After crossing the lush green lawn, you could see how pitch-black the Forbidden Forest was.
The treetops whispered, and snow dust drifted down from the beech tips in the wind.
A small screech owl flew through the bluish smoke rising from Hagrid's chimney toward the castle, looped around the owlery, and vanished from sight.
Sean dipped his head slightly and saw Hagrid outside his hut, digging with real gusto.
He could more or less guess what Hagrid was doing—clearing a patch of land to plant vegetables.
He looked better than ever:
His face was flushed red, his eyes lowered as he stared at his enormous hands, and a huge grin was half-hidden behind that wild, tangled black beard.
Every so often he would glance at an owl landing on his windowsill, then hurry over and unfold the newspaper it dropped off.
After reading just one line, his beard would start to tremble.
[Hogwarts Gamekeeper Cleared of All Charges: A Wizard's Terrifying Past!]
It was the kind of headline no wizard in the world could ignore—bold enough to grab anyone by the collar.
And beyond the sensational title, the report itself was unexpectedly twisty and dramatic.
It started with an old Hogwarts legend, then raced through a heart-stopping "truth-seeking journey" by a handful of young witches and wizards—just a few subheadings, and you couldn't look away:
Ancient secret… corridor echoes… a bloodstained sword… spiders fleeing… a shocking truth…
The article never explicitly named the students involved, but the points awarded to houses left plenty of clues.
"Hagrid," Sean called.
"Ah—" Hagrid jerked his head up, saw it was Sean and the others, and hurriedly dropped his hoe. "It's you lot—come on in!"
So they filed into Hagrid's hut.
"Blimey… thank you—oh, I don't even know what to say…" Hagrid rubbed his hands together, flustered as he poured them pumpkin juice. "That terrible man… the one who hid in Hogwarts all that time… back then I never could've imagined… Only Sean—oh, and Headmaster Dumbledore—could know the whole truth… and now it's out, it's out—everyone knows… I always thought it didn't matter… but—"
His face held a kind of relief he hadn't worn in a long, long time.
"Oh, it's nothing," Ron blurted, mostly to keep the hut from sinking into silence.
"Maybe," Hermione said pointedly. "But the biggest danger was dealt with right from the start."
Of course they all knew what she meant: if Sean hadn't found the basilisk—and somehow, unbelievably, beaten it—there was no telling what kind of devastation Voldemort, stripped of all humanity, would've inflicted on Hogwarts using it.
Hermione thought: people would've been petrified in droves; Hagrid, still framed, would've been arrested again; and if it got even worse, Dumbledore might even have been forced to step down temporarily because of the attacks.
At that point, Hogwarts truly would've been in terrible danger.
"Sean… could you come here a sec…?"
Hagrid had always been rough on the outside and soft on the inside.
If his hugs didn't threaten to dislocate Sean's ribs, Sean wouldn't mind him showing affection like that.
But today there was no escaping it.
Hagrid crouched down, and Sean suddenly felt something damp by his ear.
Hagrid fought to keep himself in check—Sean could feel how careful he was, how he clung for just a second and then let go.
"Thank you. Thank you," Hagrid said. After wiping at the corner of his eyes, he visibly shifted into a bright, buoyant excitement.
He insisted they stay for afternoon tea, then shouldered his hoe and headed for the pumpkin patch to pick a few.
"Oh—and," Hagrid added as he walked away, "Professor Dumbledore told me some brilliant news. Next term… I don't even know how to say how excited I am, but you'll see—oh, it's all thanks to you lot, it really is. Incredible…"
"What news?" Ron asked, curiosity blazing.
"Oh, it's not fully settled yet—but you'll know next term." Hagrid wandered off, humming to himself.
"What's going to happen next term?" Harry asked, baffled.
But Sean had a pretty good idea.
Professor Kettleburn, who taught Care of Magical Creatures, was set to retire next term—according to the old professor, so he could "finally enjoy his old bones."
So Dumbledore would happily announce that the new teacher taking over the post would be none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who would accept the position on top of his duties as gamekeeper.
It was hard to imagine how much it meant to Hagrid to become a teacher.
He'd always had a fierce sense of belonging at Hogwarts, and being made a professor was about the best appointment he could ever have received.
The tragedy was that, for the longest time, Hagrid had never truly been allowed to qualify.
He'd been expelled in third year for a crime he hadn't committed. Only now—only recently—had his name been cleared, and with it, his chance returned.
"Sean… could you come with me a moment?" Hagrid called suddenly, a shy smile on his face.
Under everyone's intensely curious stares, Sean nodded and followed him into the vegetable patch.
"Blimey, I can't hide this from you. I know how much you've done for me… You've helped me so much…"
Hagrid was practically glowing. "Professor Dumbledore said Professor Kettleburn's retiring before next term… and he wants me—wants me to—"
"Congratulations, Hagrid," Sean said with a smile. "So what do you need my help with?"
"Oh—oh, is it that obvious?" Hagrid scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
Sean just smiled and said nothing, but his eyes clearly said It's fine—go on.
And somehow that made Hagrid think of Dumbledore again—though as for those rumors that Sean might one day surpass Dumbledore, Hagrid couldn't believe them more if he tried.
"Oh, right—sorry. It's just… being a professor—being a professor…"
Hagrid's face was full of sweet, giddy joy. "I'll be so busy, Merlin—look at your parents—never stop moving, not for a second!"
At the word parents, something flickered across Sean's eyes—but he stayed quiet and kept listening.
"So, y'see, I can't find anyone to help keep an eye on the Forest anymore. Lots of the lovely creatures—they're still babies. They need care.
Only you can help manage things. And I won't take up too much of your time—just when I truly can't spare a moment, I want to be able to find you for help—using this amazing map."
Hagrid lifted the plan map, pleading with total sincerity. "And if you're willing… I'll ask Professor Dumbledore to make you an official teaching assistant for Care of Magical Creatures."
The excitement in him practically overflowed.
~~~
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