A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 193: Buckbeak's Burden

Chapter 193: Buckbeak's Burden

Felix Harp leaned in, studying the black-haired figure on the red cloth. "Is this all there is?"

"Regrettably, these are all we found from Azkaban," Dumbledore replied.

"Hmm," Felix nodded, pondering for a moment before saying, "I can't guarantee the number of sneakoscopes... One, that's no problem! Two, a bit of a stretch. Three, that's purely relying on luck."

Dumbledore smiled. "You've already exceeded my expectations. I initially thought we could only make one sneakoscope."

Emerging from the office, Felix glanced at the sky; it wasn't too late. He left the castle and followed a path straight to Hagrid's hut.

The scent of trees filled his nose, and the grass was damp from the earlier rain. Soon, the outline of the house became clearer.

"Fang, behave."

Felix addressed the bounding blackhound. It seemed to want to leap onto him, but no matter how it tried, it couldn't touch him through the layer of air. He didn't want it to leave muddy pawprints on him.

Felix retrieved a warm meat pie from a special compartment in his ring and tossed it to Fang.

Fang caught it in one bite, happily wagging his tail.

Felix knocked on the door. "Hagrid, it's me, Felix."

A sound like a choked sob came from inside—

"Come in, the door's not locked!"

He pushed the door open and was taken aback by the sight inside: the small room was packed, and Hagrid sat on a soft bed, guzzling from a large barrel of booze. His eyes were puffy, blurred with tears.

Beside him lay a Hippogriff, a creature with a horse's body and wings, its head resembling an eagle's. In front of it sat a basin filled with gory raw meat. Juice dripped from its beak onto the floor. At the sound of Felix's presence, it snapped its head up, watching him warily.

"Hagrid?"

Hagrid stared at him, his voice somewhat husky. "Felix, you've heard too, huh?" He patted the Hippogriff's head. "Behave, Buckbeak. You can't make any more mistakes."

Buckbeak, who had raised its head, lowered it again, continuing to work on the raw meat in the basin.

"Care for some?" Hagrid gestured toward the wooden barrel.

"No, thank you."

Felix sat down not far from him. "I did hear some rumors, but I didn't expect it would affect you this much."

Hagrid took another gulp of his drink; traces of the liquid clung to his beard. "What can I do? Probably the shortest-lived professor in history..."

"They expelled you?" Felix asked, surprised.

"Well, Harry asked the same thing... not yet, but it's a matter of time. Yesterday, a representative from the Board of Governors came to see me, dressed all proper, to be honest, a bit like you. He told me my teaching methods were too reckless, that I should be more cautious..."

"I don't think it's a big problem," Felix said. "From what I know, Hippogriffs are quite intelligent. There must have been an accident."

"An accident? Sort of... you could say that!" Hagrid suddenly burst out in anger, startling the creature next to him. "That student Malfoy, he didn't pay any attention to me. I told him to bow, to bow! He acted like a complete fool!"

Felix gave Hagrid an odd look. "You allowed them to get close to it?"

"Yeah, I know 'em, no danger. As long as they bow, it's a bow... hic!" Hagrid belched, shaking the barrel before absentmindedly pouring the remaining drink into the basin. "That means it accepts you. Polite creatures, aren't they?"

Felix reservedly disagreed. Bowing might signify acceptance, but not out of politeness. It was about exposing your vulnerabilities first, earning their trust, and then, in turn, they would lower their heads to earn yours.

It was a unique behavior.

"Hagrid, my advice is, when dealing with creatures capable of harming young wizards, like it—"

"Buckbeak. Its name's Buckbeak," Hagrid interrupted gruffly.

"—For example, with Buckbeak, it's best to maintain a safe distance during the first class. Once you're familiar, you can select a couple of obedient students to interact with it."

"Good advice, but unfortunately not applicable at the moment," Hagrid said sadly. "I've been out of sorts all day, having students feed the Blast-Ended Skrewts while I look up at the sky... Perhaps in the next moment, an owl will tell me I've been expelled."

Felix Harp said directly, "Hagrid, you don't need to worry about your position. I've looked into your predecessor—Kettleburn's record. He had sixty-two instances of being put on probation, and he had far more serious accidents than you, yet he made it to retirement without a scratch."

"Really? I didn't think of that. That representative from the Board of Governors looked at me as if I was headed to Azkaban," Hagrid said hopefully.

"They can't dismiss a tenured professor; that's within the headmaster's authority. At most, they can give you a reprimand, but who would care?" Felix said, having studied these rules thoroughly and never considering them worth his attention.

Hagrid perked up, looking at Felix. "So, I'm in the clear?"

"You were never in trouble."

"That's splendid news!" Hagrid cheered, his beard splattered with the liquid he'd been drinking, causing Buckbeak to sneeze.

"Oh, go on, Buckbeak, back to your territory!" Hagrid laughed, lifting the creature up and pushing it out of the hut, despite its reluctant gaze.

"I worried I'd be fired, couldn't even manage my Keeper of the Forbidden Forest duties, wanted to at least feed it one last time. Turns out I was overthinking it..."

Felix said, "Hagrid, let's discuss the content of your next class. I think the baby unicorns are a good choice. They're fluffy and endearing; I'm also curious about the special traits of their golden fur during their young stage..."

"Do you think they won't look imposing enough?" Hagrid asked.

Felix gazed calmly at him, causing Hagrid to become flustered. Felix waved a hand, "Alright, you're right, I shouldn't take unnecessary risks."

He started counting on his fingers, "Unicorn, Flobberworm, Snargaluff, Fire Crab, Flower Fairy, and Augurey... Does the Augurey's call have any danger to it?" He asked Felix's opinion.

An Augurey was a small, green bird with a shy nature; it somewhat resembled a malnourished young vulture and was known for its heartrending call.

Felix pondered, "I recall its call is regular?"

"Usually it calls just before heavy rain. For a while, people used them to predict the weather, but they couldn't stand their noise, too unpleasant... And some Augureys incessantly call during the winter, signaling that they're nearing death." Hagrid spoke thoughtfully, "I can find a sunny day; they'll look downcast then."

Felix encouraged him, "Exactly, Hagrid. Base your approach on the magical creature's characteristics and eliminate potential risks."

"Haha, I think I've got the hang of it."

...

Felix returned to his office; the sky had turned completely dark. He looked at the photo of Nearly Headless Nick on his desk and inquired, "Is Nick around?"

"'I' has gone to sleep." The person in the photo blinked.

"He's been going to bed early lately," Felix remarked.

Nearly Headless Nick in the photo smiled and said, "Old folks, you know, can't stay up late."

Over six hundred years old...

Felix contemplated the flavor of that statement, "When he wakes up, please tell Nick that I've prepared his Christmas gift, something with special significance; he'll surely like it."

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