Chapter 61 Necessary props for patrolling the forbidden forest at night
"Is everyone here?" Filch asked from the doorway, holding a lantern. Madam Norris, however, was not with him.
"Everyone's here," Aaron said, pointing to the others behind him. "Two Slytherins, three Gryffindors. That's assuming there aren't any other unlucky souls."
"Let's go!" Filch said nothing more, leading them out of the entrance hall. "Too bad we can't use the old methods of punishment anymore. Back then, detentions involved tying thumbs and hanging students in the basement. I really miss those screams."
"Isn't that a bit too perverted?" Aaron asked, intrigued. "Were those tortures for teachers? As far as I know, students in Hogwarts are all minors!"
"What do you know? At least during that time, Hogwartswas the most peaceful. There weren't so many mischievous, runaway students like you," Filch sneered. "I still have those chains in my office. I oil them regularly, who knows, maybe I'll get to use them someday."
The three Gryffindors looked terrified, each silently resolving never to make mistakes again, or at least never to be caught by Filch if they did.
The current punishment was already enough for them, but who knew if Filch would suddenly go crazy one day and punish them with the old methods? Just hearing those few sentences made their scalps tingle.
Draco's expression was also a little unnatural, but he wasn't worried. He had a rich and powerful father, so even decades ago, the school wouldn't dare to torture him.
Aaron, however, smiled indifferently. He was a rule-abiding person, and even if he wasn't, Filch couldn't catch him.
This incident was a complete accident. With a Professorblocking the door, no one could stand up to it; there was no chance to run.
"Mr. Filch, personally, I think Hogwarts is a bit too small for you. Azkaban is where they truly need talent like yours."
Filch's footsteps paused slightly. "I did consider transferring there to be a jailer or something, but unfortunately, they don't need me. Their methods of dealing with prisoners are far more brutal, something I could never achieve."
Aaron's mouth twitched. He had just said it symbolically, but it turned out the guy actually had that thought.
The group walked out of the Castle, crossed a patch of grass in the dark, and arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The lit windows of Hagrid's Hut were particularly noticeable in the night.
"What are we doing here?" Draco asked. "Isn't this detention?"
"Yes! Detention," a hint of cheerfulness appeared on Filch's face. "Didn't Professor McGonagall tell you? This forest is your detention room. You've got it all to yourselves. Tonight, you'll be with Hagrid; he has a small errand to run."
"That's good," Harry secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With Hagrid leading, this detention should be a bit easier.
"The Forbidden Forest?" Draco's face changed drastically, his voice trembling slightly. "Aaron, please tell me this is a joke. We can't go there, and we certainly can't go there at night."
"Are you scared?" Ron teased. "Malfoy is actually afraid of a forest."
"Aren't you scared?" Aaron asked, intrigued, then gave a thumbs up. "As expected of a Weasley, truly courageous. I just hope you don't wet your pants later."
"What do you mean?"
"Weasley, you idiot. Dumbledore explicitly said students are not allowed in this forest. Do you think that's a joke? I'll generously tell you, this forest is very dangerous, it even has Werewolves."
No sooner had Draco finished speaking than a wolf howl echoed from the Forbidden Forest, likely stimulated by the full moon piercing through the clouds, causing them to transform.
Ron shivered, instinctively clutching his sleeve, not daring to say a word.
"There's more than just Werewolves in that forest," Filchturned around and added, "That's for sure."
Hagrid walked out of his Hut, carrying a lantern identical to Filch's, with his pet Fang following behind him.
There were faint tear streaks on his face, as if he had just been crying.
"These are a bunch of troublemakers, Hagrid," Filch said.
Hagrid didn't speak, just choked back a breath, as if he had suffered some immense grievance.
He walked over to the bonfire, slung a quiver of arrows over his shoulder, and then checked his crossbow again.
"Good heavens! You're not still sad about that dragon, are you?"
Hagrid looked up at Filch. "Norbert is gone. Dumbledorearranged for him to go to Romania to live in a colony."
