Chapter 191

Felix leaned over to examine the dark hair on the red cloth, “Is that all of it?”

“Unfortunately, from Azkaban, only these were found,” Dumbledore said.

“Well,” Felix nodded, he thought for a moment and said: “I can not guarantee dozens of Sneakoscopes… one, no problem! Two, a bit of a stretch, three, it’s purely a matter of luck.”

Dumbledore smiled and said, ” Already exceeded my expectations, I originally thought you can only make one Sneakoscope with it.”

After exiting the office, Felix looked at the sky, it still isn’t too late. He walked out of the castle and headed straight down a path to Hagrid’s hut.

He smelled the scent of trees and the grass which is wet from the previous rain. Soon, the outline of the hut became clear.

“Fang, hold on.”

Felix said to the black hound that pounced on him, it seemed to want to put its hands on him, but how could he let it happen he did not want it to stomp a few muddy paws on him.

Felix took a warm beef pie from the ring and tossed it to fang.

Fang caught it in his mouth and wagged his tail happily.

Felix knocked on the door, “Hagrid, it’s me, Felix.”

A sound like a whimper came from inside –

“Come in, the door’s unlocked!”

He pushed open the door and is astonished by the scene inside: the small room is squeezed full, Hagrid sitting on a soft couch, is holding up a large barrel of wine and drinking desperately, with red and teary eyes.

At his feet, a hawk-headed, horse-bodied winged beast lying in front of a copper basin filled with bloody raw meat. Juices dripped from the corners of its mouth onto the floor, and when it heard Felix’s movement, it jerked its head up to stare at him warily.

“Hagrid?”

Hagrid looked straight at him and grumbled, “Felix, you heard about …” He patted the Hippogriff on the head, “Be good, Buckbeak, you can’t afford to make any more mistakes. ”

Buckbeak’s head, which had been raised, dropped and continued to focus on the raw meat in the basin.

“Want some?” Hagrid shook the barrel.

“No, thanks.”

Felix chose a seat not far from him and sat down, “I did hear some rumours, but I didn’t think it would affect you so much.”

Hagrid took another sip of wine, a thin syrup of liquor dripping from his beard, “What choice do I have? Probably the shortest tenure of a professor ever …”

“They fired you?” Felix asked, somewhat taken aback.

“Uh, Harry and the guys have asked the same question … not yet, but sooner or later. A representative from the school board came to see me yesterday, dressed to the teeth, and to be honest, a bit like you. He told me that my class planning is too adventurous and that I should be more secure …”

“I don’t really see a problem with that.” Felix said, “As far as I know, the Hippogriff has good wisdom, so there should not be an accident, right?”

“Accident? Sort of. … Lets you judge the truth!” Hagrid suddenly shouted angrily, scaring the giant beast next to him, “That Malfoy boy didn’t listen to me at all, I told him to bow down! And he’s acting like a fool!”

Felix eyed Hagrid strangely as he asked lightly, “You let it come close to the student?”

“Yes, I know them well, there is nothing dangerous. All they need to do is bow first, and as long as it salutes you back you can get close, … burp!” Hagrid burped as he shook the barrel, pouring the rest of the wine into the copper basin in his hand, “That means it recognizes you. A pretty polite creature, isn’t it?”

Felix had reservations about this; it is true that bowing will gain approval, but not because of politeness, but because you have earned their trust by exposing your vulnerable area first, and they will, in turn, bow their heads to win your trust.

It’s a unique habit.

“Hagrid, my advice is that for creatures that have the ability to harm a small wizard, like it-”

“Buckbeak, it’s called Buckbeak,” Hagrid said in a gruff introduction.

“-such as the Buckbeak, it’s better to keep it at a distance in the first class. Once they’re familiar with it, you can pick one or two obedient students to engage with it.”

“Good advice, but unfortunately I can’t use it anymore.” Hagrid said sadly, “I haven’t been in much spirits these days, sending students to feed the Flobberworm and looking up at the sky by myself … Maybe an owl will inform me I’ve been fired the next minute.”

Felix said directly, “Hagrid, you don’t have to worry about the job, I checked the record of your predecessor – that is, Kettleburn – and he had sixty-two instances of disciplinary probation, some accidents much more serious than yours, but he stayed unscathed until retirement.”

“Really? I didn’t realize that; that school board representative looked like I was about to be sent to Azkaban.” Hagrid said expectantly.

“They can’t expel a formal professor, that’s the authority of the headmaster. At best, they can put you on disciplinary probation, but who cares?” Felix said something that he had studied in the rules so thoroughly that it never occurred to him to bother about it.

Hagrid became perked up and looked at Felix: “So, I’m okay?”

“You originally were fine.”

“That’s great!” Hagrid let out a cheer, the drink droplets hanging from his beard flung everywhere, and Buckbeak sneezed.

“Oh, go on, Buckbeak, get back to your place!” Hagrid laughed as he pulled it up and pushed it out of the hut as it gazed fondly at him.

“I was worried I’d be fired from my job as a forbidden forest guard and wanted to finally free it. Now it seems that I was overthinking it …”

Felix said, “Hagrid, let’s discuss what you’re going to do in your next class. I think the little unicorn is just fine, fluffy, and pleasant looking, and I’m curious about the qualities of the unicorn’s golden fur when it’s young …”

“It won’t be imposing enough, right?” Hagrid asked.

Felix looked at him calmly, causing Hagrid to look a little flustered. He waved his hand, “Well, you’re right, I shouldn’t take any chances.”

He snapped his fingers, “Isn’t a unicorn, a Bowtruckle, a Niffler, a fire crab, a flower fairy, and an Augurey …a little dangerous too?” He asked Felix for his opinion.

Augurey is a dark green bird, shy and somewhat similar in appearance to a malnourished juvenile vulture, and they are known for their mournful cry.

Felix thought about it: “I remember its cry is periodic?”

“It usually cries just before heavy rainfalls, and for a while, people used it to forecast the weather, then they just couldn’t stand the sound of it, it was too unpleasant … There are other birds that will howl incessantly during the winter, and that means they are dying.” Hagrid said thoughtfully, “I may find a sunny day to show them, at that time they will wilt.”

Felix encouraged him, “That’s it, Hagrid, you have to rule out possible risks based on the characteristics of magical creatures.”

“Ha, I seem to have found a bit knack for it.”

…

It had got all dark when Felix returned to his office. He looked at the picture of Nicolas Flamel on his workbench and inquired, “Is Nicolas there?”

” ‘I’ have gone to bed.” The man in the photo blinked.

“He’s been sleeping early lately,” Felix said.

Nicolas Flamel in the photo smiled and said, “Old people, they can’t afford to stay up all night.”

Six hundred plus-year-old man …

Felix mulled over the flavour of that statement, “When he wakes up, tell Nicolas for me that I’ve got his Christmas present ready, the kind with a unique significance, he’ll love it.”