"Bilbo, are you sure you want to do this?"
Luke hadn't expected Bilbo to volunteer and reminded him very seriously.
"The Dragon has awoken, and it might be waiting for us to walk into its trap. It will be very dangerous if you go, you might even die!"
Facing Gandalf and Luke's worried and disapproving attitudes, Bilbo smiled brightly.
"After all, isn't this what I came here to do?"
"My luck has always been good. Maybe I'll find the arkenstone as soon as I go in, and I won't even encounter the Dragon!"
Regarding Bilbo's words, which seemed to comfort them as well as himself, Gandalf was full of worry, even regretting having dragged this innocent hobbit into this trouble.
Luke, on the other hand, watched Bilbo's hand unconsciously slip into his pocket, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Although Bilbo was speaking words of comfort, wasn't it also a display of confidence in himself, or rather, confidence in the one ring in his pocket?
Since Bilbo, the main person involved, had agreed, Luke and Gandalf naturally had no reason to object on his behalf.
However, before Durin's Day arrived, the night of the full moon appeared first.
Luke took out the Mandrake leaf he had kept under his tongue for a whole month and put it into a small crystal vial filled with his own saliva.
He then added a strand of his own hair and a silver teaspoon of dew to the crystal vial, which was illuminated by the moonlight.
The dew was collected by Luke when he passed through Mirkwood earlier. The dew must be collected from a place that has not been exposed to sunlight or human contact for seven full days, and Mirkwood has many dark and inaccessible places.
Finally, Luke added a Death's-head Hawkmoth.
After all this was done, he now only needed to place this mixture in a quiet, dark, undisturbed place until the next thunderstorm arrived. Then, he would dig it out, drink it in one gulp, and complete the final Animagus transformation.
However, a thunderstorm cannot be predicted, so the waiting time for the storm to arrive could be weeks, months, or even years.
This is also why Animagus is difficult to succeed, as the probability of success is entirely dependent on luck.
However, this step was not a problem for Luke.
If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain.
Since the arrival of a thunderstorm cannot be predicted, he would go to a place with frequent thunderstorms, bury the crystal vial there, and not have to wait anxiously for the storm to arrive.
And Luke happened to know such a place.
So Luke temporarily bade farewell to everyone that night, used a Reparo Charm to repair a fireplace in Lake-Town, connected it to the fireplace in Rivendell using the Floo Network, and then threw a handful of Floo Powder to teleport to Rivendell.
In Rivendell, Elrond had not yet returned. After a brief greeting with the Elf twins, Elrohir and Elladan, Luke mounted his broomstick and flew towards the Misty Mountains.
The place he was heading to was the High Pass in the Misty Mountains.
Thunderstorms are common there year-round, making it the best place to bury the crystal vial.
Luke rode his broomstick smoothly all the way to the High Pass. The Stone Giants who used to play there were gone, leaving only traces of havoc caused by massive boulders. Luke found a quiet, dark, and undisturbed spot in the pass's canyon, and then deeply buried the small crystal vial in the earth.
He also used magic to set up protection around it, just in case.
Having done all this, he now only needed to quietly wait for the thunderstorm to arrive.
Luke looked up at the cloud-covered sky, full of anticipation.
Given the year-round weather conditions here, it wouldn't be long before a thunderstorm arrived.
Luke then left the place, returned to Rivendell, and then went back to Lake-Town through the fireplace.
"Everything went smoothly, Luke?" Gandalf asked as Luke emerged from the fireplace.
Luke smiled and nodded, in good spirits: "Very smoothly. Now we just wait for the next thunderstorm."
"That won't be long then. I remember there are many thunderstorms in the Misty Mountains," Gandalf said, chuckling.
"I think I'll soon see your Animagus. How exciting!"
"I'm really curious what animal you'll transform into? Besides the Skin-changers, this is the first time I've seen magic that allows one to transform into an animal."
Luke was also very curious about what animal his Animagus would be.
Although the form of an Animagus is generally the same as one's Patronus, this is not absolute.
Some people's Patronuses change with significant shifts in their personality, such as Severus Snape's Patronus, which transformed into a doe after Lily Evans' death.
So, while a Patronus has some reference value, it doesn't necessarily mean one will transform into the same animal.
Of course, if his Animagus were an owl, that would also be good. Not only could he fly, but he would also have night vision, making it very suitable for concealment or stealth.
The only slight regret is that Animagus transformations are usually limited to non-magical creatures. Transforming into a magical creature can lead to severe, unpredictable consequences.
Otherwise, if one had an Animagus like a Phoenix, Dragon, or Thunderbird, it would definitely push the Animagus to its limits.
Thinking of this, Luke couldn't help but recall Beorn, who could transform into a Giant bear.
Beorn's Giant bear form was not an ordinary bear; not only was it massive and powerful, but it also possessed super strong defense, making it not an exaggeration to call it an Earth Bear.
According to Gandalf, Beorn's Skin-changer race were originally just humans living in the Misty Mountains, and only gained the ability to transform into Giant bears after receiving blessings from nature spirits.
Luke was very curious about this and, if he had the chance, he wanted to study its mysteries to see if it could be applied to Animagus.
If he could upgrade his Animagus to a magical creature, that would be a huge gain!
However, this kind of thing cannot be rushed. He hasn't even completed his Animagus yet, so he temporarily put this idea aside.
As Durin's Day approached, everyone set off again.
This time, Luke acted as the driver, taking everyone around to the back of the Lonely Mountain.
However, he didn't have Gandalf's patience to ferry people back and forth one by one.
So he directly cast a Levitation Charm on everyone, then tied everyone with a long rope, with the other end tied to his broom.
Then, amidst a chorus of frantic screams, Luke flew towards the Lonely Mountain, pulling a group of floating people like kites.
Gandalf, sitting behind Luke, watched this scene and chuckled heartily, regretting that he hadn't thought of this trick before.
At the back of the Lonely Mountain, starting from the foot, there was a carved zigzag staircase that extended all the way to the mountainside.
Luke rode his broomstick directly to the end of the staircase. This was a flat stone platform, with no path leading further up.