Hogwarts : Max Level Unforgivable Curse

"This is Buckbeak." 

Hagrid led the Hippogriff on the far right forward for everyone to see properly, then gently nudged him back. 

Next, he let go of the lead Hippogriff, the one with the rather cool look about him. He even unclipped the collar from its neck. 

"This is Squelcher." 

Hagrid stroked the completely black Hippogriff, which was much sturdier than Buckbeak and looked even more noble and sharp. 

"Right, you walk slowly towards it, give it a bow, and if it bows back, you can stroke it – if it doesn't, get away fast, it really will take your head off." 

With that, Hagrid clapped his hands together. 

"Alright then, who wants to be the first to say hello?" 

Hagrid looked hopeful. 

Actually, Hagrid had set up a small, seemingly not-very-useful fenced-off area here. He and the Hippogriffs were inside the fence. But facing these creatures, many students, seeing them for the first time, felt their insides turn to jelly and really didn't want to get too close. So, after hearing Hagrid, quite a few took a coordinated step back. 

Harry swallowed. He didn't want to see Hagrid's first lesson as a professor turn into a complete flop. But going up there and interacting with those massive creatures himself... Harry hesitated. 

Suddenly, a figure beside him went straight over the fence. 

"Hey! I knew you'd be interested, Dylan!" 

Hagrid's eyes lit up. He just knew Dylan's interest in magical creatures must be just as strong as his own! 

"Come on, give it a go, let's see what Squelcher thinks of you." 

Hagrid moved aside – but not too far. He still stood right beside Dylan. Letting students get close to these powerful magical creatures could indeed be dangerous. Despite his big heart, slow reactions, and not-so-great understanding, he wasn't a complete fool. He wouldn't let students interact with these magical creatures without any protection. 

And what was the protection? Well, he was standing right there, wasn't he? 

Dylan stepped forward slowly, his boots crunching the dry leaves covered by dappled tree shadows, making a soft sound. He reached Squelcher. Squelcher stood on the clear ground, its pure black wings gleaming with a dark blue sheen in the golden light. The sunlight filtered through the gaps in its feathers, casting fine shadows on its sturdy muscles. Unlike other Hippogriffs with only amber eyes, Squelcher's eyes were gold. Its golden gaze was sharp, like a hawk's. 

The creature lowered its head and met Dylan's eyes. Something unexpected by Hagrid happened. This usually fierce Hippogriff uncharacteristically took half a step back, looked away with its golden eyes, and twisted its iron-grey beak. This would typically be a predator's show of dominance, but at that moment, it held a sort of clumsy awkwardness. 

Dylan blinked and stepped forward again. Squelcher's back hooves seemed to slip on a stone, and its hindquarters slid. Its prominent black wings folded in, it stumbled a few times, and then finally found its balance. 

Hagrid's eyes widened. "Merlin's beard, what's got into you today? That's not like you at all! Have you forgotten biting those three egg-stealing goblins when you were little?" 

Squelcher gave Hagrid a look. Seeing that the creature didn't show any rejection towards Dylan, Hagrid beckoned to Dylan. 

"Alright – alright, go ahead and bow, little fella." 

When an ordinary human exposes the back of their neck to powerful beasts like Hippogriffs, it's equivalent to willingly giving up their most vital spot. This is both a show of respect and a dangerous test. 

Dylan lightly pressed his left hand to his chest, his black wizard's robe naturally falling as he bowed. His spine curved into an elegant arc, his healthy skin showing on the back of his neck in the sunlight. Dylan didn't bother to maintain vigilance. If this little fella called Squelcher were to attack him, the creature would surely suffer pain and torment far beyond anything it could possibly imagine. As he straightened up, Dylan's fingertips still rested on his robes. 

"Very good, calm and steady." Hagrid nodded repeatedly from the side. 

As Dylan stood up, everyone's attention was focused on Squelcher. Almost immediately, Squelcher suddenly lowered its head and bowed towards Dylan. Its head was so low it was practically down by Dylan's groin. Hagrid didn't think there was anything wrong with this at all; seeing Squelcher respond made him even more excited. He clapped his hands together loudly. 

