At first, Allen stared at the names with great interest, thinking that he would be very lucky if he could draw Dumbledore's abilities.
The turntable spun round and round, showing no sign of stopping.
"This is taking way too long," he muttered, leaning back in his chair. "System, are you lagging?"
The light screen did not respond, but the turntable continued to spin.
Allen rolled his eyes, grabbed a " Sherbet Lemon " from the table, and popped it into his mouth.
These are Muggle -made candies, supposedly the same kind Dumbledore made, but they are definitely a bit too sweet.
After about ten more seconds, the speed of the turntable finally began to slow down.
Allen sat up straight, elbows propped on the table, his eyes following the increasingly clear names. The pointer slowly swept over McGonagall, over Lupin, over Black...
Then it stopped in a place that Allen had never expected.
[Extraction complete. Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Rubeus Hagrid's Magical Creature Affinity (Max Level)].
Allen paused for a moment.
Hagrid?
He looked at the name again to make sure he wasn't mistaken.
" Rubeus Hagrid... magical creature affinity?"
His mind conjured up Hagrid's large, furry face, his little cabin that always smelled of Rock Cakes, and all the terrifying pets Hagrid kept.
Fluffy, Norwegian Ridgeback named Norbert, and the whole family of Acromantula in Aragog...
"System," Allen's voice held a hint of uncertainty, "This 'approachability'... is it what I'm thinking?"
A brief explanation appeared on the screen.
[ Rubeus Hagrid's Magical Creature Affinity (Max Level): The host possesses an extremely high charisma and affinity for magical creatures; all magical creatures will naturally develop a favorable impression and trust towards the host.]
[The host can more easily understand the emotions and needs of magical creatures, and is also more likely to gain their cooperation.]
Allen read the line carefully, then leaned back in his chair, his expression somewhat subtle.
"All magical creatures naturally feel a connection to me?" he repeated. "What if I encounter a dragon?"
The system didn't answer, as if it thought Allen had asked a pointless question.
Allen smiled awkwardly, raised his hand to look at his palm, and then moved his fingers, trying to feel any changes in his body.
But he didn't feel anything.
"That's it?" He stood up, took a few steps, looked around the study, and his gaze fell on the half-dead potted green ivy on the windowsill.
"This thing shouldn't be considered a magical creature, right?"
He shrugged, sat back down in his chair, and temporarily put the matter out of his mind.
In any case, this ability certainly can't show its effects immediately.
He couldn't very well go out now and find Hippogriff to see if it would come up to him and let him touch it; that would be too deliberate.
To be honest, he didn't have very high expectations for this reward to begin with.
The ability to get along well with animals is unlikely to be of much use in his current life.
He spends most of his time in the villa writing, and when he goes out, it's just to go shopping in Diagon Alley. You can't expect to meet an injured unicorn in Diagon Alley and then coax it home with your kindness.
However, the second reward is a completely different story.
Allen's gaze fell on the small stone basin on the table, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Pensieve)!
He had already felt a significant improvement after using it only twice. The experience of having the spellcasting insights of a peak-stage wizard directly injected into his brain was even more effective than drinking ten bottles of Baruffio's Brain Elixir.
"If it happened dozens of times more..." He licked his lips, "Maybe I really could cast that Composite Spell myself."
He glanced at the time; it was already evening. He had finished writing his manuscript for the day and had no other plans.
What are we waiting for?
Allen pushed the things on the table aside, moved the Pensieve closer to the center, and then sat down properly.
"One more time," he said to himself, "This time, focus specifically on the details of the Levitation Charm and Blasting Curse."
He brought his face close to the rim of the basin and dipped it in again.
The days at Hogwarts passed by faster and faster, and their peaceful life gradually returned to normal.
People have recently been surprised to find that Ron and Hermione have stopped arguing.
This incident caused quite a stir in the Gryffindor Common Room, after all, the two had been arguing almost from morning till night for some time.
Ron said Hermione's cat wanted to eat his mouse, Hermione said Ron was being unreasonable. The two of them kept giving each other the cold shoulder for almost a month.
Then one day, Ron suddenly changed completely and never mentioned Crookshanks again.
Only Harry knows the reason.
That day, Dumbledore called Ron to the Headmaster's Office alone and said something. When Ron returned, his expression was complicated, and he sat by the bed for a long time without saying a word.
Harry asked him what was wrong, Ron just shook his head and said, "There might be something wrong with my mouse."
Harry pressed for details, Ron replied, " Headmaster Dumbledore didn't say it explicitly, but he said that rat was no ordinary creature."
Dumbledore clearly didn't want to see Ron's expression when he learned that he had been spending all his time with a greasy middle-aged man who had turned into a rat.
In short, Ron never mentioned Scabbers again after that, and Hermione certainly wouldn't rub salt in the wound.
Crookshanks was finally granted the right to roam freely in the common room, and the large ginger cat seemed quite pleased with that.
It would snore on Hermione's lap every day, and occasionally stop to glance at Ron as it passed by his feet, its eyes seeming to hold a smug "I told you so" look.
Ron would always turn his head to the other side.
"Alright, alright, stop looking." He'd mutter, "I didn't say you couldn't stay here."
Harry thought the situation was already pretty good.
That afternoon, the trio had just returned from their Care of Magical Creatures at Hagrid's Hut.
Ever since Malfoy went to class without really reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Part 1), and ended up getting his arm scratched by Buckbeak in front of the whole class, Hagrid's classes have completely changed.
The Hippogriff were put back in Hagrid's Hut, and Hagrid now only teaches them how to raise Flobberworm.
" Flobberworm," Ron said, waving his hand in disgust as he walked away, "Is just a slobbery worm."
Harry nodded in deep agreement.
The insect was about the length of his palm, a round blob covered in a layer of translucent mucus that felt slippery to the touch.
When feeding it, you have to use your fingers to poke the lettuce leaves into its slightly thinner "head".
Hagrid said these insects are extremely easy to raise; students only need to feed them chopped lettuce, and there is almost no risk involved.
But Ron's assessment was. "No risk doesn't mean it's not disgusting."
So during class today, they tacitly put their Flobberworm in the grass and left them there, while the two of them squatted down and secretly played Magic Cards.
Anyway, these bugs won't run away if you leave them on the grass. When they get hungry, they'll just nibble on the grass roots. There's no need to worry about them at all.
Hermione was feeding her worm very seriously.
But the expression on her face while feeding them was clearly not as relaxed as when she was in Charms or Transfiguration class.
Every time she stuffed lettuce leaves into the insect's mouth, her expression looked like she was making a difficult decision.
" Hermione, your worm looks fatter than everyone else's," Harry said.
"Because it eats more than others." Hermione said expressionlessly, stuffing a piece of lettuce into her mouth. " Hagrid said to feed it more."
"Then don't feed them too much," Ron interjected. "If they choke to death, Hagrid will be heartbroken."
Hermione glared at him, but said nothing.