A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"There's one more thing," Draco said, rubbing his hands nervously. "Could we take a look at that golden egg?"

“Of course, no problem.” Aaron readily placed the golden egg on the table. “Inside is a clue to the second project, but I haven’t opened it yet.”

A dozen or so people were curiously observing the golden egg. Draco couldn't contain himself and turned on the knob at the top.

The golden eggshell bloomed like a flower, revealing an oval-shaped amber inside, seemingly bubbling with life.

But the next moment, an extremely piercing scream came from inside. The few junior wizards who were closest to the sound turned pale with fright, and the others hurriedly covered their ears.

"Malfoy, turn it off right now."

Without needing anyone to remind him, Draco closed the golden egg the moment he heard the sound.

"What is this thing? I bet even the prisoners in Azkaban couldn't make such a pitiful scream."

“Aaron,” Neller picked at his ear and said solemnly, “You can definitely decipher the clues in the golden egg, but don’t open it in the dorm, okay?”

Aaron nodded. Turning this thing on in the dorm would be a serious disturbance to the neighbors, and the sound he just heard was a hundred times more piercing than a cat scratching at a window. He didn't want to experience that again.

Chapter 374 Christmas Ball, Inviting a Dance Partner

Shenming Palace.

Aaron placed the golden egg in the upper left corner of the storage shelf. "I'll leave this to you for now."

"Just do your best!" the thought-provoking entity said nonchalantly. "You really had a great time in front of everyone today, how do you feel about it?"

"My takeaway is that it's best if there doesn't happen again," Aaron said dejectedly. "I've kept it well hidden for the past three years, but today I exposed three abilities in less than an hour: dragon language, illusion magic, and dragon-slaying magic."

"They also possess physical attributes and fighting skills far exceeding those of ordinary people."

"Okay, four types have been exposed."

"This is all within our budget, we've planned for it."

"I know, what I'm worried about is the remaining two projects."

If things aren't handled well, the rest won't be able to be hidden either.

"There's nothing we can do but deal with whatever comes our way," the person in the story said bluntly, before changing the subject, "And as long as I'm not exposed, it's all worth it."

A fourteen-year-old novice archmage and a fourteen-year-old novice grand archmage are two completely different concepts; the former is astonishing, the latter is terrifying.

Upon hearing this, Aaron pursed his lips and then opened the mission panel.

Participate in the Triwizard Tournament;

The reward for completing the task is 2000 magic points. There is no penalty for failing the task. The task has been accepted (1/3 completed).

[Winner of the Triwizard Tournament]

The reward for completing the task is 1000 magic points; there is no penalty for failing the task. [Accepted]

The rewards weren't small, but they weren't enough for him right now.

Leaving aside the possibility of becoming a god of magic, he still has a long way to go to reach the level of a holy mage.

However, Aaron did not complain. Once you reach the level of a Grand Magister, you have to put in ten or even dozens of times more effort to improve your strength than before.

Compared to others, he's already got a cheat code. If Dumbledore knew, he'd be envious to tears.

......

After the first competition event, everything seemed to return to normal.

Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang all began their classes as usual.

The five warriors weren't in a hurry to crack the clues to the golden egg, after all, there were still several months before the second competition, and they had plenty of time to spare.

The weather in December is much colder, but the dozen or so blasting snails in the magical creatures conservation class don't seem to feel it at all.

They are now nearly two meters long, with their tails constantly exploding and spewing fire, and with their disgusting spikes and suckers, they are truly monsters.

Hagrid made the students struggle to stuff them into the box during class, and many of them suffered burns and cuts.

"I really don't understand why he's our professor for the Magical Creatures Protection class," Draco said, looking indignant.

“Malfoy, Professor, you need to show some respect to Hagrid,” Harry said.

"Don't joke around." Draco pulled up his sleeve, revealing a bright red scar on his arm. "Your shoulder is injured too, right?"

The truth is, this class is even more dangerous than Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Compared to Hagrid, I suddenly find our Mad-Eye Professor quite endearing.

"Alright, you two," Aaron said wearily, trying to smooth things over. "Let's both keep quiet for a bit!"

“Okay,” Draco said somewhat reluctantly, “but I really think he’s not fit to be a teacher.”

"In fact, Hagrid knows a lot about magical creatures, but Blasttail doesn't seem to be within his knowledge."

Crabbe and Goyle walked over from beside a box. Their robes were torn in more than a dozen places, and blood seeped out from several shallow streaks. They looked particularly disheveled.

