The Silent Witch of Hogwarts

Chapter 80: The Cabin at Night

Daylight slowly fades away, and night follows.

The nights at Hogwarts are always unusually dark, especially after midnight.

The dim candlelight was the only source of light, especially outside the castle.

Loila pursed her lips, holding her wand, and walked lightly across the grass outside Hogwarts Castle. Thanks to the "flickering" on her wand, she could see the path beneath her feet.

Why did Hagrid call him over so late?

Loila wrapped her cloak tighter, a little confused. It was already close to mid-October, and Hogwarts was getting colder and colder. Although it wasn't as cool as Durmstrang, it was certainly not cool either.

Could it be that it's to make her eat Lemon Snowball? Loila thought somewhat absurdly, or maybe it's because…

Ah!

She suddenly remembered something and covered her mouth. Could this be a scene that often appeared in Mr. Lockhart's books?

Late at night, after an adventure, the witch who loved Mr. Lockhart wrote him a heartfelt letter, and they agreed to meet in the quiet forest... Finally, she poured out her heart and expressed... love... her affection...

Could it be... Hagrid...?

Loila stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

No, no, no, no! How could that be... how could that be... I'm not as good as Mr. Lockhart, and Hagrid... Hagrid is my friend.

How could he possibly do that?

What should I do if he really thinks that way?

Loila's first thought was, of course, to refuse. She had only just come of age; how could she be in a relationship so early? Besides... and Hagrid was her friend.

This is a relationship that goes beyond just lovers!

I must not have been resting well lately... Why am I starting to think about these things?

But... Loila's leather boots stomped on the steps, the crisp sound carrying far, making the surroundings seem exceptionally desolate.

This made her subconsciously think of other scenarios.

There is another similar plot in Mr. Lockhart's book... that is, Mr. Lockhart's enemy, a dark wizard who is jealous of his perfect smile, writes a letter to lure him into the woods to ambush Mr. Lockhart.

Hagrid isn't planning to kill me, is he?

Loira patted her face, wondering if she was overthinking things... How could Hagrid, such an honest and kind person, possibly hurt her...?

It would be more like Dumbledore...

Thinking this, Loila suddenly laughed. She chuckled softly, shook her head, and walked to Hagrid's cabin.

Just as she was about to raise her hand to knock on the door, she heard a noise from inside the house.

"Clatter".

The door opened by itself, and Hagrid leaned out.

"Oh! Professor Hamilton, you've come at the perfect time!" he said happily. "I was just about to come and get you."

"Get...get me?" Loila pursed her lips and quickly shook her head: "My foot is fine..."

"This has nothing to do with your feet," Hagrid said, shaking his head with a smile. "It's about time."

"Time...time?" Loila stepped somewhat hesitantly into the cabin through the crack in Hagrid's open door. This seemed to be her first time visiting a friend's house...

Hagrid's house is really...unique...

"It's late at night now," Hagrid's voice came, as he casually picked up the kettle from the fireplace and poured hot water into a glass as he said, "Professor Hamilton is, after all, a young lady."

"It's not good to walk alone at night so late."

Is this... really like this?

Loila, who had just been looking around Hagrid's room, pursed her lips and looked at her boots a little embarrassedly.

Hagrid is such a good person, how could you have thought of such rude things just now?

"I...I'm sorry...Hagrid," she stammered softly.

"Why apologize?" Hagrid shook his head in confusion and handed the cup to Loila.

"Have some hot water, Professor Hamilton, we have a long walk ahead of us."

"Walking?" Loila asked carefully, holding the cup. "Where...where are we going?"

Are we really going to have to go deep into the woods?! Did I apologize a little too soon...?

"It's a secret." Hagrid blinked, looking at him with a knowing look.

"A secret...?" Loila pursed her lips nervously and then took a sip of water.

"Hmm!"

It's so hot...

She quickly spat the hot water back into the cup, then glanced at Hagrid with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"I can give you a hint." Hagrid sat opposite Loila, holding a cup of hot water. He took a big gulp before continuing, "It's related to what happened that night."

"That...night?" Loila pondered for a few seconds, then became even more confused.

Under Hagrid's expectant gaze, she slowly said, "You...you fed those poachers...to Mr. Aragog?"

You see... that night, Hagrid and I first fed Mr. Aragog, and then we caught the poachers... feeding the poachers to Aragog seems quite reasonable.

