The Weasley twins had nothing better to do, so they eagerly followed behind Sean, planning to visit Hagrid's hut together.
Sean glanced back at them but said nothing, letting them tag along. It wasn't anything dangerous anyway—having them around might even liven up the atmosphere.
It was just past eleven, yet thin curls of smoke were already rising from Hagrid's chimney.
Isn't it a little early to be making lunch? Sean thought.
The three of them walked up to the hut. Sean called out for Hagrid a couple of times. After a moment, the wooden door slowly creaked open.
But the face that appeared in the gap wasn't Hagrid's.
"Mick, is Hagrid not here again?" Sean asked.
Mick made no move to invite them inside. Holding the door half-open, he examined the three visitors carefully. He had already seen Sean twice, but the Weasley twins behind him were new faces.
Before Mick could respond, Hagrid's voice came from inside.
"Sean, is that you? Come on in!"
Only then did Mick reluctantly step aside. The door swung open, and the three boys—plus one Kneazle—entered the hut.
Hagrid was standing by the fireplace in the inner room, busy with pots and pans. It looked like he was preparing lunch. Without turning fully around, he greeted them over his shoulder.
Hagrid was always happy to see Sean visiting his hut, though Mick's presence made the atmosphere slightly more tense.
"Sean. And the two Weasleys."
Then Hagrid's attention was caught by Jerry in Sean's arms.
He immediately dropped the chunk of beef he was holding and walked over excitedly.
"What's this adorable little fellow? Sean, is that a Kneazle you're holding?"
Hagrid was an expert when it came to magical creatures. He recognized Jerry instantly.
Sean deliberately set Jerry down on the floor, letting him wander freely around the hut.
But aside from wreaking havoc in the dormitory, Jerry showed little interest in destroying things elsewhere. Instead, he strolled around slowly with the dignified steps of a cat.
"Jerry was a birthday gift from my uncle Hearns," Sean explained.
Whenever Hagrid saw a magical creature, his mood brightened immediately. His eyes followed Jerry's movements as he spoke.
"Kneazles are intelligent creatures. If you treat them well, they'll be loyal only to you."
Sean chuckled awkwardly.
"I'm not sure whether we're on good terms yet."
Jerry wandered around like a curious old lady taking a stroll.
He passed by the Weasley twins' feet, then walked over to Mick. After circling around Mick's legs once, he calmly returned to Sean's side as if nothing had happened.
Sean felt puzzled.
The two people he suspected—Morisse and Mick—had both shown no reaction from Jerry.
That meant one of them was wrong: either his suspicion or Jerry's instincts.
But the rumor that Kneazles could judge a person's character was widely known. Could it be that Jerry wasn't actually a Kneazle?
That seemed unlikely. Mrs. Figg was a trustworthy person; she wouldn't sell a fake.
Did I misjudge things? Are Morisse and Mick actually fine? Sean began to doubt his earlier suspicions.
Mick, meanwhile, showed no interest in the visitors at all. Sitting by the window, he quietly read a book written in a foreign language.
Sean couldn't identify Mick's accent, but he recognized the writing.
Greek.
Sean only knew a few Greek words, but that was enough for him to confirm that Mick was Greek—just like the deceased Quintus.
Their appearance at Hogwarts was definitely not a coincidence.
"Hagrid, are you cooking lunch?" Fred asked, glancing toward the fireplace.
"Yes," Hagrid replied.
"Good heavens, look at the size of that!" George stared at the enormous beef leg. "Hagrid, you really can eat."
Hagrid waved his hand with a cheerful grin.
"I'm actually on a diet lately, eating less. That's not for me."
"Then it's for him?" George said, pointing at Mick with surprise.
Mick ignored him completely and kept reading his book.
At that moment, Hagrid demonstrated once again how easily he let things slip.
"Of course not—that's for Fluffy."
"By the way, where's Fluffy?" Sean asked immediately, seizing the opportunity.
"I sent him to the Forbidden Forest last night. I'm planning to take his food over later."
At that moment, Mick closed his book and looked up sharply, his gaze fixed intensely on Hagrid.
Hagrid froze.
His mouth snapped shut as if someone had pressed pause on him. He quickly covered it with his hand, afraid he might say more.
Sean now confirmed that Fluffy had indeed been moved to the Forbidden Forest.
But his earlier assumption had been very different.
He had thought Hagrid moved Fluffy there simply because the creature had grown too large to keep in the hut, letting him roam freely in the forest.
"Fluffy? What's that?" the Weasley twins asked curiously.
They had no idea about the three-headed dog.
"That's one of Hagrid's pets," Sean explained quickly for Hagrid. "He had to move it to the Forbidden Forest because it got too big."
Hagrid nodded vigorously beside him.
"That's right. He got too big, so I had to send him there."
Sean had accidentally helped Hagrid out of a difficult situation without realizing it.
Mick's suspicious gaze also returned to his book.
Sean failed to notice that brief exchange of looks—otherwise, he might have become even more convinced that Mick was hiding something.
"What kind of pet is so big it can't fit inside the hut? A dragon?" Fred guessed wildly.
Hagrid laughed happily.
"No way! I'd love to raise a dragon, but that's illegal."
Sean muttered to himself, Well, your wish will come true next year.
The three of them didn't stay for lunch despite Hagrid's enthusiastic invitation.
Sean's real purpose had been to test Mick—but once again, he gained nothing.
"Hey, genius," Fred said as they walked away. "Interested in attending the first-years' party tonight?"
Sean gave him a speechless look.
"A first-years' party? What are you doing there? Didn't you attend one last year? Or are you planning to show off as an upperclassman?"
Fred grinned smugly.
"I've finally survived a year and am no longer a first-year. Can't I show off a little?"
"Then why invite me? I didn't even attend my own first-year party last year," Sean replied irritably.
"That's exactly why—you can make up for what you missed," Fred said.
George immediately exposed him.
"Oh, come off it. You just bragged too much to the new students."
Sean looked at Fred curiously.
"What did you brag about?"
George answered with a grin.
"He told the new first-years that the genius second-year, Sean Grylls, is his best friend—and that he'll invite you to their welcome party tonight."
Only then did Sean understand.
Fred simply wanted to show off his connections.
Among the second-years, Sean's closest friends were Cassius, Chris, Graham, the Weasley twins, and Cedric.
Sean's achievements had already become popular stories among the upperclassmen, and the new students heard about them on their very first day.
As a result, many of them were curious—and even a little awestruck—by this famous second-year prodigy.
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