[HP] Chapter 156-157

### Chapter 156: Norbert Weeps

“Hm? What fear?” Louis smacked his lips, puzzled. “That’s not important. Anyway, how’s my wand coming along?”

“Just finished the design. I’m filtering out the right kind of wood. As for the core, the Acromantula doesn’t quite fit—needs to be replaced. You could head into the Forbidden Forest and send me some Thestral tail feathers,” said Garrick Ollivander.

“Replace it? That’s fine, maybe I’ll find something even better,” Louis replied casually.

What he actually meant was the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Louis hadn’t yet decided how to deal with it, but reserving materials in advance was no problem.

Garrick Ollivander didn’t think much of it. Quality materials weren’t easy to come by. If not for the Ollivander family’s wide network of friendships and reputation for neutrality, he wouldn’t have access to so many rare components.

“Oh, and put the matter of the wand’s wood aside for now. I’ve got a much better option in mind, but we’ll have to wait for it to mature,” Louis said.

“What kind of wood could possibly be worth waiting for?” Ollivander asked curiously. “I’d like to see it for myself.”

“Nothing too dramatic. It’s just… special,” Louis replied. He was referring to the World Tree. Even if it was labeled as a “fast-grown” version, its tier was still legendary—certainly no worse than the famed Elder Wand’s wood.

Garrick shook his head, not particularly concerned. He was about to say that he’d seen every type of wood imaginable when suddenly Louis cried out in alarm.

“Oh no!” Louis smacked his forehead.

“What’s wrong?” Garrick’s heart sank. For Louis to actually say “oh no”… could it be something catastrophic? Had he gone and killed Dumbledore by accident?

“I left the dragon alone and haven’t checked on it since. Who knows how it’s doing now?” Louis finally remembered he still owned a dragon. It had been months since he tossed it into his personal domain. Could it have starved to death?

Without wasting a second, Louis activated his Reality Marble. Petals whirled up and swallowed both him and Garrick, transporting them instantly into a boundless sea of flowers.

Garrick’s eyes widened. He hadn’t felt the disorientation of Apparition, yet the world had completely shifted around him. This place looked nothing like anywhere humans lived.

He carefully examined the vibrant blossoms and clear sky above. No, he had never heard of a paradise like this. He was about to ask Louis for an explanation—only to find Louis himself looking rather bewildered.

“Huh? Where did my giant World Tree go?” Louis scanned the horizon. There was no sign of the massive, ploughed-up earth where it once stood. All he saw was an endless flower field stretching without end.

“Wait… isn’t that a rise over there?” Louis narrowed his eyes, spotting a large flower-covered mound in the distance. From the contours, it looked suspiciously like the roots of the World Tree.

“Bloody hell! The vitality’s that strong? It actually sprouted straight from the roots?” Louis muttered in disbelief.

Just then, a huge black shadow burst out from behind the flowery hill, diving straight at him. The creature’s body stretched nearly ten meters long, with a wingspan of twelve, swooping down with the force of a bomber plane.

“ROOOAARR!!! (Finally, you’re here!!!)”

Norbert, eyes brimming with tears, charged at his savior with overwhelming emotion.

These past few months had been pure torment. That strange fellow kept training it without giving it food. Sure, Norbert had grown rapidly in just a few months, but it wasn’t happy at all.

It was a dragon! A fire dragon! Born to soar the skies as a ruler, how could it be reduced to a gardener in some flower field?

And now—at long last—it sensed a familiar aura. Though it had changed, becoming more dignified and intimidating, it still carried that warmth which awakened its memories.

This was its master’s aura! (At least, in Norbert’s own mind.)

But before it could fling itself at Louis, he kicked it straight in the snout.

“What the hell is this thing? Get lost!”

With a sharp rebuke, Louis’s foot—barely a size forty—stamped onto Norbert’s forehead and sent it flying. The massive body crashed down, ploughing a furrow through the sea of flowers.

Garrick stared at Louis in disbelief. Watching him punt a fire dragon weighing several tons a dozen meters away was too much—he began to wonder if Louis was even human, or just some monster wearing human skin.

“Wasn’t that a dragon? Didn’t you say you’d left a dragon here? Could that be it?” Garrick asked.

“My dragon? Impossible, right? It’s only been a few months, and it’s grown this big? That’s neither scientific nor magical…” Louis rubbed his temples, realizing he had been careless.

This was his Reality Marble—how could any outsider intrude here? And there was supposed to be a dragon inside.

When you eliminate all impossibilities, the one that remains, no matter how absurd, must be the truth.

“Could it really be Norbert?” Louis muttered, staring at the dragon curled up into a ball, clutching its tail and sobbing. “How did it get this big?”

