"Hermione, you really shouldn't have provoked her," Ron said in a hushed, worried tone as they left the Three Broomsticks. "She's definitely going to find a way to get back at you. My dad says Rita Skeeter's a master at digging up dirt. What if she publishes something awful about you in the Daily Prophet…?"
"It's not me provoking her—she's the one who crossed me!" Hermione shot back, leading Harry and Ron at a brisk pace toward Hogwarts, her brown hair whipping wildly in the cold wind. "As for the Daily Prophet, let her write whatever she wants! My parents don't read that rag. The worst she can do is annoy me. That unscrupulous, lowlife reporter—first Harry, now Hagrid… I'll make her regret messing with me!"
Harry had never seen Hermione this angry before.
She led them straight back to the school, her steps unrelenting until they reached Hagrid's tightly shut cabin.
"Hagrid!" Hermione shouted, pounding on the wooden door with her right hand, making it rattle loudly. "Hagrid, enough! We know you're in there! Nobody cares that your mum was a giant, Hagrid! Skeeter's just a vile woman who wants to see you broken. You can't let her win! Hagrid, come on…"
The door creaked open, but it wasn't Hagrid's wild mop of black hair that appeared. Instead, a long-haired, white-bearded old man peered out. The moment Hermione saw him, her voice cut off abruptly.
"Good morning!" Albus Dumbledore greeted them with a warm, twinkling smile, bending slightly to look at the trio.
"Er… good morning, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione mumbled, her head lowered. Her voice was soft, and Harry, standing beside her, watched with interest as a flush spread from her chin to the tips of her ears.
"I had a feeling that's why you were here," Dumbledore said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Why don't you come inside?"
"Oh… um… alright," Hermione replied.
Dumbledore's interruption somehow doused the fire of Hermione's anger. After some gentle persuasion from Dumbledore and the trio, Hagrid finally agreed to stay on at Hogwarts and continue teaching.
Dumbledore stayed for a short while before taking his leave.
As the door closed behind him, Hagrid's emotions took time to settle. When he finally looked up, his eyes were red and swollen.
"What a remarkable man, Dumbledore… truly remarkable…" Hagrid murmured, gazing in the direction Dumbledore had gone.
"Yeah, he's incredible," Ron agreed. "Can I have a piece of cake, Hagrid?"
"Help yourself," Hagrid said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "Aye, of course, he's right… you're all right… I've been a fool. My dad would be ashamed of me for actin' like this…"
As he spoke, tears welled up again. The half-giant raised a hand, roughly wiping them away, and sniffled before continuing. "By the way, I don't think I've ever shown you a picture of my old dad, have I? I reckon it's in here somewhere…"
Hagrid stood and walked to a wardrobe, pulling open a drawer and retrieving a slightly yellowed photograph.
The photo showed a short wizard with eyes as dark as Hagrid's, sitting on Hagrid's shoulder, beaming with joy.
Judging by the apple tree beside them, Hagrid in the photo was at least seven or eight feet tall, but his face was young, smooth, and beardless, full of vitality.
Ignoring his size, Hagrid looked every bit like an eleven-year-old boy.
"This was taken not long after I started at Hogwarts," Hagrid said, his voice hoarse. "My dad was over the moon… thought I'd never make it as a wizard, you know, because of my mum… well, no need to go into that. 'Course, with my background, magic's never come easy to me… but my dad, he kept encouragin' me. When I made it to second year, he even threw me a little party… but not long after that, he passed away… at least he didn't have to see me get expelled…"
Hagrid set the photo down, lost in memories of the past.
"After my dad died, it was Dumbledore who looked out for me. When nearly everyone else looked down on me, Dumbledore got me the gamekeeper job… you know how he is, always trustin' people, givin' 'em second chances…
"That's what sets him apart from other headmasters, you see? If someone's got talent, Dumbledore'll take 'em at Hogwarts. He knows even those from rough backgrounds can make somethin' of themselves… it's a respectable way of doin' things. But some folks just don't get it.
"They judge you for where you come from… some even pretend they're just 'big-boned,' too scared to speak the truth. I am who I am, and I've got nothin' to be ashamed of.
"'Never be ashamed,' my old dad used to say. 'Some'll hold it against you, but they ain't worth your worry.' He was right. I've been a fool. I won't let that woman get to me anymore, I swear. Big-boned, hmph… I'll show her big-boned!"
Regarding Hagrid's return and Professor Grubbly-Plank's departure, many students expressed disappointment. However, when Hagrid brought out two baby unicorns, only a few months old, even Pansy Parkinson couldn't help but smile.
Unlike adult unicorns, these fluffy, golden creatures loved chasing people around and didn't mind boys getting close. Hagrid proved his knowledge of unicorns was just as impressive as Grubbly-Plank's, and with the help of the two adorable foals, he quickly surpassed her in the students' eyes, becoming the most beloved Care of Magical Creatures professor.
