The Floo Network's Destination: The Burrow

The Three-Headed Dog Fluffy's eyes lit up. He flailed his claws, whining as he tried to pounce at Vizet.

Hagrid had a fair bit of strength in him. When he realized Fluffy had woken up, he lifted Fluffy over his head with ease.

He shouted excitedly, "Fluffy, you're awake! You're so cute, you were born for Mummy to kiss..."

Vizet wiped sweat from his brow behind him. Only someone with Hagrid's build could single-handedly hoist a Three-Headed Dog the size of an African lion into the air.

"It seems I've come at a bad time?"

At this moment, just like before, a familiar voice sounded, and Dumbledore appeared in front of the two of them.

"Head... Headmaster Dumbledore!" Hagrid seemed startled, and like he was hiding a present, he quickly tucked Fluffy behind him.

Unfortunately, Fluffy was about the size of an African lion. Even with Hagrid's more-than-three-meter-tall build, he could not hide him.

"A Three-Headed Dog pup. He looks a little thin." Dumbledore wore a smile. "That new den you hammered together at school—is it for him?"

"Heh heh... heh heh..." Hagrid laughed apologetically, his smile very forced. "Fluffy's still little... I don't want him to keep being dragged around."

"I understand, of course." Dumbledore nodded. "It's just that, in that case, I'm afraid we won't be able to take the Knight Bus."

"Vizet, would you like to try another way to travel? There's a more economical option. I've already spoken to Molly."

"More economical?" Vizet remembered he still had not paid the fare from that morning and quickly took out a gold coin, stuffing it into Hagrid's trouser pocket.

Hagrid said urgently, "Vizet, you don't have to do that! You saved me more than two hundred Galleons!"

Vizet waved his hand. "That's different. One thing is one thing."

"Hagrid, just take it." Dumbledore's smile grew even kinder. "Vizet, let's go! The Floo Network is definitely a fine way to travel!"

The three of them returned to the Leaky Cauldron.

It was still noisy here. The flames in the corner Fireplace were blazing, making the atmosphere in the pub even livelier.

Dumbledore picked up the flowerpot on the Fireplace, which was filled with powder that glittered like starlight.

"It's very simple to use. You only need to grab a handful of Floo Powder, throw it into the Fireplace, and call out the place you want to go—the Burrow!"

As he spoke, he demonstrated, scattering a handful of Floo Powder.

The flames that touched the Floo Powder surged up in an instant, and the bright red fire turned Emerald Green.

"Vizet, overcome your fear of fire. The flames in the Fireplace won't hurt you. Guided by magic, they will take you home."

Listening to Dumbledore's soft, gentle words, Vizet nodded and pushed the little trolley straight into the flames.

"Headmaster Dumbledore..." Hagrid huddled in the corner with Fluffy. "How should we get back to school?"

Dumbledore made an inviting gesture. "I've already arranged for a Thestral, but it won't arrive that quickly."

Tom appeared at just the right moment, carrying over a large pot of tea and a big cake that had been sliced.

Seeing the cake wrapped in sweet, cloying cream, Dumbledore's eyebrows relaxed, and he looked delighted. "I'm very interested in the Three-Headed Dog's origins. Could you tell me about it?"

Hagrid perked up. "Of course! Where do you want me to start? How I got to know Fluffy? It was right here in the Leaky Cauldron..."

"I'd like to know how you bought Fluffy." Dumbledore waved his hand. "From what I heard of your conversation just now, Vizet seems to have helped you a great deal?"

"Yes! Yes!" Hagrid nodded again and again. "If it weren't for him, I definitely would've been extorted by those people! Here's what happened..."

"Vizet entrusted me with five hundred Galleons. How could I let those people search me? When I saw him show up then, I was scared to death..."

"He was too clever. I hadn't even worked out what exactly had happened, but those people really did sell him for only a hundred and seventy Galleons. What kind of discount was that..."

He was so excited that he waved his arms and legs about. Even Fluffy, who had originally fallen into a deep sleep, crawled up again. Whenever he heard the name "Vizet," he would bark along a few times.

A gratified look appeared on Dumbledore's face. "Using everything he had seen and heard throughout the day to turn the situation around so easily."

"To come up with such a perfect solution in such an urgent situation... honestly, even I couldn't have done better."

Hagrid nodded repeatedly in agreement. "That's why I said it! If Vizet hadn't come, I really don't know what I would've done!"

Dumbledore asked with a smile, "Hagrid, I can tell you like this child very much."

"Fluffy likes him very much too!" Hagrid rubbed Fluffy's head. "But so many people still misunderstand him... It's all those reports' fault!"

"They'll soon have something new to report on." Dumbledore stroked his beard. "In a few days, it will be Harry's birthday. I'll need you to make a trip then."

"Harry?" Hagrid opened his mouth. "Harry Potter? That's right! He's old enough to start school too."

"Of course I'll do it! I haven't seen him in ten years! Back then, he was still a tiny little thing, just this small."

"Yes, it has been ten years..." Dumbledore suddenly sighed. "For a long time to come, things may be very busy... The Thestral is here. We should return to school."

Just as Dumbledore had said, the flames did not harm Vizet.

A strange roaring sound filled his ears. It was as if he were inside a whirlpool, with one Fireplace exit after another flashing past before his eyes.

A boy's startled cry suddenly came from ahead. "Mum! The Fireplace is reacting! Come and look!"

A more mature male voice said, "Vizet came back from Diagon Alley, so he must have brought quite a few things. Ron, stand back a little. Be careful."

A force pushed him from behind, and Vizet stepped out of the fireplace. What came into view was a living room built from crooked, uneven stones.

A tall red-haired boy stood in front of him and held out his hand with quite a bit of style. "Hello, I'm Percy Weasley, Gryffindor prefect."

Another red-haired boy appeared and smiled a little shyly. "I'm Ron. I'm starting school this year too!"

A hand suddenly appeared beneath Percy's. "Hello! I'm Fred Weasley, the younger brother who's always getting points taken off by the prefect."

Right after that, another hand appeared and covered Percy's palm. "Hello! I'm George Weasley, another younger brother who gets points taken off by the prefect."

"Shut up!" Percy snapped. "If you two behaved yourselves, who would take points off you?"

"That's Percy for you!" The two identical-looking boys shook their heads and sighed as if bitterly disappointed. "I'm starting to wonder if he's really our brother. Not a bit of humor in him."

Four boys stood in front of Vizet. All of them had freckles on their faces and heads of red hair.

Percy was dressed the most formally, in a black robe, with a gold-and-red badge hanging at his chest.

A pair of gold-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, giving him a rule-abiding, bookish air.

Fred and George wore cheeky grins. Their clothes were not only old, but also marked with the smoky, scorched traces of magic.

Ron stood at the very back, eyes shining, craning his neck as he looked around curiously.

"All right!" A middle-aged woman in an apron appeared and pulled Fred and George aside.

She bent down to look Vizet over, straightening his collar for him while she was at it. "I'm Molly. Coming back this late—have you had dinner? Shall I cook you something?"

Vizet looked over the large group of people. In their eyes, there was not the slightest distance or fear, and a sense of warmth rose in him.

He smiled and shook his head. "Thank you, but I don't think that's necessary. Mr. Lovegood left dinner for me."