Everything at Hogwarts, from the sky to the ground to the water, including student pranks and extracurricular activities, seemed to be inextricably linked to magic.
The logic was probably: if what you did had no magical component, wouldn't you be no different from a Muggle?
It's understandable that when the Hogwarts Keeper of Keys and Groundskeeper—Rubeus Hagrid—saw a scrawny Little Wizard climbing a tree with his bare hands, he was so astonished he couldn't close his mouth—
Why was he climbing a tree?
Was he really just climbing a tree?
Why was he climbing so skillfully?!
"Successfully climbed ten meters vertically continuously, Climbing Skill +1"
"Successfully climbed twenty meters vertically continuously, Climbing Skill +2"
This was Regulus, a veteran gamer, diligently grinding skill proficiency. Unlike the days of excitedly clicking mice, tapping keyboards, and straining eyes and liver—he genuinely had to find a high place, use both hands and feet, and climb up himself.
At this moment, how he wished the game he played before transmigrating wasn't assassin's creed, but Hogwarts Legacy—how strong he was in that game, probably no one would ever know.
...
"Hey, kid, what are you doing?!" Hagrid squinted for a moment, then finally shouted up, "Be careful, come down!"
Regulus, who was concentrating on climbing the tree, almost slipped—that's not right, he was hidden in the tree, no one should be able to see him.
Did the Stealth state fail?
He looked down from the high treetop, below the layers of leaves stood a bushy-bearded half-Giant, leading a massive Black hound, a pair of Black beetle-like eyes shining under his hair, looking up at him nervously—
It was Hagrid!
Presumably, the Stealth failed because of his Giant bloodline?
A smile he didn't even notice himself surfaced on Regulus's face, and he readily, with a mix of jumping and sliding, quickly dropped from the tree to the ground.
Looking at the familiar little Slytherin in front of him, Hagrid frowned.
"Hello, sir. You must be Mr. Hagrid, the Groundskeeper." Regulus said cordially, bowing, "Regulus Black—at your service."
"Uh, oh, it's you, the little Black from Slytherin." Hagrid was a bit flustered by Regulus's formal words and inexplicably friendly attitude. For a moment, he seemed to want to extend his hand to shake, but ultimately did nothing, "I'm Hagrid, you don't need to serve anything. Uh, what are you doing here?"
"I'm climbing a tree, sir."
"Climbing a tree? But, why?"
"I believe Wizards should exercise, sir!" Regulus said emphatically, "Wizards certainly have various abilities and long lives, but they are too fragile. If Wizards could all be as strong as you, I think they could better prevent danger and enjoy the world, sir."
"So you just climb trees?" Hagrid asked suspiciously, then added, "Also, you don't need to call me sir..."
"Okay, sir." Regulus said seriously, "Climbing trees is a very good sport, you can enjoy the wonderful sunshine and fresh air outdoors. Climbing high, you can also admire the scenery of the Castle and the Forbidden Forest. And climbing trees is a full-body exercise that can improve core physical fitness, enhance self-confidence, and relieve stress..."
"Alright, alright," Hagrid nodded, finding it quite reasonable, but also inexplicably wanting to laugh, "However, falling down is no joke, little Black."
"Also, you don't need to call me sir—just call me Hagrid."
"Okay, Hagrid." Regulus leaned over and stroked the hound's head; its fur was quite stiff and a bit prickly.
The Black hound was well-behaved, completely unlike its fierce appearance. He wondered if it was Fang.
"Looks like Fang likes you," Hagrid smiled, "So, are you going to continue climbing trees?"
Looks like it's not Fang.
"I'm just tired of climbing, Hagrid. What are you going to do, can I follow?"
"Uh, okay. But you have to keep up. Fang, let's go."
...
When in the company of straightforward, simple, and decent people, one often feels full of vitality and energy.
Therefore, walking with Hagrid, Regulus talked much more, as if he had met a friend from his student days.
"Is the job of Groundskeeper fun? Keeper of Keys, how many keys do you have to keep?"
"With so many magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest, have you interacted with all of them? Which one is your favorite?"
"You know so much! I think you could totally teach us 'Care of Magical Creatures'."
(Hagrid's face, hidden beneath his thick beard, quietly turned red)
"You're so familiar with the school, where do you think is suitable for practicing rock climbing—climbing trees and mountains count, but the slope has to be steep."
"Your hut, can I have a chance to see it?"
...
Hagrid was also having a great time chatting—very few students treated him with such respect and interest, and even fewer younger students weren't afraid of him at all. Not to mention, this student was from Slytherin, the house he disliked the most, or rather, the house that disliked him the most.
But this little Black, he couldn't dislike him at all. Even Fang liked him, and he knew Fang was very spiritual and intuitive.
"You really jumped from the Astronomical Tower?... Are you really a Slytherin?" Hagrid said, "You like adventure so much, you should come to our Gryffindor."
"Of course, we Slytherins are just a bunch of kids, all sorts of kids," Regulus nodded, and started talking nonsense again, "Besides, you know, my brother is in Gryffindor, we're diversifying our investments."
"Speaking of which, have you seen my brother and them? Has he been to your hut?"
"Ah, then I'll bring him to find you, okay?" Regulus said eagerly.
...
The two walked and talked until a very noticeable large willow tree appeared not far away, and Regulus's gaze was completely drawn to it—
The thick trunk was twisted, and the stout branches extended at strange angles, some branches almost as thick as a boa constrictor. In the summer breeze, the tree twitched unnaturally, full of a villainous, violent aura that screamed "don't mess with me."
"You probably haven't learned about this plant yet, have you? It's quite rare!" Hagrid led him closer, his eyes shining, "This was transplanted from somewhere else about two years ago, and I even helped."
"Whomping Willow." Regulus stared at the tree in front of him without blinking, and softly spoke its name.
"You actually know that. For a Little Wizard your age, you're really well-informed." Hagrid chuckled, "Then you must know it's very dangerous. If you're practicing climbing trees, absolutely don't climb here."
"Of course." Regulus nodded vigorously, cautiously observing the tree, but just by looking, he couldn't find any place to grab onto.
"Pomona asked me to come over and give it some more fertilizer before the full moon, saying she wanted to make sure this tree could fight in every direction."
Regulus clicked his tongue in wonder—this willow tree already looked full of fighting power, didn't it? Professor Pomona Sprout even thought it wasn't enough.
They're all tough people.
Hagrid pulled out a pink umbrella from under his coat pocket, trying to remember: "I should bury some manure on the northeast side. Yes, the northeast side."
"I'll go apply some fertilizer, you stay here, don't move," Hagrid instructed.
"Hagrid, is it safe for you to apply fertilizer like this?"
Hmm? Hagrid stopped.
"I remember reading somewhere that the Whomping Willow usually has a weak point, and if stimulated, it will stop for a while—do you know about that?"