Unusual Abilities

In Pomona's heart, the head of Hufflepuff House ought to be like the hostess of a banquet: noble, gentle, rosy-cheeked, smiling warmly, dressed in a golden gown, with thick black hair and fresh flowers picked from the fields in her hair. She should be the center of the feast, with everyone bowing to her as she passed.

Yet reality was a woman with a pipe clenched between her teeth, wearing filthy robes, sitting sprawled on a rock with a hat on her head that was nearly as old and worn as the Sorting Hat.

Perfume? That was impossible. People who spent all year dealing with animals carried a heavy smell, and with the half-giant Hagrid added to the mix, Pomona felt she was about to faint from the stench.

Though Centaurs took life and death lightly, they placed great importance on the younger generation. One young Centaur had been injured, and his uncles, elder uncles, maternal cousins, and paternal cousins had all come. They had powerful muscles, skin gleaming as though rubbed with olive oil, sharpened spears and bows in their hands, and beards and hair carefully braided. They looked like a band of warriors marching to war.

Their senses were exceptionally sharp. The moment Pomona and Lupin appeared, they noticed them, arrows trained on them. Only after realizing that the newcomers were merely two "human cubs" did they lower their guard.

"What do you want?" a Centaur asked in accented human speech.

"I'm looking for my Head of House!" Pomona said, gathering her courage. Every man before her was over two meters tall and terrifying to behold. "I'm a Hufflepuff student!"

Wilhelmina raised her head at the sound. She removed her pipe and called loudly, "What is it?"

"I need wolfsbane seeds!" Pomona shouted back across the group of Centaurs.

"What do you want that damned stuff for?"

"I need to change the properties of the soil," Pomona yelled. "Dumbledore planted a Whomping Willow in the school, and he planted it in clay. That tree has gone mad with rage."

"Go find Madam Pomfrey in the infirmary. She has the key to my father's office." Wilhelmina put the pipe back between her teeth and continued treating the young foal. "I'm busy!"

Pomona truly had no idea why Dumbledore kept a teacher so irresponsible toward students. She turned and left at once.

"Wait." Just as they turned to leave, a Centaur looked at Lupin and said, "You cannot go into the castle."

"Dumbledore gave me permission. I can live in the castle." Lupin stared at the Centaur, nervously clenching his fists, before saying to Pomona, "Let's go."

But the Centaurs broke into motion, and after only a few strides, they had surrounded them. Not only did they block their path, but they also leveled their spears at them.

"The Veela half-blood may leave. You must stay." The Centaur who had spoken earlier said, "You are too dangerous to humans."

Pomona turned to look at Lupin. His expression was calm.

"I will not hurt my friends or classmates."

"You can say that now, but you won't be able to when the time comes!" The Centaur moved the tip of his spear closer to Lupin. "Leave!"

"He is not the one who hurt your son, Dolen. That thing was much bigger than he is." Wilhelmina held her pipe in hand. "I know you are angry, but how to deal with him is a matter for us humans. You cannot interfere rashly out of misplaced anger."

The Centaur called Dolen scrutinized the two of them, then stepped aside with an enraged expression. Yet Pomona and Lupin did not dare move, because they could both feel that near-tangible fury.

"It's getting dark, Hagrid. I can handle things here. Take them back to the castle."

"As you wish, Professor." Hagrid handed the young foal to a Centaur, then slowly walked toward them.

Only when he came close did Pomona realize just how enormous he was. And he was only a "half"-giant. Heaven knew how tall a true giant would be.

"Come on, little ones. If you're any later, you'll miss dinner."

The legendary savage, bloodthirsty giant carried a pink umbrella covered in yellow polka dots. At that moment, Pomona sincerely wished she truly had gone mad.

She should have just gone to the Slytherin dungeons for some wolfsbane seeds. Why had she run all the way from the castle to the Forbidden Forest?

They left the Centaurs' attack range as quickly as possible. By then, the sky had begun to turn deep blue. When they passed Hagrid's hut standing alone in the wilderness, he said, "Wait here a moment." When he emerged again, he was carrying a lantern.

"There's a curfew at the castle at night. If you get back after that, make sure Pringle doesn't catch you. He's careless in his work, but when it comes to punishing people, he shows no mercy. Arthur Weasley was once whipped badly enough to leave scars, they say. Not even potions could remove them."

"It was only coming back a little late. How could the punishment be so severe?" Pomona cried.

"Actually, he wasn't out late. He was out early. At four in the morning, he and his girlfriend Molly were walking by the Black Lake when Pringle caught them. He took the whipping for Molly." Hagrid shifted his gaze to Lupin. "If you were caught, would you take her punishment for her?"

"Even though she isn't my girlfriend, why not?" Lupin said with a smile. "It would be awful for a girl to be left with scars."

Pomona was deeply moved.

Yes, Gryffindors could be reckless at times, but they were brave and possessed chivalry. Hufflepuffs cherished women, while they protected them. Even if they were not especially kind to girls in ordinary times, they would step forward when a lady was in danger. That was what made Gryffindor boys appealing.

"Can't you find a way not to get caught?" Though moved, Pomona could not help shouting. "Pringle is lazy and hates patrolling at night. As long as he doesn't run into you, you won't get whipped!"

Lupin was stunned, as if his hopelessly foolish brain had finally caught on.

"Oh, Hufflepuffs are good at hiding. I heard your common room has neither a password nor a maze, right?" Hagrid said in his rumbling voice.

"That's right!" Pomona stomped hard on the thick grass beneath her feet. "But in a thousand years, no one has ever found the entrance to our common room!"

It was the nature of badgers to be good at concealment, and also at noticing details. From Wilhelmina's conversation with the Centaurs just now, she already had the answer.

Remus Lupin was a werewolf. On nights of the full moon, he would lose his mind and transform. Children bitten by him would become werewolves like him, yet Dumbledore had allowed him to study at Hogwarts.

He had only just been promoted to headmaster that year. There was immense pressure on him from outside, and the school itself was unsettled. If Pomona had also taught at Hogwarts, she would not have supported allowing Lupin into the school. However, she would not openly protest. At most, like Dorian, she would fail to arrive at school on time as a sign of protest.

Planting the Whomping Willow on the first day of term had also been deliberate. First, the students had all witnessed the Whomping Willow's power and would not approach it easily. Second, it would test her ability. If she could not solve the problem of that mad tree, everyone could dismiss the matter of an eleven-year-old teaching at Hogwarts as a joke and forget it. If she succeeded, however, she would be valued, placed in charge of that vault-like greenhouse, and might even replace Dorian as the new Herbology professor, solving Hogwarts's funding and staffing problems.

Though she did not know why Dumbledore had planted that Whomping Willow, since Lupin was here, it was most likely connected to him. There were only three days until the full moon. He absolutely could not transform at school. The only solution was to get him out of the school and deal with his problem somewhere outside.

Oh, yes. Badgers were also good at digging burrows, at least far better than lions, eagles, and those limbless reptiles called snakes. Dig a tunnel beneath the tree. As long as the students did not dare approach it, no one would discover it. That was Dumbledore's plan!

"I hate that old bastard," Pomona muttered. Lupin and Hagrid both heard her, but neither dared say anything.

Openness meant danger. Pomona felt that Dumbledore was far too enlightened and tolerant. Not everyone could accept his Gryffindor-style, brave and reckless way of managing things. After all, not everyone had a heart as strong as his.