“Honestly, I’m less concerned about the dragon and more curious about where we are,” Garrick said, bending to pluck a flower. Its delicate fragrance filled his lungs, making him feel a surge of vitality. “I swear, I feel decades younger just standing here.”

“Last time I turned you into a Dark Assassin, you did become decades younger. Any more and you’ll revert to a baby,” Louis said dryly.

“It’s just a metaphor! A metaphor!” Garrick shot back. “You still haven’t explained where this is.”

“My world,” Louis said. “The ideal land—Avalon.”

“Avalon?” Garrick was stunned.

That name was famous even in the Muggle world, known as the legendary resting place of King Arthur. In the wizarding world, it was a sacred term as well—reputed to be a realm beyond even the mightiest magic, perhaps even the birthplace of magic itself.

“You can think of this as Avalon’s projection,” Louis explained. “Not the true Avalon, don’t get nervous.”

“Even a projection is astounding enough.” Garrick let out a breath of relief.

If Louis truly had the ability to summon people into Avalon itself, then he could rule the wizarding world with ease. Countless truth-seeking wizards would flock to his banner for just a chance to step foot there.

That was said to be the birthplace of magic, a treasury of all knowledge, and the domain guarded by powerful fae.

Some even claimed that Nicolas Flamel’s ability to craft the Philosopher’s Stone came from entering Avalon and receiving immortality secrets from the fae themselves.

Legend or not, it was enough to drive anyone mad with desire.

“Could he really be of Merlin’s bloodline? But if he is… why can’t a Merlin heir use magic?” Garrick murmured in awe, mixed with doubt.

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### Chapter 157: Norbert the Qualified Gardener

Louis had no time to answer Garrick—he was busy calming down the dragon.

Couldn’t Garrick see how heartbroken Norbert was? Each teardrop was the size of a soup bowl, nearly drowning the flowers around it. That alone showed how wronged it felt.

And honestly, who wouldn’t? Locked away in a strange place, tormented by a weird being (a transparent figure) who “educated” it with gardening knowledge and forced enlightenment—only to finally see its master again and be smacked straight into a wall. Of course it was miserable.

It took Louis quite a while to soothe the sobbing dragon. Then, he went and did something foolish.

He asked Norbert, “How did you grow so big?”

Not only Garrick, but even Norbert was stunned.

“You can’t actually understand what it says, right?” Garrick asked, unable to hold back. “Don’t tell me the Merlin bloodline comes with a gift for speaking Dragon Tongue?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that. I’m just used to talking to my pets,” Louis said, patting Norbert’s massive head. “Well, how is it here? Comfortable enough? Look at how fast you’ve grown.”

Garrick shook his head. If Louis couldn’t understand Norbert, how was it that Norbert seemed to understand him?

Just then, Norbert frantically shook its head, swinging it like a fan.

It really had understood.

Garrick was struck speechless. When it came to Louis, everything was absurd. Better not to comment—it was too embarrassing. For all he knew, Louis really might master Dragon Tongue one day.

“What’s wrong with this place? You don’t need to eat or drink, and you still grow this huge. Seems pretty good to me. If I threw you outside, I’d have to feed you—and with a body your size, each meal would take at least two tons of meat, right?”

Louis eyed Norbert and shook his head.

Norbert panicked, roaring while waving its claws in protest, desperately miming the cruelty of the transparent figure. But Louis ignored its performance, turning away with Garrick and heading toward the roots of the World Tree in the distance.

Norbert, seeing Louis ignore it, let out a very humanlike sigh. Then, lowering its head, it noticed the trench it had ploughed when Louis kicked it flying. Terrified, cold sweat beaded on its scales. Hastily, it filled the ditch back in, gently nudging the flowers’ roots into place.

After all, with Norbert’s massive body, every move threatened to shake the ground. Even so, its motions were surprisingly delicate. When Louis and Garrick turned around, they saw Norbert earnestly fixing the landscaping.

“Who would’ve thought this Norwegian Ridgeback was a natural-born gardener? Not bad at all,” Louis said in delight.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Garrick’s eyelids twitched like they were dancing.

With his decades of experience, he could swear: there was no such thing as a “natural gardener dragon.” Dragons were destroyers and predators by nature.

This dragon must be a mutation. Not only obedient, but able to manage landscaping? Incredible. Garrick found himself wishing he could have one too.

“All right, this is it,” Louis said, patting Garrick’s shoulder and pointing to a flower-covered mound as tall as a man. “What do you think of this wood?”

Dragged from his astonishment at “gardener Norbert,” Garrick blinked at the mound, puzzled.

He reached into the flowers, brushing aside a layer of loose soil. His fingers passed through root-like vines before touching something solid—the tree’s roots.

The moment he touched it, Garrick’s eyes widened.

