The match is over.
Ron and Hagrid find Harry.
"Thank goodness, Harry, you're alright!"
Hagrid was pleased: "The Malfoy lad did a good job. Although his father is a scoundrel, there's no denying that he and Argus are both excellent."
"The Slytherins are all liars; who knows if they're just pretending?"
"I think the problem with Harry's broom was caused by them secretly tampering with it!"
Ron couldn't stand anyone praising Draco and Argus in front of him, and retorted defiantly.
Hagrid frowned slightly: "Nonsense! Why would they unspell Harry's broomstick?"
"How could I be lying? Last night we saw Argus sneaking into the secret room on the third floor, and we even saw Snape there!"
"Impossible, with Fluffy there, they can't get in!"
"Fluffy?"
"That's right, a cute little guy. I bought him from an Irishman last year. He has three big heads, each one more impressive than the last!" Hagrid seemed quite proud when he mentioned Fluffy.
"Dumbledore borrowed it from me to guard it..."
As he said this, he seemed to realize something, and his words came to an abrupt halt.
"Guard what?" Harry asked hastily.
"I can't say anymore, please don't ask anymore!"
"Don't ask me any more questions about the third floor, it's top secret!"
Hagrid felt deep regret for his oversight and immediately ended the conversation.
"But Hagrid, whatever it is, Snape wants to steal it!"
"And that evil Slytherin!" Ron added.
"Stop talking nonsense! Snape is a teacher at Hogwarts, and Argus is the head of Slytherin. They have no reason to take such a risk."
"Whoever he is, we definitely saw that Slytherin go to the third floor last night, and Snape was there too!"
"Absolutely true."
Ron and Harry's back-and-forth banter only added to Hagrid's growing irritation.
"Listen up, all of you!"
"You're meddling in things you shouldn't be meddling in. That's dangerous. Only Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel are in charge of Fluffy…"
"Nicolas Flamel?"
"I shouldn't have said that!" Realizing he might have gotten himself into serious trouble, Hagrid dared not say another word.
He hurriedly fled to his little hut.
"Nicolas Flamel? Who is Nicolas Flamel?"
"I have no idea!"
The two stared at each other, their eyes full of confusion behind their glasses.
...
Afternoon.
Argus arrived at Hagrid's cabin.
First, he wanted to see how much material Hagrid had accumulated during this time, and second, he wanted to find out which route Hagrid would take when patrolling the Forbidden Forest tonight.
Given Voldemort's personality, if he were to encounter Hagrid at night, it would be a miracle if he could give him a quick death.
Hagrid is one of my most important suppliers, and there can be no problems with him.
"Woof woof!"
To Argus's surprise, Hagrid's cabin was unusually quiet today.
Only Fang was wandering around nearby.
There was no trace of Hagrid.
"Fang, why are you all alone? Where's Hagrid?"
Fang was a very clever dog; it grabbed the corner of Argus's robe and pulled it toward the house.
As soon as he entered, Argus smelled a pungent odor of alcohol.
"Argus, you...you've come!"
"Sit down...please sit down!"
Hagrid had drunk quite a bit, and even through his full beard, his cheeks were still flushed.
His walking became unsteady, and he almost fell to the ground because he lost his balance.
Why had he drunk so much?
Argus frowned slightly and helped Hagrid sit down.
"Argus, I...I think I've messed up..."
Hagrid hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "What would you do if you accidentally let slip a very important secret?"
"A very important secret?" Argus feigned doubt.
But deep down, he already knew!
Think about it: If it were really something important, how would a hunting ground guard like you know?
Dumbledore knew you weren't good at keeping secrets, so he deliberately let you know and then leaked it to Harry!
Dumbledore can only fool honest people like you with this kind of thing.
Argus thought for a moment, then answered seriously, "Is this secret something you've been keeping for someone else?"
"Yes...yes, no!" Hagrid tried to cover it up.
"It's a friend of mine who accidentally revealed a secret that someone asked him to keep."
"Did your friend do this on purpose?"
"No, he... he just accidentally let it slip."
Argus smiled gently: "Since he didn't do it on purpose, he should take the initiative to go and admit his mistake."
"No matter the outcome, at least he'll feel better."
"If the other party had found out sooner, there might still have been a chance to salvage the situation."
"You're right!"
Hagrid slapped his thigh and jumped up: "I'm going to find Dumbledore right now!"
He had only taken a couple of steps when a sudden wave of dizziness hit him.
He fell heavily to the ground.
Stupefy!
Behind him, Argus slowly put away his wand.
He used a levitation spell to place Hagrid on the bed.
Giants have far greater magic resistance than ordinary wizards, and even though Hagrid is only a half-blood, he is not someone that ordinary spells can harm.
Besides, Argus had no intention of killing Hagrid; he just wanted Hagrid to fall asleep peacefully.
After drinking so much, if he sleeps like this, he won't wake up until at least tomorrow morning.
Perfectly missed tonight's patrol.
...
Night, deep in the Forbidden Forest.
Two figures, one tall and one short, were wandering around.
The strange roars around them seemed to have no effect on them whatsoever.
The two of them didn't seem to be walking in a Forbidden Forest, but rather strolling in a back garden.
"Mr. Grindelwald, we're not here to just stroll around!"
Seeing that Argus looked like he was going on a picnic, Voldemort's forehead veins bulged.
If he weren't so weak that he couldn't even use magic freely.
He would never bring Argus along!
Not only is it frustrating, but you also have to be constantly on guard against being betrayed!
"Okay, teacher, I will correct my attitude."
Argus agreed verbally, but his actions showed no change whatsoever.
They're still the same old opportunistic guys.
He had absolutely no desire to get involved with unicorns.
This uniquely gifted magical creature, once cursed, would be troublesome even for a wizard of Voldemort's caliber.
Given Voldemort's character, he would never hesitate to take on such dirty and tiring work if it could be dumped on him.
The other side won't last long either. He just wants to get more benefits, so it's not worth risking his life.
Voldemort was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
The main force for this trip is Argus. If we really fall out with him, we'll be the ones who suffer!
After swallowing their anger, Voldemort and Argus continued their exploration deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
Not far away, a rustling sound caught Argus's attention.
Just as he was hesitating whether to make a move, Voldemort's delighted voice rang out.
"Found it! That's it!"
"Our goal for this trip!"
...
Follow on p@treon/Ren_Saga for more FREE advance chapters