Who Sent the Firebolt? The Dragon Claw in the Crystal Ball

Christmas.

Aaron woke up early in the morning to find a pile of gift boxes at the foot of his bed.

He pulled out Jeans ' gift from among them, a Crystal Ball that was sparkling clear.

"I know." Aaron carefully placed the Crystal Ball on the table and, following the method taught by Professor Trelawney, began to Divination with focused attention.

After more than ten minutes, he only saw some blurry fragments on the Crystal Ball.

A stemmed glass, inside which danced blue flames, and besides, a blue claw.

Aaron shook his head violently, and it took him a while to come to his senses.

He has been studying Divination for less than half a year and can barely be considered a Divination apprentice. Using Crystal Ball to Divination the future is still quite energy-consuming for him at present.

"That paw looks like..."

Aaron looked thoughtful, then turned to look at Abei, who was rolling around on the cotton candy bed, and felt a sudden toothache.

There shouldn't be any problem, right? Although his dragon is a bit mischievous, it won't cause any trouble.

Aaron tried to reassure himself, but lacked confidence, before opening the gift his father had sent.

Just as he thought it was a postcard, a familiar file folder appeared before him, with several messages on it:

This is guaranteed to be much more detailed than the previous one.

I hope you can choose carefully and don't keep us waiting too long.

Gollum!

Aaron couldn't help but swallow hard, and subconsciously took a few steps back.

On a perfectly good Christmas, Ju Tong delivered a file folder of blind date profiles to him. Was she just trying to annoy him? This is worse than a postcard!

Creak!

A floorboard in the corner was opened, and the Thought Form emerged from it.

"Merry Christmas."

"Stop teasing me, this is the worst Christmas I've ever had." Aaron shoved the file folder into the gift box, intending to leave it to gather dust in the Chamber of Secrets.

"How's the renovation going downstairs?"

"You know, Transfiguration isn't a magic bullet." The Thought Form sighed meaningfully. "We're not Salazar Slytherin; the resources we can mobilize are quite limited."

"Change as much as you can!"

"At the very least, the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, training room, Potions Room must be separated."

"I am, after all... I am the one living down there."

Aaron gave an awkward laugh. "I'm going to eat now. You can make your own arrangements. Don't forget to practice your Magic Array."

Thought Form:...

Upon entering the Great Hall, a large dining table was placed in the center.

Since many students chose to spend Christmas at home, there were only about a dozen people eating here: Headmaster Dumbledore, the heads of the four houses, the administrators Filch, Harry, Ron, Hermione, two first-year students, and one fifth-year student.

"Gaius, have a seat!" Dumbledore a smile.

Aaron sat down at the table without hesitation, and Abei also got a seat and began to enjoy a hearty breakfast.

"Did you give Harry a Christmas present?" Ron asked curiously.

"A broom model! I mentioned it before."

"Really?" Ron was a little skeptical. "This morning, Harry did receive Magic Broom. In addition to the Nimbus 2000 specimen, he also received a world-standard Firebolt."

We've eliminated everyone we could, and now you're the only one left with this ability.

"If it really was you who sent it, just admit it openly, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," Hermione said with a smile.

"But it really wasn't me." Aaron shook his head. "I'm sorry for that Nimbus 2000, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give him the best Flying Broomstick. You can't spend money like that."

"If it's not you, then who could it be?" Harry frowned slightly. There was no signature on the broom, and he didn't know any wealthy people who could spend so much money on him.

"How would I know? Maybe it's Hagrid."

"Impossible, absolutely not him," Ron said with absolute certainty. "Hagrid could never afford a Firebolt."

"Heh!" Aaron couldn't help but scoff. "How ignorant. Hagrid may look a bit slovenly, but he is definitely one of the few wealthy people at Hogwarts."

Don't forget that he relied on a Forbidden Forest, with Unicorn feathers, Acromantula Venom, Hippogriff, and so on, plus various precious herbs found in the Forbidden Forest.

If he wanted to, he could easily sell something in Diagon Alley and earn as much as a professor.

The three looked at each other in disbelief. They hadn't expected Hagrid to be so rich. He usually didn't even own a decent set of clothes, and his living conditions were... well, let's just say they were terrible.

But he turned out to be a nouveau riche hiding among them, which truly dazzled them.

"Even so, it wouldn't be Hagrid," Hermione said after a moment's thought. "He's been preoccupied with dealing with the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures these days and hasn't had any time at all."

"Buckbeak?" Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Isn't this dragging on a bit too long?"

"He needs to prepare a strong and comprehensive defense; if he loses, Buckbeak might..."

"Yes." Aaron nodded. "So all these days you've been running around the library to help him find some useful case studies."

"That's right, the results weren't very good," Harry said regretfully. "Almost no cases of defending Fantastic Beasts have been successful."

"I also advise you not to waste your energy. Many people saw Draco injured. In the face of such irrefutable evidence, any defense is futile."

"But Malfoy provoked us," Harry said indignantly.

I do not deny that.

"That's completely unimportant; Malfoy's safety is far more important than a wild and unruly Fantastic Beasts."

"I don't think so," Ron said, displeased.

"But that's what most people think, and most importantly, that they have power, influence, and money. That's what Lucius Malfoy thinks, and he won't let Draco get hurt for nothing."

