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Chapter 152: Hagrid's Dilemma
Chapter 152: Hagrid's Dilemma
After bidding farewell to Cedric, Kyle left the castle and headed towards the Forbidden Forest.
Hagrid was currently standing in his garden in front of his small cottage, watering his enormous pumpkins that resembled wheels.
"Kyle, come on in and have a seat."
The two entered the cottage, and Hagrid happily served Kyle rock cakes and a pot of tea.
"How's the new school year treating you?"
Kyle didn't touch the rock cakes but took a sip of tea, "It's going well. Just a bit busier with more classes this year than last."
"Indeed, the workload in the second year is heavier than the first," Hagrid smiled, "But I'm sure you'll manage. Harry mentioned you when he visited yesterday."
"Potter?"
Kyle was a bit surprised. He recalled that his interactions with Harry were limited, and they hadn't spent any time together since their encounter in the corridor.
At that time, he had even given Harry a map and a bag of pet treats. Surely, Harry wouldn't have said anything bad about him.
"Harry said that thanks to the map you gave him, he hasn't been late these past few days," Hagrid chuckled.
Just thinking about Harry sitting in the cottage yesterday, chatting about the interesting things happening at school, made Hagrid smile broadly.
However, that little guy's curiosity about the Philosopher's Stone was giving him a headache.
The Philosopher's Stone was a top-secret matter that Dumbledore had repeatedly emphasized, and as the person with the tightest lips in Hogwarts, Hagrid certainly wouldn't reveal it.
But at the same time, he didn't want to lie to Harry, so he had to come up with various excuses to deflect the questions.
It was quite a dilemma and mentally exhausting.
"I see..."
Kyle nodded, not asking further.
He guessed that Harry had casually mentioned it while chatting with Hagrid, just like mentioning what he had for dinner the night before, without any particular intention.
If he had come a few days later, Hagrid might have forgotten about it.
Seeing that Kyle wasn't speaking, Hagrid picked up the nearby brass kettle and poured him another cup of tea, thinking to himself, "This is what chatting is all about—lighthearted, enjoyable, and most importantly, no need to rack your brains."
"Try this," Hagrid handed the plate of rock cakes to Kyle, smiling, "I just baked them yesterday, and they're still crispy. By the way, where are your friends? Why didn't they come along?"
"Sorry, I just had breakfast, and I can't eat anything else right now."
Kyle politely declined Hagrid's offer to help him with his teeth and said, "They're all at the Quidditch pitch for the new player tryouts. Cedric and the others are there."
"Ah... Quidditch."
Hagrid suddenly realized, "Time flies. It's already time to select new players. I remember you like Quidditch, too."
"Yes," Kyle nodded, "I've signed up, but the tryouts are next week."
"I believe you'll make it," Hagrid said.
"I think so too," Kyle smiled, "And who knows, maybe Potter will make it into the team this year."
"Harry? Hagrid shook his head, "First-year students aren't allowed to play Quidditch. That's the rule."
"That's true, but Gryffindor desperately needs a new Seeker this year," Kyle said, "If Potter inherited his father's abilities, Professor McGonagall might make an exception and select him."
"James..." Hagrid paused, then exclaimed, "Oh, right! James was indeed an excellent Seeker, and he led Gryffindor to win the Quidditch Cup several times."
Hagrid couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.
If Harry could join the Quidditch team in his first year, he was sure he'd be thrilled.
After all, who wouldn't love Quidditch?
But soon, Hagrid's smile faded as he thought of something.
If both Kyle and Harry were on the team, which side would he cheer for when Hufflepuff faced Gryffindor?
Hagrid's face gradually crumpled, and he tugged at his beard in distress.
It wasn't until Kyle called his name three times that Hagrid snapped back to attention.
"What were you thinking about so intently?" Kyle asked.
"Nothing, nothing. I just remembered that I haven't finished watering the pumpkins," Hagrid lied.
He had already decided to cheer for both teams, clapping for every goal, but he couldn't say that out loud.
Hagrid continued watering the pumpkins, and Kyle followed him outside, but he didn't return to the castle.
His friends, including Mikael and Ryan, had all gone to the Quidditch field, so there was no point in going back.
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Kyle looked around for a flat spot, then began to take things out of his bag.
A portable stove, a cauldron, herbs... Soon, the ground was covered with his supplies.
"Kyle, what are you doing?" Hagrid asked curiously.
"Brewing some potions, or rather, pet elixirs."
Kyle ignited the stove with his wand and placed the cauldron on it.
Hagrid was initially interested when he heard Kyle was making a pet elixir, but after watching for a while, he turned and went back to the pumpkin patch.
He couldn't understand why Kyle didn't put all the powders in at once, instead dividing the process into three stages with varying intervals.
Hagrid wanted to remember the entire process, but just trying to keep track of the intervals made his head spin.
He forgot everything he had just memorized in the blink of an eye.
Hagrid gave up on learning a trick or two and returned to watering the pumpkins.
Kyle, who was focused on the stove, didn't notice Hagrid's odd behavior. He held his wand and stirred the cauldron from time to time.
Brewing potions required precision; even the simplest mistake could ruin everything, and he didn't want to start over.
Time passed slowly.
By the time Hagrid finished watering all the pumpkins, Kyle's potion was almost done.
He poured some deep green powder into the cauldron and stirred it counterclockwise with his wand.
The orange-yellow liquid in the cauldron gradually turned red.
The red was beautiful, clear and translucent, without a speck of impurity, like a melted ruby.
Kyle extinguished the fire in the stove and, after the cauldron cooled down, carefully poured the potion into a prepared bottle.
It was exactly one bottle's worth, not a drop more or less.
"Is this the pet elixir?" Hagrid asked, looking at the bottle curiously.
"Yes," Kyle handed the bottle to him and smiled, "But to be precise, it's a special rat elixir."
(End of Chapter)
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