Chapter 349: Big Project? Planetary Movement
In the dark dormitory, Aaron suddenly opened his eyes, and a purple light flashed in his black pupils.
"So that's how it is!"
Aaron covered his face, trying his best to suppress his laughter, but still couldn't help it.
He had always thought that this magic was related to charm, but after learning it, he realized that the principle of this magic was quite similar to hypnosis.
However, he influenced consciousness and subconscious through magic power, without needing any tools; a glance was all it took.
Although it didn't have much effect on those stronger or more strong-willed than him, for ordinary people, it was already considered a divine skill.
Spending five hundred magic points to add a top hypnotist to his side job was a huge profit!
Aaron woke Abey, who was lying in the basket, his pupils flashing with purple light, "Take out the snacks you've hoarded."
Abey froze for a moment, subconsciously clutched his pocket tightly, and then shook his head vigorously.
Aaron blinked blankly, thinking that the charm magic had limited effect on magical creatures, but he didn't know if it had any effect on ordinary animals... The next day, Hogwartsresumed normal classes.
In Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid brought out several open wooden crates, containing the animals that Gryffindorand Slytherin needed to learn about in this Class.
Aaron looked at the slimy creatures in the box, which resembled lobsters just peeled from their shells, and made no secret of the disgust in his eyes.
He had to admit that creatures in the Magical World always managed to refresh his perception.
These creatures were only a dozen centimeters long, headless, but possessed characteristics of both scorpions and crabs, and emitted a strong foul odor.
"Hagrid... Professor, if I may be so bold, what is this disgusting thing?"
"These are newly hatched Blast-Ended Skrewts, Aaron," Hagrid explained with a smile, "They're a cross between a Manticore and a Fire Crab."
Bang!
A spark flashed, followed by a faint explosion.
"Blast-Ended Skrewts shoot sparks from their tails, which propels them forward," Hagrid said, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes, "You can raise them yourselves; they'll come in handy for a big project."
"Why should we raise them?" Draco asked, puzzled, "Do they have any use?"
"Ah, well..."
Hagrid was momentarily at a loss, seemingly unsure how to explain.
"Draco," Aaron gave him a look, "That question isn't important."
"At least we should know why we're raising this thing, right?"
Aaron rolled his eyes, then looked at him, his lips moving slightly without making a sound.
But Draco's pupils widened slightly, for he barely managed to read Aaron's lips: big project.
So far, the only major project related to Hogwarts was the Triwizard Tournament, which meant the Blast-Ended Skrewts would appear in one of the Triwizard Tournamenttasks.
Realizing this, Draco immediately shut his mouth and asked no more questions.
Knowing the test in advance, the Blast-Ended Skrewts became adorable in his eyes, and even Hagrid, the one who leaked the information, became much more agreeable.
"Hagrid, how do we raise it?" Harry stepped forward to smooth things over, giving Hagrid an out.
"I haven't really raised them before either," Hagrid chuckled honestly, "But creatures like this usually like similar foods. Ant eggs, frog livers, green tree snakes—try them all and you'll find out."
"Are there any precautions?" Draco asked seriously.
Hearing this, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all incredulous, and even Crabbe and Goyle were somewhat dumbfounded.
Was this still Malfoy? When did he become so polite?
Hagrid also paused for a moment before reacting. He was surprised why Malfoy had changed his tune, but as the Class Professor, he still had to answer the student's question seriously.
"There are precautions, of course. First, their tails explode. Second, male Blast-Ended Skrewts have stings, and females have suckers on their bellies, possibly for sucking blood.
So, be careful when feeding them, and try not to touch them."
Draco's mouth twitched. He just wanted to understand the test, but it could burn people, sting people, and bite people... This creature was so ferocious, it would be more normal for it to appear in Defense Against the Dark Arts Class!
"Hagrid, you're still the same, you love these dangerous creatures," Aaron said with a forced smile.
"They're not dangerous now," Hagrid said seriously, "A few inches long, you can swat them dead with one hand."
"How big can they grow?" Hermione asked.
"Not that exaggerated," Hagrid waved his hand indifferently, "At most about ten feet."
"Ten..."
Hermione's eyes widened in astonishment. She looked at the dense Blast-Ended Skrewts in the box and couldn't help but feel her scalp tingle.
Now they were only the size of a finger, but later their size would expand dozens of times, making them proper monsters!
After Class, the students from the two houses left Hagrid's Hut and returned to Hogwarts Castle.
"It's so disgusting, I can't believe I'm feeding those disgusting things to even more disgusting creatures," Draco walked into the washroom, washing his hands and complaining with distaste.
