The Philosopher's Stone and Dragons

"Hey, Hagrid, what are you doing in the library?" A slightly puzzled question made Sagreles prick up his ears. He recognized the voice as Ron Weasley, Harry's good friend.

"Just looking around..." Hagrid looked a little evasive as he tucked several books into his coat. In a somewhat sly tone, he said, "You lot still haven't found out who Nicolas Flamel is, have you?"

"Ha, we found out who he was years ago." Ron said proudly, "And we also know what that dog is guarding on the third floor. It's the Philosopher's Stone..."

"Shh... shh..." Hagrid nearly covered Ron's mouth. "Don't be so loud!"

As he spoke, he kept glancing around to see whether anyone had noticed them.

A strange smile appeared on Sagreles's face in the distance. He took out his wand and tapped his ear, allowing himself to hear more clearly.

"Actually, there's something we want to ask you, Hagrid." That was Harry's voice.

"Yeah. Other than Fluffy, is anyone else guarding the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Shh..." Hagrid did not want to stay here any longer. He felt these young wizards had absolutely no discretion. "Listen, don't say another word! At least not here..."

He squeezed his huge body out from between the bookshelves, leaned close to the three young wizards, and whispered, "Students aren't supposed to know about this. Otherwise, Dumbledore will think I told you everything!"

"There's not much difference, is there?" Ron said blankly. "You practically did tell us all of this yourself."

Hagrid covered his face helplessly. No longer trying to communicate with them, he turned and left the library in a foul mood.

"Did he hide books in his clothes?" Hermione asked, frowning.

"You think they're connected to the Philosopher's Stone?" Harry perked up as well.

"I'll go see what books were on that shelf." Ron put down his homework and headed toward the shelf where Hagrid had just been.

A few minutes later, he returned to the wooden table carrying a large pile of books.

"Dragons!" His eyes widened as he mysteriously told his two companions, "Hagrid was looking for books about dragons!"

He spread the books across the table one by one: <Wild Dragon Breeds of Great Britain and Northern Ireland>, Guide to Dragon-Keeping, and From Egg to Adult Dragon.

"Hagrid really does want a dragon. He said so when we first met, but I thought he was joking at the time." Harry recalled what Hagrid had said when he came to take him to Hogwarts.

"But that violates the Statute of Secrecy," Ron said. "According to the Warlock's Convention passed in 1709, dragons are classified as XXXXX-level creatures. Keeping one privately without permission is illegal and will be punished by the Ministry of Magic."

Seeing that neither of them seemed to care much, Ron added, "And dragons are dangerous. You know Charlie got bitten by a wild dragon in Romania."

"But there aren't any wild dragons in England!"

"Who says there aren't?" Ron corrected him. "There are Common Welsh Greens and Hebridean Blacks. Besides, the Ministry of Magic has a department—the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Its Dragon Research Bureau exists specifically to conceal those wild dragons."

"So what exactly is Hagrid up to?"

"Let's visit his hut later. I'll be done soon..."

Listening to the rustling of them beginning their homework, Sagreles finally lowered his wand.

There was a great deal of information in that conversation. They had first mentioned Nicolas Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone, and of course Sagreles knew who Nicolas Flamel was.

He did not need to look anything up. As the only known living maker of the Philosopher's Stone, Nicolas Flamel was renowned throughout the Wizarding World for his superb alchemy.

As an exceptionally rare alchemical creation, the Philosopher's Stone could not only turn stone into gold but also grant immortality.

Of course, Sagreles had his doubts about the immortality part, but there should be no question that it could greatly extend a person's lifespan.

After all, Nicolas Flamel and his wife being over six hundred years old was proof enough.

From their conversation, the Philosopher's Stone was currently at Hogwarts?

So Voldemort had sent Quirrell back to Hogwarts in order to obtain the Philosopher's Stone? Did he want to heal his injuries, or was he seeking immortality?

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Sagreles thought of many questions, but he did not care in the slightest—if the sky fell, Dumbledore would hold it up. Besides, if events followed their natural course, Harry Potter would eventually defeat Voldemort.

