Hagrid hadn't wanted to bother Harry so soon, but when he learned that Harry had been sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor, he couldn't sit still.
"Harry's parents both graduated from Gryffindor! I just don't understand why he would choose Slytherin. You told him to go there, didn't you?"
Hagrid's voice was unusually stern and serious. Harry had never seen him like this before and was a little intimidated. Before Ezio could say anything, Harry stood up and explained:
"It was my choice, Hagrid!"
Harry shook his head firmly. "It has nothing to do with Ezio. I thought Slytherin could help me... The Sorting Hat said Slytherin could help me achieve greatness. I..."
"Oh, that really is a dreadful hat!" Hagrid said irritably. "The Sorting Hat must be senile. How could Harry possibly go to Slytherin? I mean, that's just..."
"There are Aurors from Slytherin who stood up to fight Voldemort, and there are wizards from Gryffindor who ended up in Azkaban. If a house can determine whether someone is good or bad, then why keep Slytherin at all? Wouldn't it be better to have the Sorting Hat send everyone who could've gone into Slytherin straight to Azkaban?"
"Oh, perhaps then all the dark wizards in the Wizarding World's future could come from Gryffindor instead."
Ezio's rather cutting words made Hagrid shudder. Perhaps it was because he had heard Voldemort's name; his expression darkened.
"I didn't mean that all Slytherins are dark wizards..." Hagrid wasn't very eloquent, but he wasn't stupid. "I meant, Harry, your parents were both from Gryffindor. You should be, too."
"Maybe." Harry simply shook his head. "But I feel quite at home in Slytherin, instead of taking pride in breaking school rules and playing pranks on other people. Everyone's studying hard. In the first week of term, Slytherin has already scored almost fifty points more than second place. They're all working hard to improve themselves."
"At least since I came to Hogwarts, I haven't seen any Slytherins throwing Dungbombs in the corridors and making Filch so furious he waves around a shit-covered mop while interrogating every student who passes by."
"That was definitely those two little brats from the Weasley family."
Hearing Harry say that, Hagrid sighed helplessly. "I don't even have to guess. Those two are the sort of troublemakers who love playing with dung."
"So, Hagrid." Harry patted Hagrid's big arm. "It doesn't matter where I go. What matters is what I can learn at school and what kind of person I want to become in the future, right?"
"All right, yes, that's right, Harry." There was still a trace of regret in Hagrid's voice, but now he felt that perhaps things weren't so bad after all. Harry was still a good kid. "I just didn't want you to be influenced by all the rumors."
"What rumors?" Harry asked in confusion. His life at Hogwarts lately had mostly been classroom, dining hall, common room: busy and fulfilling. He hadn't been wandering around elsewhere.
"Some people say you beat You-Know-Who because you're even more terrifying than he is, that only a greater darkness can..." Hagrid poured himself another cup of tea and frowned in distaste. "I can't quite remember. Something like that, anyway. It's all a load of rubbish. I thought you'd heard."
"At least that baseless accusation didn't come from Slytherin." Harry shrugged. "You see, there are plenty of bad people outside Slytherin, too. I haven't done anything, have I? A lot of people automatically associate Slytherin with bad people, but to me, the ones spreading these nasty rumors are the real rotten ones."
"Yes, that's right." Hagrid nodded. "Being in one house or another doesn't mean that person will turn out a certain way." By then, Hagrid had come around. He'd gotten caught up in the same sort of thinking himself.
"But I think the way Slytherin is now has a lot to do with Ezio. At the very least, he's made those idiots rein themselves in. They don't dare go around recklessly losing House Points anymore."
Harry smiled. He genuinely felt that Ezio had brought a new change to Slytherin, and many other Slytherins agreed. The fools who used to get into trouble didn't dare act up so much anymore, because they were all afraid of being kicked out of the dormitory and forced to sleep in the corridor with their blankets.
Snape had planned to establish a hierarchy within Slytherin, while Labas, as Prefect, had recently introduced a few arrangements and internal assessment standards. Some students had tried to complain to Snape, but he'd driven them out and cursed them as useless idiots. They'd been stunned by his abuse. Snape had taken out all his resentment toward Ezio on them. It had been terrifying.
"Is that so?" Hagrid's gaze shifted to Ezio. "I didn't know about any of that."
"You'll see for yourself. I can't stand idiots who drag everyone down by doing stupid things. No one in Slytherin used to deal with them, but I'm not going to indulge them."
Ezio took a sip of Hagrid's tea. It tasted surprisingly good, with a refreshing fragrance that seemed to come from some sort of magical plant.
The conversation that followed was much more pleasant. Hagrid even brought them a plate of Rock Cakes he'd baked himself. These little cakes were so small that Hagrid could eat them in one bite, but they were enough to make up a whole meal for Ezio. They were also so hard it was difficult to call them food; they were better suited as weapons than day-old baguettes or Russian black bread.
"Want to play frisbee, Fang?"
After trying to bite a Rock Cake, Ezio gave up on it. His teeth could manage it, but there was no need to put himself through that.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
Fang barked excitedly a few times and hurried to the door.
"Let's go!"
Ezio opened the door and led Fang outside, but only a few seconds later, a miserable yelp came from outdoors.
"Whimper! Woof! Woof, woof, woof!!!"
Fang came tearing back into the room in a panic, cursing up a storm. Then he rested his head on the table, covered his mouth with one paw, and pointed outside with the other. His doggy face looked aggrieved, and his eyes were teary.
"What's wrong, Fang?" Hagrid asked in surprise. "Did a rabbit dart out of the bushes and scare you into wetting yourself again?"
"Whimper! Woof!"
Fang patted his own muzzle, looking even more aggrieved.
"He chipped a tooth on a Rock Cake. I thought they might work as frisbees."
Ezio came in from outside, looking innocent, with a Rock Cake in his hand. It had a chipped tooth mark on it—the one Fang had left.
Hagrid laughed helplessly and patted Fang on the head. "How can you not even break a biscuit with your teeth?"
Fang glared at Hagrid, as if his eyes were saying, Even a dog wouldn't eat this.
Then, angry and annoyed but still a little timid, he barked at Ezio as if complaining, You're the real dog here!
Ezio tossed the Rock Cake into Fang's food bowl and chuckled as he ruffled Fang's big head. "Soak it in some soup later and it'll soften up."
"Whimper..." Fang drooped his head, utterly despairing over tonight's dinner.
"By the way, Hagrid, could you show us some magical creatures?"
Ezio asked with keen interest. "We can't take that class until third year, but I really want to see them now. The little creatures are harmless, right?"
"Of course!" Hagrid replied at once. After hearing them called little creatures, he suddenly found Ezio much more likable. "They're such charming, adorable little things. I've spent decades around them, so there's no danger at all. The little creatures in the Forbidden Forest all listen to me. Come on, there's still a little time before dinner. I'll take you to have a look. But we can't go into the forest; we'll just look from the edge. I'll bring a few adorable little creatures over and introduce you."
Before you continue