After saying goodbye to George and Fred, the two continued walking along the muddy path that had been worn down by countless footsteps, occasionally stepping on a few dry fallen leaves that made a soft, crunching sound.
Hagrid's Hut soon came into view. The thatched roof was thicker than when he last visited, and the smoke from the chimney carried the aroma of burning wood, mixed with the smell of stewed meat and some kind of herb, which drifted over from a distance.
Herman stepped forward and knocked on the door. The door thumped repeatedly, followed by a series of commotion inside, like someone had kicked something over. Then, heavy footsteps approached the door, which was pulled open from the inside. Hagrid's face, mostly obscured by his beard and hair, peeked out. He saw Draco first, and his eyes lit up. "Oh! Little Draco's here! Come in, come in! The good food will be ready soon!"
He stepped aside to clear the doorway, took two steps back, glanced at Herman, and nodded to signal him to come in.
Herman, carrying the package, followed Draco through the door. The light inside the small house was several degrees dimmer than outside. The windows were small, and the afternoon sun slanted in through the windowpanes, casting a warm yellow band of light on the floor, within which tiny dust particles floated slowly.
The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, its flames licking the rim of a huge iron pot, which was bubbling and releasing a rich aroma of meat.
The aroma of meat momentarily disoriented Herman. Wasn't this afternoon tea? The Half-giant had such a good appetite; they were serving stewed meat for afternoon tea?
He looked around. The furnishings in the room were similar to last time. There were a few books and a pile of odds and ends on the table. In the corner was an axe that had been polished to a shine. Against the door frame was a thick wooden stick with a smooth surface, as if it had been held in his hand often.
However, this time I had some alchemical knowledge, and although I couldn't recognize everything, I could still see some value. That room full of odds and ends was actually quite valuable, so it seems the Forbidden Forest is indeed rich in resources.
Herman silently considered that, in addition to recycling waste, he could also purchase some fresh plant and animal materials from the Forbidden Forest on his own. However, he first needed to figure out which areas of the Forbidden Forest he could enter and which areas he couldn't trespass on.
Draco stepped forward and placed the large package on the table. As she untied the hemp rope, the fabric loosened, revealing what was inside: a dark brown leather apron with thick brass buttons at the collar and a thick stitched edging, making it look very sturdy and durable.
Draco unfolded the apron and held it up to the firelight of the fireplace to show it off. "Last time you said your apron always got holes burned in it by sparks. This one should be thick enough. I had it specially made using dragon skin. Although I didn't use dragon scales because the scales are too hard for movement, it's more than enough for fire protection."
Hagrid reached out and took it, running his large, fan-like hand over the surface of the apron. He then turned it over to examine the stitching on the back, his expression one of genuine joy at receiving a delightful gift. "This child is so thoughtful! Much better than my torn one."
As he spoke, he picked it up and held it up to himself. The apron fit him perfectly, the width just right, and the length just covered the front, as if it had been tailor-made.
Herman watched this scene, recalling how the silver tea set had been gathering dust in the corner of the table last time. Looking at the apron in front of him, he felt that Draco had clearly improved a lot, and this gift would at least come in handy.
Hagrid eagerly put on his apron, then turned and busied himself by the stove, muttering, "Please sit down, I'll make you some tea. There are some homemade snacks on the table, please have some."
When Herman heard the words "homemade desserts," he thought of the culinary disasters in the original story and the lava cake he had seen before. He glanced subconsciously at the grayish-brown, angular thing on the table, thinking that this one was no less impressive.
The lumps piled together looked like a heap of shattered rocks, with rough, uneven edges and cracks of varying depths on the surface. It was impossible to tell what they were made of; one could only barely identify them as some kind of baked product.
Hagrid placed the teapot on the table and brought over two large cups. White steam was still rising from the spout of the teapot, and the cups were made of ceramic and felt heavy in the hand.
Draco hesitated for a moment as she looked at the plate of grayish-brown chunks, then reached out and picked up a piece, turning it over and over in her hand as if searching for the right angle to take a bite.
She tried taking a bite, and the moment her teeth touched the pastry, there was a crisp sound. Then her expression froze, and she stood there stiffly, with only a shallow tooth mark left on the surface of the pastry in her hand.
Hagrid looked at her with great interest. "How is it? My recipe, with honey and nut powder added."
Draco's expression changed from stiff to a polite smile, "It's delicious..."
As she spoke, she put the uneaten pastry back on the plate and pushed it in front of Herman.
Herman looked down at the gnawed rock-like object, then glanced up at Hagrid's expectant expression. He had no choice but to pick up a piece and take a bite. The moment his teeth struck the rock, a sharp pain shot up from the roots of his teeth. He felt like he had bitten into some kind of building material rather than food.
He chewed it slowly a couple of times, feeling like it could knock his teeth out, but out of politeness he swallowed it anyway, feeling as if a small piece of coarse sandpaper had slid down his throat.
Hagrid nodded in satisfaction and turned to refill the tea.
While Draco had his back to her, Herman pushed the half-eaten pastry back to her Draco pushed it back, and the two of them went back and forth like this for several rounds. Finally Herman stuffed the half-eaten pastry into his pocket, pretending to say that he would keep it to eat slowly when he got back.
Hagrid sat down and chatted with them, asking about the recent situation at the school and talking about the animals in the Forbidden Forest. He said there had been strange noises at night recently, and even unicorns had come to hide near the camp, as if they had been disturbed by something.
Herman grew increasingly alarmed, wondering if Voldemort was still lurking in the school as in the original story, sneaking out to drink some fresh Unicorn Blood, or if the Vampire Werewolf had turned the Forbidden Forest into a hunting ground.
Neither scenario seemed like good news for him. Voldemort wouldn't let him off the hook just because he was a student, and now that the Vampire Werewolf had finished their feast, wouldn't he be their next target?
As he was thinking this with trepidation, Draco became interested and asked a few more questions about unicorns. Hagrid was getting into the story and was talking about when unicorns molt when Herman stopped worrying and started listening intently.
Just then, a piercing bell rang out from inside the room.