"So, you're trying to breed a new breed of magical creatures yourself?"

"Pretty much." Hagrid straightened his chest proudly, and then it occurred to him that he should be humble, "Well, it's just an idea at the moment, and I don't know how long it will take...... I mean, whether it can work out or not. Feeding an animal and raising a new species from scratch are two different things, you know? ”

The estrangement in interpersonal relationships is often just a piece of thin paper, and after it is pierced, everything suddenly becomes clear.

Neil's interest in the natural sciences (whether or not something derived from the concept of magic is a science) is not as fanatical as it is in the arts, but there is no shortage of expertise. And it would have its benefit, at least to make him look like a normal person when talking about the subject, rather than a recording device that would randomly arrange various words and then scroll in a loop.

As for Hagrid, he was never picky about who he was chatting with, after all, he didn't have a choice in most cases.

After finding a common topic that everyone could talk about, the relationship between the two quickly became closer.

"Totally understood!" Neil nodded approvingly, agreeing with Hagrid's concerns, "Not long after I entered the inner gate, I once secretly raised a water-sheltering beast with my brothers and sisters—the kind with horns on the tip of its nose—and we really loved it at the time, but one day, it didn't know what evil it had been, and actually tried to bite us all to death while everyone was sleeping...... If it weren't for the fact that the place where we lived was very close to the Sixth Elder's Dan room, and her old man heard the movement and came out to take a look, I am afraid that the few of us would have been finished long ago. ”

He let out a long sigh and looked up at the few lone stars twinkling above the shadows of the trees, as if he had fallen into an infinite nostalgia for the old days.

"Later, the six elders scolded a few of us, Ah Mao, that little conscienceless one, was also extracted from her Dao bone and refined into a soul rejuvenation pill, a total of two pots, in good condition."

Not knowing how to characterize this tragedy, Hagrid shrugged his shoulders widely.

"No, don't overthink it so complicated, I just want to show through this incident that raising animals, especially such cattle, ghosts, snakes, and gods, is never a simple matter, and I sincerely hope that there will not be a tragic experience like mine on your path as a breeder, Professor. I was counting the money and my tears were about to fall, I really ......"

"Wait, what's the money!?"

A sentence almost made Hagrid jump on the spot, but Neil looked surprised when asked.

“！？ The money from selling pills. Oh come on, you don't mean you want me to keep it for myself, do you? What's the difference between that and killing the teeth and eating meat? It's so inhuman, Professor, I can't do anything that cruel...... But I have to say that when I learned that the quality of the pill refined by Ah Mao was amazing, I still felt a little relieved, which at least proves that we raised it in good health, right? ”

Hagrid was so confused by this rebuke that he felt in a trance that the two things should not be confused, but he didn't know what the problem was, and he was speechless for a long time. In the end, he could only think that this was because his brain was not bright enough, and he raised a pumpkin-sized fist and knocked lightly on the door of his head, and it was over.

Considering that they were still patrolling, the voices of the two men were kept low, but they could still be heard very clearly in the Forbidden Forest, where the sound of insects was extremely rare.

Neil cleared his throat.

"So, what fun things are you going to raise? As you know, the Ministry of Magic is very strict about the import and export of magical creatures, but for the rest, whether it's medicine or feed, I have a good way to get here. As long as the price is right, you can ask, professor. ”

Up to now, the exchange between the two sides has been carried out in a cordial and friendly atmosphere, but this sentence is like a cold wind, blowing away all the good things mentioned above. Someone more familiar with Neil Wan should reach into his pocket to check if the balance of the coins is sufficient, or simply choose to run without hesitation, but Hagrid, the kindest and simplest person in all of Hogwarts, didn't even notice the change in emotion in the other person's voice.

"Feed?" He frowned slightly, "I don't usually use that kind of processed stuff, those animals have been raised on natural food for thousands of years, and they should be the same in the future - but what you say may be true, if I want them to be varied, maybe I should try to adjust my diet...... But it has to be done very carefully, and I don't want to see them get sick from it! ”

"For reference, may I ask, Professor, what exactly do you plan to raise?"

Hagrid suddenly came to his senses, and that was the question he wanted to be asked the most.

"Do you know fire crabs? They have beautiful shells on their backs, like colorful gemstones, but they are on the verge of extinction, and only in Fiji can they find their native habitat...... I've been wondering if I can do something for these cute little guys. ”

Sadly, Neil seems to have heard only one word.

