"What a huge dog!"
After the door opened, a massive Neapolitan Mastiff, about the size of a small calf, appeared. This fellow was a Roman war dog back in the day, excellent at charging on the battlefield, and its performances in the colosseums were equally spectacular.
A male Neapolitan Mastiff stands 75 centimeters at the shoulder and weighs 90 kilograms. Its massive square head exudes an immediate aura of ferocity and power. Its short, stiff black hair is slightly coarse, and hidden beneath its thick, drooping lips are sharp teeth capable of easily snapping bones. Among canines, the bite force of a Neapolitan Mastiff ranks in the top ten percent.
But unlike its fierce appearance and terrifying size, the Neapolitan Mastiff, once domesticated, possesses an extremely high protective instinct toward family members and has a very high tolerance for children. Even if treated like a toy, it will accompany them tirelessly and happily.
And this Neapolitan Mastiff raised by Hagrid was a full size larger than the strongest of its kind. Its shoulder height was nearly a meter, and its weight definitely exceeded one hundred and thirty kilograms. The muscles beneath its coat revealed sharp, powerful lines with just the slightest movement.
"Woof woof woof woof woof!"
The big dog charged out of the door barking loudly, but before it could get out more than two barks, it was slapped into a dazed confusion by Hagrid.
"This is Harley!" Hagrid lowered his head and glared at Fang. "Did you memorize that? In the future, when you see Harley and her friends, you are not allowed to bark, and you are not allowed to scare them!"
Fang squatted on the ground looking aggrieved, but immediately, he wagged his tail. A fawning smile that looked surprisingly human squeezed onto his wrinkled dog face, leaving Lynn stunned.
"Don't be afraid, Harley."
Hagrid walked out of the hut with an apologetic look. "Fang is actually very timid. As soon as he enters the forest, he gets scared enough to wet his pants. Being this big is a waste on him."
Fang, having had his dog head vigorously rubbed by Hagrid, panted with his tongue lolling out.
"Does he really not bite?" Cho eyed Fang with some fear.
"I swear he won't. If he dares to snap at you, I'll put him in the pot."
Hearing this, Fang was so scared his tail tucked between his legs. He lay pitifully on the ground whimpering and even covered his eyes with two paws, as if he didn't want to look at this cruel world.
His actions amused Cho and Harley; a dog this intelligent could naturally be forgiven for the initial fright.
"Don't scare him, Hagrid."
Emboldened, Harley walked up to Fang, squatted down, and reached out to stroke his massive head. "Your name is Fang, right?"
"Woof!"
"Spin around."
"Woof woof!"
"Sit."
"Woof woo~"
"Backflip!"
"Woof—woo woo..."
Fang, who failed the backflip and fell flat on his face, looked at Harley with grievance, seemingly wanting her to change the command.
"Fang is such a good boy. Up you get."
"Woof!"
Wagging his tail, Fang immediately became Harley's little sidekick, even though he was heavier than two Harleys put together.
"He's so obedient."
Seeing this scene, Cho also gathered her courage to step forward and reach out to touch Fang, who sat obediently still.
"Haha, I was right, wasn't I?"
Hagrid beamed at the sight. As long as Harley was happy, he was happy.
"Come in, come inside the hut. It's still a bit chilly in the morning."
The three of them were warmly ushered into the hut by Hagrid. The house, which wasn't large for Hagrid, was actually quite spacious for them. The massive structure, built entirely of wood and stone, was about five meters high. The ceiling beams were hung with all sorts of strange items, mostly things Hagrid had picked up from the forest.
Lynn glanced around casually; those clumps of hair were likely unicorn hair, stuffed into five or six sacks. If compressed and packed in, there must be at least three or four hundred pounds of it. Outside, this stuff was sold by the strand; here, it was packed in sacks. Even the cushions in Fang's dog bed were a white color that seemed impervious to dirt—if nothing else, those were probably woven from unicorn hair too.
What defines a Hogwarts tycoon!
Sitting on the entire Forbidden Forest, Hagrid was likely the biggest invisible tycoon at Hogwarts. But only a half-giant like him had the strength to roam the Forbidden Forest without scruples. Anyone else serving as the gamekeeper would have to guard against the risk of being dragged into the forest and humanely destroyed every night.
"Would you like a cup of tea? I just brewed some. If you haven't had breakfast, you can try some Rock Cakes; I just baked them."
Hagrid cheerfully poured tea for them and casually lifted a basket of roasted cakes that gave off a rich wheat aroma. When they jostled against each other, they made a clanging sound like colliding stones.
"Will they be too hard?" Harley poked the stone-like cake, then picked up the smallest one and handed it to Lynn. "Lynn, you definitely didn't get enough to eat for breakfast. Try Hagrid's cooking!"
"Harley, you've changed."
Lynn accepted the Rock Cake expressionlessly, then expressionlessly opened his mouth and bit off a large chunk. The chewing sound in his mouth sounded like teeth grinding against steel, giving everyone goosebumps.
"No way—Lynn, you can actually chew that?"
Harley covered her mouth in astonishment, looking at Lynn like he was a monster. Just hearing the chewing sound made her feel physically uncomfortable.
