"Keeping dragons is illegal! Especially not at Hogwarts! Hagrid... he's incredibly audacious!" Hermione helplessly.
Hermione knew that Hagrid had been expelled from school with his wand broken for breaking school rules.
He only became the gamekeeper thanks to Dumbledore's protection.
If something goes wrong again this time, even Dumbledore might not be able to protect him.
Harry quickly whispered reassurance, "It should... it should be fine, right? If it's in Hagrid's Hut, or deep in the Forbidden Forest, no one should notice."
"He's always been obsessed with dragons. The first time I met him, he kept talking about wanting to raise a dragon."
Hermione immediately shook her head in rebuttal, her tone firm. "No means no."
"Dragons are born with fire and wildness; even newborn dragons can burn people. If this is discovered, not only will Hagrid be severely punished, but the school will also be implicated."
Ron agreed, "That's right, my brother Charlie raises dragons in Romania. He still has scars from dragonfire burns on his body. Those things aren't just raised randomly."
Draco nodded slightly and continued, "That's why Hagrid came to me. I have a natural affinity for Fantastic Beasts; young dragons will obey me and won't easily harm people."
"So you said yes?" Ron asked.
"I agree," Draco said calmly, but then added, "However, I'll only help him incubate the eggs, not raise them."
He told the three of them exactly what he had just said to Hagrid.
Hermione's tense expression finally relaxed after hearing this, and she let out a soft sigh of relief.
"... This is already the best possible outcome. It saves Hagrid, prevents Xiaolong from getting into trouble, and avoids implicating the school."
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.
A soft knock sounded at the door of Hagrid's Hut in the Forbidden Forest.
Upon hearing this, Hagrid immediately dropped what he was doing and strode off to open the door.
But when the door opened, they saw not only Draco standing outside, but also Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
The joy on his face froze instantly, his lips drooped, and his eyes widened in panic.
He pulled Draco aside, stamping his feet in frustration. " Draco, you've let the cat out of the bag! How could you even tell Harry and Ron... This absolutely cannot be told to anyone!"
Ron immediately stiffened his neck, deliberately feigning a wronged look. "What, Hagrid, you're not welcoming me and Harry here?"
"No, no! Absolutely not!" Hagrid waved his hands hastily, his face flushed red. "It's just that this matter is too confidential. The more people who know, the greater the risk..."
Draco gently patted his arm reassuringly, " Hagrid, they're not strangers, they're here to help you."
" Ron's brother Charlie specializes in raising dragons in Romania and is most experienced in dealing with baby dragons."
Hagrid paused, pondered for a long time, and could only sigh and step aside.
"Alright, alright, come in, come in. This time, all four of you better keep your mouths shut!"
The four entered the cabin one by one, Hagrid immediately closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it.
The curtains in the room were drawn tightly shut, preventing even a sliver of light from getting in, making it so stuffy that one's nose began to sweat slightly.
Hermione picked up the hem of her dress and gently fanned herself, frowning as she said, " Hagrid, it's so hot in here, you don't even open the windows."
As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the roaring flames in the fireplace.
Ron chimed in, "Yeah, it's sunny outside, but it's like an oven in here."
Hagrid stroked his messy beard and chuckled, "Hatching dragon eggs... it needs to be warm enough."
He turned around and made hot tea for the four of them, and proudly brought out a plate of ferret sandwiches he had made himself.
Upon seeing that expression, the four of them quickly waved their hands in unison to decline.
Harry held the warm teacup, hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself and said directly, " Hagrid, someone's trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone!"
Hagrid's eyes widened in surprise, and he slammed his hand on the table. "Where? You can't possibly steal it from here, can you?"
He was outspoken and shook his head without hesitation. "Impossible! That Philosopher's Stone is heavily guarded, with layer upon layer of barriers; no one can touch it!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged a glance, a hint of joy flashing in their eyes.
Finally, we got the most crucial information out of Hagrid!
Ron asked eagerly, "Levels? What kinds of levels are there?"
Hagrid snapped back to reality, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the three suspiciously. "Why are you asking this? The person who stole the Philosopher's Stone... could it be you little brats?"
The three remained silent.
Hagrid, seeing their expressions, suddenly burst into laughter. "I was just kidding!"
Hagrid counted on his short, stubby fingers, one by one. "It wouldn't hurt to tell you— Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Quirrell, they were all involved in the design."
"Finally, there was the magic personally laid down by Professor Dumbledore. Layer upon layer, unbreakable!"
Professor Quirrell!
Upon hearing those four words, Harry, Ron, Hermione were all startled, their expressions instantly changing.
Hagrid was stunned by their strong reaction. "What's wrong?! You all look like you've seen Troll!"
Ron's voice rose several decibels in anxiety. " Hagrid! How could you let Professor Quirrell get involved?"
"He's the one who tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone!" Harry blurted out.
Hagrid was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard his beard trembled and tears welled up in his eyes.
" Quirrell? That guy who can scare even the Troll in the castle to tears? Don't kid me, kids! He wouldn't even dare stand in front of the Philosopher's Stone!"
Hermione frowned, still unwilling to give up. "But if he's so useless, why did Professor Dumbledore even have him design the challenges? It doesn't make sense."
Hagrid's smile faded, his expression darkened slightly, and he adopted the demeanor of an elder, speaking earnestly to the group:
"This was arranged personally by Professor Dumbledore! He said Quirrell is fine, what do you kids know? Don't worry about it, and don't go around spreading rumors!"
After saying that, he picked up his teacup and took a big gulp, unwilling to say another word about the checkpoints.
Seeing that Hagrid refused to mention the challenge again, Hermione's eyes flickered, and she put on an admiring expression, flattering Hagrid:
"I never expected that you would also participate in the creation of the Philosopher's Stone levels. Professor Dumbledore's arrangement must show that he values you highly."
These words were exactly what Hagrid wanted to hear; he immediately puffed out his chest, his face beaming with joy.
"Of course! Professor Dumbledore trusts me. I may not be good Hagrid much else, but when it comes to keeping secrets and keeping watch, I'm the most reliable!"
Draco: "..."
Seeing that his expression softened, Hermione pressed her advantage. "In that case, you must know exactly what each level is like, right?"
Hagrid chuckled upon hearing this, shaking his head vigorously like a rattle-drum, a shrewd expression on his face:
"Heh heh, Hermione, don't try that on me. Don't try to trick me. Hagrid may be a big mouth, but I'm not a complete idiot!"
Draco, sitting to the side, couldn't help but laugh out loud.