Deeply Calculating

"Ha ha ha..."

Laughter suddenly rang out over the grass at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The Hufflepuffs having a picnic looked up to see Gryffindors flying about on broomsticks again.

Honestly, it was such a stupid thing to do. Did they think this would attract the girls' attention? Still, it reminded Pomona of something she had asked Susan to do.

"Did you buy the broom I asked you to help me get?"

"I already wrote to my eldest brother. He'll send it over in a couple of days." Susan burped after speaking.

"How much do I owe you?"

"No need. He's fighting for Hufflepuff. How could I take your money?"

"One thing is one thing. I don't want to owe you."

"There's no you or me in this. If it were me, I would do the same as them." Susan was furious, and her black hair turned red.

"Are you talking about going to war with Slytherin?" Mary looked deeply worried.

"Are you scared?" Susan demanded harshly.

To everyone's surprise, Mary nodded. "I heard the Death Eaters are collecting a list of pure-blood wizards who support Muggles. I don't want to end up on that list."

Susan was about to say something when Pomona pressed down on her hand.

"Do you want to drop out?" Pomona asked.

"Not for now, but if things keep getting worse, I might take a leave of absence," Mary said softly. Pomona understood that this was probably what most Hufflepuff first-years thought. They were not deeply attached to the school, nor did they have much feeling for the House. They still believed this situation was temporary. As long as the new headmaster Dumbledore could establish himself, or they replaced him with a headmaster favored by the Dark Lord, this unrest would disappear. Then they could come back to school.

Not everyone was as brave as Gryffindor. Dumbledore should not have brought an adventurous spirit into school administration.

"It's only the second day of term. You're thinking too much," Pomona said, feigning ease. "Right, Jane?"

To her surprise, Jane's face was deathly pale.

"What's wrong with you?" Mary asked.

Jane bit her lip and shook her head. This stifling atmosphere was completely unsuitable for a picnic, so the girls could only pick up their picnic baskets and head back to the castle.

Peace needed war to highlight its value, just as chocolate needed bitterness to bring out its sweetness. Chocolate without sugar was bitter, and only adults liked that kind of dark chocolate.

Hufflepuff Rule Seventy-Four: Anything could be abandoned, but not certain people.

Even if drugging that Whomping Willow cost a great deal of money, Pomona would accept it. Money was meant to be spent. More than half of today had already passed. Once tomorrow was over, the day after would be when Lupin transformed. For now, they had merely hollowed out the ground beneath the Whomping Willow; they had not yet begun digging the passage to Hogsmeade. Remembering the Dugbogs she had seen the previous night, creatures skilled at digging holes, she bade farewell to her roommates and ran toward Hagrid's hut.

"Why are you so busy? You don't look like a first-year at all," Mary complained quietly behind her.

"Just for these few days. Once I get through this, it'll be fine," Pomona said as she ran, turning back to speak to them. Hopefully, once she got past this hurdle, she could live a peaceful life growing flowers and grass, making lots of money, and preferably finding a handsome boyfriend.

Pomona knocked for ages, but Hagrid did not answer. Just when she thought he was not home and was about to leave, Hagrid opened the door.

"Oh, hello, Professor. What can I do for you?" Hagrid said loudly, with a trace of guilt in his tone that he did not notice himself.

"May I come in, Hagrid?" Pomona asked, deliberately pretending she had noticed nothing at all.

"Whatever it is, we can talk out here." Hagrid squeezed through the crack in the door and furtively shut it behind him. Clearly, he did not want Pomona to see what was inside.

"Could those Dugbogs you found last night keep helping us?" Pomona asked as though she knew nothing. "Of course, I'll pay for their work."

"What do you want them to do?"

"Dig a tunnel to Hogsmeade." After hesitating for a long while, she added, "Do you know of somewhere outside Hogsmeade where dangerous magical creatures could be kept?"

Hagrid's little eyes widened. "You... want to keep dangerous creatures?"

"To be precise, creatures classified by the Ministry of Magic as five-star dangerous."

