The House Cup Must Never Be Given Up

"Aaron, is it a dragon?" Hagrid asked expectantly.

Although Abei and Ryuu are not related in some ways, he has a certain intuition about such Fantastic Beasts, having raised so many of them.

Aaron hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding.

"A dragon, a special dragon."

However, it is neither a mutation nor a hybridization.

If I had to say, my Abei is the only, and most noble, being among dragons.

As soon as he finished speaking, four pairs of curious and surprised gazes fell on Abei, which made Aaron feel somewhat displeased, and he subconsciously hugged the pet in his arms tighter.

"Don't be nervous, Aaron," Dumbledore smile. "We won't do anything to it. After all, it played a really great role last night, even decisively."

If it weren't for it, Professors Snape and McGonagall might have suffered much more than just minor injuries.

Hogwarts can't afford to lose two professors, much less two heads of household, so... its contribution is immense.

"Thank you for the compliment."

"But merits and demerits are clearly distinguished." Dumbledore the subject. "We must acknowledge that you defended Hogwarts and even prevented a potential catastrophe."

However, the fact remains that you brought a Fantastic Beasts to this magic school, so you must accept some punishment.

I came up with a good idea, which was commendable but also flawed.

"The good and bad cancel each other out. You can keep it, but it can't be at school starting next semester. What do you think?"

Aaron frowned, feeling that the phrase "merits and demerits cancel each other out" was full of profound meaning.

"Professor, if I may ask, how is my contribution calculated?"

Dumbledore interlaced his fingers, placed his hands on the desk, and adopted a serious expression.

"The credit goes to the house grades. Harry, Hermione, and Ron, the three Gryffindor, performed exceptionally well last night, and I will give them some encouragement."

Of course, the same goes for you, and your reward will be even greater because you deserve it.

"Oh!"

Aaron suddenly realized that the only thing that could be related to the score was the House Cup.

Gryffindor is second to last, a few points ahead of Hufflepuff, so Slytherin's victory is practically a done deal.

However, if a major event causes Gryffindor's score to skyrocket, even surpassing the 150 points Harry and his friends lost, then that gap will be infinitely narrowed.

Unless Slytherin can also raise their score accordingly, it's not impossible for them to be overtaken.

But why did Dumbledore do this? Could it be that Slytherin's six consecutive House Cup victories were something even this old Warlock from Gryffindor couldn't stand?

It's possible, but the chances are very small.

The House Cup is an honor, but if it weren't for the System Mission, Aaron wouldn't even care about such a meaningless honor, let alone Dumbledore, the greatest White Magic of this century.

Thinking of this, a sudden inspiration flashed through Aaron's mind.

Dumbledore was indeed doing it for Gryffindor, or more precisely, for the three Warlock of Gryffindor, and even more precisely, for Harry Potter.

The honor of the House Cup can indeed greatly encourage him and make this boy, who is relatively unfamiliar with the Magical World, more confident, especially since he defeated Slytherin had won the House Cup for six consecutive years, in his first year of school.

It's unbelievable that he, a Slytherin, was favored by the Dark Lord, while Harry Potter, a Gryffindor, was favored by the White Lord.

"Okay! I've figured some things out." Aaron rubbed his temples and said in a serious tone, "But I'm sorry, I don't want to give up on this year's House Cup."

Dumbledore was taken aback; he hadn't expected Aaron to see through his intentions.

Snape frowned slightly. Aaron's words made him realize Dumbledore's purpose.

To be honest, he wasn't very interested in the House Cup, but he was very interested in defeating Gryffindor and putting Harry Potter down.

If Gryffindor the upper hand over Slytherin because of Harry and the others, he might be depressed for a while this Summer Holiday.

Professor McGonagall felt like she'd won the lottery; although Aaron hadn't agreed, it was only temporary.

Unless he can convince Dumbledore that it is justifiable for him to keep this Fantastic Beasts, which is obviously impossible.

"Let's talk about my mistake, Professor Dumbledore," Aaron said meaningfully, then glanced at Fawkes on the golden branch. "If keeping a Fantastic Beasts is a mistake, it seems that besides me, there are other people at Hogwarts who keep a Fantastic Beasts."

