Chapter 336: Professor Hagrid's Progress
Chapter 336: Professor Hagrid's Progress
The incident with Draco Malfoy and Harry being injured by the Griffin was ultimately treated as a regular classroom accident. When Malfoy no longer insisted on pursuing the matter, such a minor incident was of little concern at Hogwarts. However, Professor McGonagall still criticized Hagrid for being too rash in class and bringing such a dangerous creature.
"So, I think a Flobberworm might be a good idea," Hagrid said thoughtfully. "I recently found a nest of them and was planning to give them to Aragog as a snack..."
"Pfft!" Ryan burst out laughing, nearly choking on his tea. "What? What did you say?"
"A Flobberworm!" Hagrid was puzzled by his reaction and explained, "It's a toothless worm, a tiny creature with no danger at all."
"I know... but..."
Ryan looked at Vold, who raised an eyebrow at him and said, "We hope to continue with the Griffin in the next class, Professor Hagrid. Gryffindor and Slytherin attended this class, but we didn't, and that's not fair."
"But it's dangerous..." Hagrid hesitated.
"Didn't you already have a plan to ensure safety?" Michael spoke bluntly. "And no one wants to see a Flobberworm. You'll be disliked by all the students if you do that."
Michael usually spoke with tact, but he had realized that with this new professor, directness was necessary for his message to get through.
Hagrid still couldn't make up his mind. "But if students are afraid of Buckbeak and they anger them..."
"Why not prepare some less dangerous creatures? Like Nifflers?" Vold suggested. "Those who want adventure can have it, and those who don't can play with the little guys."
"Can... can I do that?" Hagrid asked uncertainly.
"Of course!" Michael assured him. "Everyone will definitely love it!"
Although Hagrid was a professor, he had just obtained the position and had made a mistake, so he was easily persuaded during this time of low confidence.
"Okay... alright... I'll try it your way..." Hagrid said nervously.
Michael and the others cheered, and even Vold smiled.
Care of Magical Creatures class would last for three years, and to avoid facing worms and flobberworms for that long, he actively helped resolve this incident.
Fortunately, Hagrid didn't let his age and extensive knowledge of magical creatures make him stubborn. He humbly accepted the students' suggestions.
After Michael and the others left, Hagrid even found Vold and invited him to his hut.
"Thank you, Vold."
Hagrid said, "I know Malfoy wasn't planning to let me off the hook... His father is influential, and even the Ministry listens to him... But you convinced him... You saved me, truly..."
As Hagrid spoke, he sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Don't say that, Hagrid."
Vold said, "If Malfoy had been injured in Transfiguration or Potions class, he wouldn't have made such a fuss. Moreover, he was at fault in the first place... I just didn't want him to use such means to drive away a good teacher."
Hagrid felt ashamed and sighed, "Oh... I... I'm not a good teacher at all... I injured students in my very first class..."
"Have some confidence. You're not the only one."
Vold patted his arm and comforted him, "Neville broke his arm in the first Flying class and was covered in scabies in the first Potions class, but Professor Hooch and Professor Snape didn't let that make them feel inferior!"
Hagrid couldn't help but laugh, "Don't let them know you said that... Haha... But I do feel much better now.
"Oh, I have something for you," he said, standing up and accidentally bumping his head on the oil lamp. He then retrieved an old box from the cabinet beside him, wiped off the dust, and handed it to Vold.
"What is this?" Vold asked curiously.
"I picked these up while patrolling in the Forbidden Forest," Hagrid replied.
Hagrid sat down and poked the firewood with a pair of fire tongs, and a metal kettle was boiling water on top of it.
"These are Norberta's scales, unicorn tail hairs, and venom horns from venomous creatures. I remember these can all be used as alchemical materials, so I collected them for you, thinking of giving them to you someday."
In fact, he had originally planned to give this as a Christmas gift, but now, in his excitement, he took it out.
Vold opened the box and saw the neatly arranged materials inside, slightly pursing his lips.
These materials would have taken even Hagrid a long time to collect.
For example, venomous creatures, which are as large and fierce as rhinos, store explosive liquid in their horns, making them extremely dangerous.
There were also unicorn tail hairs, which are more precious than ordinary hair, and these sacred creatures, if their tails are violently pulled out, may not carry a curse, but there could be some issues when using them in potions or alchemy.
The best materials are naturally those willingly given by unicorns, but tail hairs bought from the market cannot guarantee this.
Hagrid may seem carefree and easygoing, but when he puts his heart into considering others, he can be more thoughtful than anyone.
For example, during their first year, he searched everywhere for old photos of the Potters, made an album, and gave it to Harry as a gift.
Vold accepted the box without saying anything in return, simply saying, "Thank you, Hagrid, I really like it."
Hagrid's face lit up with a brilliant smile.
On Tuesday afternoon, Vold went to the staff room to ask for advice and saw Hagrid holding a thick vellum notebook that he had bound himself, consulting Professor McGonagall on how to be a good professor.
"Sometimes it's not a bad thing to listen to the students' suggestions; they know what they want," he said.
Professor McGonagall replied, "But you also need to come up with specific and feasible solutions, Hagrid. Your knowledge is rich enough; you just need to learn how to pass it on to the students."
Hagrid nodded seriously and wrote down every word in his notebook.
When Professor McGonagall saw Vold, she smiled and said, "When you're unsure of what to do, you can also ask Vold or Hermione—they are both excellent students and will surely give you the best advice."
Hagrid nodded, "I will."
After experiencing a setback, Hagrid was striving to become a good professor.
In areas where he was not proficient, he stumbled, and the words written on the vellum were messy, with many misspelled words.
But whenever he felt like giving up or doing a sloppy job, the images of Vold, who was willing to offend Malfoy to help him, Michael and the others eagerly awaiting the next class, and Harry, who continued to support him even after being injured, would appear in his mind.
He knew he had to do his best.
(End of Chapter)
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