"Excellent! I didn't know teaching was this simple!" 

The very first try was a success! 

Hagrid quickly said, "Squelcher seems to have taken a real liking to you, it's agreed to let you stroke it." 

A smile played on Dylan's lips, and he raised his hand. Squelcher wisely lowered its head, allowing Dylan to stroke it better. Dylan's hand slid down the coarse feathers on Squelcher's head; his fingertips could feel that each feather was hard like fine wire – but it wasn't rough. 

"Hmm, the quills are sturdy enough, and the feather density is high enough. It's just this oily layer is a bit too excessive. If I wanted to use these feathers for experiments, it would be best to treat them with a Drying Charm for a while first." Dylan muttered under his breath. Hagrid was clapping his hands so loudly he couldn't hear. 

Squelcher, however, clearly heard what Dylan had just said. Its massive body couldn't help but tremble. But Dylan's hand continued to stroke down its head, then touched the wattle under its jaw, and paused for a moment at the throat pouch, feeling the texture in his hand. 

"The vocal cord structure is also good. I wonder if the materials from a Hippogriff could offer some help for my experiments." 

Squelcher's body shook even more violently. 

"Ooh-ho-ho! That means the little fella wants you to use a bit more force when stroking it, Dylan, use some strength!" Hagrid yelled from the side. 

Dylan went with it, putting some force behind his fingers and directly plucking off a few broken feathers. 

"Hmm?" Squelcher made a sound. 

Dylan withdrew his hand and held the broken quills up to the sunlight. Looking at the fine pores in the quill shafts, Dylan frowned slightly. 

"The resilience is a bit lacking; not suitable as a base for Transfiguration spells – experiments involving Transfiguration can pretty much be ruled out." 

The students behind saw Dylan's interaction with Squelcher. They realised that the latter seemed happy being stroked and even let out joyful calls. This attracted the interest of many students. Combined with Hagrid's shouting and yelling to build atmosphere, quite a few students let out gasps of surprise. 

"Very good, the little fella really likes you. It's the first time I've ever seen one get so happy it calls out when someone strokes it." Hagrid rubbed his large hands together, his thick beard shaking as he chuckled, "Now, give it a try." 

"– Ride it!" 

Dylan discreetly tucked the few feathers into his pocket. 

"I've ridden dragons, ridden a phoenix, and now I get to unlock another creature." Dylan went to Squelcher's side. Hagrid also came closer, instructing him on what to do. 

"See here? Behind the wing joint, you can step on it – don't worry, it won't hurt it, the bones here are very hard, step here to climb up." 

Hagrid kept rambling on. Dylan did indeed intend to step on the back joint of Squelcher's wing and swing onto its back. However, in the midst of Hagrid's chatter and scattered instructions, as Dylan's boot tip just touched Squelcher's flank, this Hippogriff, which outwardly appeared extremely unruly, suddenly curled its scaly limbs and lowered its back towards the ground, like a trained dog. It also lowered its head, actively twisting its neck into a submissive curve. 

Hagrid, who was standing nearby, froze, his mouth hanging open, his arm rigid in mid-air, all the instructions he was about to shout stuck in his throat. The watching Gryffindors and Slytherins also raised their eyebrows. 

"Professor Hagrid," a Gryffindor boy in the front row scratched his face, "What does that mean?" 

Another Gryffindor student also yelled out, "Professor Hagrid, didn't you say these beasts were really fierce?" 

"And proud too!" 

"Especially prone to losing their temper with anyone!" 

"Might take our lives!" 

Many students in the crowd spoke one after another, their tones filled with confusion and a touch of teasing. Hagrid gave a simpleminded grin, scratching his messy hair, "Well... maybe it's Dylan's aura, it's more familiar – I mean, it likes it." 

Dylan glanced at Hagrid. 

"If it's just like that, then I want to ride this one –" 

Before the student could even finish speaking, the dozen or so other Hippogriffs nearby immediately turned their heads towards him. Their gaze was almost tangible. The student's words instantly got stuck in his throat. 

"Don't talk nonsense!" Hagrid warned. 

