Lupin the Optimist
The subsequent selection process went smoothly.
Because Captain Henry had already selected a group of players last school year, those who could be here, even if they were not the best, would still be qualified Quidditch players.
The goalkeeper position was taken by a burly fifth-grader named Richard House.
The remaining Beater position was taken by a Third Year student named Bradley Jones.
The Seeker positions remain Phoenix and Roger.
However, a Third Year student named Chambers was not convinced. He did fly well, but his accuracy was not good, so he could only be a substitute.
After a brief training session, the group dragged their weary steps toward the castle.
"Hey, that's Lupin!" Ron said. Harry looked in the direction Ron was pointing and saw Lupin arguing with Hagrid.
Although they couldn't hear, you could tell from their expressions that it was intense.
"Roger, you take everyone back. Ron and I will go ahead first." After Harry finished speaking, he hurriedly led Ron towards Hagrid's Hut.
"Aragog. They're not dangerous. They're centaurs." They heard Hagrid's loud voice intermittently from a distance.
"Hey!" a loud voice said.
It was Hagrid. He saw Harry and the others, but probably didn't see them clearly.
He glared at Lupin hatefully before turning away.
He was wearing a large printed apron and carrying a bag of potatoes.
His big hunting dog Fang, followed at his feet.
Fang a low growl, Tooth let out a lunge at Harry and the others.
"Don't mess with it! It'll bite off your fingers—oh, you lot."
Fang jumped around at Harry and Ron, trying to lick their ears.
Hagrid stopped, glanced at the two of them, and then resumed arguing with Lupin, "Dumbledore's task for you wasn't Aragog and the others, I think—"
Who is Aragog?
"Why are you arguing?" Ron and Harry asked separately.
"It's Acromantula, Hagrid's pet."
"The centaurs have been saying lately that there are too many spiders, so they're afraid to go out hunting alone," Lupin said with a complaining tone.
"They're just kids, and they promised me they wouldn't target centaurs or little wizards." Hagrid said as if he'd heard a joke.
"Little brat!"
"They!"
"The Acromantula is Care of Magical Creatures of the XXXXX level!"
"Hagrid, you should know what XXXXX means—an animal known to have killed a wizard/that is impossible to tame or subdue!"
Ron said, his voice trembling.
"Aragog was raised by me!" Hagrid glared at Ron with his beetle-like eyes.
"Hagrid, I've told you before, Aragog might have been raised by you."
"But what about his wife, the one you call Mosag?"
"And their thousands of descendants!" Lupin said solemnly.
"Aragog is their leader and parent, Acromantula won't disobey their parent's orders, Lupin. You're overthinking it. They can also be vegetarian, and in all these years, not a single wizard or centaur has been harmed." Hagrid dropped the potatoes he was hunting and waved his hand.
"But that's on the premise that Aragog is still strong. If you count its age, it's almost 50 years old. Are you really sure that after Aragog dies, its descendants will still obey your commands?"
"What a dangerous thing it would be if thousands of Acromantula, the size of small elephants, attacked Hogwarts with their craving for human flesh! I have a responsibility to the students!" Lupin waved his hand, pointing to the depths of the forest, as if a large number of Acromantula would rush out at any moment.
"So, I brushed past a group of Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest last year?" Ron's face turned pale; he hadn't reacted this strongly even when he heard that the wizard in the Forbidden Forest was Voldemort.
"Okay, that's your question?"
"In my opinion, we should ask Dumbledore about this."
"Or Hagrid, you could raise another Acromantula and train it well—of course, it would have to be Aragog's recognized heir." Harry looked speechless.
In his view, the Acromantula was dangerous, but that was only for ordinary wizards.
But if it were Dumbledore, he estimated he would have hundreds of ways to deal with them.
"I'll go ask Dumbledore!" That was Lupin.
"I'll go find Aragog and ask for his opinion. But I don't think this can be kept from Dumbledore at all; he must have known all along. He didn't give the order because he felt it wasn't necessary. Lupin, you just need to do what Dumbledore thinks is right," Hagrid said quickly, giving Lupin a fierce glare.
"Lupin, what is your mission?" Harry asked curiously, while Ron stood by, trembling with a pale face.
Lupin glanced at Harry, seemingly choosing his words carefully. "Dumbledore asked me to contact the Werewolf. You all know I'm Werewolf ('Aha, you know he's Werewolf!' Hagrid said), and my kind are almost all on Voldemort's side. They always avoid normal society, live on the fringes, steal food—and sometimes kill."
"You may have heard that there is a group of Werewolf in the Forbidden Forest, and their camp is more neutral."
"Dumbledore seems worried that Professor Riddle's presence might cause Voldemort to act rashly, so he sent me to scout out information through the Werewolf in the Forbidden Forest," Lupin said in a relaxed tone.
"Hey! Is this something I can say to the kids?" Hagrid said, shaking his large beard in annoyance.
"They all know that Riddle is part of Voldemort. Dumbledore seems to be worried about the coming war. So he has become much tougher, removing some of the guys who took credit for our work and putting the real heroes—like your father Ron— into power."
"Now the Ministry of Magic is full of our people, plus this Voldemort in the school."
"Even Voldemort's henchmen, Malfoy's gang, have come to our side."
"And you, Harry. You who defeated Voldemort many times."
"To be honest, I don't think we have any chance of losing."
"Perhaps that's why I have the time to investigate the centaurs and those spiders," Lupin sighed merrily.
The news that Voldemort might strike again, as he spoke of it, was more like a game he was sure to win.
"Alright, let's not talk about these nerve-wracking topics." Harry glanced at Hagrid, who was clearly afraid of Voldemort.
"By the way, Ron, how do you know so much about the Acromantula?" Harry changed the subject.
Ron glared at Harry, but then he looked at Hagrid and understood. "Okay, I'm afraid of spiders."
"You used spiders so many times in Potions Class." Harry looked shocked.
"I don't care about dead spiders, I just don't like the way they crawl around—" Ron said irritably.