Chương 117: Hagrid’s request
Probably because there was a professor watching over them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left early, even though there were still many interesting topics they could have discussed.
During their afternoon tea, Anthony curiously asked about Scabbers' diet. It wasn't that his wraith rats could eat anything, but because pet rats were so rare at Hogwarts, Anthony couldn't help but be intrigued. Judging by Scabbers' size, Ron had indeed taken good care of him. The mouse looked, in a way, like a big, round, well-fed gentleman.
"It? It eats everything," Ron said, patting his pocket. "It likes mashed potatoes, sauced beef, and roast chicken legs. But it doesn't seem to like pea sprouts much—prefers corn kernels instead."
Anthony smiled as he listened. Despite Ron's complaints about his hairless, plump mouse, it was clear he was a dedicated and caring owner.
Anthony made plans with Ron to bring his transparent mouse over sometime. When they asked why the mouse was transparent, Anthony gave the universal answer: magic.
He was so accustomed to this explanation that he worried if he ever returned home—his Muggle home, of course—and someone questioned something odd about him, he might accidentally blurt out, "Magic."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione, like everyone else who had heard about the wraith rats, quickly accepted the explanation. For these young wizards, magic was so wondrous and all-encompassing that it could explain any strange occurrence and make it seem natural.
Perhaps because Anthony didn't show any disapproval when they complained about Filch (except to stop Ron from using less polite language), the trio gradually relaxed as the afternoon went on.
A little too relaxed, actually—Ron even seemed on the verge of sharing a story about a fun night out with Hagrid. Fortunately, Harry and Hermione stopped him in time, redirecting the conversation to Professor Flitwick's class exercises. Eventually, they said their polite goodbyes to Hagrid and Anthony, thanked Hagrid for the tea, and made a somewhat hasty exit.
Anthony watched with amusement as they covered for one another. Harry and Ron were particularly unlucky, as the school was full of people, making it difficult for them to avoid detection during their night-time escapades. In fact, because of Ron's half-hidden, half-told story, Anthony almost wanted to declare right then and there that as long as the students weren't doing anything dangerous, he didn't really mind if they wandered around at night.
Ron's brothers, the Weasley twins, clearly understood this. They even waved hello to Anthony from afar on some nights (such as when they carried plates of freshly fried snacks from the kitchen to the Gryffindor common room). But if they spotted Anthony near the Forbidden Forest, they would quickly turn and run.
Hagrid asked the three first-years to be careful on their way back to the castle and warned them to stay away from the Forbidden Forest for a while. "There's someone in there who might be a bit mad," he said.
After they left, Hagrid piled everyone's tea cups into the sink and turned to Anthony. "They're good kids, aren't they? All good friends, and they visit me from time to time..."
Hagrid then began to describe his friends. "Haha, Aragog's my big friend now." He gestured with his arms wide, indicating Aragog's size. "But when I first met him, he was just a little thing. Same with Harry. When I first met him, he was just a baby. Now he's grown up, brave and kind, just like his parents."
Anthony knew that Hagrid had been friends with Harry Potter's parents, the couple who were killed by Voldemort on that fateful night.
He looked up at Hagrid, who was now slinging his quiver back over his shoulder. Despite his shaggy appearance, there were no visible signs of aging on Hagrid's face. It was hard to imagine how many friends Hagrid had seen grow up and pass away... If you thought about it, Hagrid was older than most of the professors at Hogwarts.
And yet, Hagrid didn't seem to realize that the strange behavior of the three students today was partly due to the presence of the very friend sitting opposite him.
"That old git Filch must've punished them again," Hagrid muttered, pouring a plate of leftover rock cakes back into the tin. "But, Henry, do yeh have anything else to do today?"
Anthony thought about his schedule. "I need to deliver the summary report of the first group's practical activities to Minerva, and then I probably won't have much else to do. Why do you ask?"
Hagrid suddenly looked a bit sheepish. "I wanted to ask yeh a favor. I haven't returned the Christmas gift from Professor Kettleburn yet." He noticed Anthony's eyes widen. "I know, I know, but he gave me such a nice gift this year. I really want to give him something he'll like. He's retiring soon, you know, in the next few years."
He sighed sadly.
"I'm not familiar with Professor Kettleburn," Anthony admitted.
They hadn't exchanged gifts, only the standard Christmas cards sent to all staff members, the kind that started with "Dear Colleague, it's been a pleasure working with you this year." Even Filch received one.
"But you're familiar with bookstores, aren't yeh?" Hagrid asked hopefully. "Professor Kettleburn's always said he wants a new book on magical creatures. He's read all the common ones on the market. Is there one that's at least got a foreword by him. You know, Henry, I'm hopeless with books, so I wanted to ask yeh."
"A book?" Anthony hadn't expected that this was what Hagrid wanted to give. "What kind of book?"
Hagrid's face lit up with enthusiasm. "I want a fun book. One that moves, not just the illustrations, but the whole thing—like a magical creature. Professor Kettleburn would love that... It should have claws, teeth, and maybe even be something we can feed like a pet. You can find a book like that, right, Henry? You'll help me?"
His beetle-black eyes sparkled with hope, making it difficult to refuse him.
Anthony thought for a moment and said, "No problem. We can go to Flourish and Blotts this weekend. I know the clerk there pretty well. Actually, Tom is also familiar with him. You might've met him too."
Hagrid nodded. "I know who yeh mean, but I haven't met him much. It's enough that yeh're helpin' me."
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