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Chapter 98 Animagus

"Bilbo, are you sure you want to do this?"

Dui hadn't expected Bilbo to step forward and offer such a serious reminder.

"The dragon has awakened, and it might be waiting for us to walk right into its trap. Going there would be very dangerous, you might even die!"

Despite Gandalf and Duy's worried and disapproving attitude, Bilbo smiled brightly.

"After all, isn't this exactly the purpose of my being here?"

"I've always been lucky. Maybe I'll find the Arkenstone as soon as I go in, and I won't even encounter a dragon!"

Gandalf was filled with worry at Bilbo's words, which seemed to comfort both them and himself. He even regretted dragging the innocent hobbit into this trouble.

Dui, however, watched Bilbo unconsciously slip one hand into his pocket, looking thoughtful.

Although Bilbo was saying these words of comfort, wasn't he also confident in himself, or rather, in the One Ring in his pocket?

Since Bilbo, the person in question, had agreed, Dui and Gandalf naturally had no reason to object on his behalf.

However, before the day of Turin arrived, the night of the full moon appeared first.

Dui took out the mandrake leaf that he had held under his tongue for a whole month and put it into a small crystal bottle filled with his own saliva.

Then, he added a strand of his own hair and a silver teaspoon of dew to the crystal bottle illuminated by the moonlight.

The dew was collected by Dui when he passed through the Dark Forest. The dew had to be collected from places that had not been exposed to sunlight or human contact for seven whole days, and the Dark Forest was full of dark and inaccessible places.

Finally, Dui added a ghost-faced hawk moth.

After doing all this, all you need to do now is place this mixture in a quiet, dark, undisturbed place until the next thunderstorm, then dig it out and drink it in one gulp to complete the final Animagus transformation.

However, thunderstorms are unpredictable, so the wait for a storm can be weeks, months, or even years.

This is why Animagus is unlikely to succeed, since the probability of success depends entirely on luck.

However, this step was not a problem for Dui.

If the mountain won't come to me, then I'll come to the mountain.

Since the arrival of a storm is unpredictable, he found a place where storms are frequent, buried the crystal bottle there, and didn't have to wait anxiously for the storm to come.

And Dui happened to know one such place.

So Dui bid farewell to everyone that very night, used a repair spell to repair a fireplace in Vale, connected it to the fireplace in the Valley of the Dead with a Floo Net, and then teleported to the Valley of the Dead by sprinkling some Floo Powder.

In the valley, Elrond had not yet returned. After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the elf twins Elohir and Elradan, Dui rode his flying broomstick toward the Misty Mountains.

His destination was the high pass of the Misty Mountains.

The area experiences frequent thunderstorms, making it the perfect place to bury crystal bottles.

Dui rode his flying broomstick smoothly to the high pass. The rock giants that used to play here were no longer there, only the traces of the boulders smashing them. Dui found a quiet, dark place in the pass and was not likely to be disturbed, and then buried the crystal bottle deep in the ground.

They also used magic to create protection around them, just in case.

Having done all that, all that's left is to wait quietly for the thunderstorm to arrive.

Dui looked up at the cloud-covered sky, full of anticipation.

Given the typical weather conditions here, it won't be long before thunderstorms arrive.

Dui then left the place, returned to the Valley, and went back to the City of the River Valley via the fireplace.

"Is everything alright, Duyle?" Gandalf asked as soon as Duyle emerged from the fireplace.

Dui nodded with a smile in good spirits: "Everything went smoothly. Now we just have to wait for the next thunderstorm."

"That will be soon. I remember there are a lot of thunderstorms in the Misty Mountains," Gandalf said with a chuckle.

"I'm so excited to see your Animagus soon!"

"I'm really curious what kind of animal you can turn into? Aside from the skin-changing people, this is the first time I've ever seen magic that can turn you into an animal."

Dui was also quite curious about what kind of animal his Animagus was.

While Animagus generally resembles the guardian deity, this is not always the case.

Some people's Patronus changes with dramatic shifts in their personalities. For example, Severus Snape's Patronus became a stag after Lily Evans' death.

Therefore, while guardian deities may have some reference value, they do not necessarily become the same animal.

Of course, it would be great if his Animagus was an owl, as it could not only fly but also had night vision, making it perfect for concealment or stealth.

The only downside is that Animagus transformations are usually limited to non-magical creatures, and transforming into a magical creature can have unpredictable and serious consequences.

Otherwise, if you had Animagus like a Phoenix, a Fire Dragon, or a Thunderbird, you could definitely push the Animagus to its limits.

Thinking of this, Dui couldn't help but recall Beon, who could transform into a giant bear.

Beon's bear form is no ordinary bear; it is not only enormous and powerful, but also possesses superhuman defensive capabilities, making the title of "Earth Giant Bear" entirely fitting.

According to Gandalf, Beorn's race of skin-changing creatures were originally just humans living in the Misty Mountains, who gained the ability to transform into giant bears after receiving the blessing of the spirits of nature.

Dui was very curious about this and wanted to study its secrets if given the chance, to see if he could apply them to Animagus.

If I could upgrade my Animagus into a magical creature, that would be a huge win!

However, these things can't be rushed. He hasn't even finished Animagus yet, so he'll put this idea aside for now.

As the day of Dulin approached, the group set off once again.

This time, Dui acted as the driver, taking everyone around to the other side of Lonely Mountain.

However, he didn't have Gandalf's patience and had to pull people back and forth one by one.

So he cast a levitation spell on everyone, then tied them all together with a long rope, the other end of which was attached to a broom.

Then, amidst a frenzy of screams, Dui, like a kite being flown, led a group of floating people toward Lonely Mountain.

Gandalf, sitting behind Dui, watched this scene with great amusement, regretting that he hadn't thought of this move before.

On the back side of Gushan Mountain, starting from the foot of the mountain, there is a zigzag staircase that has been carved out and extends all the way to the mountainside.

Dui rode his flying broomstick directly to the end of the steps, where there was a flat stone platform with no further path leading up.