“No one understands releasing animals better than you, Hagrid? What else have you released into the Forbidden Forest?”
Harry’s eyes widened, his clear gaze filled with shock.
“Actually, I didn’t release much, just a very cute little spider. Later, I was afraid it would be lonely, so I found a wife to keep it company…”
Hagrid lied; he had secretly released many magical creatures into the Forbidden Forest.
The various tribes of magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest could all be traced back to Hagrid.
Truly, Hagrid was the King of Forbidden Forest Connections.
Ron involuntarily shivered when he heard the word “spider.”
“Spiders? I hate spiders.”
When he was very young, he had a beloved toy bear, but Fred and George turned it into a large spider to scare him. Since then, Ron had developed a fear of spiders.
“Spiders? The Forbidden Forest?”
Hermione recalled a book describing the Hogwarts Forbidden Forest, which stated that Acromantulas had suddenly appeared as new overlords in the Forbidden Forest in recent decades. The book speculated that a professor might have brought them in for breeding.
After all, Acromantula venom was very valuable, with a pint costing as much as 100 Galleons.
But Hermione also remembered Hagrid saying he had released spiders into the Forbidden Forest. Given Hagrid’s preferences, he certainly wouldn't have released ordinary spiders. The most famous spiders in the Forbidden Forest were Acromantulas, so she tentatively asked Hagrid: “Those terrifying Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest aren’t yours, are they, Hagrid?”
“Aragog isn’t terrifying. He and his offspring are good children. I’ve never heard of them biting a wizard…”
Hagrid spoke a name, seemingly wanting to clear his pet’s name, but his voice grew softer and softer, as if he was losing confidence.
He remembered the Centaurs’ complaints about him; in their eyes, Aragog and his offspring had caused the Centaurs a lot of trouble.
Harry heard the name Acromantula for the first time and curiously asked Hagrid: “What is an Acromantula? How big can they get?”
Chen Yu thought about the size of the Acromantulas he had encountered in the Forbidden Forest and explained: “Acromantulas are giant spiders with eight eyes. As for how big they can get, I think they’re about the size of this wooden cabin, or maybe a little smaller.”
Hermione added: “The book says Acromantulas are covered in thick black hair, and when their legs spread out to the sides of their bodies, they can span fifteen feet. They are classified as XXXXX-level magical creatures, the same level as dragons, and are very dangerous magical creatures, much more dangerous than Trolls.”
Hermione used the Trolls they had encountered earlier as an example, fearing Harry wouldn’t understand.
Hagrid, somewhat guiltily, argued: “You have to believe me, Aragog isn’t dangerous.”
But Harry and Ron didn’t believe a word he said.
Ron even tried to imagine what a spider as big as this wooden cabin would look like. As soon as he sketched out a rough outline in his mind, his body couldn’t help but tremble, and he said in a somewhat broken voice: “If there’s something like that in the Forbidden Forest, I swear I’ll never go to the Forbidden Forest again!”
Chen Yu patted Ron, wanting to tell him that Acromantulas weren’t actually that scary.
As long as one learned the Killing Curse, those Acromantulas would just be moving targets.
But Chen Yu wouldn’t say such a thing aloud, so he could only pat Ron’s shoulder in comfort and say to Hagrid, “Hagrid, releasing a baby dragon into the Forbidden Forest isn’t a wise choice. Dragons are flying magical creatures; the Forbidden Forest is too small for it, and it will be discovered sooner or later.”
“But… I really don’t feel comfortable sending him anywhere else…”
Hagrid still looked at the baby dragon with reluctance, his expression a bit dejected.
Harry’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he thought of a good idea: “We can ask Dumbledore for help. I believe Dumbledore can definitely solve it. He is hailed as the greatest wizard of this century; nothing can stump him!”
“No!” Hagrid again rejected Harry’s idea, “Professor Dumbledore cannot know about this. I don’t want him to worry about me again!”
