Harry Potter: Magic and Guns

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The storyline featuring the Pipi Ghost and the Cornwall Pixie failed to develop well.

Though one is a prankster spirit and the other's name includes the word "pixie," it's obvious that Pipi Ghost and this creature don't get along. After being squeezed by Hagrid several times, Pipi Ghost felt drained, but for the first time, it experienced a strange, exhilarating sensation—like the feeling of "diarrhea," and it couldn't contain its excitement.

Being a ghost has its drawbacks, the main one being the lack of interaction with the real world.

Especially for Pipi Ghost, who is a half-ghost, half-not, the Hogwarts ghosts don't even consider Pipi Ghost one of their own. Over the past few hundred or even a thousand years, Pipi Ghost has been stuck playing alone. Although it doesn't feel lonely, it can still get a bit boring.

After witnessing Hagrid's brutal method of squeezing Pipi Ghost into a two-dimensional shape several times, Rolf has somewhat come to terms with this absurd situation, though a new worry made him uneasy.

Rolf tugged at Harry's sleeve. "Harry, don't tell me Neil is going to get squeezed by Hagrid too? This is way too brutal; he's our bird, after all!"

"I'm not sure how exactly it'll go, but you can trust Hagrid. He really loves magical creatures, especially the cool and handsome ones. Thunderbirds definitely count. I heard that a pair of Thunderbirds came to Hogwarts a few years ago to stay and lay eggs. Hagrid even acted as their temporary nanny, but unfortunately, no baby Thunderbirds stayed in the forest."

"Ah, I see." Rolf relaxed. "But that makes sense. Thunderbirds represent the sky and freedom. Unless they want to, no wizard can force them to stay. Lightning, for example, stayed at my grandfather's house because he saved his life, and they hit it off. But we don't see him all the time—he often goes out and comes back when he's tired."

Nearby, Pipi Ghost sneakily took the remaining Cornwall Pixies from their cage. Despite being under a foot tall, Pipi Ghost was as strong as an adult, and its sneaky escape made it look like a chicken thief. No one stopped it, though, since there weren't many left anyway. If Pipi Ghost wanted to take them, no one minded. It could be considered a reward for all the trouble it had caused.

Harry's black dragon-hide backpack contained Rolf's suitcase. With a flash of sparks and lightning, little Thunderbird Neil was pulled out of the bag. Although the box simulated a sky environment, it was just a magical illusion and didn't compare to the real world.

After smelling the fresh air from the Forbidden Forest for the first time, Neil immediately stopped discharging electricity and chirped excitedly. He flapped his little legs and bounced out of Harry's arms, struggling to fly for a while before crashing at Hagrid's feet.

A huge shadow loomed over him. Neil curiously looked up, and as his head tilted back higher and higher, he lost his balance and fell onto the grass. It was only then that he clearly saw Hagrid's face.

Due to the Cornwall Pixies' embarrassing self-destruction, Hagrid's face was splattered with bits and pieces, and combined with his large, furry face, anyone who claimed that Hagrid ate children might have gained some believers.

The massive shadow drew closer, and Hagrid crouched down, extending his hand.

Neil stared at Hagrid motionless, as if he had been frightened into a stupor.

"What a cute little creature."

Hagrid gently scratched Neil's feathers with his thick fingers, causing the little blue puffball to roll around on the ground several times.

But instead of running away, Neil carefully hopped forward after getting up, flapping his wings and flying straight onto Hagrid's finger, where he stood confidently.

"It looks like Neil really likes Hagrid."

Rolf, who had been nervous just moments ago, now sighed in relief. He nudged Harry with his elbow, his voice filled with happiness.

"Your bird is going to be taken away, and you're still happy?" Harry gave Rolf an odd look. "Are you sure this isn't a free gift?"

Perched on Hagrid's finger, Neil was brought up to Hagrid's face. The little Thunderbird happily pecked at the bits of debris on Hagrid's face. Though the Cornwall Pixies weren't the best snack, the fresh, warm food made for a nice treat to adjust the flavor.

Without any other help, Hagrid had already won Neil's "heart" the moment they met. Perhaps it was Hagrid's intimidating presence as the king of the Forbidden Forest that made Neil choose to hitch a ride with him, or maybe it was the special allure in Hagrid's eyes, which attracted magical creatures. Either way, in the face of such a powerful figure, most magical creatures, unable to defeat him, chose to become his underlings.

