Hogwarts: What wicked thoughts could a little wizard possibly have?

Chapter 37 Forbidden Forest

Vaughn did not go to Hagrid immediately.

It wasn't until the next day, after receiving the small package from Zhu Weiqiong, that he carried it out of Hogwarts Castle with the fruit tea, followed a stone path over the mountain behind the castle, and arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

It was a flat meadow, which was frequently cleared to prevent the forest from expanding, and there were hardly any shrubs on the meadow.

Hagrid's house stood out in particular.

It was a small house made of planks, with a cobblestone path extending from the castle and leading to the front of the house. The stone foundation was covered with moss, and a simple fence stretched out to both sides along the foundation, enclosing a pumpkin patch behind the house.

When Vaughn arrived, Hagrid was sitting on the steps with a large copper basin at his feet, peeling potatoes.

Above, thick smoke billowed from the strange, pointed roof of the hut.

Seeing Vaughn approaching from afar, Hagrid put down what he was doing and wiped his huge hands on his apron again and again.

"Vaughn Weasley?" he shouted.

"It's me!"

Hearing the stranger's voice, a large dog ran out of the house barking. Hagrid quickly pulled it back, saying, "Tooth, you bad thing, shut up."

Vaughn quickly approached, glanced at the large, filthy dog, greeted it with a smile, and then held up the package in his hand: "Hello Hagrid, nice to meet you for the first time. I brought you a small gift."

"Ah, this..."

Hagrid's bushy beard flushed crimson, and he fumbled with his hands, unsure of what to do. After stammering for a while, he suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly pushed open the door.

"Please, please come in. You're too kind. I just wanted to give you some advice in person, I didn't expect it to be so formal, really..."

This mixed-race giant, who is classmates with Socket Man, doesn't have the maturity one would expect for his age.

He's so impulsive and clumsy, just like a little kid.

Vaughn followed Hagrid into the house. The small house didn't look very tidy, somewhat like the single dormitory Vaughn had when he first started working in his previous life. Many things were piled up haphazardly, but they could be found easily when needed.

The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly and was very warm.

A huge table and huge chairs were placed by the fireplace, with a mole fur coat and a small pink umbrella tossed on top.

Hagrid hastily grabbed them and tossed them aside, then asked Vaughn to sit down and poured him tea, muttering to himself:

"You really didn't need to bring a gift, it's too kind of you, I didn't prepare anything... Would you like something to drink?"

"...You're already pouring the tea, Hagrid."

"Oh? Oh... I'm sorry, I mean, very few people bring me gifts when they meet me, I'm a little nervous..."

Hagrid handed the tea to Vaughn and plopped down in his huge chair, his small, beetle-like eyes involuntarily glancing at the small package Vaughn had brought.

Vaughn smiled, opened the package, and inside was a picture book.

"Ron told me you really like animals. I'm sure I don't know as much about magical creatures as you do, so I asked Dad to buy you an animal picture book from Muggle society."

"There are animals from all over the world, some of which you may not have seen before. You can take a look to pass the time."

This gift clearly touched Hagrid's tender heart.

He carefully opened it and took a look.

The booklet is only the size of an average human; in the hands of Hagrid, who is 11 feet tall, it appears very small.

This made him cherish it even more, and after flipping through a few pages, he put it away.

Having received the gift, Hagrid found himself unable to say what he had prepared, and explained, "The matter of the Philosopher's Stone concerns Headmaster Dumbledore, which is why I specifically instructed you to keep it a secret. There was no other meaning behind it."

"I know, I haven't told anyone except Harry and the others, Hagrid, you can rest assured."

Hagrid breathed a sigh of relief, and then he heard Vaughn say, "Actually, I have a small favor to ask of you this time."

Hagrid immediately patted his chest: "What is it? As long as I can do it."

"I want to go for a walk in the Forbidden Forest."

"Ah..." Hagrid hesitated, then shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, little wizards can't go to the Forbidden Forest, Vaughn. I heard you're a good student, right? Don't be like your two older brothers, Fred and George. Those two little rascals give me a real headache..."

Vaughn interrupted him: "Listen to me, Hagrid. I'm not alone. I need you to be my guide and tell me what kinds of magical creatures and enchanted plants are in which places."

"Uh, what are you going to do?"

"I'm a pharmacist, and I'm currently preparing to develop a new potion. I'd like to observe in person what materials might be needed."

"this……"

Hagrid hesitated. He had also heard of Vaughn's reputation, of course, from Harry and Ron.

Seeing that his attitude had softened, Vaughn immediately launched into a long explanation of his ideas and significance for potions, as well as the difficulties in selecting materials.

Hagrid, the academically challenged student, was completely bewildered. After a while, he finally nodded blankly and said:

"Alright, alright, I can take you there, but we need to agree on this first: no deep into the Forbidden Forest, no places I think are dangerous, like the eight-eyed spiders and werewolves. Oh, and centaurs too, those guys aren't easy to talk to, they're always talking nonsense."

Hagrid is decisive and efficient.

Having agreed, and having confirmed with Vaughn that he was available today, he put on his mole-skin coat, picked up the stone crossbow placed by the door, and decided to take Vaughn for a stroll today.

"Tooth, hurry up... Oh—it's a very beautiful cat, Vaughn, what's its name?"

"Fruit Tea," Vaughn replied, then called out, "Fruit Tea, stop hitting Tooth, it's hiding under the bed."

A few more meow punches sent Ya Ya running away with its head in its hands, before Guo Guo Cha finally returned to Vaughn's side with its head held high.

Hagrid wasn't angry. He explained to Vaughn, "I'm not surprised at all. Tooth is a coward, a bully who picks on the weak, but he's a good helper to me. Many animals in the Forbidden Forest know him."

The two, accompanied by a cat and a dog, quickly entered the forbidden forest.

This forest, which has existed for countless years, has a completely different appearance from the outside world. The huge canopies of ancient trees block out the sun, stealing away almost all the sunlight, leaving only a few dappled spots to fall down, so that the forest is not completely dark.

Wisps of mist still lingered among the ancient, thick tree trunks in the field of vision.

Perhaps because it was daytime and not yet the time when most animals were active, the woodland was very quiet, and there was a feeling that the air was stagnant.

The only sound was the rustling of feet stepping over a thick layer of fallen leaves.

Vaughn drew his wand.

Noticing his movements, Hagrid reassured him, "Don't worry, I've lived here for decades, I absolutely won't let anything happen to you."

He had disagreed before, but now that they've actually entered the forbidden forest, he's become proactive.

Vaughn smiled, said nothing, and did not put away his wand.

He knew all too well that the Forbidden Forest was anything but safe this semester!