"It's okay, pretty crispy."
Lynn, wrapping his oral cavity completely with telekinesis, transformed into a ruthless flour-milling machine, forcibly crushing the Rock Cake and grinding it into fragrant roasted wheat powder that was fit to swallow.
Leaving the texture aside, the ingredients were genuinely top-notch.
Top-tier wheat flour, a pinch of refined salt, plus a bit of unknown spice powder—the taste was absolutely amazing.
But the prerequisite for enjoying this delicacy was having a good set of teeth.
"Is it true?"
Harley asked in disbelief.
"If you don't believe me, try it."
Lynn handed over the piece in his hand. Harley took it skeptically, then carefully took a small bite.
Crack.
"Delicious! Tashty! Reawy tashty!" Harley covered her mouth and nodded repeatedly. "Cho, you try it too."
"Harley, you can't even speak clearly." Cho pursed her lips, smiling at Harley's clumsy acting.
"Woo~" Seeing she couldn't fool Cho at all, Harley hurriedly spat out the small fragments she had just bitten off. "Let's give it to Fang then."
Squatting at Harley's feet, Fang tilted his head, revealing an expression of utter despair. His shiny black eyes seemed to say: I might not be human, but you are a real dog, woof!
"Hahaha!"
Amused, Harley rubbed Fang's dog head. "Better give it to you then, Lynn. Only you and Hagrid can enjoy this."
"If it's too hard, try soaking it in soup."
Hagrid understood what was happening when he saw this. "I made stew last night and there's a bit left today. I just heated it up. Want a bowl, Lynn?"
"Of course. To be honest, a sandwich only just pads the stomach."
Before long, Hagrid brought over a bowl of mixed meat stew that smelled incredibly rich and meaty.
"What kind of soup is this, Hagrid? It smells so good!" Lynn rubbed his hands together and swallowed a large mouthful of saliva.
"Graphorn stewed with Re'em. They were fighting in the forest a while back and were still at it last night. I was afraid they'd scare Harley today, so I killed them. The stew tastes pretty good."
Hagrid spoke nonchalantly, as if he had just swatted two mosquitoes.
Speaking of which, he casually opened a wooden cabinet next to the stove. This thing was likely Hagrid's refrigerator; cold air rushed out as soon as it opened. The space inside was enormous. Currently, two small mountains of meat were piled up in there, looking like they weighed at least five or six tons.
"Do you like this color?"
Hagrid reached in and pulled out a gigantic cowhide, shaking off the ice crystals. "The fur of the Re'em is extremely warm. I was thinking if you wanted, I could make you some cloaks. It's going to snow at Hogwarts soon, and it gets very cold."
The golden fur was dazzlingly bright, as if woven from threads of pure gold. Judging the size by this hide, this Re'em must have had a body length of at least five meters—a truly terrifying giant ox.
But the skull resting next to it was shattered, looking as if it had been smashed by a single punch.
"Aren't Re'em magical creatures from North America, Hagrid?"
Lynn asked curiously. "I read about them in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. They're quite rare even in North America. Drinking their blood is supposed to increase one's strength."
"Is that so?" Hagrid scratched his head. "There are actually quite a few in the forest. There were four when I got here, and now there are almost a hundred. Hogwarts helps the Ministry of Magic accept some creatures they can't handle. Many are smuggled in; they don't know how to raise them, can't afford to raise them, and sometimes can't even manage to kill them. A bunch of incompetent wastes, acting all high and mighty with me."
Hagrid snorted disdainfully. Presumably, he didn't care much for certain individuals in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
"At least send a dragon over. I've wanted to raise one for a long time."
It seemed that was where the grievance lay.
However, although dragons were fierce, wizards had a complete and mature system for dragon breeding. The creatures were treasures from head to toe; the Ministry wouldn't send one here in a million years.
"If you want blood, I actually collected some. It tastes pretty good mixed with wine."
Hagrid brought out a wooden bucket and placed it casually on the table. "But don't tell me you plan to drink it straight?"
Opening the lid, the scarlet blood was mixed with countless fine golden threads. It was definitely Re'em blood.
"You can make blood tofu; there are many ways to eat it. But it's best drunk straight or made into potions."
"Thanks, Hagrid. When I cook something good, I'll invite you to eat with us."
"Hahaha, deal!"
Hagrid patted Lynn on the shoulder happily. He liked this straightforward personality—no hemming and hawing or fussing about.
"Now then!"
While waiting for Lynn to finish breakfast, Hagrid cheerfully addressed the three of them. "Let's head out. I promised you something, and I absolutely won't let you down, Harley."
"Let's go, let's go!"
Harley hopped off her chair and happily led Fang toward the door.
"Woo~ Woof woof woof!"
Fang planted himself in a horse stance, refusing to budge no matter how Harley pulled.
"Fang, what's wrong?"
"If you really drag Fang into the forest, he actually will pee." Hagrid shook his head. "That coward, sigh."
Fang whimpered aggrievedly a few times, seeming to mutter and grumble: Don't I know what's in the forest? If I go, I'm just there to be a snack.
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