Chapter 258: Wood wanted to drown himself in the rainstorm.
Dylan was in no hurry to deal with Riddle or to extract the soul from the Ravenclaw diadem. He was, by his own account, a very good boss. He wouldn't abuse or mistreat his "employees."
The only condition was that the employee had to complete the tasks he assigned. If they didn't, he might have to resort to some "measures."
After all, their relationship wasn't really a boss-employee dynamic; he was their master. Dylan felt that no one could be more generous to their servants than he was.
After leaving the cabin with Rowena, she stood beside him, blinking, then asked, "Are you sure it's okay to just leave him here?"
Rowena had read about Voldemort in some recent books and knew him as "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." The books made him seem mysterious, but it was clear that this wizard was exceptionally talented and cunning. Even in his current state, it was possible he had a backup plan.
Now Dylan had placed two Horcruxes side by side, one with a soul that appeared to be sleeping but was actually hiding, and another that could freely enter and leave its vessel. Would the latter try to take advantage of the situation? Was the young wizard not worried at all?
Dylan waved a hand. "Don't worry. This is my world. Unless they have the power to destroy it, everything is under my control. Besides," he said with a smile, looking at Rowena, "I have you, don't I? My personal steward."
Rowena was slightly taken aback, then a smile curved her lips. "Since you trust me so much, rest assured, I won't disappoint you."
"With your assurance, Madam Founder, I have complete faith in you."
Dylan said his goodbyes to his pets. He gave Rowena a slight nod, then in a flash, he left his pocket dimension.
Back in the Gryffindor common room, as soon as he opened the door, Dylan saw Harry sprawled on his bed, drenched in sweat. He looked completely exhausted, as if he had just finished some intense exercise.
"What's this?" Dylan asked, walking over and teasing Harry. "We're all boys here, but I have to remind you, too much indulgence is not good for your health."
"Huh?" Harry was slow to react, but then his brain caught up. His entire face turned bright red. "Dylan! What are you talking about?! What am I indulging in?"
Dylan had only meant to make a casual joke and didn't think a kid like Harry would understand. But seeing Harry's reaction, it seemed he had. Dylan was surprised. After a moment's thought, though, it made sense. Kids in England weren't all that innocent.
He'd even seen Muggle kids snogging. They probably didn't even feel anything, but seeing others do it, they'd follow along. And even if Harry was clueless, his cousin didn't seem like a pure, innocent kid. He probably knew all about... "self-exploration." It wasn't a stretch that Harry would have heard things. Even in the wizarding world, plenty of Hogwarts students were dating.
Dylan shrugged. "How would I know what you're indulging in? Maybe you just got tired from playing Quidditch?"
Harry's mouth opened. "No, I haven't been practicing much lately."
Dylan raised an eyebrow, scanning Harry from head to toe. "Then what's all this about?"
Harry struggled to sit up. After a moment of hesitation, he revealed, "I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone else, okay?"
"What is it?" Dylan tilted his head. "Did you really get a girlfriend?"
"No! I didn't!" Harry's cheeks, which had just returned to their normal color, flushed again. "Professor Lupin is teaching me the Patronus Charm! If I can learn it, I can fight the Dementors!"
Dylan nodded in understanding. He hadn't talked much with Harry and the others lately. First, he didn't have much time. Second, Harry and his friends seemed to be busy with something as well, though they were still leaving late and returning early, the opposite of Dylan's schedule. Now it seemed they had reached the point where Lupin was teaching Harry the Patronus Charm.
Dylan shook his head slightly. "The Patronus Charm is difficult to master. But remember, when Professor Lupin showed us the Boggart, you faced your fear, but you also need to remember a very happy memory. If you can do that, you'll make quick progress with your Patronus."
Dylan had a lot of experience with the Patronus Charm. He had learned how to cast the spell a long time ago, but he hadn't been able to conjure a Patronus. It had taken him a lot of time to master the charm. His Patronus wasn't for fighting Dementors, though.
Dementors were a joke to him, even less threatening than Voldemort. His Patronus didn't need to fight them. It just had to do simple things, like torment Dementors or run errands.
Though, a porcupine-pixie had short legs and short arms, so running errands might be a bit of a stretch. Fortunately, Dylan didn't need a Patronus to run errands anyway.
"Dylan, did you bring any different kinds of chocolate from home? Like with fruit bits?"
"Of course," Dylan said with a nod.
"Really?" Harry's eyes lit up excitedly. "Can I have some? To get used to the effects of the Dementors, I've eaten five Chocolate Frogs in a row! They were all the same flavor, and I'm getting sick of them."
