Chapter 194: The First Round Table Plan
Hagrid's massive head didn't process the information immediately.
He stared blankly at Sean, then at the remnants of the Howler.
"The Transfiguration Biscuits are..."
Sean nodded.
Hagrid got his wish.
Inside the hut, there stood a huge ginger cat, bigger than a dog.
It had taken him twenty biscuits to successfully transform. Sean wouldn't have been surprised if he were the size of a small house.
Cat-Hagrid and Fang were currently staring at each other. Fang gave a loud bark, then cautiously began licking the fat ginger cat's fur.
Sean sent off the newly produced Animal Party Series. "Snowy," his owl, gracefully attached the packages and silently flew away from Hogwarts.
The joke shop was severely understocked. It had taken Sean almost a full afternoon of continuous work to catch up.
Fatigued, he took a bite of a biscuit, ready to revert to his cat form to recover, when he saw Hagrid—in cat form—eating the rock cakes he had gifted Sean.
Not only was he eating rock cakes, but he was also batting at the smoked fowl and hams hanging from the ceiling beams.
Rock cakes were notorious for nearly cracking Ron's teeth; no ordinary person would willingly eat them.
Does this mean that even in animal form, some of a wizard's habits, or unique willpower, are retained?
If I added guidance to these specific areas, or used Legilimency to suggest ideas, could a wizard retain some control over their consciousness?
In any case, it was a worthwhile area of research.
When Hagrid regained consciousness, he claimed he felt "as comfortable as if he'd slept in." A novel observation, as most students who used the biscuits had no memory of the experience.
Hagrid sent Sean off with great reluctance.
"Take some rock cakes, lad. I'm sorry Fang stole so much!" Hagrid patted Fang's head, and Fang whined miserably.
"Take some incense, too. That way, I can find you through Fang whenever you come near the forest."
"Shhh—" Hagrid added. "Listen—when you come to me, remember, we have to be very careful. Some things students shouldn't do. But you love those magical creatures so much, and you even made Transfiguration Biscuits, so I won't doubt you. I can secretly take you to the edges of the forest to see some fellows you'd never imagine, but you must stay with me. Some of those chaps have bad tempers."
Sean nodded, placing a large box of Transfiguration Biscuits into Hagrid's hand.
Hagrid smiled radiantly.
"Of course I'd be happy to help you learn about magical creatures. Just make sure Professor Minerva McGonagall never finds out..."
Hagrid was undoubtedly one of the wizards at Hogwarts with the most contact with magical creatures. Even the Forbidden Forest contained Centaurs, Unicorns, Thestrals, Bowtruckles... a wide variety of magical animals. With his help, many of Sean's problems with the Magical Creature Series would be solved. Hagrid could not only let Sean see them but also help him understand them. After all, he would eventually become the Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts.
When Sean returned to the Room of Hope, everyone seemed stressed.
"I have to play the match," Harry was saying to the group. "If I quit, the Slytherins will think I'm scared to face Snape. And I need to show them... if we win, we'll wipe that smug look right off their faces."
"As long as we don't have to carry you off the pitch," Ron said.
"We still don't know who the person is, Harry. This is too dangerous," Hermione worried.
Sean glanced at them, then remembered that the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch match was only a few days away.
"We have to find that person. Even if he tries to hurt Harry again, we'll be prepared. Whether he makes a move this time or not, if he targets Harry, he will expose himself. Our goal is to find him and report to Headmaster Dumbledore," Justin concluded decisively.
"We need to divide up. Everyone watch a different area. Neville, can you watch the South Stands? Hermione, you watch the East. Ron, you watch the West. I'll take the Professor's box and the North. If anything happens, we'll signal each other with this—"
He pointed to several high banners. The colour-changing ink flashed with the words "Potter Must Win." He waved his wand and cast a Finite Incantatem, freezing the ink's colour.
The group by the fireplace nodded. They had been discussing this for days, ever since Harry had tearfully explained the situation.
"Remember, in an emergency, use a red flare—and those fireworks I gave you. I'll go tell Sean our plan. If he agrees, we'll proceed..."
They nodded again, then watched as Justin approached the wooden table circled by fire salamanders.
"Yes." Sean nodded, anticipating Justin's request. "I'll keep an eye on you."
Justin's lips curved upward. He finalized the details with his friends.
Watching everyone scramble to prepare for him, Harry suddenly felt struck by a cannonball in his chest. He was stunned, unable to say a word.
Justin keenly noticed his distress.
"Don't worry, Harry. Remember our agreement? When we face things like this, trust me, you'll handle it better than any of us."
A round table appeared in the Room of Hope. Ron, feeling the couches were too casual for a meeting, strained to transfigure a large table, only to accidentally turn the wood into a snarling dog.
Sean dealt with the dog easily, then waved his wand, producing a magnificent round table.
He hadn't deliberately intended it, but there were exactly seven seats.
The group instinctively left the main seat empty. Then, energized, they began to discuss the "Protect Potter Plan."
The plan's name was too direct, making Harry too embarrassed to look up.
Justin quickly changed the name to "The First Round Table Plan," and nonchalantly scribbled: "Leader: Sean Green."
The grandeur of the new name fueled their excitement. They spent the rest of the day discussing how to flush out the hidden figure in Hogwarts.
Sean felt as though he had accidentally stumbled into the Middle Ages. And why was I made the leader for doing absolutely nothing?
"Oh, Sean, you simply don't understand how critical your role is. I wouldn't dare suggest this plan if you weren't here. It's because we know you'll be watching us from the stands that we dare face the unknown danger. Just like when we faced the troll, with you here, we trust we won't truly be in danger."
Justin explained.
(End of Chapter)
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