Lorne returned to Hogwarts ahead of schedule; he had some things to discuss with Dumbledore.
Before that, he settled Harry's wages and had Dobby escort Harry back to Privet Drive, after which Dobby would take him onto the Hogwarts Express.
Harry had intended to return to Hogwarts with Director Lorne, but remembering that Vernon and Petunia hadn't yet signed their Hogsmeade permits, he took Lorne's advice and packed his bags to go back himself.
Lorne went to see Hagrid first.
Hagrid rebuilt his cottage last year with moss-covered stones and planted pumpkins all over the yard, creating a charmingly rustic scene.
Lorne knocked on the door, and a strong voice immediately came from inside. "Coming!"
The door to Hagrid's Hut was almost twice as tall Lorne, and the door panels were wide and thick. When Hagrid opened the door, Lorne thought a north wind had blown.
" Lorne!" Hagrid exclaimed with delight, "It's been so long! You finally remembered your old friend Hagrid."
"I'd never forget," Lorne politely declined Hagrid's bear hug and Fang's lunge, squeezing through the gap next to Hagrid into the room. "So, Hagrid, did the game I recommended help you pass the time?"
"More than that," Hagrid, sitting on his low sofa, which had a beaver pelt on it. "I sit here almost every day playing with these Suitcase Beasts. Your ideas are absolutely brilliant. I just got a ten-game Hippogriff —you'd never guess what Fantastic Beasts I'll be bringing to my students in Care of Magical Creatures this year."
"Congratulations on becoming the professor of the Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid," Lorne congratulated him, "But the Hippogriff might harm the students, so you must be careful."
Hagrid's eyes widened. "How do you know everything?"
"There are things I don't know either," Lorne said, eating a peanut Hagrid had left on the table. "Like, how's the Forbidden Forest doing lately? Have there been any new casualties among the Centaur?"
Hagrid waved his hand dismissively at the mention of this, saying with annoyance, "Don't even mention it! Firenze and Aragog won't listen to me, they're about to start a war, and I was just about to go find Dumbledore to resolve this."
Lorne smiled slightly. "I also want to bring this up with Dumbledore, but before that, I need to see Firenze and the others."
Hagrid and Lorne set off immediately. As they passed through the Forbidden Forest, Lorne couldn't help but say, " Hagrid, perhaps you shouldn't have kept Aragog in the Forbidden Forest Forbidden Forest. It's full of fallen leaves and decaying matter. The Acromantula have no natural enemies here; they're practically an invasive species."
"There was nothing we could do back then, and I didn't know the Aragog would multiply so quickly," Hagrid sighed. "If only I had a suitcase like the ones in the game, I could keep all the Aragog in it."
"You can't afford to feed them anymore," Lorne said frankly. "Food won't magically appear in the suitcase, and the daily food supply for the Acromantula colony is beyond our capabilities."
Lorne quickly arrived at the Centaur territory, where Firenze was waiting as if he had expected it.
" Lorne, it's not time to submit the manuscript yet, what are you doing here?" Firenze wiped the arrow in his hand. "And you, Hagrid, are you here again to be a lobbyist for those spiders?"
Lorne had to admire Firenze's dedication; even during wartime, he hadn't forgotten to spare manpower to help his Cuckoo with real-time communication.
"War will cause casualties..." Lorne suddenly sighed.
Firenze looked at Lorne like he was an idiot. "What else? Do you think we're playing ranked matches, where our HP is full after the game?"
Lorne knew that Centaur were also secretly playing the game. No wonder there were posts on Cuckoo strongly demanding that Centaur characters be added to the initial character pool for the Suitcase Beasts, otherwise it would be considered racial discrimination.
"Even if you win, it won't do you any good," Lorne pointed out. " The Forbidden Forest's ecosystem has been completely destroyed. Even if you win the territory, you won't have enough resources to allow it to recover and thrive."
"Moreover, the Acromantula clan is equally powerful. You will have to pay a heavy price to defeat them, and the clan may even be wiped out in this battle."
Firenze paused, his hand rubbing the arrowhead, and looked up at Lorne: "But if we continue to let the Acromantula oppress our territory, we're still doomed. War is inevitable."
"You've considered relocating, haven't you?"
"Yes," Firenze did not deny it, "But there are still children in the group. Migration means we will face threats from various creatures, shortages of food and water reserves, and the time-consuming process of finding another habitat. The Centaur tribe cannot withstand such hardship."
"What if I told you I could relocate your entire race to a place nestled against the mountains and by the water, rich in ecological resources, and free from Muggle disturbances?" Lorne stepped forward, pressing down on the arrow that Firenze had just sharpened with a handkerchief.
"That's impossible," Firenze said, shaking his head in denial.
"Nothing is impossible," Lorne said confidently. "There are definitely wizards who can do it. You just need to tell me Centaur will cooperate."
"I need to hear the specific procedures," Firenze said cautiously. "If the procedures are reasonable and the expected outcome is as you say, we will fully cooperate."
Lorne snapped his fingers and left with Hagrid, completely satisfied.
On the way back, Hagrid said admiringly, "You're amazing, Lorne, to be able to do something like that."
"I can't do it." Lorne shook his head quite frankly.
"What?" Hagrid stopped in shock. "How dare you agree to that?"
"Don't worry, I can't do it, but the person we're looking for can," Lorne said, grabbing Hagrid's wide sleeves. "Let's hurry, or Dumbledore will be off work again."
Lorne's idea was simple: whoever caused the trouble should clean up their own mess.
Hagrid let Aragog roam free, so let him go and beg Dumbledore; Dumbledore oversight, allowing the Acromantula to infiltrate the school and even grow stronger in the Forbidden Forest, so let him solve the problem of the Centaur migration.
Don't say he can't do it. Lorne's suitcase wasn't just a figment of his imagination; it has a real-life counterpart. There are indeed wizards who can use the Undetectable Extension Charm to create a small world inside a suitcase.
That wizard was Dumbledore's student. Even if Dumbledore couldn't register and use a suitcase or other items that had been enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm by the Ministry of Magic, he could borrow the suitcase from his student.
Sains himself told him that he had met a retired Newt Scamander in Dorset, Dumbledore's round trip would probably only take half a day, so he could just reimburse him for the travel expenses.