Chapter 119: Chapter 119: The Residents of the Forest
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Hagrid led them to the edge of the Forbidden Forest and pointed to a narrow path hidden among the trees. He said, "Since you're curious about what's in the forest... let's go!"
Albert and the others looked into the forest, and all they could see was a silent and desolate expanse. A gust of cold wind blew from the forest, causing them to shiver and shudder.
"Hagrid, aren't you going to prepare?" Albert asked, thinking that Hagrid should at least bring some weapons. Going into the Forbidden Forest unarmed seemed imprudent.
"Prepare?" Hagrid tilted his head, seemingly pondering the meaning behind Albert's words. After a moment, he patted his chest with his huge palm and said confidently, "As long as you're with me, no creature in the Forbidden Forest will harm you."
Albert gave Hagrid a thumbs-up and praised, "It seems being a gamekeeper is not something just anyone can do."
"That's right," Hagrid replied.
Hagrid walked ahead, and Albert and the others hurried to keep up with him.
The forest was eerily silent, with thick layers of snow covering the ground. The short-legged group found it difficult to move and struggled with each step.
"I can't believe you guys want to catch rabbits in this kind of environment," Albert remarked, pulling his boots out of the snow. He could feel the snow seeping into his boots.
"Catch rabbits?" Hagrid stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and looked at Albert's group. "What rabbits?"
"Oh, nothing. Last time we were here, we saw a wild rabbit," George mumbled. "We're planning to go fishing by the Black Lake recently."
"Hagrid, where are you taking us?" Fred interjected, giving George a glare to change the subject.
"Just showing you around, letting you know about the Forbidden Forest," Hagrid gestured to the snowy surroundings. "It's been like this here all the time, as you know."
"I heard there are giant creatures active in the Forbidden Forest," Lee Jordan suddenly asked, "Is that true?"
"Giant creatures? They're deep in the forest, and it might take a few days' journey to reach them," Hagrid confidently replied. "Even if you encounter a giant creature, you don't have to worry. I can defeat them barehanded."
"There really are giant creatures here?" Albert exclaimed in surprise.
In fact, Albert didn't doubt Hagrid's ability to defeat giant creatures. After all, he had giant blood and was capable of walking through the Forbidden Forest with ease.
"There used to be many of them. But after Dumbledore became the headmaster, he decided to drive the giants far away from Hogwarts. He didn't like those dumb creatures," Hagrid explained. "Giants are quite foolish and pose a danger to most students."
"I think the headmaster knew that students would be curious and venture into the forest, so he drove away the nearby dangers to prevent accidents," Fred speculated.
"That makes sense," they all agreed.
"What I'm curious about is how there's a path here," Albert pointed to a fork in the road ahead. "It doesn't look like an animal trail."
"This path here, most of it was created by me," Hagrid proudly said. "Of course, some of them are indeed animal trails."
For the next while, Hagrid continued to wander with them in the forest. They didn't encounter any danger or see any magical creatures.
There were no ferocious beasts in the forest, nor were there any intriguing incidents. All they experienced was the cold and lifeless winter.
It reminded Albert of the adventure novels he had read before. Behind the thrilling adventures often lay endless hours of boring travel.
In the dense thicket, there were rare clearings where sunlight filtered through the branches, casting a golden hue on the ground.
Albert's gaze fell upon a large old oak tree, where there was an unnatural bulge. He walked over, brushed away the layer of snow, and dug out a mushroom-like object from within. No, it didn't quite look like a mushroom—it should be a fungus.
"Hagrid, can you eat this thing?" Albert handed the fungus he found to Hagrid.
"This? Why are you digging this up?" Hagrid scratched his head and nodded as he explained, "You can eat it, it tastes alright. But I don't eat this thing. It usually only appears in winter, and it's quite rare. Digging it up is a lot of work."
Not eat this thing?
Albert's mouth twitched as he stared at what he held in his hand. He felt that this thing resembled...
