Chapter 20. The Secret of the Silver Lilies.

"Unicorn milk, dragon, blood of two true wizards," Ron listed again, counting on his fingers. Lately, he, Harry, and Hermione had been frequently discussing the potion recipe they got from a 'friend.' They were racking their brains over where and how to find the necessary ingredients.

Taking advantage of the first warm spring day, the three friends settled on a secluded bench in the Hogwarts Garden to plan their next steps. Hermione had regained her confidence. Leaving her despair behind, she immediately threw herself into action. She was not only gathering the necessary information herself but also assigning tasks to her friends.

The toughest one—where to find a dragon and how to use it to melt the amulet—Hermione, of course, took on herself.

"From what I've read, dragons are easiest to find in Wales. Welsh Greens live there."

"I heard there's even a reserve for these dragons in Wales," Ron said, hoping to impress with his knowledge.

"Yeah, that's right," Hermione nodded in agreement, "and most of them are probably there. But I'm not sure we can sneak in without attracting the attention of the wizards guarding them. And we don't just need to find dragons; we need to make them breathe fire! That will definitely attract attention. So, I think we'll have to look for dragons in the wild. I've already made a list of magical places all over Wales…"

"I don't think that's a good idea!" Ron interrupted. Just the thought of getting close to a dragon and somehow convincing it to melt the amulet made him shudder. "Do you realize how dangerous this is? Do you even know how hard it is to handle dragons? Let alone make them do anything?"

Ron's face showed genuine disbelief mixed with a hint of fear. He couldn't believe Hermione was seriously talking about finding dragons.

"Of course, I get that, Ron," Hermione replied, a bit irritated. "It's definitely not easy! And I'm still looking into it. But right now, this seems like the best option. First off, Wales is pretty close compared to other places where dragons live. And second, Welsh dragons are usually pretty chill and very rarely eat people—mostly sheep."

Ron paled at Hermione's words.

"I'd rather not be one of those rare cases…" he muttered.

"Why not, Ron? We could make history," Harry said with a grin.

"Yeah, right!" Ron exclaimed. "As the dumbest people ever! I can see the headline in the Daily Prophet now: 'Dinner Comes to the Dragon!'" He wasn't ready to joke about this.

"Of course, we're not just going to walk up to the dragon and ask it to melt the amulet! What do you think I am?!" Hermione said indignantly. "I'm trying to figure out a way to sneak up on it, get it to breathe fire on the spot where we put the amulet, and then quietly take it back! No danger involved!"

"So, have you figured it out yet?" Ron asked, challenging her.

"Not quite…" Hermione's indignant tone had a slight hint of uncertainty. "But I'm working on it!"

"Maybe we should talk to Hagrid about the dragons?" Harry jumped in on their argument. "He definitely knows how to handle them and how to get them to do things."

"Maybe," Hermione said thoughtfully, "but he might get curious about why we're asking."

"And I still think we should ask my brother Charlie for help," Ron insisted. "He works with dragons in Romania and probably knows better than Hagrid how to deal with them."

"I remember! You've already suggested that," Hermione responded rather coldly. "We might end up doing that if we can't find another way. But, first of all, Charlie is far away, and it's unclear when or how he could help us. And second, we'd have to tell him about the amulet, and I'm still trying to find a way around that."

She paused, as if ending the discussion, then continued:

"Alright, let's set that problem aside for now, until we get all the other necessary ingredients," she said, turning to Harry. "Harry, any news on the unicorn milk? Have you found out anything?"

"Yes and no," Harry sighed. "Unicorn milk is really rare and special. I spent a lot of time in the library, reading up on magical ingredients. Unfortunately, all the books talk about how rare it is and its unique properties, but none of them say where we can actually find it."

"So, we don't have even the slightest lead?" Hermione exclaimed, sounding worried. "Without it, everything else is pointless. You understand that, right?"

Harry nodded, feeling a bit guilty, as if the unicorn milk's availability was his responsibility. He added, "I even tried to find out if anyone had it for sale, in any shop or store, but no luck. Turns out unicorn milk isn't something you can just buy."

"Maybe Snape has some?" Ron suggested. "Have you seen how many different supplies he's got stashed in his office? He might have unicorn milk, too."

"I tried to check, but I couldn't find out. And after what happened in the library, I'm sure sneaking into his office under the Invisibility Cloak isn't a good idea. He's probably put protective spells on it, like in the restricted section."

"So, what do we do?" Ron asked, puzzled. "Find a unicorn and milk it ourselves?"

"Exactly! Ron, you're brilliant!" Hermione suddenly shouted. "How could I forget? There's Starry in the Forbidden Forest, and she recently had a foal!"

"Are you serious?" Ron liked the compliment but was skeptical about the plan. "How do you plan on milking her? Starry was never really friendly with people, and after giving birth, she's probably even less approachable. Except maybe to Hagrid..."

