Douglas didn't hesitate for a second—he took full responsibility for the situation.
Then he circled back to his original question.
"Hagrid, what's your lesson plan for the rest of the term? Mind if I take a look?"
Hagrid jumped up, rummaged around, and produced a parchment with his teaching schedule.
"Here you go—this one's for third years."
Douglas glanced at the parchment. It was just a string of magical creature names.
First: Hippogriff.
Second: Banshee.
Third: Fire Salamander…
Hagrid explained eagerly,
"I know all these lovely creatures inside and out, so I didn't bother writing lesson content. I'll have the students use The Monster Book of Monsters as reference."
Douglas could barely bring himself to keep reading. Hagrid's sense of danger was even worse than Professor Kettleburn's—at least Kettleburn waited until fifth year to introduce Fire Salamanders.
He noticed the green-bound book tied up in the corner. Of course—a book about monsters that's practically a monster itself.
Douglas regretted not paying closer attention to Harry's Hogwarts supply list back at home.
He set the parchment down and looked at Hagrid seriously.
"Hagrid, this is your teaching plan, and as a colleague, I shouldn't interfere. But as a friend, I have to say—it's terrible. You haven't considered the abilities of third-year students at all.
I think you should start by drafting a 'Care of Magical Creatures Classroom Code of Conduct.' Every student who comes to the Forbidden Forest for class should memorize it in advance. Make them recite it before every lesson—or lead them through it yourself. If they can't do it, they don't attend. Remember, you're a professor now. That's your right."
He continued,
"Second, students should have some knowledge of the creature you're covering before class. I don't expect them to be experts, but they should at least know its habitat, habits, appearance, and so on.
If you throw them at a magical creature they've never seen, most kids will just gawk and treat it like a circus act. If they understand a bit beforehand, they'll learn far more from the experience—instead of just pointing at the textbook and saying, 'Oh, I've seen that before…'"
Hagrid took careful notes. When Douglas reached this point, Hagrid quickly tried to defend himself,
"But I did ask questions before class—and Hermione answered them."
Douglas rapped the table.
"That was just Hermione. Think back—how many people actually listened to her answer? Your goal should be for everyone to know, not just for one person to answer something everyone ought to know."
Hagrid's eyes slid toward Harry and Ron. Both boys immediately took a step back.
That got a booming laugh out of Hagrid.
Douglas frowned, then sighed.
Seeing Douglas's expression, Hagrid quickly sobered,
"But that was my first lesson… All right, I've already messed it up. What should I do for next week?"
Douglas pointed to the first line on Hagrid's parchment.
"It says right here: 'Establish a Care of Magical Creatures Classroom Code of Conduct…'"
He turned to Hermione.
"You've been to Muggle zoos, haven't you?"
Hermione nodded quickly, then seemed to catch on.
"Professor, you mean something like the zoo visitor rules? But for students, that's more like staff rules than visitor rules. I've never seen the employee guidelines."
Douglas grinned,
"Start with the visitor rules, then adapt them for students. What Hagrid lacks is a sense of ordinary wizarding kids' caution around danger. But when it comes to magical creatures, he knows as much as—if not more than—Professor Kettleburn, especially with taming them. He's one of the best in Britain.
You just need to help him sort out what's dangerous and what's not. For everything else, he knows better than you."
Hagrid blushed at the praise, though with his complexion, it was hard to tell.
Ron, meanwhile, was craning his neck to get a look at what Muggle zoo rules looked like.
Harry pulled Douglas aside,
"Uncle, do you remember the task you gave me?"
Douglas eyed Harry up and down, smirking,
"Don't tell me you think I'm someone in disguise again…"
Harry instinctively stepped back, shaking his head furiously,
"No, about that task—Hermione suggested I start a Hogwarts Magical Detective Club, to explore the magical world's hidden secrets. Anyone in the club can propose a mission, and we'll investigate together.