"Why are you digging it up?" George curiously asked.
"Oh, nothing. I heard that this thing tastes great when roasted," Albert coughed lightly, bent down, and dug up a smaller one from the snow. He used his wand to transfigure a tree branch into a bag, threw the dug-up items into the bag, and stuffed it back into his robe pocket.
"Roasted and tasty?" Hagrid raised an eyebrow. "I haven't tried it."
"Cough, cough," Albert changed the subject. "Hagrid, are you just leading us in circles around the outskirts of the forest?"
"The Forbidden Forest is huge, it would take several days to explore it all," Hagrid's face concealed the embarrassment under his large beard, and the others couldn't tell.
After walking for a while, Albert heard the sound of flowing water in the distance. There was a stream nearby, and it hadn't frozen over? Suddenly, Hagrid stopped in his tracks, raised his hand to signal the others behind him to stop, and his gaze fixed on a figure not far away. He shouted, "Who's there? Come out."
"Hagrid? What are you doing here?" the person who spoke was a witch who seemed to recognize Hagrid.
"Who are you?" Hagrid looked a bit embarrassed, clearly forgetting the person's name.
Albert curiously examined the newcomer. She was a witch with short gray hair and a prominent chin.
"Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank," the witch introduced herself. "We've met a few times before."
"Oh, hello, Grubbly-Plank," Hagrid awkwardly patted his head. He had met her a few times at Professor Kettleburn's. Grubbly-Plank was also an expert in magical creatures, and they occasionally communicated and shared their experiences.
"Hagrid, what are you doing here?" Witch Grubbly-Plank's gaze fell on the four students behind Hagrid. "They're Hogwarts students, right?"
"Well..." Hagrid felt quite embarrassed, unsure of what to say. It was clear that bringing Albert and the others into the forest didn't comply with the rules.
"Cough, ma'am, actually, Hagrid brought us here to dig for truffles," Albert pulled out the thing he had just dug from his pocket. "And to satisfy our curiosity along the way."
"Truffles?" Grubbly-Plank's gaze landed on the fungus in Albert's hand, and she skeptically scrutinized Hagrid.
The latter awkwardly nodded, pretending that everything was just as Albert said.
Grubbly-Plank didn't continue to inquire. She wasn't a professor at Hogwarts, and it wouldn't be appropriate for her to say much on the matter. After a brief chat with Hagrid, she bid farewell and left, preparing to visit Professor Kettleburn.
"Why was that lady here?" George asked curiously.
"She came to visit Professor Kettleburn. They're both experts in magical creatures. I've seen her a few times at Professor Kettleburn's," Hagrid scratched his head. "I heard that Professor Kettleburn's snake-bird eggs hatched, and he's planning to give her a few."
"By the way, you're quite skilled at making up lies on the spot, aren't you?" Fred looked at Albert sarcastically. "Looks like we can't trust your nonsense anymore."
"I call that being quick-witted, you know?" Albert emphasized. "Do you even know what being quick-witted means?"
"And besides, we really did find truffles. It's said that they taste great when charcoal-grilled. I wish we could find more," Albert hadn't tasted the flavor of truffles before, and he was curious if roasted truffles were as delicious as rumored.
"Cough, that's not the point. Why did that witch come and say she was going to visit Professor Kettleburn?" Fred curiously asked. "Does the professor really live inside the forest to protect magical creatures?"
"Professor Kettleburn does reside within the forest," Hagrid cleared his throat, reminding them, "but I think it's time for us to head back."
"Didn't they say the Forbidden Forest is dangerous?" Lee Jordan countered.
"Professor Kettleburn's dwelling is on the outskirts of the forest. The magical creatures he takes care of require open spaces to move around," Hagrid coughed lightly. "Alright, I think it's time for us to go back."
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=> Sailing with Whitebeard: Starting with a Question
=> Marvel: All the famous scenes were exposed by me
(End of this chapter)
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