After a long pause, Hagrid finally began to tell his story.
He cleared his throat, as if about to deliver an important speech. "At first I refused. I felt I wasn't up to the task of guarding prisoners, but Dumbledore told me they were giant bats, and I felt confident. Look at those Thestral, how well I've raised them."
Herman nodded approvingly, "Yes, that's what you call specialization." Then he asked, "And then?"
Hagrid fell into reminiscence. "At first I wanted to put them in cages, but Dumbledore said that wouldn't be right, that they were wizards too and should be respected. Although I didn't think putting them in cages was disrespectful—those cages were specially made by Professor Kettleburn! But it was the headmaster's word after all, so I put them in a cave in the Forbidden Forest."
Herman chimed in, "I think Hagrid did the right thing. These dangerous creatures should be kept in cages; it would be terrible if they escaped and hurt someone."
Harry and Draco rolled their eyes at him simultaneously, their expressions saying, "You talk too much, can you stop being such a sycophant?"
Hagrid glanced at Herman with considerable admiration, surprised that the little guy got along so well with him.
Herman smiled but didn't explain. He couldn't reveal his little scheme. These Vampire should be kept under close watch, or better yet, killed outright, since they were after him.
Harry clearly had no patience for all the buildup and was only interested in the Vampire: "What about last night? Tell me about last night."
Hagrid, reminded by her, realized he'd gone on for too long and quickly skipped the pet-raising tips to get straight to the point. "I didn't see the specifics, but when I arrived, the Vampire elder in the Gori had already killed the Vampire and Werewolf that attacked him. Then he said that another Vampire wanted to kill him and become some kind of Vampire king or something."
He paused, "Because Dumbledore wants him to live, Professor Malin, Professor Quirrell, and I have been taking turns watching over him these past two days to prevent any more Vampire from assassinating him."
Hagrid finally finished his story, and the three men each wore a different expression.
Draco listened with great interest, as if it were a bedtime story; Herman looked regretful, lamenting why he hadn't killed him; Harry's expression remained indifferent, but her eyes revealed that she was deep in thought.
Herman was more concerned about when this Vampire elder named Gori would die, so he pressed, "It's not a good idea to keep the professor watching over him all the time. What should we do with him in the end? Maybe we should just hand him over; after all, he's a dark creature."
Unexpectedly, Harry then voiced her objection. "After all, it was Dumbledore ordered that they be kept under guard. It's better for them to live. Let them stay locked up for a while longer, at least until Christmas."
Herman looked at Harry in surprise. "Young lady, when did you become so respectful of your teacher? Isn't it time for you to call him Laodeng —no, something a bit better— Dumbledore?"
Hagrid agreed with Harry's point of view, nodding and saying, " Gori did suggest an idea that could guarantee his safety, but we can't make that decision ourselves; we'll have to wait for Dumbledore to return."
Herman asked curiously, "What idea? I don't think Vampire ' words are trustworthy, it's best not to take them into consideration."
He naturally didn't have a good impression of Vampire who were after him.
Hagrid didn't hide anything. "He said that for safety, he could be locked in the castle's dungeon, where Vampire Werewolf certainly couldn't kill him. He also said he could tell Dumbledore the contents of some Prophecy."
Herman jumped to his feet upon hearing the words "castle dungeon": "No! How can we let him into the castle!"
The three of them stared at him in surprise; his reaction was far too intense. Harry's Byakugan practically rolled to the sky, her expression clearly saying, "What a jumpy little kid."
Seeing this, Herman quickly tried to smooth things over. "I mean, how can we let a dark creature into the school? It's too unsafe."
Hagrid scratched his head, feeling like he'd heard those words before. " Professor Quirrell thinks so too."
Herman immediately seized on this straw. "Look, even the professor agrees!"
His favorability toward Quirrell surged again, and he decided that the next time he heard Neville speak ill of Quirrell, he would retort with a few words, waving the banner of Quirrell's cult.
Hagrid nodded. "However, the final decision will have to wait until Headmaster Dumbledore returns. For now, the three of us will take turns keeping watch."
Harry seemed quite satisfied with the decision, nodding. "It seems Hogsmeade will be in chaos for a while longer; those guys won't leave until they've achieved their goal."
Hagrid nodded. "This problem will probably have to wait until Headmaster Dumbledore returns before it can be resolved."
Draco, somewhat disgruntled, "When will Hogsmeade close again? When can I go play there again!"
Herman rolled her eyes at her; she had probably forgotten that she was only a first-year student and therefore not allowed to go to Hogsmeade.
Harry, on the other hand, was in a good mood and comforted her, saying, "It's okay, I'll take you there via the back path when I have time."
Draco's eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"
Herman quickly reminded her, " Draco isn't like you. What if she runs into a bad wizard?"
Harry scoffed, "Don't worry, I've been to far more chaotic places. Taking Draco with me is no problem at all."
Herman groaned inwardly. The problem was, he didn't want to go, but since she was going, he had to go with her, otherwise he was afraid Professor Snape would skin him alive.
I could report it to Professor Snape beforehand, but I'm afraid you'd skin me alive if you did.
Hagrid then seemed to remember something. "Back in the day, James and the others also wanted to go to Hogsmeade in their first year. Oh, right, I saw a big black dog in Hogsmeade the other day, exactly the same as the one James used to have."
After saying that, he seemed to realize that his words were inappropriate for his position, and quickly added, "Of course, first-year wizards are not allowed to go to Hogsmeade; that's the school rule."
Draco pouted and said, "But I really want to go, what can I do?" Her big, bright eyes looked at Hagrid, who felt embarrassed by her Hagrid. "If the professor takes you with him, it should be fine."
Draco pressed on, "But no professor took me."
Hagrid thought for a moment and then said simply, "I'll take you when you want to go."
Anyway, he occasionally goes to Hogsmeade, so it's not a hassle to bring Draco and Harry along.
Herman didn't participate in Draco and Hagrid's interaction; his mind was racing with something else.
Although Hagrid was just reminiscing about the past, his words struck Herman like a piercing through a window, making Herman understand some things.