Chapter 439: Cover‑ups Are Useless

Bai Lang is neither worried nor paying attention to what the Harry trio intends to do; after all, a two‑faced person in front of Harry is just a total loser, and if Harry's hand touches that face, the unlucky bastard will become unbearably horrible—if not, Dumbledore would certainly be watching from the side, so worrying about Harry Potter and his friends? He might as well worry whether Bai Lang's pet will be discovered by Professor McGonagall.

This little creature grew at a breakneck pace; in less than a month it already reached the size of a lynx, and its spots are gradually fading, the fur lightening. The coat shifts from brown toward a sandy hue, the head‑to‑paw ratio remains rather large, and the wings are becoming increasingly strong.

"If this thing could fly, it would be a joke. Unless magic provides support, this creature simply lacks the strong muscles needed to lift off," Bai Lang knew this well; given the little one's ribs and the muscles attached to its back that connect to the wings, without magical influence it could not possibly take off. At most it could glide from a height—but this little one is already flying.

Although it doesn't fly high, isn't fast, and is even a bit clumsy, it is still flight. Bai Lang watched the little cat, crashing everywhere yet still full of enthusiasm—by the way, it now has a name: "Mimi". Bai Lang's cat‑naming skill is that impressive. If it were a dog he'd call it "Lucky", but a cat is called "Mimi", very normal.

"Ah, there's no way to keep it in the dormitory now," he sighed. The animal is already his pet, and it clearly understands Bai Lang's words, though its obedience is still lacking. This cat‑sized creature already possesses decent hunting ability; Bai Lang has seen that before he even launched an attack, the little cat would creep forward on its own, then pounce, bring down a deer and bite wildly.

It simply hasn't yet learned the efficient methods to kill prey—hasn't mastered the three feline killing techniques of throttling, biting the muzzle to suffocate, or biting through the skull. The poor deer was left bloodied, and in the end Bai Lang gave it release—Bai Lang simply snapped the deer's neck, ending it cleanly.

And Mimi's stomach must be other‑dimensional; it basically chewed that deer, which was a third larger than itself, down to nothing, leaving only a few large bones and the skull. After a full meal the little creature can go a week without food; otherwise Bai Lang truly wouldn't know how to feed this beast—it would become a disruptor of ecological balance.

Bai Lang went to find Hagrid, this time bringing Mimi—Bai Lang sprinted on the ground while Mimi spread its wings in the sky and glided alongside him. Bai Lang knocked on Hagrid's door, "Hey, Hagrid. I'm here to see you." The heavy door creaked open, revealing Hagrid with swollen eyes, clutching a large handkerchief—he was still grieving his Norbert; his beloved Norwegian Ridgeback dragon being forced away truly saddened Hagrid.

"Oh, it's Bai Lang. Come in, would you like a biscuit?" Though his speech was still a bit nasal, Hagrid welcomed Bai Lang inside, poured him tea, and brought out a bowl of rock‑skin biscuits. Bai Lang snapped the biscuits apart with a crunch—Harry Potter and his friends couldn't bite them, but Bai Lang had no problem. He waved, "Hagrid, could you do me a favor? When I leave Hogwarts, could you look after this little creature?"

Hagrid straightened up, eyes widening as he looked at Mimi entering from the doorway. "Oh, oh, oh, where did you get it? That egg? The one that hatched from the egg? Oh, what a cute and beautiful little creature! Is this a Manticore?" Hagrid's words trailed off hesitantly, "I don't think so, Hagrid. But this little one is only a month old; I think it'll grow even faster and larger."

Hagrid seemed not to have heard Bai Lang's words; he walked over, crouched before Mimi, and gingerly scratched the beast's head and chin with his fingers. At Bai Lang's cue, Mimi closed its eyes, clearly enjoying the sensation. "Hmm, indeed it doesn't look like a Manticore; those creatures' heads aren't like this, and scratching their heads and chins is a good way to anger them," Hagrid remarked. "Alright, no problem. How much does it eat?"

"Oh, its appetite is considerable. At least one deer a week, and as it grows I think it could eat even more," Bai Lang said. "Perhaps I should release it into the Forbidden Forest to hunt on its own? But it needs to be taught how to kill prey quickly." Hagrid turned to look at Bai Lang, who gestured, "It's still too small, doesn't yet know how to swiftly kill prey."

