"But later I realized he was painting a big picture for me. Until I died, he never made me the Professor of Dragons. Heaven knows how a human can outlive a dragon."
The chatter from the dragon instantly caught Ian's attention.
"Did Slytherin live for a long time?"
He immediately asked with curiosity, as this was a story about the four founders later in life that were not mentioned in "Hogwarts: A School History" or "Hogwarts: Dusty Secrets."
"Yes, he definitely found some kind of potion to gain longevity. After all, I'm quite adept in Magic Potion studies too, and know that such a potion existed a long, long time ago."
The ancient dragon was unsure why Ian's eyes lit up, perhaps due to not having encountered a Dementor, it was rather proud as it boasted about its potion achievements.
"An Elixir of Immortality made from Golden Apples?" Ian was surprised by the practical nature of this dragon but also somewhat astonished by the tale of Salazar Slytherin from the mouth of the ancient giant dragon.
Could it be that Voldemort's creation and use of Soul Artifacts was a regression technique? You know, Teacher Morgan previously mentioned that she had chopped down all Golden Apple Trees in her time.
"He just lived a long time, his teeth had all fallen out, walking seemed difficult for him. I reckon if I put in more effort, I could definitely outlive him."
"He may have only lived ten or eight more days than me." The ancient dragon's tone was full of certainty, as if it had seen Salazar Slytherin one last time before dying.
"You weren't hatched at Hogwarts, right?" Ian had long been curious about this. Logically, the lifespan of an ancient pure-blooded giant dragon should be exceptionally long, especially since the little dragon chicks in today's Wizarding World have similarly long, even longer lifespans than wizards.
"Certainly not, otherwise Slytherin would not have outlived me..." The ancient dragon perhaps hadn't talked to anyone for a long time, unabashedly mentioning its capture.
"I had lived for a long, long time before entering Hogwarts, unlike those troublemaking peers. I loved learning even before going to school."
"Other dragons would kidnap human princesses, plunder treasures, but I only loved reading books. This might be one of the reasons I could become the last pure-blooded giant dragon."
"I remember it was a sunny afternoon, reading as usual, all borrowed books with saliva paying for the borrowing fees."
"As a law-abiding good dragon, I never expected adventurers would challenge me— at that time the four founders of Hogwarts resembled the adventurers mentioned in books, and I was the adventure they had to choose, which scared me enough, having read 'Dragon's Causes of Death.'"
Lying on the ground, the dragon's face showed an expression of fear, "I feared becoming the new cause of dragon's death, luckily Miss Hufflepuff was a very reasonable human wizard."
"She understood my past and chose to accept me. Miss Ravenclaw also thought I was well-suited to be a Guardian Beast, so I became the first student at Hogwarts."
"As thanks, I took them to challenge another dragon, helping them complete their desired adventure — a nasty dragon that often bullied me, also residing in Anglia..." The ancient dragon's nostalgic words made Ian's eyes widen.
He felt the dragon's actions had an air of "unto the Imperial Army" about them.
"Did they slay the other dragon?"
Ian knew he was delving into "Hogwarts: Unrecorded Secrets," wondering if writing it out would make him a bestselling author, earning abundantly.
"Well, after that, I became the last dragon in the world." The actions of moving its large eye to the side could not help but draw Ian's attention.
After all, its eye size surpassed Ian's by far.
"You are really... clever."
Ian expressed his sincere admiration.
The truth of "sacrificing comrades to avoid personal doom" only increased in value. The ancient dragon clearly realized the implication in Ian's words, knowing it was irrevocably misspoken.
"It's not my fault; it was a real evil dragon, not only doing many bad things but also trying to force me to breed offspring with it, which it deserved."
The ancient dragon raised its nasally voice, its mood a bit stirred, so intense after so many years, which definitely had its reasons.
"Both of us were male dragons!"
Such a cry could instantly evoke empathy. Anglia certainly had quite a reputation, with certain ancient things consistent across species.
"Did it ever succeed?"
Ian's sharp and distinctive focus of inquiry instantly widened the ancient dragon's eyes, and its heavy breaths blew him away.
"Of course not!"
Perhaps the dragon's denial was genuine, but it didn't hinder Ian's imaginative speculation. After all, whatever the truth might be, only this dragon probably really knows.
"In the end, that evil dragon deserved its fate, and so I stayed at Hogwarts..." The ancient dragon, after emphasizing the legitimacy of its revenge, summarized its life, "I am the last dragon, with my death, my four professors also became the last legends."