"Yes, I said that," Hagrid replied, still oblivious to the chill in John's voice.
But the trio definitely felt it.
Ron leaned toward Harry and whispered in the quietest voice he could manage, "Why does he look so angry?"
Harry didn't know either. What caught his attention more was how John had referred to Dumbledore.
The uneasy feeling in Hermione's heart grew stronger. She could clearly hear the discontent in John's tone when he spoke of Dumbledore.
Hagrid, meanwhile, invited John to sit and poured him a cup of tea with the hot water he'd just boiled.
Under the trio's gaze, the steaming tea let out gentle wisps of vapor in the cup.
But the moment Hagrid pushed the cup toward John, the steam stopped abruptly — a layer of frost formed over the surface.
"That's it?" John's expression was unreadable. "No preparations whatsoever?"
"We brought gifts," Hagrid offered.
John let out a cold chuckle, cutting him off. "Just gifts?"
"Huh?" Hagrid blinked, unsure what else there should've been.
John's voice dropped lower, now tinged with ice. "What about your safety?"
"What? I was safe!" Hagrid protested.
John looked at Hagrid and said, "You are a Half—sigh.. Those are giants—brutal, bloodthirsty. And Dumbledore didn't even give you the slightest protection?"
"We were fine," Hagrid muttered.
"There weren't just giants there," John said coldly. "There were Death Eaters too."
Hagrid still insisted that nothing had happened to him.
But John snapped, pointing at Hagrid's face and shouting, "You were injured, Hagrid!"
"Dumbledore sent you on the most dangerous mission, and he didn't even think about your safety!"
A flicker of black energy flashed in John's eyes. His expression twisted as he growled, "Does Dumbledore think everyone's life is worthless?"
"John?" Hagrid said in disbelief. "How can you say that about Dumbledore?"
"You're my friend, Hagrid!" John roared, "I won't let my friend get hurt just like that!"
Crack.
The cup fractured, and the tea inside turned into a solid block of ice.
Dark mist began to swirl around John.
Hagrid was startled and completely at a loss for what to do.
The hearts of the trio jumped violently—they had never seen John like this before.
John had always presented himself as calm and rational. He had never lost control like this.
Hagrid's injuries had clearly struck a nerve.
Panic attack, PTSD, all came at the same time. In John's mind, scenes of that great fire kept flashing back.
Hagrid's terrible condition—being beaten like that despite being a half-giant.
Just how dangerous must it have been?
And Dumbledore?
He had simply sent Hagrid there.
No backup, no equipment, not even a single protective item.
"John."
Everything inside the cabin began to tremble.
It was like an earthquake.
Hagrid quickly said, "I'm fine, really, John."
He was like a giant bear holding a sewing needle—clumsy, helpless, unsure what to do.
"Yes, Dumbledore, you're still just as muddle-headed as ever," John muttered to himself.
Harry heard that and shouted angrily, "Dumbledore is not muddle-headed!"
He pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, and the trio's figures were revealed.
"Not muddle-headed?" John said coldly. "He sent Hagrid to find giants and didn't offer the slightest bit of support."
"That's... that's…" Harry tried to argue but couldn't find the words.
John continued in a frosty tone, "Those were giants—brutal giants. Do you know why they were exiled? Because of their cruelty. And Dumbledore gambled on a sliver of luck with them."
"Hagrid's injuries are the best proof. Dumbledore sent him to meet the most savage of giants with nothing but a few gifts—and not a single weapon."
Harry's face flushed red, unable to respond. Hagrid, ignoring his pain, quickly said, "I wasn't hurt by them, I just... just…"
But as he tried to think of something, he stammered and couldn't get the words out.
Hermione quickly tried to soothe John. "Dumbledore would never hurt Hagrid."
"I can't see it," John said mockingly. "Dumbledore has never truly cared about anyone else."
At those words, Harry glared at John. "Don't you dare insult Dumbledore!"
The black aura around John thickened. His pupils suddenly turned into vertical slits as he snapped his gaze toward Harry.
"Who.. asked.. for your.. Opinion, Potter?"
A chill ran down Harry's spine—in that moment, the John in front of him seemed to become a Dementor, wrapping him in darkness.
