Malfoy Takes Advantage of the Crisis

When Hagrid saw Harry fall to the floor, Hagrid paused for a moment, seemingly regaining his senses. He then hurriedly picked Harry up and stopped making a fuss about drinking.

Harry grabbed Hagrid's large hand and looked at him with sincere eyes. "You'll be alright, we're all witnesses, Hagrid! You said in class that if you offended Hippogriff, it would attack. It's Parkinson's fault for not paying attention in class. We'll tell Dumbledore what happened."

"Yes, don't worry, Hagrid, we'll all support you," Ron said.

Tears streamed down Hagrid, down the lines around his small, dark eyes. He grabbed Harry and Ron and held them tightly in his arms, almost crushing their bones.

Hermione was deeply moved by the sight of snot and tears falling on the three of them. She couldn't help but take a few steps back, afraid of getting them on her.

So as not to disturb the three's sweet embrace, Hermione tiptoed to Loren's side by the door. She glanced at Draco, then whispered in Loren's ear, "Why is Malfoy here?"

Before Loren could answer, Draco beside him let out a loud sneer and said mockingly, "Three idiots!"

In such a cozy little house, those words sounded particularly jarring. The three people embracing each other then realized that there was an outsider present.

Ron felt it wasn't manly to cower in Hagrid's arms in front of the annoying Malfoy, so he pulled back from his Moleskin Coat, his face still flushed from being squeezed.

Hagrid was haphazardly wiping his beard.

"What did you say!" Harry glared angrily at Draco. "What are you doing here? You're not welcome here!"

Hermione was about to say something, but Loren grabbed her hand and gestured for Hermione not to rush.

"I'm calling you three idiots!" Draco's sarcasm remained unabated. "The power to appoint and dismiss faculty members is firmly in Dumbledore's hands. That old mad wizard certainly won't fire this troll professor, after all, they are all freaks."

"You're not allowed to talk about Dumbledore like that!" Hagrid roared, startling the young wizards.

Harry and Ron had mixed feelings, a mixture of anger and smug satisfaction.

Draco was furious at Dumbledore and Hagrid's disparaging remarks, yet relieved that Hagrid wouldn't be fired, as the words coming from Malfoy's mouth were subtly quite convincing.

Draco continued unhurriedly, "But you should indeed worry about those hippogriffs. If you're lucky, only one will die, that one called Buckbeak. If you're unlucky, the whole group will be beheaded."

Hagrid's face drained of color instantly, turning pale with fright. He stammered, "No, this shouldn't be happening. Those little guys are innocent. They did nothing wrong."

"That's right! Buckbeak is innocent!" Harry shouted.

Ron's eyes kept shifting as he recalled many cases he had heard, all of which Arthur had mentioned in casual conversation.

"Pshaw, what's the point of telling me that?" Draco raised his chin, trying his best to provoke Harry. "Do you think the Ministry of Magic will believe that? Let me tell you, any Fantastic Beasts that intentionally harms a wizard, especially a young wizard, will have its head chopped off."

Loren glanced at Draco and sighed, "He truly lives up to his reputation as a representative of Slytherin. His sarcasm and provocation are off the charts, quite reminiscent of Professor Snape."

"You're talking nonsense!" Harry retorted excitedly.

Ron patted his arm and said in a low, ambiguous voice, "It's not nonsense. My dad has told me about many cases like this. If the victim pursues the matter, the animal that committed the crime will indeed be dealt with. Trials were only possible after Mr. Scamander introduced the Magical Creatures Protection Act."

Upon hearing his confirmation, Hagrid burst into tears, overwhelmed by self-reproach and guilt. Although this Half-Giant was usually carefree, he was genuinely kind to animals.

Hermione looked indignant and pouted restlessly, as if she wanted to say something.

Loren subtly squeezed her hand, stopping her from getting involved.

Hermione gritted her teeth, glared at him, and began to squeeze back harder with her delicate white hands. Seeing Loren wince in pain, she tenderly loosened her grip and gently rubbed his skin.

