"Is that house-elf named Dobby?" Anthony asked.
"Who knows… Oh, wait, yeah, Malfoy did call him Dobby," Hagrid said. "How'd you know, Henry?"
Anthony remembered discussing the Malfoy house-elf who had infiltrated Hogwarts with Dumbledore. Aside from intercepting Harry's letters and framing him for underage magic, Dobby had also sealed off the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross, nearly making Harry and Ron miss the start of term.
"I've met him once," he answered. "What happened to that Dobby?"
"Ha! He left! Malfoy told him to get out of his sight immediately, not to disturb his Quidditch game," Hagrid scoffed. "Not to disturb—once that Bludger stopped acting up, Harry caught the Snitch in just over ten minutes!"
A gust of wind blew past. Rain hammered against his felt hat, water splashing onto his face. Anthony could barely keep his eyes open.
"This way, Henry," Hagrid said, leading him into the Forbidden Forest. "It's shorter."
The forest was pitch black in the rain. Icy droplets rolled endlessly from the trees, soaking through Anthony's rain cloak and making his robes cold and heavy. Hagrid strode ahead easily, pushing aside obstructing branches. Anthony, however, had to be careful with every step. The wet, soft mud squelched under his boots.
"I meant to ask you earlier, Hagrid," Anthony said. "What have you put in your hut this time?"
Hagrid's steps faltered for a second before he continued. His back was to Anthony. "That's… well… nothing…"
"Not another dragon?"
"What? Oh, no, of course not. That'd be too obvious." Hagrid hesitated, very obviously. "I'm just preparing Norbert's Christmas presents."
"What are you getting him?" Anthony asked curiously.
"Oh—well—" Hagrid said. "I've been worried Norbert won't adjust to life in the dragon reserve, so I've got him a whole crate of stoat sandwiches and rats."
"Sounds good," Anthony said, not understanding why Hagrid was being so evasive.
"He's just a baby. The other dragons at the reserve might bully him," Hagrid continued. "So I'm also planning to make him a set of dragon armor. Found the description and how-to in a book at the library. Dragon Coddlers, very professional. It listed several magical creature hides that can be used for armor. Like the hide of a Tebo…"
"A Tebo?" Anthony tried to remember, nearly walking into a low-hanging branch. "That's not cheap."
"Not just not cheap. It's bloody difficult to get," Hagrid said. "Forget Diagon Alley, can't find it in Knockturn Alley either. Even ran into a bloke trying to swindle me, telling me it was specially tanned Tebo hide… If that wasn't donkey hide, I'd eat a whole Tebo."
"If you can't find Tebo hide, maybe try other leathers?" Anthony said sympathetically. "Like—er—an Erumpent?"
To be honest, Anthony didn't think the dragon needed any armor. From the tone of Charlie's letters, it was less a concern of Norbert being bullied and more a concern of him burning down the reserve's dormitories.
"That's what I thought!" Hagrid said happily. "Didn't find a Tebo, but I saw someone smuggling Erumpents in Knockturn Alley—they were passing them off as Graphorns. But if anyone's daft enough to buy those horns, they'll be waiting for their house to blow to pieces. Besides the Erumpents, that vendor also sold Chimeras…"
"Please don't tell me you bought a Chimera, Hagrid," Anthony said sincerely.
"No, not bought," Hagrid said, sounding quite proud. "Because of the Muggle Protection Act, the Ministry did a sweep of Diagon and Knockturn. The trader knows I have… connections. Probably heard I got a dragon egg at the Hog's Head last year. He promised that if I could hide those Chimeras through the inspection, he'd get me several dozen feet of real Graphorn hide."
"Those," Anthony repeated.
"Yep. Five or six of them," Hagrid said. "They're fascinating… Did you know Chimeras shed their teeth?"
"How long have you had them, Hagrid?" Anthony asked.
"Less than a fortnight," Hagrid recalled. "But since they're shedding, they must be three or four-month-old cubs. That smuggler must have gotten some Chimera eggs but couldn't find buyers before they hatched… I'd love to know where he got them…" He finally noticed Anthony had stopped walking. "What's wrong?"
Anthony tried to recall the book's description. "Do you remember at what age Chimeras start showing aggression?"
"Four or five months. After they finish shedding," Hagrid said with familiarity. "I looked after Professor Kettleburn's Chimera… It was around that age it went to the reserve to fight a dragon. That's how it met Professor Kettleburn, got rescued and adopted by him. Lucky thing."
Anthony decided not to probe whether the "lucky thing" Hagrid meant was the Chimera for meeting Professor Kettleburn after being injured by a dragon, or Professor Kettleburn for meeting the Chimera.
He tried to explain the simple math. "That means in a month—possibly right now—the five or six Chimeras you're raising will start showing aggression."
"Yeah," Hagrid said cheerfully. "Their tempers have been getting worse lately. Fang won't sleep inside anymore. I made each of them their own little room with crates, but they seem to prefer chewing on the wood… I think one crate's been repaired five times, and three of those times it was completely smashed…"
"No, Hagrid. I mean your house will be smashed soon," Anthony said worriedly.
He pictured the scene: Hagrid might salvage his metal cookware and stone table. He could tell people he simply decided to enjoy his meals outdoors, so he smashed the house open—provided he could explain the five or six temperamental, strange-looking Chimeras running out of the ruins.
