Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 204: Hagrid’s Self-Blame

When Hogwarts returned to normal the next day, Kyle went straight to the Hospital Wing.

Almost everyone was buzzing about the previous day’s events, with rumors flying in every direction.

“A Dark Wizard attacked Hogwarts…”

“The Death Eaters are making a comeback…”

“Magical Creatures are rebelling…”

“The bastard son that Dumbledore abandoned is seeking revenge…”

“The bastard son that Snape abandoned to seek justice…”

...

Kyle had only walked from the common room to the Great Hall and already overheard five or six different versions, each more outrageous than the last. Honestly, if Lockhart had just applied to Hogwarts a little sooner, he wouldn’t have needed to wander around borrowing stories to write his books.

When Kyle reached the courtyard, it was noticeably quieter. No one was in front of the Hospital Wing; with most students at the Quidditch match, Hagrid had been brought to the Hospital Wing without being seen by any of the young wizards. As a result, hardly anyone knew he had been attacked.

Kyle knocked on the door, a bit apprehensive. He wasn’t sure if Madam Pomfrey would let him in and had even prepared himself for the possibility of leaving without seeing Hagrid. But, to his surprise, Madam Pomfrey simply stepped aside and let him in without a word.

“You’d better be able to cheer him up. There’s no magic potion for depression,” she said, leading Kyle to the far end of the room, where she pulled back the curtain around a hospital bed.

Hagrid lay there, his eyes vacant. Kyle called his name several times, but Hagrid didn’t respond.

“Is it that serious?” Kyle frowned.

“No,” Madam Pomfrey shook her head. “Last night, the headmaster sent over a special potion containing phoenix tears. Once he drank it, his injuries were nearly fully healed.”

“So, what’s wrong with him now?” Kyle asked.

“That’s just it—he’s deeply depressed. This can’t go on,” Madam Pomfrey sighed. “I’ll leave you to it. I’ll go prepare the Elixir to Induce Euphoria… though I hope it won’t come to that.”

After she left, Kyle tried calling Hagrid’s name again, but it was no use. With no other options, he took a deep breath and shouted:

“Wake up, Hagrid! Two dragons are fighting over a nest of dragon eggs in the Forbidden Forest!”

“Hmmm…” This time, Hagrid finally stirred. His eyes shifted slightly as he mumbled, “No… don’t fight, the dragon eggs’ll break…”

“You don’t need to worry at all. There are no dragons at Hogwarts… and no dragon eggs either.” Kyle said gently.

Hagrid turned his head toward him, as if just now realizing Kyle was there.

”Kyle, why are you here?”

”Of course, I heard you were hurt and came to check on you.” Kyle handed him a large box of chocolates. ”Here, have some; it’ll help.”

”I canʼt eat...” Hagrid suddenly clutched his hair, his voice breaking as he wailed, ”Druji... Lyra... theyʼre gone, right in front of me. It’s all my fault—too slow, too slow... If I’d just gotten there quicker, theyʼd still be alive...”

Hagrid’s cries grew louder, his words eventually drowned out by his sobs. Kyle didn’t interrupt; he didn’t try to console him. He simply sat beside Hagrid in silence, unwrapping Chocolate Frogs one by one.

Only when Hagrid’s sobs finally subsided did Kyle speak softly. ”I don’t know how to make you feel better, Hagrid, but at least you saved the Unicorn.”

”Sella...” Hagrid looked up, and for the first time, his face showed something other than sorrow. ”Is she... is she okay?”

”If you mean the unicorn, Sella... yes, she’s alive.”

Kyle handed Hagrid a Chocolate Frog and watched him pop it into his mouth. ”Newt Scamander was at Hogwarts yesterday. He’s taken Sella for treatment, and she’s expected to recover well enough to return to the Forbidden Forest by the end of the school year.”

”You really saw Mr. Scamander?” Hagridʼs eyes widened. ”You’re not making this up?”

”Of course not.” Kyle nodded, absolutely certain. Newt had told him this himself when he’d managed to slip into the Hufflepuff common room the day before, so he knew it was true. There were just some things they couldn’t tell Hagrid about that conversation.

Kyle still couldnʼt figure it out, though. Not even Cedric or the Weasley twins knew about his suitcase, so how in the world did Dumbledore find out? Could it be Hermione? But that didn’t make sense—she’d never even met Dumbledore; if anything, she would have gone to Professor McGonagall. Then it hit him: This is just like dealing with Tom Riddle!

”Thatʼs wonderful, just wonderful...” Hagrid began to cry again, though this time out of relief and happiness.

”So, you see, the Forbidden Forest needs you, Hagrid,” Kyle said, handing him the last Chocolate Frog. ”And donʼt forget—you didnʼt catch the Dark Wizard this time. What if he comes back to the Forbidden Forest while you’re away? Those Unicorns wouldn’t stand a chance.”

”Yeah... you’re right,” Hagrid said, rubbing his face and sitting up a bit. ”I should get back there.”

”Not so fast,” Kyle interjected, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, fist-sized sphere. ”This is for you.”

”Thanks, Kyle, but I don’t need any more chocolate. You can keep it.”

”This isn’t chocolate; it’s a distress signal I made,” Kyle explained. ”Just crush the outer shell, and it’ll send a special firework into the sky. As long as Dumbledore and the other professors are at Hogwarts, they’ll see it and come right away.”

Hagrid took the small sphere and shook his head. ”I won’t use this.”

Hagrid felt that the deaths of the two Centaurs had only been possible because he’d been caught off guard. If he met the Dark Wizard again, he was determined to strike with everything he’d eaten for breakfast… in any way he could manage. And if all else failed, he could always use the wand concealed in his pink umbrella to send up red sparks for help.

But that wand was his secret, and no one else could know about it.

”Keep it, Hagrid,” Kyle insisted, pressing the sphere into Hagrid’s hands. ”Please, just to be safe. Think of it as doing it for the magical creatures. The sooner we catch that Dark Wizard, the sooner the Forbidden Forest can be peaceful again.”

”Well… alright,” Hagrid said after a moment’s thought. ”So I just crush it?”

”Exactly,” Kyle confirmed. ”Hold onto it whenever you go into the Forbidden Forest, and just squeeze it if you need help. It’s a lot easier than sending up a distress signal by yourself.”

”Hmmm…” Hagrid scratched his head and muttered, ”I… I don’t have a wand…”