Chapter 136. Hagrid's Invitation
Adrian Wesson was wandering in the Forbidden Forest one night, hoping to collect some unicorn tail hair.
Unicorn hair was a remarkably versatile magical material.
It could be used not only for brewing potions but also for crafting all kinds of magical items—wands, for instance.
Adrian's wand had a unicorn hair core.
The only drawback was that wands with unicorn hair cores made casting Dark magic difficult, which meant Adrian had to use a different wand whenever he worked with the Dark Arts.
Lately, he was running low on unicorn hair.
Although unicorn hair was sold in the shops of Diagon Alley, since there were unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, why would Adrian spend extra Galleons?
Taking the free option is human nature.
The Forest at night was very quiet. Adrian trod over the soft ground and headed deeper in; the tip of his wand glowed with a faint light, illuminating the way ahead.
Hagrid had taken him to the unicorns' habitat once last term. Following his memory, Adrian quickly found the place.
It was the same familiar forest lake.
The surface was still, mirroring a sky full of stars and a silver moon.
A dozen or so unicorns were gathered in twos and threes along the shore.
Adult unicorns were pure white from head to hoof, while the foals' coats were a pale gold.
To his surprise, there were three foals—newborns, not long out of the womb.
Unicorns were particularly wary of adult males; ordinarily, it was very hard for a male wizard to get near them.
But Adrian was different—he had once received a unicorn's blessing.
These sensitive creatures were utterly unguarded in his presence.
So Adrian strode openly to the lake's edge.
Sure enough, the watchful unicorns only lifted their heads to glance at him, then lowered them again to drink, as if he were nothing more than a harmless passer-by.
His boots pressed into the damp grass with a soft sound.
The three golden foals raised their heads in curiosity, blinking at him.
One, the boldest of the bunch, even bounded a few paces closer, nostrils flaring gently as if sniffing his scent.
"Hello, little one," Adrian said softly, crouching and reaching out to rub the foal's head.
Mm… smooth and silky to the touch.
He couldn't help stroking it a few more times.
He remembered that, in the original story, after Hagrid became Professor for Care of Magical Creatures, he'd given the students a practical lesson on unicorns.
Perhaps he could arrange something similar, let his own students spend time with these marvellous beasts.
Just then, a powerfully built adult mare stepped forward at a measured pace.
Adrian recognised her at once—the very unicorn who had blessed him last term.
She bowed her head with effortless grace and gently tapped his shoulder with the spiral of her horn.
Adrian knew it was a gesture of goodwill.
By the time he left the unicorns' glade, he had a bulging little pouch in his hand.
The unicorns had been anything but stingy with their tail hairs, letting him take quite a number.
On his way back to the castle, Adrian suddenly noticed a flicker of orange-yellow light in the pitch-black woods.
That glow stood out sharply in the dim Forest; as he drew nearer, he caught a familiar grumbling hum.
If that wasn't Hagrid, who else could it be?
Adrian doused his wand light and padded towards Hagrid.
When he got close—
"Good evening, Hagrid," Adrian said abruptly.
"!"
Hagrid nearly jumped out of his skin; the lantern in his hand swung wildly.
Seeing who it was, he patted his chest and let out a long breath. "It's you, Professor Wesson. What're yeh doin' in the Forest this late?"
Adrian noticed a few leaves stuck in Hagrid's thick beard and several fresh scratches on his face.
"Collecting some unicorn hair," Adrian said, giving the pouch in his hand a little shake. "And you? On your usual patrol? How did you get those cuts?"
Hagrid sighed, and the lantern light showed the helpless look on his face. "Don' wanna talk about it. Lockhart came lookin' for me this mornin' an' managed to rile up a bunch o' Bowtruckles."
"Mm…" Adrian couldn't help being curious. "How did he manage that?"
In his experience, Bowtruckles were mostly mild-tempered.
"Who knows?" Hagrid spread his hands. "Tha' fellow's a right nuisance. Truth is, seems like every professor's had enough of him. Professor Flitwick an' Professor Sprout told me he…"
Listening to Hagrid's complaints, Adrian couldn't help feeling a certain reluctant admiration for Lockhart.
Earning the dislike of so many professors was no easy feat.
Gilderoy Lockhart truly was a prodigy at being insufferable.
"Defence Against the Dark Arts professors at Hogwarts are rarely any good," Hagrid said, lips twisting. "Last term it was Quirrell,
this term it's Lockhart… Oh, I don' mean you, Adrian—you're miles better'n Lockhart…"
With that, Hagrid laughed and clapped Adrian on the back.
The blow sent Adrian staggering forward a few steps; he nearly pitched headfirst into the nearby shrubbery.
"Sorry."
Hagrid scratched his head, embarrassed.
"It's fine," Adrian said with a rueful shake of the head. "Ah, it's getting late—I should head off. Rai's still waiting for me to feed him."
"Wait!" Hagrid blurted. "How about tea at mine tomorrow?"
Adrian paused and asked, curious, "Is something the matter?"
Hagrid wore a peculiar expression, as if he had something he could hardly bring himself to say.
He rubbed his big hands together, a rare look of awkwardness on his face. "Well… Lockhart says he's comin' over tomorrow as a guest. Yeh know I'm no good at dealin' with him. Help me out, Adrian."
"You should have turned him down," Adrian said seriously.
Spending too much time around Lockhart was never wise; there was no telling when a Memory Charm might come flying your way.
Lockhart's mastery of Obliviate made him dangerous—one well-cast Memory Charm, and you might not even know you'd been attacked.
It was precisely how he had stolen so many people's adventure stories without being discovered.
"I thought so too," Hagrid said, scratching the back of his head, "but I already agreed."
He really wasn't good at refusing people.
"I understand," Adrian said at last. "I'll come tomorrow."
Relief washed over Hagrid's face, and gratitude lit his features. "Brilliant! Nine o'clock in the mornin'. I'll make some special snacks…"
"Wait!" Adrian waved his hands quickly. "No need for snacks!"
He had no desire for his teeth to be assaulted by those sticky toffees and frighteningly hard biscuits.
"Don' be shy!" Hagrid said cheerfully. "Jus' you wait, Adrian—I'll bake a big batch o' Rock Cakes…"
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