"If Hagrid can handle it, we can find a way too," Hermione said, brushing off Ron's doubts as she got excited about the idea. She started listing what they needed to do to prepare. "We just need to find out a few things. First, we should learn more about unicorn behavior, especially with mothers and foals. Maybe we can find something useful in the library. Then, we should visit Hagrid to check on Starry and her baby. We can also try to find out from him how to approach her. And we definitely need to learn how to properly milk unicorns or other animals. That's about it…"

Ron and Harry exchanged doubtful looks but didn't argue further.

"Okay," Harry nodded, "and what about the wizard blood? Would ours work?" he asked, looking at Ron.

"Not really," Ron said, looking away a bit embarrassed. "From what I've read, a true wizard is someone with at least three generations of no Muggle ancestors. So, neither you nor Hermione qualify."

"And you?" Harry asked, a bit disappointed.

"My blood qualifies."

"So, that's half the problem solved. We just need to find one more person!" Hermione said optimistically.

The appearance of the recipe had definitely put her in a better mood. Now, she saw any problem as just a temporary obstacle they could overcome. In this case, she immediately started thinking of options and remembered a friend from her club, the Relicium.

"Maybe Honeydew? From what I know, he comes from a pure-blood wizard family. Though he's not very good at magic himself…"

"Exactly!" Ron burst out. He'd recently taken a dislike to this Hufflepuff student, without really knowing why. Maybe it was because Hermione mentioned him too often when talking about the club: 'Casper this, Casper that...' "Why take the risk if it might mess things up? You need a capable wizard with pure blood, not this Honeydew!"

"You're probably right," Hermione said, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Maybe I should look for two capable wizards, not just one?" She put extra emphasis on the word 'capable.'

Harry smirked, while Ron looked flustered and muttered, "Fine, go ahead! Not like I care…"

"Oh, come on, Ron, I was just joking!" Hermione laughed. "And you're probably right; Honeydew isn't the best choice."

They fell silent, each lost in thought. Hermione kept muttering quietly, probably going over possible candidates. Ron looked around, pointedly ignoring Hermione. Harry was fiddling with the note containing the recipe, rereading it.

"Still, there's something odd. Who sent you that note?" Harry suddenly changed the subject. "The more I think about it, the stranger it seems. At the very least, it means someone knows about your amulet and that you're trying to get rid of it. We can't even be sure the potion recipe is correct!"

Ron and Hermione stared at him. They hadn't talked much about who this 'friend' was that had sent the owl with the note. But Harry's question was indeed important. A shadow of doubt crossed Hermione's face.

"You're right," she said, frowning, "but then why would someone send me the note? What's the point of sending a fake recipe?"

Harry shrugged, not having an answer. He went back to the original question.

"Okay, let's assume the recipe is real. Do you have any idea who might have helped you? Could someone had overheard something about the amulet or seen it? Like, in your room?"

"Unlikely. We usually talk about the amulet in secluded places. And I always wear it under my clothes. But I guess anything's possible…"

"Maybe it's McGonagall?" Ron suggested. "You had just come out of her office after talking about the League of Light attack, and then got the note half an hour later. Plus, she mentioned your grades dropping... It's totally possible she put two and two together and sent you the note!" he concluded, sounding sure of himself.

"You might be right…" Hermione said, thinking it over. "Or it could be Dumbledore," she added as the idea struck her. "I mentioned my amulet at the last club meeting, in connection with the League of Light…"

"What?!" Harry was shocked. "You talked about the amulet to Dumbledore? Then why are we even hiding?"

"Uh... not exactly about my amulet, but about the Sky Vortex in general. I didn't say I had it…" Hermione explained, feeling embarrassed, and then told her friends what happened at the Relicium club meeting.

"Well, that explains everything!" Ron said confidently. "McGonagall must have told Dumbledore about her talk with you, and he wrote the note!"

"That seems to fit," Harry said, but with some doubt. "But answer me this: Why would Dumbledore or McGonagall send a note? Wouldn't it be easier to just help us with the potion?"

A long silence followed. None of the friends had an answer to that simple question.

***

Hagrid invited Hermione and her friends for tea on Saturday. As always, the centerpiece on the table was a huge teapot, filling the room with the scent of freshly brewed tea. Plates of homemade pies and cookies were spread out nearby. Although the cookies were a bit hard, Hermione had to admit that Hagrid's baking skills were getting better with each tea party; the cookies had become a little tastier and even softer over the past year. He always tried to surprise and delight his young guests with new flavors, whether it was a sweet pie made from berries he'd gathered in the forest or cinnamon-flavored cookies.

By the fireplace, with the wood crackling inside, Fang, Hagrid's loyal dog, lay warming himself. His tail wagged lazily, and his eyes were glued to the cookies the friends were 'enjoying' with their tea. Fang often got a treat, too, when Harry, unnoticed by Hagrid, would toss him his leftover 'goodies.' Fang didn't mind the treats at all and never complained about the taste or the hardness.

As always, Hagrid was enthusiastically talking about his latest trip into the Forbidden Forest. Stories about the different creatures living there were always his favorite subject.

