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Chapter 897: Kyle's Garden
Chapter 897: Kyle's Garden
Boom... Boom... Boom...
Since the morning, the students of Hogwarts had been hearing sporadic noises coming from the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Driven by curiosity, they couldn't help but stick their heads out of the windows, looking towards the source of the sounds.
"Is Hagrid building a new house?" Ron asked, rubbing his ears during Transfiguration class.
The noise was so loud that even from a distance, it was painful to their ears.
"Maybe," Harry also curiously glanced out the window.
Next to Hagrid's small cottage, a larger wooden house had mysteriously appeared, and the sounds were coming from there.
"Why can't they use magic?" Ron muttered, "I can't even concentrate on the lesson."
"Do you think Professor McGonagall would believe that excuse?" Hermione said expressionlessly on the other side, and then looked down at the cactus on Ron's desk, which was full of holes.
Their class was on Transformation Spells, requiring them to swap arms with a cactus, or at least fingers if they couldn't manage the whole arm.
The content wasn't particularly difficult, and Hermione succeeded after just two attempts, but Ron tried for the entire class and only managed to shatter the cactus pot twice.
Simms, who was sitting next to him, was covered in mud and didn't want to sit by his side anymore.
But he wasn't much better off; his cactus had exploded three times, and his handiwork—the spikes that had been blown off—could be seen all over the classroom.
Professor McGonagall didn't even want to look in their direction, and Hermione felt that she probably wouldn't use a cactus as a teaching tool again.
Fortunately, the end-of-class bell rang soon after.
Harry and Ron were the first to rush out of the classroom, running towards the Forbidden Forest.
"Hagrid, what are you doing?" Before they even arrived, a voice came from within.
The door of the new wooden house was opened from the inside, and Hagrid poked out his shaggy head.
Harry, who was running in front, was startled and reflexively drew his wand.
"Hagrid, were you attacked?"
Hagrid's appearance was indeed terrifying; he was covered in dirt and looked like a Mandrake root freshly pulled from the ground, with several unhealed wounds visible on his face.
"Attacked? Oh no, of course not," Hagrid said, "We're conducting a small test, and the noise might be a bit loud. Sorry, I hope we didn't disturb you."
As he spoke, his eyes still sparkled with lingering excitement.
"A test?" Harry asked in confusion, "Testing what, magic?"
"Wait, Hagrid," Hermione, who had followed them, noticed another key phrase, "You just said... 'we'? Is there someone else besides you?"
"It's me."
Kyle walked out of the house.
He looked similar to Hagrid, except without the wounds, but he was also covered in dirt.
"Kyle?"
"When did you get here!"
"How are you here!"
The three of them almost spoke at the same time, each expressing their surprise at Kyle's sudden appearance.
"Pay attention to your tone," Hagrid couldn't help but remind them, "Kyle will soon be your professor, so you should show him some respect."
"Who?"
"Professor?"
"Is Kyle a professor?"
They spoke simultaneously, clearly shocked by Hagrid's news.
How could a classmate suddenly become a professor?
"Don't worry, Hagrid, it's not settled yet," Kyle waved his hand nonchalantly, "For now, we're still friends, and it's fine to interact normally."
"Do you want to come in and have a look?" Kyle then said to them, "I might be staying here for a while, so I built myself a house."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the house in a daze, still processing the news they had just heard.
"Kyle, are you really going to be a professor?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
"Headmistress McGonagall did mention it to me," Kyle said, "But it's not settled yet, so for now, it's just a possibility."
"But you just graduated, can you be a professor?" Ron muttered, "Is that possible?"
"I'm not sure either," Kyle said, "But, "But Headmistress McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore both think it's fine."
"Headmaster Dumbledore... Headmaster?" Harry's head buzzed, "Isn't he the deputy headmaster? When did he become the head of the board of governors!"
The amount of information was overwhelming, and his brain couldn't process it all.
