(48) Nicolas Flamel

"You mean, Professor Snape wants to kill me and Harry?"

Ian, still in his Quidditch uniform, sat by the Black Lake, looking at Hermione in surprise as she explained her theory.

After the game, Hermione and Ron had found Ian and his friends to share their earlier suspicions.

Draco was quick to defend his godfather. "How is it possible? What reason does Professor Snape have to kill them?"

"First keep your voice down!" Cassandra hissed, slapping Draco hard on the back of the head. "You idiot! Do you want everyone to know we're talking about the professor here?"

Draco winced, covering the back of his head. "I know! You're too cruel!" he muttered, aggrieved.

"I think Draco has a point," Cassandra said, her tone thoughtful. "Harry might be one thing, but what reason would Professor Snape have to harm Ian? Don't forget how worried he looked about Ian when the troll attacked yesterday."

Hermione hesitated at Cassandra's reminder.

She recalled Professor Snape's anxious expression in the bathroom the day before—it hadn't seemed fake.

"Listen to me, everyone!" Harry interrupted, his tone firm. "Snape isn't a good person at all! He must be trying to steal whatever the three-headed dog is guarding!"

Harry's confidence grew as he spoke. "He's the one who let the troll in during the Halloween feast! He wanted to distract everyone so he could sneak under the trapdoor and steal whatever's hidden there!"

"Wow!" Ian said, raising an eyebrow at Harry in surprise. Even though he mistook the Professor, his hunch is still quite correct.

When did my dear brother learn to use his brain?

Caught by Ian's look, Harry faltered and quickly pointed at Hermione. "It's Hermione's deduction! You were napping this morning, so she figured it out!"

Ian nodded in understanding. Ah, that makes sense.

Good. Harry hasn't suddenly grown a brain. That would make him much harder to trick in the future.

"This morning, after you left, Ian, Snape came to mock Harry..." Ron began, recounting the events of the morning.

"It's absolutely true!" Harry added quickly. "The three of us saw Snape limping—and you didn't notice that his leg was bleeding yesterday!"

"So, you all also think Professor Snape wants to kill me and Harry for some unknown reason?" Ian frowned, looking at the three of them. "Do you have any other solid evidence? You can't just accuse him because he mocked Harry a few times and was limping from an injured leg."

"Of course, Professor Snape doesn't look like a good person, but don't be deceived by anyone's looks," Ian added with a small smirk.

"Ian, you're too naive!" Harry said, patting his brother's shoulder with exaggerated exasperation. "You always refuse to believe that people can be so bad."

Ian maintained his usual smile but couldn't help laughing internally. What a first-class act. Anyone watching would think I'm a perfect student who respects his teachers and refuses to doubt them, even in suspicious situations.

Felixir, Felixir—for your sake, I'll have to say a few nice things about Professor Snape.

"We should tell Professor Dumbledore about this," Hermione, ever the beacon of justice, suggested earnestly. "Since we can't catch Professor Snape, we should let Professor Dumbledore investigate."

Ian quickly interrupted her idealistic notion. "We don't have any solid evidence. Do you really think Professor Dumbledore will believe a group of first-year kids over a Hogwarts professor?"

"I think Ian is right," Cassandra chimed in, agreeing with Ian's logic. "Without evidence, even telling Professor Dumbledore would be useless."

Hearing this, the group collectively deflated, their earlier enthusiasm dimmed.

"We need to think long-term on this," Ian said slowly. "Don't alert the enemy. We'll gather evidence gradually. Regardless of whether it was Professor Snape or not, I'm certain the troll yesterday was deliberately let into the castle."

"Who could it be?" the group murmured as they pondered the "culprit."

"Hey, Harry, Ian, what're you lot sitting here for?" Hagrid's booming voice interrupted their thoughts. He had spotted them while passing by and approached excitedly. "I haven't congratulated you yet! Ian, those last three Quaffles were brilliant! And Harry, catching the Golden Snitch like that—amazing!"

"Thank you, Hagrid," Ian and Harry replied in unison.

"By the way, Hagrid, how are the professors investigating the troll?" Hermione asked hurriedly.

Hagrid's expression immediately turned unnatural, and he stammered, "You—you lot don't need to worry about that..."

Hermione's eyes lit up. It seems Hagrid knows something.

"Uh... I've got things to do, so I'll be off now," Hagrid said hastily, realizing he had said too much. He quickly turned and walked away.

"Hagrid must know something!" Harry said confidently.

"Let's follow him!" Hermione decided on the spot and motioned for the others to follow quietly.

