Chapter 306: Hagrid’s Request, the Beast Banishing Charm

Because of what happened at the Duelling Club, Kyle found himself the center of attention for the next several days. Wherever he went, students whispered and stared. The sight of the stone statue wielding a massive axe had left a deep impression on everyone.

When people brought up the Duelling Club, their first thoughts weren't of Lockhart, who had floundered embarrassingly, nor of the array of Charms on display. Instead, they pictured the stone axe raised high in the air. It was the first time they had truly witnessed Kyle's strength in such an obvious way. And, well... there was no denying it—his power was impressive. It was hardly surprising that he'd been awarded the Order of Merlin in only his second year.

Compared to Kyle, the other "Order of Merlin" recipient seemed almost laughable. Lockhart's bumbling series of performances had become a running joke among the students.

Word of the Duelling Club's events eventually reached Professor McGonagall. During Transfiguration, she surprised everyone by directing most questions to Kyle, awarding Hufflepuff ten points for every correct answer he gave. By the end of class, Kyle had racked up a total of 60 points for Hufflepuff—offsetting the 50 that Snape had deducted and leaving the house with a net gain of 10.

Ultimately, the Duelling Club incident didn't disrupt Kyle's life too much; in fact, it even brought him a bit of newfound fame.

But for someone else, the effects were far more significant.

Harry Potter.

According to Mikel and Ryan, after Kyle and the others had left, Snape had called Harry and Malfoy back to the stage. It wasn't clear if Snape had taken the time to give Malfoy a personal lesson, but somehow Malfoy managed to cast Serpensortia and summon a black snake.

When faced with the same snake, however, Harry's response wasn't nearly as smooth as Kyle's had been. Instead, he unintentionally revealed his ability to speak Parseltongue. Normally, this wouldn't have been a big deal, but in the current climate, it was.

Everyone knew that Salazar Slytherin had left the Chamber of Secrets behind, and that Parseltongue was his signature skill. Now, almost everyone viewed Harry as the "Heir of Slytherin," suspecting him of being the one behind the attacks on Filch and Professor Charity Burbage.

But some didn't buy it.

"Harry Potter, using monsters to purge the school? Give me a break," Fred laughed, out on the grounds near the castle. "Just because he can speak Parseltongue doesn't make him a Slytherin. Remember, he's in Gryffindor."

"And his best friend, that Granger, is Muggle-born," George added. "He'd never try to hurt her. We know Harry—he'd never do something like that."

"We believe it, too," Kyle agreed. "But unfortunately, most people aren't convinced."

"It's odd, though. Why would Harry know Parseltongue?" Cedric asked, puzzled. "Both his parents were Gryffindors, weren't they?"

"Who knows…"

The group made their way across the grounds, eventually arriving at Hagrid's hut by the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Oh, Kyle, you're here!" Hagrid greeted them at the door with his usual enthusiasm, though his grin faded a bit when he spotted Fred and George.

"I must remind you…" he started, eyeing the twins.

"The Forbidden Forest is dangerous, and we'd better not try sneaking in," Fred finished for him with a grin. "You've said it a hundred times, Hagrid."

"And we haven't been inside for ages," George added. "The most we've done is hunt for Kneazles around the edges, and that's well within school boundaries."

"I'm relieved to hear it," Hagrid sighed. "We've got enough trouble around the school as it is, so please, don't think about wandering in there."

"But I'm glad you all could come to help... Come on in."

Hagrid led everyone into the hut. With six of them and Hagrid, the room felt cramped. He brought out a large plate of rock cakes, and while everyone politely took one, no one dared take a bite. They all knew the rock cakes' legendary toughness and had no intention of risking their teeth.

As Hagrid brought over another plate of oddly colored sandwiches, Kyle quickly asked, "Hagrid, what did you want to see us about?"

"I need your help to cast some spells around the chicken coop and the edge of the Forbidden Forest."

Setting the sandwiches aside, Hagrid picked up a limp rooster from a nearby shelf. "This is the second one to die this term. There are bite marks on its neck. Might be a fox, or even a Blood-Sucking Bugbear…"

Kyle stepped closer to examine the rooster's neck. The wounds looked strange—like something had torn at it, leaving bite marks that defied easy explanation.

"The headmaster's already given his permission," Hagrid said. "I thought I'd get a professor to help, but they're all busy, so I figured I'd ask you."

Decades ago, when Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts, his wand had been broken. Though Dumbledore eventually repaired it and hid it in Hagrid's red umbrella, Hagrid was still unable to use Charms effectively on his own. That was why he had come to Kyle—spells cast around the chicken coop would need to be reasonably subtle, and there was more ground to cover than Hagrid could manage himself.

"It's just the Beast Repelling Charm," Fred said with a shrug, tucking a rock cake into his pocket. "Piece of cake; I used it at home plenty. You mentioned the chicken coop—where else?"

"Oh, also around the edge of the Forbidden Forest."

"Plop…" Fred stumbled, nearly losing his balance as he fell down the stone steps at the door.

"Hagrid…" he said, standing up, eyes wide. "Do you realize how big the Forbidden Forest is?"

"Of course, I know," Hagrid replied, scratching his head, a little embarrassed. "But you don't need to do the whole forest, just the side facing the castle."

Fred sighed, slumping his shoulders in exasperation. Even just this stretch of the Forbidden Forest bordering the school grounds covered a vast area. Now he understood why the professors hadn't been able to make time for it—if he were a professor, he'd be just as short on time with a job like this.

"As a thank-you, I'll help you find that Kneazle you were looking for," Hagrid added.

"Deal!" Fred and George agreed at once.

"And for the rest of you…" Hagrid said, glancing at the others. "If there's anything you're looking for, just let me know."

"I'm alright with helping," Kyle replied. "But Hagrid, why are you suddenly keen to cast a Repelling Charm around the Forbidden Forest?"

Hagrid's gaze drifted slightly. "Oh, nothing much… I'm just worried some of the forest creatures might wander up to the castle."

Seeing his expression, Kyle had a hunch about what was really going on. It must be the rumors about the Chamber of Secrets that had stirred Hagrid's memories of the Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid had been expelled years ago over accusations involving the creature. Putting a Repelling Charm on the forest was likely his way of keeping them at bay, just in case.

But, truthfully, this was unlike Hagrid. Kyle knew him well and couldn't imagine him taking on such a detailed, time-consuming task… not when he was usually convinced that Aragog and his kin would never pose a problem.

If not for the fact that Hagrid's familiar manner hadn't changed and his rock cakes were the same rock-hard recipe as always, Kyle might have thought someone was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate him.

"Hagrid, you know," Kyle said, as they all made their way outside the hut, "the Beast Repelling Charm is actually just a household charm. It only works on small creatures like caterpillars, field mice, and foxes… it doesn't even affect Gnomes."

"I know," Hagrid nodded. "But it's better than nothing."