Hagrid scratched the back of his head, still unsure how to phrase his question, when Harry suddenly spoke up, her tone more direct than Draco's. "Is it related to the Vampire of Hogsmeade? I saw quite a few Vampire Werewolf there."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a certainty that she already knew the answer, causing Hagrid's prepared explanation to linger in his throat before he swallowed it back down.
However, Hagrid obviously didn't think much of it; he probably didn't even realize that there was anything wrong with what Harry said.
What do you mean by seeing a lot of Vampire Werewolf in Hogsmeade? Can first-year students go to Hogsmeade?
He glanced at Draco, then at Harry, and then noticed Herman staring at him as well. The three of them waited for his answer with even more focus than they would during class.
Only Crabbe and Goyle were still intently chewing, their eyes darting around as if searching for anything else edible in the room.
Hagrid considered his words for a moment, then spoke selectively, saying, "Last night, Vampire and Werewolf came to the Forbidden Forest. They wanted to do something very bad."
Draco tilted her head, frowning as she pressed, "Something bad? Are they going to eat Centaur or unicorns? I heard there are unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, right?"
Hagrid nodded. "Yes, the Forbidden Forest is one of the few places in Britain where unicorns live."
Herman, listening to Draco steer the conversation towards unicorns, quickly tried to steer it back on track. Draco was both her strength and her Draco.
"What's the really bad thing? Is it what you said before about killing your pet? What Fantastic Beasts do Vampire have a grudge against? Aren't Werewolf the only ones they clearly have a bad relationship with?"
Hagrid didn't think much of it and blurted out, "Yes, they were going to kill my new pet, the Dumbledore entrusted to me. Luckily, Headmaster Dumbledore's magic stopped them, otherwise I really wouldn't know how to explain it to him."
Dumbledore gave it to Hagrid; it was a pet that the Vampire wanted to kill.
The thought of those three words together made Herman's mind jump. He felt something slowly emerging from the most unlikely direction, but it was still missing a crucial clue to connect them, or rather, something else needed to be broken through.
Draco's eyes lit up at the mention of "new pet": "What's your new pet? Is it a big guy like Fluffy?"
The mention of pets seemed to trigger Hagrid's interest; he immediately became animated, excitedly introducing, "While not as big as Fluffy, they're quite large for their kind. It's one—no, it's a swarm of giant bats!"
bat.
Herman finally got the wire connected.
Hagrid kept Vampire as pet bats.
Everything made sense. Dumbledore entrusted the Vampire he had captured to Hagrid's care, which is why there was no further news of those Vampire after the start of the school year— Hagrid kept them in the Forbidden Forest.
Although Dumbledore adept at dealing with that Vampire leader, the strength that guy displayed was beyond the capabilities of ordinary wizards. He certainly couldn't be easily kept in the school; locking him in the Forbidden Forest and guarding him with magic was the most reasonable approach.
Herman hadn't considered this aspect because he simply couldn't connect a Vampire elder with " Hagrid's pet," but for Hagrid, this was actually the most reasonable approach, and he might even be quite satisfied with the task Dumbledore had given him.
So the current situation is probably that there's internal conflict among the Vampire, and someone wants to kill the Vampire leader.
Herman felt the pressure on his shoulders lessen a little. If this Vampire leader was the only one who knew the Prophecy, and then he died, wouldn't he be completely safe and just be a student at Hogwarts?
Harry suddenly spoke up, her tone still calm, but her words as precise as a scalpel. " Hagrid, the giant bat you mentioned, it's actually Vampire, isn't it?"
Hagrid's expression changed instantly upon hearing this. He looked around in a panic, as if to make sure no one else was eavesdropping.
His gaze swept back and forth between Herman and Draco. Both of them were looking at him. Draco blinked, while Herman neither nodded nor shook his head, simply maintaining that "I'm listening" expression.
Crabbe and Goyle, who were far away, were completely unaware of the change in atmosphere. After finishing their Rock Cakes, their attention had been drawn to Hagrid's large pot. They were craning their necks to curiously examine what was left in the pot, whispering about whether the bones were edible.
Fang, who had been lying down ever since the group came in, now stood with its tail raised, baring its teeth and staring at the two guys who showed interest in its dinner.
Hagrid continued to deny it, "There are no Vampire, just giant bats!"
Harry continued, her tone still calm. " Hagrid, you don't need to hide it from us. We saw those Vampire on the Hogwarts Express, and we know that Headmaster Dumbledore captured a few, and we haven't seen them at the school since. Dumbledore told us he entrusted the Vampire to you."
When Draco heard this, she blinked, then looked at Harry, and then at Herman, as if waiting for someone to explain.
Herman nodded calmly, as if agreeing with what Harry said.
Their behavior only confused Draco more. Dumbledore told her that? When? Draco began to wonder if she had fallen asleep that day.
After hearing Harry's words, Hagrid's expression gradually relaxed from tense.
He probably remembered how he'd wasted effort hiding it from Quirrell, and with Harry speaking so confidently, he immediately relaxed. "Hey, you should have said so earlier! Since you already know, I can tell you."
Herman glanced at Harry and silently added a point to her performance. Harry was the one who had to do the bad stuff; that's what you call professional.
He looked away and turned back to Hagrid, waiting for him to continue.
The fire in the fireplace flickered quietly, casting long and short shadows of several people that swayed slowly across the floor.
Hagrid put down his large teacup, adjusted his posture, as if organizing a more complete narrative than before.
Herman didn't urge him; he simply waited there quietly.
Draco still had that confused expression, but her attention had clearly been drawn to Hagrid's words, and she was no longer bothered about when Dumbledore had mentioned keeping Vampire.
Crabbe and Goyle were still studying the large pot in the distance, immersed in their world of food, while Fang was humming softly, as if trying to defend his dinner.