Meanwhile, thanks to her studies in biology at the research institute and her regular training, Hermione's progress in human transfiguration astonished even Professor McGonagall.
Human anatomy charts? Dolphin anatomy charts? Precise control of magical energy? These things, which demanded immense effort in human transfiguration, Hermione reviewed in just three evenings—and that was only because she hadn't studied dolphin anatomy at the institute.
The rest, to be honest, wasn't all that difficult for an Animagus.
By late January, Professor McGonagall stood on the snowy shore, watching Hermione, now a dolphin, swim joyfully in the water. Her gaze then shifted to another dolphin nearby.
Hermione mastering dolphin transfiguration was understandable—over the past month, McGonagall had watched the girl grow under her guidance. But Harry… if McGonagall remembered correctly, though he'd been present for most of Hermione's lessons, he had never attempted human transfiguration until today…
Unaware of McGonagall's thoughts, Harry and Hermione were too caught up in chasing schools of fish through the water to care.
This was Hermione's first time truly diving into the underwater world. Before, she'd only peered through aquarium glass, but even that had captivated her younger self.
Her tail fin, transformed from her legs, gently propelled her forward with slow, rhythmic flaps. Hermione lazily spun in the water, surrounded by January sunlight filtering through the lake's surface, fragmented by ripples into specks of golden light that danced across the shallow stones and waterweeds.
Gliding over smooth pebbles on the sandy lakebed, the water was so clear that, under the sunlight, she could easily see objects dozens of meters away. In the distance, aquatic plants swayed gently with the current, like an underwater forest.
Then, she heard Harry's call from the depths. With a deft flick, she surfaced for a breath before diving swiftly downward.
In her dolphin form, Hermione was fast. Within seconds, she reached the dimly lit deep water. Oddly, perhaps due to her new form, she felt no fear in these shadowy depths.
Swimming through patches of black silt, she soon spotted Harry circling a massive boulder.
The rough, brown stone, over twelve feet long and wide, was etched with carvings of merpeople wielding spears, chasing what looked like giant squid.
"There's something cool up ahead," Harry's dolphin form signaled with a nod, his voice resonating directly in Hermione's mind.
Together, they swam past the boulder, venturing deeper.
After about a hundred meters, Hermione was astonished to see crude stone dwellings covered in patches of algae. Through the dark windows of these houses, she glimpsed faces.
"What's that?" Hermione asked, her dolphin calls forming simple phrases since she couldn't communicate telepathically like Harry.
"Merpeople," Harry replied succinctly, swimming beside her.
The merpeople had iron-gray skin and long, tangled, dark green hair. Their eyes were yellow, as were their jagged, uneven teeth. Around their necks hung necklaces of pebbles strung on coarse rope.
As Harry and Hermione swam past, the merpeople watched curiously, eyeing the unfamiliar creatures. Some bared sharp-toothed grins, their smiles tinged with menace. A few emerged from their caves for a better look, clutching spears and slapping the water with their powerful silver tails.
Harry and Hermione swam faster. The deeper they went, the more stone dwellings appeared, some surrounded by gardens. Hermione even spotted a small grindylow tethered to a door.
Merpeople with spears emerged from all directions, staring curiously at the two strange creatures.
At first, Hermione didn't think much of it, but as the number of armed merpeople grew, unease crept in.
"Daddy! I don't want a dog anymore! I want to keep the male one!" a merchild squealed, pointing at Hermione's dolphin form.
The merpeople's tails swished as they slowly encircled the two dolphins. Hermione glanced at Harry in panic, just as he seemed gleefully ready to exercise his right to self-defense.
"What are you doing?! Stand down, all of you!" an aged voice boomed from beyond the crowd. At the sound, the merpeople froze.
To Harry's disappointment, the crowd parted, and an elderly merperson swam forward, holding something resembling a staff. Unlike the others, this merperson—likely a leader—had sagging muscles and a nearly toothless mouth, with only gums remaining. His cloudy eyes studied Harry and Hermione closely.
Then, he spoke, his voice resonating directly in their minds, unlike the others.
"My apologies, honored guests from Hogwarts," the elder merperson said sincerely.
"My people have been so long removed from magic that they failed to recognize the magical aura you carry."
"As a token of my regret, please come rest at my home… don't worry, there's air inside."
Noticing Hermione's hesitation, he added reassuringly, "It's safe."
Hermione glanced at Harry, who nodded in agreement. Together, they followed the elder merperson.
Despite his gentle movements, the elder's speed matched theirs. With a single flick of his tail, he glided twenty or thirty feet forward, as if swimming through air rather than water.
After traveling over a thousand meters deeper, they arrived at a sealed stone longhouse.
The elder opened a side door and swam inside. Harry and Hermione followed, passing through a shimmering water-like membrane.
To their surprise, they found themselves lying in a shallow pool. As they flipped upright, they realized they were in a simple wooden room.
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