He was absolutely certain of it. And even if Harry Potter failed, it did not matter. He had been wanting to see just how formidable the former Dark Lord really was.

Everyone said Voldemort's mastery of the Dark Arts was unrivaled, but Sagreles felt that his own accomplishments in that regard were no worse than anyone else's.

There was a saying in the Wizarding World that frequent use of Dark Arts would erode the caster's mind and cause them to fall into darkness without realizing it.

He would not say he completely dismissed that notion, but he had truly never worried about the corruption of Dark Arts.

Mechanical Mind allowed him absolute control over his emotions, so he knew the condition of his soul perfectly well—this was also what gave him the confidence to study Dark Arts without restraint.

At the same time, because he could adjust his emotions at will, the upper limit of his spell power was extremely high.

This was also common knowledge in the Wizarding World. Intense emotions could noticeably amplify the power of spells. Though he had always chosen to suppress his emotions in battle, that was only because he had yet to encounter an enemy who required him to abandon reason to face.

As for the other matter Harry and the other two had just mentioned—Hagrid wanting to raise a dragon—he thought, Is that even worth worrying about?

He himself knew quite a few spells that could allow someone to raise a dragon without anyone noticing.

Of course, when he thought of Hagrid's unreliable personality, he gave up on the idea. The three children's concerns were not without reason.

Several peaceful days without classes passed.

That day, just as Sagreles returned to his office from the library, an owl landed steadily outside his window.

When he opened the letter clamped in its beak, his brow furrowed involuntarily.

Dear Mr. Raven:

I am writing to you from the Roni Black Market in Belgium, hoping to receive your assistance.

Those cockroaches in the underground auction houses always say that an astrologer calculates the paths of the planets even before pouring a cup of tea, so this time I need to draw upon your unique insights into the ecology of the Forbidden Forest.

At an underground auction in the black market last month, I "adopted" a special guest at the cost of three ounces of cursed Mithril.

This Centaur warrior, who calls himself "Leon," had his right forehoof corroded through by a Dark wizard's Chain Curse, which led to his capture by poachers.

I rescued him from the poachers and reached a classical agreement with him: if I could return him to the Frostdew Clan in the northeastern corner of the Forbidden Forest, he would interpret the stars for me once and provide magical materials worth three thousand Galleons, unique to the Forbidden Forest.

Of course, you know that today's Forbidden Forest is no longer the cozy model of the <International Convention on the Migration of Magical Creatures>. The Ministry of Magic's bronze eagle monitors have grown increasingly sensitive, and more troublesome still, the Frostdew Clan has carved the seventeenth-century wizard purge into their cave walls. Every member of their clan bears tremendous hostility toward wizards.

As for me, for certain special reasons, I cannot travel to England.

Therefore, I believe that if I can obtain your assistance, completing this transaction may not be so difficult for me.

At midnight on Friday, if you are willing to help, I will arrange for Leon to be transferred to Hogsmeade. In return, I have enclosed two pieces of information that may interest you:

1. I have heard that you have always been interested in Time-Turners. As it happens, I acquired an old Time-Turner in Egypt not long ago, and it can serve as your payment.

2. The complete manuscript of The Creeping Darkness, which you have been tracking, is currently lying at the very bottom of the Balk Family vault. If you are willing, I can obtain it and exchange it with you.

A sincere petitioner

On the night when the moon's glow was gradually eclipsed

Sagreles put away the letter. After thinking briefly, he took out a fresh piece of parchment and began writing a reply.

He had not wanted to involve himself in this matter, since it concerned the illegal trade of an intelligent species. However, the information the other party offered was simply too tempting, so he ultimately decided to help.

The difficulty of this commission lay in how to collect the materials Talion had promised. Centaurs had always been hostile toward human wizards, so getting those proud intelligent creatures to obediently hand over magical materials would not be easy.

In addition, he changed the handover location in the letter to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hogsmeade was a wizarding village with too many people and too many eyes, while the Forbidden Forest was obviously safer.

Finally, he handed the letter to the well-fed owl and watched it leave Hogwarts.

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