"Cough, cough."
After blowing his nose, Harry moved closer to the hearth, extending his hands to warm up—he had quite a tough time on the way from the castle here, the damp air making him feel physically weak, and the lingering cold left his hands and feet feeling icy, his whole body numb.
"You don't look too well, Harry."
Hagrid crouched down next to the boy, grabbing the fireplace tongs to stir the wood and make the fire burn brighter.
"Severe cold..."
Harry rubbed his nose, speaking somewhat helplessly.
"Haven't you gone to see Madam Pomfrey..."
Before Hagrid could finish, Ron joined in, shrugging, "Of course he did. Madam Pomfrey gave him about ten potions, but there was no effect at all. It's so strange..."
"Maybe it's a side effect of the magic potion Harry drank?"
Hermione was sitting on a tall stool, currently rubbing Fang's drooping big head on her lap, and the black hound was enjoying it with its tongue out. Hearing their conversation, she blinked and softly speculated.
"Magic potion?"
Hagrid looked at Harry with some confusion.
"Oh, Hagrid, you don't know. Snape brewed a cauldron of sludge for Harry!"
At the mention of 'magic potion,' Ron couldn't help but shiver—just imagining the taste of the potion that Harry drank made his throat feel a bit "bitter sweet," and he couldn't comprehend the courage Harry must have mustered to swallow that stuff down.
"Though I don't want to admit it, it really is a magic potion."
Harry weakly explained, meeting Hagrid's bemused gaze, he sighed, "Yes, the potion was brewed by Professor Dumbledore and Snape, and William helped verify it. The potion does help, it's just the taste..."
As he spoke, the boy couldn't help but shudder, unwilling to recall...
"Well, if it's Dumbledore and William who said it, then there should be no problem."
Hagrid's tightly knit brows slowly relaxed. He now trusted these two unconditionally; one helped him find a career for life, the other cleared his charges. Even if they were to raise a magic wand to the sky and cast the Dark Mark, he'd have to give it a thought—
'The Headmaster/William must have their reasons for doing this!'
"..."
Looking at the two who seemed to take all of this for granted, Ron had an incredulous expression. If nothing else had changed, he would really be doubting whether Harry had been replaced by someone else—that was Snape!
What was Harry like before?
Something went wrong at Hogwarts=Snape did it!
Gryffindor house points falling rapidly=Snape did it!
Waking up in the morning to find the right eyelid twitching violently=Definitely Snape's doing!!!
In any case, suspect Snape first, for no reason, no explanation, just the purest, most simple suspicion.
But now...
Brother, you really have changed.
Ron grabbed Harry's shoulders, opening his mouth but unsure of what to say.
"Oh, enough about that, have I ever mentioned the big fella to you guys?"
Looking at the playful pair, Hagrid laughed, then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked.
"What?"
Harry blinked in confusion.
Seeing the blank expressions of the three, Hagrid suddenly gave a mysterious smile, then stood up, gesturing for the three to follow him.
Harry put his hat back on, following Hagrid out of the hut. The four of them circled around the pumpkin patch, walking to the back of the hut. Then, under the gaze of the group, Hagrid pulled up the cellar hatch beneath the hut—
"When did this cellar appear?"
Harry blinked incredulously—he was certain that at least a month ago, there was no cellar beneath the hut.
"Oh, it was recently dug—who's going first?"
Hagrid held the heavy wooden board in his hand, enthusiastically gesturing to the pitch-black entrance.
"...I'll go first."
Instinctively, the three exchanged glances, with Harry eventually volunteering first, descending the cellar stairs. The almost invisible darkness made him instinctively reach out and feel around, soon touching a wooden door.
"Creak—"
Accompanied by a gritty friction sound, the wooden door slowly opened, a wave of warm, rancid air rushing into the boy's nostrils.
"Cough, cough—"
Harry felt his clogged nostrils were suddenly cleared again, the last time being during the previous Potions Class.
"This smells awful."
Hermione, closely following Harry, instinctively covered her nose, frowning as she looked around in confusion. Then, exchanging a glance with Harry, she confirmed something from his eyes, "Hagrid, did William help you with the Capacious Extremis here?"
"Oh, definitely, I can't handle that complex charm myself."
Hagrid awkwardly descended the stairs; the steps that seemed a bit high for a normal human size were just right for him. Once through the doorway, he groped around in the dark space, and suddenly, the dim scene became brightly lit.
Hermione and Harry weren't wrong. The decor here was almost identical to the row of rooms behind the Room of Requirement, with wooden-patterned walls and doorways embedded on either side. However, compared to Hagrid's, the doors in the Room of Requirement were much smaller, and the air wasn't filled with a nauseating stench.
"A new guest arrived recently, they're not very hygienic."
Seeing the trio frown, Hagrid chuckled, swiftly walking down the corridor and pulling open the third door on the left.
"Roar—"
The thunderous roar sent a shiver through the trio. Then, a pair of yellow claws lashed out from the door, aiming a fierce swipe at Hagrid's face. Yet, against this formidable attack, Hagrid merely raised his right hand effortlessly, clasping the lion claws in his palm.
But the attack didn't end there; in the instant its claws were seized, the monster behind the door switched tactics, whipping out an ink-black scorpion tail, lunging towards Hagrid's face.
"Snap—"
Once again, it was futile. This time with his left hand, Hagrid simply smacked the scorpion tail to the ground. Then, taking advantage of the monster's momentary weakness, he gave a forceful yank, dragging it out from the door completely. Finally, the group could see the monster in full—
"A Manticore?"
Hermione instantly recognized it by name, pausing when she noticed the curious looks from the other two, "It's an XXXXX-level dangerous creature, on par with a Fire Dragon, Acromantula, Basilisk..."
Hermione's words grew slower as she tried to point out the danger of keeping such a creature to Hagrid, but she instinctively thought of William.
Compared to that maniac with a Fire Dragon and Basilisk in the castle, Hagrid's antics seemed trivial.
"Yes, acquiring this big guy took quite some effort, isn't it beautiful?"
Hagrid nodded, apparently missing the nuances in Hermione's tone, patting the Manticore's rear and boasting to the three.
"Alright, Hagrid, quickly get it back inside..."
Harry hurriedly nodded, acknowledging Hagrid's pride, but honestly, after spending so much time with the Fire Dragon treated like a Labrador by William, he'd almost forgotten the true power of an XXXXX-level magical creature.
Hagrid nodded, smoothly pushing the creature back into the room.
"What about the other rooms? Are they..."
"Oh, I couldn't manage that, although I always wanted a Chimera egg, I searched a whole summer for one—oh, this cellar was actually set up for that Manticore, I even relocated Aragog and the others here—"
"Who's Aragog?"
Hearing this new name, Ron asked curiously.
"Oh, you should meet him, you'll like Aragog—"
"Wait, Hagrid, don't!"
But Hermione's protest came too late. Under Ron's expectant gaze, Hagrid opened the door to another room. Instantly, confronted by a host of spiders larger than himself, Ron's expression froze—
"How about it? William previously brought me plenty of hatchlings, and now I've raised them well-nourished..."
"Gah—"
Before Hagrid could finish, Ron gave a strangled gasp and swooned.