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on the faces of all three.

Unless Lucius Malfoy shows mercy, Hagrid's defeat is a foregone conclusion, and Buckbeak will certainly face execution.

After a brief silence, Hermione turned her gaze to Aaron. "If Gaius is willing to help, Malfoy should change his mind, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Harry and Ron looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I may have to disappoint you," Aaron said bluntly. "I'm not familiar with Buckbeak, so I have no reason to save it."

Besides, Draco is my friend. What would he think if I saved the Hippogriff who had hurt him?

"So there's no hope?" Harry lowered his head, somewhat dejected.

"It's not that there isn't one," Aaron said in a low voice. "We can just secretly release it."

Buckbeak is, after all, Hippogriff, and even the Ministry of Magic would have to expend a lot of effort and time to capture a flying Fantastic Beasts.

Based on his understanding of Fudge, he would most likely resolve the matter by turning a major issue into a minor one, and a minor one into a minor one.

"Sigh!" Hermione shook her head slowly. "If the Ministry of Magic fails to supervise properly, they will hold Hagrid accountable. Last year, Azkaban instilled great fear in him, and going back in would drive him insane."

"Then there's nothing I can do to help, unless..."

"Unless what?" Harry asked urgently.

"Unless Buckbeak is released and has nothing to do with Hagrid, for example, it suddenly breaks free during transport, or it scratches the executioner and escapes during the execution."

This would then fall under the Ministry of Magic's responsibility, but given your abilities, it's virtually impossible for you to accomplish this.

Harry, his two friends, and the others exchanged glances, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

This idea is a bit bad, but it's still much better than being helpless.

Aaron was speechless when he saw their expressions.

However, he didn't intend to stop them; if things really came to that, they would back down.

"Speaking of which, if Hagrid didn't send the Firebolt, then who did?"

"I might know." Hermione bit her lip, glancing at Harry and Ron with a complicated expression. "I guess it might be Sirius Black Black."

"That's impossible, absolutely impossible."

Harry and Ron said in unison.

Sirius Black Black was a wanted criminal; he had no money to buy Firebolt, let alone give them to his enemy Firebolt, Harry Potter.

"That's possible," Hermione said with a troubled expression. "He can't get into Hogwarts, but sending a broom over isn't difficult. What if he's cast Curse on us?"

I suggest Professor McGonagall take a look and examine it carefully first.

"It can't be that bad!" Aaron chuckled sheepishly. "If Sirius Black wanted to use such methods to harm Harry, he wouldn't need to send him a Flying Broomstick. Sending him some snacks with a little poison would have been just as good."

"And this is Firebolt, the most expensive Flying Broomstick in the world. Spending so much money just to make Harry fall off during Quidditch Match? Isn't that ridiculous?"

"You're absolutely right." Harry wholeheartedly agreed. He'd only had the Firebolt for a few hours; he hadn't even warmed it up yet, and he couldn't bear to hand it over.

Hermione realized she was being a bit of a worrywart, gave an awkward laugh, and started eating breakfast.

Just then, the Great Hall doors suddenly opened, and Professor Trelawney walked in. Perhaps to match the festive atmosphere, she was dressed much more brightly than usual.

"Sybill," Dumbledore laughed, "Is truly a delightful surprise!"

"I was looking at the Crystal Ball just now, and fate led me here. Please forgive me for being late," Professor Trelawney said, his voice trembling slightly. "Thirteen people?"

I, Merlin! When thirteen people are dining together, the first one to stand up will surely be the first to die.

"Including you, that makes fourteen professors." Aaron said somewhat speechlessly. Trelawney's Divination skills were impeccable, but he was just a bit mystical.

Dumbledore waved his Wand and conjured a chair next to Aaron. "Please sit down, Sybill."

Trelawney hesitated for a moment, then slowly sat down.

"Didn't Professor Lupin come?"

"Professor Lupin is sick and probably won't be back until next semester," Harry said with some concern. "He looks a little weak."

"It's alright," Dumbledore reassured him. "Professor Snape will prepare Potions for him."

Snape nodded expressionlessly.

"Professor, I have a question about Divination that I'd like to ask you," Aaron said after a moment's hesitation.

"You ask, Mr. Gaius." Trelawney seemed particularly excited, and the others looked at him with interest.

"I did Divination with Crystal Ball today, but the future I saw was a strange cup with blue and white flames inside."

"The Goblet of Fire?" Dumbledore said in surprise. "You actually read the Goblet of Fire?"

"What is the Goblet of Fire, sir?" Harry asked curiously.

"A powerful magical artifact." Dumbledore hesitated, then added, "I believe you will soon find out."

"Hmm..." Professor Trelawney pondered for a moment, "You only read The Goblet of Fire?"

"I also saw a paw." Aaron said somewhat awkwardly, raising Abei's right paw.

"It?"

Trelawney blinked, somewhat bewildered, then gaped in disbelief. "All I can say is, Mr. Gaius, you have a magical pet, and its role is crucial."

Aaron:...

That's it?

Harry, his two companions, and several professors nodded subconsciously, having no doubt about it. Among the dragons, Abei was the most mysterious and unpredictable.