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Chapter 152: Hagrid's Dilemma
Chapter 152: Hagrid's Dilemma
After bidding farewell to Cedric, Kyle left the castle and made his way towards the Forbidden Forest.
At that moment, Hagrid was standing in his vegetable garden in front of his small cottage, watering his enormous pumpkins that resembled wheels.
"Kyle, come on in," Hagrid called out.
The two of them stepped into the cottage, and Hagrid happily served Kyle rock cakes and tea.
"How's the new school year treating you?" Hagrid asked.
"It's going well," Kyle replied, taking a sip of tea but leaving the rock cake untouched. "Although we do have more classes each week compared to last year."
"That's true, the workload in the second year is definitely heavier," Hagrid said with a laugh. "But I'm sure you'll manage just fine. Harry mentioned you the other day when he came to visit."
"Harry Potter?" Kyle was a bit surprised. He recalled that his interactions with Harry had been limited, and aside from their encounter in the corridor, they hadn't really spent any time together.
He had even given Harry a map and a pack of pet treats, so he didn't think Harry would say anything bad about him.
"Harry was saying that he hasn't been late these past few days thanks to the map you gave him," Hagrid said with a broad smile.
Just thinking about Harry chatting away in this cottage the day before, sharing stories about what had been happening at school, brought a smile to Hagrid's face.
However, that same kid had an insatiable curiosity, constantly probing about the Philosopher's Stone, which gave Hagrid a headache.
The Philosopher's Stone was something Dumbledore had expressly forbidden him from discussing, and as the person with the tightest lips in all of Hogwarts, Hagrid certainly wasn't going to divulge anything about it.
But at the same time, he didn't want to lie to Harry, so he found himself in a tricky situation, having to come up with various excuses to deflect the topic.
It was quite a dilemma and mentally exhausting.
"I see," Kyle nodded, not probing further.
He guessed that Harry had merely mentioned it in passing during their conversation with Hagrid, much like commenting on what he had for dinner the night before. It probably held no particular significance.
If he had come by a few days later, Hagrid might have even forgotten about it.
Noticing Kyle's silence, Hagrid picked up the copper kettle and refilled his cup, thinking to himself: Now this is what I call a pleasant chat—relaxed, enjoyable, and most importantly, it doesn't require too much thinking.
"Go on, try one of these," Hagrid said, offering the plate of rock cakes. "I baked them yesterday, they're still crispy. By the way, where are your friends? Why didn't they come along?"
"Sorry, I've already eaten breakfast, I really can't eat another bite," Kyle politely declined Hagrid's offer, adding, "They're all at the Quidditch pitch, with the tryouts for the new team and all."
"Ah, Quidditch," Hagrid said, his eyes lighting up. "Time sure flies. It's already time for the new team selections. I remember you're quite the fan of Quidditch yourself, aren't you?"
"Yes," Kyle nodded. "I've signed up, but the tryouts aren't until next week."
"I'm sure you'll make it," Hagrid said confidently.
"I hope so," Kyle smiled. "And who knows, maybe Potter will make it into the team this year as well."
"Harry? No way," Hagrid shook his head. "First-year students aren't allowed to join the Quidditch team, it's against the rules."
"That's true," Kyle agreed. "But Gryffindor is in dire need of a Seeker this year. If Potter inherited his father's skills, Professor McGonagall might just make an exception for him."
If Harry could join the Quidditch team in his first year, he would surely be delighted.
After all, who didn't love Quidditch?
But soon, Hagrid's expression turned solemn as he realized something. If both Kyle and Harry were on the team, whom should he cheer for when Hufflepuff played against Gryffindor...
Hagrid's face scrunched up as he anxiously tugged at his beard.
"Hagrid!" Kyle called out to him three times before he snapped out of his dilemma.
"What were you thinking about just now? You seemed so lost in thought," Kyle asked.
"Oh, nothing," Hagrid lied. "I just suddenly remembered that I hadn't finished watering the pumpkins."
He had just decided that he would cheer for both teams, clapping for every goal scored, but this was something he couldn't openly admit.
Hagrid went back to watering his pumpkins, and Kyle followed him outside, but instead of returning to the castle, he began to set up his equipment on a flat piece of ground.
His friends, including Mick and Ryan, had all gone to the Quidditch pitch, so there was no point in him going back.
Kyle looked around and pulled various items out of his bag: a portable stove, a crucible, herbs... Soon, the ground was covered with his supplies.
"What are you up to, Kyle?" Hagrid asked curiously.
"I'm brewing some potions, or rather, pet supplements," Kyle replied.
Kyle ignited his stove with his wand and placed the crucible on top.
When Kyle mentioned brewing pet supplements, Hagrid was initially intrigued. However, after watching for a while, he turned away and headed back to his pumpkin patch.
It was all too confusing.
Hagrid couldn't understand why Kyle didn't just add all the powders at once and instead insisted on dividing them into three portions, each added at a different interval.
He wanted to record the entire process, but just trying to remember the varying intervals gave him a headache.
Whatever he managed to jot down was quickly forgotten.
Hagrid gave up on the idea of learning a trick or two and focused on his pumpkins instead.
Kyle, absorbed in his task, didn't notice Hagrid's confusion. He stirred the potion in the crucible from time to time with his wand, careful not to make any mistakes.
Brewing potions required precision, and even a simple mistake could ruin the entire batch, so he was determined to get it right the first time.
Time passed slowly.
By the time Hagrid finished watering all his pumpkins, Kyle was also nearing the end of his task.
He added a deep green powder to the crucible and stirred it counterclockwise with his wand.
The orange-yellow liquid in the crucible gradually turned red.
It was a beautiful shade of red, translucent and without any impurities, like melted rubies.
Kyle extinguished the flame and carefully poured the potion from the crucible into a prepared bottle once it had cooled down.
He filled the bottle perfectly, neither too much nor too little.
"Is this the pet supplement?" Hagrid asked, eyeing the bottle curiously.
"Yes," Kyle replied, handing the bottle to Hagrid. "To be precise, it's a special rat supplement."
(End of Chapter)
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