CHAPTER 33

"…and here we have the Black Lake," Justin pointed his hand in the direction of the lake as we approached the shore.

The blue sky was reflected in the calm surface of the water.

"You can still walk here, but further on, the Dementor territory begins," Susan explained very seriously, thereby arousing Hannah's interest.

"How do you know?"

"Well, my aunt is the head of the DMLE," the red-haired girl explained a little modestly. "She immediately told me where the safe zone was. Really…"

Susan hesitated, and this aroused the interest of everyone else.

"Really?" Hannah didn't leave her friend alone.

"Well, these are Dementors. They are quite intelligent, but satisfying their hunger is their purpose in life. And there are no Azkaban prisoners here; there is nothing to eat."

"That's logical," I nodded. "Hunger can push even a person to rash actions. What can we say about creatures whose purpose and meaning of existence is to satisfy this hunger? And here is a whole castle of schoolchildren."

"Dumbledore won't allow it," Ernie waved it off, but his face took on an even more serious expression.

"You know," I turned away from looking at the lake's surface and the green hills on its distant shores, "ordinary people have many sayings, the general meaning of which boils down to the phrase: 'Believe in higher powers, but don't be lazy yourself.'"

"Hm?" He didn't quite understand, and the others looked at me with interest.

Exposing my face to the rays of the sun and a light, cool breeze, I continued my thought:

"Even if there is a force nearby that can protect and save you from troubles, this is not a reason to purposefully seek out those troubles. You need to protect yourself from Dementors and reduce the 'safe area.' The inability to visit the lake shore for some time is an incomparably insignificant loss compared to the chance of losing your soul."

Now the others got it a little better, and we went closer to the castle that towered on the cliff. Wandering along the wide clearings in the undergrowth, which were the equivalent of a road here, the group quickly recovered from the sudden realization that some kind of "safe zone" was not one at all.

"And how do we defend ourselves?" Justin asked the logical question, his thoughtful face looking too much like that of a movie villain plotting global mischief.

"For starters, stay away from the territory patrolled by these creatures," Ernie began counting on his fingers.

"Learn the Patronus Charm," Hannah suggested.

"Yes, that too," Ernie bent his second finger.

"How?"

Justin's question caught everyone off guard. We were almost at the castle and were standing next to a large stone hut at the very edge of the forest. The hut itself had been built for someone clearly larger than human size—this was evident in absolutely every detail—from the windows and doorway to the stairs, the height of the roof, and the certain volume of the building. A fairly large garden near the hut was filled with pumpkins of all kinds, sometimes of absurdly large sizes.

"Hagrid's hut," Justin explained to me, seeing the curiosity in my gaze. "He's the gamekeeper, actually. They say he's very knowledgeable about animals, as a practitioner."

"Yeah, yeah," Ernie nodded with a smile. "Someone told me the same thing once. His 'safe animal' criterion probably applies to everyone. He easily finds an approach to everyone, and in his simplicity, he doesn't understand at all how dangerous they are for others. And he himself is so big and powerful! I bet even pulling a dragon's tail would be no problem for him."

"Yeah," the others agreed with a smile.

"A small one," Zacharias nodded with a smile.

"Oh, what are you all gathered here for?" a low, booming bass voice came from a little way off to the side.

For me, the approach of a healthy, intelligent being was no secret, although I noticed it unforgivably late—this big guy was moving through the undergrowth very quietly and clearly. Once again, I am convinced that no matter who you are, experience in your business can overcome the inconsistency of physiology with the task.

The others almost jumped up on the spot, turning towards the voice.

"Professor Hagrid!" they chorused, almost shouting.

"You scared us…" Justin expressed the general thought.

"I, y'know, didn't mean to… And let's do it without all these 'professors' and 'sirs.'"

It was quite interesting to look at this huge, obviously half-breed man up close. He is at least two and a half meters tall, plump, but powerful. Slightly baggy leather and fabric clothes make him look more solid and massive, and his thick, completely curly hair and beard hide his head well, which is somewhat smaller than it should be if human body proportions were observed.

"You're out walking, right?" he boomed. "The weather's fine today. It's as if autumn never came."

Hagrid walked over to his garden and set down the large wooden bucket he was holding.

"How could we do without 'professors'?" Hannah was surprised. "You teach at Hogwarts now."

"Well, o' course," Hagrid turned to us. "O' course, I'm glad to teach the kids—you, that is—how to handle different animals. But I don't even know how… The thing is, I've always been with animals, and animals. Dumbledore asked me to, 'til he finds the right professor, 'cause no one wants to teach Care. That's the thing…"

Hagrid stretched his back, looked at us, and even spoke with some embarrassment.

"You, er… I'm always happy to chat, but I've got a lot o' work to do. Look, the Thestrals still need to be fed…"

"Then we'll go," I nodded to the newly-minted professor. "We won't distract you."

"Come on, kids, study well."

Having given his parting words and waved his hand, Hagrid trudged off to the hut, and we continued on to Hogwarts.

"As simple as five Knuts," Justin nodded to himself.

Susan walked thoughtfully.

"I wonder who he'll bring to the first lesson?"

"I hope it's not a particularly dangerous animal…" Hannah sighed. "Shall we hurry? Hector?"

"Yes?"

"You still need to practice your spells, right?"

"That would be nice."

"Then, shall we all go to the same class? The clubs will be closed for another week and a half anyway. And there's nothing else to do."

"That's true," the others agreed.

Before lunch, we practiced various spells from the school program. Although, it would be more correct to say that I was the only one practicing. The rest of the group spent about a quarter of the time on this, and the rest—on conversations, discussions, rumors, and other nonsense. After lunch in the Great Hall, I went to the library. Justin took it upon himself to show me, much to Ernie's displeasure—he wanted to ask him about ordinary people. Again.

The abode of knowledge even impressed me. If you believe the fragments, not every school of magic that has existed longer and taught more students can boast such a large library—the bookcases and shelves with books were very tall, on two floors, and the rows with them went deep into the huge room.

"Are you looking for something specific?" my friend asked as we approached the librarian's desk.

"Information on various pure-blood families."

"Ho-oh? Curious."

"What are you curious about, Mr. Finch-Fletchley?" asked a stately lady in large glasses and a wide-brimmed witch's hat sternly.

"Madam Pince, hello," Justin nodded. "I brought a friend to see you."