Charlie, Harry, and the third person arrived outside Hagrid's hut.
Harry raised his hand to knock. Inside, there was a flurry of footsteps, followed by the sound of something falling over.
"Wait! I'm coming!" Hagrid's voice came from inside, tinged with nervousness.
The door opened.
Charlie felt his eyes had been tainted.
Hagrid was wearing a wrinkled, shaggy brown suit, and his red tie was printed with large, dazzling orange patterns that shimmered in the sunlight.
This combination was truly an eyesore, but his hair was even more outrageous.
His previously messy long hair was neatly combed, slicked back with plenty of hair gel, shiny and plastered to his head.
The hairstyle was exactly like Draco's, except Hagrid's head was several times larger.
"Charlie! You came at just the right time!" Hagrid rubbed his hands excitedly, his beard trembling slightly.
"Quickly, tell me, how do I look?"
Hermione's expression was somewhat rigid.
Her gaze swept over Hagrid, and she couldn't figure out where to begin her critique, yet she didn't want to hurt his feelings.
"Very... very unique." Hermione struggled to squeeze out the words.
"Right?" Hagrid grinned.
"This is the suit I wore when I attended James' wedding—oh, sorry, Harry, I mean, this is the suit I wore to the wedding back then. It was the most popular style at the time."
Harry waved his hand, not minding that Hagrid had mentioned his parents.
"Come in and sit down." Hagrid stepped aside from the doorway stiffly, clearly unaccustomed to the suit.
The hut was the same as always. Fang was lying by the fireplace, lazily wagging his tail when he saw Harry and the others enter.
"What are you planning to do?" Charlie asked directly.
Hagrid's face instantly flushed red, and he waved his hand awkwardly.
"N-nothing, just dressing casually."
"Dressing casually?" Ron couldn't help himself.
"Hagrid, fixing your hair like that and wearing a tie—that's not just dressing casually."
"I bet Percy didn't dress this formally even when he went on dates over the summer."
Hagrid's face grew even redder. He tried to scratch the back of his head, but the hair gel was stuck too tight for his fingers to penetrate.
Charlie guessed that Hagrid's outfit was likely meant for a date with Madam Maxime, the Principal of Beauxbatons.
Regarding this, Charlie felt the chances were slim.
The people from Beauxbatons are extremely arrogant, and Madam Maxime is haughty beyond measure.
A cold, stunning female Principal falling for me, who raises animals at school?
What kind of terrible script is this?
But Charlie didn't pour cold water on the idea; he simply wished Hagrid good luck.
"By the way, Hagrid, how many Blast-Ended Skrewts are left?"
Charlie hadn't forgotten the purpose of his visit and proactively asked.
Hagrid's expression immediately fell, and he sighed.
"There are only about ten left. I don't know when it started, but they seem to attack each other, and after killing one, they eat the body. I don't know what to do."
"But the good news is they grow quickly; they are already three feet long (about one meter)."
Charlie was quite knowledgeable about this, as he and Draco had eaten one the previous class, which had filled their stomachs completely.
"So, what will we do for class if the Blast-Ended Skrewts are gone?" Charlie asked with a serious expression.
Harry and the other two simultaneously turned their heads to look at Charlie, their eyes filled with shock.
That thing is so disgusting, wouldn't it be better if we didn't have to use it in class?
"You like Blast-Ended Skrewts too?!" Hagrid was like someone who had found a kindred spirit.
"That's wonderful! I thought no one liked them!"
"Of course I like them." Charlie nodded.
"Hagrid, you should get another batch of Blast-Ended Skrewts. We need to learn how to handle this type of creature."
[His Majesty toys with the Chief of the Imperial Stables, tyrant points +5]
Hagrid nodded vigorously, his beard shaking along with the movement.
"Exactly! That's the point! Handling dangerous creatures is inherently part of Care of Magical Creatures Class!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances; they truly couldn't understand Charlie's move.
Hagrid was clearly delighted that someone supported him.
"I'll go figure out how to get another batch right away! This time I'm going to research properly and see if I can control their habit of attacking each other."
Just then, the water in the kettle boiled, making a gurgling sound.
Hagrid rummaged through the cupboard for a few teacups and poured a cup for everyone.
"Oh, right, have you seen anyone sign up for the Triwizard Tournament?"
Hagrid sat down, and the chair groaned under his weight.
Ron took the teacup.
"Besides Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, we've only seen Charlie successfully sign up."
"Charlie signed up?" Hagrid was startled.
"But you're only fourteen. Didn't Dumbledore say only those seventeen and older could participate?"
Charlie shook his head.
"You wouldn't understand this. I'm 14 by actual age, 15 by nominal age, hovering at 16, and practically 17."
Hearing Charlie's dizzying theory, Hagrid nodded, somewhat bewildered.
"Is... is that how you calculate it?"
"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to cross Dumbledore's Age Line, right?"
Hermione couldn't help but laugh; Charlie was fooling someone again.
Hagrid quickly stopped dwelling on the matter and said mysteriously.
"Just wait, there will be lots of things you've never seen before. The first task is..."
Halfway through his sentence, Hagrid suddenly stopped, realizing he had almost spilled the beans.
"What is the first task?" Harry immediately pressed him.
Hagrid shook his head, keeping his mouth tightly shut.
"Hagrid, just tell us." Ron also leaned closer.
"Charlie is participating, so knowing beforehand will make it easier for him to win the championship."
Hagrid still didn't speak, just picked up his teacup and took a large gulp.
Hagrid, having been tricked into talking so many times, had finally learned his lesson: if he said nothing, he couldn't be tricked into revealing secrets.
Harry tried a few more times, but Hagrid refused to speak, so he finally gave up.
The group stayed in Hagrid's hut until three or four in the afternoon. At some point, a light rain began to fall outside.
Charlie sat by the fireplace, watching the raindrops hit the windowpane. The hut was warm and cozy.
"Hagrid, do you think House-elves are happy?" Hermione suddenly asked.
Hagrid was taken aback.
"House-elves? They're quite alright. The House-elves at Hogwarts are all very happy."
"Then what if, and I mean if, House-elves were freed one day? Would they be happier?"
Hermione knew Hagrid wasn't the sharpest, so she tried to keep her explanation simple and clear.
Hagrid said seriously.
"Hermione, it's in the nature of House-elves to look after humans; they like it this way. If you give them freedom, they will actually be sad because of it."
"Of course, there are exceptions in every species. Some House-elves might want freedom, but the vast majority of them would never fight for it."
Hermione nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more.
Charlie glanced at Hermione; her attitude towards House-elves was no longer as radical as it had been initially.
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