Chapter 29: The Salamander's Mutation
After class, the girls took a few more reluctant glances at the Salamander before leaving. Once they were gone, Professor Kettleburn smiled and handed the glass jar to Ethan.
"Jones, this Salamander is yours to look after. From your performance in class, it's clear you love magical creatures. I think you'll take good care of it."
"Thank you, Professor!" Ethan took the jar in both hands, beaming. "I will."
"Hmm." Professor Kettleburn leaned on his cane and walked away slowly.
Ethan looked around the empty classroom but didn't leave. He knew the Salamander had been away from flames for at least an hour now. Although the professor had been feeding it pepper, Ethan didn't know how much longer it had to live.
To keep the Salamander from burning him, he loosened the restraining charm before opening the jar.
The Salamander crawled out, climbing up his fingers to his palm, then coiled head-to-tail and remained motionless.
A small fireball formed in his right palm, drawing the Salamander's attention.
"Eat up, eat up."
He watched as the Salamander consumed the flame, then coiled up again.
He carefully put the Salamander back in the jar and hurried toward his dormitory.
Ethan planned to keep the Salamander in the fireplace of the Slytherin Common Room.
He'd considered every place he could easily access, and only the common room fireplace could provide a stable, long-term source of fire suitable for the Salamander.
However, before he could reach his dormitory, something went wrong.
Soon after eating the fireball, the Salamander began thrashing against the glass jar.
Not knowing what was happening, he quickly pulled the jar from his backpack.
The once pristine white Salamander was now developing black spots that spread rapidly, threatening to cover its entire body.
The Salamander writhed in pain, its body twisting, its tail thumping against the glass with dull thuds.
He didn't know what was going on, but it couldn't be good. He needed to find an expert on magical creatures, preferably Professor Kettleburn.
"Where is the professor's office?! Can anyone tell me?" He was alone, with no upperclassmen nearby to ask for directions. He could only rush toward the back gate of the castle. He had to find Hagrid for help!
He tucked the jar into his bag, listening to the fading thumps, and ran from the castle, across the grounds, to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
He arrived breathless at the cabin door. Before he could call out, he heard several barks.
"Hagrid! Hagrid!" he called out, panting.
"Who's outside?" The voice drew nearer, approaching the wooden door.
"Fang, back off!" The door opened a crack, revealing a large face covered in a beard.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Hagrid asked warily.
"I'm Ethan, a first-year. I have a problem with my salamander, but I don't know where Professor Kettleburn's office is, so I came to you for help." As he spoke, he took out the jar containing the almost entirely black salamander and held it up for Hagrid to see.
"Is this a salamander?" Hagrid examined it closely, confirming that it really was one. "What a strange color. Black ones? I've only seen blue and red before."
"Wait a moment, I'll get Fang under control before you come in."
A low bark and some grunts of effort later, Hagrid called out, "Come in!"
Ethan quickly pushed the door open and saw Hagrid holding the collar of a huge black Boarhound, preventing Fang from lunging at him.
But Hagrid soon realized something was wrong. His dog, which he'd raised for years, was not barking to warn off strangers, but rather making soft, affectionate sounds.
He loosened his grip, and Fang stuck out his tongue, leaping up to lick Ethan's face.
"Looks like you're quite popular with Fang." Seeing this, Hagrid released him.
Ethan was the only one suffering; he couldn't stand the stench of the dog's saliva on his face, but since he needed Hagrid's help, he was too embarrassed to push Fang away.
Finally, Hagrid couldn't stand it anymore and called him off.
No longer licking his face, Fang curled up at Ethan's feet, looking unusually docile. Ethan took the opportunity to stroke his smooth fur.
"Give me that salamander. I want to see what's going on." Hagrid held out his hand for the jar after seeing that Fang had calmed down.
He opened the jar, tipped out the listless salamander, which barely struggled, and examined it closely in his large hand.
"Where did this Salamander come from? What happened to it before it turned into this form? And it's still alive."
"Huh? It was white before?!" Before Ethan could speak, Hagrid suddenly noticed a small scale that had turned black.
"Yes, Professor Kettleburn gave it to me as a reward in class just now. It was pure white at the time, and I was worried it would die, so I fed it a small ball of flame. Then black spots started to appear on its body, and eventually it turned into this."
"Hagrid, do you know what happened? Has this ever happened before?" His face was full of guilt.
"Just feeding it fire caused this? That shouldn't be the case. How could a Salamander that feeds on fire be harmed by fire? Could it be that you fed it some kind of special fire?"
Hagrid found it hard to believe. How could a young wizard possibly possess a special flame, and then happen to feed it to a Salamander?
"It's this kind from my bloodline." He hesitated for a moment, and a small ball of black fire appeared in his hand.
"It's really true!" Hagrid's eyes widened.
"That makes sense. I think it should be fine. It's just that your flames have altered some of its characteristics, and there might be other changes, but they are all unknown for now."
He carefully placed the salamander in his palm, glanced at the fireplace, picked up his pink umbrella from behind the door, and pointed it at the hearth. Flames leapt to life instantly.
"Don't tell anyone I used magic," the large, hairy face warned Ethan.
"Of course." Ethan nodded.
"Very good." Hagrid carefully picked up the salamander and placed it in the flames.
"Don't worry, the flames won't harm them, not even the one that mutated," Hagrid reassured Ethan, seeing his worried expression.
"Would you like some Rock Cakes? I made them myself, and they taste really good." Hagrid took out a few Rock Cakes and placed them on a plate, warmly inviting Ethan to try them.
"No, I'm a little worried about the little guy right now, and he doesn't have much of an appetite." Knowing firsthand how disastrous Hagrid's cooking could be, Ethan refused the food half-jokingly.
"What a kind and loving child." That refusal was exactly what Hagrid wanted to hear. He liked magical creatures, and he liked people who liked magical creatures because he believed such people couldn't be bad.
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