After entering March, the weather gradually warmed up, and the ice that covered the Black Lake all winter thawed last week.
Lately, the giant squid frequently pokes its head and tentacles out of the lake to enjoy the warm sunshine.
This has attracted a crowd of students.
Although many who have read "Hogwarts: A History" know there's a giant squid in the Black Lake, it rarely makes an appearance, so other than the Slytherins whose common room is located near the lake, students from other houses scarcely get to see it.
Everyone was curious for a while, especially the new students, who rushed there as soon as classes were over.
Thus, the Black Lake inexplicably became the new hotspot at Hogwarts.
However, Kael didn't join the fun. He had already seen it once during last year's final exam period; truth be told, there's nothing special about it compared to regular squids, except that it's slightly larger.
Besides, watching it for too long makes you hungry, and you can't exactly grill it, so going there again didn't appeal to him.
He'd rather spend that time reading a couple more books.
After a few months of study, he has pretty much mastered the Undetectable Extension Charm.
Although he's not yet very proficient, and the space he can alter isn't as large as he imagined, he has overcome the toughest first step, and with more practice, he'll be fine.
Kael plans to completely remodel his trunk before his fifth year... Not exactly like Newt's, but at least it should be able to store half the Forbidden Forest.
Over the past two years, he's acquired quite a few items. Just the plants in the garden could fill his current trunk, and he also has to section off territories for Trolls and Moonstruck Beasts... Plus new members that might join in the future, the trunk is just too small.
Time to get things started...
Afterward, Kael spent almost all his free time working on his trunk.
Thanks to his persistent efforts, he finally completed the first expansion of his trunk on the third day of the Easter holiday.
The space inside was almost doubled compared to the beginning.
Kael looked at his achievement and nodded in satisfaction; he now felt as if he'd upgraded from a single room to a villa.
Furthermore, previous challenges were resolved in an instant.
For instance, the Troll's activity area was much larger.
And the Moonstruck Beast's new home could also start getting prepared... Building suitable caves for their habitation requires a lot of space, and there wasn't any before, but now it's just right.
The only problem is that after the expansion, the surroundings became much more spacious, appearing somewhat monotonous... But that can be easily fixed.
The next day, Kael headed to the Forbidden Forest early in the morning.
He intended to take advantage of the holiday to move a couple of Rowan Trees into his trunk.
Of course, daytime wouldn't do as it's easy to get caught by Hagrid, so this trip was just a reconnaissance... Confirm the target first, then execute at night.
A few minutes later, Kael arrived in front of Hagrid's hut, but strangely, the door was shut tight, and all curtains were drawn securely, even the little window at the top was plastered over with a copy of the Daily Prophet.
Kael stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
Hagrid's voice came from inside, sounding a bit anxious.
Soon, the door opened to reveal a small gap.
"Whew... It's Kael, what brings you here?"
"I need a favor," Kael said. "Can I come in?"
"Certainly..." Hagrid stepped aside to let Kael in, then quickly turned to close the door.
The hut felt like a sauna, stiflingly hot, even on such a warm and sunny day, with the fireplace still roaring.
Besides Hagrid, there were three other people in the room.
Harry, Ron, Hermione.
"Hello," Kael greeted them.
"Hi..."
"Long time no see... Kael."
"Good morning."
Standing before the fireplace, the trio responded somewhat nervously.
They formed a barrier between Kael and the fireplace, speaking with eyes darting side to side; anyone could see there was something off about the fireplace.
Fortunately, Hagrid came over at that moment.
He poured Kael a cup of tea from a copper pot, also offering him a ferret sandwich.
"You mentioned needing my help?"
"Yes," Kael shifted his gaze from the fireplace and said, "I want to collect some Rowan Tree branches in the Forbidden Forest, is that alright?"
"To make those Protective Talismans?" Hagrid asked.
Last year's "Exam Pass Charm" made by Kael was all the rage at Hogwarts, so Hagrid knew about it.
Kael nodded.
"It's only two months until the final exams, we have to prepare early."
"That's straightforward," Hagrid said with a smile. "How many do you need? I'll deliver them tomorrow."
"No trouble at all; I can pick them myself."
"But..." Hagrid frowned, clearly not keen on letting Kael enter the Forbidden Forest.
"Relax, Hagrid, Rowan Trees are at the forest's edge; it won't be dangerous."
Kael continued, "Plus, I need to select branches of suitable shape; processing them later is quite troublesome otherwise."
"Well... Alright then!"
Hagrid thought for a while and added, "But you may only search at the edge of the Forbidden Forest."
"No problem." As Kael intended to do so anyway, he naturally agreed.
Then, Hagrid stood up, ready to head out.
"Hagrid, are you coming along too?" Kael asked.
"Of course, I can't let you go to the Forbidden Forest alone," Hagrid said. "Even if it's just the outskirts."
"What about the dragon egg?" Kael queried, "Can you trust Potter and the others to care for it?"
"No worries, dragon eggs aren't that fragile; just be cautious with the fireplace..."
"Wait..."
Before Hagrid finished speaking, Hermione's surprised voice interrupted.
"Kael, how do you know there's a dragon egg here? You can't see it from there."
After hearing her words, Hagrid was also stunned... Indeed, how did Kael know about the dragon egg?
"Of course, you can't assume blocking the fireplace means all is well."
Kael smiled and said, "I suggest you check out the latest edition of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'; there's a clear description in the Fire Dragon chapter about how dragon eggs emit a unique sulfuric smell when in flames. It's just not very noticeable, easily overlooked in the fire."
"If you doubt it, take a look at Fang. I reckon he's about to pass out."
Kael pointed to the side; Hagrid's black hound was drooping its head, lying in the corner, looking lethargic, entirely different from the usual energetic behavior.
"Oh, Fang, what's wrong!"
Hagrid yelled in concern and hurried over, picking up Fang and dashing out of the hut.