Chapter 47: Great Fortune, Eating Phoenix Tonight

“Welcome to Hogwarts! Annie, and Miss Granger, welcome to you both! Um, would either of you like something to drink?”

In the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had invited Annie to visit the school early this morning. After busily seeing the two seated, Dumbledore pulled a variety of miscellaneous items from a cabinet on the wall.

Accompanying Annie was, of course, Hermione; as one of the witnesses to yesterday's Gringotts incident, she had also been invited by Dumbledore.

In truth, the reason Hermione was invited was primarily because Dumbledore felt she was quite familiar with little Annie, and since Hermione was his student, her presence might prevent the atmosphere from becoming too awkward. Furthermore, this connection could help bridge the gap between him and the young girl, making it easier to win her over or build rapport.

Dumbledore maintained a cautious attitude toward this mysterious little girl named Annie. He had no idea what kind of variable she would bring to the wizarding world. Fortunately, from their interaction yesterday, he had gathered from her words and actions that she was not a bloodthirsty or cruel person, nor did she possess extreme tendencies like bullying the weak—of course, that excluded those who actively provoked her!

In fact, regarding Annie's actions in Gringotts yesterday, Dumbledore didn't think they were excessive. He could see that the girl had been trying her best to exercise restraint; although the fight looked fierce, the result was merely one dead dragon and two goblins. If it had been Dumbledore himself who had been swindled out of thousands of gold coins by a goblin, he suspected he would have gone on a killing spree as well. In that case, the death toll certainly wouldn't have stopped at two goblins!

“Or perhaps, would you like some Cockroach Clusters? They are quite delicious, why not have some?” Seeing that neither of them wanted to drink anything, Dumbledore produced a large glass jar and presented it to the two girls like a treasure, filled to the brim with hundreds of wriggling candy cockroaches.

“NO!!!”

Without a moment's hesitation, Annie and Hermione both shouted a firm refusal in unison.

What kind of joke was this? This old man was actually offering two girls moving cockroach candy? It looked completely unappetizing! Anyone with even a modicum of social intelligence wouldn't do such a thing. Dumbledore deserved to be single for ten thousand years! He couldn't even coax two little girls; he acted without any consideration for their feelings. Even if they were made of candy, few girls would dare put something like a cockroach in their mouths. Just how strong of a stomach would one need to swallow that?

“Are you sure? Oh! Very well! What a pity. Perhaps you really should try some; the flavor is actually quite good, truly! I am not lying to you!” As he spoke, Dumbledore reached into the jar, grabbed one, and quickly tossed it into his mouth. Before the cockroach could crawl out, he bit it firmly in half and began to chew loudly. Before he swallowed, a severed cockroach leg was still twitching at the corner of his mouth.

*Wow! Is there something wrong with this old man's brain? How can he eat that? So disgusting!*

Watching Dumbledore's manner of eating, Annie was so horrified that she took several steps back. Accidentally, she bumped into a metal stand, and a crisp chirping sound rang out behind her. Turning around, Annie discovered a small bird with red feathers circling her in great dissatisfaction.

“Eh? What kind of bird is this?” Noticing a hint of flame-like power within the bird, Annie couldn't help but feel curious. It was a very peculiar bird; could it be this old man's pet?

“Ah! That is Fawkes! He is actually a magical phoenix. Annie, he is saying that you accidentally bumped into his perch and disturbed his sleep.” Seeing that the two girls wanted neither drinks nor candy, Dumbledore could only hurriedly pack his bottles and jars away.

“A phoenix?” Annie tilted her head, blinked, and looked at the red bird again. Suddenly remembering something, she quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out an equally fiery red egg.

“So, this is a phoenix egg? Will it be just like him once it hatches?” This was what Annie had purchased at the pet shop yesterday for five thousand Galleons! However, in Annie's eyes, it wasn't too expensive; after all, those goblins had compensated her with a massive amount of gold on the spot. All things considered, she had actually made a significant profit.

“A real phoenix egg? May I take a look?” Dumbledore was somewhat surprised that Annie possessed such a thing. He reached out to take the red egg, placed it carefully on the stone tabletop, and then adjusted his spectacles to lean in for a close, careful inspection.

“It should be correct. The aura on it is very, very similar to Fawkes's!” After studying it for a while, Dumbledore concluded that it was indeed a phoenix egg.

To think someone could actually obtain a phoenix egg! They bought it in a pet shop? Did pet shops even carry such treasures? Perhaps he could look for a bargain when he had time. But for now, he needed to deal with this egg first, so Dumbledore beckoned to Fawkes.

“Fawkes, come here a moment.” Since it was a phoenix egg, he should let Fawkes take a look. After all, humans couldn't understand these magical bird eggs.

Fawkes, who had been circling above their heads, immediately descended at Dumbledore's call. He landed on the table, circled the red egg curiously for two rounds, and then leaned in to give the shell two gentle pecks before letting out a cry to Dumbledore.

“Good news! Annie, Fawkes says it is indeed a phoenix egg, and he should be able to help you hatch it.” Dumbledore understood the meaning of Fawkes's cry and looked at Annie with a smile. “Do you want to hatch it now?”

