"Scabbers!"
Ron was startled by Harry's sudden spell, then reached out and cupped the now-petrified Scabbers in his hands, looking as if he was on the verge of tears.
Seeing Ron with tears streaming down his face, Harry was at a loss for what to do, and he looked up at Yang Tao.
"Ron, your Scabbers isn't just a rat; it's an unregistered Animagus."
"You could say that what you're holding right now is a man, a very ugly man..."
Ron, who had been wailing, heard Yang Tao's words, and his gaze fell on Scabbers's body, which had turned a grayish color, and he said, "How is that possible? Scabbers has been living in our house since I was born..."
"Rats only live for three years; the longest-lived don't survive more than four years... Even if it's a special breed like an African giant rat, its lifespan wouldn't exceed eight years."
Yang Tao's words were like a heavy hamr striking little Ron's fragile heart. He was silent for a few seconds, then directly threw the petrified Scabbers away.
Scabbers: "..."
"Alright, you can go find your brother Percy now, and also think about what new pet you want."
Unable to accept reality for the mont, Ron turned and left the compartnt in a daze.
Looking at little Ron's departing back, Yang Tao smiled and shook his head, pulling Scabbers by its tail and lifting it up. Even being hit by the Petrification Charm didn't make its mottled fur look any better.
"Harry, one more shot."
Harry was still too young, after all, and he was worried that the spell's power might not be enough, allowing Scabbers to recover.
"Petrificus..."
Harry swung his wand, and a ball of light from the Petrification Charm flew from the tip of his wand, accurately hitting Scabbers's body.
"Sir, what is an Animagus?"
"An Animagus refers to a wizard who can transform into a certain animal while retaining his magical abilities. When you go to school, you can read more books about magical knowledge."
As he spoke, Yang Tao shook the incredibly hard rat in his hand, then placed it on the table and said, "His na is Peter Pettigrew; he was once a friend of your parents."
"Ah?"
"But he succumbed to Voldemort's power and beca a Death Eater. It was he who told Voldemort your parents' hiding place, causing the Fidelius Charm to lose its effect..."
"Although he isn't the primary culprit in your parents' murder, he is one of the accomplices."
Voldemort's na was cursed; whenever soone called out his na, he would sense it, but Yang Tao showed disdain for this.
'Dumbledore says your na so many tis; if you're so capable, go find him. See if he'll eat the big lon you give him.'
Harry's face changed slightly when he heard the truth of that year, and his fingers gripping his wand turned a little white. He now really wanted to use the [Sharpness V Unbreaking III Loyalty II Fire Aspect II] wand in his hand to stab a hole in the rat's body.
But he suppressed the thought in his heart, looked up at Yang Tao, and asked, "Sir, what should I do?"
"If you want to kill him, I have no objections. After all, the hatred for a father's murder is irreconcilable. However, if I were you, I would hand him over to Snape."
Harry was stunned for a mont.
"Wh-Why?"
"Because he hates him more than you do."
Harry hadn't even t his parents, but Snape had known Lily for a solid twenty years. In terms of hatred for Peter, the betrayer, Snape's hatred for him was definitely no less than Harry's.
It was even purer.
"Also, I have a good thing I want to experint with on him to see if Snape can research it."
The good thing he was referring to was naturally [Liquid Pain]; he hadn't seen the effect of this item yet.
Harry was silent for a mont, then finally said, "Then... can I watch?"
Yang Tao gently shook his head and said, "If you want revenge, I can hand him over to you right now, but if you want to see what happens after he's handed over to Snape, I can only say I'm sorry. That would be too bloody and completely unsuitable for anyone under eighteen to watch..."
...
Harry ultimately accepted Yang Tao's suggestion.
As night fell, the train finally arrived at the quaint train station outside Hogwarts.
Except for a few streetlights illuminating the platform, everything else was pitch black, and even the moon hanging in the sky couldn't dispel the surrounding darkness.
As soon as he got off the train, Yang Tao saw Dumbledore, dressed in his wizard robes, standing calmly on the platform, looking at him.
"Welco to Hogwarts... Mr. Yang."
Yang Tao walked forward and said with a smile, "I've caused you trouble, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Then he lowered his voice and said, "Don't worry, I just want to witness Harry's Sorting Ceremony with my own eyes. I won't cause you any trouble, including Professor Quirinus Quirrell."
Dumbledore nodded slightly when he heard Yang Tao's words, then looked at Harry, and a smile appeared on his wrinkled face as he said, "Harry, welco to Hogwarts. However, first-year students need to cross the Black Lake by boat to reach Hogwarts. This has always been a tradition of Hogwarts."
"Go on, you go with Hagrid to take the boat now."
Harry glanced at Yang Tao and then said, "Alright, Headmaster Dumbledore."
After speaking, Harry turned and walked towards Hagrid. Hagrid's height, combined with the lantern in his hand, made him stand out among the children.
He was currently loudly calling for the first-year students to gather around him.
Yang Tao watched Harry and a grinning Ron leave together, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
Although he had changed so things, Harry should be able to make so friends at Hogwarts, and even more than in the movies, after all, his original sowhat inferiority complex had been altered a bit by him.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, I would like to et with Professor Snape. I have a special gift for him."
Dumbledore glanced at the petrified Scabbers and nodded lightly, saying, "I can help you notify Professor Snape, but I don't think he will necessarily like your gift..."
"No, he will definitely like it, and he will even be overjoyed."
As they spoke, Dumbledore led Yang Tao to a carriage.
Yang Tao's gaze fell on the Thestrals, the magical creatures pulling the carriage. They had no flesh on their bodies; black fur clung tightly to their skeletons, and every bone was clearly visible.
Their heads resembled those of Western dragons, and their white, pupil-less eyes stared fixedly ahead.
Wings sprouted from the ridges between their shoulder blades—large, black, tough wings that seed to belong to giant bats.
Thestrals were astonishing magical creatures; only those who had witnessed death could see them.
Because of this, Thestrals were once considered an ominous symbol, said to bring all sorts of terrible misfortunes to those who saw them.
"What contradictory creatures, handsoness and ugliness perfectly fused... Headmaster Dumbledore, do you know how one can raise a Thestral?"
A flying Thestral would also be a very good ans of transportation for him.
"Regarding Thestrals, you'll need to discuss that with Hagrid. All the Thestrals at Hogwarts are raised by him... or rather, all the magical creatures at Hogwarts are cared for by Hagrid."
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