"Oh, my goodness. What do you want to keep? A Quintaped or a Nundu?"

Both creatures Hagrid named were classified by the Ministry of Magic as extremely dangerous, on the same level as werewolves. Maintaining this delightful misunderstanding, Pomona smiled. "Do you know somewhere suitable for keeping such creatures?"

Hagrid did not pursue such "trivial details." Out of his love for magical creatures, he said, "First, you need a place of your own like mine. Those friends who are used to living in the wild aren't friendly to everyone. Before... ahem, I remember there was a cottage outside Hogsmeade. It used to belong to Newt Scamander. He liked raising magical creatures when he was in school, just like me, but unlike me, he was very rich. So he built a house far from the village. You can dig the tunnel there, and then you can visit them often."

"Is anyone living there now?"

"He has a son who stayed there while attending Hogwarts, but it's vacant now. Dumbledore had planned to buy it, but he donated the house to the school." Hagrid bent over, and food scraps fell from his beard. "If you want to use that house, you'd better speak to Dumbledore."

I knew it!

Pomona gritted her teeth inwardly. That old wizard had planned everything long ago.

"Thank you, Hagrid." Pomona turned as though she were leaving.

"You're welcome, Professor." Hagrid also intended to return to his hut.

"What magical creature did you used to raise?" Pomona asked casually.

"Acromantulas..." Hagrid clapped a hand over his mouth after letting it slip, and Pomona felt her head grow a size bigger.

Ah, Acromantulas. They were not as formidable as dragons, nor were they classified by the Ministry of Magic, but everyone knew how terrifying they were.

They were enormous man-eating spiders that could grow as large as carriage wheels. They traveled in groups and reproduced with terrifying speed. For Muggles, encountering one meant certain death. They were therefore dangerous creatures strictly forbidden by the Ministry of Magic, and if one was caught, its entire species had to be exterminated.

Not every wizard had irreconcilable conflicts with Muggles. Sometimes wizards protected Muggles too. In primitive tribes, wizards drove away monsters that Muggles could not handle, which was why wizards had initially been greatly respected.

Later, some people began to misuse magic, eventually worsening the conflict between wizards and Muggles. The Ministry of Magic had an Office for the Misuse of Magic. Its main duty was to prevent wizards from using magic in front of Muggles and to reverse magical effects, such as modifying Muggles' memories and warning wizards who broke the rules. Such people were surely standing in the way of those who wanted to cast magic as they pleased, and their head would receive the Death Eaters' "warm regards."

According to the newspapers, that person happened to be named Arthur Weasley. Many people in this world shared the same name, but judging by Jane's reaction, the head of that office was very likely her cousin.

What kind of roommate had Pete found for her?

Pomona wanted to cry. Could those two adult Death Eaters who had slipped into the school this time be here for her?

"Hagrid, what are you hiding in there?" Pomona asked directly. Things were already this bad; continuing to play dumb would only harm them both.

"Nothing!" Hagrid still blocked the door.

"Do you remember why you were expelled from Hogwarts last time? Dumbledore can barely protect himself this time. If you keep raising creatures that should not be raised around the school, you'll be sent to Azkaban, and no one will be able to save you."

Pomona was trying to scare him. Although Hagrid was an adult, his intelligence was still like a child's. Giants were huge and highly resistant to magic but not very intelligent. For Hagrid to have developed as well as he had was already remarkable.

Hagrid hesitated for a long time before reluctantly opening the door. Pomona immediately went inside, and a heavy smell of the sea hit her in the face.

"What's that?" Hagrid had hidden a crate beneath a piece of floral cloth. The creature inside struggled from time to time, making the crate shake continuously.

"Soft-clawed Crayfish, Professor. A creature that lives on land."

"Why did you catch them?"

"To raise them. They say Soft-clawed Crayfish taste like lobster."

Pomona did not know why Hagrid had not simply caught lobsters instead, but his words suddenly gave her an idea. She could not help laughing, and it looked exceedingly wicked.