Dumbledore's reminder wasn't very effective for Cohen, but it was at least useful.
Cohen already knew this; otherwise, he wouldn't have planned to become Minister for Magic—the best way to peacefully resolve historical issues.
Dumbledore's biggest contribution was showing goodwill towards Cohen.
Dumbledore meant that if the Ministry of Magic clashed with Cohen over the claim that "Cohen is an evil dark magical creature," he would side with Cohen.
Congratulations, Dumbledore's favorability towards Cohen increased by 10.
After being escorted back to his dormitory by Fawkes the Phoenix, Cohen stuffed the box under his bed and then crawled into bed amidst the chorus of snores.
Tomorrow he could throw Norber in there. Perhaps he could even divide it into sections, plant some real grass, raise sheep for Norber as a self-sufficient food chain, and raise some other interesting and valuable animals.
If the unicorns in the forest were willing, Cohen actually planned to steal them in too—they were all made of gold, spoke sweetly, and tasted like ice cream; Cohen loved them.
The next day, after the last Potions class, Cohen took the box to Hagrid, followed by Harry and Ron, who were full of curiosity about what was inside, and Hermione, who was very interested in the magic on the box and eager to study it.
"Didn't we see something similar in the room on the eighth floor before?" Cohen said, somewhat exasperated by Harry and Ron's persistence. "There's no need to be in such a hurry to see it..."
"The house in the box..." Harry said wistfully, "If I had one, I'd stay inside every day after we got back to the Dursleys."
"Such lofty ambitions," Cohen retorted.
"Ever since you mentioned the Unseen Stretching Charm, I've done some research," Hermione reminded Cohen as she followed beside him. "The Ministry of Magic has strict regulations on that spell, Cohen. Using it on personal items is illegal—"
"Keeping a dragon isn't exactly legal, Hermione…" Cohen replied in a low voice,
"As long as it's not discovered, it's not illegal—if all else fails, there's Dumbledore. We can just say it was Dumbledore who did it. After all, we're still young; who would think a little wizard would do something like that?"
Hermione hesitated, seemingly agreeing with Cohen's reasoning.
"Wouldn't that be unfair to Professor Dumbledore…" Harry's last vestige of conscience was kicking in.
"But it's true." Cohen's conscience seemed to have vanished, or perhaps never existed. "Besides, he's Dumbledore. The Ministry of Magic won't arrest him just because he cast a Stretch Mark Charm on a box. That would make them a laughingstock."
"Don't worry, Hermione, we can say it's a Muggle item. That way, it'll be my dad who comes to arrest us," Ron comforted her. "You know, my dad's the head of the Office for the Prohibition of Muggle Items—at most, my mom will give me a beating, and then he'll take the box home."
They arrived at Hagrid's door, and this time Norbert could even hear Cohen's footsteps—the moment Cohen reached the door, the previously noisy room suddenly fell silent.
As soon as Cohen pushed open the door, Norbert dove into Cohen's arms—only to be kicked away by Cohen.
"I almost thought you were going to murder me," Cohen explained to Norbert, who was tucked in his wings and looked aggrieved. "Don't get so excited next time you see me—I'm afraid I might subconsciously do something even more dangerous to you."
What if he accidentally hurt this human body?
After entering the room, Cohen opened the box in front of them. Inside was a light-transmitting staircase.
"This doesn't look like it can fit one person in…" Harry said uncertainly.
"Just take the first step, and leave the rest to magic." Cohen gave Harry a push as he peered into the box.
The narrow staircase instantly enveloped Harry, and Hermione gasped in surprise.
Next up was Hagrid—at least he didn't get stuck, thanks to Cohen and Dumbledore's modifications to the entrance.
Once everyone was down, Cohen led Norbert into the box.
After descending the stairs, they reached the magically constructed field.
Grass, streams, and a sky just like reality, even wind and the approaching clouds.
"Is that a weather charm?" Hermione remembered seeing such a charm in Spells That Cause Natural Disasters. "A weather charm that covers such a large area must be very profound..."
"Dumbledore did it." Actually, Cohen did it himself, but explaining it was too complicated—Cohen wasn't keen on teaching.
"Merlin's beard, Norbert, look, now you can fly freely!" Hagrid exclaimed happily to Norbert. "I can help you build a nest here—no one will come to hurt you—"
Cohen had originally planned to let Hagrid build the nest first, then make some adjustments himself.
Hagrid was very grateful after Cohen said he would leave the box with Hagrid for the rest of the semester.
"Can I still come to see Norber often?"
Hagrid wiped away his tears and patted his chest assuring him,
"That's wonderful, Cohen, don't worry—I'll definitely build you a big house—and Norber will have a comfortable place too..."
Cohen would wait until the end of the semester exams, close to graduation, before taking the box with him.
"Looks like Hagrid will have to finish this huge project in five months," Harry said, calculating the time on the way back to the castle from Hagrid's hut.
"And there's that mischievous dragon—if no one's watching, won't Norber burn down Hagrid's new house?"
Cohen wasn't too worried about that; Norberd was getting smarter and knew the consequences of causing trouble in such a big undertaking.
"Five months!" Hermione suddenly thought of something terrifying.
"What's wrong, Hermione? What will happen in five months?" Harry asked, somewhat confused.
"Final exams! We only have five months left until the final exams!"
"Correction, it's not 'only five months left,' it's 'even five months left.'" Cohen strongly resisted this kind of anxiety-spreading behavior. "Just cram before the exams, right..."
"What will happen if we don't pass?" Ron asked Hermione, equally confused.
"Have you forgotten what Professor McGonagall said? If anyone fails the final exams, there will be very severe punishment!" Hermione said anxiously. "I guess students who don't pass will be expelled—good heavens, I should have started studying after the Christmas holidays, first the Philosopher's Stone, then the dragon...it's crazy—I hope it's not too late..."
After rambling on for a while, Hermione rushed to the library.
"I feel like the Philosopher's Stone and the dragon aren't as crazy as her," Ron commented. "Is she taking the exams too seriously?"
"Be careful when saying these things in front of Hermione," Cohen wisely reminded her, "if we want to copy her homework later."
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(End of Chapter)