Hagrid waved it off. "Impossible. Professor Kettleburn keeps a Chimera too."
"And you're keeping five or six young, energetic ones," Anthony said. "They're also XXXXX-class creatures, same as dragons. Charlie Weasley might keep dragons, and Professor Kettleburn might keep a Chimera, but Hagrid, I'm guessing you don't have a permit."
"Alright, I won't keep them forever. Once the sweep is over, that bloke will take them all away," Hagrid said. "They're not cheap. He won't just give them up."
"Why not contact him now?" Anthony insisted.
"No hurry. I'll contact him after the Ministry sweep is done," Hagrid said dismissively. "Otherwise, those wicked folks will sentence these little ones to death for sure… They're always against interesting creatures."
Anthony wanted to say more, but Hagrid stopped walking, alert, his head tilted as if listening to something. Anthony stopped too, but his ears were full of the patter of rain, the howling wind, and the unique rustling of the forest. He looked up at Hagrid.
Hagrid listened intently for a moment, then glanced toward Hogwarts Castle.
"Strange. Something ran past," Hagrid muttered. "Doesn't belong to the forest. But not dangerous, either." He shook his head, puzzled. "Maybe some reckless student."
"I didn't hear anything," Anthony said.
The moment the words left his mouth, he heard a distinct rustle. The branches beside them shook, shedding droplets that pit-pattered onto the leaf-littered ground.
Anthony turned toward the dim woods, drew his wand, and whispered, "Lumos."
In the soft white glow, the branches were finally pushed aside. First, a black, skeletal head. Then the long mane on its neck… Thin, long forelegs, also black, with prominent, knobby joints. A dark body, flanked by folded, black, bat-like wings.
A Thestral.
"What are you doing here?" Hagrid said happily, holding out a hand in greeting. "Come on, Wuwu. You've met Henry."
The Thestral walked slowly from between the trunks. Its white eyes gave Anthony a cold look before turning to Hagrid, where it stood silently beside him. The rain still poured, but the droplets rolled off its sleek coat, leaving the black, skeletal body entirely dry.
Hagrid untied his russet cloak, fumbled inside it for a moment, and pulled out a piece of bloody beef.
"You smelled this, didn't you?" Hagrid said familiarly to Wuwu. "Only half for you. The rest is for the poor things in the shelter."
He held the raw beef, clamped it between his teeth, and tore with a powerful rip. The meat split in two. Bending over in the light of Anthony's wand, Hagrid inspected both pieces. He tossed the smaller, jagged one to Wuwu and stuffed the other back into his coat. He spat a few times, clearing bloody saliva from his mouth.
Wuwu lowered its head, sniffing the beef lying in a puddle. The morsel was insignificant compared to the massive Thestral. It bared sharp teeth, picked up the beef, tilted its head back, and swallowed it whole after a few chews.
It gulped a few times, shook its head, and stepped forward again, silent as a shadow.
"No. Can't give you the rest," Hagrid refused.
Anthony could still see traces of red between Hagrid's teeth. In the dim forest, his wild hair and beard were matted from the rain. He looked like some ferocious ogre, or perhaps just a big man with bleeding gums.
Wuwu stared at Hagrid with its unreadable white eyes for a moment, then turned its gaze to Anthony. Anthony held his steadily glowing wand aloft, meeting its stare.
Then another Thestral emerged from the trees. A third appeared behind Hagrid, gently nibbling the edge of his cloak. Soon, a fourth and a fifth followed.
"Go on, get!" Hagrid said, pulling his cloak from the Thestral's teeth. "I didn't bring that much beef."
Wuwu stretched its wings slightly, walked slowly to Anthony's side, and shook its head. The whole herd moved gracefully closer, their egg-white eyes fixed coldly on Anthony.
"Er… Hello," Anthony said. Being stared at by a group of tall, strange horses wasn't a pleasant experience. Especially when these skeletal "horses" had dragon-like heads and a pair of wings that would give a biologist a headache.
"You can scratch their necks, Henry," Hagrid encouraged. "They like that. It's how they show affection to each other."
"They like neck scratches, and I like places where it isn't raining…" Anthony said, slowly reaching out and placing his hand on the neck of the nearest Thestral.
It stood calmly, showing no reaction.
Anthony curled his fingers and scratched gently. Even just its neck, the Thestral felt like an undernourished horse.
"Brilliant, Henry, that's it!" Hagrid boomed. "I think it's starting to like you!"
Anthony met the gaze of the huge white eye inches from his face. He couldn't detect any emotion in it, let alone fondness.
"I wouldn't be so sure," he muttered, scratching again.
Whoosh.
The Thestral in front of him spread its wings. Anthony startled as the branches above rattled. Accumulated rainwater showered down, but not a single drop hit his hat. The massive creature had shielded both him and Hagrid with its wing.
"See?" Hagrid said, patting the Thestral's side affectionately. "They're clever creatures. Can tell friend from foe. And they're never stingy with help. I'd say the Thestrals seem quite taken with you."
Wuwu had moved behind Anthony. Apparently dissatisfied with his sodden felt hat, it nudged the hat aside with its nose, bumping against the back of his neck. Cold, sharp teeth brushed his skin.
Anthony found himself wondering if it also wanted its neck scratched.
Which made him start to wonder if he was losing his mind.
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