"Isn't that great?" Aaron chuckled. "He can be with his own kind, you don't have to worry about not being able to afford him, and you don't have to worry about your house suddenly being torn down by him."
"It's easy for you to say," Hagrid looked at Abey, who was following at Aaron's feet. "Would you be willing to let Abeyleave you to live in a colony?"
"Don't even think about it. I raised him myself."
"Well, there you have it. Norbert is still a baby. What if other dragons bully him? What if he doesn't like living in a colony?"
"Uh…" Aaron frowned. "Actually, you could think of it this way: maybe he likes living in a colony, and maybe other dragons will protect that little baby."
Hagrid nodded, but the dejection on his face didn't dissipate in the slightest.
"I said, that's enough. You need to cheer up, don't be sad. You still have to go to the Forbidden Forest later!" Filch said, turning to look at the group. "Good night, I hope you all come out safely, otherwise I'll have to go in and collect your bodies."
With that, Filch started to walk towards the Castle.
"Wait!" Aaron stopped him.
"Is there something? If you're asking me for something, just give up! The punishment was set by Professor McGonagall, I can't undo it."
"No, Mr. Filch, you misunderstood. The Forbidden Forestdoesn't scare me. In fact, I wanted to go in and see it during the Christmas holidays, but Professor McGonagall didn't agree then."
"Then why did you stop me?" Filch asked, puzzled. "You're not going to ask me to go in with you, are you? That's truly far-fetched."
"Not at all," Aaron shook his head, pointing at the lantern Filch was carrying. "I just want that. It's the middle of the night, and the place we're going is a dark forest. One lantern for six people is clearly not enough!"
"Oh!" Filch suddenly understood. "But what does that have to do with me? This is all your own doing, isn't it? You should have thought of this before you caused trouble."
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. You have to consider the consequences before doing bad things. But aren't we receiving punishment right now? We just need a small lantern, you wouldn't disagree, would you?"
"No, of course I wouldn't agree," Filch sneered. "I have no sympathy for students who make mistakes, so don't expect me to help you, not even a little."
"Forget it, Aaron, don't bother him," Draco said, annoyed.
"Come on! The danger level of this forest increases significantly at night. If we can't see clearly, we might stumble into some beast's lair."
"No, the creatures in the Forbidden Forest will give me face," Hagrid said, proudly puffing out his chest. He had a good relationship with the creatures in the Forbidden Forest and was confident in saying such a thing.
"Animals might give you face, but what about plants? You should know that animals aren't the only dangers in a forest."
Hagrid paused, recalling the various injuries he had sustained due to the uneven terrain in the Forbidden Forest, and didn't know how to refute. But it seemed, getting another lantern was necessary.
"Filch, you see this…"
"Hagrid, you don't need to persuade me. Don't blame me for not giving you face."
"I'll buy it," Aaron said directly.
"This is property assigned to me by the school; I don't have the right to sell it to you."
"Then renting it is fine, right?!"
"Hmph! I don't agree."
Aaron held up a finger. "One Galleon for one night's rent."
"I admit the price is fair, but I'm not short on that kind of money."
"Five Galleons."
"This…" Filch hesitated. He didn't have many expenses, and he had saved a considerable sum of money over his many years at Hogwarts, enough for his retirement. But no one dislikes having more money, yet seeing five students who had made mistakes in front of him, he still gritted his teeth, "It's not about the money."
"Ten Galleons. If you don't agree, then forget it. At worst, I'll take a loss and use a Lumos charm for light; I still know that spell."
"Wait, deal," Filch quickly placed the oil lamp into Aaron's hand, afraid he would regret it.
"Just a moment," Aaron picked up Abey and, under its reluctant gaze, reached into the pocket of its clothes. After fumbling for a while, he pulled out a handful of Galleons. "Not too many, not too few, exactly ten."
The transaction was complete. Filch clutched a handful of gold coins, swaying as he disappeared into the night, while Aaron held a brightly glowing lantern.