The next day marked the beginning of the Christmas holidays.
After the incident involving Lockhart's attack, an unusually large number of students chose to return home for the break, leaving the once lively Hogwarts Castle quiet and nearly deserted. A thick silence, like the snow that blanketed the grounds, settled over the entire school.
Surprisingly, those who stayed behind didn't find this unsettling. In fact, they welcomed the rare tranquility.
On the first day of the holidays, the Professors had gone to Hogsmeade, supposedly to investigate the details surrounding Lockhart's attack. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were playing wizard's chess in the Common Room, while Robert decided to go for a walk. But as he wandered through the hallways, he unconsciously found himself at the entrance of the second-floor Hogwarts Library.
It took Robert a few seconds to realize that, despite all the advanced Transfiguration books he'd been reading, he hadn't fully absorbed their content. Hagrid had been right—nonstop studying wasn't healthy. He needed to take breaks occasionally.
"Then I'll go visit Hagrid," he thought.
Quickly making up his mind, Robert left the Castle and made his way toward Hagrid's hut.
The grounds were blanketed in a thick layer of snow, making the walk more of a trudge. By the time he reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid was just about to head out.
"I heard all about it," Hagrid said, offering Robert an encouraging smile the moment he saw him. "Believe me, Dumbledore would never expel a student just based on a few words written by who knows who."
"I almost forgot about that if you hadn't brought it up," Robert replied with a smile. "Not many people talk to me about it, and I haven't let it bother me."
"That's good to hear."
"Where are you going?" Robert asked, noticing the large iron bucket in Hagrid's hands filled with chunks of bloody raw meat.
"To check on Fluffy," Hagrid said. "Tomorrow's Christmas, and I've brought his favorite—moose meat."
The name Fluffy sent a chill through Robert, but he caught himself and reconsidered.
"Can I come with you?" he asked.
He wanted to make peace with the Cerberus. With Hagrid there, he wasn't too worried about safety.
But Hagrid immediately shook his head. "You can't. Fluffy lives deep in the Forbidden Forest. Students aren't allowed in there."
"But school's on holiday," Robert said quickly. "And I've been to the Forbidden Forest before, back in first year."
"That was different," Hagrid replied. "That was detention."
"But I didn't even see that as a punishment. It was magical—an experience I still remember vividly," Robert said, his eyes gazing toward the forest as if he could still see the glowing form of the unicorn's soul.
"And with you by my side, I'll be perfectly safe, right?"
"Well, yeah," Hagrid admitted. "As long as you stay close to me, no creature in the Forbidden Forest would dare touch you. But you've got to promise me—no wandering off like last time."
Robert had gone missing for a short while during that first-year visit, scaring Hagrid half to death. He'd reappeared later, leading them straight to a dying unicorn—something Hagrid still couldn't explain.
"I promise. This time I'll stick with you," Robert said. "But before we go, could we stop somewhere with bowtruckles? I want to collect some wood for wandmaking over the break. I've spent the whole year buried in the library, and I haven't had time to buy wand wood."
"Why buy it?" Hagrid grunted, clearly displeased. "The Forbidden Forest has more magical trees than anywhere else. You don't need to waste Galleons on wood!"
"Exactly," Robert said. "That's why I hoped we could pass by where bowtruckles live. They're picky about their trees, so it helps narrow down the best branches."
"I've seen bowtruckles plenty of times," Hagrid said, lifting the heavy bucket and striding into the woods. "Come on, I'll take you past a few places where they live."
Robert was about to follow when a thought struck him.
"Wait a moment, Hagrid. Give me just a few minutes."
He ran toward the pumpkin patch and began lifting several large stones. Beneath them, he collected a few gray insects—HICKs, common bugs often found under rocks in damp places.
With his bait in hand, he jogged back to catch up.
"Alright, let's go."
The Forbidden Forest looked far less intimidating during the day. Sunlight pierced the leafy canopy, creating golden shafts of light that made the forest appear almost welcoming.
