Chapter 646: A Letter for Newt
Chapter 646: A Letter for Newt
"What did she mean by that?"
After Umbridge left, Hagrid looked at Kyle with confusion and asked, "And why did you say that I should trust the Ministry of Magic, when I should clearly trust Dumbledore instead? You know that."
"Yes, I know," Kyle nodded. "But to avoid trouble, I had to say it like that."
"It's just a witch from the Ministry," Hagrid said, appearing unconcerned. "What trouble could she possibly cause?"
"Umbridge has the authority to dismiss professors," Kyle reminded him. "If she deems any professor unqualified, she can fire them."
"You're just joking, Kyle," Hagrid said dismissively. "That's impossible... No one can fire Hogwarts professors at will, not even Fudge."
"And no matter what you say, I will never betray Dumbledore, not even if it's just an act. If she wants to cause me trouble for that... then so be it."
Kyle wasn't surprised; he had already guessed that Hagrid would respond this way.
As one of Dumbledore's most loyal supporters, Hagrid never hid this fact, even though it often brought him a lot of trouble.
Just as he was thinking this, the sound of footsteps came from outside again, and this time, the voices were louder, indicating that there were more than one person.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The door was knocked loudly.
"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry called out excitedly from outside.
Hagrid also seemed delighted that so many people had come to visit him right after his return.
He got up and opened the door.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione's heads poked through the door crack.
"Hagrid, when did you get back?"
"Just half an hour ago," Hagrid said with a laugh. "Alright, come in and warm up."
The three squeezed in from outside.
"We just saw Umbridge," Hermione said in a low voice. "She didn't say anything excessive... Oh, Hagrid, you're injured?"
She also noticed Hagrid's swollen eye.
"Did that toad Umbridge dare to attack a professor?" Ron asked angrily.
"No, it's not her," Hagrid said, covering his eye with his hand again. "I accidentally injured myself. She just came by for a look and left without saying anything else."
Hermione frowned, looking doubtful.
According to their earlier speculation, Umbridge would definitely flaunt her authority and her position as a Senior Investigator in front of Hagrid... How could she possibly just look around and leave?
However, Harry didn't think too much about it. After learning that Umbridge didn't cause any trouble for Hagrid, he didn't continue the topic. Instead, he said with a frustrated tone, "If I had known you were coming back today, I wouldn't have sent Hedwig to Professor Grubbly-Plank for treatment."
"Hedwig? What happened to her?"
"She was injured. Someone attacked her, and we believe that person wanted to intercept the letters Hedwig was carrying."
"It was Filch."
The sudden voice startled the three of them. After regaining their composure, they realized there was another person in the room.
"Sorry, Kyle," Hermione quickly apologized. "I didn't notice you were here earlier."
"It's fine," Kyle shook his head, indicating that he didn't mind.
"Wait, you said Filch..." Harry, remembering Kyle's words, asked in confusion, "Did he attack Hedwig?"
"Yes," Kyle confirmed. "At the Owlery, he tried to snatch the letter from Hedwig."
"I knew it!" Harry looked furious. "Besides him and Umbridge, who else would be interested in my letters?"
"This is against the rules!" Hermione was also angry. "And intercepting owls privately already violates the Wizard's Law. I must tell Professor McGonagall about this!"
The three of them were arguing, but Kyle didn't respond. He just continued rummaging through his own trunk.
Soon, he found a bottle of White Fresh Aromatics and a large handful of fresh White Fresh Leaves.
"You'll find these useful," Kyle said as he handed the items to Hagrid.
"Apply the aromatics to the wound and place the leaves on your eyes. It should heal in about two days. If you want to recover faster, you can also go to the school hospital; Madam Pomfrey is much more professional than me."
"Thanks, this will do," Hagrid said. "I don't want too many people to know about my injury yet."
"Hey, Hagrid, what happened to you?" Harry asked again.
"I told you, nothing's wrong," Hagrid glanced at Kyle and stubbornly said, "Sit down and have a drink."
"Nothing's wrong? Come on," Ron said, "look at you."
They obviously didn't believe Hagrid's words and continued to question him.
Hagrid looked at Kyle for help, but only received a helpless look in return.
Harry and the others were notoriously curious, and even if he managed to brush them off this time, they would definitely find a way to get information from Hagrid later.
So Kyle didn't intend to help and left after giving the healing items to Hagrid.
The weather was getting colder, and everyone preferred to stay in the warm Common Room. Even though it was the weekend, the grounds were deserted, not a soul in sight.
Of course, if it snowed, that would be a different story, as playing snowball fights with friends was always fun.
Kyle braved the cold wind and made his way back to the Hufflepuff Common Room.
As the wooden door opened, the few people sitting by the entrance shivered involuntarily, but the warm fireplace quickly dispersed the cold air that had been brought in.
Cedric was playing Wizard's Chess with Mikkel, and when he saw Kyle, he immediately waved and asked, "Where have you been?"
"In the Forbidden Forest," Kyle said, "Hagrid's back."
"Hagrid's back?" Cedric exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, probably about an hour ago," Kyle said, "If you go now, you can just make it in time for lunch there."
"Then I'll pass," Cedric shook his head repeatedly and said with a smile, "Hagrid's taste is not for everyone. I think it's better to go after lunch."
"That works too."
"Want to play a game?" Cedric pointed to the Wizard's Chess in front of him.
"Sure..." Kyle said, "But I have something to do, so I'll probably come back later."
"Okay."
"See you later," Kyle said and returned to the dormitory.
Mikkel and Ryan were both in the Common Room, and the dormitory was empty at the moment.
This was just right.
Kyle walked to the table by the window and sat down. He took a quill and quickly wrote a letter.
"Roten..." Kyle called out to the window.
A minute later, Roten reluctantly landed on the windowsill, its head facing outside and its tail towards the dormitory. It was clear that it was still upset with Kyle.
Kyle shook the envelope in his hand, "This is more important than the previous letter, and only you can deliver it."
The feathers on Roten's wings trembled, and it finally turned its head.
"This is for Newt, other owls can't find the place," Kyle rubbed Roten's fluffy feathers on his head and whispered, "Go quickly and come back quickly, remember to bring the reply when you return."
Roten proudly chirped and then opened its mouth to hold the envelope and flew off with its wings spread.
...
(End of Chapter)
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