Racing at Hogwarts

Looking into the Thestral's pitiful big eyes, William said helplessly to Cedric, "They heard us."

Cedric and Cho knew without William saying so, because the carriage had stopped, leaving them at the back.

All the young wizards peered through the carriage door at the three who lagged behind.

The twin brothers were still waving and trying to ask William what was wrong, but the carriage drove further and further away and disappeared into the night.

"Haha..." Cedric awkwardly apologized to the air, "I was just joking. I don't want your tail feathers. Hagrid and I are good friends. Do you know Hagrid?"

That tall administrator, he's my friend... We're all good friends, like family.

Cedric's will to survive was extremely strong; he even brought Hagrid into the picture.

But the carriage still wouldn't move.

"I have an idea." William stared into Thestral's eyes.

"I remember reading in ' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Thestral ' that they like to drink blood, especially the blood of powerful creatures."

"No way! William, you're so cruel! You're actually going to feed me to the Thestral!"

"No." William pulled a bottle from his pocket. The bottle gleamed with a blood-red luster and was filled with dragon's blood.

Dragon's blood is extremely valuable; Dumbledore discovered the Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood.

This stuff, when drunk raw, can strengthen the body, invigorate the kidneys, nourish yin, and beautify the complexion. Not to mention, it's a top-notch ingredient when added to Potions.

William now possesses a large amount of dragon blood.

He donated half of the dragon to Hogwarts, but Flamel only took a portion. The rest, including those donated to the Ministry of Magic and St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, were bought back by Hogwarts at market price.

In other words, most of the dragons are kept at Hogwarts.

As Dumbledore instructed, William has priority in disposing of the dragons; he can use them at will, and then Snape and Madam Pomfrey will have a turn.

This infuriated Snape, who confronted Dumbledore times, wishing he could drag the entire dragon back to his little chest and store it away.

However, Dumbledore did not budge and allowed William to use it as he pleased.

Since he could use it freely, William collected a considerable amount of dragon blood and stored it in his Undetectable Extension Charm pouch.

He conjured a spoon with his wand, scooped up a little red liquid, and a strong, pungent smell of blood filled the air.

This was diluted by him; otherwise, the flavor would be even stronger.

The Thestral stomped on the stone, snorted, and took a few more steps in place. Finally, unable to resist the "delicious smell," it turned and walked towards the group.

William cautiously reached out and touched the Thestral's head. Its long black mane swung back as it eagerly licked the dragon's blood.

William soon realized the reason for its urgency: the entire earth trembled as if being struck by a drum, and a series of booming sounds came from afar, growing clearer and more terrifying as they approached.

More than a hundred carriages that were almost at Hogwarts Castle turned back, each one speeding along, creating clouds of dust.

The Thestral charged like madmen, and the young wizards on board clung tightly to their seats to avoid being thrown off.

"Let's go." William laughed and plopped down on Thestral's lap.

He, the legendary Akina racer, has never raced a car at Hogwarts.

The Thestral, having consumed the dragon's blood, grew even more excited. It spread its enormous wings, first slowly crouching down, then shooting into the sky like an arrow.

The speed and angle were so great that William had to use both hands and feet to hold onto its body tightly to prevent it from slipping off its bony tail.

The Thestral pulled the carriage, soaring over the treetops and flying towards the Black Lake, intending to travel directly from the Black Lake to Hogwarts Castle.

More than a hundred Thestral spread their wings and followed diligently behind, but the dragon blood seemed to have an excitatory effect, and the Thestral beneath William became faster and faster, taking the lead and flying at the very front.

On the surface of the Black Lake, many small boats floated, and the first-year students, led by Hagrid, were slowly sailing towards Hogwarts Castle.

"What's that?" Someone who didn't know shouted first, and everyone looked towards the distance.

William appeared suddenly, sitting at the very front of the carriage, piercing the darkness from afar.

But most people can't see Thestral; they can only see him floating in mid-air, Accio towards them.

Looking further back, what came into everyone's view was a line of carriages, like the surging tide of a great river, rushing in with a majestic force.

All the young wizards were stunned; the older students really do look cool when they enter school!

They clapped excitedly, and many of the young wizards reached out to greet the students they knew on the carriage.

William waved to the stunned Hermione and whistled again, Thestral' speed increased once more, leaving the carriages far behind.

If you've left your mark at Hogwarts, and you see the taillights, you win!

Soon, they crossed the Black Lake and saw Hogwarts Castle.

Will we come to school like this in the future?

Harry, pressing down his wind-blown hair, called out loudly to Hagrid in the small Hagrid ahead.

"Oh, I think... maybe," Hagrid said uncertainly. "I've never seen Thestral this excited before; they're usually very docile."

Harry and Ron were both a little disappointed; they also longed to ride something similar and speed through the school.

Ron, in particular... he remembered his dad's green Muggle car that he'd spent the whole summer modifying, and suddenly had a bold (and ridiculous) idea.

The Thestral suddenly slowed down, passed through a pair of magnificent cast-iron gates, and landed on the long, sloping driveway, continuing all the way to the castle, where many corner towers and towers gradually approached William.

Finally, the carriage came to a swaying stop. William dismounted from the Thestral, stroked its body, and casually plucked several tail feathers from its tail, putting them in his pocket.

William found that the original dragon blood was still too concentrated, so he quickly put the solidified blood clots on the spoon into the cup and stirred it.

At this moment, countless Thestral slowly came to a stop, and the young wizards disembarked from the carriages, excitedly discussing their recent flight.

Cedric and William, carrying the dragon blood that had been diluted countless times, collected tail feathers from each Thestral.

They can't keep plucking the tail feathers of just one Thestral, or they'll go bald.

Soon, they had a large handful, and the three of them mingled in the crowd, trying to get past Professor McGonagall was standing at the front.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and said nothing, but they were stopped by Professor Snape as soon as they stepped through the oak door.

Professor Snape still had his usual sallow complexion, and his hair looked like it hadn't been washed in ages; William thought it could fry a pound of oil out of it.

His hairline has receded considerably since before summer vacation; at this rate, he might go bald in seven years.

He grinned, a smug glint in his eyes.

"Hand it over, Diggory!"

"What, sir?" Cedric tried to feign confusion.

He prayed that Snape, too, could not see the Thestral.

But Snape's next words plunged him into despair.

"Give me all the Thestral Tail Feather you've collected. Don't make me say it a third time, hurry up!!"

Professor Snape began his plundering.

(Sixth update, please vote. Thanks to "Grandpa Bridge" and "Daoyou Qing Liubu You" for their generous donations.)

I'm one chapter behind again, but I'm not worried at all.