I Swung a Sword at Hogwarts

Herbology class. 

Pomona Sprout was explaining the characteristics of the Devil's Snare, a terrifying-looking creature that was actually a light-fearing child. 

While listening, John was jotting down key points of Alchemy. 

After several tests, he found that pigeon feathers weren't suitable for writing Runes on a Blast-Ended Skrewt's tail. After experimenting with several materials, he created a stylus using silver and basilisk feathers. 

He had also managed to procure some blood from magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest and successfully completed the alchemical process. 

His first magical artifact was a bracelet, with each ceramic-like piece made from a Blast-Ended Skrewt's tail. 

It didn't have much use, roughly acting as a one-time protective charm that could cast a Shield Charm instantly when danger approached. 

This was a step forward, and once he obtained more powerful dragon's blood, he might be able to perform higher-level alchemy. 

He let his mind wander, nodding occasionally to appear attentive. 

Meanwhile, not far away, the trio was having a dilemma. 

"Should we tell John? It's a dragon, after all," Ron thought dragons were really cool. 

Hermione, ever rational, frowned and said, "Ron, have you forgotten what we promised Hagrid?" 

The fewer people who knew about the dragon, the better. Hermione didn't think this was good news for John. 

During breakfast, Hedwig had delivered a note to Harry from Hagrid. 

The note mentioned that the dragon egg was about to hatch. 

The trio didn't want to miss such a rare event, so much so that even studious Hermione was distracted during class. 

Harry, surprised, said, "I thought you'd definitely tell John, I mean, you and John are really close." 

Among the trio, Hermione was undoubtedly the closest to John. 

That's why Harry was surprised. If it were him, he would definitely tell Ron. 

"It's illegal! In the 1709 International Confederation of Wizards, a law was passed prohibiting the breeding of dragons. John's situation in Slytherin is already tough enough. If he gets into trouble and loses points, it will only get worse." 

Hermione's reasoning was impeccable, and Harry had to abandon the idea of sharing with John. 

What they didn't realize was that John had also received a note. 

Already eager to obtain dragon's blood for his experiments, John certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity. 

Looking at Malfoy beside him, who was grinning mischievously, John wondered if the boy had drunk a joy potion. 

"Malfoy, why are you grinning like that?" 

"Wilkes, you won't believe the stupid thing Potter did. This time, I'll definitely get him expelled." 

The smile on Malfoy's pale face grew more abstract, his eyes frequently darting towards the trio. 

From his demeanor, it seemed like he had caught the trio doing something incriminating. 

John shrugged. Well, this wasn't the first time Malfoy had made such claims. 

During the morning break, John didn't openly head towards Hagrid's hut. 

He knew that dragons were illegal, so he cloaked himself in a Disillusionment Charm and made his way to Hagrid's hut. 

By the time he arrived, the trio was already gathered around the table. 

John approached quietly, and none of them noticed his presence. 

Fang raised his head, sniffing the air. 

Crack. 

A deep crack appeared on the dragon egg lying on the table, with something moving inside. 

The clicking sound was quite amusing. 

Hagrid, as excited as a child, moved his chair closer to the table along with the other four and held their breath. 

Finally, under everyone's watchful eyes, the dragon Norbert successfully hatched. 

It didn't look as good as John had imagined, but that wasn't an issue since he was only interested in its blood. 

Norbert had spiky wings and a thin black body. Its long nose had white nostrils, and there were knobby horns on its head with bulging orange eyes. 

Norbert sneezed, sending flames shooting out of its nose. 

Hagrid, instantly becoming a doting "mom," picked up Norbert and showered it with praise. 

"Isn't it beautiful?" Hagrid asked. 

Despite Hagrid's compliments, Norbert had a bad temper and immediately bit Hagrid's finger. 

With its sharp teeth, John thought anyone else would have lost a chunk of flesh. 

"It's a pity John isn't here," said Harry, as he and Ron looked longingly at the little dragon. They thought raising a dragon would be incredibly cool. 

Hermione was more curious about the growth rate of Norwegian Ridgebacks. 

John thought it was time to reveal himself. Just as he was about to, he noticed someone peeking outside. 

Stopping his actions discreetly, John moved closer to the window. Malfoy was peeking in, looking suspicious. 

Hagrid was about to answer Hermione's question when he noticed the window, his face turning pale. 

Malfoy, realizing he was spotted, turned and ran. 

Hagrid wanted to chase after him, but it was too late. 

Hagrid was dumbfounded. Harry peeked out the window and recognized the slicked-back hair. 

"We're done for. It was Malfoy; he must be going to tattle," Harry swore Malfoy had seen the baby dragon. 

... 

Malfoy couldn't contain his excitement as he muttered to himself, "Haha, Potter, you're finished. I'll get you expelled!" 

Walking down the corridor, he suddenly felt a strange force drag him into a room. 

Terrified, Malfoy opened his mouth to scream. 

John revealed himself, covering Malfoy's mouth with one hand and making a shushing motion with the other. 

"Wilkes? What are you doing here?" 

Despite the prejudice against Muggle-borns, Slytherin had come to appreciate John for earning nearly 200 points for the house. 

Though Malfoy was scared of John hitting him again, he tried to act composed. 

John cornered Malfoy and spoke kindly, "Malfoy, I need you to promise me something. Don't tell the professors about today." 

"Today? You know about the big guy's dragon too?" 

Malfoy's eyes widened as he pieced together the truth. 

John nodded. "I hope you won't tell the professors, at least not right away." 

"Why should I? Why should I agree to this?" Malfoy regained his arrogance. 

John thought that if Malfoy told, his chance to get dragon blood would be ruined. 

He said, "Our points are close to Gryffindor's now. If you tell the professors, they might deduct points from Slytherin too." 

This argument had some merit. Malfoy hadn't considered this. 

If he told, and Hagrid implicated John, Slytherin's hard-earned lead might disappear. 

Losing the House Cup to Gryffindor would be even more unbearable. 

After some thought, Malfoy reluctantly nodded, "Alright, I'll wait a while before saying anything. I'm doing this for the House Cup, not for you." 

John's attitude slightly changed Malfoy's view. He smiled and extended his hand to Malfoy. 

"For eternal glory, you won't regret this." 

For the second time, Malfoy shook John's hand, thinking John seemed decent without resorting to threats. Maybe having John as a friend wasn't so bad, even for a pure-blood. 

Their agreement left the trio uneasy. 

Though Malfoy hadn't reported them, he watched them daily with a malicious grin. 

This made the trio anxious, fearing that Aurors would arrive at any moment to arrest them for harboring a dragon. 

Hermione assured Harry and Ron that the Ministry wouldn't arrest them just for seeing a dragon, but the two couldn't stop worrying. 

After a week, they decided with Hagrid to send Norbert away. 

Coincidentally, Ron's brother Charlie Weasley worked with dragons in Romania. They wrote to Charlie and received a positive reply. 

... 

John's next meeting with Quirrell left him nervous. 

Quirrell had a caged insect on his desk and introduced the topic of today's lesson. 

Stepping fully into the realm of dark magic, they would discuss the Unforgivable Curses. 

Passing this test would mean full acceptance as one of their own. 

Failing would make John an enemy of Voldemort. 

This was a forced choice. 

Willingly or under duress?