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Teachers and students from the various schools began to stream into the Castle.
Lynn was in no hurry to follow. He looked at Dumbledore, who was walking ahead alongside the other Principals, and asked in a raised voice, "Principal, should these Abraxans be settled next to Hagrid's hut? There's open space and a shed there."
Dumbledore turned back at the sound, a knowing smile flashing in his eyes, and he nodded. "A fine arrangement. Go ahead, child. I believe Hagrid will be very fond of them."
Lynn nodded, but secretly grumbled in his heart: That might not be the case. These Abraxans don't look imposing at all.
He turned and walked toward the massive carriage and the Abraxans surrounding it, who seemed to still be savoring the "afterglow."
Although Madame Maxime had tacitly allowed him to help, she clearly wasn't comfortable handing over complete control to a student. The two senior Beauxbatons boys she had left behind were trying to guide the horses, but the Abraxans showed little interest in their commands and seemed somewhat impatient.
Lynn walked straight over and smiled at the two slightly embarrassed boys. "Leave it to me. I know a shortcut."
His gaze swept over them, finally landing on the Abraxan with the clearest eyes. "It's you, then."
He skillfully untied the reins connecting this horse to the carriage shaft. The Abraxan snorted, lowered its head, and nudged Lynn's hand with its nose.
Lynn patted its sturdy neck, his body floating up lightly to land steadily on the broad back of the horse.
"Hey!" a Beauxbatons boy exclaimed, seemingly thinking the move was too bold.
Lynn acted as if he hadn't heard. He gripped the reins with one hand, gently squeezed the horse's flanks with his legs, and issued a clear command: "Giddy up!" At the same time, he flicked the reins.
The Abraxan beneath him seemed to be injected with new vitality. It raised its head with a clear, long whinny.
The sound pierced the night sky, drawing the attention of students who had not yet fully entered the Castle.
Then, it stamped the ground powerfully, its wings unfurling with a "whoosh," gleaming silver-white under the moonlight.
Lynn flicked the reins again, imitating a more down-to-earth driving sound from his memory, and shouted, "Hyah!"
The Abraxan responded immediately.
Its hind legs exerted force, and its wings flapped down suddenly, creating a strong current of air that carried Lynn into the air, flying swiftly toward Hagrid's hut.
The night wind whistled past Lynn's cheeks and the hem of his robes. Below him, the outlines of the Black Lake, the lawn, and the forest receded rapidly. This feeling of synergy with a magical creature made him let out a long, exhilarated cry.
He had wanted to do this for a long time!
Unfortunately, his own Lumière was a drunkard whose moments of sobriety were few and far between. Moreover, it had a strange resistance to being ridden unless it reached a certain tipping point of tipsiness, but at that point, Lumière's sense of direction was worrisome.
Lynn always kept in mind the principle of "don't drink and drive," especially when the "vehicle" itself had been drinking; then it was even more important not to risk "driving."
As for the Erguotou he had just fed these Beauxbatons Abraxans? Wasn't that just the essence of grain? Look, how well it worked; now they flew wherever he pointed.
"Cool—!"
The students walking slowly couldn't help but let out cries of sincere envy upon seeing this. Even Professor Flitwick, among the teachers, stood on his tiptoes and watched Lynn depart with great interest.
However, as Lynn approached the area of Hagrid's hut on the Abraxan in a rather flashy manner, the sight that greeted him made him frown.
Hagrid's hut... seemed to be on fire?!
No, it didn't just "seem" like it.
Billowing thick smoke was pouring out of the hut's roof and windows, the plume clearly visible in the moonlight, rising straight into the sky.
Lynn immediately urged the Abraxan to accelerate its dive toward it.
As the distance closed, he could see more clearly. The fire was mainly concentrated on the roof and the doorway, the flames crackling.
He didn't have time for a slow landing. While still a few meters above the ground, he leapt straight off the horse's back, rolling upon landing to dissipate the momentum.
At the same time, his wand had already slid into his hand, pointing at the source of the fire.
"Torrential Blast!"
The wand instantly sprayed a jet of water, like a high-pressure fire hose, but even more precise and swift.
"Sizzle—!"
The water poured onto the roof and doorway where the flames were fiercest, instantly suppressing the fire. White steam rose alongside the black smoke.
After a few rounds of precise spraying, the open flames were basically extinguished, leaving only wisps of choking white smoke rising from the charred wood.
"Woof! Woof woof woof!! (Oh my god! Help! They're killing the dog!)"
Just as the fire was out, a black figure, somewhat grayed by soot, came scrambling and crawling out of the still-smoking doorway.
Upon seeing Lynn, Fang looked as if he had seen a savior and lunged straight toward him.
Lynn grabbed the lunging Fang and vigorously rubbed the dog's head. "It's okay, the fire is out... Did you start this fire?"
He asked half-jokingly, as Fang did occasionally get into small bits of trouble.
Fang calmed down slightly from the rubbing, but immediately shook his head frantically, letting out a pitiful whimper from his throat, his paw pointing toward the still-smoking doorway. "Whine... Woof! Woof woof! (No... it was those! Blast-Ended Skrewts!)"
