Ever since the dragon egg went missing, Hagrid had been frantically searching the Forbidden Forest like a madman.
That night, the dragon egg transformed into a golden light and flew toward the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid saw it land there—so how could it be that he still couldn't find it?
Peeves once again started spreading rumors around Hogwarts: "Hagrid ate a dragon egg! Now he's back in the Forbidden Forest looking for his next gourmet treat."
Although not many students believed it, those who passed by would glance at Hagrid and let out strange, ambiguous chuckles.
All of this made life miserable for Hagrid. He had only just shaken off rumors about eating a unicorn, and now dragon eggs had been added to his so-called menu. As a "minor" advocate for magical creature rights, Hagrid was feeling deeply troubled.
"Oh! Isn't this Hogwarts' very own gourmet, Mr. Hagrid?"
Peeves popped out of a wall and immediately spotted Hagrid's massive frame walking down the corridor.
"Hahahahaha..."
The students nearby burst into laughter and walked off, clearly counting on this joke to keep them entertained all the way to bedtime.
Hagrid was so angry he wanted to hit someone. He pulled out his little red umbrella and swung it at Peeves, but of course, it passed right through his ghostly body.
"Big dumb Hagrid—so this is how you kill those animals?"
Peeves twisted and swayed in time with the umbrella, letting out weird, tragic shrieks, as if he himself were a poor animal being attacked and hunted by Hagrid.
Students gathered at both ends of the corridor, all stifling laughter as they watched Peeves' antics and Hagrid's humiliation.
"Damn Peeves... lying ghost... all lies…"
Muttering to himself, Hagrid put away his umbrella and headed toward the Headmaster's office on the eighth floor. Today, he was here to ask for help.
Everything that happened yesterday had happened so fast—too fast for Hagrid to protect his dragon egg. He knew the egg was probably lost for good. When it was struck by that golden light, he had seen it with his own eyes: not only did the egg shatter, but it also rapidly transformed into a lump of gold, and in the blink of an eye, that golden lump vanished.
He had searched all day, covering half the Forbidden Forest, yet still found nothing. He had no choice but to come ask the Headmaster for assistance.
As for wanting to raise a dragon—well, that was just a personal hobby. If he confessed to the Headmaster, he would surely be forgiven.
Hagrid was like a giant-sized child. He knew Dumbledore would definitely forgive him, so he didn't feel too burdened by guilt.
The only thing bothering him now was Peeves. Every time something happened, Peeves would somehow know about it—and then twist it into a ridiculous lie.
Even if nobody truly believed Peeves, some students would still use those rumors as a way to mock Hagrid—and that was what really annoyed him.
"Hagrid! I really don't know what to say. Maybe if you had sent the egg away from the start, that would've been the best solution."
On the way, Hermione happened to bump into Hagrid. The little girl knew exactly who had taken the egg—and that person definitely wasn't going to give it back. So all she could do was offer some guilty, comforting words.
"Thank you! Thank you! I know I was too selfish. Otherwise, Norbert wouldn't have met such a fate."
Seeing someone as big as Hagrid cry like a child made Hermione feel a little uneasy—better to keep some distance.
"I have class now, so I'll be going."
Clutching a book, Hermione quickly left the splash zone of Hagrid's falling tears.
"Hagrid! We know Peeves was just making stuff up, so... how did the dragon egg taste?"
The Weasley twins came strolling by, making inappropriate jokes without a care in the world. Instead of cheering him up, it made Hagrid cry even harder.
Harry Potter walked over too, just as Ron punched both of his older brothers squarely in the kidneys, sending them collapsing to the floor like a pair of curled-up shrimp.
"Ron, you're so strong!"
Harry was stunned. Hagrid was stunned. The twins, lying on the floor, were also stunned.
"I didn't—I just meant to push them away—I didn't mean to—I never thought it would turn out like this…"
Ron stared at his hands in disbelief. He couldn't believe he had just punched his own brothers. Who knew what kind of torment he'd face later?! And how could his fists be that strong? That didn't make any sense!
"If you promise to do all the house chores for a month, we won't tell Mum you hit us."
One of the twins—George or Fred, it was hard to tell—gritted out the words. The other seemed to be in too much pain to speak.
"Alright, alright! I'll take care of all the housework during summer break, as long as you guys are okay."
Ron agreed in a flustered tone, clearly feeling very guilty about what he had done.
"Looks like our little brother really does love us. I feel a little guilty now."
"You? Guilty? Since when do you have a conscience?"
George and Fred stood up like nothing had happened, brushing the dust off themselves while still debating over which one their little brother loved more.
"Of course it's me, Fred. At least I wasn't the one who made that kind of demand."
"If I hadn't made that demand, how would we know Ron truly loves us?"
The two slung their arms over Ron's shoulders, pressing down on him. As older brothers go, their love of bullying their younger sibling was certainly unique.
"Hagrid! Are you here to see Dumbledore?"
After watching this little family comedy unfold, Harry Potter finally remembered the half-giant standing beside him.
"Yes! I still need to see Dumbledore, so I won't be joining your fun."
Hagrid, who had also been amused by the Weasley twins' antics, finally stopped crying loudly.
"Then tonight will be the moment we witness a miracle."
From afar, Regulus Black had been observing everything. It was clear Hagrid was going to ask for help, but at most, Dumbledore would probably just assign him a few students for labor service.
Students like Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Draco Malfoy—who had all just been deducted fifty points.
Once again, Regulus Black planned to get involved, but he had to be cautious with his approach. After all, Dumbledore wouldn't just stand by if Harry Potter were in danger.
Sure enough, after Hagrid's visit to Dumbledore, Filch arrived in the evening with the three punished students in tow.
As they walked, Filch nostalgically reminisced about the brutal punishments of the Middle Ages, sighing repeatedly at how lenient punishments had become. If only Dumbledore would bring back those glorious old days, then… heheheh!
Filch's eyes roved over the three boys like they were fresh meat—already bound and hanging—just waiting for Master Filch's whip of love to crack and make them sing in pain.
That look sent shivers down the boys' spines. Though they had always looked down on Filch as just a janitor, they never knew he also handled student discipline.
When they arrived at Hagrid's hut, he was already geared up for hunting. His knife and crossbow were much larger than normal.
"Hagrid! I've brought you the students. Keep your wits about you tonight—the Forbidden Forest isn't exactly a friendly place."
Filch himself would never dare enter the Forbidden Forest. He knew he was a Squib, and even wizards could face danger in there. It wasn't worth risking his life.
"What? We have to go into the Forbidden Forest? I heard there are werewolves in there."
Draco Malfoy clearly knew the rumors. And as soon as he mentioned werewolves, a wolf howl echoed from the forest—as if right on cue.
"I'm going to tell my father."
The pale blond boy turned even whiter. Ron's face also paled, while Harry Potter felt a strange courage stirring within him, along with a quiet anticipation for this labor punishment.
"Tonight, you're going into the Forbidden Forest with me. A few weeks ago, a unicorn was found dead in there, and today there were more reports of another attack. We need to investigate."
Hagrid spoke with a choked-up voice, which only made the group even more uneasy.
"Also, if any of you find a golden dragon egg—even if it's just fragments—please let me know. I have to bring Norbert back."
Filch rolled his eyes dramatically. Even he couldn't help but look down on the crying Hagrid at this point.
"Hagrid! I think you should learn to control your emotions."
Filch didn't want to stay there any longer and turned to leave. Even being at the edge of the Forbidden Forest at night felt far too dangerous.
In the distance, Harry Potter seemed to see a shadowy figure drifting by.
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09