But about the task rewards…"
Douglas smiled,
"No problem. Actually, once your club is up and running, you're already halfway done. As long as you can get students from all four Houses to look into the Sirius Black case—"
Suddenly, Hagrid's booming voice cut in,
"What? Sirius Black?"
He sprang up, grabbed Harry with one giant hand, and shielded him behind his bulk, glaring down at Douglas,
"Douglas, do you know what you're doing? That's Black—the murderer! You-Know-Who's most loyal servant… Oh, you wouldn't know, you weren't there for the war… You don't know what he's like… And you want Harry to investigate—"
Douglas took a few steps back, trying not to strain his neck,
"Hagrid, calm down. I know a lot more about Sirius than you think. This task is something Dumbledore and I agreed on together…"
Douglas knew that Dumbledore was the only person Hagrid truly idolized—if Dumbledore said so, Hagrid wouldn't argue.
Sure enough, Hagrid's voice dropped to a mutter,
"Even if it's Dumbledore's idea, it's not right. Black's too dangerous. Everyone knows he wants into Hogwarts to get Harry for his master… Harry's still just a kid…"
The trio exchanged glances, startled to hear Dumbledore's name tied to the task.
Harry, though he knew Hagrid was just worried, bristled at being called "just a kid." He stepped out from behind Hagrid and grabbed his huge hand,
"I'm not eleven anymore—I'm thirteen! And I've got the protective charm Uncle gave me. It's really powerful! On the Hogwarts Express, it not only drove off Dementors, it actually caught one—"
Douglas tried to cut Harry off as soon as the train was mentioned, but was a beat too slow.
Hagrid stared at the charm on Harry's chest, suddenly connecting the dots,
"The Ministry said a Dementor went missing—was it that wooden amulet that caught it?"
Douglas shot Harry a look, then managed a wry smile,
"Hagrid, you absolutely have to keep that secret. Otherwise, the Ministry will be after both Harry and me…"
Hagrid nodded solemnly,
"Don't worry, Douglas. I'll keep it secret—cross my heart…"
The trio exchanged glances, all wearing the same wry smile.
Once, getting secrets out of Hagrid had been a delight. Now, it was a headache.
But since the topic was out in the open, Harry couldn't help asking,
"Uncle, where did that Dementor end up? All I saw was a rope shoot out from the amulet, grab the Dementor, and pull it back inside…"
Douglas scratched his head—why was his nephew so stubborn, bringing this up in front of Hagrid?
He changed the subject,
"Hagrid, Harry's thirteen now. He needs to face some things on his own. And I'm not putting him in danger—I just want him to work with his classmates to investigate the truth.
Don't forget, when you were thirteen, you were raising an Acromantula… That thing is, in some ways, even more dangerous than Sirius. At least Sirius doesn't eat people…"
Hagrid, whose head was always in the clouds, seemed momentarily lost. Weren't they talking about Dementors? How had the conversation jumped to Acromantulas and Aragog?
But Harry and Hermione just shared a knowing smile—they'd heard Douglas tell this story over the summer.
Ron, on the other hand, shuddered at the mention of Acromantulas, looking deeply uncomfortable.
PS:
The Monster Book of Monsters
A book introducing dangerous magical creatures. Its cover is green with a gold title. The book itself is aggressive, sometimes attacking not only people but other books as well. To read it, stroke your finger down the spine and the book will open on its own.
Banshee
British Ministry of Magic Classification: XXX
Physical Features: Banshees have strikingly colorful plumage—orange, pink, lime green, or yellow—and their eggs are vividly patterned.
Abilities: The cry of a Banshee can drive listeners mad. They can only be sold after being placed under a Silencing Charm, which must be renewed every month.
Fire Salamander
British Ministry of Magic Classification: XXX
Physical Features: Fire Salamanders appear in flames, dazzling white at first, but shifting to blue or bright red depending on the heat.
Habits: They feed on fire. Away from flames, they'll survive up to six hours if fed pepper regularly. Born from fire, they die in fire—as long as the flame burns, so do they.
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