Headmaster Dumbledore, you can't be so hypocritical!

"I am the principal."

Does being a school principal make you superior to students?

"Or does the headmaster not have to follow Hogwarts ' rules?" Aaron retorted. "And I don't recall any rule against keeping Fantastic Beasts, do I?"

"It's not written down," Dumbledore voice, "But dangerous animals are not allowed to be kept as pets, for example... dragons, or Thunderbird."

They can cause a lot of damage with just a sneeze. There are too many people in the school, and most of them are not very strong. What if something unexpected happens?

Our authority on this matter might be better positioned to speak Hagrid it; he once kept an Acromantula, and the result was obvious—he was severely punished.

Hagrid lowered his head slightly and said in a somewhat dejected voice, "Aragog is innocent; it has nothing to do with that so-called Secret Chamber."

"But you can't deny its danger; it is inherently ferocious and instinctively preys on humans."

Even if it obeys you, Hagrid, you can't guarantee that it won't want a different taste someday, or something different.

"Um... well, I can guarantee my Abei is safe," Aaron said.

"It's a pity," Dumbledore shook his head. "Hagrid thought so too, but such a baseless guarantee is not convincing at all."

Moreover, a safe Fantastic Beasts wouldn't suddenly grow that big, much less dare to attack a Dark Wizard who could plunge the Magic World into panic.

Aaron, your pet is more powerful and more dangerous than you think.

"Professor, please forgive my bluntness."

If Abei really is as you say, then how do you explain your Fawkes?

The Phoenix is a powerful Magical Creatures; it is wondrous, and many Warlock who have seen dragons may not have even seen Phoenix.

"Yes!" Dumbledore. "The Phoenix is powerful, I don't deny that."

But the reason I can keep it is because I have tamed it; it listens to me and won't hurt anyone.

Many people can attest to this; the Order of Merlin, the Ministry of Magic, and the International Confederation of Wizards can all vouch for me. They all believe I have the ability.

"So that means I can support Abei as long as someone can vouch for me?" Aaron asked meaningfully.

"You could say that."

However, the guarantor cannot be too casual and needs to have sufficient authority.

If it's your parents, then don't mention it. They may be of high status, but in this matter, it's best to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

Aaron sighed. He was especially glad that he had made ample preparations before coming to the school, otherwise he really would have been caught off guard.

Who would have thought that the mighty White Lord, Julius, was just as petty as the Dark Lord, resorting to all sorts of tricks to bully a twelve-year-old student in order to achieve his own goals?

If it were anything else, Aaron might have tolerated it.

But the House Cup is related to his mission and is the first pot of gold he will earn on his path to growth, so he can't give it up.

"What's your decision?" Dumbledore asked, perhaps feeling a little embarrassed. "I've decided that as long as you can get enough collateral during the holidays, you can keep it at school."

However, this semester is different. If we hadn't discovered it, that would have been fine, but now that we have, we can't turn a blind eye. Please understand.

Aaron:...

They've all abused their power for personal gain, and they still have the nerve to ask others to be understanding?

"Alright, Gaius, let's leave it at that!" Snape feigned indifference. "It's just the House Cup, we can win it next year."

"No way," Aaron said righteously. "Although I'm not interested in that House Cup, what's mine is mine, and no one can take it away from me."

"But..."

"Wait a moment," Aaron interrupted him, taking a yellow paper from his pocket. "This is my guarantee."

Snape paused for a moment, then picked up the yellow paper and began to read it.

But after only a few glances, his hands involuntarily trembled. He then looked at Aaron with some surprise and asked incredulously, "Is this real?"

"If it's true, would anyone in the Magic World dare to joke about their names?"

"Hard to say!" Snape breathed a sigh of relief. "After all, I only know half of the names on this guarantee; I've never heard of the rest."

But with just this half, you can legally keep it.

This is the first time I've ever seen anyone go to such lengths for a Fantastic Beasts; it's truly unbelievable.