Chapter 54 - Insomnia

"Cedric, wake up."

"Oh, Asmodeus, is that you? What do you want? Why are you in my bedroom? You may be attractive, but I'm interested in girls... so, nothing will happen between us."

Asmodeus: "....(＃￣0￣) "

"You sick bastard. How did you even think of that? You know what? Don't feel like flying? You'll also wake up!" Asmodeus said displeased and dragged Cedric to the window.

Cedric didn't initially understand what he intended to do. Since the windows in the Hufflepuff common room were at ground level, the worst that could happen was a bruise. But after Asmodeus opened the window and stood on tiptoes, flames began to gather beneath his boots.

Now Cedric understood what "flying" meant, but it was too late.

"Hey, Asmodeus, okay, I was joking. Let's forget about this situation, no, no, don't do thaaaat!"

Asmodeus flew out of the window with Cedric in hand, soaring as high as possible.

"Asmodeus, let's go back, please, I was just kidding!!" Cedric yelled, but the wind prevented Asmodeus from hearing him, and he wouldn't have listened anyway.

They flew upward until the massive Hogwarts castle in their eyes turned into a tiny dot, and the black lake resembled a puddle.

"Well, what? Have a pleasant flight!" Asmodeus said, releasing Cedric's hand.

"Asmodeuuuuuuus!!!!!!" Cedric screamed in fear, descending toward the black lake.

"Hmm," Asmodeus grunted disapprovingly and, waiting for another five seconds, flipped over and flew downward, catching up with Cedric.

"Asmodeuuuuuuus!!!! Help!!!!"

Meter by meter, Asmodeus approached Cedric until he finally grabbed him by the hand. He didn't immediately stop to avoid dislocating Cedric's arm and continued flying, gradually changing direction. Cedric didn't initially understand this, and he almost wet himself in fear when they passed a meter from the black lake.

After a minute, Cedric was standing on the ground, and his dinner surrounded him.

"You're crazy, Asmodeus! What if you hadn't made it in time? And most importantly, who taught you to wake people up like that!?"

"First, I had full control of the situation. Second, you brought this upon yourself. Third, you're no longer sleepy."

Cedric: "...."

Returning to the Hufflepuff common room, Cedric said, "Well? Why did you wake me up so early?! Couldn't you wait until morning?!"

"I could, but if I had fallen asleep, I would have had to fight a strong old man... besides, it turned out I needed to tell you something, so you popped into my lap."

"..."

"Okay, tell me what's so important?"

"Do you know about druids?"

"They're supposedly extinct wizards who specialized in nature-related magic. Honestly, I don't remember much about them; they were only briefly mentioned even in History of Magic classes."

"What if I told you that you have a chance to become a druid?"

"Why? Weren't they considered weak?"

"You're talking about the new druids. I'm talking about the ancient ones!"

"And how are they different?"

"Well......"

After half an hour,

"So, you want to tell me that last night you went to explore ruins and found a legacy left by ancient druids. It turns out that the seven strongest ancient druids are still alive, just in a different form. And you and Nicolas Flamel decided to restore their physical bodies, and in return, they want to find apprentices? Let's forget that you woke up not only me but also seven 2500-year-old geezers. What did you mean when you said that druids were stronger before the damage to our world?"

"Quite literally, in this world, according to their words, there used to be 20 continents. Druids were powerful, but at some point, our world weakened. Future generations of druids couldn't fully use their magic."

"Alright, but why do you think I'm a suitable candidate?"

"Your mana. Although you don't have an element, you're close to nature. Honestly, I think it's one of the reasons they sent you to Hufflepuff. In fact, you would fit in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, but Helga Hufflepuff also had a connection to nature like you, even though she wasn't a druid."

"So you think I'm suitable to inherit the legacy of one of the druids?"

"Yes. Besides you, I have three other candidates on my mind. Although I'm not sure about the last one..."

"Are any of them at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, Rolf Scamander."

"Then what are we waiting for?! I don't want to be the only one suffering from your spontaneous insomnia-induced outburst! Let's go wake him up; he's in the third room on the right down the corridor!"

Cedric knew this first-year with a famous grandfather. They usually got along well. But today, Rolf would understand the complexity of human hearts.

"Knock, knock, knock. Ouch, that hurts! Where are you dragging me? Ouch, damn it, Cedric? What are you doing??? Stop, let me get up!!"

Rolf woke up as Asmodeus and Cedric were dragging him along the floor by his legs. The issue was that over time, the wooden flooring in the Hufflepuff common room corridor had slightly loosened. The planks were no longer perfectly aligned, protruding or sinking a bit. So, while Asmodeus and Cedric were dragging Rolf, he kept hitting his head on these joints.

Getting to his feet, Rolf looked offendedly at Cedric and asked, "Senior Diggory! We get along well, why wake me up like this?! My head hurts because of you!! And you?! You're Asmodeus Morningstar! My grandfather told me about you. I thought you were a noble and great person, not someone who wakes people up by hitting them on the head!"

"....."

"Okay, Rolf, sorry. We just didn't want to wake up your roommates."

"What about me? Can I be woken up? The sun hasn't even risen yet! Speak up, why did you wake me up? Otherwise!" Rolf pointed to his chest pocket, where the head of an Occamy was peeking out.

Asmodeus was surprised by Rolf's character. He thought he would be like Newt, a bit introverted and indecisive. But Rolf Scamander was more like his grandmother, Tina Scamander – decisive and confident.

"Alright, calm down, Mr. Scamander. I just asked Cedric to wake you up. He said you'd like this way of waking up."

Cedric: "(￣□￣」) ....." He felt a figurative knife in his back.

"Speak up, what do you need?" Scamander said, looking at Cedric suspiciously.

"Do you know about druids?"

"Of course, I know! They were the first magizoologists in the world!"

"Then......"

Half an hour later, as the sun began to rise from the east, Asmodeus finished his explanation.

"I agree. I'll gladly go with you to meet these ancient druids."

"Alright, I'll call you in two to three days when everything's ready. Oh, by the way, Rolf, warn your grandfather and father. They might want to come. I'm sure your grandfather will become a druid!" Asmodeus said, bidding farewell.

"Wait, where are you going?" Cedric asked when he saw Asmodeus about to close the door.

"Me? Of course, to sleep. It's a new day, and the old man won't think I went to sleep after waking him up. Alright, good night," Asmodeus said, yawning.

Rolf and Cedric: "....."

Returning to his room, Asmodeus saw a gigantic dragon-like cat curled up on his bed.

"....."

Deciding not to disturb Athena, he took out an extra blanket, climbed onto Athena, wrapped himself in the blanket, and fell asleep.

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