"Oh, that's a recent development," Kyle explained.
After a while, the three of them gradually accepted the news they had received from Kyle and began to examine their surroundings.
Unlike the neighboring house, which appeared simple on the surface but was actually luxurious, this place looked more normal. The tables and chairs were standard models, identical to those in the common room.
Even the curtain-covered bed seemed like it had been dragged in from a dormitory.
The place was unremarkable and lacked novelty, quickly losing their interest.
As they toured the house, Kyle was chatting with Hagrid in the corner.
"How does it feel?"
"It's amazing, it's so beautiful and full of life, it's perfect."
"So in your opinion, being temperamental equals being full of life?" Kyle shook his head, "You should be more careful, just like earlier, it almost opened a hole in you with its tail."
"It's fine, I don't mind." Hagrid patted his chest, "As long as I can see it every day, I'm willing to take two."
"Forget it, I don't want to have to take Care of Magical Creatures class in your place."
Their intermittent conversation left Harry and the others confused.
At this moment, Hermione noticed another door on the opposite wall.
"What's that?" She asked, pointing to the door.
"Oh, it's the garden," Kyle blurted out.
"A garden?" Ron exclaimed in disbelief, "You made a garden for yourself?"
"So what?" Kyle said, "Living next to the Forbidden Forest means there's plenty of space, what's wrong with making a garden?"
"Ron choked for a moment.
Since the place was big enough, he made a garden for himself, and it made sense when he thought about it.
'Can we take a look?'
'No,' Kyle said.
'Thank... what?'
'No, you can't go,' Kyle repeated. 'The garden isn't finished yet, it's a mess, and there's nothing to see. You can come back when it's done.'
The three eager young wizards all looked disappointed.
But seeing their expressions, Hagrid's sympathy rose.
'It's fine, Kyle. It's just a look.' He said softly, 'There's not much there anyway.'
Although Hagrid tried to keep his voice down, everyone in the room heard him, and they all looked at Kyle with anticipation.
They had felt it before—Hagrid was acting strangely today. Besides the wounds on his body, which appeared out of nowhere, he was also a bit too excited, with his eyes constantly shining as bright as light bulbs.
Based on Harry's understanding of Hagrid, he only showed this expression when he saw beasts with fangs and claws.
Like the three-headed dog in their first year, or the fire dragons during the Triwizard Tournament.
But this room was too ordinary, and there wasn't even a fox-like creature, let alone a beast. So, the problem must be with the so-called backyard.
The more Harry thought about it, the more curious he became, and he couldn't help but glance at the door.
'Well... okay.'
Seeing Hagrid's reaction, Kyle thought for a moment and agreed.
There was indeed nothing there now.
Moreover, Harry and the others weren't exactly well-behaved; their curiosity was well-known for being strong. If he refused again, Harry might come back tonight wearing the Invisibility Cloak.
It was better to let them take a look.
Kyle opened the door, and the others couldn't wait to step inside.
'Oh!'
As soon as they saw the scene at the door, the three of them were surprised and opened their mouths wide.
Harry pulled at the corner of his mouth and looked at Kyle, who was following behind, and asked, 'Is this the... garden you mentioned?'
'Yes,' Kyle nodded.
'Are you serious?'
'What? Is there a problem?'
Harry fell silent.
This was clearly the Forbidden Forest. If they turned around, they could even see Hagrid's cabin. Kyle had simply opened a back door in the house that led directly to the Forbidden Forest.
Using the entire Forbidden Forest as a garden?
It was...
Harry felt tricked, and in an instant, he lost interest.
Ron, standing next to him, felt the same.
It was just the Forbidden Forest, and they had been there before. Was there a need to be so mysterious? On the other hand, Hermione narrowed her eyes and carefully stared at a tree not far away.
It wasn't unusual to have trees in the Forbidden Forest, but this tree was broken, which was a bit strange. Even stranger were the three huge gaps on it.
The gaps were neat, as if they had been clawed out by some creature.
