Nature's Bounty

As soon as the morning classes ended, Gerald rose from his seat.

"Where are you going?"

"You two head back first. I've got something to do."

By the time Gerald finished speaking, he was already out the classroom door.

Fred and George exchanged a glance and shrugged in unison.

"He's not going to the library, is he?"

"How terrifying."

Gerald first stopped by the kitchen. Seeing house-elves for the first time filled him with curiosity.

But that curiosity soon faded beneath his anticipation of visiting the Forbidden Forest.

"Could I have a few steaks?"

"It's not lunchtime yet. Are you hungry? All right, I'll get them ready for you."

Once he had the steaks, Gerald thanked them and left the kitchen.

Beyond the castle's main entrance lay a broad lawn.

The September sunshine was just right in the Scottish Highlands. A few older students were basking on the grass, and the distant surface of the Black Lake shimmered.

Gerald quickened his pace, following the path along the edge of the lawn toward the Forbidden Forest.

Hagrid's Hut stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, right beside the enormous Pumpkin Patch.

Ivy covered the hut's stone walls, wisps of smoke curled from its chimney, and strings of animal hides and mushrooms hung outside to dry.

Before he reached the door, Gerald heard a deep voice singing.

The tune was off, but it sounded like "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love."

It was so badly out of tune that, if he hadn't known Hagrid was singing, Gerald would have thought someone was smashing things.

He walked up to the door and knocked.

The singing inside stopped abruptly.

A few seconds later, the door was yanked open, and a smell of grilled sausages mixed with dog hair hit him.

Hagrid stood behind the door, his massive body filling almost the entire frame.

He wore a dirt-covered brown apron and held an enormous wooden tankard.

"Oh!"

Hagrid looked down and spotted Gerald.

"It's you! The little fellow who helped carry the trunk yesterday."

"I'm Gerard Green. I didn't expect you to remember me, Mr. Hagrid," Gerald introduced himself with a smile.

"I brought you some steaks from the school kitchen."

At that, Hagrid reached out and took the paper box containing the steaks.

"Right, right, Green. I've got a good memory. Thanks. What brings you here?"

"There's something I need your help with."

Hagrid stepped aside.

"Come in and sit down. Come on in."

Hagrid seemed quite excited by Gerald's visit.

Although he had worked at Hogwarts for years, most students treated him as an oddball.

Few students approached him of their own accord, let alone first-years.

That was precisely what Gerald was taking advantage of.

After all, the trio who would grow close to Hagrid wouldn't enroll for another two years.

The hut was roomier than Gerald had imagined, but it was still as cluttered as a junk shop.

Dried herbs and strings of garlic hung from the ceiling. Tools and animal hides were piled in the corners, and a roaring fire burned in the hearth. A blackened iron pot hung above it, something bubbling away inside.

A huge hound rose beside the fireplace and wagged his tail at Gerald.

"This is Fang. Don't let his size fool you. He's a real coward."

Fang really was timid.

He came over and sniffed Gerald's hand, only to retreat behind Hagrid's legs when a log cracked in the fireplace.

"Sit." Hagrid pointed to an enormous armchair.

The chair could have held three Geralds, but it was surprisingly comfortable.

Hagrid sat down opposite him, and his chair let out an agonized creak.

"All right, now you can tell me exactly what you need."

"Well, Hagrid, here's the thing."

Gerald ran through his prepared story in his mind, then put on a worried expression.

"My pet rat ran away yesterday. I spent all day looking, but I couldn't find it. This morning, someone told me they'd seen it running toward the Forbidden Forest. I wanted to ask if you could take me there to look for it."

"The Forbidden Forest?"

Hagrid lowered his voice, sounding especially grave.

"Green, the Forbidden Forest isn't somewhere to play around. Especially not for a first-year. There are werewolves, trolls, and more poisonous bugs and plants than you can count. Last year, a fifth-year sneaked in and got caught in an Acromantula's web before he'd been walking for even fifteen minutes. If I hadn't happened to be on patrol, he'd have been dead."