Hagrid's eyes were about to squint with laughter, "No problem, I'll make sure the little darling eats its fill."

"Just call it Mimi," Bai Lang said. Hagrid's eyes widened, "You call it Mimi? Ah… fine, it's a good name." After devouring the rock‑skin biscuits and drinking the hot tea, Bai Lang stood up, rubbing his pet's head, "Mimi, stay here. Sorry you grew too big for the dormitory; I'll visit you every day."

Not to mention the little creature truly resembles a cat, even meowing like a cat, and using its front paws to hook onto Bai Lang's clothing to keep him from leaving. Hagrid was practically melting, "Oh, what a cute little thing. Don't worry, your master will visit you every day; he promised." This man's love for a ferocious beast is beyond help.

Bai Lang came here with a purpose—he wanted to buy some expensive items, and the Gringotts exchange has limits, so Bai Lang needed to go to the Forbidden Forest to borrow money from the Eight‑Eyed Giant Spiders; killing five or six of them should be enough—after all there are at least a hundred of those spiders, and Bai Lang is also considering the health of their population.

The Eight‑Eyed Giant Spiders here have virtually no predators aside from the Basilisk, and they dwell in the "Dead Zone" within the dense forest. Bai Lang has roughly mapped the location and repeatedly approaches it under the night sky. Centaur patrols also patrol here year‑round, aiming to kill or drive back any wandering spiders—they are disruptors of balance, and their activity range must be limited.

Bai Lang spotted a spider about the size of a foal; before the spider could react, Bai Lang leapt up like lightning, brandishing his wand. The iron tip of his oak wand flashed, and the spider's swollen abdomen separated from its body, its eight legs shattered. "Hmm, miscalculated; should have just taken off the head," Bai Lang muttered, stepping on the spider's poisonous pincers, rendering them immobile, "Buzz ma you ma you red, ma you red!"

The two poisonous pincers fell off, turning into two skin‑sack‑shaped pouches; Bai Lang scooped them up, letting the still‑not‑completely‑dead spider writhe on the ground.

In less than an hour, Bai Lang killed six spiders of roughly that size, "The density's pretty high," he thought on his way back. As he fell asleep, Bai Lang happily imagined that this trip would net him over a thousand Galleons, and that thought lulled him into a joyful sleep.

The next day he learned that Harry Potter had entered Professor Umbridge's infirmary, and that he had also defeated the misbehaving Professor Quirrell. Harry became a hero, as announced by Dumbledore. When Bai Lang went to check on his Mimi, he discovered that Mimi could actually speak human language and told him that Hagrid had gone to the castle to visit Harry Potter—"That tall guy cried so sadly. Sure enough, he's a weak and useless fellow." Mimi's voice was a bit baby‑like, but its contempt for Hagrid was evident.

Cats always look down on their caretakers, but for Bai Lang—this Mimi is full of flattery. "So Mimi, what exactly are you?" When mentioning Mimi, Bai Lang saw a dissatisfied expression on the cat's face. "Don't like the name? It's too effeminate for a man, huh? Fine, call yourself Dio; you can even give yourself the surname Discator, hahahaha," Bai Lang laughed.

The cat's intelligence is now like that of a child, and it seemed satisfied after hearing that, "Then call me Dio. What am I? I don't know either," it said. Bai Lang exhaled, "Fine, I've told Hagrid to feed you well. I can't take you with me now, but it's only for this holiday; once I get that thing, it'll be fine."

Dio nodded, then walked out, apparently heading toward the Forbidden Forest. Bai Lang also left, preparing to attend the year‑end banquet, where green snake banners of Slytherin hung everywhere; their score was the highest, and the House Cup was within reach. Gryffindor, of course, was at the bottom, and most of the little lions, Bai Lang excluded, were dejected.

