At the time, Basil was completely taken aback.
Before this, he had no idea that Dumbledore had set up this "chessboard" to entrap Voldemort.
He thought it was just to test if Voldemort knew Harry was his Horcrux and about the power of the love protection on Harry.
To lay the groundwork for Voldemort's future resurrection using Harry's blood.
Thereby allowing the love protection, which should have vanished when Harry came of age, to continue within both Harry and Voldemort.
So that when Harry finally went to his death, he could survive through this connection.
Destroying only the soul fragment within him and freeing himself from being a Horcrux.
He hadn't expected that Dumbledore wasn't just following the prophecy.
He had actually thought about settling everything in Harry's first year, freeing Harry from his fate.
Basil hadn't been without suspicion regarding the content of that conversation, but the lie-detecting ability from [Veritaserum Connoisseur] confirmed that Dumbledore hadn't spoken a single lie.
He also learned that a large sum of Gems was coming his way.
Peter Pettigrew's early imprisonment and Sirius Black's early release were undoubtedly huge changes compared to the original timeline.
This made Basil feel much better, even though Harry and the others inevitably found out that the Philosopher's Stone was hidden in the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor.
And now... Basil narrowed his eyes.
Hagrid ran to the library to borrow books, trying to hide behind volumes that looked tiny compared to his massive frame.
He instantly attracted the attention of Harry and the others, who were temporarily distracted from their homework because of Basil's "Versailles" (humblebragging).
In Basil's mind, the clear, three-dimensional image of Hagrid's hut showed that it was indeed tightly shut on this warm, sunny day, with a dragon egg roasting in the fireplace.
"Hagrid is actually borrowing books?" The gossipy Ron narrowed his eyes. "Could this be related to the Philosopher's Stone?"
"Yeah," Harry, equally distracted from reading, nodded. "That's strange. But how can we find out—"
Harry looked at Ron, and Ron gave a smug smile.
A minute later, he returned, arms full of a huge pile of books, which he slammed onto the table.
"Case cracked! It's dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up information on dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland, From Egg to Inferno, A Guide to Dragon Breeding."
"Hagrid has always wanted a dragon; he told me so the first time I met him," Harry said.
Then Ron started giving a lecture about how dragon breeding was officially banned at the Warlock's Convention of 1709.
And what wild dragons existed in Britain, and how the Ministry of Magic dealt with Muggles who saw them—using Obliviate on them.
Finally, even Hermione couldn't sit still.
"So what exactly does Hagrid want to do?"
"Why don't we go and find out?" Basil downed his Coke in one gulp and burped.
An hour later, they appeared in Hagrid's hut, which was stiflingly hot due to being sealed shut with a roaring fire.
After declining Hagrid's dark cuisine—stoat sandwiches—Harry took the initiative, mentioning the Philosopher's Stone.
"The thing in the small package you picked up from Gringotts on my birthday and the thing hidden in the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor are the same thing, right?—The Philosopher's Stone."
Clang! The teapot in Hagrid's hand dropped to the floor, scalding tea nearly splashing onto Fang.
"How do you... I... this... what else do you know?"
"Heh heh," Ron stood up. "We also know that Snape wants the Philosopher's Stone. That's why he threatened Professor Quirrell, trying to get the method to pass the three-headed dog out of him."
Hagrid slumped into his chair. "You know about Fluffy too?"
He was so shocked he forgot to defend Snape.
The next second, he perked up again. "Wait, what are you saying? Quirrell knows how to get past Fluffy? Impossible! No one except me and Dumbledore knows Fluffy's weakness is music."
"So, the three-headed dog is named Fluffy," Harry answered quickly.
To save breath, Basil directly "guessed": "Weakness... music? Does it fall asleep when it hears music?"
"Blimey! Galloping Gorgons!" Hagrid was flustered and exasperated.
He immediately covered his mouth, looking determined not to say another word.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other.
They all understood: Basil must have guessed right!
Ron signaled with his eyes for Harry to ask the next question.
In this sealed room, the black egg in the fireplace was obviously a dragon egg!
He had just been to Romania; if he wasn't mistaken, this was definitely a Norwegian Ridgeback egg.
Seeing Harry didn't understand the signal.
He said directly, "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback egg, isn't it? You plan to hatch it? Do you have a Pet Case ready?"
Ever since Newt scamander did a series of epic things relying on the creatures in his magical suitcase...
Suitcases with Undetectable Extension Charms and Atmospheric Charms, containing a complete natural cycle inside, became popular.
Although in Britain, they only circulated on the black market, and Ron hadn't heard of them before.
But in Romania, they were a fashion trend.
Almost every family had a pet dragon—in a suitcase.
But Hagrid seemed confused; he uncovered his mouth instantly.
"Pet Case?" He pulled a huge tome from under his pillow. "Borrowed from the library—Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit. It's a bit outdated, but the content is comprehensive. Like keeping the egg in the fire, mimicking their mother breathing on them. Once it hatches, feed it a bucket of brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour."
"You recognized it because you went to Romania for Christmas, right? There are lots of dragon sanctuaries there. Is a Pet Case necessary?" He looked worried. "Is it expensive?"
Ron waved his big hand. "Not expensive! Selling some of those Unicorn tail hairs you use for bandages will be enough. A Pet Case refers to the kind Newt Scamander has, capable of housing large magical creatures with a complete natural cycle inside."
"But breeding dragons is illegal," Hermione pointed out bluntly.
Ron laughed. "It's not illegal if you don't get caught. Wizards in Romania all do it. Not to mention, there's Mr. Scamander! He's been doing it for years, and nothing has happened! It's a loophole he intentionally left when helping write the laws."
"Really?!!" Hagrid's beetle-black eyes burst with joy and longing.
"If you want one, I think Ron should be able to help you order a Pet Case," Basil interjected, smelling the scent of Gems.
Hermione looked betrayed, put her hands on her hips, and turned her back to them.
Ron nodded.
Then a large handful of Unicorn tail hairs was stuffed into his hand.
On the way back to the castle, Ron's steps were light, a smile on his face, stroking the tail hairs in his arms as if caressing a lover's cheek.
"These hairs are definitely enough! Even after giving Fred and George their cut, there'll be leftovers!"
It was true.
After deducting the cut for the exchange, these tail hairs fetched a total of 614 Galleons.
The Pet Case, delivered at the tail end of the holiday, cost 300 Galleons.
Meaning, Ron made a profit of 314 Galleons instantly.