HP/LOTM: Hogwart's Mind Dragon

After a few moments, Aiden reined in his spirituality.

Having become a Dream Walker, he could now glimpse the collective unconscious sea. From his perspective, his own dream was like a giant bubble growing from his personal "island of consciousness." These bubbles were surrounded by a gray, ethereal haze, with the dreams of others faintly visible in the distance, each one connected to its own island. The outer edge of these islands was a layer of illusory seawater—the collective unconscious sea itself.

Since it was already late and the people in the nearby village had fallen asleep, Aiden made his body ethereal and entered the dreamscape, shuttling through dream after dream. The dreams of ordinary people were bizarre and fantastical, and most would wake with no memory of what they had seen. However, in the morning, many would vaguely feel that their dreams the night before seemed to have been visited by a fairy.

Having had his fun, Aiden returned to the Prewett family's old residence and, with a surge of magic, quickly locked onto Lada's location. He found her curled up asleep, scooped her up, and held the purring cat in his arms. He stroked her head and took out a prepared potion.

"I've finished my advancement," he said with a mischievous smile. "Now it's your turn."

Lada's eyes flew open. "..."

"Are you going to persecute this poor kitty again?" she protested playfully.

"Stop reading those messy books," Aiden said, tapping her lightly on the head. He fed her the potion, and as the wave of pain and confusion washed over her and then dissipated, Lada successfully advanced.

After her promotion, Lada's fur became even smoother, and the leopard-like patterns on her body seemed to exude a mysterious charm. "Have you completely turned into a magical creature?" Aiden wondered aloud. "Lada, besides the potion's abilities, have you awakened any other new powers?"

"Other abilities?" Lada tilted her head. "I don't know."

"System, help me scan Lada," Aiden said, raising the gemstone that hung around his neck.

[Heh. The System does not have that function.] If it could, the System would have very much liked to roll its eyes at Aiden.

"Well, I suppose I'll just have to discover it slowly," Aiden said with a helpless sigh. He walked to a mirror and looked at his reflection, at the exquisite face that seemed to possess a pure and flawless beauty. "Why do I feel like I'm getting better looking? Am I sure I'm not on some kind of beauty pathway?" he chuckled wryly.

[Perhaps.]

With both Aiden and Lada having completed their advancements, Aiden's Christmas holiday officially began.

The next day, he got up early. Outside, heavy, goose-feather snow had turned the entire village of Bibury into a winter wonderland. Aiden sent out his prepared gifts via Ophelia, who gave him a fierce glare before taking flight.

With the rare holiday free time, Aiden decided to take a stroll around London. After some searching, he chose the Tower of London as his destination. He had heard that it housed the Crown Jewels and the Royal Armouries, as well as legendary dungeons and towers from which one could admire the scenery of the River Thames.

He put on a simple black down jacket, paired with dark blue jeans and clean white sneakers, exuding a clean and fresh aura.

"Hmm, that outfit is very suitable for you, Young Master Aiden," Sibby complimented.

"Haha, you still have the best taste."

Aiden strolled through the streets of London, his dragon horns hidden by a Confundus Charm. His silver-white hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and his heterochromatic eyes were like two different gems inlaid in his face—one as deep as the midnight sky, the other as clear as the morning sun. He attracted many admiring glances from passersby as he walked, a hot dog in one hand and a drink in the other, his modern vibe completely overshadowing the buttoned-up gentlemen of England.

The sights of the Tower of London didn't particularly attract him. After all, having lived in a castle for so long, visiting another one would always lead to comparisons. 'Hmm, Hogwarts completely beats this place,' he commented internally.

[But you're out here to play.] the System retorted. [Can't you just be a Muggle for once?]

So, Aiden used his psychological invisibility to conceal himself, and the people around him simply ignored his presence.

"They are very powerful, aren't they? Muggles, I mean," a familiar voice said from behind him.

Aiden turned, a big question mark appearing in his heart. "Are you that free? Doesn't the Department of Mysteries need you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It can't be said that way," the man replied. "It's a rare thing to see a dragon on the streets of London." The visitor was the Director of the Department of Mysteries. He was still wearing his unchanging platinum robes, but strangely, the people around him didn't seem to notice him at all.

"So, what brings the Director here?" Aiden asked.

"Actually, it's like this. In the previous Kingsport incident, we tracked down a mysterious organization. They seem to be fanatically worshiping those... lingering fellows under the sea." The Director put his hands together, made a heart shape, and looked at Aiden. "At the same time, while investigating them, we also discovered the Prewett family's financial support."

"You suspect I'm involved with them?" Aiden frowned.

"How could that be?" the Director laughed. "I wouldn't be stupid enough to think that. If you were their behind-the-scenes financier, why would you personally go on stage and fight the Deep Realm King?" He took out a bottle of cola from his sleeve and began to sip it through a straw.

"Wait," Aiden said, the pieces clicking into place. "Most of the Prewett alchemy shops are run by goblins. You suspect..."

"Yes," the Director said, his eyes narrowing. "I think their ambitions seem to be growing wildly like weeds again."

"So, you came to me to..." Aiden looked at the Director, trying to read his thoughts.

"Ah, you can't read me," the Director said cheekily. "Speaking of which, if you want to know the inside story so much, why don't you just join us?"

Aiden looked at the frivolous man in front of him and clenched his fists.

"Okay, I'll stop playing," the Director said, his hippie smile vanishing, replaced by a serious expression. "The dragon is going to be angry. If we find that the goblins have a problem, we may have to take direct action. I came to you today to let you know in advance, so as to avoid any... conflict."

"Alright," Aiden nodded. "I will cooperate with you if necessary."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing," the Director added. "During our investigation, we found that this organization has a mole who has sneaked into Hogwarts. So please, be very careful." After saying that, he winked his left eye at Aiden and disappeared into the air like mist.

After the Director left, Aiden walked along the banks of the Thames, enjoying the river view in the setting sun.

'System,' he thought, looking at the sunset that dyed the sky red, 'do you think Oliver's father might also be related to this organization?'

[Are you going to tell him? This may create a vengeful ghost.]

'But I can't hide it from him, can I? He has the right to know. I'll give him the choice and let him judge for himself what is right and what is wrong.' With that, Aiden made up his mind.

(End of Chapter)

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