Chapter 445: Petting Cats

Everyone climbed the stairs again from that small room, walking out of the bag, and Bai Lang tapped the bag with the tip of his wand, causing the opened door to close; his bag also contained an Expansion Spell that could hold a lot of things. "980 Galleons isn't even a waste; I think it's worth the price," Bai Lang said, still very satisfied with his purchase.

Days passed like that: Harry Potter was training for Quidditch, everyone else had their own business, and Bai Lang slipped into the Forbidden Forest every night—unfortunately he could no longer kill spiders to harvest venom, and if he used the venom to launder money, the Ministry of Magic would probably come after him.

Unfortunately, after graduation it will be hard to return to Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest to hunt Eight‑Eyed Giant Spiders—finding those spiders in Scotland's forest is easier than going to Dong Nan Ya. They're abundant and easy to locate. To obtain raw materials that are pricier, smaller, and easier to trade than the Eight‑Eyed Giant Spider, one would probably have to capture a unicorn or catch a dragon.

In this magical world, Bai Lang currently has no way to make money—though borrowing from magical creatures might be an option later. "Hey, at most ten years; by that calculation, after defeating Fu Di Mo and graduating, I should be able to go back. I'd better focus on studying Martial Magic," Bai Lang thought.

Even with Bai Lang's prodigious martial wisdom, Martial Magic is still beyond his grasp for now; as mentioned, his accumulation is insufficient, both in stored magical energy and in understanding the essence of magic—especially the so‑called essence of magic, which Hogwarts does not teach…

Actually Bai Lang probably does have some, but they only surface as occasional remarks during professors' lectures, and the textbooks might mention them in passing; to pursue further research, the Restricted Library or private family collections are probably the only options.

Because Bai Lang discovered many wondrous effects—like the bag he's holding, which is a product of a pure‑blood family colluding with the Ministry of Magic. Those young wizards and ordinary wizards either don't know or turn a blind eye; Bai Lang, who received dragon‑slaying training decades ago, can't possibly miss it. It's obvious at a glance.

Bai Lang stroked the head of Diao, who was lying beside him, pondering the issue. At the moment he decided not to overthink it, he and Diao looked up toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest—those two were moon‑bathing outside the forest, not hunting deer inside.

In the air a Harry and a Ron Weasley materialized, apparently having night‑wandered in invisibility cloaks again. Their eyes were wide as saucers as they stared at Bai Lang and Diao. "Hey, Lang. What's this?" Ron Weasley asked, and Bai Lang patted Diao's head, "This is actually my pet, Diao."

Harry and Ron Weasley came over, a bit cautious yet admiring and envious in their gaze at Diao—because Diao's appearance was truly impressive, majestic, and its fur reflected a silvery sheen in the moonlight, and at that moment a few tufts of mane were beginning to sprout on its neck and head.

"It's fine, you can pet it; with me around it's actually gentle, just a big cat," Bai Lang said, while Diao never revealed its high intelligence or ability to speak human language. Harry was the first to reach out, stroking Diao's chin; the stiff hairs felt a bit prickly, but after a few scratches Diao's eyes narrowed, showing the contented expression of a large cat.

So Ron Weasley scratched a few times as well; Diao looked far more handsome than Hagrid's three‑headed dog, Lu Weike, and up close it wasn't smelly, its coat smooth and clean. The two quickly lost any fear and began to "play" with Diao, as Bai Lang had secretly instructed him, and Diao, still young, enjoyed frolicking with his master's friends.

Around ten past night, the three slipped back to the dormitory, only to have Hermione Granger, still in the common room, block Harry and Ron Weasley, while Bai Lang, swift as ever, slipped away before Hermione Granger could catch him. He heard Hermione Granger's scolding of Harry and Ron Weasley from behind, followed by a sly laugh, then the door shut.

The next night, Bai Lang found Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger… "We talked all day yesterday, and today we're still petting cats together…" Bai Lang laughed as Hermione Granger's full attention was on Diao; the elegant big cat made her let out a tiny squeal, then she rushed over to pat its head.

"Is it a Manticore? Ah no, a Manticore isn't like this." Hermione Granger rattled off words like a machine gun, naming various magical creatures that look like cats and then dismissing each, "A new creature? Lang, you discovered a new magical beast?!"

Bai Lang shook his head, "I think it's just some variant." He suspected it might have originally been a scorpion‑lion "egg," but the big‑shot who gave it as a gift caused it to mutate—didn't you notice Diao's head looks a bit like that big‑shot's after transformation? Hermione Granger was petting the cat gleefully, and since someone was willing to scratch and smooth Diao's fur, it naturally exercised its feline nature and granted them the right to do so.

"Later I probably can't keep it in the Forbidden Forest for Hagrid to look after; if anyone finds out it would cause trouble for Hagrid." Bai Lang said so, but when he mentioned it to the trio and Hagrid, Hagrid voiced strong opposition, "It's okay, let it stay here! I'll take good care of it; it's just too adorable."

Unable to sway Hagrid, the trio's persuasion was half‑hearted, and Hermione Granger kept hugging Diao's neck. Bai Lang could only say, "Fine, fine, as long as I'm still studying at Hogwarts, I'll keep it in the Forbidden Forest most of the time. Hagrid, this is my contribution for meals. Hey! You have to accept it; Diao's appetite keeps growing, I know, I can't let you keep paying."

On the weekend, Bai Lang basked in the sun from a high spot while Harry and the others went to Quidditch practice, and soon after, Neville ran over saying there was a fight. The Gryffindor team clashed with the Slytherin team. Ron Weasley seemed to have been backfired by a spell, turning into a man who vomited snot, and Draco Draco Malfoy shouted at Hermione Granger, "Mudblood."

"Aha, Draco Draco Malfoy." Bai Lang cheerfully leapt down from the height, grabbed his wand, and headed along the Black Lake toward the Quidditch pitch—on the way to Hagrid's hut in the Forbidden Forest, you have to pass the pitch. The Slytherin players there hadn't started training; they were gathered in small groups chatting, especially Draco Draco Malfoy and his two sidekicks mimicking Harry and Ron Weasley's earlier antics, teasing the other Slytherin students.

Bai Lang, wand in hand, stalked over, "Draco Draco Malfoy, I heard you just used the word 'Mudblood'; you were talking about me, weren't you? I have to say, Sir Draco Draco Malfoy, you really have guts!"