Chapter 19: 019 Strange Hagrid
The rumors about the curse on Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts class by the Dark Lord were not baseless. During Bryan's time as a student at Hogwarts, he had never seen a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor complete their one-year term without some sort of misfortune. Many of the professors ended up in St. Mungo's Hospital, seamlessly transitioning from Hogwarts to medical care without delay.
Although Professor McGonagall had only invited Bryan to be a teaching assistant, it didn't mean there was no risk involved. Bryan didn't want to spend his hard-earned money helping St. Mungo's Hospital improve its performance.
Most of the preparation work was already done, but Bryan still had plenty to do. During the week when Mr. Banges prepared the panoramic binoculars, Bryan had to familiarize himself with the castle once again. He needed to close off certain remote areas that wouldn't affect the daily lives and education of the young wizards and professors.
Additionally, Bryan had to design specific monitoring points based on the castle's architectural structure and create a surveillance network without blind spots. According to his plan, all activity areas, except for private spaces like bathrooms; the classrooms, common rooms and hallways, needed to be monitored.
In theory, Bryan could easily add sound monitoring to the panoramic binoculars. However, he abandoned that idea after considering the potential objections from professors. It was a bit excessive, and he doubted many of them would agree to such a scheme.
"Hagrid, you must be hiding something!"
Bryan's contemplation was interrupted by a sudden shout from the other end of the corridor. As far as he knew, there weren't many students staying at Hogwarts during the Christmas holiday.
"Stop asking nonsense, Harry and Ron!" came a rough voice, sounding a little impatient. "I'm not keeping any secrets!"
Harry, Ron, and Hagrid? Bryan raised an eyebrow and looked in their direction. Was that clear voice just now Harry Potter's?
Was he finally going to meet the protagonist from this world? Bryan's heart involuntarily beat faster with curiosity and anticipation.
"Did you know, Hagrid, your eyes wander when you lie!" Harry and Ron pressed themselves tightly behind Hagrid and questioned, "You just said downstairs that you were going to ask Headmaster Dumbledore about , Watson, who works as a Ministry of Magic investigator, but you suddenly changed your mind inexplicably after going upstairs. Why, Hagrid?"
"And you look really scared!" Ron pointed out sharply.
An investigator from the Ministry of Magic? Bryan scratched his head, full of doubts. When did he say that?
"Why can't you be honest, Hagrid?"
Two figures emerged from the end of the corridor, with the boys quickly approaching the middle. Harry continued to persuade Hagrid to reveal the secret, as his keen intuition told him that whatever Hagrid was hiding must be crucial.
"Hey, Harry!"
Ron noticed Bryan first. He grabbed Harry's robe and whispered, "Look over there, who is that man?"
Hagrid suddenly stopped, causing Harry to bump his head into Hagrid's waist, where a tough dragon leather belt seemed to be tied, causing him some discomfort in his nose.
"Why did you stop all of a sudden, Hagrid?"
Harry rubbed his crooked nose and muttered, standing behind Hagrid, "Did you change your mind again?"
Hagrid didn't answer. Interestingly, his face behind the bushy beard, weathered by years of exposure to the sun, turned extremely pale the moment he noticed Bryan. Sweat drops formed on his forehead, and his large hands fumbled on his upper body, as if checking his attire.
"Watson, it's you," Hagrid said with an ugly smile, looking at Bryan with an uneasy expression. He stammered, "Long time no see. I heard you're working for the Ministry of Magic now. Congrauts. I mean, congratulations on finding a good job."
Hagrid had been the Hogwarts gamekeeper for decades, witnessing the graduation of countless young wizards. In terms of experience, even the heads of the four houses were somewhat inferior to him. Naturally, Bryan wouldnot be unaware of him.
However, there was no friendship between them. The only contact they had was when they searched the area where Bryan had defeated the dark witch under Dumbledore's guidance after the incident before Christmas in their fifth year. They didn't have any private communication after that, except for occasional greetings when they ran into each other.
But despite the lack of friendship, there were no hard feelings either. So why was Hagrid showing such an expression upon seeing him? Hagrid also seemed unusually concerned about Bryan returning to Hogwarts as an investigator. Bryan was deeply puzzled.
"It has been a while, Hagrid."
Bryan furrowed his brow, not paying too much attention to Hagrid's peculiar behavior for now. He looked at the freckled boy standing next to Hagrid and immediately recognized him. With his distinctive red hair, it was clear that he was one of the Weasley boys, just like Bill and Charlie.
Bryan noticed the restraint in Ron's eyes, which was understandable for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old wizard encountering an unfamiliar adult. But what puzzled Bryan was the mixture of longing and fear he sensed in Ron's gaze.
Perhaps he's heard from his family about me defeating his two older brothers? Bryan wondered. As he was about to smile and greet Ron, a thin boy with messy hair and striking green eyes emerged from behind Hagrid. The familiarity of those eyes struck Bryan like a bolt of lightning, momentarily throwing him off balance.
Seeing Bryan about to fall, Hagrid hurriedly stepped forward to support him by the shoulders. "What's the matter, Bryan? You're acting like you've been hit with a stunning spell," Hagrid said with concern.
Behind Hagrid, Harry and Ron exchanged glances, both aware of the astonishment in each other's eyes. This Slytherin senior had once fended off a powerful dark wizard who invaded the school in fifth grade, and he had even fought against Dumbledore. Why did he now appear so weak?
"Oh, thank you, Hagrid. I may be feeling a bit dizzy from getting up too early in the morning and being exposed to the cold wind. Can you loosen your grip on my shoulders? I feel like my shoulder blades are about to break," Bryan replied, gently rubbing his temples as he tried to calm himself. Meanwhile, a sudden realization struck him, and he processed the information that had surfaced in his mind.
"It seems..."
After a while, Bryan started feeling better, and his face returned to normal. He smiled and looked at the young wizard before him, the one known as Harry Potter. His eyes finally settled on the scar on Harry's forehead.
"It appears I have indeed come face-to-face with the famous Harry Potter," Bryan said, his voice carrying a mixture of surprise and intrigue.
Since entering the wizarding world, Harry had grown accustomed to meeting strangers who showed great interest in his scars. However, knowing that this person was sent to Hogwarts to investigate the attack on the Chamber of Secrets and, he who was rumored to be the best candidate for the heir of Slytherin made Harry feel uneasy. He couldn't shake off the feeling that at any moment, this man might pull out handcuffs from his pocket and arrest him—an irrational thought influenced by his experiences with the Muggle law enforcement.
"Oh, no," Harry corrected his own thinking, realizing the absurdity of his assumption. "That's what Muggle police do. Wizards usually choose to confiscate the wand of the person who committed the crime first."
"Yes, Mr. Watson, you're not mistaken," Harry replied, his unease growing due to Bryan's unfocused gaze. He unconsciously sought refuge in Hagrid's towering figure, but his sense of security wavered when he remembered Bryan's "brilliant" record.
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