you lot. You should play with him more."
He set the water in front of them.
Dylan thanked him.
Hagrid sank into a chair beside them, let out a long breath, then looked at Ron with a hint of nostalgia.
"Seeing you get along with Fang makes me happy. You remind me of your brother Charlie. He treats magical creatures a sight better than most wizards do."
Ron blinked. "What about Fred and George?"
Hagrid's face wrinkled up at once. "Don't mention those two little devils!"
When Fang finished the cakes, Harry started wrestling with him on the floor.
Dylan took the chance to say to Hagrid, "Sir, there's something I'd like to ask your help with."
Hagrid's brows rose as he turned to look at him.
He had heard Dylan's name from Professor McGonagall more than once.
This was a very gifted young wizard, and rumor had it he had even worn Snape down that morning.
It was the first time he had ever heard of a first-year "handling" Snape.
Now that this boy was suddenly asking him for a favor,
surely he wanted to know about magical creatures?
Hagrid straightened his back a little, already picturing himself in the role of a professor.
"Go on."
Dylan smiled. "I really like magical creatures, so after thinking about it for a long time, I decided I'd like to keep a Shadow Wyrm as a pet."
"But I heard that requires a special license, so I was hoping you might be willing to write a letter of guarantee for me."
Hagrid raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"A Shadow Wyrm? They're real sweeties. Good taste you've got there."
He thought for a moment, then nodded. "Not a problem. I'll write a letter later and send it to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. With my recommendation, they'll process it pretty quick."
"Thank you! My name's Dylan Hawkwood."
"I know who you are. A very bright young wizard, hogging half the professors' free time after class, hahaha."
Hagrid laughed heartily.
Dylan only pressed his lips together and smiled.
"So you came to see Hagrid because you want to keep a magical creature, Dylan?" Harry asked.
Fang had come back to Dylan's side, and Harry glanced over as well. "I don't even know what a Shadow Wyrm is."
"It's a creature that looks a bit like a black cat."
Thinking of Coalball's cold eyes, Dylan added,
"And very cute."
Harry nodded without the slightest doubt.
Hagrid clearly saw nothing wrong with a Shadow Wyrm's naturally stern expression either.
He opened his mouth to say more, but Harry cut in first. "In Potions today, I really felt like Professor Snape has it in for me."
Hagrid's gaze flickered and his smile faded.
"Oh, him. That's just how Professor Snape is. He never looks pleased with anyone—except Professor Dumbledore."
Dylan noticed the shift in Hagrid's mood and how he was deliberately steering away from the topic of Snape with Harry.
He had no intention of pushing it.
After all, he still needed Hagrid to write that guarantee and recommendation letter.
(End of Chapter)
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