Chapter 410: Ghost Gathering Place
Chapter 410: Ghost Gathering Place
As they were parting, Felix gave a small gift.
“What is this?”
“It’s a lounge chair, enchanted with some interesting magic. It’s very comfortable to sit in,” Felix explained. “It’s one of the new products from the Future World. I heard from Remus—oh, that is, Mr. Lupin, who manages the company—that you once wrote a letter inquiring about the dimensions of this product and whether customization was available… So I brought it along.”
After Felix left, Madam Maxime and Fleur stared at a metal box, which was now open, revealing a small capsule-like device on a red velvet lining.
“I should have been more specific…” Madam Maxime muttered.
“You wrote to the Future World company?” Fleur asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
“Is there a problem with that?” Madam Maxime huffed, “Didn’t you also collect two small magic lamps at the lantern fair?”
Fleur stuck out her tongue, picked up the capsule, and examined it closely for a long time but found no clue. She handed it to Madam Maxime, who caressed its surface. “Hmm? The magic isn’t stable; it seems to be a one-time use.”
She took out her wand and tapped it lightly. The capsule made a “clicking” sound, splitting open from the center. Madam Maxime tossed it aside.
“Bang!”
A lounge chair, interwoven with blue and bronze, suddenly appeared in the middle of the dining room. It was at least three times larger than a normal lounge chair, resembling a bed with a backrest and armrests—at least, that's how it seemed from Fleur's perspective.
However, she didn’t dare say that. She encouraged Madam Maxime to try it out.
When the towering lady leaned back into the lounge chair, a layer of invisible, transparent air cushion appeared on its surface. “Hmm? It’s so comfortable, like sitting on a cloud. The name ‘Cloud Chair’ is indeed fitting…”
Madam Maxime’s face showed a look of bliss, making Fleur’s heart itch with envy, wishing she could try it immediately.
After a long while, she finally stood up, still looking unsatisfied. “There must be a combination of beneficial spells inside, not very powerful individually, but together they make the person lying on it feel incredibly relaxed, as if all worries have vanished. It’s a truly wonderful thing.”
Fleur’s eyes sparkled. “Can I buy one? With this small item,” she pointed to the palm-sized box on the table, “I could just send an owl to get it delivered, right?”
“You heard it. The product hasn’t been released yet and might have some defects. I’m just experiencing it first and will provide feedback later,” Madam Maxime said. “Put it in my private bathroom.”
“Yes, Madam Maxime,” Fleur replied, using her wand to guide the floating lounge chair forward, her eyes gleaming with eagerness.
…
“Did you tamper with the gift for Olympe?” Hagrid’s eyes widened.
“Don’t say it like that, it makes me sad,” Felix said, sitting on the sofa in Hagrid’s hut, scratching Fang’s chin. Fang purred contentedly, drooling all over the floor.
“I didn’t tamper with anything. On the contrary, we’ve done our best. The problem is, the test version doesn’t always work as expected, especially with someone of her unusual size. The chances of issues are higher. All selected testers receive a user manual with simple repair methods. I just… forgot to leave one for Madam Maxime.”
Hagrid paused, then buried his head in the product manual Felix had given him, muttering quickly, “Softening Charm, Cloud Charm, Soothing Charm, Placement Charm, Shaping Charm…” He flipped through a few pages, “Repair Manual… Faq…”
His eyes gradually brightened.
Felix picked up Aragog’s cage and brought it close to Fang. Fang’s nose twitched, sniffing at the cage, where the old spider cowered in the corner, threateningly waving its large pincers.
“Back off, you stupid dog. Don’t think I don’t have much venom left…” the old Acromantula king growled.
“You look pretty spirited,” Felix smiled.
“I’m used to it,” Aragog said. The black bristles on its body had turned grayish-white, and its large pincers drooped weakly at the bottom of the cage. It said sadly, “Hagrid took me to the Spider Den once, but there’s no place for me there anymore. We were driven out… I anticipated this day. Acromantulas have a bloodthirsty nature. If I die naturally, they will eat me.”
The Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest had always revered Aragog as their king. Raised by Hagrid, they were far more docile than their wild counterparts, much like Thestrals, barely qualifying as domesticated creatures. However, from the moment they were created, Acromantulas were never meant to be gentle. They were specifically bred to guard Wizard treasure troves and Chambers…
One day, they will become increasingly vicious, and that will be the time for this Acromantula to disappear. However, that should be a long time from now.
Felix pondered this, then looked up to see Hagrid gazing at him with a tearful smile.
“I understand what you mean, Felix. You are so considerate…” Hagrid choked out, “Few people have been this kind to me, thinking about me like this, even my dad…” He sniffed loudly and let out a loud hiccup.
Then he started bustling around, searching through the dusty magical creature materials from various corners of the house—Tebo Warthog's complete skin with tusks, unicorn hair, Hippogriff tail spurs, and Pixie wings…
“I remember you needed these. They are all the stock I’ve accumulated over the years, picked up while patrolling the Forbidden Forest. The Tebo Warthog fell into a trap in a remote area and had starved to death by the time I found it… I also found a Troll club, which was incredibly smelly but quite handy to use… I washed it many times and now use it specifically for knocking pumpkins. You can take it if you need it.”
“Oh, Hagrid, I don’t need… well, I’ll just take a bit, just the Tebo Warthog’s skin. I can mix it with the Niffler fur to make a protective jacket. Of course, I wouldn’t refuse the Hippogriff tail spurs either.”
On the other side, Harry was dozing off in History of Magic class. The young wizards around him were in a similar state, looking confused and half-asleep.
A few people, like Hermione, were still diligently taking notes, trying to catch any details not mentioned in the textbook from Professor Binns’ wheezy, droning voice. Harry wiped the corner of his mouth, removing the drool, and looked around. Seamus was gently snoring, Neville’s head was nodding up and down, and every time it reached its lowest point, he would suddenly jerk awake, scribbling down whatever he heard with his Quill. Within ten seconds, he would again look dazed, his eyelids drooping, and repeat the cycle.
Harry sneaked a peek at Neville’s History of Magic textbook. The latest entry read, “The food in Classroom 7 is delicious.” He covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. Was Neville mixing things up? Only after class did he learn the answer from Hermione.
“Classroom 7 has become a Ghost Gathering Place?”
“Didn’t you notice? Professor Binns’ voice was much more animated than usual,” Hermione said matter-of-factly. “He mentioned Classroom 7 three times during the class.”
“Only you would notice that,” Ron said.
“So, are we still going to the Library today? I think the common room would be better. I don’t want to see Madam Pince again. Have you noticed that she looks a bit like Filch? I mean, the sunken cheeks, parchment-like skin, and long hooked nose… Come to think of it, she even looks a bit like Snape.”
Harry and Hermione laughed uncontrollably. After the laughter subsided, Hermione scolded him, “You’re not allowed to say that about her. Madam Pince takes her job very seriously.”
“Yeah,” Ron grumbled, “blowing on the back of my neck when I’m picking books and chasing us out with a flying feather duster when we talk too loudly…”
“Hey, Harry!” he said enthusiastically, “I know Ginny won a Flame Cup model from Professor Hooch, one that actually has fire! I asked to borrow it, but she wouldn’t agree. I bet she’s planning to give it to you as a Christmas gift, how biased…”
Harry didn’t say anything, but Hermione interjected, “That’s impossible! She wouldn’t give it away. I heard her say she wants to keep it forever.”
(End of Chapter)
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