Hagrid walked beside Robert, always keeping him within his peripheral vision.
"You should've told me sooner," Hagrid said as he pushed aside a dense bush. "When I collected unicorn hair last week, I could've brought back a few branches for you."
"It's not quite that simple," Robert explained. "Choosing a wand body is more complicated than selecting the core."
"Pfft. It's just branches," Hagrid grunted. "What's so complicated about that? Oh, we're here."
They stopped in front of a massive beech tree. It was easily the thickest in the area. Despite the snowfall the night before, this tree was still lush and green.
Small green shapes peeked out from the foliage, their dark eyes blinking curiously—bowtruckles.
They were notoriously selective creatures, only living on trees brimming with magical energy. For wandmakers, they were a prized indicator of wand-quality wood.
A few bolder bowtruckles jumped onto the lower branches, inching closer to Robert as if drawn by something.
"They seem to like you," Hagrid whispered. "I've walked this path dozens of times, and they've never come near me."
"They smell the pine oil on me," Robert said. "It's used to maintain wand bodies. All wandmakers carry that scent."
Robert extended his palm, revealing a wiggling HICK.
"Come on, don't be shy," he murmured.
The bowtruckles stirred restlessly but didn't immediately approach. Robert remained patient. After two minutes, one finally jumped down and grabbed the HICK. Encouraged, Robert offered another.
Soon, there was a small queue forming—bowtruckles lined up, eagerly awaiting their turn.
Robert was amazed. He hadn't expected the bowtruckles in the Forbidden Forest to be so cooperative.
Once they'd all had their snack, Robert made his request.
"In exchange, could I have a branch?"
The bowtruckles nodded and disappeared into the upper branches. Moments later, they returned with a fresh branch about thirty inches long, still adorned with tender green leaves.
Together, they held the branch and gently handed it to Robert.
"Thank you," Robert said gratefully, accepting the wood.
The tender leaves meant it had just been broken from the treetop, where magical energy was strongest—an ideal wandmaking material.
With the first trade complete, Robert and Hagrid continued their journey deeper into the forest.
"Do you really need bowtruckles to break the branches for you?" Hagrid asked.
"Not necessarily," Robert replied. "But bowtruckles always pick the best branch on a tree. Unless it's from an ancient tree trunk over a hundred years old, their help is worth it."
"Then I'm not much help," Hagrid chuckled. "If only these little things grew to ten feet tall."
On the way, Robert found more bowtruckle-inhabited trees. Each time, he repeated the process—offering a HICK in exchange for a branch. The bugs were easy to find, tucked under rocks or in vegetable patches. Where bowtruckles struggled to move stones, Robert could shift them with a kick.
By the time they reached Fluffy's lair—an enormous hollow in the ground—Robert's magically transfigured lizard-skin bag contained three beech branches, two oak branches, and five fir branches.
But as they ventured deeper, the woods became darker and the air heavier. Robert instinctively moved closer to Hagrid.
The trees grew thicker, and an eerie tension hung in the air. They hadn't seen Fluffy yet, and Robert's nerves were on edge.
Suddenly, thunderous footsteps echoed from the left. Robert whipped his head around.
A towering beast, nearly sixteen feet tall, was barreling toward them.
Its three heads all opened their mouths wide, rows of jagged teeth gleaming. Fluffy had grown—both in size and menace. Its once-broken teeth had regrown larger and sharper. The ground trembled with each step.
Within seconds, the Cerberus was almost upon them.
Then, it caught sight of Hagrid, who calmly set down the iron bucket and rolled up his sleeves.
What happened next shocked Robert.
Fluffy—this monstrous, terrifying creature—skidded to a halt, its three heads pulling back in fear. Its paws gouged deep furrows into the earth as it braked, eventually crashing into a tree to stop itself completely.
It whimpered, lowered its heads, and stuck out its tongues, licking Hagrid's arms affectionately.
For the first time, Robert saw something that resembled sheer panic on a dog's face—and it belonged to a creature with three.
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