Chapter 15 Your Friend [Rupert Hagrid] Sends a Friend Request
The sky gradually darkened.
The flat fields and grazing cattle and sheep disappeared,
replaced by towering mountains and lush forests.
Ron had long since given up.
Hermione, who had persisted until now, always eager to teach and talk too much, finally shut her mouth due to her physical limitations.
Taking advantage of Hermione's silence to recover, Ron and Neville quickly looked at Basil with eyes full of hope.
Harry even changed the subject: "Basil, did you know? You were in the newspaper today too. The Daily Prophet."
Basil, who had been thinking about how to befriend Hagrid and how to steal something valuable like a unicorn tail when visiting his cottage, suddenly looked up.
"A newspaper? No way! I left early this morning and got to the station at ten o'clock!"
Hermione nodded in agreement. "The Daily Prophet is mentioned in the book *The Magical Society of London*. This newspaper is mailed to subscribers by owl, and the deposit is 1 nut. It has a daily and an evening edition, the latter called the *Evening Prophet*. The weekend edition of the Daily Prophet is the *Sunday Prophet*."
"Today is Sunday, so Basil should be reading the *Sunday Prophet*!"
To prevent Hermione from starting to ramble on, Harry quickly admitted his mistake. "Maybe I'm mistaken."
Ron shook his head. "That's just what the book says. Except for themselves, we all call it the *Daily Prophet*."
"It's a Sunday newspaper, not a day or evening edition. The Transmutation Charm isn't just used to correct incorrect news."
"Important events of the day are updated in real time."
"That's why the newspaper you subscribe to at 7 a.m. records what Basil did at the station at 10 a.m.."
Even though he knew Ron wasn't as stupid as in the movies because of his previous behavior, Basil still looked shocked.
This is Ron?
Shouldn't Ron be the kind of idiot who only knows how to eat chicken legs with both hands?
Hermione wanted to say something more,
but Neville's sudden scream interrupted the spell.
"Rafer!"
Hermione exclaimed. "We're looking for your toad!"
Ron blurted out, "A toad? People still keep them? They're worse than rats, they were popular a few decades ago."
Basil was deeply moved. "He's back, he's back, the Ron we remember is back."
Harry covered Ron's mouth. "Let's help Neville look for him."
Alarm bells rang in Basil's mind.
Unlike the original owner of this body, he didn't like to travel. This was why he hadn't participated
in any of the activities he attended in his previous life at Youzhou No. 4 High School: watching movies at the Great Hall of the People, a week-long study tour to Japan, or a summer exchange program at Eton.
At most, he'd play golf on weekends. So, Basil quickly said, "Our things, our pets, will all be brought to our dorms by house-elves."
"Neville, just sit there."
"And if you've read 'Our Familiars,' you'll know that our first pet forms an invisible contract with us because of our attention." " That's why our pets are smarter and live longer than their Muggle counterparts." "While they're alive."
"Toad-raising wizards are more resilient."
"Domestic toads are highly adaptable to spells, making them excellent for practicing spells and testing potions."
"Their liquid-absorbing skin makes them convenient for testing potions that require oral administration."
"Lyford's that amazing?" Neville's eyes widened.
"What about owls?" Harry asked curiously.
"What about mice?" Ron patted Scabbers.
Hermione leaned forward slightly.
"Cats? I used all my magic coins to buy books; I'm
planning to get a cat as a pet next year." Basil shrugged.
"Owls are for delivering messages."
"If it's just for delivering messages or playing a little prank, they can find any wizard you know."
"The little wizards who keep them are more agile and have a better sense of direction."
"Mice are just longer-lived."
"The little wizards who keep them eat a lot but don't get fat easily."
Ron beamed, "Great! I can eat more and I don't have to worry about getting fat!"
Basil thought to himself, "That is, if it's really a mouse. But a mouse that lives for a maximum of three years, becoming a wizard's pet and living for almost eleven years, is just too outrageous. However, this is probably because very few mice are kept as wizard pets. Nobody knows how long a mouse can live after becoming a wizard's pet. That's why Ron's parents weren't surprised."
Then, he prepared to talk about the cat.
Hermione pleaded, "Basil, can you please stop talking about the benefits of having cats? I want to eat more without gaining weight too."
"Let me ask you something else. With the second and third cats, will our pets no longer have a contract?"
"Alright," Basil yawned. "With subsequent pets, our relationship with them will no longer be a contract, but a one-sided blessing. They will only enjoy the power of our attention—our magical magnetic field. By magicalizing their magnetic field, they will gain talents different from those of their Muggle counterparts."
"We wizards ourselves will no longer receive any feedback."
"If there were any feedback, the most powerful wizard right now would be Newt Scamander."
He then looked out the window.
The sky had turned a deep purple.
The ever-moving mountains were gradually filling with footsteps.
"It's probably too late to talk about cats now."
"Hogwarts, almost there."
Neville stood up, preparing to return to his previous cubicle to change his clothes.
Hermione also reluctantly left her cubicle temporarily.
The three in the compartment took off their outer garments and changed into black robes.
Ron's robe was a bit short, revealing his sneakers underneath.
A voice suddenly echoed on the train.
"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train; we will deliver it to the school for you."
Harry and Ron suddenly tensed up.
Ron even lost all color in his face.
But even so, he didn't forget to stuff the remaining snacks and candies into his pockets.
Driven by his remaining conscience, Basil twitched his little finger slightly, giving the food a thorough cleaning.
About five minutes later, the train slowly came to a stop.
After Basil and the other four met in the compartment, they followed the flow of people toward the doors.
Many students who recognized Basil greeted him.
Harry cleverly covered his scar with his bangs.
It wasn't until they stepped off into the cold night onto a dark, small platform that a deep voice completely revealed Harry's identity.
"First-year students! First-year students, come this way! Harry, come this way, how are you?"
Basil turned to see his future richest man, Hagrid, holding a lantern in his left hand and waving his right in Harry's direction,
as if afraid others wouldn't recognize him.
Instantly, the crowd parted, leaving a narrow passage between Harry and Hagrid.
Harry, embarrassed, wanted to dig a hole and escape, while waving his hand in the same way Basil had done earlier.
As the leader, he led the first-year students toward Hagrid.
Just as Harry was about to reach Hagrid, Basil jumped out and hugged him tightly.
He looked up, revealing a gentle, refined smile.
"I'm Harry's friend, Basil."
"You're Hagrid?"
"Harry has mentioned you a lot."
"Dumbledore's most trusted man, the kind big fellow, the guardian of the Forbidden Forest."
"Can we be friends?" Basil extended his right hand.
Hagrid hesitated for a moment, then saw Harry nod. He
also extended his large hand.
The large hand grasped the small hand.
[Ding-dong!] Your friend [Rupert Hagrid] has sent you a friend request.
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(End of Chapter)