"I hope there's some reward, otherwise I'll have nightmares."
"There's a reward for this?" Crabbe asked, puzzled.
"Stupid, these Blast-Ended Skrewts are for the big project, which means you'll see them at the Triwizard Tournament."
"Really?" Goyle asked.
"Almost certainly. Hagrid is simple-minded and strong-bodied; he can't keep his mouth shut," Draco said with a confident smile, "But only we might notice this, so you two better not say anything."
Crabbe and Goyle exchanged glances and nodded solemnly, "We promise not to say anything."
"You're not really planning to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, are you?" Aaron asked playfully.
"Originally, I didn't want to participate, but the Ministry of Magic guaranteed there would be no life-threatening danger, and there's no limit to the number of participants, so I can't miss this opportunity," Draco said proudly, "I don't aspire to win the championship. Although I don't want to admit it, I'm not yet a match for those older Wizards.
But Harry Potter will probably participate, and Granger and Weasley too. I don't want them to steal the limelight."
Hearing this, Aaron smiled and shook his head, "Good luck."
"Wait, you're still not going to participate, are you?" Dracowas a bit puzzled, "With your strength, you could even contend with those older Wizards."
"Saying I'm not interested would be a lie, but I genuinely feel it's unnecessary," Aaron said very frankly, "Also, don't celebrate too early. We only have the right to sign up; whether we get selected is still unknown!"
Draco scratched his head, "Forget it, there's still a month until the Triwizard Tournament. You can take your time to consider."
Aaron shrugged. Considering it was impossible; he always kept his distance from attention-grabbing events.
After lunch, it was Professor Trelawney's Divination Class.
Crystal balls were last semester's content; this time she would teach some new material.
"My dears, we should now study the stars.
The movements of the planets and the mysterious omens they reveal can only be deciphered by those who understand the rules of the celestial dance. Human destiny can be decoded through the radiating light of the planets, as these lights intertwine..."
Aaron listened very carefully. Although he didn't understand these mystical ramblings, not understanding didn't mean it had no value.
"Observing celestial phenomena" were just four simple words, but if he could weave in constellation movements and seasonal changes, he would have some confidence when bluffing people in the future.
Professor Trelawney handed each person a complex circular chart to fill in the positions of the planets at their birth.
This task made everyone look troubled, as it meant they would have to spend a lot of time calculating planetary angles.
"I have two Neptunes here," Harry said with a bitter face, "But it doesn't seem quite right. Professor Trelawney said I was born under the inauspicious influence of Saturn, that star was dominant."
"Don't listen to that old bat's nonsense, she even predicted your birthday wrong," Ron said impatiently.
"There's only one Neptune," Aaron put down his quill and said indifferently, "Your birth actually caused the universe to create a star; Merlin himself would probably shed tears upon seeing you."
Pfft!
Ron suppressed a laugh and patted Harry's shoulder, "Two Neptunes appearing in the sky foretells the birth of a small person wearing glasses, hahahaha..."
Ron had only been laughing for a few seconds when a thin face appeared before him, startling him into falling off his chair.
"Mr. Weasley," Professor Trelawney blinked, "I thought I just heard you say a small person wearing glasses was born. You weren't referring to me, were you?"
"No, Professor."
"Are the diagrams finished?"
"Not yet, Professor," Ron said guiltily; his chart had no planets on it.
"Mr. Weasley," Professor Trelawney looked at him with an expression of disappointment, sighing, "Your talent isn't bad, but why don't you study properly?"
"That depends on who's teaching," Ron thought to himself, secretly, he just wasn't interested in Divination Class.
"Learn from your deskmate," Professor Trelawney picked up Aaron's chart and placed it in front of Ron, on which the positions of the eight planets were clearly arranged.
"Mr. Gaius, tell them how you drew this in such a short time?"
"Well... this diagram is in my family's genealogy.
Not just the eight planets, but the sun, moon, and tides are all specifically recorded."
Trelawney:...Alright! My vision was too narrow.
After the Class bell rang, Professor Trelawney stood up, "Referring to your respective charts, analyze in detail the planetary movements that will affect you next month.
Hand it in next Monday, no excuses allowed."
"That hateful old bat," Ron cursed angrily while eating dinner in the Great Hall, "Our weekend is ruined."
"A pile of homework?" Hermione said gleefully, "You really should have taken Arithmancy with me; Professor Victor didn't give any homework."
"That's just for now," Aaron said indifferently.
"That's still better than you now, isn't it?
Aren't you worried about the homework Trelawneyassigned?"
"Not worried," Aaron said meaningfully, "I'm sure I can complete it."