The topic of House-elves was not pursued further, because Hagrid approached through the morning mist, leading a Thestral hitched to a carriage.
"Hello, Hagrid. Thank you for preparing the carriage for us," Professor Murray said gently and politely.
"It's nothing, Professor!" Hagrid said cheerfully. "Happy to help—hello there, kid."
He bent down to greet Wade.
"Good morning, Mr. Hagrid," Wade said, looking up at him.
The grey eyes looked cold and tranquil, making Hagrid's previously vague impression suddenly become more concrete.
"Oh, you're... you're... Wade from Ravenclaw, right? Harry told me about you..." Hagrid looked at him curiously, then asked in confusion, "Er... you're a first-year student?"
He looked at Wade, then at Professor Murray, clearly feeling somewhat troubled.
Though Professor Murray was smiling, his tone allowed no doubt. "Wade is my student. I'm taking him to Hogsmeade to study Alchemy."
Hagrid scratched his head.
He did not understand why studying Alchemy required a trip to Hogsmeade... but after all, he had only studied at school through his third year. He had not even fully mastered basic magic, so how could he know what conditions were needed to study Alchemy?
Thus, after hesitating for a moment, Hagrid raised no further objections. He reassuringly patted the Thestral's neck, seeming to whisper something to it, then said, "Professor Murray, Wade, you can get in. This lad will take you to Hogsmeade. When you're done, it'll bring you back."
"All right, thank you, Hagrid."
Professor Murray spoke with impeccable courtesy. He climbed into the carriage first, then said, "Come up, Wade."
Once they were both seated, the Thestral stepped through the thin mist and beneath the morning light as the carriage creaked out of the school. Behind them, Hagrid pushed hard against the enormous oak gates, closing them.
The Thestral occasionally stretched its