Meeting Nagini

Tonight, the sky was clear and cloudless. Beneath the bright moonlight, the ancient trees overhead cast chilly, dense shadows.

While Hermione was busy vomiting her guts out, Jon searched in every direction, expanding his force field as well. Only after a long while did he spot a house half-hidden among the tangled roots and trees.

Choosing such a place to build a house was rather strange. Or rather, letting those huge trees grow beside it had been a thoroughly idiotic decision. After all, the trees blocked all the light, as well as the valley below.

No one was surely living here now, so the house looked utterly dilapidated. Moss covered the walls, many roof tiles had fallen away, and the rafters beneath were exposed here and there.

Dense nettles grew around the house, rising as high as the windows. The windows were very small and thick with years of grime.

"What exactly... is this place? Why is it so creepy?"

"Creepy? It's all right."

Jon thought of what Hermione might face in the future, smiled, and said nothing more.

Because tonight, they were facing someone like that.

"Given that there will be many things for you to do next, I've decided to start teaching you some courses ahead of time. Of course, these courses are secret. You'll still need to act surprised in front of Harry... when you hear these things from him. But you also need to understand one thing: standing behind you is one of the strongest wizards in this world, second only to the Legendary Wizard Dumbledore. So you don't need to worry about your safety. You only need to know that you are Harry's closest friend, and that you also need to keep his emotions in check."

"I don't think I can do that. It really