Cohen's quick agreement caught Edward off guard.
"When do we leave?" Cohen asked.
"The trip is scheduled for late July, so there's no rush," Edward replied, turning the steering wheel around a corner. "Just remember to bring Earl with you—it can keep us updated on anything important."
"It's strange, though. You managed to buy the most extraordinary owl for the least amount of money—I've never seen a talking owl before. It must be the envy of many young wizards at school, right?" Edward chatted casually. "It's rare for magical creatures to talk, especially domesticated ones."
Cohen felt that Edward might have a slight misunderstanding about Earl.
"No child would like an owl that spouts nonsense all day. I keep it purely out of kindness, to prevent it from causing trouble for other young wizards."
But that wasn't entirely true. While Earl was indeed talkative, it was also quite entertaining at times.
Another reason Cohen kept Earl was that it could serve as a hidden weapon for sneak attacks—who would expect an owl to cast spells?
To that end, Cohen had even made a small wand pouch for Earl, which it wore on its right claw.
After returning home, Cohen decided to give Edward a little first-year shock—he brought Edward into his magical crate.
"What's all this mystery about?"
After Cohen mentioned there was a surprise inside the crate, Edward asked curiously.
Once Cohen pushed Edward into the crate and the dizziness subsided, Edward was instantly stunned by the vast space inside.
"This Extension Charm—this sky—where did you get this?!" Edward exclaimed in shock.
"Professor Dumbledore helped me make this crate so Hagrid and I could raise creatures here," Cohen said, shifting the blame to Dumbledork. "Remember, don't tell anyone about this. It's illegal, and you wouldn't want Dumbledore keeping an eye on you for this, would you?"
This explanation seemed easier for Edward to accept. If it was Dumbledore, nothing would be too surprising…
Cohen decided to show Edward the house first, and the two arrived at the wooden cabin's entrance.
"Did you also add a Cushioning Charm and an Imperturbable Charm? I don't see any signs of shaking, and the Extension Charm shouldn't be this big…"
After the initial shock, Edward became deeply interested in the crate's construction.
He realized that the house inside the crate was a genius invention.
"This isn't the first of its kind. Professor Dumbledore mentioned that one of his students, Newt, also had a portable base —for raising magical creatures," Cohen explained. "You know, the author of *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*, Newt Scamander."
"So, what are you raising here? Or… what do you plan to raise?"
Edward asked eagerly. He hadn't seen any creatures roaming around earlier, aside from the house and a hill with a cave.
"I remember that gamekeeper Hagrid loves large creatures. You're not raising a—" Edward was about to joke about a dragon, but suddenly, he felt the presence of a massive creature approaching from behind.
Aside from the heavy breathing, the sunlight that had been shining on the cabin door was now completely blocked.
Cohen looked behind Edward, who had frozen in place.
"Norbert, why are you out here?"
Cohen called out to the creature behind Edward.
Before turning around, Edward caught a whiff of sulfur.
"You've already raised a large creature, haven't you?" he gulped.
When Edward finally turned around, he came face-to-face with Norbert—the massive dragon's head was practically touching his nose, its orange vertical pupils staring at him curiously.
Edward, though terrified and spouting gibberish, instinctively shielded Cohen behind him.
He fumbled to pull out his wand from his pocket—what spell could even penetrate a dragon's hide?
"It's okay, Dad. He's very well-behaved," Cohen said, slipping out from under Edward's arm.
Norbert was indeed well-behaved.
Upon hearing Cohen's explanation of their relationship, the dragon licked Edward's face in a friendly gesture.
"Ugh—" Edward's face twisted in disgust. The slimy sensation, mixed with the smell of sheep's blood and sulfur, was overwhelming.
"Go back to sleep. I'll feed you later," Cohen shooed Norbert away. Edward was clearly shaken by the dragon's sudden appearance.
After Norbert happily flew back to its cave, Edward finally exclaimed in shock.
"Did your brain just short-circuit for that long?" Cohen asked in disbelief. "I thought you'd like dragons. You even gave me that sandbox game with a brass dragon girl. I figured you were into that kind of thing."
"That's just an adventure story. Reality is different," Edward corrected. "Raising a dragon is too dangerous, and it's illegal—"
"Really?" Cohen blinked innocently.
"Fine… just don't tell your mom…" Edward sighed. "She'd never agree to you raising a dragon here. She'd probably write to Dumbledore and give him an earful."
However, after calming down, Edward's curiosity about real dragons began to grow.
"But… is it really that well-behaved? Will it bite if I touch it? You know, most wizards would never get close to a dragon in their lifetime…"
"It's best to stay close to me. It only seems to listen to me," Cohen warned. "Your reaction makes me unsure if I should show you my other pet…"
"I've already seen a dragon. What could be scarier than that?" Edward braced himself. "What else are you raising?"
Cohen led Edward to the study on the first floor—this was temporarily being used as Aali's resting area, as unicorns couldn't climb stairs.
When Cohen opened the door, a pitch-black "unicorn" was staring directly at them.
It radiated an aura of curses and death, its eyes pure white, locking gazes with Edward like a lifeless creature.
Edward felt like he couldn't catch his breath again.
But it was slightly safer than the dragon—a corrupted unicorn, something often seen in Muggle fantasy stories…
Aali merely glanced at them before turning back to what it had been doing before they entered—
A large, hard boulder had been placed in the room, and Aali was tirelessly drilling into it with its horn.
The rock, enchanted by Cohen, was already covered in cracks. Once Aali completely shattered it, the rock would quickly reform.
"Quitting alcohol," Cohen said casually. "Without alcohol, it feels like it has Cornish pixies crawling all over its body. So, I gave it something to distract itself."