"Welcome to Hogwarts! Annie, Miss Granger, welcome to both of you! Um, would either of you like something to drink?"
At Hogwarts Headmaster's office, Dumbledore had invited Annie to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry early that morning. After warmly ushering the two girls into their seats, Dumbledore pulled all sorts of odds and ends from a cabinet on the wall.
Naturally, Hermione had come with Annie this time as well. As one of the people involved in yesterday's Gringotts incident, she had also been invited by Dumbledore.
The main reason Dumbledore had invited Hermione too was that he felt she and little Annie were fairly familiar with each other. Hermione was also his student, so with her present, the atmosphere might not be quite so awkward. Besides, this back-and-forth would help bring him closer to the little girl Annie, making it easier for him to build a rapport with her—or raise their friendship level, as it were.
Dumbledore maintained a cautious attitude toward this mysterious little girl named Annie. He had no idea what kind of variable she would introduce into the Wizarding World. Fortunately, from yesterday's interaction, he had learned through their conversation and her actions that the girl was not actually violent or bloodthirsty, nor did she harbor any extreme ideas about bullying the weak with her strength. Of course, those who deliberately provoked her were another matter!
In fact, Dumbledore did not think Annie's actions at Gringotts yesterday had been excessive. He could see that the little girl had already exercised considerable restraint. Although it had looked like a fierce fight, the outcome had been only one dead dragon and two dead Goblins. If he, Dumbledore, had been cheated out of several thousand Galleons by a Goblin, he probably would have gone on a killing spree too. And in that case, certainly more than just two Goblins would have died!
"Or perhaps you'd like some Cockroach Clusters? They're really delicious. Have some?" Seeing that neither girl wanted anything to drink, Dumbledore produced a large glass jar and presented it to them like a treasure. Hundreds of candy Roaches crawled densely inside.
"No!!!"
Annie and Hermione rejected him together without even thinking about it.
What kind of joke was this? That rotten old man had actually invited two girls to eat moving cockroach candy? Just looking at it killed their appetites! Anyone with even a halfway normal emotional intelligence wouldn't do something like this, would they? No wonder Dumbledore had been single for ten thousand years! He didn't even know how to please two little girls, and he did things without considering their feelings at all. Cockroaches—candy or not—were probably something very few girls would dare put into their mouths. What kind of taste did someone need to have to swallow that?
"You really don't want any? Oh! All right! What a shame. Perhaps you really should try one. They actually taste quite good, truly! I'm definitely not lying to you!" As he spoke, Dumbledore reached into the glass jar and grabbed one. He quickly tossed it into his mouth, then bit it viciously in half before it could crawl back out. He began chewing it noisily, and until he swallowed, half a cockroach leg poked from the corner of his mouth, wriggling all the while.
Whoa! Is there something wrong with this rotten old man's head? He can actually eat that? That's disgusting!
When she saw the way the rotten old man Dumbledore ate, Annie recoiled several steps in fright. By accident, she seemed to bump into a metal stand, and a clear cry rang out behind her. When Annie turned around, she discovered that a small bird with red feathers was circling her in obvious displeasure.
"Huh? What kind of bird is this?" Annie sensed a trace of flame-like power within the bird and grew curious. It was a very peculiar bird. Could it be this rotten old man's pet?
"Ah! That's Fawkes! He's actually a magical phoenix. Annie, he says you accidentally bumped into his perch just now and disturbed his sleep." Seeing that neither girl wanted a drink or any candy, Dumbledore could only hurriedly put all the bottles and jars away.
"A phoenix?" Annie tilted her head and blinked. She looked at the red bird, then suddenly thought of something. She quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out an egg of the same fiery-red color.
"Then this is a Phoenix Egg, right? Will it be like him after it hatches?" Annie had bought it at the pet shop yesterday, spending five thousand Galleons on it. But to Annie, that wasn't too expensive. After all, the Goblins had paid her a huge pile of gold on the spot. All things considered, she had actually made a huge profit.
"It's really a Phoenix Egg? May I take a look first?" Dumbledore was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Annie to possess something like this. He took the red egg, carefully placed it on the stone tabletop, adjusted his spectacles, and leaned forward to examine it closely.
"It should be genuine. The aura on it is very similar to Fawkes's... Extremely similar!" After studying it for a while, Dumbledore decided that this was indeed a phoenix egg.
Who would have thought someone could really get a Phoenix Egg? Did they buy it at a pet shop? Pet shops actually have such good things? Perhaps I should look around for bargains when I have the time. But for now, I'd better deal with this egg first. With that, Dumbledore began beckoning to his phoenix, Fawkes.
"Fawkes, come over here for a moment." Since it was a Phoenix Egg, he would let his phoenix, Fawkes, take a look. After all, they were human beings and could not understand these magical bird eggs.
Fawkes had been circling above the three of them. Upon hearing Dumbledore's call, he immediately swooped down and landed on the tabletop. He curiously circled the red egg twice, then leaned forward and lightly pecked the shell twice before giving Dumbledore a cry.
"There's good news! Annie, Fawkes says this really is a phoenix egg, and he should be able to help you hatch it." Dumbledore understood the meaning of Fawkes's cry and smiled at Annie. "Would you like to hatch it now?"
