In Hagrid's mind, Giant-tailed Beasts were just like cattle and sheep—food by nature.
As for other magical creatures, they were all his precious darlings, so naturally they could not be eaten.
But what Brook said seemed to make sense.
Why was it that Giant-tailed Beasts, also magical creatures, were treated as food?
He quickly figured it out.
Dragons were his favorite, yet he had eaten dragon meat before.
Eating meat did not seem to conflict with loving magical creatures.
"Fine. If I come across any dead magical creatures again, I'll bring them back."
"Right, don't just bring back the meat. Bring back the whole body, and I'll handle it. Snakes, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, and the like are edible too," Brook reminded him.
The moment Hermione heard that, her face filled with horror.
Hagrid's eyes widened like brass bells.
"You want to eat spiders, scorpions, and centipedes...?"
"Just bring them to me. I guarantee they'll be delicious."
Hagrid nodded.
He was not particularly picky about food.
As long as it was edible, he was fine with it.
But when it came to helping others, he had always been more than willing.
He buried the bodies of magical creatures only out of respect for life and habit.
Since Brook wanted to eat them, then he could eat them.
Hermione did not have much of an appetite and was soon full.
As she listened to Brook and Hagrid chat, she practiced picking up food with chopsticks.
Hagrid did not know whether he was high on food or high on drink.
His speaking speed was nearly on par with Hermione's.
"I keep lots of magical creatures. Like Fluffy, he's a Three-headed Dog. I could've taken you to meet him, but I lent him to Dumbl—"
At that point, he suddenly froze, as though he had remembered something, and quickly changed the subject.
"Actually, what I want most is to raise dragons." A trace of regret flashed through his eyes. "But raising dragons privately is illegal."
Brook had some vague impression of dragons.
He seemed to have seen them in the movies, though he had forgotten which one.
But that was not important.
Even though they could not compare to the divine dragons of Great Xia, they were big enough.
If he could raise one, he was genuinely a little interested.
"Hagrid, you said raising dragons privately is illegal, right?"
"Yes. Why?"
Hagrid's face had already turned red.
"Then what if we raise one in the name of a company or Hogwarts? Didn't Dumbledore discover twelve uses for dragon blood? Raising a dragon for academic research sounds perfectly reasonable, doesn't it?"
Hagrid looked as though he had been struck by lightning and instantly sobered up.
His eyes widened like brass bells.
"Y-you... what did you say?"
"With Dumbledore and Hogwarts's standing in Britain, applying to raise a dragon for academic research should not be difficult.
"As for taking care of the dragon, Dumbledore definitely would not have the time. It could only be handed over to you. Wouldn't that mean you could raise a dragon openly and legitimately?"
"Th-this can really work?" Hagrid grew excited.
The bucket-sized wine cup in his hand trembled nonstop, spilling quite a bit of wine.
"Give it a try." Brook shrugged.
He did not know what the Ministry of Magic was like, but Dumbledore was not called the greatest White Wizard in the world for nothing.
What was authority?
Dumbledore was authority.
Do not be fooled by the fact that he usually looked like a smiling old man who enjoyed tricking people.
But if he truly wanted to do something, who would dare refuse?
Never mind his personal strength—even the title of headmaster was enough to keep him standing tall.
Academic power was the real mainstream of modern society.
"But I don't want to trouble Headmaster Dumbledore. He's very busy. I don't want to delay him over such a small matter."
Although Hagrid desperately wanted to raise a dragon, he did not want to cause Dumbledore trouble because of it.
Brook rolled his eyes.
How busy could the headmaster be?
He just slept wherever he felt like sleeping.
His eyes shifted, and another idea came to him.
"Then I'll bring it up. I'm pretty interested in raising dragons too."
"Really? Thank you, Brook!"
Hagrid was so excited that he picked Brook up directly.
Fortunately, Brook's physical condition was comparable to an adult's. Otherwise, he would have had to spend two days lying in the infirmary.
"But there's one thing, Hagrid. You must remember it. You can't tell anyone that you told me you wanted to raise dragons," Brook reminded him.
Though Hagrid did not understand why, he still nodded seriously, indicating that he would not say a word even if beaten to death.
It was not until curfew was approaching that Brook and Hermione had no choice but to leave.
Before they left, Hagrid gave each of them a white "bandage."
When this kind of bandage was wrapped around an injury, it had an excellent effect on stopping bleeding.
Brook did not refuse.
He had also seen a carpet woven from the same material inside the hut.
It was probably not anything valuable.
As he touched its soft texture, he found that it carried a natural warmth.
He planned to make it into a scarf and give it to Hermione as a Christmas present.
Brook and Hermione only made it back to the Gryffindor common room at the very last moment before curfew.
The moment they entered, Hermione could not help asking.
"Brook, do you really want to raise a dragon at Hogwarts? I've read about dragons. They look terrifying. What if one hurts a young wizard?"
"Those aren't things we need to consider. If Dumbledore agrees to raise a dragon, he'll definitely put thorough measures in place to ensure it can't harm any young wizards."
"Then are you going to speak with the headmaster?"
"I can't talk to him."
"Then you..."
"Don't worry. I have my own way."
Brook had gained two more chances to draw today.
One was because he had petted a cat, while the other was [Explore Hagrid's Hut].
That was also why he had taken the initiative to ask to visit Hagrid.
But those vegetables truly had been an unexpected delight.
They had made him even happier than gaining more draw chances.
Even so, he did not draw immediately.
On one hand, he did not lack anything at the moment, so it did not matter whether he drew or not.
On the other hand, it was better to save up these draws.
Maybe he could get something big.
Dark Arts class was a disaster for Brook.
The entire classroom was filled with an intense smell of garlic.
While Asgardian Power strengthened his body, it had also heightened his five senses.
As a result, that garlic smell hit him even harder.
Although he always ate garlic with meat, and even noodles and dumplings were inseparable from garlic for him,
being wrapped in the smell of garlic was truly unbearable.
This was also the first time he had insisted on sitting in the last row. Even Hermione getting angry could not change his mind.
Throughout the entire lesson, he did not hear a word Professor Quirrell said.
His mind had long since been filled with the smell of garlic.
The moment the dismissal bell rang, he rushed out of the classroom without even waiting for Professor Quirrell to dismiss them.
He gulped down the fresh air outside.
Until he found a way to deal with the garlic smell, he could not attend Dark Arts class again.
No one could change his mind.
They could expel him if they had the nerve.
(Little Author had always felt that the original novel's handling of Norbert and the hippogriff was far too casual.
Dumbledore seemed like a pushover whom anyone unhappy could trample on. It was simply ridiculous.
So here, the White Dark Lord was the White Dark Lord. No one could get away with anything.)
Before you continue