Hogwarts : Max Level Unforgivable Curse

"That's fantastic, let's go!" Neville was thrilled to see that he had managed to persuade Dylan.

Hearing that there were even some tasty treats waiting for them made him even happier.

Dylan didn't bother packing up much. He just shoved his books onto the table and stood up, ready to head to Hagrid's hut with Neville.

"Moo~!" 

Coal, the cat, immediately followed.

"You want to come too?" Dylan chuckled.

"Moo!" Coal responded decisively.

"Alright, let's go." Dylan smiled, opening his arms to Coal.

Coal leaped into Dylan's embrace in one swift motion, as if transforming into a shadow.

Neville watched the fluffy Coal with envy. He wished he had such an adorable pet too.

"Wait, I think I forgot something again," Neville muttered, blinking as he stood still.

Just then, Dylan, who had already walked ahead, turned back and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Ah? No, nothing," Neville quickly shook his head and hurried to catch up.

Along the way, Neville tried his best to keep the conversation going so Dylan wouldn't get bored. Dylan played along, chatting with him the entire time.

When the two of them, along with Coal, arrived at Hagrid's hut, they found Hagrid standing at the door, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing them, Hagrid's eyes lit up.

"Two young wizards! Why haven't I seen Harry and the others today?"

Dylan approached, "Harry has a match, and Ron went to watch."

"What, a match? Oh! I can't go, what a shame!" Hagrid looked genuinely disappointed.

But soon, his attention was drawn to Dylan's messy hair. "Did those pesky ghosts play a prank on you?"

"No…"

Hagrid blinked, then looked down at Coal in Dylan's arms.

"Hey there, little one! Are you here to play with everyone today?"

Coal had snuck out once before and ended up here, so he and Hagrid were already acquainted.

In a flash, Coal jumped into Hagrid's open arms, playfully tugging at Hagrid's thick beard, which made Hagrid burst into laughter.

Despite his large size, Hagrid handled Coal with surprising gentleness. He scratched Coal's chin lightly and gestured for Dylan and Neville to come inside.

The hut was warm and filled with the scent of wood and smoke.

As Coal hopped around the spacious room, Hagrid went to the kitchen and brought out a plate of pastries.

"I just made a fresh batch of rock cakes today. Would you like to try one?"

Neville, remembering Dylan's mention of something delicious, nodded eagerly.

"Please, give me one!"

"Of course," Hagrid handed Neville an entire rock cake, uncut.

"I'll pass. I just ate, and it's still a bit early for afternoon tea," Dylan politely declined with a smile.

"Alright," Hagrid nodded, then looked at Neville expectantly.

Neville's eyes sparkled as he grabbed the rock cake and, under Dylan's equally expectant gaze, took a big bite.

"Crunch—!"

Neville's eyes widened instantly.

His mouth hung open, his facial muscles twitching in pain, and his expression quickly turned to one of dismay.

"Ouch…" Neville instinctively covered his mouth, looking at Dylan with a pitiful expression.

Dylan stifled a laugh, his lips curling upward as his shoulders shook. Finally, he couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! It's actually really tasty, just a bit hard to chew, that's all."

"Dylan!" Neville glared at him, pretending to be angry as he lightly punched Dylan's arm.

Hagrid scratched his head, "Still too hard to bite? Well…"

Fang, Hagrid's dog, had already seized the opportunity and trotted over, wagging his tail and looking at Neville expectantly.

Neville glanced at Hagrid.

"Go ahead, give it to him. He loves them," Hagrid nodded.

Neville handed the rock cake—or rather, the building material—to Fang, who happily gobbled it up.

Dylan finally stopped laughing and explained the reason for their visit.

"Special fertilizer for the Firethorn plant?"

Hagrid was momentarily confused. "Didn't I already send some to Professor Sprout?"

Dylan clarified, "Professor Sprout has it, but Neville doesn't. She specifically assigned Neville to take care of the Firethorn, and the previous batch of fertilizer has run out. It's not convenient to ask the professor for more now."

"Ah, I see," Hagrid nodded in understanding.

Firethorns were notoriously difficult to care for. They were temperamental and required a specially formulated fertilizer. Without it, the plant might get so upset it could spontaneously combust.

"But Professor Sprout entrusted you with such a delicate plant? She must think highly of you," Hagrid remarked.

Neville blushed, "It's all thanks to Dylan."

Indeed, the reason Professor Sprout had assigned Neville to care for the Firethorn was largely due to Dylan's influence. After class, Dylan had been taking extra lessons with Professor Sprout, and he had put in a good word for Neville. Plus, Neville had a natural talent for Herbology.

So, Professor Sprout figured that if she was already giving Dylan extra lessons, she might as well include Neville. This led to Neville being called in whenever Dylan had his private sessions with the professor.

Though the pace was fast, Neville had made significant progress over the course of these extra lessons.

"The special fertilizer for Firethorns isn't easy to make. It requires a lot of ingredients, but the Forbidden Forest has plenty of materials. If we gather enough and mix them properly, we can create a substitute that should work just as well. Would that be alright?"

"Of course!" Neville agreed without hesitation.

Dylan, who had only come along to accompany Neville, stayed quiet as the two discussed the matter. Instead, he turned his gaze out the window.

The Forbidden Forest loomed outside, its tall trees and dense foliage blocking much of the view.

"The Forbidden Forest… it's a great place," Dylan mused to himself.

Lately, he had been spending a lot of time working on potions with Professor Snape. Almost every private lesson with Snape involved the professor providing the materials.

Dylan felt it was inappropriate to keep relying on Snape for supplies, especially since the professor's ingredients were meant for advanced potions. Using them for his own practice seemed wasteful.

So, where could he get the materials he needed?

(End of Chapter)