Dumbledore Felt Weary

"Oh! My Merlin!"

Hagrid stood dumbfounded on the path, carrying armfuls of food. He had come from the gamekeeper's grounds and was preparing to patrol the area around the school and the Forbidden Forest.

There were always young wizards who liked to show up within this range.

He liked to eat while keeping watch over the surroundings.

But today was undoubtedly the most shocking day since Hagrid had become the gamekeeper!

He saw a gigantic Tree Spirit!

There was even a student standing beneath the Tree Monster. Not only did it not hurt him, it was acting exceptionally docile!

"What on earth is that thing?" Hagrid set down his food and tried to move closer to Chu Yang. The Whomping Willow mistook him for someone trying to hurt Chu Yang and immediately sent the half-giant Hagrid flying with a swipe!

Hagrid landed straight in the bushes beside the path.

Seeing Hagrid get sent flying, Chu Yang cut off his output of Magic Power. He angrily grabbed a branch of the Whomping Willow and snapped, "Stop hitting people at every turn!"

The interruption in Magic Power made the Whomping Willow, whose "intelligence" had only recently been born, feel panicked and enraged. Instinctively, it wrapped its branches around Chu Yang, trying to force him to provide it with more Magic Power.

"I'll give you what I want to give you. If I don't want to give it to you, then you'll wait obediently!" In his previous life, what Chu Yang hated most were pets that were fed full every day yet turned on their owners at critical moments.

A food-guarding dog was a dog Chu Yang would beat every time he saw one, until it understood who its master was!

While Hagrid was still in the bushes, Chu Yang tore apart the branches wrapped around him. With a leap, he landed beside the Whomping Willow and drove a powerful Shark Tile True Fist into its trunk!

Crack~

The Whomping Willow's trunk became like a shattered mirror, countless cracks spreading out from the fist mark Chu Yang had left behind.

The fear of death made the Whomping Willow's newborn "intelligence" sense a powerful threat. Like an animal, it trembled as it crawled low to the ground, showing submission.

Only then did Chu Yang spare its life.

He used Magic Power to mend the cracks on its surface—a slap followed by a sweet treat.

"It's really strong." Hagrid groaned as he crawled out of the grass.

Even with his build, that blow had left him dizzy.

But his curiosity about the Whomping Willow temporarily made Hagrid ignore all physical discomfort. He staggered toward it.

"Can you make your pet calm down? I mean no harm!" Hagrid shouted at Chu Yang.

"It's fine, come over!" Chu Yang explained, "This is the school's Whomping Willow, not my pet."

"The Whomping Willow?" Hagrid gaped as he examined the Whomping Willow, which had nearly doubled in size. He muttered, "Are you joking with me? That thing is the Whomping Willow? It'd be more like the Killing Willow..."

Hearing Hagrid's less-than-friendly remark,

the Whomping Willow shook its massive body, expressing its displeasure.

"Oh! Oh! Calm down! Calm down!"

Hagrid raised both hands and repeatedly begged for mercy. He had no desire to be swatted away again.

The next second, the Whomping Willow quieted down.

"It understands what I'm saying?" Hagrid froze for a moment, then broke into an ecstatic expression. "It's actually communicating with me! This has gone beyond the realm of plants—it's an animal! A Magical Creature!"

As a fanatical lover of Magical Creatures, Hagrid instantly fell in love with the huge tree and generously forgave it for swatting him earlier!

A beating meant affection, a scolding meant love. That had merely been a little coquettish gesture from "it"—it did not hurt at all!

Hagrid thought through gritted teeth as he pressed a hand over his injuries.

He rushed to Chu Yang's side, hugged the trunk, and contentedly rubbed himself against it.

The utterly creepy fanboy behavior made Chu Yang's skin crawl.

The Whomping Willow seemed unhappy with it as well. It swayed upright and shook its body, trying to fling Hagrid off like a flea.

Hagrid tumbled all the way to the ground, then looked up with a pained grimace.

He found Chu Yang tightly protected by the branches, completely unharmed.

"How can it treat people differently?" Hagrid looked at the Whomping Willow in anguish. He had let bygones be bygones, so why had he gotten nothing in return?

In the lingering light of the setting sun, several figures were approaching.

"Mr. Chu Yang, I'm glad to see that you're safe, but could you explain why the Whomping Willow I planted with my own hands has turned into this?" Dumbledore slowly approached in silver robes, with Professor McGonagall following behind him.

Chu Yang jumped down from the Whomping Willow and walked before Dumbledore, giving a slight bow. "I'm not entirely sure of the exact reason, but my Magic Power probably affected it, Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Magic Power?" Dumbledore came to a sudden realization, then said with a complicated expression, "It seems we still lack the necessary understanding of your Magic Power. We underestimated its effect on plants, especially rare magical plants."

"When Sprout told me about your performance at the wand shop, I should have considered this possibility. I was careless..."

As he spoke, Dumbledore walked toward the Whomping Willow. His starry eyes continuously observed its condition.

Professor McGonagall and Chu Yang followed quietly behind him.

The day's string of shocks had left the elderly deputy headmistress physically and mentally exhausted.

Professor McGonagall looked as though she had aged several years.

She did not even have the energy to argue with Chu Yang, but she still said approvingly, "At a critical moment, you gave your classmates the chance to escape, then lured the Whomping Willow away by yourself. Though it was somewhat reckless, it was also an exceptionally noble quality. Therefore, Slytherin receives ten points."

Dumbledore suddenly turned back with a smile. "I'll personally award Slytherin another ten points. You have not disappointed me, Mr. Chu Yang."

Chu Yang shrugged. "Thank you for your generosity, Headmaster and Professor. I'm sure the Slytherin students will be very happy."

"Yesterday it was the Sorting Hat, and today it's the Whomping Willow. You always manage to give me surprises. But, Mr. Chu Yang, I sincerely hope that tomorrow I will hear that you attended class quietly. That is the wish of a hundred-year-old man."

Dumbledore, who had been kindly a moment ago, suddenly became stern and warned, "And stop making your classmates sleep on the floor. At this rate, there soon won't be enough beds in the second-floor infirmary!"

"In just two days, the Slytherin patients alone have filled the place to capacity! Are you trying to paralyze the School Hospital?"

Chu Yang shrugged, looking utterly innocent. "That's not something I can decide. It depends on whether they can settle down. After all, I wasn't the one starting trouble, and you're the one who told me to fight back. Unless you arrange a private dorm room for me."

Dumbledore was instantly left speechless, and he felt utterly weary.

He felt that perhaps he should never have persuaded Chu Yang to join Slytherin in the first place.

Originally, he had thought Chu Yang would use his talent to gradually change Slytherin's understanding of Muggles and reshape their smug pride. He had not expected him to use his fists instead!

Fighting was also a talent, and it was simple and brutal!

A wizard solving problems with fists rather than a wand...

He was basically a close-combat wizard.