"I know the Forbidden Forest is dangerous, Hagrid. But that rat means a lot to me."

"I've had no family since I was little, and that rat has been with me for years. If I weren't looking for it, how would a first-year like me ever dare go into the Forbidden Forest?"

Those words worked even better than he had expected.

Hagrid's expression softened immediately, and his lips trembled beneath his thick beard.

He reached out with an enormous hand and gently patted Gerald's shoulder.

Gentle as it was, Gerald still felt his shoulder blade jolt.

That's Giant bloodline for you. If my body weren't strong too, that pat probably would've knocked me flat.

"Poor child. You're right. Who would dare go into the Forbidden Forest unless they were looking for something important? Don't worry. I've got nothing much to do this afternoon, so I'll take you in for a look right now. With me beside you, those creatures won't dare come too close."

He stood, grabbed the crossbow from behind the door, and took a lantern off a hook on the wall.

Seeing his master gather his equipment, Fang immediately stood and wagged his tail in excitement, nearly sweeping the copper kettle off the table.

"But you've got to promise me you'll stay behind me. No running off, and no touching anything."

"I promise."

Hagrid nodded, picked up Fang's leather leash, and pushed open the hut's back door.

Just outside was the boundary of the Forbidden Forest, where the trees began to grow tall and dense.

Gerald followed Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest.

The moment he entered, spiritual energy even richer than the castle's washed over him.

Gerald suppressed his wild delight, keeping the worried expression of someone searching for his pet rat.

"What does your rat look like?"

Hagrid led the way, pushing aside obstructing branches with his thick arms as he looked back to ask.

"Gray, and very small,

with a short tail."

Gerald casually made up what he considered the most ordinary-looking rat.

Honestly, most of the rats he had seen in this life were the ones in Uncle Jack's barn.

They all looked much the same, gray and furry, with little to distinguish them.

Without giving anything away, Gerald began circulating the Divine Firmament Five-Elements Heavenly Thunder Art, remaining outwardly relaxed but inwardly alert.

His eyes swept through the forest, searching for anything the system might mark.

The Forbidden Forest's vegetation was far more lush than he had imagined. Mosses and vines covered the tree trunks, and strange plants he had never seen in Essex County grew everywhere.

But nothing that truly qualified as a "Spirit Herb" had appeared yet.

"Interested in these?"

Noticing Gerald studying the surrounding plants, Hagrid turned to ask.

"Yes. I've always been fascinated by magical creatures and plants. I've read about lots of them in books, but this is my first time seeing them in person."

That much was sincere.

Hagrid's eyes lit up.

As the person at Hogwarts who loved magical creatures most, finding a student willing to listen to him talk about them was nothing short of a miracle.

"You're a child with good taste!"

Hagrid stopped and excitedly pointed at a gray-green lizard clinging to a nearby tree trunk.

"See that? That's no ordinary lizard. It's an Iron-Scaled Skink. Its scales are hard enough to snap a knife blade. And over there, see that clump of purple flowers? That's Dream-whispering Grass. Brew it into tea, and you'll dream all night long. But don't touch it. Its roots and stems are poisonous, and touching them will give you a rash."

Gerald looked where Hagrid was pointing.

No Spirit Herb notification appeared on the panel. Apparently, although it was magical, it didn't fall within the category of Spirit Herbs.

"The vine wrapped around that tree over there is Snake Vine. Its tendrils move, and if anyone gets too close, they'll coil around them. But it's afraid of light. Shine a lantern on it, and it'll shrink right back."

Gerald listened while continuing his search.

Just as he began to wonder whether he had been too optimistic, a string of messages suddenly appeared on the panel before him, making his heart race.

[Third-Tier Spiritual Herb detected: Seven-Star Grass]

[Tier-two Spirit Herb detected: Heaven-Subduing Flower]

[First-Tier Spirit Herb detected: Ironwire Vine (cluster)]

[Tier-two Spirit Herb detected: Moonlight Fern]

Gerald stopped dead in his tracks.

So this is nature's bounty?

What a rush!