“…… You mean, like a gem? He repeated it like a whisper, his voice lower than before, "It must be worth a lot." ”

"Oh, maybe. I don't really care about that......" Hagrid shrugged nonchalantly. In fact, there are a lot of priceless magical creatures stored in his hut, but he has never cared about their economic value, and he has never thought of selling them for money, but he just picks up the things that fall off the animals like firewood during the patrol.

"Great, Professor, you are a great man of Great Britain...... When you get the chance, you must tell me more about magical creatures, I'm too interested. ”

……

……

It was late at night, and Bane the centaur with a short bow in his hand, cautiously patrolled the Forbidden Forest.

The human wizards felt that the forest was their domain, and that the other creatures were able to settle here thanks to their kindness, and were proud of it.

But the centaurs don't think so.

Humans are nothing but ignorant savage invaders, who self-righteously feel that everything in the world needs to be submitted to them and used by them, but the centaurs say, no!

The centaurs don't care how humans kill each other on the outside, how they expose their ugly nature, but the forest always belongs to the children of the forest, this is an eternal truth, if humans dare to invade the territory of the centaurs, the centaurs vow to fight to the end until all invaders are destroyed, until the fate of the centaurs is deep in the dull brain of every human.

…… At least that's what they claim internally.

In fact, like the vast majority of half-humans in Britain, the horses had a hard time, and their conflicts with the wizards were irreconcilable, and their populations were declining in response to strife and habitat loss—their self-esteemed nature and excessive impulses for violence played an indelible role in the process, on a par with "human stupidity and greed".

Hogwarts was home to about thirty to fifty centaurs, and Dumbledore agreed to exercise their autonomy deep in the Forbidden Forest, and even welcomed them to sit in the castle when they were free (as long as they weren't fully armed), though no one had responded to this invitation so far.

Their self-esteem is high, and they are reluctant to admit that it is thanks to Dumbledore's kindness that they can live in such a place where they can live without interference from the Ministry of Magic, but they still retain a certain amount of respect for the former, and in return, they have not shot or killed the staff and senior students who have accidentally intruded on their territory in recent decades, only to chase them away - it is not honorable that the centaurs do not harm underage children.

Bane didn't like the situation, and he felt that the current "armistice conditions" between the two sides were still too lenient for humanity. Humans should be removed from the Centaurs' territory forever and unconditionally and take back the insulting clauses in the written texts (such as referring to centaurs and vampires as half-humans, which they didn't ask the vampires if they wanted), rather than negotiating terms with them.

And the most displeasing thing to him was the hunting ground guard who "patrolled" the centaur territory every night with a lantern in the open - that bastard even secretly raised eight-eyed giant spiders in the forest! Does he think it's funny?! Or did he not know that the was going to eat people?!

Looking at the dim light in the distance, Bane couldn't help but grit his teeth. If it weren't for the fact that the current state of the tribe was not suitable for an all-out war with humanity, he would have shot an arrow at that damn madman.

Normally, he would simply choose not to approach the area on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, and out of sight was clear, but tonight there was something unusual about the animal activity in the Forbidden Forest, and even Thestrals, who were usually more withdrawn than them, became restless, as if they sensed something approaching. Even if Bane didn't want to see Hagrid's ugly face, he had to make sure of the situation.

Now it seems that the effort has been in vain, everything is normal here, nothing special has been found.

He spat and cursed Hagrid and his spider monster to be dead as he turned and trotted all the way back.

……

The sound of horses' hooves faded away, and Hagrid, who had been on his guard, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally gone...... Those centaurs, they don't usually appear in such a marginal place, and I don't know what happened tonight? Are you alright, Neil? ”

"Of course, Professor." Neil nodded to indicate that he was safe, especially mentally.

"Centaurs hate humans." "But as long as they don't set foot on their territory — or what they think is their own, they're basically harmless." I don't really like these guys myself, but Headmaster Dumbledore has allowed them to settle here, so all we have to do is be careful...... What about you, do you have centaurs there too, Neil? How do you guys get along with them? ”

"Let's put it this way, Professor: I like all creatures who want to talk to me, but if their first thought when they see you is to shoot arrows, then I assume that they don't make such friends—I hope you understand what I mean."