Maple Training Ground

Being with cheerful people makes life happy.

Rubeus Hagrid was undoubtedly the most cheerful person Voldemort had ever met, in this life or any other.

"Quirrell, look, I learned it too."

Hagrid roared loudly, brandishing his oak wand. Walls rose from the ground, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Voldemort gave him a big thumbs-up, while his hands didn't stop, making the wall in front of him grow rapidly.

They were building a training ground.

According to Voldemort's vision, the grounds would start from Hagrid's hut and spread into the Forbidden Forest, burrowing into it like tree roots.

Then, within the Forbidden Forest, the walls would split into two arcs on either side, enclosing an area.

The final appearance would resemble a maple leaf within the Forbidden Forest, with the veins of the leaf forming the paths inside.

The three tips of the maple leaf would represent three different difficulty levels. The left side would be for first and second years, the right side for third and fourth years, and the middle section would be for fifth, sixth, and seventh years.

The training ground for first and second years would primarily feature harmless creatures, with the final boss being a Boggart, which looked formidable but was actually not very dangerous.

The danger level of the training ground for third and fourth years would increase sharply, with the final boss being a docile Troll—not the kind that would knock itself out with its own club.

The final boss for the middle training ground was yet to be decided. Hagrid had suggested using his Hippogriff, but Voldemort had other ideas; he wanted a Dementor and was fixated on it.

And all of this was just a preliminary concept. Voldemort hoped that in the future, there would be opportunities to change the enemies for all three levels.

For example, Trolls on the left, Dementors on the right, and a Dragon or Thunderbird in the middle—that would be fantastic.

Whether the final idea could be realized was uncertain, but the name of this training ground had already been decided:

Maple Training Ground, named after its shape.

"Quirrell, with such a huge workload, it's hard for just the two of us. Perhaps we should ask other professors for help." Hagrid said to him while his hands didn't stop.

"Professor McGonagall? I already spoke to her, but she's busy lately." Voldemort had approached Professor McGonagall first, as the Transfiguration master, she was the best choice.

"No, I meant Professor Kettleburn. He knows more about Magical Creatures than I do," Hagrid said excitedly, with a hint of admiration in his voice.

"Oh, I forgot about him. But does he have time?" Voldemort asked. "On this rare holiday, shouldn't he be spending time with his wife and children?"

"He doesn't have a wife or children," Hagrid said with a wide grin. "Magical Creatures are his wife and children. If he knew you were building a training ground centered around Magical Creatures, he would definitely support it."

Voldemort was slightly taken aback. He hadn't known the professor was unmarried and childless. He only knew that the man had endured a probationary period of sixty-two years... that was truly a sad story.

"And Professor Flitwick," Hagrid added.

"Professor Flitwick? He doesn't have a wife or children either?" Voldemort asked out of habit.

Hagrid's face fell. He said to Voldemort with great earnestness, "Quirrell, although many professors at Hogwarts are single, not all professors are single."

Voldemort immediately nodded, but then he suddenly realized that most of the professors at Hogwarts... were indeed single. Was this also some kind of curse?

"Professor Flitwick likes you very much, and he enjoys dueling. He even won a dueling championship, though I don't know the name of it, so you can invite him."

"Hagrid, asking you to be my deputy professor was the most correct decision," Voldemort nodded vigorously. "Let's take a break and write two letters."

Hagrid readily agreed and, while writing the letters, proposed an invitation for a drink that evening.

"To The Three Broomsticks Inn. My treat. Professors get paid more than deputies," Voldemort said in an unrefusable tone.

"Alright, you're always right," Hagrid nodded, then added, "But we can write a few more letters, to every professor. It's always worth a try."

"Except Snape," Voldemort said with a smile. Hagrid nodded in agreement.

The Three Broomsticks Inn.

"Yes, his head is full of countless brilliant ideas. Seeing him makes me feel like an idiot."

Hagrid praised loudly, while Voldemort helplessly shrugged at Rosmerta, who was looking at him with a beaming smile.

"You can rest here tonight," Rosmerta whispered to Voldemort while Hagrid was bragging to Professor Kettleburn. "There are guest rooms upstairs."

In reality, there weren't, but Voldemort understood her meaning.

"No, I'm too busy lately. I still have a lot to do," Voldemort refused.

Rosmerta's face showed disappointment, which Voldemort pretended not to see. He looked at Professor Kettleburn, who had arrived that afternoon.

"Professor, I need your advice on Magical Creatures," Voldemort said. "You know, I don't know much about them."

"Of course," Professor Kettleburn, with his missing limbs, nodded. "I still remember you when you were a student. You were afraid of those creatures, but they weren't dangerous."

Voldemort smiled and nodded, but his gaze fell on the professor's severed arm and leg—the professor's condition proved his words were not entirely trustworthy.

"I recently got a Niffler. I think we can throw it in," Professor Kettleburn said. "It will add a lot of fun."

Voldemort shrugged. Such harmless little creatures that only steal things... it didn't matter whether they were there or not.

"So, do you have anything more exciting? Like an Erkling?" Voldemort asked.

Hagrid's eyes lit up. He liked Voldemort's suggestion.

"That won't do. They need vast forests. Keeping them confined will make them agitated," Professor Kettleburn said, pointing to his own missing arm with his remaining one. "This is their masterpiece. It's too dangerous for students."

Voldemort nodded, marking Professor Kettleburn's bottom line. In that case, he could confidently entrust him with the task of finding Magical Creatures.

"Demiguises are good. They don't have much of an urge to attack, but they like to cause trouble, and they can be tamed."

Professor Kettleburn began to talk animatedly. In the face of this, Voldemort and Hagrid could only listen.

"Occamies are very dangerous, but I've bred a nest of them, and they could be useful..."

"Billywigs! If you get stung by one, you'll float away..."

"Goblins, these troublemakers are quite a handful, perfect for..."

He grew more and more excited as he spoke. Hagrid listened with stars in his eyes, while Voldemort couldn't muster any interest.

Instead, he wondered if he should set up a Magical Creature zoo in the wizarding world. That way, he could educate people about Magical Creatures, and also make money.

"I'll write to Pomona right away and tell her she absolutely must come." Professor Kettleburn's words finally caught Voldemort's attention.

"Will she come?" Voldemort asked.

"She has to," Professor Kettleburn said firmly. "Without her to create an environment suitable for Magical Creatures to live in, high walls won't be able to keep them contained."

Voldemort suddenly understood, but his anticipation grew even stronger—it seemed more and more Professors were getting involved in this.