đ¨ Important Note : For the continuity of this story consider to Support us on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access advance Chapters and To Support The Daily Update
Thanks to the magical Invisibility Cloak Harry's father left him, Hermione encountered no obstacles while sneaking out of the castle.
Only when passing the Great Hall did Hermione glance at Madam Pomfrey, who was chatting animatedly with the Hogwarts librarian, Madam Pince, at the faculty table at the front of the hall. She urged quietly,
"Hurry up, Harry, Ron. Madam Pomfrey will be back in the Hospital Wing before ten o'clock. I don't want her to find out I'm not quietly lying in bed!"
"Actually, you don't need to come in person, Hermione. We'll tell you everything we find out from Hagrid."
Ron quickened his pace, gazing at the air in front of him, feigning nonchalance. Harry nodded in agreement.
"Don't be silly, both of you,"
The moment she stepped out of the castle gates, the sudden bright light and the refreshing breeze lifted Hermione's spirits considerably. Her amber cat-eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Before we even leave Hagrid's hut, I'm worried you two will forget everything Hagrid says!"
Halloween had passed some time ago. Due to the large pumpkin patch behind the hut being cleared and the ground covered in snow, Hagrid's wooden cabin looked much tidier than usual. When Harry and his friends arrived, Hagrid was busy chopping the Christmas trees used for decorating the Great Hall into firewood.
This might be hard physical labor for others, but for Hagrid, who was easily ten feet tall and five times the normal waist size, it was the simplest of tasks. He merely had to raise his axe and gently bring it down, and the Christmas trees, thick as a bowl, would snap into several pieces.
The black hound, Fang, frolicking in the snow, was the first to spot Harry and his friends approaching. It stood on a raised snowdrift, barking joyfully at them.
"Stop barking, Fang, you just ate an entire chicken."
When he looked in the direction Fang was barking, a smile appeared on his face, mostly obscured by his shaggy beard.
"Ho, Harry, Ron, it's you two!"
Hagrid cheerfully waved his arm, greeting Harry, who was struggling through two feet of thick snow. "This is quite unusual, Harry. You always prefer to come to me in the middle of the night, wearing your Invisibility Cloak!"
"That's because I have classes during the day, Hagrid!"
Ouch!
Harry, who was supporting Hermione under the Invisibility Cloak, stumbled inadvertently and fell to the ground. Hermione, unexpectedly pulled along, shrieked and tumbled with him.
"Stop staring, Hagrid, come help us!"
"Oh, goodness me!"
Hermione's sudden appearance next to Harry and Ron made Hagrid's outgoing step freeze.
"You brought me a cat-person?!"
After a moment, Hagrid, standing in front of his hut, let out a surprised cry.
Hagrid's room was as cluttered as ever. Inside the narrow wooden cabin, hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling, a copper kettle boiled water over the brazier, and the large bed in the corner, covered with a patchwork quilt, showed no changes except for a deeper color.
"Please, Hagrid, don't ask me why I've turned into this,"
Hermione, who had just sat on the edge of the bed, immediately noticed the strong curiosity in Hagrid's eyes and snapped, "It was a nightmare, and I don't wish to speak of it again!"
Ron laughed heartlessly, and even the worried Harry's lips curled into a smile.
"Alright, alright."
Hagrid shrugged regretfully.
"I was merely curious if it was possible to cultivate a 'cat-person' species through experimentation. Since you're unwilling to shareâoh, don't look so silly, Fang, that's Hermione, not a cat. You should be able to smell Hermione."
He took out a few cups, put some dark tea leaves into them, and prepared to brew hot tea for the trio. However, the water on the stove still needed a while to boil. While waiting, Hagrid enthusiastically prepared some pastries he had made himself.
"You look rather unhappy, Harry. Would you like some toffee?"
"Thanks, Hagrid, I don't have much appetite."
Harry, who had already experienced the might of Hagrid's cooking several times, politely declined. He exchanged a silent glance with Ron and Hermione, and after their unspoken communication, Harry asked,
"Actually, Hagrid, we came here today to ask you about someone. We think you might have heard of him."
Hagrid, who was poking at the embers with his finger, chuckled. He looked at Harry through the handle of the copper kettle and said in a teasing tone,
"Who are you three trying to find out about now, Harry? I'll warn you first, there's no Philosopher's Stone hidden in the castle this year!"
Yes, there's no Philosopher's Stone, but there's a Chamber of Secrets! Harry grumbled inwardly, his mood not much improved by Hagrid's joke.
"Amosta Blaine, Hagrid, have you heard of this person?"
Because Hermione's time was limited, Harry got straight to the point.
"Amosta Blaine?"
Hagrid blinked, his expression surprised. "Why do you bring him up?"
"So, you do know him?" Hermione immediately pressed. "Tell us, Hagrid, what do you know?"
Hagrid didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Ron with confusion.
"You don't have any impression of Amosta Blaine either, Ron?"
"I must have heard that name somewhere, but it doesn't sound like something I heard from Dad, Hagrid. Why do you think I know him?"
Ron frowned in confusion, trying hard to remember.
"You must have heard of him, Ron," Hagrid laughed. He lifted the steaming kettle from the stove and poured a cup of tea for each of them. "He was a Slytherin student, the same year as your brother Bill. He probably graduated more than three years ago now. Anyway, I haven't heard much about him these past few years, but that's not surprising. He was very introverted when he was at school and didn't like to draw attention to himself."
"So, maybe Bill mentioned him to me once?"
Ron still couldn't recall that lost memory.
"Introverted?"
Hermione's tone also carried confusion. She tried her best to recall the details of their brief meeting last night. If she were to evaluate him, Mr. Blaine had been overly friendly, not at all like someone from Slytherin House. But introverted? She really couldn't see that.
"Hmm, I wouldn't say introverted, exactly. Anyway, he just didn't really like interacting with people, at least that's how it was back then."
Because there were three more people in the hut, Hagrid had to stand while talking.
"I hardly ever interacted with him, so all the information I know is hearsay. Reportedly, Amosta Blaine was an orphan who spent his childhood in an orphanage. You know, in Slytherin House, children from orphanages aren't exactly welcomed. So, in his first few years at Hogwarts, he received a lot of cold stares. If it weren't for Professor Snape's protection, his situation might have been even more difficult back then."
Hagrid truly didn't have many memories of Amosta Blaine, so his tone was slow. But no one in the room urged him on; even Ron had given up trying to remember and was staring intently at Hagrid.
"I heard the professors say that Blaine was a very studious young wizard, and very polite when asking questions. His grades, well, they were quite good, of courseânot comparable to Bill, or Percy, or you,"
Hagrid said, looking at Hermione.
"âBut you just couldn't get close to him, as if he deliberately kept everyone at a distance. However, considering he was a Muggle-born orphan, the professors didn't find it hard to understand his withdrawn behavior."
"He sounds like a very ordinary person, then?"
Ron frowned.
"And he's from Slytherin. So why would I have heard his name from Bill, or perhaps Charlie?"
"That brings us to the fight Blaine caused in the Forbidden Forest during his fifth year!"
Hagrid drained his basin-sized mug in one gulp, his bell-like eyes gleaming with shock.
"Even though that duel happened several years ago, recalling it now, I still can't quite believe it!"