Just as Fang finished, a creature about a meter long, with a hideous appearance somewhere between a lobster and a scorpion, suddenly lunged out of the doorway.
Its shell was black and red, and the tip of its tail was like a rocket booster, "sizzling" as it spat out sparks and a small burst of flame, charging straight toward Lynn and Fang.
Lynn raised an eyebrow and calmly took a step to the side, easily avoiding the Blast-Ended Skrewt's charging path. At the same time, he pointed his wand at a stone on the ground in front of the creature.
The stone on the ground instantly transformed into a giant guillotine blade with edges shimmering with a cold light.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent the blade flying through the air like a frisbee, tracing an arc.
"Squelch—!"
The blade was sharper than imagined, effortlessly splitting the snarling Blast-Ended Skrewt in half from head to tail. The two halves, still twitching slightly, fell to the ground, the fire on its tail quickly extinguishing, leaving only a foul smell of char and blood.
"Lynn?! What happened?! My house!" a panicked voice came from the direction of the woods.
Hagrid came running over in a hurry, carrying a rather sturdy-looking large cage. Inside the cage, dozens of Blast-Ended Skrewts of various sizes were packed tightly together.
"Hagrid, your Blast-Ended Skrewts set your house on fire," Lynn summarized succinctly, stowing his wand and pointing to the remains on the ground and the still-smoking doorway. "Where were you just now? I didn't see you when I was putting out the fire."
Hagrid scratched his hair in frustration. "I... I was over by the woods fixing this new cage! The old one was broken by them squeezing it, and they all escaped this afternoon! They were crawling everywhere, and it took a lot of effort to catch most of them back..."
Lynn looked at Hagrid in this state and was silent for a moment.
"Hagrid, you really need to consider getting rid of them. This time it was burning down the house; next time it might be something else, and the Ministry—"
Lynn swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Never mind. He had done plenty of illegal things himself; he really had no standing to advise Hagrid.
Hagrid's face turned red, and he muttered softly, "I know, Lynn... I know they're a bit dangerous, not quite legal... But! But I'm their mother! How could I have the heart... Look how lively they are, how energetic!"
He tried to point to the Blast-Ended Skrewts in the cage to prove it, but one of them suddenly spat out a small burst of sparks, scaring Hagrid into quickly moving the cage farther away.
"By the way, Lynn, why did you come here at this time?"
"Oh, I almost forgot my business." Lynn patted his forehead and pointed to the carriage and the Abraxans. "I've brought some 'guests' to you. The representatives from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic have arrived, and this is their transport."
"Headmaster Dumbledore said to settle them next to your hut for you to look after. Madame Maxime—that's the Principal of Beauxbatons—specifically mentioned that these Abraxans are very delicate, drink only single-malt whisky, and need professional care."
Hagrid's eyes immediately lit up, and he rubbed his hands excitedly. "Beauxbatons! Abraxans! Oh! They're so beautiful!"
Lynn: "..."
Damn! Talk about being proven wrong!
Hagrid cautiously walked toward the nearest one. The horse gave him a wary look but didn't dodge, only snorting.
"Leave it to me! I have space right here, and some fine fodder! I think there's still some whisky in the cellar..."
He took the reins of the Abraxan Lynn had ridden and began to lead the other horses toward the empty shed near where he usually cared for the Thestrals and the pumpkin patch.
Lynn watched Hagrid work and suddenly thought that Hagrid probably didn't have a girlfriend...
"Hagrid, once these horses are settled, let's go to the Great Hall together. I'm sure you and Madame Maxime will have a lot to talk about—you both love magical creatures so much. I promise, chatting with her will make you temporarily forget these annoying Blast-Ended Skrewts."
Hagrid was gently stroking the mane of an Abraxan. Hearing Lynn's words, the expression on his face instantly switched to one of disdain.
"Impossible! Totally impossible! What Madame Maxime! There's nothing—I mean, there's no topic that could make me forget my Blast-Ended Skrewts! They need me! I'm their mother!"
Just then—
"Splash—!!!"
A sound like a waterfall crashing or a giant object breaking through the water suddenly came from the direction of the Black Lake, exceptionally clear in the silent night.
Both turned at the same time and looked toward the Black Lake.
In the center of the Black Lake, which had been as calm as ink, the water churned violently, forming a massive whirlpool. Then, a ghostly ship with towering masts slowly rose from the center of the whirlpool, water cascading down its hull.
Hagrid gasped, his eyes widening into circles as he subconsciously exclaimed, "Is... is Captain Jack's 'Flying Dutchman' coming to Hogwarts?!"
He remembered the stories Lynn had vividly told him before about pirates, cursed ghost ships, and deep-sea monsters.
Lynn almost choked on his own saliva. "Uh... I don't think that's it. Most likely, Durmstrang Institute has arrived. The feast is probably about to officially begin. Hagrid, I need to get back quickly; you should hurry too. Don't miss the feast."
"Yeah, yeah! I won't! I'll come as soon as I'm done! I have to make sure these big darlings are comfortable..."
He couldn't help but glance toward the Black Lake again, muttering, "But that ship of theirs... it's quite scary, like a coffin box. My Blast-Ended Skrewts look much friendlier..."