Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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Cedric's Quidditch selection results were ideal.
He caught the Golden Snitch in just five minutes and successfully became the new seeker of the Hufflepuff school team.
After that, he had to be on the Quidditch field for the first group training.
Kyle only met him briefly at lunch.
"Fred and George don't know anyone from Slytherin, but they said they would help to think of a solution."
Cedric said vaguely with a piece of steak in his mouth: "We are going to discuss it in detail this afternoon. Do you want to join?"
"I..."
Before Kyle could say anything, a strong voice came from the other end of the table.
"Hurry up, Cedric, we're about to start training."
"Okay, Captain!"
Cedric swallowed the steak with difficulty and gulped down a large glass of pumpkin juice. He turned to Kyle and said, "I'm going to training first. This year's Quidditch Cup will definitely belong to Hufflepuff."
With that, he quickly ran to the Quidditch pitch.
"Tsk..."
Kyle curled his lips, not feeling the slightest bit of envy.
What was so good about the school team? Not only did they have to train on weekends, but they couldn't even eat properly. Unlike him, he had plenty of time to savor that juicy steak.
Kyle tapped the table and ordered a glass of lemonade to cool down.
In the afternoon, Kyle took the parchment and headed out of the castle.
Growing cabbage was more difficult than he had imagined. It was extremely demanding on the environment and climate, and only a few master herbologists could transplant it outside its native range.
However, the Room of Requirement could perfectly solve this biggest problem. Kyle only had to deal with the fertilizer issue.
According to the book "A Detailed Explanation of Asian Magical Plants," under natural conditions, the biting cabbage takes fifty days to germinate and about two to three years to mature—an absurdly slow growth cycle.
Kyle couldn't wait that long, so he decided to speed up the process.
After leaving the castle, Kyle crossed the lawn and came to a small wooden house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
The house looked old, with the wood on the roof and walls varying in color, suggesting numerous repairs. A crossbow and a pair of rubber boots hung in front of the door.
Kyle approached and knocked.
"Who is it... Oh Fang, back off, you're going to scare someone."
A low dog barked, and the door opened a crack, revealing Hagrid's bearded face.
"Little wizard? What are you doing here?" Hagrid looked at Kyle and said sternly, "First years aren't allowed in the Forbidden Forest. Return to the castle."
He began to close the door.
"Hagrid, it's me," Kyle said quickly. "Remember, we met before?"
Hmm?
Hagrid looked at Kyle carefully, and the more he looked at him, the more familiar he looked.
"I remember now," Hagrid suddenly clapped his hands and said, "You're that bad boy from Chopper's family. Because of you, Saipan doesn't even recognize his own name anymore."
"That's because he doesn't like that name, Hagrid," Kyle said seriously, "You should have asked the owls for their opinions when you named them."
"I... well, I can't argue with you." Hagrid looked a little nervous and asked a little hurriedly, "So what are you doing here?"
Kyle didn't answer him directly, but looked around and said, "Can we go into your room and talk?"
"No!" Hagrid became even more nervous, and put his body firmly against the door. "...Um, I mean my room is a bit messy, let's put it this way. And Fang doesn't like strangers, I'm afraid he might scare you."
"Oh, Fang is my hound, taller than you."
"Really... forget it then." Kyle showed a surprised expression and said obediently, "I came here to ask if there are any mooncalf in the Forbidden Forest."
It's well known that the two best fertilizers in the wizarding world come from dragon and mooncalf dung.
Dragons definitely weren't in the Forbidden Forest; they'd have to wait until next semester to find them, so he set his sights on the moonbeasts.
"What are you trying to do?"
Hagrid, no longer nervous at the mention of the Forbidden Forest, said sternly, "First-years are absolutely not allowed in the Forbidden Forest. It's dangerous there. Get back to the castle, or I'll go find Professor Sprout."
"Don't be so nervous, Hagrid," Kyle said. "I'm not planning on going to the Forbidden Forest, or I wouldn't be here to see you."
"Really?"
"Of course," Kyle explained. "I just planted two little cuties and was looking for some fertilizer for them."
"Really? No wonder you're asking me about the mooncalf."
Hagrid cautiously squeezed out of the room, quickly turning and closing the door.
Hagrid led Kyle to the pumpkin patch next to the cabin and pulled out a tin bucket from the corner. "You're welcome, take as much as you want," he said.
The bucket was filled with silver spheres the size of ping-pong balls—they were the feces of the Mooncalf. There were at least two or three hundred of them.
But Kyle frowned. "No, it's too dark. It looks like it must have been there for at least a month."
"Anything fresh?" Kyle asked.
"I'm not sure..." Hagrid hesitated, then thought for a moment. "But we can go and see. Come with me."
The two walked along the edge of the Forbidden Forest for a while. Hagrid then asked Kyle to wait outside while he went into the forest alone.
Kyle agreed, silently memorizing his route and the surroundings for future reference.
Since the Mooncalf was only a Class 2X magical creature and didn't live deep within the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid only needed about ten minutes to get out.
"Here, take it."
He handed Kyle a bag and said, "Because moonbeasts usually trample their feces into the soil at sunrise, this is all I could find.
If you need more next time, it's best to send me a letter by owl in advance, and I can pick up more for you."
Kyle took the bag and weighed it. Judging from the weight, there should be about seven or eight in it.
It was a little short, but it would be enough.
Kyle put the bag away and said with a smile, "Thank you, Hagrid."
"It's nothing." Hagrid scratched his head a little embarrassedly. "Just don't change the name of the school owl next time."
"It was just an accident."
When they returned to the cabin, Kyle once again offered to look inside.
Hagrid, as expected, refused.
"There's really nothing to see, Kyle," he said, blocking the doorway, his eyes darting around. "You should go back to the castle."
Kyle looked at him and wanted to laugh.
Hagrid really couldn't lie. With him like this, anyone could tell there was something wrong.
"Well, I'll go back to the castle first."
Kyle turned around and said nonchalantly, "By the way, I have to remind you that you can't keep a three-headed dog in the room."
[End of the chapter]