"Huh? It can be hatched? Great! Hurry, hurry!" Annie had been worrying about what to do ever since she got the egg.
She had even considered putting it over a fire to roast it, but she was afraid she might accidentally cook it. If she couldn't think of a way soon, she might really have cracked and fried it out of frustration. Who could have imagined that she would run into a phoenix at exactly this moment—one that could help her hatch the egg? This was fantastic!
"All right, then. Let's move a little farther away so we don't get in Fawkes's way." Dumbledore pulled Annie and Hermione a short distance from the table before signaling that Fawkes could begin.
Fawkes tilted his head and glanced at the three people standing away from the tabletop. Only after they had moved far enough away did he spread his wings and take flight again. After circling the red egg twice, he suddenly dived downward.
With a clear cry, a mass of flame burst from Fawkes's beak and struck the red egg directly. The entire stone tabletop became shrouded in fire, making it seem as though the egg itself were melting. Fawkes, meanwhile, quickly flew back to his perch. He looked somewhat listless, so the burst of flame had clearly consumed a great deal of his strength. He would need a good rest.
When the flames gradually died down, Annie and Hermione impatiently crowded forward. They saw a wrinkled hatchling with sparse feathers—hardly any at all—lying on the stone table with its head drooping. It had not even opened its eyes.
"Huh? It's so ugly... I suddenly don't want it anymore." Sure enough, a featherless phoenix was worse than a chicken! Annie's first reaction upon seeing it was disgust. Her second reaction was even more disgust.
Looking at the phoenix chick, which was so hideous right now, and then at Fawkes, who was already considered an adult, Annie felt that keeping such a phoenix as a pet might not be a wise choice. It wasn't good-looking, and its strength was poor. Even if it grew for another hundred years, Tibbers could probably crush it with one paw. It was just too useless!
"Annie, all chicks are like this. Perhaps once it grows up, it'll look just like Fawkes?" Unlike Annie's disappointment, Hermione looked extremely excited. This was a phoenix! Before this, she had only heard that Dumbledore owned one. This was probably the second phoenix pet in the Wizarding World. Of course, wild phoenixes didn't count, assuming there were any out in the wild.
"That's right, Annie. After Fawkes looks after it for a while, you can come and take it home. It'll grow up to be just as beautiful as Fawkes! It'll also have many special abilities. You may not know this, but phoenixes are divine birds. They can be reborn after death, their tears can detoxify and heal wounds, and they possess incredible carrying capacity, among other things." Having Fawkes had made Dumbledore a wizard quite familiar with phoenixes' nature and abilities.
"Of course, according to legend, the environment is also very important to a phoenix's growth. If, after leaving the chick stage, a young phoenix were fed different flames, or grew in a secret realm filled with magical flame energy, it would become a fire phoenix with extraordinary power! It's said to be incredibly beautiful too—absolutely gorgeous!" After saying this, Dumbledore helplessly glanced at Fawkes, who was dozing nearby. This phoenix had been ruined by his upbringing. There was no saving Fawkes now that he had matured. Alas, he deeply regretted it, and even thinking about it brought tears to his eyes.
"Is it really that amazing? But I still don't want it. Sister Hermione, if you want it, then it's yours now." Upon hearing that it would grow up to look like Fawkes, the disgust on Annie's face only intensified. Even if it grew to look like Fawkes, it would still be ugly... It looked like a giant red turkey! She wasn't going to raise something like that. It was small and ugly!
"Give it to me? But—but I already have Crookshanks..." Hermione was startled when she heard that little Annie wanted to give her the phoenix. After all, this was a phoenix worth five thousand Galleons! How could Annie give it away so casually?
"If you don't want it, I'll roast it and eat it." Annie looked at the featherless, chicken-like phoenix on the stone table with disdain, as though she were considering how to cook it and which seasonings to use. She had never actually eaten a phoenix before.
"Don't! Th-then I'll take it, all right? Thank you, Annie." When Hermione heard that Annie wanted to roast the little phoenix and eat it, she panicked and immediately agreed to accept it.
Although she already had the big-faced cat Crookshanks, raising a phoenix as well should be possible, right? The school probably didn't forbid students from having two pets. At the thought of soon owning a magical phoenix just like Headmaster Dumbledore, Hermione grew excited, wishing she could immediately carry the little creature away from the stone table.
"Then it's settled." This was actually a small form of compensation from Annie to Hermione. After all, her actions yesterday really had frightened Hermione badly.
Besides, Annie truly didn't want to raise such an ugly creature called a phoenix. It wasn't large, nor did it have a fierce or terrifying appearance. What use was there in raising it? Detoxifying and healing wounds, carrying people through the air, and so on—Annie's own spells were more than enough. She didn't need its help at all! Annie only wanted a pet that could help her fight, and the bigger, the better!
When Dumbledore saw that Hermione had agreed to accept the little phoenix, he and his phoenix, Fawkes, both breathed a sigh of relief.
This little girl is completely unreasonable. She actually wants to roast a phoenix and eat it just because! That's a phoenix! How could anyone casually eat one? Fawkes had been terrified just now. He had nearly rushed over, snatched the chick, and fled. That was his own kind, after all. He would absolutely never allow a human to roast and eat it!
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