"Why don't you eat some other sweets? I have some fruit candies, some fruit-filled chocolates, some with nuts, and some milk chocolates. You can have them all."
Dylan flipped his hand, and a bag appeared in his palm. He tossed it to Harry, who caught it eagerly.
"Thanks!" Harry said, his face breaking into a wide smile as he looked at the large assortment of candies and chocolates inside. He had nowhere to buy things like this at school, let alone such a variety. The only chocolate he ever got was the Chocolate Frogs Professor Lupin gave him.
He'd eaten so many he was completely sick of them. But he couldn't complain to the professor; it was a kind gesture to help him cope while learning the Patronus Charm. The professor just hadn't considered that eating the same chocolate over and over might make him feel queasy.
"You've saved me!" Harry pulled a fruit-filled chocolate from the bag. It was a real piece of fruit coated in chocolate. When he bit into it, he got the rich taste of chocolate and the real burst of juicy fruit.
Dylan watched Harry eat happily and stroked his chin. He was right; it was a hassle for ordinary wizards to buy food. But if they could make their own, that would be even better.
"Maybe I should consider setting up a magical food assembly line," he muttered. He was already a master chef. He just needed to create some food spells, pre-design them, and use a few tools to set up a fully automated assembly line.
All he would need to do was provide the ingredients, and a delicious meal could be ready at any time. He could even skip the ingredients. He could create a few spells to summon them. With the two combined, he could mass-produce food with magic, and not just some gross pre-packaged meal, but a feast. Dylan licked his lips. This idea seemed quite good. It was worth a try.
Dylan welcomed every whimsical idea that popped into his head. He was on a path of research, and if an idea seemed useful, he would try it. As a wizard, his life span was already longer than a Muggle's.
And now that he had indirectly found a way to become immortal, he had all the time in the world to study. The sense of urgency he'd felt when he first started learning magic had faded. He could just go with the flow, like a boat drifting wherever the current took it.
"The assembly line itself isn't difficult to set up. The key is the food-making process. The spell needs to make sure the food is delicious. That's the most important thing."
Dylan cast a quick Scourgify on himself and sat on his bed. After a moment, he summoned Coaly.
"Moo!" Coaly was in the middle of a stretch when he was suddenly picked up by his master. He quickly retracted his claws and gave a soft little meow.
Dylan smiled, petting his head, and cast a Scourgify on the little creature as well. He wasn't disgusted by Coaly, of course. It was just... he was getting into bed, and it was normal to clean your feet before you did, wasn't it?
"Speaking of, don't you have Quidditch practice soon?" It was already evening, and time for dinner, but Dylan was in no hurry.
"I do! But... someone sent me a broom anonymously, and now Professor McGonagall has it because they suspect it's enchanted with Dark Magic."
Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Does that affect your practice? I gave you a broom, too."
"Well... it's related." Harry scratched his head. "The professors told me to take a break until they figure out if there's any Dark Magic on the broom, to protect me from its influence. Of course, if I want to practice, I still can—I can use your broom. And Oliver is trying to get them to let me practice more. He doesn't want me to lose my spot just because of an anonymous gift. He's made some progress."
Harry smiled. "Besides, the first match of the season isn't ours anyway. Slytherin and Ravenclaw are playing."
Dylan nodded. "It's a good thing Professor McGonagall didn't take my broom too. Otherwise, you'd have to practice on a Shooting Star."
The Shooting Star was a brand of broom the school provided for students to learn on. They were old and not very good. It was hard enough to fly straight on one, let alone use it in a Quidditch match. Winning on one was basically impossible.
Harry blinked, looking a little moved. "You gave me a broom so early in the year, and it's been so good. And now it's really helping me out. I'm so grateful, Dylan."
Perhaps it was the effects of the Dementors, but Harry's emotions seemed a little closer to the surface than usual. His eyes were already getting teary.
Dylan clicked his tongue. "What's there to be grateful for? It's fine. As long as you have a broom to play with, that's what matters. Besides, even if I hadn't given you one, I'm sure Professor McGonagall would have returned your broom before your first match."
Harry chuckled weakly.
"No wonder I haven't seen Wood rushing you to practice lately."
"Uh... about that..." The smile on Harry's face faltered.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Dylan asked.
Harry blinked and hesitated for a moment. "The last match didn't go so well, you see. Wood stood out in the pouring rain, and he collapsed. Hagrid had to carry him back."
"What?" Dylan looked stunned. "He stood in the rain and passed out?"
"Well, the story is... Wood was trying to drown himself in the storm... and Hagrid ruined it." Harry stammered. "That's what Fred and George told me, anyway. I'm not really sure."
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