Dylan ignored them; he didn't need to swing onto its back. He just needed to lift his leg lightly and could sit directly on Squelcher's spine. He straddled it. Since Squelcher's collar had been removed by Hagrid, he didn't even have anywhere to grab onto. Finally, his gaze fell upon the tuft of mane on the back of Squelcher's neck. 

"Forget it, that hair feels like it would just fall off if I pulled it." 

This little fella was actually behaving quite well towards him. Dylan didn't need to torment it like that. If he really wanted to pull some feathers or something, he could just ask Hagrid to call these Hippogriffs over next time they had a "secret meeting" in the Forbidden Forest. Then he could take a little from each one, spread it out, and wouldn't leave any single one bald. 

Dylan used a spell to steady himself. Combined with his usual methods of flying, whether by transforming himself, riding a broomstick, or flying around on Norbert, Dylan had quite stable flying skills. Therefore, even without holding onto anything, just lightly resting his hands on Squelcher's back was enough to keep him steady and prevent him from falling from mid-air – of course, the Balancing Charm he cast was also quite important. 

Once settled, Dylan patted Squelcher's rump. Hagrid, standing nearby, was stunned again. He had been startled by Dylan's actions just now. He had never ever patted one of these Hippogriffs on the backside before. No, wait. He had tried once. He ended up being kicked straight off. After that, it took him ages to calm that Hippogriff down. This time, seeing Dylan go to pat Squelcher's rump, he thought the creature was going to get agitated and shake Dylan off and was already ready to go help. 

But he didn't expect Squelcher just to wiggle its backside a little, then stretch its limbs and push itself up. Dylan remained seated firmly on its back. 

"This..." Hagrid's mouth hung open. How could this be... it really wasn't quite like his experience? And it wasn't like what was written in the books either! For this lesson, he'd stayed up several nights straight, poring over The Monster Book of Monsters and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! 

"Let's go, Go go go!" Dylan patted Squelcher's rump again. The creature twisted its neck a bit shyly but obediently spread its pure black wings wide. When joined, the two wings spanned a full ten feet. With a gentle flap, they instantly stirred up a strong gust of wind. The piles of fallen leaves on the ground were blown away, the surrounding tree leaves rustled, and the nearby small shrubs were blown around haphazardly. Then it pushed off forcefully with its hind legs, sending up a large cloud of dust and broken leaves from the ground. Man and beast soared into the air in the blink of an eye. 

The forest below rustled under the impact of the airflow, the treetops pressed towards the ground by the wind pressure. Dylan, however, wasn't affected by the strong wind. Instead, he sat on Squelcher's back, circling high in the air. The strong wind whipped past his face. Facing the gaze of the group below, he felt a unique sensation he didn't usually experience when flying Norbert in his own space. 

"Is this... happiness?" 

Dylan was startled. He quickly drew his wand. 

"Expecto Patronum!" 

Dylan straightened his back on Squelcher's back. The high-altitude wind tore at his cloak. Taking a deep breath, Dylan's wand pointed directly at the rolling clouds. A silvery-blue aura erupted from the tip of his wand, like liquid moonlight, flowing down the Hippogriff's wings. This time, the silvery substance he summoned was noticeably thicker than usual! However, as this silvery-white substance tried to outline a creature, it seemed to shatter instantly into a scattering of light stars upon hitting the strong wind. 

"Still didn't work..." 

This failure, however, didn't discourage Dylan; instead, it heightened the excitement in his heart. He had tried so many times before with little progress. But this time, for some reason, he just felt a really happy feeling when flying so freely and easily in front of everyone. 

"Could it be because I'm actually a show-off? And I haven't been showing off before?" An idea popped into Dylan's head, but then he shook it off. "No, I used to show off in front of Voldemort every day and didn't feel anything special." 

Or maybe... 

Dylan, while gripping Squelcher's body with his legs, looked towards Hogwarts Castle from high in the air. 

"Maybe what I really want to do is show off in front of old Dumbledore?" 

"No, no, a better way to put it is to freely display my abilities in front of old Dumbledore!" 

Dylan suddenly had a feeling of dawning realization. Was it because he was constantly thinking about how to avoid old Dumbledore, so he had been suppressed for too long and just wanted to erupt?