A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 33: Hagrid

In mid-October, the raging flu at Hogwarts not only failed to subside, but intensified further, even affecting several professors unfortunate enough to catch it.

Fortunately, Felix Harp had foresight. He obtained two vials of invigorating potion from Madam Pomfrey in advance, taking a sip before class to avoid being infected by unreliable young wizards.

On Wednesday, Felix found himself unusually free from classes. He walked out of the castle and followed a small path, passing through the greenhouse and the Whomping Willow, until he reached the cabin guarded by the Forbidden Forest.

As he approached, a large dog started barking, but Felix waited quietly. After a while, a burly fellow with a thick beard and feet like small boats emerged from the cabin.

He called out to the dog, "Fang, hush!" then turned to Felix, giving him an assessing look.

"Professor Hagrid? Do you have a moment?"

In his eyes, this professor was dressed meticulously, with neat hair and a cleanly shaven beard – an entirely different kind of person from him.

"As a new professor, I realized I haven't paid you a visit yet, and I must say, that's quite impolite..."

"Is that so?" Hagrid grumbled, leaning against the doorway and showing obvious disinterest.

"I learned from Dumbledore that you're an excellent keeper of the Forbidden Forest and quite skilled with magical creatures. Coincidentally, I'm very interested in these lovely little creatures as well."

"Really? Uh, I mean..."

Felix tapped his wand on the ring on his left index finger, conjuring a thick book in his hand with silhouettes of animals on the cover.

"This is my gift."

Hagrid's gaze fell upon the assorted animal silhouettes. He hesitated, then said somewhat awkwardly, "Oh, this, you're too kind. I mean... you didn't really have to..."

Hagrid stood there for a moment, then waved his massive arms. "Come in, do come in."

Felix smoothly entered Hagrid's cabin, and from his perspective, it had the aura of a bachelor's living space – seemingly messy but with everything in its right place.

When Hagrid handed him a cup, Felix realized he was mistaken. Hadn't this cup been unwashed for days? It was dirty!

After chatting with Hagrid for a bit, Felix noticed his gaze was continuously drawn to the book. He naturally shifted the conversation in that direction.

"Hagrid, I made this book myself. It took quite a bit of effort, and I hope you'll like it."

Hagrid opened his large hand and picked up the book, flipping to the first page. It depicted a small creature with a tiger-like head, standing on its hind legs, its body upright, with two forearms hanging in front of its chest, looking alert.

The next page showed the little creature in a confrontation with a lion, displaying remarkable bravery as it faced an opponent many times its size, launching attacks again and again.

"What is this little critter?" Hagrid's eyes lit up.

Felix glanced at the picture. "This is a type of honey badger found in Africa. They're incredibly courageous and intelligent."

On the following pages, scenes of honey badgers facing off against various animals played out. Hagrid became enthralled, flipping through the pages.

One novel creature after another appeared before his eyes, as if he had opened up a new world.

After a while, he looked up, somewhat puzzled. "Professor Harp, I haven't seen these animals much, and they don't seem to be magical creatures."

"Indeed, you're an expert on magical creatures with more knowledge in this area than I do. Luckily, I worked in the Muggle world for two years and encountered quite a few interesting little creatures. Perhaps they lack magical traits, but with their unique physiology and survival environments, they still possess captivating qualities..."

"I compiled a portion of these creatures from various Muggle books and media to create this magical book."

Hagrid clearly appreciated the thought behind this gift, muttering under his breath, "This is too precious, far too precious."

Felix chuckled. "Hagrid, no need to be overly polite. I've prepared similar gifts for every professor. And, well—"

"I do have a small favor to ask of you."

"What is it?" Hagrid cautiously inquired.

"I need some unicorn hair, not too much..." Felix seemed a bit hesitant.

"Oh, that's all? Quite simple." Hagrid relaxed, leaning over to grab a furry, dirty cushion from the side.

"Here, take this. If it's not enough, I've got more. These things, you see, I've got plenty. Young unicorns shed their hair several times before growing up, and I help tidy up."

Felix was a bit stunned as he took the limp cushion. It appeared to have endured quite a bit beneath Hagrid.

Hagrid added, "While unicorn hair holds magical properties, not every strand is suitable for wand making at that level. These are the ones that didn't make the cut. But still valuable."

The two then delved into the topic of magical creatures. Hagrid unexpectedly realized that this professor hadn't been dishonest; he was entirely different from a certain narcissistic professor.

Professor Harp was remarkably knowledgeable about certain magical creatures, so much so that he knew things even Hagrid wasn't aware of.

For example, facing a Sphinx, it was wise to preemptively present three riddles to confound and engage it in deep thought;

For instance, when encountering a Blast-Ended Skrewt, one could use magic to shape a stone, and these creatures had an intense fear of dogs with pure white fur;

And, the thought of food for Mountain Trolls and their fear of bright light...

Midway through, the professor provided butterbeer and specially crafted cakes, and the two enjoyed their meal.

When Felix exited Hagrid's cabin, the sky had already darkened.

By the roadside, he spotted a young witch with red hair who seemed a bit disoriented. He redirected her back to the castle.

The next day, Felix exchanged several Whomping Willow branches and a pot of Devil's Snare from Professor Sprout's Herbology class.

The former was a highly valued material, often used for wand-making and important in the creation of several potions. Thanks to Harry and Ron—due to their collision with a Whomping Willow at the start of term—this material was currently quite abundant.

His office.

Felix observed the materials on his worktable: a dirty cushion, a few seven- to eight-meter-long black branches, and a pot of tightly coiled plants.

He was quite satisfied.

Felix was preparing to craft a magical item.

The method came from an extremely ancient and rare magical book he had recently come across in the library. Initially, he didn't pay it much attention, as the book's title, "Alchemy Applications," seemed similar to what he had seen before.

But he quickly realized the difference. The cover of the book had been added later, and the pages inside were visibly older. Were it not for magical protection, Felix had no doubt that they would have disintegrated into ashes immediately.

Within this thin little tome were the notes of more than ten individuals. Some were chaotic, while others were neat and orderly. There were annotations, corrections, additions, and condescending oversight of successors.

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