But weren't the poachers arrested by the Ministry of Magic?

"Hahahaha." Hagrid burst into laughter upon hearing Loila's words. "Professor Hamilton, Professor Dumbledore once said that you are a bit shy."

"But to be honest," Hagrid chuckled and shook his head, "you're even better at making people laugh than Lockhart."

I wasn't joking! Royla's face turned bright red. Could it be that she couldn't even beat Mr. Lockhart in this aspect?

As expected of him...

Thinking this, Loila took another sip of hot water.

Watching Loila slowly finish her water, Hagrid nodded, then got up and picked up his lantern.

"We should get going, Professor Hamilton," he said, pushing open the door.

"Shouldn't we... bring Tooth?" Loila pursed her lips and looked at the black dog lying by the fireplace.

"Of course not." Hagrid shook his head. "Unicorn... Ah! I shouldn't have said that..."

"In short, Ya Ya will scare them away if she goes there."

Although Hagrid changed his tune quickly, Loila still heard what he said.

unicorn?

Was it me who said I felt nauseous that day...? Oh, was it me who praised the beautiful unicorn?

Loila quickly asked, "Did something happen to the unicorn?"

She spoke instinctively without even stuttering.

"Of course not, of course not... Oh, Merlin, by your side." Hagrid waved his hand and said, "Save a surprise for yourself!"

He covered his mouth as he spoke, saying, "From now on, I won't say another word."

Seeing Hagrid like this, Royla felt even more confused.

It's related to unicorns... but it's not about unicorns that's in trouble... so what is it?

Have unicorns learned to talk now?

Loila was somewhat amazed by her own imagination. Was it because she had spent too much time with Miss Lovegood?

As expected of a friend... even the influence is positive, unlike Dumbledore... who only makes me cough...

I haven't seen Dumbledore for the past few days and he seems to be feeling much better.

But if something like a unicorn talking actually happened... Loila swore she would faint again.

Mr. Aragog is frightening enough that he can talk.

It's better to have fewer talking magical creatures...

"By the way, Professor Hamilton..." Hagrid asked as if he had just remembered something after taking a few steps, "I have some questions."

"Wh...what is it?" Loila snapped out of her reverie and looked at Hagrid with some confusion, never expecting that she would one day be able to help Hagrid answer his questions.

"Regarding the poachers from that day," Hagrid paused, "Professor Hamilton, how...how did you manage to act so quickly...?"

"I... I'm used to it, aren't I?" Loila thought for a moment and said. Although Hagrid's question was a bit strange, her answer seemed even stranger, but it was something she had practiced at Durmstrang.

"Habit?" Hagrid paused for a moment and shook his head. "I didn't mean why your reaction was so quick."

"But why didn't you show any mercy?" Hagrid was a very straightforward person, and his question seemed a bit impolite: "Weren't they students of Hogwarts too?"

"And we're facing difficulties too." He seemed a little distressed as he said this: "We were even friends before."

But Loila paused slightly, then said with a hint of confusion, "Because...because they're doing something wrong."

"So...why should I...go easy on him?" Royla was a little confused by Hagrid's statement. After all, weren't they poachers? And they were even planning to kill Hagrid! Why should she go easy on him and hesitate?

Are you really friends?

Loira was starting to have doubts about Hagrid's ability to make friends... Don't mind her, Loira herself is definitely a very considerate and best friend candidate!

You should know that in Durmstrang, even in duels, Loila would use dark magic... She only used a few ordinary spells against the poachers.

Besides... don't make it sound like I wiped them all out! I only defeated them!

What if someone overhears and misunderstands?

"I see..." Hagrid paused for a moment, then laughed. He seemed a little surprised by Loila's answer.

What are you laughing at? Was my answer... funny? Was it better than Mr. Lockhart's? Royla thought to herself.

"I'm sorry, Professor Hamilton," Hagrid said with a smile and a shake of his head, "I'm just making fun of myself a bit."

"I think I've been overthinking it," the kind-looking giant said, as if he had finally figured something out. "Since what I did was wrong, I should accept the punishment."

"Yes...yes." Loila nodded in agreement.

"But you, Professor Hamilton," Hagrid said, scratching his head, "seem to be a rather shy and timid girl."

"But in this respect, they are much better than me."

Huh? What do you mean by "this aspect"? And how did this logic arrive at this answer?

Loila followed Hagrid, puzzled.