The prideful little Thunderbird, usually a live wire of electricity when Harry held him, was now calm and obedient in Hagrid's presence. Neil strutted around, flying and walking up to Hagrid's head to nest. With his chin raised high, Neil looked down at Harry, still chirping non-stop, as if to tell his new "father": That little troublemaker down there, yes, that one. He likes to bully me. Big Dad, you should help me teach him a lesson and mess up his hair!

However, no one could understand Neil's cute little chirps. Hagrid gently removed the Thunderbird from his head and placed him back into Harry's arms.

The usual crackling sounds of electricity returned. Compared to Hagrid, Neil's attitude was quite different. He didn't like the "bad guy" who kept messing up his feathers, even though Harry always brought him fresh meat. But this Thunderbird wasn't the type to be easily bought with food.

Not fearing the electricity, Neil wasn't shy about showing his displeasure.

As Neil pouted and squabbled with Harry, Hagrid's hand reached out again. His fingers pinched hard through the electric sparks, and with a quick twist, the crackling lightning instantly stopped. Neil collapsed in Harry's arms, feeling empty inside for the first time in his life.

As a Thunderbird with its own natural power source, most of their electricity came from "nature." Even with frequent use, they never ran out of power. As long as their output didn't exceed their recovery, they functioned as an infinite electrical machine. However, unlike wizards, they couldn't efficiently harness their magical energy, and their natural instinct couldn't make them do so.

A flicker of electric light appeared at the tip of Hagrid's finger. In Harry's field of view, a dazzling blue-white light flashed. Compared to a wizard's magical power, the Thunderbird's energy was many times more condensed. In terms of quality, the magic within Neil far surpassed what Harry had in his body at the moment. Only an awakened wizard could compare, but strangely, Thunderbird magic couldn't remain separate from its body for long, much like a regular wizard's magic.

"Harry, hand me the dragon egg. It's almost time."

Hagrid urged, and immediately, Harry retrieved a giant egg from his bag. It was nearly as large as Hagrid's head and had blue, cracked patterns on it. Though smaller than the Soviet Ironbelly dragon egg, it was much more beautiful.

"True Dragon category, pureblood dragon species, Thunder Dragon breed—this is the closest I could find to match the powers of the Thunderbird. It's a Lanlong egg."

"There's only this one. The second one would be much harder to obtain," Harry said, looking nervously at Hagrid. "Professor Snape went to a lot of trouble to have it brought to us, at the cost of six ounces of Felix Felicis."

"Are you confident, Hagrid?"

"About that..." Hagrid hesitated for a moment after taking the dragon egg, then shook his head decisively. "Not at all. It's all down to luck."

He then gently applied the barely visible white essence to the egg, merging the two.

All eyes were focused on the egg, watching it intently.

Though the action seemed somewhat hasty and lacked preparation, Hagrid had told Harry this was truly a matter of luck—whether it succeeded or failed, preparation didn't make a difference. If luck was on their side, they had a chance; if not, there was nothing to be done.

The Pipi Gui and the Cornwall Pixie were just like that—though compatibility might play a part, it wasn't a big issue. After all, even a griffin and a fire crab could produce a hybrid known as a "Explosive-tail Snail." Cross-species breeding never followed any set rules or common sense. There was no scientific theory to follow, no precedent to base things on.

Everything depended on the fickle hand of luck, and Hagrid's instincts.

"It worked!" Hagrid suddenly exclaimed loudly, causing Harry and Rolf to swallow their cheers.

"...but only a little bit," he added.

"What does that mean, Hagrid?" Harry asked, confused.

"If it hadn't exploded, it would mean success," Hagrid explained. "But my gut tells me it's not enough."

He glanced at the small Thunderbird, Neil, whose electrical sparks were already starting to glow again. Just moments ago, Hagrid had drained most of Neil's energy, yet in less than a minute, Neil was already recovering. In another two minutes, Neil would be fully charged and likely shocking Harry again.

"Is the quantity not enough?" Harry asked as he gently picked up Neil. Though still somewhat weak, the little bird managed to lift its head and peck Harry's face, leaving a red mark.

"That's probably it."

Hagrid sat down, placing the Lanlong egg on his lap. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a handful of dried flowers from some unknown plant and offered them to Neil. Though Neil was used to eating only meat, he didn't hesitate to eat the flowers, lying comfortably in Hagrid's massive hands afterward.

