Old Blood at Hogwarts

It was almost one o'clock in the morning when Aaron returned to the dormitory upstairs.Aaron placed his small model of the Hungarian tree peaks on the bedside table before closing the curtains on the four-poster bed.Xiaolong yawned, curled up and closed his eyes.

Aaron lay on the bed, thinking about today's experience.

On the surface, Aaron seemed to have performed with ease against the fire dragon today.But Aaron knew in his heart that this was all the result of him having a plan and being prepared for various situations in advance.In fact, his process of fighting against the fire dragon was not easy. Once there was a mistake in any link, the result could be completely different.

Now, Aaron doesn't know what the next two projects will be, but he thinks they will be anything but simple, if not more dangerous than the first project.

[Perhaps it’s time to practice Animagus exercises. ] Aaron secretly thought in his heart.

After several months of study, Aaron felt that he was ready to start practicing Animagus.In order to cope with the next events in the competition, he also felt that he should increase his abilities.

Thinking of this, Aaron opened the drawer of the bedside cabinet, took out a moon profit and loss chart, and started to check the time of the next full moon. (The first step to becoming an Animagus requires holding a single Mandrake leaf in your mouth for a full month. This month must be calculated from one full moon to the next Full Moon.) The next full moon is next month on Christmas Eve, which will be the day Aaron officially begins practicing to become an Animagus.

It was December in a blink of an eye, and the whole Hogwarts was covered by strong winds, rain and snow.However, although there is always draft in the castle in winter, every time Aaron walks past Durmstrang's big boat parked on the lake, he feels grateful for the hot fire and thick walls in the castle.The big ship was pitching and swaying in the strong wind, its black sails billowing and dancing in the dark night sky. It must have been freezing cold in Durmstrang's mobile home.

Aaron also noticed that Hagrid kept providing Madame Maxime's horses with their favorite single distilled whiskey.The smell of alcohol drifted from the feed trough in the corner of the temporary stable, making the students taking Care of Magical Creatures a little dizzy.This doesn't do any good, since they also have the terrifying Blast-Ended Skrewts to look after.

"I'm not sure if they want to hibernate." Hagrid told the shivering students in the pumpkin patch. "We might as well try it and see if they want to sleep... Let's put them in these boxes... "

Now there are only ten Blast-Ended Skrewts left.Apparently, their desire to kill each other has not been completely eradicated.Today they are nearly six feet long each.Their thick gray protective coating, their powerful swinging legs, their exploding, fire-breathing tails, their stingers and suckers all combined to make the Blast-Ended Skrewts the most impressive thing Aaron had ever seen. Disgusting stuff.The students looked listlessly at the big box Hagrid brought out, which was filled with pillows and fluffy blankets.

"We'll bring them in, put the lid back on and see what happens," Hager said.

As a result, they discovered that the snails did not hibernate and did not like being stuffed into pillow-lined boxes and covered with lids.

Soon, Hagrid shouted: "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous!"

Because the blast-ended snails were running rampant in the pumpkin, the ground was already strewn with smokey box fragments.Most of the classmates had escaped into Hagrid's hut through the back door and barricaded themselves inside.Aaron and Colin stayed outside with some other classmates to help Hagrid.They worked together and finally subdued nine blast-ended snails and tied them up, but they also paid a heavy price, suffering numerous burns and scratches on their bodies.In the end, only one squid remained.

"Hey, don't scare it!" Hagrid shouted as Aaron and Colin used their wands to shoot sparks at the squid. "Tie a rope around its stinger and it won't hurt other squids." Got it!"

"Yeah, we don't want this to happen!" Colin shouted angrily.

At this time, the blast-ended snail was approaching him and Aaron fiercely, the thorns on its back arched and trembling slightly.Aaron and Colin had retreated under the wall of Hagrid's hut, and could only use the sparks of their wands to prevent the Explosive-Ended Skrewts from approaching.

When the Blast-Ended Skrewt had Aaron and Colin cornered, Hagrid pounced on it and subdued it.A ball of flame shot out from behind its tail, scorching the pumpkin seedlings next to it.