On the wall behind the guest of honor's table hung a massive banner depicting the Slytherin serpent. When Harry entered, the hall fell silent, then suddenly everyone began speaking loudly again. He walked to the Gryffindor table, sat between Ron and Hermione, pretending not to notice that everyone stood up and stared at him. Fortunately, moments later Dumbledore arrived, and the hall's clamor gradually subsided. "Another year has passed!" Dumbledore said cheerfully, "Before you indulge in these delicious dishes, I must ask you all to listen to an old man's hackneyed speech. What a splendid year! Your little brains are surely richer than before; ahead lies an entire summer for you, so that before the next term begins you can properly digest those things and make room in your minds. Now, as far as I know, we must first hold the House Cup award ceremony. The scores are as follows: fourth place, Gryffindor, 280 points; third place, Hufflepuff, 352 points; Ravenclaw, 426 points; Slytherin, 472 points."

Bai Lang burst into laughter, "They actually deducted that many points, hahahaha I at least contributed fifty points? Sorry, Professor McGonagall, just kidding." As he spoke, the Peepee Imp also laughed heartily, flying over to high‑five Bai Lang—these two rascals were hopeless. Almost every Gryffindor student was looking at Bai Lang, but he nonchalantly looked back, even giving Potter a squint—sharing the fire aimed at Harry Potter.

Professor McGonagall seemed a bit powerless; the kid in front of her studied earnestly but his grades were truly poor, and he often lost points for extracurricular behavior—yet compared to Harry Potter and his friends' antics, Bai Lang was much more "by the book"; he had never been caught out at night, and his point deductions were mostly tied to the Peepee Imp. Professor McGonagall was probably wondering why Gryffindor kept producing such a brat…

On the Slytherin table a thunderous roar of cheers and stomps erupted. Harry saw Draco Malfoy pounding the table vigorously with his goblet, a sight that was truly disgusting. "Yes, yes, well performed," Dumbledore said, "However, a few recent events must also be taken into account." The hall fell very quiet, and the Slytherins' smiles subdued a bit. "Um, um," Dumbledore cleared his throat, "I still have some final points to allocate. Let me see. Ah, the first item—Mr. Ron Weasley," Ron's face flushed bright red, looking like a carrot baked in the sun. "He has won the most spectacular chess game at Hogwarts in many years; for that I award Gryffindor fifty points."

Sure enough, it was brazen protection; Dumbledore added a full 110 points to Gryffindor for Hermione Granger's logical reasoning and Harry Potter's fearless courage, plus Ron's fifty points, giving Gryffindor a total boost of 160 points in one go, yet their score was only 440 points…

"Courage comes in many forms," Dumbledore smiled, "Facing an enemy requires superhuman bravery, while standing by one's principles before friends also demands great courage. Therefore, I will award Neville Longbottom ten points." Thus Gryffindor's total rose to 450 points.

Although the Slytherins' faces were a bit tense, they continued laughing; Gryffindor likely had no more points to gain—unless the Headmaster were utterly shameless and arbitrarily gave someone thirty points. However, the Headmaster did not do that; he raised his hand and said, "Let us congratulate Slytherin; they have won the House Cup for the seventh consecutive year!"

Aside from the Slytherins, everyone from the other houses was not particularly happy, offering reluctant applause, while the Slytherin students went wild with joy; Malfoy and his cronies even made faces at Gryffindor. Professor Severus Snape also gave a forced smile while shaking hands with the heads of the other houses, showing a hint of humility.

As Malfoy of Slytherin began to act out of control, Bai Lang gave him a snarling grin; the guy and his two henchmen immediately sat down quietly, like chickens with their throats stuck. Bai Lang's gaze swept across the seats of the first‑year Slytherins, and those he saw fell silent—because Bai Lang casually flicked the Peepee Imp away again…

He made a "shh" gesture toward the first‑year Slytherins, "Let's eat quickly, our stomachs are starving! After we finish, we can disperse!" As soon as his words ended, a bounty of food appeared on the tables…

Soon the clothes and such were packed into boxes, and a notice prohibiting magical use during the holidays was issued; everyone had to leave school for the summer. Harry Potter at least earned the forgiveness of the Gryffindor students, and the trio remained popular among their peers. Of course Hermione was top of the year, and Harry and Ron also had good grades.

On the express train back to London, Bai Lang this time sat alone in a private compartment; Neville and Seamus didn't come, and eventually Slytherin's Brad Zabini and two others took seats across from him… "Very well, may we all have a pleasant summer holiday."