On the path from the Castle to Hagrid's Hut, Loren and the other three trudged forward, huddling against the cold wind.
There were no classes that afternoon. Harry stopped tormenting Loren's conscience for once, and they decided to take the opportunity to visit Hagrid.
The Castle had fireplaces, perhaps even warming magic, and it was always warm inside. Only now did they truly experience Hogwarts's winter.
All four of them tucked their hands into their sleeves and held them before themselves, burying most of their faces in their scarves until everything below their eyes was covered.
"Ugh!" Ron sighed. "Why are we visiting Hagrid on such a freezing day?"
Harry wrapped himself tighter. "We haven't come since it snowed. Hagrid must really miss us."
Hermione's teeth chattered as well. "Hagrid has to guard the Forbidden Forest. We can't leave him all alone."
Loren dearly missed the fur blanket in his trunk. He had not paid much attention to it before, but now that he thought about it, it was probably an alchemical item with windproofing and warming properties. It could keep someone warm on a snowy mountain at night without a campfire. Nicol had casually used it as a mat for his street stall and to wrap books, before it eventually ended up in Loren's hands.
A miscalculation. He would definitely bring it next time he went out.
They entered the woods. Hagrid's Hut was only a short distance away now.
Click, click~
Harry craned out his shrunken neck and looked around. "Did you hear something?"
"Probably the wind," Ron muttered.
The four continued onward.
"Eek!"
A huge spider suddenly sprang out from behind a tree ahead of them, hissing at them.
Ron's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He had feared spiders since childhood, let alone a horrifying