BXBX NOVEL Chapter 554: Abnormal Hagrid
Chapter 554: Abnormal Hagrid
“But…”
“I think Hermione is right, Ron!” Harry sighed and said, “Although this sounds really frustrating, we should obey the rules and not put our names into the Goblet of Fire.”
“But…”
“I want to say that it is best not to think about this again. The Triwizard Tournament tests are more dangerous than you can imagine,” said Evan, “We’d better be at ease as an audience or help the champions…”
He glanced at Harry, thinking about how to help him through the three difficulties.
“If Angelina becomes a champion, I will help her.”
“Yes, I will too!”
“Well, what are we doing today?” Ron said angrily, seemingly finally giving up the idea of putting his name into the Goblet of Fire.
“I’m going to Hagrid, we haven’t visited him this week,” said Harry.
“All five of us should go and stay there until the dinner feast starts, so that we can make sure that no one can put their names into the Goblet of Fire.” Hermione said brightly, “And, I’ve just realized, I haven’t asked Hagrid to join the S.P.E.W. yet!”
Colin said he had no objection, while Evan told them of how Hagrid looked this morning.
Hearing Evan’s description, Harry was extremely surprised and wanted to go over and take a look.
“The Blast-Ended Skrewts are really bad enough.” Ron sighed and reluctantly followed them outside. “Okay, let’s go to Hagrid. I just hope he doesn’t ask us to donate a few fingers to the skrewts.”
They walked out of the castle and came to Hagrid’s Hut.
The students from Beauxbatons seemed to have finished their breakfast and were getting out of the carriage.
Evan saw Gabrielle smiling at him, while Fleur and the other girls pretended not to see them.
Thinking of Gabrielle’s words in the morning, it was hard to imagine that they had talked about him for a long time last night.
From her current attitude, Evan also thought that they were indifferent to a few of their own people!
Ron stared at Fleur’s back until she and Madame Maxime entered the castle.
A few minutes later, the five came to Hagrid’s Hut. Harry knocked on the door, and Fang’s booming barks answered instantly.
“About time!” Hagrid opened the door. “I thought you lot had forgotten where I live!”
“We’ve been really busy!” said Hermione.
She looked up at Hagrid with astonishment, and although she was prepared, she was still shocked by his dress.
Harry, Ron, and Colin kept staring at Hagrid’s odd hairstyle, as if they were frightened. It was too bad, but everyone avoided saying anything to avoid hurting Hagrid’s self-esteem.
They went in and Hagrid’s cabin comprised a single room, in one corner of which was a gigantic bed covered in a patchwork quilt.
A similarly enormous wooden table and chairs stood in front of the fire beneath the quantity of cured hams and dead birds hanging from the ceiling.
They sat down at the table while Hagrid started to make tea, and were soon immersed in yet more discussion of the Triwizard Tournament.
Hagrid seemed quite as excited about it as they were, more than they could have imagined.
“You wait,” he said, grinning. “You’re going to see some stuff you’ve never seen before. The first task is… ah, but I’m not supposed to say.”
“Go on, Hagrid!” Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Colin urged him, but he just shook his head, grinning.
Evan was drinking tea. He didn’t know if Hagrid was so happy because of the fire dragon or Madame Maxime, or both.
“I don’t want to spoil it for you,” said Hagrid. “But it’s going to be spectacular, I’ll tell you that. Those champions are going to have their work cut out. I really never thought I’d live to see the Triwizard Tournament played again!”
They ended up having lunch with Hagrid, though they didn’t eat much. Hagrid had made what he said was a beef casserole, but after Hermione unearthed a large talon in hers, the five of them rather lost their appetites.
However, they still enjoyed themselves. Harry, Ron and Colin tried to make Hagrid tell them what the tasks in the tournament were going to be, and speculated which of the entrants were likely to be selected as champions.
Looking at Ron, it seemed he had forgotten about putting his name into the Goblet of Fire.
By three or four o’clock in the afternoon, a light rain had started to fall.
It was very cozy sitting by the fire, listening to the gentle patter of the drops on the window, watching Hagrid darning his socks and arguing with Hermione about house-elves, for he flatly refused to join S.P.E.W. when she showed him her badges.
“It would be doing them an unkindness, Hermione!” he said gravely, threading a massive bone needle with thick yellow yarn. “It’s in their nature to look after humans, that’s what they like, see? You’d be making them unhappy to take away their work, and insulting them if you tried to pay them.”
“But Harry and Evan set Dobby free, and he was over the moon about it!” said Hermione, “Evan also paid him…”
“Yeah, well, you get weirdos in every breed. I’m not saying there isn’t the odd elf who would take freedom, but you’ll never persuade most elves to fight for it. Really, this is impossible, Hermione.”
Hermione looked very cross when he heard him, and stuffed the box of badges back into her cloak pocket.
By 5:30, it was growing dark.
Evan, Harry, Ron, Colin and Hermione decided it was time to get back up to the castle for the Halloween feast, and more important, the announcement of the school champions.
“I’ll come with you,” said Hagrid, putting away his darning, “Just give me a second.”
He got up, went across to the chest of drawers beside his bed, and began searching for something inside it.
They didn’t pay too much attention until a truly horrible smell reached their nostrils.
Everyone couldn’t help coughing and looked curiously at Hagrid.
“Hagrid, what’s that?” Harry couldn’t help but ask.
“Eh?!” said Hagrid, turning around with a large bottle in his hand. “Don’t you like it?”
“Is that aftershave?” said Hermione in a slightly choked voice.
“Er … eau de cologne!” Hagrid muttered, suddenly realizing something, blushing. He said gruffly. “Maybe it’s a bit much, I’ll go take it off, hang on…”
He stumped out of the cabin, and they saw him washing himself vigorously in the water barrel outside the window.
“Eau de cologne?!” said Hermione in amazement, “Hagrid?!”
“What’s wrong with him?!”
“And that hair and that suit!”
“You’ll find out soon!” Evan lowered his voice and said he was going to send Hagrid a good bottle of perfume this Christmas.
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