Although Aaron and Colin encountered some dangers, they were undoubtedly lucky because they did not suffer any injuries.Aaron saw an ugly wound on half of Tom's cheek, a large piece of Ginny's robe was singed, and several of Green's fingers were burned... Almost all the students who helped Hagrid subdue the Blast-Ended Skrewts were injured. Some injuries.

At this time, Hagrid had already gotten off the Explosive-Tailed Skrewt, which was slightly deformed by the pressure, and was dragging it towards its companions.

And those students who had escaped into the hut before saw that the danger had passed and walked out again.

"Oh, my God! We're not going to have to deal with these things all year, are we?" Green complained after class, nursing his burned fingers. "I can't stand it if this goes on. .”

In fact, not only Green, but most of the students have had enough of the blast-ended snails. They hope to deal with some more interesting magical creatures instead of the giant shell snails that explode and spit fire.

On the Monday of the second week after the first project, after the morning Transfiguration get out of class, everyone stuffed their books into their schoolbags as usual, threw their schoolbags over their shoulders, got up and left the classroom.Aaron, like other students, was packing his things.

But at this moment, he suddenly heard Professor McGonagall raising her voice and shouting in the noise: "Elf, please stay a moment, I want to say a few words to you."

Aaron had no choice but to put down his schoolbag and walked towards the podium.

Professor McGonagall waited until the whole class was gone before saying: "That's right, Aaron, the Yule Ball is coming soon. This is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and a great opportunity for us to interact with foreign guests. Originally, the prom was only open to students in fourth grade and above, and junior students could only attend if invited by senior students. However, according to traditional convention, warriors must attend the prom. Therefore, you can go directly to the prom when the time comes, and No one needs to be invited. The ball will be held in the Great Hall at eight o'clock on Christmas Eve and will end at twelve midnight. Don't forget to put on your dress robes."

"But, I don't have a formal robe. And I don't have the money to buy one." Aaron said awkwardly, "Can I go in school uniform?"

"This is exactly what I want to tell you." Professor McGonagall said, "We didn't expect that a third-year student would become a warrior, so we only asked students above fourth-year to prepare formal robes. But we can't buy them now. Wan, give me your measurements, and I’ll prepare a dress and robe for you, so you don’t have to worry about money.”

It was obvious that Professor McGonagall meant that she was going to spend her own money to buy a dress robe for Aaron.

Aaron understood the meaning of Professor McGonagall's words and quickly refused: "You don't need to prepare formal robes for me. I can just wear my school uniform."

Aaron's self-esteem makes him unwilling to accept help from others for nothing.

"No." Professor McGonagall said irritably, "You are a warrior of Hogwarts. If you don't have a dress robe when you attend the ball, the whole school will be embarrassed. For the honor of Hogwarts, you must wear it." Dress and robe to go to the ball. Don't be embarrassed, just think of this as my Christmas gift to you."

Seeing what Professor McGonagall said, Aaron had no choice but to nod and agree, and told Professor McGonagall his clothes size.

"There's one more thing." After settling the matter of the dress, Professor McGonagall added, "You still need to find a partner to go to the ball with you."

"What partner?" Aaron said.

Professor McGonagall looked at him suspiciously, as if she thought he was joking: "The partner you brought to the Yule Ball, Elf. Your dance partner."

"Dance partner?" Aaron felt himself blushing and said hurriedly, "I don't dance."

"Oh, you must dance." Professor McGonagall said coldly. "According to tradition, the dance is started by warriors and their partners."

"Can't you stop dancing?" Aaron said.

"This is a traditional practice." Professor McGonagall said firmly, "You are a warrior of Hogwarts. As a representative of the school, you must do what everyone expects. Therefore, you must find yourself a dance partner. , Elf.”

"But, I can't dance?" Aaron said.

"Then go and learn now." Professor McGonagall said in an unquestionable tone. "You must dance. You heard me, Elf!"