But what creature could break a tree like that?
Although the trees on the edge of the Forbidden Forest weren't very thick, they couldn't compare to the ones deep within. Still, it was scary enough.
No, it wasn't just one tree, but five.
Hermione scanned the area, and there were visibly five trees lying on the ground, twisted and bent. Three of them had similar gaps, while the remaining two... had uneven breaks, as if they had been knocked down.
Wait, knocked down...
'Hagrid.' Hermione frowned, 'You didn't bring Glop here, did you?'
'Er... no...' Hagrid was at a loss for words, stammering, 'I didn't bring him here.'
The original text can be found in Chapter 69@Book/Bar!
Glop was Hagrid's younger brother, a pure-blood giant who was only sixteen feet tall and had some developmental issues.
Hagrid brought him back from the giant tribe and kept him in the Forbidden Forest, taking care of him while also teaching him wizarding manners and rules.
How to put it... Although Glop's height was a bit stunted, his mind perfectly met the giant standards.
Hagrid wanted him to understand the complex rules and etiquette between wizards and normal humans, which was indeed a challenge for a giant.
But Hagrid's actions only strengthened Hermione's suspicions.
These trees must have been broken by Glop; only a giant would have that kind of strength.
'Listen to me, Hagrid.' She said patiently, 'I know Glop is a well-behaved child, but others don't know that. People are afraid of giants, and if they see Glop, it will definitely cause chaos.'
'I...' Hagrid wanted to explain but hesitated for a moment and closed his mouth. Instead, he said, 'I've been teaching Glop English, and he's almost learned it.'
Harry and Ron immediately showed skeptical expressions. It was like hearing that a five-legged creature was knitting a sweater—incredible.
But seeing Hagrid's conflicted expression, Harry decided to step in and smooth things over.
'Alright, Hermione. I think Hagrid knows what to do, and we should head back to the castle.'
'Yes.' Hagrid chimed in, 'It's almost lunchtime. You should go back soon.'
The three of them returned the way they came and left the new cabin. As soon as they stepped outside, the door behind them slammed shut.
'Something's wrong.' Ron muttered, 'Do you guys feel like something's off?'
'Of course it's strange.' Hermione said, 'Hagrid never brings Glop to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.'
'It's not that.' Ron shook his head, 'I can't quite put my finger on it, but it feels different from usual.'
'Hagrid sent us away.' Harry frowned.
'Yes, that's right. That's it.' Ron smacked his thigh, finally understanding.
When they came before, Hagrid would always enthusiastically invite them to stay for a meal. Although his cooking was a bit... well, indescribable, he was always very enthusiastic.
But this time, Hagrid actually suggested that they should return to the castle.
'Maybe he's afraid Hermione will continue talking.'
"Harry said uncertainly.
He knew all too well how annoying Hermione could be when she was being pedantic.
In any case, Hagrid was definitely fine, and there was no way a Death Eater could disguise themselves as a half-blood giant.
'Forget it, let's head back,' Harry suggested. 'It's almost the weekend, and we have plenty of time. We can come back again tomorrow.'
The other two nodded in agreement.
Ron was indifferent, while Hermione had no other choice.
After all, she hadn't seen Glop nearby, and everything was just a guess. They could come back early tomorrow and try to get Hagrid to slip up.
They had used this method before, and it had always worked.
The three began to retrace their steps.
Hermione turned to look at the Forbidden Forest, searching for any signs of giants.
But it was at this moment that she froze in her tracks.
'Hermione?' Harry asked, puzzled. 'What's wrong?'
'Come on,' Ron urged. 'If we don't make it back before lunch, we'll be left with nothing but dry crackers.'
'Those trees... don't you find them strange?' Hermione said.
'Trees?' Ron looked up. 'Isn't it normal to have trees in the Forbidden Forest? You must be reading too much.'
