Hagrid first circled halfway around the edge of the Forbidden Forest to make sure no one was following him before turning onto a more secluded side path.
The road winds its way around a pile of rocks, ending at a cave covered in vines and moss.
Just as he quickened his pace to squeeze inside, a figure suddenly appeared by the roadside.
Her soft blonde hair shimmered softly in the moonlight. She held no wand and walked by as casually as if she were taking a stroll after dinner.
Hagrid instinctively tensed up and tried to hide the large earthenware jar behind his back, but his massive frame couldn't conceal the enormous jar; instead, it only made things more obvious.
At that moment, the figure opposite spoke first, "Good evening, Hagrid." His voice was gentle and calm, "Still busy in the Forbidden Forest at this hour?"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Hagrid immediately recognized Professor Quirrell, but he still felt a little uneasy.
He quickly stepped forward to block the view of the cave, explaining, "Ah, Professor Quirrell! I just... came to see the animals in the Forbidden Forest. I don't keep any random things! No, um, um, right, Headmaster Dumbledore sent me! Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore sent me!"
Quirrell nodded, not pressing Hagrid's strange behavior for an answer. He glanced over Hagrid's shoulder toward the distant cave, but it was completely blocked by Hagrid's massive body, and nothing could be seen there.
"Has anything changed in the Forbidden Forest lately?" Quirrell asked casually, as if discussing the weather, "Or have you seen any other familiar faces, like other professors visiting the Forbidden Forest?"
Hagrid thought for a moment and replied, "Changes. The Forbidden Forest has changed somewhat. The unicorns seem frightened and keep running deeper into it. The Centaur seem to know something, but they're tight-lipped and won't say anything when asked, only shaking their heads and muttering some indistinct words."
At this point, Hagrid noticed Quirrell staring at him and quickly added guiltily, "Whatever did it, it wasn't done by Vampire. They don't like drinking animal blood!"
Quirrell smiled slightly, a subtle, profound meaning in his eyes. "After the banquet last night, Headmaster Dumbledore said the Vampire wouldn't be making any moves for the time being. However, based on my understanding of them, this race is extremely vengeful and won't easily give up on their goals. By the way, Hagrid, didn't you see any other familiar faces near the Forbidden Forest besides me?"
Hagrid first patted his chest and assured them, "No, I haven't seen any other professors recently. It's only the beginning of the semester, I haven't even seen the mischievous little ones yet."
Then, recalling the first half of Quirrell's sentence, he subconsciously muttered, "Holding grudges? Good thing I didn't mistreat them." Realizing his words were inappropriate, he quickly added, "I mean, I've encountered Vampire before, but I've never offended them."
Quirrell didn't press the matter, simply nodded, and turned to walk back the way he came. His shadow gradually disappeared into the tree shadows under the moonlight, and the sound of his footsteps grew fainter and fainter until it vanished completely.
Hagrid waited for a while, making sure Quirrell was far away, before continuing towards the cave.
Reaching the hidden cave, Hagrid bent down, used his foot to push aside the branches at the entrance, and ducked inside.
The cave was more spacious inside than at the entrance, with a narrow crack in the ceiling through which moonlight shone, casting a silvery-white glow on the ground.
When the Gori heard a noise outside, he quickly resumed his usual posture, sitting back against the stone wall at the very back of the cave, as calm as if he had never moved.
However, the condition of several Vampire underlings was not good. Some were curled up against the wall without moving, looking listless, which was considered to be in relatively good condition. Others simply couldn't maintain their human form and turned back into giant bats, slumped in the corner of the cave.
Hagrid walked in and placed the clay pot on the ground with a dull thud. He wiped the sweat from his brow and, seeing that the Gori was still in human form, a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.
But when he caught sight of the paralyzed giant bat beside him, he immediately burst out laughing again.
"Dinner's ready." Hagrid crouched down, patted the lid of the earthenware pot, and spoke with the eagerness of feeding a pet. "I specially asked my House-elf to buy this today; they said it's not chicken blood this time."
The lid of the earthenware jar was lifted, and a strong, rusty, bloody stench rose from the jar's opening, filling the damp cave.
The vampire in the Gori glanced at the pottery jar expressionlessly, without moving. The Vampire henchmen beside him did react; one of them swallowed hard, but they remained obediently huddled in place, waiting for the Gori to speak.
The Gori paused for a moment, then raised its chin, gesturing for the Vampire closest to it to try it.
The Vampire walked forward shakily, picked up the earthenware pot with both hands, and took a sip.
The moment the liquid entered his throat, his expression froze. His lips twitched twice, his cheeks puffed out and then deflated, and finally he swallowed it down, his face contorted in pain. Then he bent over, leaning against the stone wall, and let out a long, painful retching.
"This damn smell!" The Vampire struggled to sit up, looking at the contents of the earthenware jar with disgust. "It tastes awful, fishy and pungent, like muddy water! This time it's not bird blood, but it's not human blood either, it's pig blood!"
Hearing the Vampire's complaints, Hagrid's curiosity was piqued like a haystack being set ablaze.
He glanced at the Vampire's disgusted expression, then looked down at the dark red liquid in the earthenware jar, scratched the back of his head, and asked, "Is it pig's blood? How did you tell by the taste?"
The little Vampire wiped the remaining liquid from the corner of its mouth, its expression still contorted, as if some lingering taste remained in its mouth.
He sighed, his voice carrying a weary tone born of hardship. "When I was young, I was hunted down by the church. I dared not drink human blood to reveal my whereabouts, so I drank all kinds of blood. I tried wild rabbits in the mountains, deer in the forests, ducks by the river, and even field mice. Over the years, I can tell what kind of animal it is just by its smell."
Hagrid was stunned. He hadn't expected this skinny Vampire to have such a miserable past. He looked at him with a hint of pity, like he was looking at a stray cat that had once been a stray.
He crouched down, trying to get as close to the other person's height as possible. This was based on his experience raising Hippogriff; lowering his posture could reduce the other person's wariness.
Hagrid continued, "Won't pig's blood work? In Muggle zoology, pigs are mammals, just like humans. They should be about the same size, right?"
Gori, sitting deep in the cave, suddenly opened his eyes. He had been leaning against the stone wall with his eyes closed, resting in a relaxed posture as if he were dozing off, but Hagrid's words "mammal" had clearly piqued his interest.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on the humanoid Troll, a barely perceptible hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. This humanoid Troll knew Muggle zoology? That was quite unexpected.