"Wake up, Ron, wake up! We agreed to visit Hagrid together!"
The sun was bright, and the sky was a flawless blue.
Harry pushed open the dormitory window, greedily inhaling the cool air of the early summer morning.
The sparkling Black Lake reflected a pale golden light that shone into Harry's emerald eyes, further awakening his spirit. The boundless forest and the majestic black mountains on the small plain in the other direction gave Harry a refreshing feeling of freedom, like a bird in the vast sky.
"Coming—"
When Harry turned around, Ron had already gotten out of bed and taken off his nightshirt. Shirtless, he was frantically trying to put on his shirt. One eye was open, but the other was still squinted shut.
"But before visiting Hagrid, Harry, we have to go to the Great Hall for breakfast... Hopefully, I can find the right way this time."
"No need, Ron—"
Harry said to Ron. His eyebrows were raised, dancing with excitement.
"I bet Hagrid will have breakfast ready for us—Oh, and I have to ask him why he didn't visit me even once during the two days I was in the hospital!"
Well, when you fear something will happen, it is very likely to happen—Ron's worry came true.
The intricate paths inside Hogwarts were no less than a maze for Harry. Although Ron had walked from the dormitory to the Great Hall a few times led by his brothers, when it was his turn to lead the way, he still couldn't find his bearings.
They were misled by the moving staircases more than once. On average, it took them at least twenty minutes to go down a single floor.
"I swear to you, Harry, if one day I become Headmaster, the first thing I'll do is blow up these stairs!"
Harry and Ron limped along, supporting each other (after getting their feet caught in a vanishing step).
"I believe you, I believe you—"
Harry said weakly. He had spent too much time finding the way and was already famished.
"But the most important thing for us now—Oh, let's turn back. We must have taken a wrong turn again. I'm sure we were just here!"
"Damn st—Ah, Professor Delfino!"
Turning around, a young face suddenly appeared in the boys' vision, startling them so much they shivered and stood up straight immediately.
"What are you two doing?"
Professor Delfino, who looked like he was about to knock on a door, looked them over—Harry couldn't blame his "savior" for that strange expression... because he knew he must look quite wretched right now.
"Er—looking for the way to the Great Hall, Professor—" Harry said.
"We're lost," Ron added sheepishly.
"You can get yourself bruised and battered just finding your way?"
Ares shook his head as if finding it laughable.
"Truly eye-opening, gentlemen... Hey, where is Miss Granger? Why isn't she with you?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other, seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.
"Um—we don't know her very well, Professor Delfino," Harry hesitated, speaking euphemistically.
"Oh, forgot—"
Ares patted his forehead lightly and muttered, "Right—haven't formed the team yet. So—"
He looked at the two little boys who were extremely unnatural in front of him.
"I'm going to visit Professor McGonagall. You can walk back, turn right at that fork, walk a bit further, then turn left. That's the way downstairs... Run along now."
So, following Professor Delfino's directions, the two trotted downstairs.
"Why did he think we would be with Granger, huh? Harry?"
Ron asked, confused.
"She's a girl, isn't she... And, in my opinion, an annoying know-it-all!"
"Don't know... let's talk about it later, Ron," Harry said.
"I just want to see Hagrid as soon as possible."
So, after a series of hardships and twists, they finally successfully reached the small wooden hut on the edge of the forest.
When Harry knocked, they heard a frantic scrambling from inside and several deep barks. Then came Hagrid's voice.
"Back, Fang, back."
Hagrid opened the door a crack, revealing his large, bearded face.
"Here you are! I thought you forgot the time!"
He said beamingly, struggling to hold onto the collar of a massive black boarhound to make room for the two boys to enter.
Harry looked around Hagrid's home—the hut had only one room. Hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the fire in the grate, and there was a bed in the corner.
This was a cluttered room that Aunt Petunia would absolutely not appreciate... Harry thought so, but he found it interesting himself.
To accommodate Hagrid's massive size, the few pieces of furniture in the room were oversized. He could almost use the stool by the window as a bed.
"We got lost, Hagrid—"
Harry said, not without complaint, pointing at Ron, who was being enthusiastically greeted by Fang.
"This is Ron, my roommate."
"Another Weasley brother, I reckon?"
Hagrid beamed at Ron's slightly constrained greeting, glancing at Ron's red hair and freckles.
"I spent half my life chasing those twins away from the forest."
After pouring the boiling water from the copper kettle into a large teapot, Hagrid dumped rock cakes onto a plate on the table—food was exactly what the two boys needed desperately.
Harry and Ron eagerly responded to Hagrid's hospitality, each grabbing a large piece and stuffing it into their mouths.
Crack!
Simultaneously, the two silently put down the cakes.
I should have listened to Ron and eaten something in the Great Hall first— Harry lamented inwardly.
"By the way, Hagrid, these past two days—"
Putting down the cake, Harry intended to question Hagrid why he hadn't visited. But before the words came out, he changed his phrasing.
"Didn't see much of you, Hagrid?"
"You must be blaming me for not visiting you, right, Harry?"
The seemingly rugged Hagrid actually had a sensitive heart. He caught Harry's "grievance." Sitting heavily on the bed, he patted his strong body and sighed.
"I wanted to go, Harry—but I was forbidden... Oh, don't worry, I didn't get into trouble, Harry. It's just that Madam Pomfrey thought the hospital was chaotic enough, and my mere presence there, even if I did nothing, would cause trouble for her!"
Ron pursed his lips, looking like he wanted to laugh but felt it wasn't appropriate.
It had to be said, Madam Pomfrey's judgment was accurate.
Hagrid gave up complaining about his size, and his gaze fell on Harry's face again, carefully examining the scars on his forehead... not the lightning scar, but the two scars caused in the accident—they had completely healed, temporarily leaving two light pink marks on his forehead.
Hagrid was very satisfied with this result. He looked at Harry with great interest.
"How do you like Hogwarts?"
"It's great!"
Harry said sincerely.
"But the past two days in the hospital were a bit boring."
"Oh, hehe—"
Hagrid laughed.
"There are plenty of people who would kill to be bored right now, Harry... Sigh, you haven't heard much news, have you? That's because Dumbledore kept those voices outside the school. But actually, the wizarding world has been turned upside down!"