'Reading doesn't make you stupid, but you certainly are,' Hermione said irritably, giving him a glare. 'Didn't you notice? All the trees we saw were completely intact.'
Upon her reminder, Harry also realized something was amiss.
When they were in the 'garden' earlier, a few trees were broken, but now, the trees around the cabin were all perfectly intact, with no signs of breakage.
'So what? Maybe Kyle fixed them,' Ron said nonchalantly. 'It's not a big deal for him.'
'Fixed... Did you hear any noise?' Hermione grew more agitated. 'From the time we left to now, it's only been about a minute. Even Professor Dumbledore wouldn't be able to restore five trees in such a short time.'
'And at this distance, did you hear any rustling of branches?'
Harry shook his head. He understood what Hermione meant.
Perhaps Kyle could restore five trees in a short time, but it was impossible to do so quietly. They should have heard the sound of branches and leaves moving during the process.
But from the moment they left to now, it had been eerily silent, not even a bug's chirp.
Speaking of bugs, there were quite a few insects living on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Every time they visited Hagrid, they could hear the croaking of toads and the fluttering of fairy wings.
But this time, there was complete silence, almost unnaturally so, as if all the creatures nearby had disappeared.
'Let's go and take a look!' Hermione decided, turning back towards the cabin.
Harry and Ron followed closely behind.
Ron glanced wistfully at the direction of the castle's Great Hall, sighed, and then caught up with them.
Hermione didn't knock on the door but instead went around to the back of the cabin, where she stared intently.
There was no door at the back of the cabin, nothing at all.
But they had just entered the Forbidden Forest from there. How could the door have disappeared?
Unfazed, Hermione continued forward, wanting to get a closer look.
Five minutes passed, and she was still at a distance from the cabin, unable to get any closer no matter how she walked or ran or changed direction. If she hadn't just come out from inside, Hermione would have thought she was seeing a mirage.
'Impossible... This can't be...' Hermione muttered.
Meanwhile, in the cabin's garden.
Hagrid watched as the three of them circled around, 'Looks like they've noticed your setup.'
'It's normal,' Kyle said, waving his wand to reconnect the broken trees. 'Harry and Ron probably won't notice these details, but Hermione might. She's always been observant.'
'Have you thought of an explanation?'
'Why should I explain?' Kyle said. 'I'm about to become a professor. Why should I explain to three students? If you hadn't spoken up for them, I wouldn't have let them in.'
'...Sorry,' Hagrid apologized.
'It's fine,' Kyle waved his hand dismissively. 'If my guess is right, they'll be knocking on the door soon...'
'Knock knock!'
'See?' Kyle spread his hands.
'Should we open it?'
'No, let's ignore it,' Kyle said, focusing on his task. 'The initial garden test isn't complete. Should we continue or wait until after lunch?'
Hearing this, Hagrid immediately forgot about Harry and eagerly rubbed his hands together.
'Do we need to say more? Of course, we continue!'
'Then be careful, don't get too close.'
'Don't worry, don't worry.'
As Hagrid looked on expectantly, Kyle opened the box.
A black fire dragon suddenly sprang out, roaring and lashing its tail at Kyle.
Kyle had anticipated this and calmly raised a shield.
The shield and the dragon's tail collided, but the shield didn't budge.
Kyle chuckled and flipped the middle finger at the Hungarian Firebird.
That's it?
The Hungarian Firebird exploded in anger, lashing its tail again.
On the cabin wall, a set of golden magical runes lit up.
This time, Kyle didn't move, but the Hungarian Firebird's body swayed, and its tail struck a tree, missing its target by a wide margin.
However, the Hungarian Firebird didn't realize it had missed.
'Hmm... Not bad,' Kyle said, taking out a piece of parchment and quickly jotting down notes.
Alchemical Mist:
- Hides the interior (outside cannot see in, but can hear sounds)
- Mist also affects the dragon (confirmed)
- Distance and range (to be determined)
- Effect on other magic (to be determined)
...
(End of Chapter)
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