At 2:30 PM, William and Hermione put away their completed homework, then left the Common Room to go call for Harry and the others.
It had to be said, the rule that boys couldn’t enter the girls’ dormitory, while girls could enter the boys’, really left William speechless.
Upon entering the room, they saw the two of them playing wizard chess.
“Harry, it’s already 2:30.
It’s time to head out.
Hagrid’s place is a bit of a distance from the dormitory.”
As he spoke, William showed the time on his mechanical watch to the two of them.
“It’s already this late?
Let’s hurry,” Harry said anxiously.
“Not being able to see the time in the dormitory is really a huge hassle,” Ron complained.
Even Hermione agreed with this point.
Only the Common Room had a clock, which was a real nuisance for Hermione, who always planned her time carefully.
As for mechanical watches like William’s, Hermione was already thinking about asking for the price once she got home.
Soon, the three of them left the main building and headed toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest where Hagrid lived.
Because they had plenty of time, the four of them weren’t in a rush, and they took a rare moment to admire the scenery of the fields.
Of course, at this time of year, there wasn’t much to see in terms of natural scenery, but the four of them chatting and laughing added a youthful vibrancy to it.
After some time, the four of them saw Hagrid’s house.
It was less of a house and more like a small villa, though considering Hagrid’s size, it was understandable.
Immediately, the four of them quickened their pace, and before long, they arrived at the house, where a crossbow and a pair of rubber galoshes sat in front of the door.
“Look at this crossbow.
I imagine only Hagrid could pull it back,” William said.
He had some interest in this kind of weapon, but given its size, it was ultimately not something he could operate.
At this moment, Harry stepped forward to knock on the door.
Then, the four of them heard a few barks and Hagrid’s scolding voice.
Not long after, the door creaked open a little, and Hagrid immediately saw Harry standing in front of the door.
“Oh, I was just wondering when you’d arrive, Harry.”
As he spoke, Hagrid happily opened the door to welcome Harry.
Harry was also happy to see Hagrid, but when the door opened and he saw the giant black dog next to Hagrid, the smile on his face stiffened slightly.
Noticing Harry’s nervous state, Hagrid quickly said, “Don’t worry, Harry.
This is Fang.
Don’t let his appearance fool you; he’s actually quite cowardly.”
At this point, William also walked over with Hermione and Ron, as the two had been ignoring them during their conversation.
After walking closer, the three of them saw Fang, the giant black dog.
Honestly, just looking at its size, Fang did give off a dangerous vibe.
“Hagrid, good to see you again,” William greeted.
Then, Hagrid ushered the four of them into the house.
“Don’t be shy, make yourselves at home.”
As he spoke, Hagrid went to get tea and snacks for everyone, which resulted in Fang being freed and heading straight for Ron.
“Hagrid, this is Ron and Hermione.
They’re friends I just made.”
Harry introduced the two to Hagrid; as for William, they were already familiar, so there was naturally no need to introduce him again.
Hagrid came over with tea and snacks, and upon hearing this, he looked at Ron and Hermione, nodding at them in a friendly manner.
“I know.
A Young wizard from the weasley family.
Keeping his two brothers out of the Forbidden Forest has cost me so much energy.”
As for Hermione, she hadn’t yet earned her title as the “Know-It-All,” so Hagrid hadn’t heard of her.
“Nice to meet you both.
Come on, try my rock cakes.
I baked them especially to welcome you.” Hagrid was full of anticipation.
With a look like that, there was simply no way for them to refuse.
However, William knew how hard the rock cakes were, so he thought about giving the others a heads-up.
But before he could speak, Ron and Harry had already impatiently picked them up to start eating.
With the first bite, the two of them teared up from the impact, and the rock cakes didn’t even shed a single crumb.
Seeing this, Hermione pulled back the hand she had been about to reach out.
William’s mouth twitched, then he took out his wand, pointed it at the plate of rock cakes, and quietly cast a spell.
“Softening Charm.”
A flash of light passed, and William picked up a rock cake, tested it with his hand, and finding no issues, began to eat.
It had to be said, Hagrid’s rock cakes were actually quite good.
The ingredients were definitely top-notch, and the taste was excellent.
“That’s the Softening Charm.
William, you actually taught yourself this spell?” Hermione was surprised, but then she thought to herself that she needed to work even harder.
“It’s very practical, isn’t it?
Now, hurry and try Hagrid’s rock cakes.
They taste great after being softened, and the ingredients are high quality.
If I’m not mistaken, the milk added inside must be from magical creatures.”
Seeing that William truly liked them, Hagrid’s happiness was overflowing.
“Yes, when I’m patrolling, I often encounter magical creatures that need help.
This is part of the result.”
Harry and Ron put down the rock cakes in their hands and picked up the ones that had been treated with the Softening Charm to taste.
Sure enough, the taste was truly delicious. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Seeing the two about to wolf them down again, William quickly stopped them, saying, “Pay attention, everyone.
My Softening Charm doesn’t last very long.
Also, remember to chew them thoroughly before swallowing, otherwise, once the effect of the Softening Charm wears off, the rock cakes will go back to being what they were.”
Recalling the original hardness of the rock cakes just moments ago, Harry and Ron quickly returned to eating slowly and carefully.
Hermione didn’t change her pace; she had already anticipated this.
Watching the four of them interact, Hagrid was very happy that Harry had made good friends.
Immediately, the group ate and drank while chatting, though when it came down to it, Harry and Ron did most of the complaining.
Complaining about the moving staircases, complaining about homework, complaining about Filch, complaining about Snape.
Hermione and William listened, occasionally chiming in with a few words.
But soon the rock cakes were all eaten, and seeing this, Hagrid picked up the plate to get more for everyone.
And as Hagrid picked up the plate and left, a clipped newspaper article caught Harry’s eye.
It was a report about the illegal break-in at Gringotts Vault 713 on July 31st.
This date, and this vault, Harry remembered all too clearly.
“William, take a look at this.” Harry handed the clipping over.
William took it, scanned it, and then handed it to the curious Hermione, saying softly, “Fortunately, the item was taken away beforehand.
Not having any losses is a good thing.”
“Yeah, it’s good there were no losses.”
Although he said that, Harry was deep in thought.
When Hagrid returned, Harry couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked Hagrid to confirm if the item in the report was the small package Hagrid had retrieved.
To this, Hagrid stiffly changed the subject.
Although he didn’t give an answer, his reaction had already provided one.
After a long time, it was time for the four of them to say goodbye and leave.
As they were leaving, William finally spoke to Hagrid about his request.
“Hagrid, could you help me buy some Potion ingredients in Diagon Alley?
That way, the Potion I brew in Professor Snape’s class will be my own.”
Yes, the Potions they brewed had nothing to do with them, after all, the materials were provided by the school.
Hagrid agreed immediately; it wasn’t a big deal.
“Of course, no problem.
Tomorrow afternoon, same time, William, you can come and get them.”
“Okay, thank you, Hagrid.”
Taking out enough Galleons to give to Hagrid, William carried a bag of rock cakes that Hagrid had given to each of them, and went back with everyone.
And the only one interested in William’s topic was Hermione.
As for Harry and Ron, they were just thinking about learning the Softening Charm quickly, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to eat the rock cakes.