Harley walked past Sirius and knocked on the door of Hagrid's Hut.
It took a long while for the door to open, revealing Hagrid's huge face.
He probably hadn't taken care of his personal hygiene in a long time. His eyes were bloodshot, his face was covered in stubble, and tears had soaked his beard.
"Oh, it's you. Come in!"
As soon as they entered, Harley caught a strong smell of alcohol.
Several empty kegs lay on the floor nearby. Harley vaguely remembered seeing them the last time she'd visited.
Hagrid sat slumped in his chair, utterly dejected. An opened letter lay on the table.
He casually grabbed one of the kegs and used it as a cup, pouring the contents straight into his mouth.
"What happened, Hagrid?" Hermione asked worriedly.
Just a few days ago, when he'd written to them, Hagrid had been in high spirits because he'd only received a single disciplinary penalty.
How had he fallen into such despair again in the blink of an eye?
At Hermione's words, Hagrid broke down all over again. He tossed the empty keg aside, then slumped over the table and burst into tears.
Harley and Hermione hurried over to comfort him. It took quite a while to calm him down.
Hagrid still didn't say anything. He only pointed at the letter on the table.
Harley picked it up, and she and Hermione read it together.
After finishing the letter, Hermione looked furious.
It was a letter from the Ministry of Magic. It stated that they had received a report from a concerned member of the public and law-abiding citizen, Lucius Malfoy.
According to Old Malfoy, there was an uncontrollable Hippogriff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
As a Class XXX dangerous creature, it had attacked students at will and