“Eh? It can be hatched? Great! Hurry, hurry!” Annie had been worrying about what to do with the egg since she got it.

She had even considered whether to try roasting it over a fire, but she was afraid she might accidentally cook it through. If she couldn't find a way after a while, she might actually end up frying it and eating it in a fit of pique. Who would have thought she would run into a phoenix just in time to help her hatch it? This was wonderful!

“Very well, let us step back a little so as not to interfere with Fawkes.” Dumbledore led Annie and Hermione a short distance away from the table before signaling Fawkes to begin.

Fawkes glanced at the three people standing away from the table. Only after they were far enough did he spread his wings and take flight again. After circling the red egg twice, he suddenly dove down.

With a sharp cry, a burst of flame erupted from Fawkes's mouth, spraying directly onto the red egg. The entire stone tabletop began to be enveloped in flames, looking as if the egg itself were melting. Fawkes, having exhaled the fire, quickly flew back to his perch, looking somewhat weary. It seemed the burst of fire had taken a significant toll on him, and he would need a good rest.

As the flames gradually died down, Annie and Hermione rushed forward impatiently. They saw a plucked, wrinkled chick with almost no feathers lying slumped on the stone table, its eyes not even open.

“Eh? It's so ugly. I suddenly don't want it anymore.” As expected, a featherless phoenix was no better than a chicken! Annie's first reaction was: disgust! Her second reaction was: even more disgust!

Looking at the currently hideous phoenix chick and then at the even mature Fawkes, Annie felt that having such a phoenix as a pet might not be a wise choice. It wasn't pretty, and its strength was lacking; even if it grew for another hundred years, Tiberius could probably crush it with a single claw. It was just too pathetic!

“Annie, all chicks are like this. Perhaps when it grows up, it will be like Fawkes?” In contrast to Annie's disappointment, Hermione seemed quite excited. This was a phoenix! She had only heard that Dumbledore had one! Now, this would likely be the second phoenix pet in the wizarding world—excluding wild ones, of course, if any existed.

“That's right! Annie, after letting Fawkes look after it for a while, you can come and collect it. It will become as beautiful as Fawkes in the future! And it will have many special abilities. You might not know, but phoenixes are actually divine birds; they can be reborn after death, their tears can detoxify and heal wounds, and they have incredible carrying capacity, among other things.” Having owned Fawkes, Dumbledore was a wizard quite familiar with the nature and abilities of phoenixes.

“Of course, according to legend, the environment is also very important to a phoenix's growth. If, during its growth process after leaving the chick stage, the fledgling consumes different types of flames or grows in a secret realm filled with magical fire power, it will become a Fire Phoenix with transcendent powers! It is said to be extremely, extremely beautiful!” After saying this, Dumbledore looked helplessly at the dozing Fawkes. He had practically raised this phoenix to be "disabled"; the adult Fawkes was beyond saving. *Sigh! If only I hadn't made those mistakes back then...*

“Is it really that amazing? But I still don't want it. Sister Hermione, if you want it, then it's yours.” Hearing that it would grow up to be like Fawkes, the look of disgust on Annie's face deepened! Even if it grew up to look like Fawkes, it would still look like a big red turkey! She certainly didn't want to raise something so small and ugly!

“Give it to me? To me? But... but I already have Crookshanks.” Hearing that little Annie was giving the phoenix to her, Hermione was quite shocked. This was, after all, a five-thousand-Galleon phoenix! Was she just giving it away so casually?

“If you don't want it, I'm going to roast it and eat it.” Annie looked at the featherless, chicken-like phoenix on the stone table with a look of disdain, as if she were contemplating how to cook it and what seasonings would be best. She had truly never eaten a phoenix before.

“Don't! Then... then I'll accept it, alright? Thank you, Annie.” Hearing that Annie was going to roast the little phoenix, Hermione panicked and immediately agreed to take it.

Although she already had the large-faced cat Crookshanks, surely she could raise a phoenix as well? The school didn't seem to have a rule against having two pets. The thought of owning a magical phoenix just like Headmaster Dumbledore made Hermione feel excited, and she desperately wanted to scoop the little thing up from the table immediately.

“Then it's a deal.” This was actually a small bit of compensation Annie offered to Hermione, as her behavior yesterday had indeed frightened her.

Besides, Annie truly had no desire to raise such an ugly creature called a phoenix. It wasn't large, nor did it have a fierce or menacing appearance. What was the use of raising it? Detoxifying, healing, and heavy lifting? Annie's own spells were sufficient; she didn't need its help! Annie only wanted pets that could help her fight, and the bigger, the better!

Hearing Hermione agree to take the little phoenix, Headmaster Dumbledore and his phoenix Fawkes both breathed a sigh of relief.

This little girl was truly unreasonable, actually threatening to roast a phoenix just because of a disagreement! That was a phoenix! How could she just eat it like that? It had given Fawkes quite a scare just now; he had almost wanted to swoop down, grab the chick, and run away. That was his kin; he would never let it be roasted and eaten by a human!