The scar on Harry's forehead throbbed with pain.
"Okay, guys, CALM DOWN!"
Hermione stepped between the two of them, and John closed his eyes.
The black mist withdrew into his body, and the trembling of the hut ceased.
John took a deep breath, his voice returning to calm.
"Haa~ I'll go speak to Dumbledore," he said softly, looking at Hagrid. "Take care of yourself."
He turned and walked out of the hut. The fear overwhelmed Harry, and with a scream, he fainted.
John didn't look back as he stepped outside.
Zouwu caught his scent and ran over. John told the beast, "Drive away all the animals around here. Don't let Hagrid find them."
Because of Hagrid's injuries, John had lost control of his emotions.
But he hadn't forgotten about Hagrid's return to teaching.
Knowing that Hagrid's idea of "interesting" creatures was different from everyone else's, he had Zouwu chase off the animals outside—so that Hagrid wouldn't have any dangerous creatures left to bring to class.
...
Harry was sent to the school infirmary.
Madam Pomfrey told him he just needed to lie down and rest for a while.
Harry woke up nearly an hour after fainting.
When Professor McGonagall heard the news, she came to ask the three of them what had happened.
Hermione and Ron fumbled for an explanation, but Harry quickly said, "I'm fine, I just fell out of bed and hit my head."
Professor McGonagall looked skeptical but eventually left without pressing further.
Once they were out of the infirmary, the trio returned to the Gryffindor common room.
Ron said, "Why was John so worked up about Hagrid?"
He admitted, he had been scared.
He had never seen John like that—snarling and furious.
It was a stark contrast to the composed image of Slytherin's king.
What Harry couldn't stop thinking about was that pair of eyes—he had seen them before, back in second year.
His scar had started hurting the moment he saw them. Could it have been because of John?
"It's because of Edgar," Hermione said heavily. "Hagrid is his friend. He's afraid something might happen to him."
"He's not going to get hurt," Harry said stubbornly.
Hermione replied, "I do think Dumbledore was a bit careless in this matter."
As soon as she said that, the two boys looked at her in disbelief.
It was as if they were shocked that Hermione would actually think that way.
"Have you gone mad too?" Ron shouted. "How could Dumbledore—"
"Hagrid got hurt, didn't he," Hermione interrupted him. "He sent Hagrid with just gifts to meet vicious giants. You both heard how dangerous it was."
The two boys fell silent.
Everyone had seen how badly Hagrid had been hurt.
It wasn't just the giants—there were Death Eaters too.
Hagrid had gone through something truly perilous.
But admitting that Dumbledore had made a mistake was still difficult for them to say out loud.
The two boys awkwardly returned to the dormitory, leaving Hermione sitting alone by the fireplace.
The blazing fire couldn't chase away the cold she had felt back then.
"John… what's going on with you?"
She stretched her hand toward the fire, as if trying to draw some warmth from it.
Her fingertips began to feel a little hot.
She thought again of the conversation she had with John in the library.
If that day really did come…
What would she do?
Her thoughts were a mess.
For the first time, the brilliant mind of Miss Know-It-All couldn't find a solution.
This was more difficult than any problem she had ever faced—like a question with no answer.
No matter which side she chose, it would hurt the other.
"Please," Hermione's eyes reddened slightly, as if she were praying to someone, "John, Harry…"
"Don't be like that."
This fragile side of her only ever appeared when she was alone.
...
The next day, Hermione immediately returned to her usual Miss Know-It-All self.
She set out early in the morning to help prepare Hagrid's first lesson after his return.
Hagrid was her friend too. She didn't want Umbridge to catch any excuse to get him kicked out of the school.
If that happened, they would all be heartbroken.
Harry and Ron stayed behind to deal with the mountain of homework.
Hermione went to Hagrid's hut and waited for half an hour before seeing Hagrid return, looking confused and carrying raw meat over his shoulder.
"Hagrid, what's wrong?" she asked as she approached him.
Hagrid still had bruises on his face and looked bewildered. "I don't know, all the creatures are gone."
He had gone to feed the Thestrals, only to find that the entire herd in that area had vanished.
He even wondered if he was seeing things.
________
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