Chapter 213: Dragon Egg

“Oh, then I’m counting on you, En—after feeding the Thestrals, come with me to the library to pick up some books.”

Hagrid looked awkward, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated out of concern.

“What do you think of dragons? Those little… oh, adorable little creatures.”

On the way to feed the Thestrals, Hagrid asked tentatively.

“Newly arrived dragon eggs must be placed near fire.”

En recalled the large egg tucked under Hagrid’s blankets and said.

“Oh—my goodness—”

Hagrid dropped the raw meat he was carrying.

“Please, En, go with Fang! I have to go back—I think my stomach isn’t feeling well…”

Hagrid’s voice faded into the distance.

En sighed; he’d need to borrow books for Hagrid quickly—like “Raising Dragons for Fun and Profit,” which, though outdated, was comprehensive.

At least it wouldn’t happen again that a dragon egg was kept under blankets.

Hagrid should’ve known, but he’d been so excited all day—En thought he’d simply forgotten from overexcitement.

Since Neferet's proficiency was just short of the mark, Wizard Sean walked briskly toward the grove.

A tall, gnarled, jet-black winged horse appeared before En.

En stroked the upper part of its neck—this made the Thestral comfortable, and it was also Hagrid’s taught technique.

You gained the affection of the magical creature Thestral (Wu Wu) at a skilled level, Skill +10

【A new Magical Creatures field title has been unlocked—please check】

Huh?

En realized he’d forgotten: the Skilled title in Magical Creatures required the affection of three magical creatures.

So far, the magical creatures that had developed affection toward En were Mrs. Norris the Cat, the Thestral Wu Wu, and the Bowtruckle Tila.

The Magical Creatures field seemed to discourage gathering widespread affection; instead, it encouraged truly bonding with the creatures around you.

Thus, the Entry-level title required three slightly affectionate creatures, while the Skilled title still required three—but they had to be genuinely affectionate toward the wizard.

Once he understood, En looked down:

【Title: Magical Creatures Affinity】

【Greatly increases affinity toward magical creatures, greatly increases understanding of magical creatures】

Before En could process what “greatly increased affinity” meant, the normally reclusive Bowtruckles suddenly stirred. When En looked at them, their whiskers curled upward—the sign of “curiosity and delight.”

Wu Wu let out a cry, and the Bowtruckles vanished again—only Tila remained perched on En’s head, daring to stretch out its branch-like hands to touch Wu Wu.

Hm… it seemed that, because of him, the level of affection among magical creatures had also increased.

The Thestral cookies had completed their most critical preparation; after finishing the feeding task, En retrieved his planned map.

The red exclamation mark above the Forbidden Forest had vanished; the red exclamation mark above the Alchemy Office had lit up.

The International Alchemy Assembly drew nearer, leaving En little time to produce Thestral cookies.

On this bright, sunny day.

En entered Hagrid’s hut.

Fang rubbed against En’s legs; En patted its head and prepared to leave.

Fang appeared well-behaved at En’s feet, but it was, in fact, the dominant predator of the Forbidden Forest—this was what Hagrid told En:

“As long as you’re with me or Fang, no creature in the Forbidden Forest will harm you.”

En noticed, right in the center of the hearth, beneath the kettle, lay a large, soot-black egg.

En knew it was this egg that made the hut unbearably hot.

It was also this egg that made Hagrid, on such a warm, sunny day, keep adding logs to the roaring fireplace.

“Goodbye, Hagrid.”

En prepared to leave; a dragon yet to hatch seemed difficult to gain the affection of.

“I don’t know how to thank you, En—please, have a cup of tea before you go…”

Hagrid rose from his bed and hurriedly brewed tea for En.

En took a sip, but politely declined the weasel sandwich Hagrid offered next.

“Alright, En—I suppose you’ve already guessed… sharp-eyed child, nothing escapes your notice…”

He said, half-embarrassed, half-expectant.

“I can’t manage this alone—I’d like you to help me care for this little one… would you be willing…”

“I’m happy to help.”

En nodded; Hagrid beamed and hummed a tune, then escorted En to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

“Goodbye, see you tomorrow.”

He tried to hug En; En, remembering last time he nearly had his ribs broken, dodged swiftly.

Then the two fell into a long, silent stare.

“Ha—sorry, it’s my fault again—I forgot… next time I’ll definitely remember—”

Hagrid’s broad face flushed with embarrassment.

…

The Thestral cookie ritual proceeded flawlessly; with experience from the first two attempts, En grew increasingly familiar with the entire process.

While making the cookies, Hagrid asked him to help retrieve some books from the library.

But later, Hagrid abandoned reading the books—he realized he had a living library right beside him.

“Let me see… vertical texture, black egg… oh, En, do you know what kind of dragon this is…”

“Norwegian Ridgeback.”

“How rare—here it says the hatchling must be…”

“Feed it a bucket of chicken blood brandy every half-hour after hatching—according to ‘Raising Dragons for Fun and Profit.’”

“It says to be careful, but doesn’t say what to be careful about…”

“Be careful of its venomous fangs—and its early-developed fireball ability.”

Hagrid lacked much knowledge about dragon care, but since he kept asking En, he felt embarrassed—so he finally just blurted out his questions, turning embarrassment into resolution.

Though one was huge and the other small, the half-giant always listened to the little wizard.

This made Harry and Ron, who came to visit, feel strangely odd.

Even stranger was how naturally they interacted—as if they’d been doing so for years.

April was approaching.

A warm wind blew in from the Scottish coast, warming the entire Hogwarts Castle.

Winter’s chill seemed nearly gone; En’s alchemy had made tremendous progress.

He completed half the advancement tasks for his Expert title and had already produced Thestral cookies.

In the coming days, after the dragon hatched, he’d have ample time to observe it, increase its affection, and build his dragon legion.

But now they faced one problem—what should they name the dragon?

One more chapter coming soon.