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Chapter 986: Hagrid is back
🕑 Added 2024-01-10 10:03:58 +0000 UTCDespite this, the Shield Charm was still a practical introductory spell.
Learning the Shield Charm meant that wizards had basic protection in combat, preventing them from being instantly knocked down by enemies. In addition to this, Evan also planned to teach them the Full Body-Bind Curse, giving them basic offensive capabilities.
Expelliarmus, Protego and Petrificus Totalus were known as the three major introductory spells. Mastering all of them would allow them to engage in real combat!
Apart from pairing off and simulating duels, Evan was also planning to bring in some magical creatures for everyone to practice with.
Through real combat, everyone would grow faster and accumulate more battle experience.
The best training objects nearby were the Acromantulas. Evan also grew up fighting with them before. Moreover, the last Duelling Club formed by Sirius had exposed many people to the Acromantulas; so they wouldn’t be unfamiliar.
Of course, the previous battle with the Acromantulas involved a group of students facing one or two spiders, throwing a bunch of spells, and not feeling much. They killed the spiders and ended the fight, which couldn’t be considered real combat.
This time, Evan was going to let the members of Dumbledore's Army fight the Acromantulas alone, relying on their own abilities.
But now there was a problem. Since Evan got rid of the spiders the last time, they had rarely been seen in the Forbidden Forest. Fortunately, Aragog was still alive, thanks to Hagrid's careful care.
This meant that the Acromantulas were still around, just in hiding.
Indeed these creatures reproduced very quickly.
Evan was going to ask Hagrid and Aragog for a few adult Acromantulas. He believed the Spider King would meet this request. Whether willing to admit it or not, Evan was his savior rescuing him from the clutches of a terrible evil god.
If there were no adults available, a few spiderlings would also do, as everyone's skill level was still relatively low.
If there was enough time, Evan was prepared to arrange opponents for them step by step.
He was even thinking that it would be a good idea to find Hagrid's brother Grawp as a sparring partner for everyone.
If even giants could be faced easily, what was there to fear from Death Eaters?
Hagrid came back later this week, very low-key, without notifying anyone. If Evan and the others didn't know that Hagrid would be back this weekend, and if the lights in his cabin weren't on, they wouldn't have noticed.
It was already dark outside, and it was still drizzling, but Evan, Harry, Hermione, and Ron decided to visit Hagrid at the earliest opportunity. They crept through the portrait hole, with Evan and Harry wearing Invisibility Cloaks, and Hermione and Ron each finding their own way in.
Compared to before, they had all grown taller and couldn't all fit under Harry's Invisibility Cloak anymore.
Of course, even if Evan didn't get Barty Crouch Jr.'s Invisibility Cloak, he and Hermione could turn into cats.
Since the beginning of the term, they had had many experiences of quietly sneaking out in the late night. The most common destination was the kitchens, where Hermione went to promote her set of ideas to those house-elves and encourage them to fight for their rights.
Evan had also taken her to see the wall adorned with house-elves’ heads, as well as the demon altar.
In addition, since they could transform into cats and wander around the castle at will in the middle of the night, as a boy and a girl with normal physical and mental development, it was natural for the two of them to go to places where no one was around every now and then to do things that everyone liked to do, such as going to the Astronomy Tower to gaze at the starry sky.
Anyway, it was very convenient to perform any action in the cat posture, and there was no need to worry about being discovered.
It must be said that the Hogwarts night sky was slightly inferior to the starry sky seen from the pyramids, lacking a bit of historical depth, but it had a unique charm. The stars rotated slowly overhead, seemingly possessing mysterious magic.
Especially when the two cats were cuddling together on the Astronomy Tower, it felt as though they were particularly close to the stars; creating a wonderful sensation.
In the midst of a bit of warmth, excitement, exhilaration, and sweetness, accompanied by a hint of satisfaction, even the air turned pink. As the saying goes, if you don't believe it, everyone can try it by finding a female cat.
Even if you're too lazy to go out and look at the stars, lying in bed is also fine, the key is having a female cat beside you, that's the most crucial feeling.
It was already past nine in the evening when Evan and the others went out, and there was no one in the corridor.
Moving slowly and cautiously, they proceeded down the many staircases, pausing at intervals to check the Marauder’s Map for signs of Filch or Mrs. Norris.
They were lucky; they saw nobody but Nearly Headless Nick, who was gliding along absentmindedly.
Ten minutes later, the four of them crept across the entrance hall and arrived at the silent grounds.
It was drizzling in the sky, and they saw the golden light in front of them.
The four of them walked through the grounds. Although the rain was not heavy, they were still soaked when they came to Hagrid's cabin!
Harry came to the door first. He raised his fist and knocked three times. A dog started barking frantically inside.
“Hagrid, it’s us!” Harry called through the keyhole.
“Shoulda known!” said a gruff voice, Hagrid's voice. "Come in quickly, you four little furry heads … Bin home three seconds … Out the way, Fang … Out the way, yeh dozy dog!"
When he was away, Fang was left alone in the cabin, and he would go to the woods to find food by himself.
When Evan came out for Care of Magical Creatures class, he would encounter him, and like Hagrid, the dog was overly enthusiastic.
The bolt was drawn back, the door creaked open, and Hagrid’s head appeared in the gap.
Instantly, Hermione screamed.
“Merlin’s beard, keep it down!” said Hagrid hastily, staring wildly over their heads. “Under the cloaks, are yeh? Well, get in, get in; don't let anyone see you four here at this time! "
The four squeezed past Hagrid into the house and pulled the Invisibility Cloaks off themselves so he could see them.
"Sorry, I just—" Hermione whispered, "Oh, Hagrid, what on earth is going on?"
“It’s nuthin’, it’s nuthin’!” said Hagrid hastily, shutting the door behind them and hurrying to close all the curtains.
But Hermione continued to gaze up at him in horror, Harry and Ron also looked shocked, and Evan felt somewhat helpless.
A few months ago, Hagrid was not in such a bad situation. It seemed that his journey back had been particularly difficult and full of hardships.
Taking care of a giant was really hard work.
At this moment, Hagrid’s hair was matted with congealed blood, and his left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple-and-black bruises. There were many cuts on his face and hands, some of them still bleeding, and he was moving gingerly, suggesting possible broken ribs.
It was obvious that he had only just got home; a thick black traveling cloak lay over the back of a chair and a haversack large enough to carry several small children leaned against the wall inside the door. Hagrid himself, twice the size of a normal man and three times as broad, was now limping over to the fire and placing a copper kettle over it.