Although Harry was saddened, he wasn't deterred by the bad news. After a moment, his eyes lit up and he suddenly remembered something. He exclaimed excitedly, "We can send Buckbeak away, just like we sent Norbert away!"

"Norbert?" Hagrid's crying stopped, his small, dark eyes looking somewhat bewildered.

Ron realized what was happening and exclaimed with delight, "Yes! Norbert!"

Draco chuckled coldly, once again pouring cold water on their enthusiasm. "Hippogriff n't Fire Dragon. They're worthless, and nobody would adopt them. Besides, these creatures are recorded in the Ministry of Ministry of Magic's archives, and keeping them without permission is illegal!"

Harry's smile froze on his face and slowly crumbled.

Ron quickly came up with an idea. "We can send them away, back deep into the Forbidden Forest, where the wizards won't be able to find them!"

"No, that won't work." Hagrid muttered, his face contorted with grief. "These poor little creatures are too weak. If we send them deep into the Forbidden Forest, they'll be eaten by other creatures. Without my help, they'll have a hard time surviving on the outer edge of the Forbidden Forest."

Little one...

Remembering the Hippogriff, Loren and Hermione fell silent.

However, upon closer reflection, it seems to make some sense. After all, Acromantula, trolls, and other dangerous creatures are all level 5X, Hippogriff level 3X, which is not impressive enough.

"We can go find Dumbledore."

"This is legal and compliant; Dumbledore has no jurisdiction over the Ministry of Magic."

"Poor Buckbeak, it's all my fault... Waaah..."

Harry, Ron, and Hagrid went through all their ideas, but ultimately couldn't come up with a way to save Buckbeak. The three of them slumped together, looking dejected.

Seeing this, Draco gave his first genuine smile of the night and said in a gentle tone, "I can get Parkinson to issue a letter of understanding to spare that poor beast— the Hippogriff."

Loren's eyes twitched, revealing a hint of anticipation.

It's finally here; tonight's show is about to begin.

He knew Draco wouldn't ramble on and on.

After a summer apart, this guy has even learned how to lay the groundwork, first setting up the bait and then casting it in... Lucius must have secretly given him some extra lessons.

Harry, his two friends, and Draco looked at each other blankly.

"You'd be so kind?" Harry asked warily.

Ron's gaze lingered between him and Loren. Thinking back, Malfoy had indeed helped them because of Loren, and it seemed like more than once.

So this time...

Draco chuckled and said, "Of course there are conditions."

"What are the conditions?"

Draco confidently took a few steps forward and approached Harry: "I happen to need a sidekick."

"You!"

Harry was panting heavily with anger, his eyes red as he stared at him, as if he were about to punch him at any moment.

Hagrid was equally furious. "Impossible, you despicable Malfoy! Don't even think about it!"

Draco had anticipated their reaction and wasn't surprised. He pretended to think for a moment, then said in a sly tone, "That poor Hippogriff chopped off. It really... it deserves it. Who told the professor and the young wizard it trusted not to save it?"

Harry's anger subsided, and a look of struggle appeared on his face.

Draco seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, "Just for one day, be my sidekick for one day, and I promise I won't publicly humiliate you."

"Think about it, Potter, how much that little thing likes you, carrying you around for so long... Just one day, just one day of patience, and you can save its life."

A look of humiliation crossed Harry's face. After thinking for a moment, he replied weakly in a low voice, "I promise you."

"Harry ..."

"Harry ..."

Hagrid grabbed his arm, but didn't know how to persuade him.

The feelings of self-blame and remorse were like a sledgehammer, constantly pounding on Hagrid's chest, each tremor piercing his heart.

He knew that Hippogriff sensitive and would fiercely retaliate against those who offended them, and he also knew that not all young wizards were gentle and patient...

Even in Gryffindor, there are students like McCormack Maclagan and Jeffrey Hoopa who lack patience and respect. Thinking about it this way, the unexpected doesn't seem like an accident, but rather something destined to happen.

For the first time, Hagrid realized with such clarity that those poor little guys didn't seem cute to the students at all.

Having already agreed, Harry stopped hesitating. He stood up decisively, looked at Draco seriously, and said, "I don't know what you're trying to do. Maybe you just want to humiliate me, and you've succeeded. I will keep my promise, and please remember what you promised!"

