Chapter 431: I Also Want It

Bai Lang used a rag to wipe the dust‑filled hollow sculptures—when it comes to confinement and punishment service, Bai Lang has always been extremely cooperative; even when the professors scolded him and deducted points, he never argued, very, very cooperative. As he wiped, he watched Mr. Ferch's expression—this guy looked very sour, perhaps because he wasn't allowed to have Bai Lang hung up and beaten? Or maybe… the aura coming from behind that door was quite dangerous, so Mr. Ferch probably didn't want to see it.

Soon the heavy footsteps of the towering Hagrid echoed, and he turned the corner toward Bai Lang and Mr. Ferch, saying, "Hey, Mr. Ferch, hello." Hagrid nodded, "Is this the first‑year who's going to feed Lu Wei with me this time? Ah, Mr. Bai, hello." Bai Lang grabbed the water buckets—both were half a man's height, filled with entrails and bones, and he lifted one in each hand. Hagrid's thick eyebrows rose, "Very good, very strong kid!" He took the last bucket himself and pushed open the wooden door.

Bai Lang followed Hagrid inside; he knew what he would see, but when he actually saw it he let out a gasp. "Mr. Hagrid, what a handsome big dog!" Hagrid was delighted, "You like it too? Come on, Lu Wei!" It was a three‑headed dog the size of an elephant, its heads like those of a mastiff, short‑haired, drooling, with eyes reddened and fiercely fierce.

When it saw Hagrid it was fine, but when it saw Bai Lang it let out a low growl and charged. Hagrid grabbed one head, while Bai Lang struck another head's nose with his wand, making the three‑headed dog emit a painful whine; then Bai Lang pushed the bucket he had set down in front of it. Bai Lang stared at the snarling mastiff head before him, tilted his head and patted the stiff short hair, his mouth curled up to show his own canine teeth—Bai Lang was also smiling.

He really liked the beast, and after Lu Wei saw Bai Lang's smile it stopped whimpering and began eating the food in the bucket. Hagrid was pleased to find someone with similar tastes, so he kept raving about how adorable the three‑headed dog was; Bai Lang agreed, "That's really damn true, such a beast is truly cute." "Mr. Hagrid, where can I find a pet like this?"

Hagrid hesitated, "Um… you're still a student, you can't keep this at Hogwarts." Bai Lang repeated his question, "I just want to know, if one day I want a little cutie like this, where could I look?" Hagrid, who rarely gauged propriety, stroked his big beard, "The three‑headed dogs are in Greece; actually many cute big fellows are over there… Never mind, this isn't something for you little wizards to know!"

Bai Lang didn't ask further, because he remembered a book in the library called *Where the Magical Creatures Are*, perhaps it could give him the answer, and how to obtain one? That part was easy—through a black‑market dealer. After feeding the three‑headed dog, Hagrid left with the bucket, and Bai Lang reluctantly closed the door—though the dog was beautiful, its mouth smelled foul and it drooled everywhere; Bai Lang thought that if he ever got the chance, he'd find a beast both fierce enough and clean enough as a pet.

After stepping outside, Bai Lang kept working, and at ten p. m. Mr. Ferch signaled that he could go back to sleep, with tomorrow's work to continue.

Harry Potter received a gift at breakfast—a Nimbus 2000 broom—and Ron Weasley's voice in the common room let Bai Lang know that Harry had become Gryffindor's seeker. To Bai Lang the so‑called Quidditch match was utterly uninteresting; he could only say that wizards must be bored and foolish enough to play such a clearly flawed ball‑seeking game.

Halloween was approaching, meaning there would be treats, and Bai Lang's punitive labor was over. He was now recognized by the four houses' young wizards as a dangerous figure; it seemed Bu Lei Si Zha Bi Ni had spread the "games" he played with Pi Pi Gui, and on top of that his breaking the bones of the Slytherin students who taunted him turned Bai Lang into a sort of untouchable "beast."

Bai Lang thought that, by right, he should be expelled; perhaps the Headmaster kept him only to keep such a ferocious "wild beast" under his watchful eye. "That's possible," Bai Lang muttered. At the Halloween banquet Bai Lang glanced once, saw it was indeed a bunch of British blokes, completely not to his taste—his hoped‑for "treats" dream was shattered. So the guy just grabbed a roast chicken and a jug of pumpkin juice and slipped away.

Alone in the empty hallway, Bai Lang ate and drank heartily, "Can't say it was very bland… never mind, just fill the belly and that's it." He finished the chicken and downed a jug of pumpkin juice, then called, "Hey, little elves, clean up." He said that, then set the water jug and trash aside, preparing to sneak back to sleep.

A commotion came from the lower hall, someone apparently shouting about a giant monster. Bai Lang twitched his nose, "It's already nearby? This filthy stench." He covered his nose, ready to run; this was Harry Potter's stage, and he didn't want to steal the spotlight. But his luck seemed poor, because he saw the monster. It stood twelve feet tall, its skin dull and matte like gray granite, its massive, clumsy body a heap of huge mud‑like clods topped with a cocoa‑bean‑sized head. Its short legs were as thick as tree stumps, beneath them flat, thick, calloused feet. The odor it exuded was nauseatingly foul. It clutched a thick wooden staff, and because its arms were long the staff dragged on the ground.

The clumsy creature also saw Bai Lang, let out a roar and tried to charge, but Bai Lang used its momentum to leap, stepped on the beast's knee, then planted a foot on its head, flipped and landed behind the giant monster, and sprinted away. Later, everyone in Gryffindor's common room knew that Harry and Ron Weasley had taken down a giant monster.

In November Bai Lang had not yet committed a new offense to be punished, yet his grades were abysmal—not in written assignments but in practical work, so he was constantly busy researching self‑enhancement. He had essentially given up Potions Class—most of the potions taught by Severus Snape turned into explosives in his and Seamus's hands, even after Snape swapped his partner—yes, Severus Snape had found a brand‑new way to punish Harry Potter, and now Bai Lang was paired with Potter.

Even if Harry performed perfectly, Bai Lang could turn it into explosives within seconds, and Bai Lang could even feel Severus Snape's satisfied voice, "You two giants! Gryffindor loses five points!" Bai Lang didn't dislike Severus Snape at all, but Harry Potter grew increasingly intolerant; he even showed unmistakable hostility toward Bai Lang—understandable for a child—and Bai Lang would never hold a grudge against Harry, "Sorry, Harry, it's all my fault."