"Tsk! Looks like I really need to bring this up with my dad." Draco frowned. "Even if we can't change the professor for the Magical Creatures Protection class, we have to find a different magical creature, or he'll kill us sooner or later."

Crabbe and Goyle exchanged a glance and nodded in deep agreement.

During the Transfiguration class, after assigning the homework, Professor McGonagall stepped down from the podium.

"I have a few words to say to everyone, the Christmas ball is coming soon."

This is a traditional part of the three-way competition and a great opportunity for us to interact with foreign guests.

The dance is only open to students in fourth grade and above, but you may invite a younger student if you wish.

The meeting will be held from 8 PM to midnight on Christmas Eve. Please change into your formal attire and gather in the auditorium then.

"Professor," Aaron asked, raising his right hand, "can I not participate?"

Professor McGonagall paused for a moment, then said with a stern face, "Of course not."

Not only must we participate, but we must also demonstrate the Hogwarts spirit, after all, we are the host school.

"What if someone can't dance?"

"Come and learn from me, the location is the Transformation Classroom."

"There are still more than two weeks left, and I promise I will teach you." Professor McGonagall said righteously, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been revered for over a thousand years, and I will not allow you to tarnish its reputation overnight."

Aaron pursed his lips, thinking that Professor McGonagall was making a mountain out of a molehill.

It sounds utterly absurd that a reputation built over a thousand years could be tarnished by someone who can't dance.

Just then, the bell rang, and the students hurriedly stuffed their books into their backpacks, causing a commotion in the classroom.

“Potter, Gaius, you two stay behind,” Professor McGonagall said loudly. “I have something to tell you.”

The two exchanged a glance and tacitly returned to their seats.

After everyone had left, Professor McGonagall walked between the two of them. "According to tradition, the Triwizard Tournament's warriors always start the dance, so you two need to have your own partners."

"What?" Aaron's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "Isn't this tradition a bit too much to ask?"

"What partner?" Harry asked, somewhat bewildered.

"A dance partner, a dance partner for the Christmas ball," Aaron said somewhat awkwardly. "You've lived with your Muggle relatives for over a decade; surely you know something like that?"

Harry stared blankly, a chill running down his spine as he thought of his aunt and uncle's behavior at those parties.

"Professor, I don't..."

“No.” Professor McGonagall interrupted him firmly, as if she knew what he was going to say. “The warriors are the representatives of the school, representing the face of Hogwarts, so you cannot refuse.”

"Professor, may I ask a question?"

If something happens at home, or if I won't be at school for the Christmas holidays, can I... not go?

“A very clever idea, but unfortunately, it’s not possible,” Professor McGonagall said meaningfully. “Miss Klein knows about the Christmas ball, and she asked me to tell you that you must attend.”

"She's meddling way too much!" Aaron said, annoyed. "Even if she were my parents..."

"This is also what your parents wanted."

A generous gift crab!

Aaron felt as if a million alpacas were galloping through his mind.

"Understood, I'll participate."

“Very good.” Professor McGonagall nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Harry. “Potter, do you have any questions?”

"No, no more."

"Then I hope you can find dance partners soon."

The two walked out of the classroom, letting out a sigh at the same time, feeling annoyed that they had to attend the Christmas ball.

"Spare me!" Harry gave a wry smile. "Finding a dance partner is harder than finding a treetop."

"You'd better watch yourself!" Aaron patted Harry on the shoulder. "I'll give you a piece of advice since we're in the same boat: find a dance partner quickly, or you'll end up with nothing but leftovers."

"Not only do you have to find a dance partner, but you also have to know how to dance."

Can you dance?

Aaron raised his right hand, revealing a barely perceptible gap between his index finger and thumb. "I know a little bit about it."

Harry's eye twitched slightly; he considered himself to know Aaron fairly well.

A tiny bit, that's a billion bits!

......

The next day, Hogwarts was filled with a lively atmosphere.

Many people were excited about the upcoming dance, and the girls were even more enthusiastic, with groups of them discussing the Christmas party almost everywhere.

The five warriors in the Triwizard Tournament naturally became highly sought after, and people would frequently come up to invite them to be dance partners.

Aaron didn't know what the other warriors did. He rejected three girls' invitations that morning, but the thought of a fourth and a fifth girl inviting him gave him a headache.

No, we need to act quickly!

If this continues, I'll be driven crazy by this sooner or later.

After hesitating for a long time, Aaron picked up Abe and walked towards the library.