Under that frank and serious gaze, Draco suddenly felt a little guilty.

In his plan, Potter shouldn't be like this. Potter, whom he had easily outmaneuvered using his father's methods, should have been humiliated, furious, yelling and cursing, not like this...

He's... he's like a real Champion.

"I know, I know." Draco concealed his sullen expression and replied curtly, "I'm going back now. Remember, you're my sidekick tomorrow!"

Watching Draco jog back to the Castle, Hermione was a little confused; he seemed to be fleeing in a panic.

Loren smiled as he watched the spectacle unfold.

Hagrid broke the silence, speaking slowly and with difficulty, "I'm sorry, Harry, it's all my fault..."

Harry shook his head. "It's not your fault."

That being said, it was still unpleasant to be forced to bow down to the annoying Malfoy. Harry felt uncomfortable and couldn't bring himself to say "it's okay".

"I will make sure Buckbeak and the others are settled. I will also write to Mr. Kettleburn to ask about the future course arrangements. This will definitely not happen again!" Hagrid earnestly assured him.

He spoke slowly, but his attitude was very serious.

The Little Fire Dragon was like that, Hippogriff... His willfulness always involved innocent animals, and Harry and the others always had to clean up his messes.

Hagrid thought to himself, "He should be the one taking care of Harry."

Hagrid buried his face in his large hands, took a deep breath, and rubbed it vigorously a few times, as if washing his face to wake himself up.

"You can't wander around after dark, especially at times like these. The Dementor are still lurking outside the school." Hagrid stood up. "You guys should go back now. I should go feed Buckbeak and the others their dinner."

Loren glanced at Harry and then at Hagrid without making a sound. Neither of them looked too good. If he were to leave foolishly, a grudge would be sown between them.

Winter is coming, and in order to have fresh pumpkins to eat in the future, Loren decided to do something. He said loudly, "Let's go together. The accident during the day happened too fast. Hermione and I haven't even met the Hippogriff yet."

"Me too! Me too!" Ron cleverly raised his hand in response.

His mind was still processing Draco's actions, and he hadn't yet grasped the unusual emotions between Hagrid and Harry, but that didn't stop him from following Loren's formation.

Hagrid remained silent, walked quietly to the wall, and took strings of ferret jerky from the hook and hung them on his body.

Loren, Hermione, and Ron followed his gaze, while Harry silently stared at Hagrid.

Hagrid turned to look at them after walking out the door, shook his head, and said, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and follow me!"

Loren and the others were stunned for a moment, then excitedly followed, cheering as they ran:

"They're here!"

"Long live Professor Hagrid!"

Harry followed silently at the back.

Behind the Wooden House, in the fenced enclosure, lived a dozen strange animals. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but their wings and heads resembled those of eagles, with cold, sharp beaks the color of steel. Their bright, large eyes were orange-yellow, and their talons on their forelegs were half a foot long, making them look terrifying.

Each monster has a different color, with its fur shimmering and transitioning from feathers to hair: stormy gray, bronze, pink, shimmering reddish-brown, and inky black.

Each monster wore a thick leather collar around its neck, attached by a long chain, the other end of which was tied to a fence.

Seeing the group approaching by the light of the stars and moon, the herd of animals stirred, their hooves pounding restlessly on the muddy ground, making muffled thuds.

Hagrid unchained four of the Hippogriff and led them to the young wizards, gruffly instructing them, "You help me feed these. Do as I said during the day; you can touch them, but you're not allowed to fly!"

"Yes, Professor Hagrid!" Loren replied readily.

Hermione nodded repeatedly.

Hagrid nodded, tossed them a few skewers of ferret jerky, and turned to feed the other winged beasts.

The Hippogriff shook its ferocious head, its razor-sharp beak gleaming coldly, and its large, bell-shaped orange eyes.

"Oh my god." Hermione was a little nervous. "They're still a little scary, aren't they?"

Loren grinned, revealing his white teeth.

A few minutes later.

Four Hippogriff, flapped their wings and rose into the air.