Hagrid made his way to his hut near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, seemingly unaware of Ian and the group trailing behind him.

"Hagrid went inside. Should we go in too?" Ron asked eagerly, itching to follow Hagrid.

"Ron, go knock on the door." Ian smiled and told Ronald.

"Okay, Ian." The innocent Ronald didn't realize why Ian asked him to knock on the door.

He took two steps forward and knocked on the door of Hagrid's hut.

"Hagrid, are you there? I'm Ron."

The door creaked open, and Hagrid poked his head out. He froze for a moment when he saw Ron and the others standing outside.

"Why are you lot here?" Hagrid asked, though he quickly stepped aside. "It's freezing out there—come in and sit down."

"Hagrid, can you tell us about the troll?" Ian asked directly, wasting no time getting to the point.

At Ian's words, Hagrid's expression grew uneasy again. He avoided Ian's gaze, looking anywhere but at him. "You shouldn't be askin' about the troll..." he muttered.

"Hagrid, you're our friend," Harry said earnestly. "If you know something, you have to tell us."

"Okay, okay." Hagrid sighed, clearly unable to resist the pleading looks of the young wizards. "I really can't say no to you lot."

"Don't go tellin' anyone about the troll," Hagrid said as he poured glasses of juice for everyone. "The professors reckon someone deliberately let it into the school."

"Who?!" the group asked in unison.

"I don't know..." Hagrid shook his head. "The school's investigatin' it, so keep this to yourselves."

Harry quickly shared the group's theory about the "culprit."

"You suspect Professor Snape?"

Hagrid's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Impossible! Why would Professor Snape do somethin' like that?"

"I believe in Professor Snape's character," Hagrid said firmly. "He may not look like the nicest person, but he's definitely not the one who let that troll into the school."

"But we saw Professor Snape limping, and his leg was bleeding!" Harry argued, recounting what they had observed. "He wants to steal whatever the three-headed dog is guarding! That's why he let the troll into the school—to create a distraction and achieve his goal!"

"How do you know about Fluffy?!" Hagrid exclaimed in surprise.

Ian shook his head, marveling at how easily Hagrid gave things away. Dumbledore really couldn't have chosen a better guide to help Harry pass through each "level" of this setup.

"Fluffy? That three-headed monster has a name?" Draco asked with a grimace. "It's hideous, and it has a name?"

"Hagrid! How do you know the name of the three-headed dog?" Hermione asked, her sharp instincts immediately picking up on something. "You know it, don't you?"

Hagrid froze, realizing he had said too much. He hesitated, unsure how to respond to Hermione's question.

"Fluffy? So that's its name. It's really cute," Ian interjected at just the right moment.

Hagrid perked up at Ian's words and nodded enthusiastically. "Aye, Fluffy is really cute. I got him from an Irishman. He was just a wee pup then—adorable! Later, Dumbledore borrowed him to guard Nicholas Flamel's..."

Hermione & Cassandra: (°Д°)

Harry, Draco & Ronald: (?ó?ò)?

Ian: "Okay, okay, what a nice dog, what is he guarding that is Nicholas Flamel's...?"

Ian strongly suspected that Hagrid had grown up drinking truth serum.

"I shouldn't have said that... I should Not have said that.." Hagrig muttered to himself

There was no need to press him—he would spill everything, whether it should be said or not.

"Um.. By the way, who is this Nicholas Flamel?" Hermione asked, puzzled. "Is there really someone by that name in the wizarding world?"

"I... I..." Hagrid stammered, wishing he could bite his tongue. Why couldn't he control his mouth?

"Alright, alright, Hagrid, don't worry," Ian said, suppressing his amusement at Hagrid's expression. He put on a reassuring face and added, "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone."

Hearing Ian's words, Hagrid breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ian, you're such a good boy," Hagrid said, patting Ian's shoulder. "You're much more obedient than Harry and the others."

Harry rolled his eyes at this. "Hagrid, I'm going to get upset if you keep saying that."

"Haha, as long as you lot keep this secret, you're all good kids," Hagrid said with a hearty laugh as he ushered them out of the hut.

Once outside, Hagrid glanced around and whispered to them, "No matter what Fluffy is guarding, it's not something you young wizards should be worrying about. And don't go doubting Professor Snape, either. He might not seem like the nicest bloke, but he'd never do anything like that."

"But..." Harry started to argue.

"No 'buts,' Harry. Trust Hagrid," Ian interrupted before Harry could continue. "Let's go."

The group left Hagrid's hut and made their way back to the castle.

__________

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