Chapter 504: Blast-Ended Skrewts

It started raining suddenly around ten in the morning. Kyle and Kanna were sitting comfortably, drinking hot pine needle tea and chatting with Hagrid, the sound of raindrops tapping against the window creating a cozy backdrop.

The conversation soon turned to the Triwizard Tournament.

"How does it feel to be a Champion?" Hagrid asked curiously.

"I'm not sure yet," Kyle replied. "But it's going to get really crazy from here on out... Everyone's so enthusiastic, I felt like I'd drunk two pints of Butterbeer last night."

"Of course you did, you're representing Hogwarts after all," Hagrid said with a smile. "But you need to work on your drinking. Two pints of Butterbeer? That's not good enough."

Hagrid said it so casually, as if it were a matter of course. After all, when he usually went to The Three Broomsticks for a drink, he always started with three pints.

"I drank it after the dinner," Kyle said, trying to explain to Hagrid that it wasn't that he couldn't drink, but that he really couldn't drink any more than that.

To be honest, a drink like Butterbeer could only get a certain "someone", who had already graduated as a Prefect, drunk.

But Hagrid didn't seem to care what Kyle said.

"Look what you said, I wouldn't go to The Three Broomsticks on an empty stomach either..." He placed a copper pot on the fire. "It's okay, it's not a shame to have a poor drinking capacity, and I won't tell anyone else."

Kyle opened his mouth but, in the end, gave up on the idea of explaining. It didn't matter—Hagrid wouldn't listen anyway.

After that, the conversation quickly shifted back to the Triwizard Tournament.

"The competition is going to be amazing. I never thought I'd live to see the Triwizard Tournament resume," Hagrid said with a grin.

"You'll see things you've never seen before. The first event is so exciting, it's... ah, I shouldn't say. I shouldn't."

"Go on, Hagrid," Kanna urged. "What's the first event?"

But Hagrid just shook his head.

"I don't want to ruin the fun for you," he said. "This is not allowed. Before the start of the competition, all news about the tasks must be kept completely secret. And I don't think it would matter to Kyle if he didn't know."

Kyle really wanted to tell Hagrid that he absolutely cared about the content of the competition, especially after Chris mentioned that the first task was to break through a barrier.

Since it was a barrier, there couldn't be just one dragon involved, and the more you knew, the better prepared you'd be.

But Hagrid didn't give him that chance and immediately changed the subject to the Abraxans in the paddock.

Kanna listened for a while, feeling a bit bored, and then began looking around at the other things in the hut.

She noticed a large wooden box under Hagrid's bed and heard a faint crackling sound coming from it, as if something was inside.

"Hagrid, what's in there..." Kanna asked curiously. "Does it have something to do with the Triwizard Tournament?"

"What?" Hagrid turned his head and then smiled. "Of course not, but I feel they're as beautiful as the big guy in the project."

"Beautiful big guy?" Kyle raised his eyebrows, feeling like he had stumbled upon some hidden information.

The only things Hagrid would describe as beautiful were probably magical creatures with sharp teeth and claws.

However, Hagrid didn't realize he had let anything slip. He had already stood up and was carrying the wooden box out from under the bed.

"The little ones that were born yesterday," Hagrid said excitedly as he opened the suitcase and placed it in front of Kyle and Kanna.

Kanna's face visibly turned pale, and she subconsciously leaned back, trying to put some distance between herself and the suitcase.

Inside was a group of slimy, greyish-white creatures. They resembled oversized lobsters that had shed their shells or slugs with legs. Occasionally, sparks shot out from their tails, creating a faint crackling noise as they hit the interior of the suitcase.

"What on earth is this thing?" Kanna's voice trembled as her face grew even paler.

She couldn't help but think that, compared to these, a Flobberworm seemed positively charming.

"Blast-Ended Skrewts, I named them," Hagrid said proudly. "I'm planning a big project where the students will take care of them."

Kanna's expression changed once again. She clearly didn't think this was a good idea but struggled to find the words to dissuade Hagrid. Instead, she turned to Kyle for support.

"Well..." Kyle hesitated, then nodded. "Hagrid, are you sure you want to do this?"

"What?" Hagrid asked, looking up from the Blast-Ended Skrewts. "Of course. Don't you think it's a fulfilling experience… watching them grow up?"

"I understand what you mean," Kyle said carefully. "But I just have one question… These are new breeds of Magical Creatures, right? I've never seen anything like them before."

"That's right," Hagrid said, his chest puffing out with pride. "They're the offspring of a Manticore and a Fire Crab."

"Very impressive—new species," Kyle said slowly. "But you haven't forgotten, my dad is one of the judges for the Triwizard Tournament, right? He'll be visiting Hogwarts a lot this year."

"I know that. But what does that have to do with Blast-Ended Skrewts—" Hagrid's words suddenly trailed off, and he froze mid-sentence.

It dawned on him. Chris, Kyle's father, wasn't just a judge—he was the director of the Department for the Control and Management of Magical Creatures. Refereeing for the tournament was just one of his responsibilities.

And given the Basilisk incident from a few years ago, Hagrid had already been summoned to the Ministry of Magic far too many times. Now, the Blast-Ended Skrewts, bred from two highly dangerous creatures, were bound to be just as illegal.

"Well… um… actually..." Hagrid stammered, struggling to justify himself. "I, I just put them together… didn't mean to… it was all a coincidence."

"I can keep your secret," Kyle said, "but I can't speak for everyone else. If someone accidentally mentioned this to my dad, and he overheard us talking about Blast-Ended Skrewts, there'd be no way to contain the situation."

Hagrid's face twisted in confusion and regret. Was he really going to have to give up the big project he had been so excited about?

"And," Kyle continued, "even if you do want to introduce the Blast-Ended Skrewts, that's fine. But before doing so, I think it'd be better to study their habits thoroughly. Don't forget—they're part Manticore, so they're definitely not going to be gentle. You don't want anyone getting hurt in your classroom, right?"

"Of course not!" Hagrid blurted out.

Between the mention of Chris and the potential for student injuries, Kyle's words had struck a nerve.

After hesitating for a moment, Hagrid let out a dejected sigh. Reluctantly, he shoved the suitcase back under the bed, abandoning the idea of introducing the creatures to his class—for now.

Seeing this, Kanna let out a long sigh of relief.

Thankfully, they would finally be able to have a normal Care of Magical Creatures class moving forward.