"I gave him some nutrition. When I met those two Thunderbirds, they also fed their babies this. I'm not sure what it does, but it should be useful."

"Neil's still too small. The dragon egg is even bigger than him. But it's fine—after a few more attempts, he'll be good."

Hagrid gently stroked Neil's feathers. "I'll take care of this little guy. He can't stay in a box forever. As long as you have time, you can come see him."

"This little guy should start learning to fly soon. When I saw those Thunderbird babies, they were already flying wildly at less than two months old. By four or five months, they could follow their parents and take off together."

"How old is this little one?" Hagrid asked, turning to Rolf.

"He's about a month and a half old. I've been teaching him to fly while he was in the box. Another week, and he should have it down."

Rolf answered honestly. As Newt's grandson, these basic things were ingrained in him.

"Good. I'm just worried someone might take him in without understanding anything about raising him. A hawk raised with chickens won't learn to fly. Remember, if you've chosen to be his parent, you must teach him the essential skills. You have to take responsibility—this isn't just about having a pet."

"I understand, Hagrid," Rolf nodded seriously. When he took Neil from his grandfather and Lightning, he had already prepared for this, but Hagrid's words reinforced the expertise he already recognized in Hagrid regarding magical creatures. Despite Hagrid's humble beginnings and not completing his studies at Hogwarts, Care of Magical Creatures was more about experience, and Hagrid had seen enough in his time.

"Be good and listen to Hagrid, Neil," Rolf said, slipping on his dragon-hide gloves and gently patting Neil's little head.

Compared to godfather Harry, Neil's attitude toward Rolf was much better. It wasn't that Neil disliked Hagrid, but Rolf was still unable to withstand the electric charge emanating from the Thunderbird. His training was still incomplete, and touching Neil was absolutely out of the question. "One touch, and down you go" wasn't just an expression—it was a fact.

"Speaking of which, Harry…"

After entrusting Neil to Hagrid, Rolf turned to Harry. "Lanlong, if I remember correctly, they live in the East, right? Their habitat is on Spirit Peak?"

"Yeah, though Lanlong is pretty ugly, I didn't have a better option," Harry said with a grin. To be honest, he wasn't fond of the Lanlong's appearance. With its entire body resembling a patched-together creature, it was hard to see it as anything but awkward. However, like the Ice Dragon, it was one of the rare breeds of dragons that could harness lightning. In the magical creature world, Fire Dragons were by far the most abundant and varied, with purebloods and subspecies in abundance. They were the dominant dragon clan, while all other rare dragon breeds couldn't even match the number of Fire Dragons.

"This guy has the power, but he's too clumsy. His flying speed is downright embarrassing for a dragon. He hunts much more often on the ground with his claws than in the sky with his breath. But, well…"

"It'll do," Harry added, "I just hope Neil can bring some good changes. I don't expect much in terms of looks, but at least I hope he'll fly faster."

"Honestly, my favorite is the Cataclysm Dragon, but I can't get its egg. There are too few of them, and their hatching period is too long. It takes one or two years just for the egg to hatch, which is a bit too much to handle."

"I forgot to mention something," Harry said, patting Hagrid's arm. "How should we prepare the incubation pool? A Fire Dragon egg needs magical flames, so does the Thunder Dragon egg need batteries?"

"Should I go get some energy-storing crystals?"

"No need," Hagrid waved his hand. "Speaking of which, Neil's actually a parent now, so he can handle the job of hatching the egg."

As a living power bank, Neil was, of course, the perfect choice for this task.

"Let's go set up a nest for Neil. I'll also take him to meet Norbert. They're about the same age, so they should get along just fine."

"Norbert?" Rolf asked, a little confused.

"He's a Soviet Ironbelly Dragon," Hagrid explained, "but Professor Dumbledore cast a spell on him so that you can't see him from the outside. He's kept behind my hut."

"Cool!"

Rolf instantly perked up. "Can you take me to see him, Hagrid? I've never seen an Ironbelly Dragon before. I heard they're the biggest among the Fire Dragons!"

"Of course." Hagrid nodded enthusiastically. "But don't tell anyone else. Norbert's not ready to make an appearance yet. My dragon breeding license hasn't come through. I'm taking the exam next month, and once I pass, it won't be a problem."

Hagrid gave a thumbs-up with a confident smile.

(End of Chapter)