Mooncalf (Seeking Collection, Seeking Recommendation)

Cedric's Quidditch tryout results were ideal.

He had caught the Golden Snitch in only five minutes, successfully becoming the new Seeker for the Hufflepuff house team.

Afterward, he had to spend the entire afternoon at the Quidditch pitch for his first team practice.

Kyle only managed to catch a hurried glimpse of him during lunch.

"Fred and George don't know anyone in Slytherin either, but they said they'd help me think of a way."

Cedric, his mouth stuffed with steak, mumbled, "We're planning to discuss it properly this afternoon. Do you want to join us?"

"I..."

Before Kyle could finish his sentence, a booming voice echoed from the other end of the table.

"Hurry up, Cedric, we're starting practice."

"Coming, Captain!"

Cedric struggled to swallow the steak in his mouth, downed a large glass of pumpkin juice, and turned to Kyle. "I'm off to practice. This year's Quidditch Cup belongs to Hufflepuff for sure."

With that, he sprinted toward the Quidditch pitch.

"Tch..."

Kyle curled his lip, feeling not the slightest bit envious.

What was so great about the house team? Not only did they have to practice on weekends, but they couldn't even enjoy a proper meal. Unlike him, he had plenty of time to savor that tender, juicy steak.

Kyle tapped the tabletop and ordered a lemonade to wash down the grease.

In the afternoon, Kyle walked out of the castle with the piece of parchment in hand.

Cultivating Biting Cabbage was more troublesome than he had imagined; the plant had incredibly strict requirements for its environment and climate, and only a handful of Herbology masters could successfully transplant it outside its native habitat.

However, the Room of Requirement could perfectly solve this major headache; Kyle only needed to handle the fertilizer issue.

According to the description in the Detailed Guide to Asian Magical Plants, Biting Cabbage took fifty days to sprout in its natural state, and two to three years to fully mature—an absurdly slow growth cycle.

Kyle couldn't wait that long, so he prepared to give the seeds a little boost.

After leaving the castle, Kyle crossed the lawn and arrived at a small wooden hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

The hut looked quite old, with the wood on the roof and walls showing varying shades of color, suggesting it had been repaired many times. A crossbow and a pair of rubber boots hung by the front door.

Kyle stepped forward and knocked.

"Who is it... oh, Fang, back up, you'll scare someone."

Accompanied by a low growl, the wooden door creaked open just a crack, revealing Hagrid's bearded face.

"A first-year? What are you doing here?" Hagrid looked at Kyle, his face stern. "First-year students aren't allowed in the Forbidden Forest. Go back to the castle."

As he spoke, he prepared to shut the door.

"Hagrid, it's me," Kyle said quickly. "Remember? We've met before."

Hm?

Hagrid took a closer look at Kyle, the more he stared, the more familiar the boy seemed.

"I remember now," Hagrid said, clapping his hands. "You're that naughty lad from Chopper's place. Because of you, Saiban doesn't even recognize his own name anymore."

"That's because he doesn't like that name, Hagrid," Kyle said earnestly. "You should ask for their opinions when you name your owls."

"I... well, I can't argue with you there." Hagrid looked a bit nervous, asking with some urgency, "So, what are you actually doing here?"

Kyle didn't answer him directly, instead looking left and right. "Can we go inside your room to talk?"

"No!" Hagrid grew even more nervous, bracing his body against the door. "...Er, I mean, my room is a bit messy, let's just talk here. Besides, Fang doesn't like strangers, I'm afraid he might scare you.

Oh, Fang is a hound I keep; he's taller than you are."

"Is that so... then never mind," Kyle said, feigning surprise and playing along. "I came here to ask if there are any Mooncalves in the Forbidden Forest."

As everyone knew, the two best fertilizers in the wizarding world came from the droppings of dragons and Mooncalves, respectively.

Dragons were certainly not in the Forbidden Forest—he would have to wait until next semester for that—so he had set his sights on the Mooncalves.

"What are you planning!"

Hearing the words "Forbidden Forest," Hagrid forgot his nervousness and said sternly, "First-year students are absolutely forbidden from entering the forest; it's very dangerous. Go back to the castle, or I'll have to go find Professor Sprout."

"Don't be so nervous, Hagrid," Kyle said. "I don't intend to go into the forest, otherwise I wouldn't have come to find you."

"Really?"

"Of course," Kyle explained. "I'm just raising two little cuties and wanted to find some fertilizer for them."

"Is that so? No wonder you asked me about Mooncalves."

Hagrid squeezed out of the room cautiously, then quickly turned to shut the door.

Hagrid led Kyle to the pumpkin patch beside the hut and pulled a tin bucket out from the corner. "Don't be shy, take as much as you need."

The bucket was filled with silver, ball-shaped objects the size of ping-pong balls—this was Mooncalf dung. There were at least two or three hundred of them in the bucket.

But Kyle frowned.

No, the color is too dark; looking at it like this, it must have been sitting there for at least a month.

"Do you have any fresh ones?" Kyle asked.

"I'm not sure..." Hagrid hesitated for a moment, thought it over, and said, "But we can go take a look. Follow me."

The two walked along the edge of the Forbidden Forest for a distance, after which Hagrid told Kyle to wait outside while he went into the Forbidden Forest alone.

Kyle agreed, silently memorizing the route he had just taken and the appearance of the surroundings, just in case.

Since Mooncalves are only XX-rated magical creatures and do not live deep within the Forbidden Forest, it only took Hagrid about ten minutes to return.

"Here, take this."

He handed a bag to Kyle and said, "Because Mooncalves usually trample their dung into the soil at sunrise, this is all I could find."

"If you need more next time, it's best to send me an owl with a letter in advance, and I can help you collect some more."

Kyle took the bag and weighed it in his hand; judging by the heft, there were probably seven or eight inside.

It was a bit on the light side, but it would be enough for his needs.

Kyle put the bag away and smiled, "Thank you, Hagrid."

"It's nothing," Hagrid said, scratching his hair in embarrassment. "Just don't go renaming the school owls again next time."

"That was just an accident."

Once the two returned to the front of the hut, Kyle once again suggested going inside to take a look.

Hagrid refused, as expected.

"There's really nothing to see, Kyle." He blocked the doorway, his eyes darting back and forth. "You should head back to the castle."

Watching him, Kyle felt a bit like laughing.

Hagrid really didn't know how to lie; with him acting like this, anyone could tell there was something wrong inside.

"Alright then, I'll head back to the castle first."

Kyle turned around and said nonchalantly, "Oh, by the way, there's one thing I have to remind you: you can't keep a Three-headed Dog inside a room."