“Such powerful yet gentle vitality!” he exclaimed. “What kind of tree could this be? The strength of this life force… at least a thousand-year-old ancient wood! And the trunk—if the roots are this massive, the main trunk must reach the heavens!”

The moment it touched on his specialty, Garrick grew excited. Wood of this level nearly made him want to dance for joy.

“Calm down, calm down. Don’t get carried away,” Louis told him.

“How can I not be excited? With wood of this caliber, paired with a matching core, I could craft a wand stronger than the Elder Wand itself!” Garrick’s cheeks flushed red. “All I’d need is a straight twenty-inch branch. Just that would be enough.”

Louis could only shrug. “Garrick, I hate to disappoint you, but… sigh, you’d better come with me.”

Following the direction of the roots, Louis led him onward. At first Garrick was elated, but the farther they walked, the more uneasy he became. Why hadn’t they seen the towering trunk yet?

A sense of dread crept over him.

Using telekinesis, Louis lifted them both onto the World Tree’s roots. And there, at the heart of where countless colossal roots converged, in the midst of a sea of blossoms—

—stood a single, swaying little sapling.

The sapling was about fifteen inches tall—already much larger than before. At least it had grown from a blade of grass into a proper tree sprout.

Yes, a sapling.

“Wait a minute…” Garrick clutched his head. “You’re not telling me those massive roots produced this little thing?”

“Mm-hm. That’s right. It’s growing quickly, though. Last time I saw it, it was only this big.” Louis gestured with his hand.

“Well, that’s something.” Garrick compared its height, estimating its growth rate. “If that’s the case, I might still live to see this tree grow large enough to yield a branch.”

“Don’t exaggerate. Your lifespan is practically unlimited now—you’ve got time. And besides, aren’t these roots right here? Just dig out a piece and use it.” Louis said casually.

“Ridiculous! You can’t just dig up its roots. Don’t be fooled by how small it looks now—I’d wager it will one day grow to an unimaginable size. These roots are its foundation. They mustn’t be touched.” Garrick shook his head. “And besides, wands are rarely made from roots. Usually it’s the trunk, or at worst, branches. Roots are poor quality. Not worth it.”

“Fine, you’re the expert,” Louis said, shrugging. “We’ll leave it here to grow. Give it a year or two.”

“A year or two is worth the wait,” Garrick agreed.

“But you’ll still need to give me a normal wand. I can use magic now, and sometimes I’ll need to throw around a few spells just to look the part.”

“All right, you can pick one you like. Doesn’t matter—you don’t need to fuss over it,” Garrick said.

“No, you pick something suitable for me,” Louis replied.

“With your… particular circumstances, I honestly don’t know how to choose. Just use a secondhand one for now. Later I’ll craft you a custom wand. Isn’t that better?”

“True. Good idea,” Louis said with a nod of approval.

They were about to leave when Louis suddenly remembered something. He touched his ring and began pulling things out.

“What are you doing?” Garrick asked.

“Oh, just transferring stuff. Leaving unnecessary things here.”

Louis casually dropped items onto the ground—mostly potions and medical supplies. For him, they were useless. He only needed to keep a little on hand at home for the Wilsons, and he had already prepared that: a single jar of Black Jade Fracture Balm, enough to last them for ages.

The rest—four hundred and fifty jars of balm, aloe ointments, and various other tools—he dumped into the Reality Marble, along with tech-based items that, if taken out into the world, would definitely get him charged with smuggling illegal weaponry.

“All done. Let’s go,” Louis said, taking Garrick and stepping out of the Reality Marble. As for Norbert…

Bringing it out would only cause trouble. Here, it wouldn’t starve, and it had plenty of space. Best to leave it.

But once Louis and Garrick were gone, Norbert froze in horror. The transparent figure had returned.

This time, it didn’t punish Norbert for ploughing the earth. Instead, it stooped to pick up the discarded supplies.

“Interesting things…” It sniffed the Black Jade Balm, examined the aloe, then turned and kicked Norbert.

“Get to work. Plant this, and smear that onto the roots.” In an instant, the transparent figure had neatly arranged what Louis had left behind.

Norbert let out an indignant roar. These were its master’s belongings, their shared property.

Don’t touch!

“Rooaaar!” Norbert cried.

“Heh, loyal one, aren’t you?” The figure chuckled. “Don’t worry—it’s all for your master’s sake.”

“Now go!”

Another kick. This time, Norbert obeyed. It had heard the figure’s words—this was for its master’s good.

The transparent figure had never lied.

Clutching the supplies delicately in its massive claws, Norbert bustled about clumsily but carefully, planting and applying ointment as ordered.

The figure smiled.

“I truly look forward to it…”

As the words faded, the figure slowly dissolved. A faint breeze stirred the sea of flowers, drifting outward—toward the distant tower on the horizon.

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