"Yeh won't believe who I ran into in the Forbidden Forest yesterday!" Hagrid's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Who?" Harry asked, genuinely curious.

He was usually the only one who really got into Hagrid's animal stories, understanding how much they meant to his big friend. Harry was always amazed at how Hagrid could speak so passionately even about a tiny bug, marveling at its graceful movement on a leaf. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione, though they respected Hagrid's interests, often stayed on the sidelines of these conversations, finding them less interesting.

"Quicksols!" Hagrid exclaimed. Seeing the confusion on his friends' faces, he explained, "They're real quick, little critters. Aye, they dart 'round so fast, yeh can barely see 'em in the forest shadows." Taking another sip of tea, he continued, "These creatures are super rare. Their skin seems ter soak up light, so they're real hard ter spot in the dark, and they love the deepest, thickest bushes!"

"So how did you manage to see one?" Ron asked, keeping the conversation going.

"Oh, it weren't easy," Hagrid grinned. "I noticed some weird flickerin' in the dark, somethin' outta the ordinary... I waited, kept still, and... suddenly saw somethin' zip by. Then I just sat there, not movin', couldn't believe me eyes. They're rare, but when yeh do see 'em – they're really amazin' creatures!"

"But what's so special about them, Hagrid? Lots of magical creatures are good at hiding. Some are even invisible!" Harry asked.

"That's true, Harry! But, yeh see, I don't know any other creature that can affect time around 'em!" Hagrid said proudly, looking at his amazed friends.

"Affect time?" Hermione, who hadn't been paying much attention until now, perked up. She'd been fascinated by the concept of time manipulation ever since she started at Hogwarts. "How?"

"They slow down time around 'em, that's the trick. It's another reason they're so hard ter spot. When they move through lighted areas, they seem ter move in superfast motion. So, no matter how hard yeh look, yeh can only catch a glimpse of 'em as a blur... And honestly, I only managed ter see one 'cause I ended up in one of those slowed-down zones." Hagrid beamed, seeing the impression he'd made on his young friends.

"Wow! I didn't know there were creatures that could affect time," Harry said, amazed.

"Not many folks know about 'em," Hagrid said, looking quite pleased with himself.

"How much do they slow down time? How long does it last? Can it be triggered somehow?" Hermione immediately fired off a series of questions.

"I don' really know…" Hagrid admitted, looking a bit sheepish. He was never too concerned with technical details. "Everythin' just slowed down a lot, and sounds got all weird and stretched out... And I only realized it was happenin' after I saw the creatures…"

"Were you looking for them on purpose?" Harry jumped in, trying to steer the conversation away from Hermione's questioning.

"No, I didn't even know they were in our forest. I was actually goin' to check on Starry and her foal."

"Starry?" Hermione seized the moment to shift the topic to something more relevant to their plans, quickly putting thoughts of Quicksols aside for later research. "How is she doing after the birth? What does her foal look like? Can we visit them?"

"Starry's doin' well, and so is her foal," Hagrid's eyes shone with affection. "The little one is so tiny and cute! I named him Baby! But I think yeh should wait a bit before visitin'. She's still nursin' him and is really protective right now. So, it's best not ter go there just yet."

"Hagrid, how do you manage to get close to Starry? From what you've said, she shouldn't be letting anyone near her, especially now!" Hermione was glad the conversation had naturally moved to the topic they needed. Hagrid had brought up exactly what they were interested in and confirmed that Starry still has milk.

"Well... uh..." Hagrid hesitated, "all animals… er… they like me…" Hermione kept looking at him expectantly, and Hagrid sighed, giving in. "Just don't tell anyone, but I've got a trick. I figured it out meself!" he announced proudly. Nodding towards a pot with a beautiful flower on his windowsill, he continued, "Unicorns love the smell of Silver Lilies. They're rare flowers, but I managed ter grow 'em at home. When I need ter get close ter Starry and she's not in a friendly mood, I pick a flower and go to her. The scent and taste calm unicorns down, and she lets me pet her and even Baby."

"Wow! That's amazing, Hagrid! I've never heard of such a trick," Ron praised him, and Hagrid smiled, pleased.

"Just don't tell anyone about it. There are bad people who might use it for the wrong reasons," Hagrid warned them.

"Of course, of course!" The friends nodded in agreement.

After spending a bit more time with Hagrid, the kids thanked him for the tea and the interesting story and headed back to the castle. Evening was already settling over Hogwarts and lights out was coming up soon; they needed to get back to their dormitory in time.

"I think we've found a way to get the unicorn milk!" Hermione said cheerfully as they walked down the path to the castle. "Let's do it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Ron looked surprised. He had other plans for the weekend. "But we haven't found the dragon yet. Won't the milk spoil?"

Hermione laughed.

"Ron! Unicorn milk is a powerful magical substance! It won't go bad!" And with that, Hermione, in high spirits, skipped ahead towards Hogwarts, leaving her friends behind. Life was looking up...