The Invisible Tycoon - Hagrid

First-year classes at Hogwarts were very easy, and on Friday mornings there were no classes at all, so students were free to do as they liked.

After breakfast, Wizet left the castle and walked across the grass toward the Forbidden Forest.

Just yesterday morning, Hagrid had sent him a letter by owl, inviting him over to sit in his hut and asking how he had been doing lately.

Before he came to Hogwarts, Hagrid had been one of the few people who held no prejudice against him, and together with what had happened in Diagon Alley, that left him with no reason to refuse the invitation.

Besides, he was very interested in the Forbidden Forest, and Hagrid's hut happened to sit right on its edge.

Hagrid called the place he lived a "hut," but to Wizet it felt as if he had arrived at a giant's castle.

The oak doorframe alone was nearly four meters high, and the single-story "hut" gave him the impression of a two-story building.

The outside of the hut had a rustic farmhouse feel, with quite a few odd-looking tools hanging around.

Before Wizet could knock, a deep, thunderous bark rang out from the side.

"Oh! That should be Wizet." Hagrid's voice sounded. "Fang! Slow down! You'll scare him like that!"

With a gust of wind, a huge black dog suddenly burst out.

The big black dog had its tongue lolling out and sprang up, pouncing toward Wizet.

"Hey! Fang! You'll scare Wizet half to death!" Hagrid followed close behind, his huge hand pinching the scruff of the big black dog's neck and lifting it up.

Though the big black dog stood a meter tall, it had no room to resist in Hagrid's hand. The difference in size was simply too great.

It was a Neapolitan Mastiff, looking a little like a Shar-Pei, its wrinkled face appearing very melancholy.

"He's just excited. Not many students come here during the day." Hagrid beckoned Wizet inside. "He's actually easy to get along with. Even a bit timid."

"Whine, whine..." Fang stuck out his tongue and sniffed all over Wizet.

Though he was clearly a mastiff, Fang was unexpectedly gentle, even rolling over to let Wizet rub his belly.

"You're my friend, so he'll be good to you," Hagrid said cheerfully. "He's usually a bit timid, that's all. If there's real danger, he'll make the right choice!"

The layout inside was very simple. There was only one room, with a table and chairs of astonishing size set beside the fireplace, and a large bed covered in patchwork cloth in the corner.

All sorts of things hung on the walls, such as an umbrella, an enormous leather coat, and a crossbow.

The fireplace was also huge. Bacon and smoked chicken could be hung on both sides, while there was still enough room in the middle for a copper kettle and a baking tray.

"Have some tea! I just baked some biscuits," Hagrid greeted him warmly.

He placed the baking tray in front of Wizet, then lifted the copper kettle and began making tea.

"How does it feel here?" he continued, tearing off a piece of biscuit for Fang. "It might be a bit different from your old life, but I think you'll get used to it."

Clack... clack...

Fang's teeth waged a fierce battle with the biscuit, making the sound of gnawing on a great big bone.

Wizet's eyelid twitched. His teeth were no match for a mastiff's.

"Thank you!" He took the teacup and blew on it. "I came over after breakfast, so tea is enough."

It was still too early for him to take on the biscuit, but for Hagrid, it was just right.

"No need to be polite when you come here." Hagrid grabbed a biscuit as wide as a head and crunched away at it. "You can treat Hogwarts as your second home."

Whether it was his age or his height, his first impression always carried a sense of distance.

Only after truly spending time with him would one discover that his nature was still simple and honest, his words straightforward, and that he was willing to share everything.

He chatted with Wizet about his youth, how he had been expelled because of something, missing the chance to continue studying at Hogwarts.

He also talked about the nearby Forbidden Forest, where all sorts of magical creatures and magical plants lived.

Because of that, the pair of twins from the Weasley family were always finding ways to sneak into the Forbidden Forest and cause a ruckus inside.

"They do experiments in there. A few times they even drew the centaurs over. Not only might they get hurt by the centaurs, the little darlings in the Forbidden Forest might get hurt too."

"And those two are slippery as eels! Every time I have to find them, it takes me no end of time... Thank goodness they're in third year now. In a few more years, I'll have it a bit easier!"

"Little darlings?" Wizet thought of Hagrid's unique understanding of "little darlings." "Hagrid, which magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest do you like?"

"Oh, there are far too many!" When the conversation turned to Hagrid's favorite topic, even his voice rose quite a bit. "Thestrals, Demiguises, Occamies, Hippogriffs, Unicorns..."

As he listed the names of all kinds of creatures, his smile grew brighter and brighter. "They're all my good children!"

He lifted the copper kettle and pulled out the mat underneath. "This mat is made from an Occamy's crest feathers. It's very good for heat insulation, and it can stretch and shrink."

Once his interest was stirred, Hagrid patted the black ash off the crest feathers, revealing the bright blue-green color inside.

He pinched the two ends of the crest feathers and gently pulled outward, and they became the size of a palm-leaf fan. Then he folded them back in, and the feathers shrank to about the size of a palm.

Besides the Occamy crest feathers, there were quite a few materials from magical creatures here.

For example, a coil of bandage that Hagrid had casually hung on the wall was actually woven from Unicorn tail hair.

In addition, the dirty, oil-stained handbag at the head of the bed was also made from Unicorn tail hair.

Hagrid said casually, "I sold a bit of Unicorn tail hair before to buy Fluffy. I'll have to go look for some more when the time comes, or there won't be enough bandage left."

Wizet clutched his chest. "Bandages? You collect Unicorn tail hair just to make bandages?"

"That's right!" Hagrid nodded. "You know, I was expelled from Hogwarts, so I didn't get the chance to learn more."

"In the Forbidden Forest, animals sometimes got hurt, and bandages made from Unicorn tail hair worked best. Not only could they speed up treatment, they also wouldn't affect those little darlings' movement."

Perhaps it was because he treated magical creatures with such a sincere heart that Hagrid was favored by all sorts of magical creatures.

It was just that this reason was far too blunt, and even Wizet felt the sting of it.

He already had some understanding of prices in the magical world. A single Unicorn tail hair sold for ten Galleons, and one bandage needed at least a dozen tail hairs...

Hagrid was definitely a hidden tycoon. The value of his handbag alone was immeasurable!

As the gamekeeper, Hagrid could also obtain materials in a steady stream, and that was extremely important too.

Wizet stood up and asked solemnly, "Hagrid! Once I've mastered healing magic in the future, if I help you treat magical creatures, can you give me some Unicorn tail hairs?"

"Huh? Of course, no problem!" Hagrid froze for a moment, then scratched the back of his head. "Actually, if you want some, you only need to tell me."