Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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Hagrid held the bottle above his head, looking at the ruby-like liquid inside with a puzzled expression, muttering, "Special rat tonic?"
He had only learned today that even pet rats now had tonics, and special ones at that.
Hagrid looked at the bottle in his hand again.
He didn't doubt Kyle's words, because it had taken about half an hour from start to finish to produce one bottle, so the quality must be good.
He was just a little confused.
After all, rats were the most common and cheapest pets. In Diagon Alley, they cost less than half the price of a toad, and even less than a bag of good owl food.
In addition, pet rats had the shortest lifespan, generally only seven years... It's worth mentioning that the time a young wizard spends at Hogwarts is also seven years.
Other pets... such as toads or cats, can live for more than ten years, and owls even longer.
Therefore, few young wizards would value those rats, let alone spend money to customize tonics for them.
"Yes." Kyle put the stove and cauldron back into the bag, stood up, and said, "This is for the Weasleys' pet mouse. It's been like this for years; Percy would come to me for it every year at the start of school."
"I just remembered that the mouse became Ron's pet this year, and Percy seems to have forgotten to tell him."
"The Weasleys' mouse?"
Hagrid wasn't very familiar with Percy, but he knew Ron, the youngest boy in the Weasleys. He and Harry had come yesterday.
But did he have a pet mouse?
Hagrid thought carefully, vaguely remembering that Ron's pockets were indeed bulging when he arrived, but the next second, he wasn't so sure.
His attention was almost entirely on Harry at the time, and he hadn't paid much attention to Ron, so it's normal that he couldn't remember clearly.
Hagrid returned the bottle to Kyle and asked, "Besides rats, can you brew tonics for other pets?"
"Of course, I can brew any of the four types of pets that Hogwarts allows."
"What about others, like magical creatures?" Hagrid asked again.
"Magical creatures are fine too," Kyle thought for a moment and said, "but it depends on the type. Large magical creatures like Fluffy won't work... Of course, they don't need any tonics."
"Spiders?" Hagrid blurted out.
Kyle looked at him thoughtfully and asked, "What kind?"
"You know, the eight-eyed giant... uh," Hagrid paused, suddenly becoming vague, and stammered, "No, I mean, just a regular spider, but a little bit bigger."
"Bigger... a little bit?" Kyle raised an eyebrow.
Hagrid nodded firmly. "Yes, bigger!"
Kyle stared at Hagrid until he started to feel guilty, then dragged out, "No..."
Just as a hint of disappointment appeared on Hagrid's face, Kyle continued, "However... I can try to research it."
"What?" Hagrid asked instinctively, still not quite understanding.
"Just try a few more times to see if I can concoct a suitable tonic for them," Kyle said. "I've done this a few times before, and I can try if you need it."
Hagrid, realizing what was happening, exclaimed excitedly, "That's great... I mean, if it's not too much trouble."
"It's not too much trouble, but I can't guarantee how long it will take," Kyle shrugged. "It could be as short as a month, or as long as a year."
"That's alright," Hagrid said nonchalantly. "Do you need any help? Just tell me what herbs you need, and I'll go deep into the Forbidden Forest to find them."
Although Professor Sprout had moved most of the rare herbs into the greenhouse, the Forbidden Forest was vast; he could always find them if he went far enough.
"I have plenty of herbs here, no need to look for more, but…"
Kyle frowned and said, "You have to find me a sample; I need to test its effects."
Hagrid's eyes darted around. "Um… can't I use a… ordinary spider?"
"No!"
Kyle shook his head. "Different species have different effects on different things. Sometimes, even a slight mistake can turn a tonic into poison.
Like belladonna roots… they're a great tonic for Murtlap rats, but they'd kill an ordinary rat."
"This…"
Hagrid suddenly hesitated.
He wanted the spider tonic for an Acromantula named Aragog.
It was a pet Hagrid had kept fifty years ago, and it was now very old. He had been thinking about how to extend its life.
The spider tonic was a good idea.
But the problem was, the Acromantula wasn't an ordinary magical creature; it was a dangerous creature of level XXXXX, and it was forbidden to keep it as a pet.
Hagrid certainly wouldn't give it to Kyle.
He might be able to persuade Aragog, or its offspring, not to harm Kyle, but what if someone else found out?
Kyle will definitely be expelled then, just like he was back then. At the same time, Aragog and his kind in the Forbidden Forest will also face extermination.
Thinking about something, Hagrid's expression grew increasingly resolute.
But just as he was about to give up on the spider tonic, he heard Kyle say thoughtfully, "Wait… if it's an Acromantula, then using only their venom will actually work."
Hagrid's emotions had been like a rollercoaster for several times now, just dropping to a point where they would quickly rise again.
He looked at Kyle and said irritably, "Next time, could you please finish what you're saying at once?"
"I didn't want to," Kyle explained, "It's mainly because I don't really like spiders, and my understanding of them is limited to a book I read a few years ago. It's been too long, and I need to think carefully to remember many things."
Hagrid started to get nervous again.
"Then the venom you mentioned earlier…"
"That's true." Kyle stared at Hagrid, then suddenly smiled and said, "Looks like you keep an Acromantula."
"No, I don't." Hagrid's voice rose sharply, and he shook his head repeatedly, saying, "I have a friend… a friend who likes Acromantulas, and I'm asking for him."
"Oh…" Kyle exclaimed, "So it's your friend."
"No… that's right."
Hagrid's ears turned red, and he turned his head to the side, quickly changing the subject, "How much spider venom do you need? I'll go… uh, I mean, I mean have him prepare it for you."
"That's hard to say, it depends on how efficient he is." After thinking for a moment, Kyle said seriously, "But just to be on the safe side, the more the better."
[End of the chapter]