Chapter 191: Hagrid's New Pet
Chapter 191: Hagrid's New Pet
Towards the end of the month, the rain that had persisted for several days finally let up, giving way to clear skies and bright sunshine that lifted the gloomy mood that had lingered over the students cooped up inside the castle. Full of vigor, the Weasley brothers were already horsing around with Lee Jordan.
Near the gamekeeper's hut, Hagrid was airing out some moldy hides when he heard approaching footsteps. Turning around, he greeted the visitor, "You don't look too cheerful."
"I guess being cooped up in the castle for so long can do that to you, and the academic pressure hasn't been helping," Albert replied, bending down to scratch Yaya behind the ears before feeding the dog some prepared dog food.
"Academic pressure? You?" Hagrid paused, his eyes widening in surprise. "That's a new one."
Hagrid knew a bit about Albert's reputation as a genius at Hogwarts, so it was odd to hear him complain about academic pressure.
"Yeah," Albert mumbled, taking out a boomerang from his robe and waving it in front of Yaya before throwing it with a snap of his wrist. He had come out to play with his pet, a surefire way to lift his spirits.
"That's unlike you," Hagrid remarked. "Say, I just baked some biscuits. Want some?" He began to lay out the other stored items for airing.
"No thanks, my teeth aren't as good as yours," Albert declined with a dry chuckle.
"What a shame," Hagrid said, taking a seat on a wooden chair and placing the plate of biscuits beside him. He popped one into his mouth, the crisp crunch audible even from a distance. "You're setting your standards too high."
"Maybe," Albert conceded, fishing a chocolate toffee from his robe pocket and slowly savoring it.
Not long ago, he had received a letter from Professor Flitwick suggesting that he focus on one thing at a time. The Charms professor felt that Albert should dedicate himself to a single pursuit, be it Ancient Runes or improving the protective bracelets.
Albert understood the underlying message—Professor Flitwick, a former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, was subtly advising him to slow down. Sometimes, taking things slower could naturally overcome obstacles.
Albert was well aware of the reason for his predicament—his ambitions were simply too grand, much like Hermione's situation.
However, unlike Hermione, Albert had the advantage of his system, which meant his upper limit was significantly higher. But as he delved into more and more subjects, coupled with his interest in alchemy, his energy became spread thin, hence his complaint about academic pressure.
In essence, Albert had brought these troubles upon himself.
This was the consequence of being overly greedy.
"By the way, did you enchant that thing?" Hagrid asked, eyeing the returning boomerang with curiosity.
"Yeah, it's a type of Tracking Charm," Albert admitted. There were numerous types of Tracking Charms, each with its own unique applications, and the one he had cast on the boomerang caused it to return to its owner.
The charm's effect wasn't particularly strong; the boomerang was designed to whirl back on its own. The charm merely guided it back into Albert's hand.
"That's some advanced magic!" Hagrid exclaimed, impressed. He himself wasn't particularly talented when it came to spellwork.
Albert's expression turned a bit odd. He had specifically learned this charm after Fred and George's incident in the Forbidden Forest, but its short-range limited its effectiveness.
As they chatted, Yaya returned, chasing after the boomerang, perplexed by its ability to return on its own.
Albert gave the dog a pat and fed it some more treats before throwing the boomerang again, sending Yaya dashing after it once more.
"Hey Hagrid, do you have a fishing rod?" Albert asked suddenly.
"What do you need a fishing rod for?" Hagrid asked, looking at Albert quizzically. "Planning to go fishing?"
"Sort of, to relax," Albert replied.
"To relax? Why don't you just hop on your broom and take a spin in the sky?" Hagrid asked, perplexed. "By the way, Charlie mentioned that you didn't join the Quidditch team."
"I have a lot on my plate," Albert admitted. "Since I can't commit to regular training with the team, I figured it's best not to join. Plus, I'm really just craving some grilled fish."
"So, you plan to catch and cook one yourself?" Hagrid couldn't help but widen his eyes, baffled by Albert's train of thought.
"My cooking skills are actually pretty decent," Albert replied.
"Would you like some fresh beef? I have some here," Hagrid offered.
"Your lunch?" Albert looked at Hagrid in surprise but declined, "If I eat that, what will you have?"
"You're so tiny, how much can you eat? And I have plenty here," Hagrid said nonchalantly. As he spoke, he led Albert over to see the beef, which indeed was quite a substantial amount, though its appearance left much to be desired as it hadn't been properly prepared."
"Can you eat all of this by yourself?" Albert asked, raising an eyebrow as he stared at the bucket of beef.
"No, I'll eat some, and then take the rest into the Forbidden Forest to feed..." Hagrid suddenly trailed off.
"Feed what?" Albert asked curiously.
"The dogs," Hagrid said firmly, as if to emphasize his point.
"Dogs? Don't you already have one?" As Albert's words trailed off, the sound of something banging against the wooden door was heard.
When Albert opened the door, he found Yaya lying on the ground, chewing on the boomerang. She had finally caught the elusive toy.
Since Albert had forgotten about the boomerang, it had flown straight into the closed door and was now captured by the persistent Yaya.
"Good job, Yaya," Albert praised, offering the dog some kibble. He tilted his head and looked at Hagrid, asking, "Isn't this your only dog? Although she's a bit timid, Yaya is still pretty good, right? And, what about the other dog you mentioned?"
"It's being kept in the Forbidden Forest," Hagrid said awkwardly.
"Why keep it in the Forbidden Forest?" Albert asked reflexively, but soon realized there might be a problem. He repeated, "A dog in the Forbidden Forest? That's dangerous, isn't it?"
"No, Roohwi isn't dangerous at all," Hagrid refuted anxiously.
"Roohwi?" Albert repeated the name, feeling a sense of familiarity with it, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
"Hagrid, I've reminded you more than once that what you consider 'not dangerous' is only because it's not dangerous to you," Albert reminded him again.
"Don't worry, I'll always keep it in the Forbidden Forest and won't let it appear in front of the Hogwarts students," Hagrid reassured, aware of Albert's good intentions and heeding his suggestion. That was why he had thought it over carefully before deciding to keep Roohwi in the forest.
"Alright!" Albert said, raising an eyebrow. "I hope you don't mind showing me the new dog you're raising?"
"Umm..." Hagrid hesitated.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else," Albert assured him. "You know I never gossip."
"Okay, then," Hagrid finally nodded in agreement.
"By the way, do you still want to grill the beef?"
"Why not? It'll be a good opportunity to marinate it," Albert said as he took out his wand from his pocket and began sorting through the meat in the bucket, selecting pieces that were more suitable for grilling.
Turning to Hagrid, he asked, "Do you want some?"
"Yes, please," Hagrid replied.
Albert used the Cutting Charm to slice off two pieces of beef and then halved them, placing the pieces in a large bowl. He added beer and some spices, massaged the mixture briefly, and then covered the bowl to let it marinate.
"Is that it?"
"It's a Muggle way of cooking," Albert said without hesitation. "I've always believed that Muggles are better at cooking than wizards. Don't rush to deny it; Muggles know how to enjoy life better. Even though British cooking has always been..." He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Albert went outside to wash his hands, while Hagrid divided the beef into four portions—one for his own meal and the other three apparently intended for his dogs.
"Three portions," Albert said, raising an eyebrow slightly. Finally, he remembered what Hagrid's new pet was.
A few minutes later, Albert followed Hagrid, who was carrying the iron bucket, toward the Forbidden Forest. Yaya, who had been eating the beef, quickly swallowed the last small piece and hurried after them.
(End of Chapter)
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