The next morning, when Herman entered the Great Hall, sunlight was streaming in through the high windowpanes, casting a warm yellow glow on the silver plates on the long table.
He took a sip of milk and felt the dull pain in his shoulder was a bit worse than yesterday, as if something was slowly fermenting under his skin and flesh, bulging outwards.
He put down his cup and stretched his shoulders, thinking to himself that he had to go to Hagrid's place today. If he delayed any longer and the situation worsened to the point where even Potions wouldn't work, he would have no choice but to turn himself in to the professor. Hopefully, it would still be in time, and he wouldn't have to have his leg amputated.
He didn't want to have the short arms of House-elf. Just thinking about having one long arm and one short arm made Herman shudder for no reason. Even if he could Wandless Magic with the arms of House-elf, it wouldn't work!
Draco arrived even earlier than him today, wearing a light green robe and her hair neatly tied up, looking like she had spent at least ten minutes more time styling it than usual.
In front of her was a small package, wrapped in dark brown paper and tied with a silver-gray ribbon. Judging from the color and the way the ribbon was tied, it was clearly sent from home.
Herman sat down beside her and glanced at the package. "What is it?" Draco moved the package closer to herself. "A gift for that big guy Hagrid. I wrote to my father and had him send it."
Before Herman could ask any further questions, she had already placed the package on the ground beside her feet, showing no intention of continuing to explain. However, Herman guessed that she probably didn't know what was inside either.
After finishing breakfast, Herman stood up and looked around for Harry. Harry was standing near the side door of the Great Hall, seemingly planning to walk in another direction. She stopped when she saw Herman approaching.
Herman asked, "Shall we go find Hagrid together?"
Harry leaned against the doorframe, her tone casual. "I'm not going, you guys go ahead. Neville's with you anyway, so I don't need to be the reason."
Herman was momentarily speechless at her words. It seemed that he had been using the excuse that " Harry and Hagrid are close" to drag her along all day, and Harry had seen right through him.
Harry brought it up directly today, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Herman tried to salvage the situation. "Weren't you curious about the dog? And what Hagrid got from Gringotts?"
Harry shook her head. "It's alright, besides, you guys went, and I don't want to get too close to them, it'll be too much trouble."
After saying that, she didn't explain anything further, turned around and walked down the corridor toward the common room.
Draco stood behind Herman, watching Harry's retreating figure, and muttered somewhat unhappily, "Straying from the group again."
Herman waved his hand dismissively. "Let's go, we can manage on our own."
As the two passed the Gryffindor table, Neville, Hugo, and Ron stood up almost simultaneously, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Neville, still clutching half a loaf of toast, quickly called out as Herman approached, "Let's go, let's go, Hagrid should still be waiting at the cabin."
Hugo had already slung her backpack over her shoulder, and Ron followed behind, carrying a small cloth bag. They looked like they had been preparing for a while.
The path from the castle to Hagrid's Hut cuts through a half-baked lawn, with a few old trees along the way, their bark rough and their branches stretching diagonally toward the Forbidden Forest.
The morning air carried the scent of damp grass, and the canopies of the Forbidden Forest in the distance shimmered with a dark green velvet in the morning light.
Neville walked in front, with Ron and Hugo beside him, slightly behind, and Herman and Draco bringing up the rear.
After walking a short distance, Draco's gaze fell on the cuffs of Ron's old robe, and she asked with a hint of curiosity, "Isn't your robe a little out of place? Is it old?"
Ron's face flushed instantly. She fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve and said softly, "We have a lot of kids in our family..."
Draco "Oh," drawing out the last syllable, "My father said the Weasley family do have quite a few."
Hugo pushed up her glasses, as if trying to change the subject. "The weather is quite nice today."
Neville quickly replied, "Yes, it's a good time to go out for a walk."
Ron quickened her pace slightly, her head down. Herman, who had already reached the front, overheard their conversation but didn't pay it any mind. However, she slowed her pace a bit, waiting for the others to catch up.
When Draco saw Ron's expression, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she stopped herself in the end, walked back to Herman's side, and turned her gaze toward the Forbidden Forest in the distance.
When they arrived at the door of Hagrid's Hut, Herman took a good look at the place.
The cabin was larger than he remembered from the original book. The roof was covered with thick thatch, and smoke was billowing from the chimney. Several potted plants with large leaves were placed on the windowsill, and there were obvious insect holes on the edges of the pots, making them look like they had been gnawed.
The wooden steps at the entrance were worn white from being stepped on, and there were a few mud marks on the edges, which, judging by their size, should have been left by Hagrid's little dog, Fang.
Herman raised his hand and knocked on the door. A series of chaotic sounds came from inside, as if someone had kicked over something, and then footsteps thumped toward the door.
The door was pulled open from the inside, and Hagrid's face, mostly hidden by his beard and hair, peeked out. His eyes lit up when he saw Neville: " Neville! Come in."
Then he looked at Herman and Draco, his gaze lingering on their faces for a few seconds as if trying to recognize them, but clearly he couldn't remember who they were.
Herman began by introducing himself. "I'm Herman, and this is Draco, Harry's friend."
Upon hearing Harry's name, Hagrid nodded as if suddenly realizing something, then glanced around behind the two of them. " Harry didn't come? I wrote her a letter too."
He muttered as he walked into the room, still grumbling about the Sorting Hat's decision, "What an idiot! How could they sort her into Slytherin? Her parents are both Gryffindor, she should be Gryffindor, not Slytherin..."
He seemed to realize then that Herman and Draco were also Slytherin, paused for a moment, but clearly couldn't stop now, and could only vaguely conclude, "Anyway, I think the hats are wrong."
Herman pretended not to hear the second half of the sentence and nudged Draco's arm.
Draco understood and stepped forward to hand over the package. "Mr. Hagrid, this is a gift for you."
Hagrid paused for a moment, then looked at the ribbon, noticing it was a little small in his hand. He glanced down at it and said, "Oh! You even brought something. How kind of you."
Then he opened the package, inside was an exquisite tea set. The silver-white teapot was engraved with fine patterns, and the spout curved gracefully like a swan's neck. Next to it were four cups of the same color, each with a very fine silver rim.
Hagrid held the teapot between two fingers, examining it against the light from the window. He then flipped it over to look at the bottom, before looking up as if pondering how to use something so small. Finally, he could only say, "Um... thank you, it's beautiful."