Chapter 207: Hagrid, I Want a Dog Meat Feast!
Fluffy's three enormous heads wobbled, and the drool hanging from its mouths swung with the movement, so Duncan and the others hurriedly stepped back in distaste. After a moment, Fluffy opened its drowsy eyes, suddenly realized something, and its eyes went wide as it let out two deafening barks.
Dust on the ceiling was shaken loose by the sudden commotion and rustled down onto Fred and George, making them cough. Duncan, already prepared, raised his sleeve to shield his face and fanned the air in front of him, then took a step forward and said quickly, "Shh, Fluffy, keep it down!"
"Duncan?" said Fluffy, who was a bit slow on the uptake, at last seeming to see the three before it, bewilderment rising in its eyes as all three mouths spoke at once.
"That's right, it's me, you're not mistaken," said Duncan. He had visited this big dog before and knew its reactions were a little slow. Fluffy's noses twitched, and only after confirming Duncan's scent did it relax.
It stood up in a rush. The iron chains that ran from the side wall and floor to the collars locked around its neck clattered and trembled as it moved. Fred and George's faces changed slightly as they drew their wands, standing guard before Duncan with wary expressions as they faced the gigantic three-headed dog.
"Don't worry. Though this fellow is a bit slow in the head, it's a big, soft-hearted, good dog—much like its owner, Hagrid." Duncan reached out to pull the tense Fred and George aside, patted their shoulders to make them relax, and said with a smile.
Fluffy barked twice in agreement with Duncan's words, then, under the Weasley twins' nervous gaze, slowly brought its grim heads closer to Duncan.
"Something big happened, Duncan!" Fluffy lowered its voice. "Someone knows my weakness! He brought that thing by the wall in here, and before I had time to bark for help, that hateful music started playing! That blasted fellow is definitely up to no good. He wants to steal the treasure I'm guarding! Luckily, I reacted quicker this time and blocked the entrance with my body before I fell asleep, or it would have been terrible if he had stolen it. When that happens, that terrifying old man definitely won't spare me. He's looked at me funny many times—he must be planning to eat me!"
A shudder of lingering fear flashed in Fluffy's eyes; all its fur stood on end as it trembled slightly, and an image rose unbidden in its mind: Albus Dumbledore stood before Hagrid, smiling, and said, "Hagrid, I want a dog meat feast!"
"Duncan, you've got to help me. That fellow will definitely come again. I held him off this time, but next time I might not!"
Optional Quest: The adorable three-headed dog Fluffy has encountered a problem it cannot solve. Someone wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone it is guarding. It is now asking you for help—please help it guard that precious Philosopher's Stone and save its life. Don't let it end up as dog-meat hotpot!
Quest Rewards: Virtual Currency ×600, Random Item ×1, Fluffy (Three-Headed Dog) Affection ×70
Duncan accepted the quest without a change of expression, nodded, and said, "No problem. From now on, I'll try to come by every day to check."
The "old man" in Fluffy's mouth was Albus Dumbledore; who knew what Dumbledore had done to make Fluffy so afraid.
"Thank you," Fluffy breathed out in relief, then asked, "By the way, did you see that blasted fellow when you came?"
"When we arrived, he'd already gone. Only that harp was left there," said Duncan.
"That's a real pity. If we'd caught him, I would've given him a good hard bite or two. How dare he set his sights on the treasure I'm guarding!" Fluffy bared its fangs as it spoke, showing sharp tusks and rumbling in its throat, looking every bit the fierce brute.
"This chap looks properly intimidating. If we took him out on a lead, we'd look dead impressive!" Fred said, eyeing Fluffy up and down.
George added with a grin, "When Mum starts telling us off again, we'll have this dog leap out and give her a fright. Maybe she'll forget what we did wrong!"
"Right, and then Mrs. Weasley will skin you both and stew you that very night!" Duncan rolled his eyes. After confirming Fluffy wasn't in immediate danger, Fred and George reverted to form, their heads filling with prankish ideas.
"Mum would never be that cruel!" Fred rejected at once. "At most, she'll break our bones and throw us outside the yard to howl ourselves to death!"
Ignoring the two unreliable brothers, Duncan looked back to Fluffy and asked, "Have you seen that person before?"
Fluffy tilted its three heads and thought it over. "The face looked familiar, but the smell on him was strange. I don't know whether I've seen him or not…"
"Oh? Then we can completely rule out Snape…" Duncan thought to himself in silence. Some time ago, Fluffy had fallen ill. Hagrid had no other way, so Dumbledore asked Severus Snape to come and treat Fluffy. Snape had visited Fluffy several times; if it had been him, Fluffy would certainly recognize his scent.
"Have you never once smelled that person's scent before?" Duncan asked, thinking it over.
"No, never smelled it before. He stank—made me sick—and a bit scared too. If I'd smelled him before, I'd definitely remember!" As Fluffy spoke with its big heads, spittle splashed onto Fred and George, who cried out in disgust and hurriedly backed away.
"A bit smelly?" Duncan frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "All right. I'll go for today. You be careful and nap less. As soon as that person comes again, bark at the top of your lungs. Someone will hear and come to help!"
"Got it. So long as he doesn't play music, I can definitely beat him!" Fluffy rumbled, then, still uneasy, added, "Duncan, you must come to see me often!"
"Mm-hmm!" Duncan nodded, went to the wall to put away the ornate harp, and, with Fred and George, pushed open the door and left the room.
"Duncan, what exactly is that big dog guarding?" Fred asked curiously just as Duncan shut the door.
"Mr. Flamel's magical item—the Philosopher's Stone," Duncan replied, turning back.
"Mr. Flamel? The Philosopher's Stone?" George's eyebrows rose, and he asked quickly, "Is it very important?"
Duncan nodded. "Of course. It's the key to Mr. Flamel's continued life."
Fred and George exchanged a silent glance, then said firmly, "In that case, the two of us have no choice but to step in!"
"Don't worry, Duncan. From now on, whenever we go to the Room of Requirement, we'll detour here for a look. We absolutely won't let that Stone be stolen!"
"That's brilliant—thank you," Duncan said with a smile and a nod.
"What are you on about!" said Fred. "Mr. Flamel is so kind and has taught us so much. We don't want to watch him die."
Fred was about to continue when Filch's voice came from afar. He must have heard Fluffy's barking and was hurrying over to check. Duncan quickly turned them invisible and said, "Hurry back to your dormitory. I'm going to tell Professor Dumbledore about what happened today."
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