Hagrid and the Reopened Chamber of Secrets (2)

It turned to lick its hind leg, but there was no wound there—only a small, reddening bump, like a mosquito bite. Fang licked it a few more times, then began to whimper. It was quiet, but miserable.

Hagrid shot to his feet, sending his chair toppling backward onto the floor with a loud crash. His enormous body practically slid over to Fang's side.

"Fang! What's wrong?" Hagrid crouched down and cupped Fang's head in his huge, fan-sized hands. The dog's tail, usually always wagging, was tucked between his legs, and his whole body was trembling. Hagrid brushed aside the wild hair covering his eyes and carefully checked Fang's limbs. On his hind leg, he found the reddening, slightly swollen wound, with two tiny puncture marks clearly visible.

"This wound..." Hagrid's voice was puzzled. "What bit you, Fang? A bug or a snake?" He looked up and swept his gaze outside, but there was nothing at the empty edge of the Forbidden Forest. In the distance, an owl occasionally hooted.

He stood, pulled on the moleskin coat hanging by the door, grabbed the pink umbrella propped beside it, then crouched and patted Fang on the head. "I'll go take a look. Don't move."

The door closed behind him. Fang lay where he was, staring at the door with wet, pitch-black eyes and letting out a low, drawn-out whine. Hagrid's strides were huge, thudding against the ground like an angry Troll. He followed the path behind the hut toward the castle, keeping his head down as he searched the ground. The soil at the edge of the Forbidden Forest was soft and easily held tracks, but the wind was too strong tonight. Fallen leaves and grass clippings had made a mess of the ground, leaving nothing visible.

When he reached a fork