Fang: You're the Real Dog!

Hagrid originally didn't want to disturb Harry so soon, but after learning that Harry had been sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor, Hagrid couldn't sit still.

"Harry's parents both graduated from Gryffindor! I simply don't understand why he would choose Slytherin. You're the one who made him do it, aren't you!"

Hagrid's voice was filled with a stern, serious tone. Harry, who had never seen Hagrid like this before, was a bit frightened. Before Ezio could say anything, Harry stood up to explain:

"It was my own choice, Hagrid!"

Harry shook his head firmly. "This has nothing to do with Ezio. It's because I believe Slytherin can give me... the Sorting Hat said Slytherin could help me achieve greatness, and I..."

"Oh, that's a truly terrible hat!" Hagrid said, sounding somewhat agitated. "The Sorting Hat must be senile. How could Harry go to Slytherin? It's just too..."

"There are also Aurors from Slytherin who stood up to fight Voldemort, and wizards from Gryffindor who have a place in Azkaban. If a house could represent a person's morality, then why keep Slytherin at all? Wouldn't it be better if the Sorting Hat just sent everyone capable of entering Slytherin straight to Azkaban?"

"Oh, perhaps that way, all the future dark wizards of the wizarding world would come from Gryffindor."

Ezio's sharp words made Hagrid flinch. Perhaps because he heard the name Voldemort, his expression turned unpleasant.

"I didn't mean that all Slytherins are dark wizards..." Hagrid was a bit clumsy with his words, but he wasn't a fool. "I meant, Harry, your parents were both from Gryffindor, and you should be too."

"Perhaps." Harry just shook his head calmly. "But compared to feeling smug about breaking school rules and using pranks to tease others, I feel I'm doing quite well in Slytherin. Everyone is studying hard. In the first week of school, the Slytherin house point total was already nearly fifty points ahead of second place. They are all working hard to improve themselves."

"At least since coming to Hogwarts, I haven't seen anyone from Slytherin throwing dungbombs in the corridors, leaving Filch so furious that he waves a poop-stained mop at every passing student."

"That must have been those two little rascals from the Weasley family."

Hearing Harry say this, Hagrid sighed helplessly. "I don't even have to guess; I know those two are just troublemakers who love playing with dung."

"So, Hagrid." Harry patted Hagrid's large arm and said to him, "Where I go doesn't matter. What matters is what I can learn at school and what kind of person I want to become in the future, right?"

"Alright, yes, that's true, Harry." Although there was still a hint of regret in Hagrid's voice, he felt that things weren't as bad as he thought; Harry was still that same good boy. "I just didn't want you to be influenced by those rumors."

"What rumors?" Harry asked, puzzled. His recent life at Hogwarts had basically been classroom-dining hall-common room—busy and fulfilling—and he hadn't wandered anywhere else.

"Some people say that the reason you were able to defeat You-Know-Who was because you're a person even more terrifying than him, and only a darker darkness could... I can't quite remember, but that's the general idea." Hagrid poured himself another cup of tea, frowning with distaste. "That's all complete nonsense. I thought you had heard it."

"At least this kind of baseless slander didn't come from within Slytherin." Harry shrugged. "You see, there are plenty of bad people outside of Slytherin, too. I haven't done anything, have I? Many people subconsciously associate Slytherin with bad people, but to me, the ones spreading such malicious rumors are the real bad guys."

"Yeah, that's true." Hagrid nodded. "Which house you go to doesn't determine what kind of person you'll become." Having said that, Hagrid felt a sense of relief; he had been trapped in a certain mindset himself.

"However, I believe the current state of Slytherin has a lot to do with Ezio. At least he made those idiots behave and stopped them from recklessly losing points for the house."

Harry smiled. He genuinely felt that Ezio had brought about a different kind of change to Slytherin, a view shared by many others in the house. The fools who used to cause trouble didn't dare to act up 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 established a hierarchy within Slytherin, and Labas, as the prefect, had recently released various arrangements and internal assessment standards. Some people wanted to go to Snape to complain, but they were all driven out and berated as useless idiots. Those people were left stunned; Snape had vented all his frustration toward Ezio onto them, which was terrifying.

"Is that so?" Hagrid's gaze shifted to Ezio. "I wasn't aware of these things."

"You'll see in the future. I hate those idiots who drag others down and do stupid things. No one in Slytherin did anything about it before, but I don't tolerate them."

Ezio took a sip of the tea Hagrid had brewed. The taste was unexpectedly good; it seemed to be made from some kind of magical plant, possessing a refreshing fragrance.

The rest of the conversation was much more pleasant. Hagrid even brought out a plate of his homemade rock cakes. These small cookies, which Hagrid could finish in one bite, were enough for a full meal for Ezio, and they were so hard that it was difficult to call them food—more suitable as weapons than day-old baguettes or rye bread.

"Want to play frisbee, Fang?"

Ezio gave up on the rock cake after trying to take a bite. His teeth could handle it, but he decided it was better not to torture himself.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Fang barked excitedly on the floor and ran to the door impatiently.

"Let's go!"

Ezio pushed the door open and went out with Fang, but only a few seconds later, a miserable dog yelp came from outside.

"Oooo~ Woof! Woof, woof, woof!!!"

Fang scrambled back into the house, yelping in distress. He rested his head on the table, one paw covering his mouth, and pointed at the outdoors with his other paw, his dog face looking aggrieved and teary-eyed.

"What's wrong, Fang?" Hagrid asked, surprised. "Did you wet yourself again because a rabbit jumped out of the bushes?"

"Woof!"

Fang patted his own snout, looking even more aggrieved.

"He just chipped a tooth on a rock cake. I thought this thing could serve as a frisbee."

Ezio walked in from outside with an innocent expression, holding a rock cake with a missing chunk—the bite mark left by Fang.

Hagrid couldn't help but laugh as he patted Fang's head. "How can you not even bite through a cookie?"

Fang stared at Hagrid resentfully, as if his eyes were saying: 'Even a dog wouldn't eat this.'

Then, both angry and annoyed, and a little cowardly, he barked at Ezio, as if complaining, 'You're the real dog.'

Ezio tossed the rock cake into Fang's food bowl and smiled as he stroked Fang's large head. "It'll soften up once you soak it in some broth later."

"Woo..." Fang hung his head in despair, feeling hopeless about his dinner.

"By the way, Hagrid, could you show us some magical creatures?"

Ezio asked with interest. "We can only take this course in our third year, but I'd love to see them now. These cute little guys aren't dangerous, right?"

"Of course!" Hagrid said immediately. Upon hearing "cute little guys," he suddenly felt that Ezio was much more agreeable. "What charming, lovely little creatures they are. I've been dealing with them for decades, so of course there's no danger. The little ones in the Forbidden Forest listen to me. Let's go, there's still some time before dinner. I'll take you to see them, but we can't go into the forest; we'll just take a look from the edge. I'll bring a few cute ones over to introduce you."