Professor McGonagall led Morris straight out of the castle, heading northeast.
They passed through a cluster of greenhouse-like buildings, then passed an enormous willow tree before finally stopping in front of a crooked building.
It was a single-story wooden hut that looked as though it had been built by hand.
What stood out was its particularly large door, as though a giant lived inside.
Professor McGonagall raised her hand and knocked.
"Coming!"
A gruff voice rang out from inside.
Morris immediately realized who lived here.
The door was soon pulled open.
Sure enough, just as he had expected, Rubeus Hagrid's towering figure nearly filled the entire doorway.
"You're here, Professor McGonagall." He nodded to her and offered warmly, "Would you like a cup of hot tea first?"
Professor McGonagall waved a hand. "No need, Hagrid. I'll leave Mr. Black with you. I have a class shortly."
With that, she gave Morris a slight nod, then turned and hurried away.
Only Morris and Hagrid remained in front of the hut.
"Oh, hello there." Hagrid bent down and extended a hand to Morris in greeting. "I reckon you already know who I am. Just call me Hagrid."
"I'm Morris Black." Morris reached out in return.
Hagrid's hand was astonishingly large, almost big enough to wrap around his entire arm.
Morris silently marveled. If Hagrid used even a little force, his arm would probably be done for.
"Well, Professor McGonagall should've explained why you're here." Hagrid spoke gently and stepped aside to let him through. "Let's go inside and have a proper chat."
Hagrid's Hut had only one room, with furniture that all looked enlarged: a bed, a table and chairs, and a fireplace.
Dried herbs, hams, and a bunch of oddly shaped plants Morris couldn't name hung from the ceiling.
"Sit anywhere," Hagrid said.
Morris tried one of the overly tall chairs, then finally chose to sit on the edge of the bed.
"So, where are those creatures called Thestrals?" he asked curiously.
"The Forbidden Forest." Hagrid pointed to the woods outside the window. "Normally, young witches and wizards aren't allowed in there, but ours is a special, special case. I'll take you over in a bit. Want a biscuit?"
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Baked them myself!"
Morris took a large, rough biscuit from Hagrid.
But the instant he bit into it, he regretted it.
This could hardly be called a biscuit. It was practically a slab of fired earthenware.
It might take a dragon's teeth to bite through it.
He discreetly put the biscuit on the table and asked as though nothing had happened, "When do we leave?"
"Now." Hagrid gently nudged the enormous hound dozing nearby with his foot. "Wake up, Fang. Time to work."
Fang gave a muffled whine and stood up.
Only then did Morris realize that the dog was almost as tall as he was. He had merely looked rather small beside Hagrid.
He approached Morris curiously, puffed warm air from his nostrils, then licked his hand in a friendly manner.
"Ha, he likes you!" Hagrid happily patted Fang's shaggy head. "Fang's a bit of a coward, but it's always good to have company."
Morris looked at the drool on his hand, silently took out his wand, and cast Scourgify on himself-a spell he had learned from the leisure reading he had bought in Diagon Alley, rather than anything in his textbooks.
"Right, let's get going." Hagrid headed for the door. "The Thestrals' habitat is a little way from here. And don't leave my sight."
The two of them and the dog headed toward the deep, dense woods.
The Forbidden Forest.
Morris still remembered Headmaster Dumbledore mentioning this place at the start-of-term feast. It was off-limits to students.
He was rather curious about what might be in this forest.
"Thestrals live deep in the Forbidden Forest, but at certain times, they also come out to the edges, such as when Hogwarts needs them, or when a new member of the herd is about to be born." As Hagrid spoke, he pushed aside obstructing branches with his enormous hands. "Thestrals care a great deal about their herd. They choose the safest places for their young."
"Do you mean the Forbidden Forest isn't safe?" Morris asked casually.
"Oh, I'm not trying to scare you, but there are quite a few less-than-friendly creatures in these woods." Hagrid turned at a fork and continued, "Acromantulas, for instance, though Aragog and his descendants stay deep inside their territory most of the time."
"Acromantulas? Aragog?"
"Er... never mind. Just don't go wandering into this forest."
Hagrid awkwardly changed the subject.
"All right."
Morris shrugged. The big fellow in front of him had been the one to bring it up.
Acromantula-that really was a name that set the imagination running.
Incidentally, he wasn't afraid of hairy arthropods.
He was even rather fond of them.
It would be wonderful if he could keep a few.
He made a mental note of the name Acromantula, planning to look up some information once he got back.
"We're nearly there." Hagrid suddenly lowered his voice and signaled for Morris to tread lightly. "The Thestrals' habitat is in that clearing up ahead."
They passed through the last patch of bushes, and the view suddenly opened up.
It was a forest clearing surrounded by enormous trees. Sunlight could barely penetrate the canopy, making the place particularly quiet and secluded.
Several skeletal black creatures stood quietly there, looking very much like the one that had carried Morris the night before.
They were Thestrals.
Strangely, Morris felt as though he had drawn the gaze of almost every Thestral present.
"They're rather shy," Hagrid said happily. "When I first tried taming them, it took me three whole days to get them to let their guard down. That wasn't easy."
"Er..." Morris scratched his head. "They don't seem all that shy to me."
How could he put it?
He seemed to see a kind of... enthusiasm in those Thestrals' pale eyes?
As though they had spotted some rare treasure.
Just then, the leading Thestral raised its head and let out a long whinny that echoed through the Forbidden Forest.
Something astonishing happened.
More and more Thestrals emerged from the shadows of the woods.
They converged from every direction, surrounding Morris and Hagrid.
At a rough estimate, there might have been dozens.
"Look, they're welcoming us!" Hagrid held out both hands toward the nearest Thestral, his face full of anticipation. "Come here, good boy."
The Thestral slowly took a step closer.
Then it walked straight up to Morris and affectionately rubbed its head against his chest, completely ignoring Hagrid, who still had both hands extended beside him.
"..."
Hagrid froze on the spot.