Chapter 216

Whether it was Severus constantly using his wand to help the baby dragon hatch, or his innate affinity for magical creatures, the dragon’s affection for him grew rapidly.

This gave Severus hope that he might produce dragon cookies before the International Alchemy Assembly.

The dragon grew quickly; it could not possibly stay in Hagrid’s hut much longer, and Severus had only three weeks to raise its affection by three thousand points—to reach “Familiar (Skilled).”

So Severus freed up much of his time to visit Hagrid’s hut, studying the dragon’s habits and nurturing it according to the methods in the books.

While Hagrid fumbled about feeding the baby dragon dead mice, Severus had already asked Mr. Gert to send various meats; within just a few days, the tiny dragon had grown twice its original size.

This filled Harry and the others with deep worry, especially now that Malfoy seemed to have spied on what they were doing.

“In another two weeks, Norbert will be as long as Hagrid’s house.”

Hermione frowned.

“And Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment.”

Ron groaned.

Harry suddenly turned to Ron.

“Charlie.”

He said.

“You’ve gone addled,”

Ron said,

“I’m Ron—remember that?”

“No—Charlie—your brother Charlie. In Romania, the one who studies dragons. We should send Norbert to him. Charlie can care for it and release it back into the wild.”

“Brilliant!”

Ron and Hermione’s eyes lit up.

…

Compared to their mounting distress, Severus—who knew the outcome—remained calm and composed.

At this rate, in another week, Norbert’s affection would reach “Familiar,” and Severus relaxed his mind, preparing to turn to other projects.

The proficiency of his Plan Map had reached Expert, and Severus needed only two mid-rank alchemy creations to unlock the Expert Alchemy Title.

One morning.

Severus had just begun sipping pumpkin sweet milk when a commotion erupted overhead. Hundreds of owls burst into the Great Hall, circling and dropping letters and packages among the chatting students.

A large, bulging package landed on Neville’s head; he pulled out its contents and found an automatic curling wand.

And a note:

【Don’t forget to tidy up your changed clothes.】

Unfortunately, Neville seemed to have forgotten how to use the curling wand; when he touched the handle, it began spinning wildly behind him.

The Great Hall erupted in laughter; finally, Hermione and Jia Jia Siting had to hold down Neville, whose arms flailed wildly, while the other forcibly yanked the wand away.

Severus watched quietly, his mind already forming new ideas.

The Caretaker’s Office.

Though a strange, oppressive aura still lingered, the room was now much brighter and cleaner; the windows automatically mimicked Hogwarts’ weather, soft white clouds drifting lazily, with birds occasionally flitting past.

Mr. Filch was watering the flowers; on the windowsill sat a violet—Mrs. Norris’s favorite. Without sunlight, flowers could not survive in the Caretaker’s Office.

“Mr. Filch.”

It was Severus knocking.

“Come in, Green.”

The biting doorknob gnashed and tugged wildly; Severus tapped it with his wand, and it fell still.

This was Severus’s new discovery: due to his familiarity with alchemy creations’ structures and his strong perception of internal magical flow,

he could use minute magical energy to halt or even directly disrupt their magic.

Severus pushed open the door, holding a broom; Mr. Filch immediately noticed the strange broom.

“This is the Cleaning Broom, sir. It can help you clean the castle.”

Severus’s eyes sparkled.

The inspiration for the Cleaning Broom came from automatic tools in wizarding households—like the self-cleaning dish basin and self-mending needles at the Weasleys’.

Now Severus had crafted an automated sweeping broom, imbued with will through Transfiguration and inscribed with the Cleaning Charm and the Disillusionment Charm.

This way, Mr. Filch wouldn’t be so furious about the messes wizarding students brought in.

Consider this: a single student returning from a rainy day could leave enough mud to keep Mr. Filch cleaning for an hour—and just the Gryffindor Quidditch team alone could keep him busy all night in the rain.

At the entrance to the Caretaker’s Office, Mr. Filch always stood frozen in such moments; he never managed to thank Severus before he left.

“Ah, Mrs. Norris, Mrs. Norris…”

In the end, he just hugged Mrs. Norris and retreated into the Caretaker’s Office.

The Cleaning Broom also tidied up the Hope Hut, and it was known to the hut’s residents even before the Plan Map.

Another week passed.

In Hagrid’s hut, Norbert was now as large as a big cardboard box; Severus directed a barrel of meat to feed him.

【You have gained the affection of the Norwegian Ridgeback (Norbert) at a Skilled level. Proficiency +10.】

Today, Norbert finally showed affection toward Severus.

And today, Norbert was to be sent away.

As Severus had anticipated, Ron had contacted his brother Charlie, who would send someone to retrieve Norbert from the Astronomy Tower.

“Be careful.”

Severus watched Hagrid try to pick up Norbert and couldn’t help warning him.

“Heh—he’s fine. He only bit my boot—he’s just playing—he’s still just a little baby, after all.”

The baby dragon thumped its tail against the wall, making the windows rattle.

Severus now reasonably suspected that Hagrid believed magical creatures liked him partly because they simply couldn’t do anything about him.

Thus, a dark, stormy night descended.

The five in the Hope Hut were all tense and excited.

They were going on a nighttime excursion—and transporting a dragon!

Norbert was now packed inside a large cardboard box; Severus cast the Levitation Charm to lift it, otherwise Harry and the others had no idea how to move it.

Walking through the dark outside the castle, Severus once again obediently broke school rules.

Inside the Invisibility Cloak, Harry and the others could almost hear their own loud heartbeats.

Severus and Jia Jia Siting cast the Disillusionment Charm; the once-ancient castle now looked like a monstrous beast devouring the night. Aside from Severus, who remained calm, the other students in the hut couldn’t help but imagine worst-case scenarios.

Harry worried that Malfoy might have already reported them to Headmaster Dumbledore, and they were now just waiting to be caught and expelled.

Hermione feared Mrs. Norris might appear at any moment—would they be discovered by the caretaker?

Ron, nervous and half-starved from skipping dinner, wondered whether they could sneak to the kitchens after delivering Norbert.

So they climbed the marble steps of the Entrance Hall, walked through the pitch-black corridors, ascended one floor, then another…