The news that the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts was being further demonized was well sealed, after all, no one on the faculty wanted to approach it except Hagrid, including Filch, who knew that there was a good chance of catching a student who had broken the school rules and "tortured" him - the main difference between ordinary sadism and mad sadism was whether or not he would spare his life, and his squib there was not enough to be swallowed by a monster.

What does it mean that "Hagrid promised that there would be no danger"? Do you think I'm going to believe that stupid?

……

When Neil gets his previous order from the black vulture, who has always been immersed in the fun of bullying the weak, and rushes to Hagrid's hut, he finds him watering the flower bed with a tin kettle bigger than a beer keg. Hearing the footsteps, Hagrid glanced up and beckoned to see that it was him.

"Hey, Neil!"

"Hello, Professor."

Originally, I just planted some ...... Or the flower beds that left some weeds have completely changed now. The soil had all been replaced, and each handful had been taken from the most fertile land in Hogwarts, the soil of the nutrient-filled Forbidden Forest, which was so swarthy that it was pleasant to look at; The turquoise seedlings inside have grown to nearly two feet tall with the help of a special fertilizer, which can be described as excessively strong; Hagrid also clumsily put a small fence around it—you can't expect a man whose fingers are thicker than the eyes of a fence to be very delicate, but at least in terms of solidity, he did his best in making it.

Even Neil, who often delves into grotesque details, seems very satisfied with this.

"Look at this place...... How do you say that? It's thriving. ”

Hagrid touched his nose a little shyly: "I really don't know much about these flowers and plants...... If you want to grow something, it's better to go to the greenhouse, and Professor Sprout is an expert in it. ”

"That's true—I mean, not your layman's part, but Professor Sprout's...... Forget it, don't mind. Neil, who suddenly noticed that the content was ambiguous, was about to explain a few more sentences, but after thinking about it, he gave up, "Professor Sprout is very knowledgeable, but I doubt she will approve of me growing these things in Hogwarts greenhouses - mentioned this, did you transplant the last batch of grown seedlings into the Forbidden Forest as I said, Professor?" ”

"Yes, I did as you said, and found a few big trees to plant on the shady side." Hagrid nodded, pointing to a shovel leaning against the wall with the spout of a watering can—oversized, of course, with fresh dirt on it, "The stems of those 'flowers' are sturdy, and I was worried at first that I might accidentally break them when I pulled them out of the soil...... Later, I realized that there was no need to be so careful. ”

He gestured with his hand and pulled something hard to the sides, then shrugged his shoulders.

"This thing must be good for splints, can you give me some - not a lot, the woods have been a little unstable lately, and the number of injured animals has increased a lot more than in previous years, and the straps in my hut are running out of straps."

"Of course, Professor, I have to say that you have a very good idea. The fibers of Shijunzi Orchid are not only flexible, but also have a very elegant fragrance, and the ingredients in it are good for speeding up wound healing. This plant is not picky about its environment, but it is very ferocious, and unlike animals, it can recognize who its keeper is, and will eat everything that comes into its prey range...... So to be honest, I really appreciate your willingness to help me take care of them. ”

Hagrid blinked, as if to say that it was the first time he had heard of such a thing—it was unknown whether the "such thing" was referring to the plant's medicinal properties or its danger.

"Wait about half a month, and you should be able to see the flowers planted in the Forbidden Forest bloom - the flowers are large and white, with serrated teeth between the petals, and a stinger hidden in the pale yellow stamens. If I were you, I would try to walk around them when the time comes. ”

Hagrid looked at the flowerbed in front of him, then in the direction of the woods, scratching his head blankly.

"I ...... I will, thanks. ”

"Excellent! Now, let's get down to business. Neil pretended not to see his confused expression, clapped his hands, and pointed to the little pocket he had brought, "Guess what?" I've got what you're looking for. Seriously, it's not an easy process, and the people of the Ministry of Magic won't be happy to see me bring this thing in......"

Hagrid's eyes lit up, and he grabbed the pocket with near-snatching speed, eagerly untying the knot. As soon as the knot was untied, a pungent smell immediately hit his face, but instead of covering his nose, he was ecstatic and reached out to grab a handful of black ash with a slight dark red glow from it, held it in front of him and sniffed it with an intoxicated face, and even stretched out his tongue to lick it, his expression was full of joy.

"Great, that's what I want!"

Fire crabs need to be constantly submerged in boiling volcanic ash to stay alive, which is why the only remaining natural habitat is in Fiji, and only the level of activity of Tonga's volcanoes can satisfy their yearning for warmth.

Even Muggles know how to keep eggs warm with incubators, and things like that are naturally easier for wizards, with spells and magical items, it's easy to artificially simulate an environment suitable for their lives, but Hagrid didn't want to use that cheap alternative, and he wanted to provide a more natural and powerful heat source for the new breed that he had in mind.

"Ember of Skyfire." Neil looked at the black ash in his hand, his eyes wandering, as if he had fallen into some kind of contemplation, "Two months ago, there happened to be a heavenly fire that fell not far from the Lishan Gate, but it was very small and did not leave many embers. When I sent the letter back to ask, I didn't have much hope, but I didn't expect that there would be any leftovers. It's something you can't come by, Professor—I mean, there's no way I'm going to ask the Grand Elder to pull another meteorite down with a star descent, right? ”

Hagrid didn't speak, just slapped him on the shoulder with a smile on his face - eighty percent of his shoulder blades were now shattered by the others, and even Neil could clearly feel his humerus sliding down his shoulder socket little by little. Hagrid was apparently more accustomed to sharing his joy with others in a simple way than words, and had forgotten about dangerous plants altogether, which was a good tendency.

"Well, you see, with it, I'm sure I'll be able to breed the best fire crab – a species that no one has ever seen! I'll have to work hard to see if I can get them to fifteen feet long. ”

Without a trace, Neil reached out his right hand to the upper arm of his left hand, and with a slight lift upward, the slightly disjointed bones were re-embedded. In his ecstasy, Hagrid didn't notice his movements, or even hear him speak, until Neil deliberately tapped him on the shoulder to draw his attention back from what was in his pocket.

"Try it, Professor, but don't go too far, okay? It's probably more powerful than you think, and I don't want to lose an important customer and partner – a friend, of course, for this small business. ”

Hagrid froze for a moment, then nodded mechanically, apparently his mind hadn't kept up with the speed of his body movements, and he didn't know how much he understood. However, with Hagrid's temper, if he fiddled with this thing at home, the worst result would be to burn down his own house, which was not a big deal.

"Now, let's talk about compensation. Now, I fully understand the meagre salaries of the Hunting Ground Keepers, and I don't want to chase after your ass like a Pryushgin man to ask for debts all day long - so why not discuss the less snobbish and vulgar ways of settling accounts other than money? ”

He lowered his voice, narrowed his eyes into slits, and stared at Hagrid, who was still dazed, as if not intending to miss the slightest change in expression on his face.

"These days, I always smell the stench of beasts as I pass through the corridors of the restricted area...... I guess you don't happen to know what's going on, do you? ”