"Alright, alright, let's worry about how to get back when the time comes. Right now, it's getting late—we should find Hagrid first."
Seeing the atmosphere get increasingly awkward, Harry quickly broke the tension. He led the group along the narrow path toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest where Hagrid's small wooden cabin stood.
Tom didn't say much; he just silently tucked his bedsheet away and followed the group. He could have teleported everyone there in a second, but since they were all so enthusiastic about the walk, he didn't feel the need to be the odd one out.
On the way, Harry eagerly introduced Hagrid to his new friends.
"Hagrid is a wonderful half-giant! When my aunt and uncle were destroying all my Hogwarts letters and hiding me away to stop me from coming here, he delivered the letter to me personally—right on my birthday! It was easily the best birthday present I've ever had. He even brought me a cake and cooked some sausages for me. The cake said 'Happee Birdae Harry.' It was the first time in my life I'd ever had a cake of my own. And those sausages... best thing I've ever tasted."
Whenever Harry talked about Hagrid, he became incredibly animated, wanting to share his version of Hagrid with everyone else.
"Yeah, he's a great guy," Ron added. "It's just his... aesthetic taste that's a bit unique. He loves mean-looking magical creatures. Last time he was asking me all about Charlie; sounded like he wanted to raise a dragon. No chance of that, though—the Ministry has a total ban on keeping dragons."
"True, Hagrid did mention to me before that he's wanted a dragon since he was a kid," Harry nodded.
"Wait, you said he likes dangerous magical creatures?" Hermione suddenly interrupted, as if a lightbulb had gone off. "Does that include three-headed dogs?"
"A three-headed dog?" Harry blinked.
"The massive dog with three heads we saw in the fourth-floor corridor," Hermione whispered. Even though she was trying to keep her volume down, the area was so quiet that Tom and the others could hear her perfectly. "I looked it up in the library. It's called a Cerberus. It's a rare and dangerous creature. If Hagrid likes that sort of thing, he might know something about it."
She had another theory she kept to herself: perhaps the dog actually belonged to Hagrid.
The air went still for a few seconds as Harry's expression turned solemn. Clearly, he had realized the same thing. Since he'd spent the most time with Hagrid, he guessed that the trapdoor secret might be connected to the package Hagrid had retrieved from Gringotts. Maybe the dog was on loan from Hagrid to Dumbledore to protect it.
"Wait, you guys went to the fourth-floor corridor?!"
Hannah, who had been caught up in the excitement of the night stroll, finally processed the keywords 'fourth floor' and 'three-headed dog.' "Headmaster Dumbledore explicitly said students aren't allowed there! You actually..."
Is this just what Gryffindors do? she wondered. School had barely started, and they'd already broken half the rules! They'd even barged into the place Dumbledore warned would lead to a "painful death." It was...
"That is so cool!" Hannah finished, her eyes sparkling.
Hermione, who had been looking awkwardly at Harry for a way to explain their rule-breaking, stared at Hannah with blank, "dot-eyes." Wait, is that the right reaction?
But then again, they were only children. The thirst for adventure and the unknown was universal.
"Yeah, it was over the weekend," Harry nodded, seeing no reason to keep secrets from people he considered friends. "Filch was chasing us and we accidentally ducked into that corridor. That's when we saw the three-headed monster. If it hadn't been so sluggish, we probably would've been eaten."
Or maybe Hagrid told it not to attack students, Harry thought privately.
[Weekend? When? A couple of nights ago?]
Tom, who had been enjoying the scenery, suddenly perked his ears up. So... the culprits who scared the life out of me and nearly got me and Ariana caught were you three?!
"Yeah, and Neville too," Ron rambled on. "Draco tricked us into a duel as an excuse to get us there, and then..."
Tom stopped listening to Ron's chatter. He looked at Harry and the others with a dangerous glint in his eyes.
(╬￣皿￣) Oh, I see. You're the reason I almost lost my dignity! Well then, get ready for my 'reward.' I'll start with you and Ron~
As for Neville, Hermione, and the other mastermind, Draco? Tom wouldn't let them off either. But how to play it? He'd need a solid plan.
"A-choo!"
Back in the Slytherin dorms, Draco, who was secretly working on something, let out a massive sneeze. He looked around nervously to make sure he hadn't woken his roommates. Once he was sure they were still asleep, he got back to work.
---
Accompanied by Hannah's questions, Ron's bragging, Hermione's corrections, Tom's plotting, and Ariana's light giggles, the silhouette of Hagrid's cabin finally came into view.
Before they even reached the door, they heard Fang's low barking and Hagrid's booming voice from inside. "Quiet, Fang! I'll take you out in a bit."
Hearing that familiar voice, Harry smiled and knocked on the door.
"Coming, coming! Who's out this late..."
The wooden door creaked open a crack, and Hagrid's large, bearded face peered out. When he saw the group of familiar and new faces, his face lit up.
"Harry! Great to see you again! And Ron—can you tell me more about Charlie later? And the rest of you... Oh, you're Ariana, right? I know you; Dumbledore told me all about you. Nice to meet you. As for the others... Harry, won't you introduce me? Oh, wait—is that—!"
When his eyes landed on Tom, Hagrid's entire body froze. A second later, he lurched back two steps, whipped out a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth, and covered his nose and mouth. But it was too late.
"A-CHOO!"
An earth-shattering sneeze erupted. To Tom, the sneeze felt like a violent hurricane sweeping directly toward him.
---