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"Uh... never mind, just don't wander into this forest."
Hagrid abruptly changed the subject.
"All right."
Morris shrugged; it was clearly the big guy in front of him who had brought up the topic.
Eight-eyed giant spider—that's certainly a name that evokes a lot of imagination.
Incidentally, he is not afraid of furry arthropods.
I even kind of like it.
It would be even better if we could raise a few.
He secretly memorized the name "Eight-Eyed Giant Spider" and planned to look up relevant information when he got back.
"We're almost there." Hagrid suddenly lowered his voice, gesturing for Maurice to slow his pace. "The Thestrals' habitat is in that clearing ahead."
They passed through the last patch of bushes, and suddenly the view opened up before them.
This is a forest clearing surrounded by giant trees, where sunlight can barely penetrate the canopy, making it exceptionally quiet.
Several emaciated black creatures stood there quietly, very similar to the one that had carried Maurice last night.
It was Yeqi.
Strangely, Morris felt that he had attracted the attention of almost all the Thestrals present.
"They're rather shy," Hagrid said happily. "The first time I tried to tame them, it took me three whole days to get them to let their guard down, and that wasn't easy."
"Uh…" Morris scratched his head, "I don't think they're that shy."
Well, how should I put it?
He seemed to see a kind of... passion in the pale eyes of those Thestrals?
It was as if they had seen some rare treasure.
At this moment, the lead Thestral raised its head and let out a long, drawn-out neigh that echoed throughout the Forbidden Forest.
Something shocking happened.
More and more Thestrals emerged from the shadows of the forest.
They converged from all directions, surrounding Maurice and Hagrid.
A rough estimate suggests there may be several dozen.
"Look, they're welcoming us!" Hagrid stretched out his hands to the nearest Thestral, his face full of anticipation. "Come here, my good boy."
The Thestral slowly took a step closer.
Then, it went straight up to Maurice and nuzzled his chest affectionately, completely ignoring Hagrid, who was standing with his arms outstretched beside him.
"..."
Hagrid froze on the spot.
Chapter 29 Attack
Morris had no idea what had happened.
However, it is certain that he seems to be very popular with the Thestrals.
When he touched the neck of the lead Thestral, all the Thestrals came over affectionately, circling around him and even pushing Hagrid aside.
"This…this is truly extraordinary." Hagrid forced a smile, but it looked like a forced one. "You seem to be very popular with the Thestrals. They have never shown such enthusiasm to anyone, not even me."
Maurice was surrounded by the Thestrals, somewhat bewildered.
He could clearly feel the joy and closeness emanating from these mysterious creatures, like long-lost relatives.
No, they don't seem like family.
It's more like they treat him like a leader.
But why is that?
What is it about him that attracts these creatures?
Morris tried to climb onto the back of a Thestral—which, obviously, welcomed his impolite behavior and let out a happy cry.
"Hagrid, could you please tell me about this animal?" He steed Thestrals to Hagrid's side and asked, "I know absolutely nothing about them."
"Sure," Hagrid replied with little interest. "Thestrals are very special magical creatures; only those who have witnessed death can see them. Because of this, many wizards believe they bring bad luck, but in reality, they are very gentle. I think you've already seen that."
Morris nodded thoughtfully, his fingers unconsciously stroking the Thestral's back.
Only those who have witnessed death can see Thestrals.
In other words, Thestrals are creatures deeply associated with "death".
This may be why Thestrals are close to him.
They are the same kind in some sense.
Although he was only a novice, he was still a necromancer and had had some close contact with "death".
For example, those two undead creatures that he personally awakened.
"Thestrals have an excellent sense of direction," Hagrid continued. "The carriages at Hogwarts are pulled by Thestrals. They can find their way accurately in any weather conditions and never get lost."
As if to confirm Hagrid's words, the Thestral beneath Maurice suddenly spread its enormous, bat-like wings and flapped them twice, prompting the surrounding Thestrals to follow suit.
Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings filled the open space.
Hagrid watched this scene and said sourly, "They never let me ride them."
"Perhaps it's because they can't carry you." Maurice dismounted from the Thestrals.
Hagrid looked down at his massive body, then at the emaciated Thestrals, and his expression softened slightly.
That seems... to make sense.
He clapped his hands, perking up again. "Alright, let's get down to business. Maurice, do you remember which Thestral carried you away yesterday?"
Morris surveyed the herd of Thestrals.
"Hmm…" He touched his chin and said with difficulty, "This may be a little difficult because they all look exactly the same."
"How could that be?" Hagrid's eyes widened in surprise. "They're all different!"
Morris shrugged helplessly.
In his opinion, these black guys all looked pretty much the same.
Moreover, there are dozens of Thestrals here.
It was quite a challenge for him to find the one he had seen last night among so many Thestrals.
"How should I reply to Professor McGonagall?" Hagrid scratched his head in frustration.
"Just make up any excuse," Morris said casually, treating Hagrid like family. "Actually, yesterday was a complete accident. The Thestral was just fooling around with me. It's nothing serious."
"That's all we can do," Hagrid sighed.
His main concern was that the Thestrals might harm the students.
If something really goes wrong, it will be a huge problem—he learned this the hard way a long time ago.
But look at Thestrals' current behavior towards Maurice—
Look at them! These normally shy creatures are practically rolling around and begging in front of Maurice, not at all trying to hurt him.
but!
He can't accept it!
These little guys are usually only allowed to be close to one person!
Hagrid grew angrier the more he thought about it.
"Can we go back now?" Morris asked, noticing that Hagrid's expression was getting increasingly strange.
"Let's go." Hagrid waved.
Morris nodded and announced to the Thestrals, "Now, disperse!"
An astonishing scene unfolded.
The Thestrals understood Maurice's command and retreated in unison, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the Forbidden Forest.
The entire open space instantly became empty, with only a few fallen leaves remaining.
Hagrid stared in disbelief at the scene.
Wait a minute, he's the tamer, so why would the Thestrals listen to Maurice?
Morris was also somewhat surprised.
He had only said it casually, but he didn't expect the Thestrals to be so obedient, and even to understand the meaning of his words so accurately.
He turned to Hagrid, who was still in a daze, and said, "Let's go, Hagrid, it's almost lunchtime."
Hagrid then came to his senses and led Maurice away from the open space.
Throughout the journey, he kept asking Morris how he managed to make the Thestrals so obedient.
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