Hagrid spoke very firmly, as if he had made a certain decision, and told the four Little Wizards to return to Hogwarts Castle, saying he would figure out a way to solve it.
Harry and Ron were a bit skeptical of what Hagrid said, while Chen Yu and Hermione simply didn’t believe Hagrid could solve this matter himself.
But this was Hagrid’s own business, and he was as stubborn as a mule right now. No matter how the four tried to persuade him, Hagrid did not give up the idea of feeding the baby dragon.
Ultimately, the four still dejectedly returned to Gryffindor.
Chen Yu remembered Professor Sprout’s instructions to him, so he told Harry, Ron, and Hermione to go back first, while he went to the kitchen to prepare some meat for his Biting Cabbage.
He then saw a blond little kid pacing back and forth outside the Hogwarts kitchen, occasionally pulling out a pocket watch to check the time, with an impatient expression.
Malfoy seemed to be waiting for someone; could it be him?
As soon as this thought crossed Chen Yu’s mind, he saw Malfoy walking towards him with an impatient look.
“Chen Yu, I’ve come to negotiate!”
“I know about Hagrid raising a dragon. I can keep quiet, but in exchange, you must return what you took from me!”
“The magic books and notes?”
“Exactly! The magic books and notes. As long as you return those things, I won’t tell my father to report Hagrid for secretly raising a dragon.”
Draco Malfoy looked cunning, as if he was certain Chen Yu would exchange the notebooks and magic books he had taken from him.
The reason Draco was able to easily get so many magic books and notebooks from home was because he lied to his father.
He had written in a letter that he wanted to learn these spells himself, which was why his father, Lucius Malfoy, had confidently sent Draco the treasured notebooks and magic books from their home.
But during the Christmas holiday, Draco chose to go home for the festivities.
During Christmas, Lucius, in conversation with Draco, keenly noticed that his young son didn’t seem to have changed much, not appearing to be engrossed in magic. So, he subtly inquired about Draco’s progress in learning magic, and upon probing, Draco’s lie was exposed.
Draco hadn’t learned any of those spells, nor had he even read much of the books’ contents.
Draco didn’t dare tell his father the truth, so he could only lie, claiming he had suddenly lost interest in those spells, attempting to muddle through.
Lucius didn’t blame Draco, only reminding him that the notebooks and magic books he had sent must be kept safe and absolutely no one else was allowed to see them.
If he truly wasn’t interested, he was to return the notebooks and magic books Lucius had sent him once he returned to Hogwarts.
But the notebooks and magic books had already been “lent” to Chen Yu, and he didn’t know how to get them back from Chen Yu.
He dared not disobey his father’s command, nor did he dare let Chen Yu and Hermione spread the embarrassing incident he had caused, as that matter was truly too damaging to the family’s reputation.
Once it became widely known, he would be so socially disgraced that he would only be able to find a “tofu” to smash his head against a wall.
Even his two followers, he had promised them a great many benefits to keep their mouths shut and make them forget about the incident.
After returning from the holiday, Draco, who was fretting over this matter, happened to overhear Harry discussing something about a baby dragon hatching that morning. So, he quietly listened closely to the four’s discussion.
He heard that the dragon egg was related to Hagrid, the large Forbidden Forest gamekeeper.
Although he didn’t quite believe that Hagrid, the Forbidden Forest keeper, could afford a dragon egg.
But then he thought, what if it was true? He would then have leverage over Harry and the others.
In fact, Draco himself was very interested in the birth of the baby dragon. His name, Draco, means “dragon” in Latin, and he was often called “Little Dragon” by his family.
Over time, he inevitably became curious about creatures like dragons.
He secretly followed Harry and the others, and unexpectedly, he really did witness the scene of a baby dragon hatching.
While this greatly surprised Draco, it also confirmed that the big Hagrid was indeed raising a dragon.
Since it was true, Draco now had the confidence to demand the notebooks and magic books he had “lent” to Chen Yu back.