"I've been wondering when you lot would co see —co in, co in!"
When Hagrid saw clearly who was at his door, his face imdiately lit up with joy.
This made Ron breathe a long sigh of relief.
Good, good—Hagrid hadn't evolved the ability to see through people's hearts yet.
He was about to ask Hagrid why he had looked so angry just now, but Hagrid explained it himself.
"I heard voices at the door just now and thought that fellow had co back again!"
"That fellow—who?" Ron asked curiously.
"Professor Lockhart."
Before Hagrid could answer, Sherlock, after crossing the threshold, scanned the entire hut and spoke.
Ron was surprised. "How did you again..."
"I won't explain the deduction process to avoid insulting your intelligence," Sherlock said casually, then turned to Hagrid. "What did he co to see you about?"
Compared to the surprised Ron, Hagrid wasn't at all surprised that Sherlock had deduced this, so he answered directly.
"That fellow wanted to teach how to prevent kelpies from getting into wells, but after just a few words he started bragging about how he banished banshees..."
Hagrid said indignantly, taking a half-plucked rooster from the very clean table and setting down a teapot.
"Acting like I didn't know how."
"Please, Hagrid, you can't stand listening to him brag just once, but we have to endure his tornt every single class."
Ron was delighted to finally find soone who shared his opinion of Lockhart.
"But... Professor Lockhart's abilities are still quite good," Harry said sowhat hesitantly, "...and Professor Dumbledore also thinks he's the most suitable candidate."
"Hey, Harry, you're starting to sound like Hermione!"
Ron elbowed Harry, then laughed. "Given Hogwarts' current situation, anyone who applies for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position could handle it."
"But his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes really have taught us quite a lot."
"I know he's capable, I just don't like his attitude of acting like he knows everything!
Even Professor Dumbledore wouldn't dare say he knows everything...
Forget it, let's not talk about him. Why didn't Hermione co with you this ti?"
"I had her do sothing else."
Sherlock said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the rooster Hagrid had tossed aside. "What's this about?"
"Speaking of this, it's really quite a headache. Several of my roosters have died recently.
I think it's either foxes or so blood-sucking creature. Anyway, I need the headmaster's permission to put a protective charm around the chicken coop.
You know, in my third year, they snapped my wand and expelled from school, all because of..."
Speaking of this, Hagrid suddenly realized. "Goodness, forget what I said, forget what I just said!"
"..."
Harry and Ron looked at each other.
Mate, you're revealing secrets a bit too quickly, aren't you?
Sherlock looked as if he had expected this all along. He said calmly, "Calm down, Hagrid. That's exactly why we ca today."
"What? Sherlock, could you speak more clearly?"
At this point, Hagrid hadn't yet realized the seriousness of the situation. He looked at Sherlock with confusion. "You know, my brain doesn't work as well as yours."
Harry and Ron looked at each other speechlessly again.
Your brain doesn't just work poorly compared to Sherlock's...
Sherlock got straight to the point. "I know you were expelled fifty years ago for opening the Chamber of Secrets..."
"That's slander!"
Sherlock had only just begun when Hagrid imdiately stood up excitedly, his movent so violent that he knocked over the stool in front of him.
"Aragog was hatched in a cupboard!
He was so lovely, how could he possibly harm anyone!"
Harry and Ron looked at each other speechlessly for the third ti.
Just as Ron had said, Sherlock had only started, and Hagrid poured out everything they wanted to know.
The content was largely the sa as what Dumbledore had told Sherlock.
However, Hagrid's account was much more detailed than Dumbledore's.
Fifty years ago, he had been just a boy.
He had a house and land, living happily.
He loved magic and enjoyed playing with magical creatures.
His dream then was to beco a magizoologist.
He truly wished such a life could continue forever, but fate would never consider his opinion.
In his third year, a distant traveler gave Hagrid an Acromantula.
Hagrid hatched it in a cupboard and fed it bit by bit with breadcrumbs.
When Tom Riddle, a Slytherin prefect in fifth year, tried to kill the now-grown Aragog, the creature successfully escaped into the Forbidden Forest under Hagrid's protection.
Hagrid was thus falsely accused and expelled from school.
However, over these fifty years, Aragog in the Forbidden Forest had maintained close contact with Hagrid.
Hagrid had even found him a wife, whom he called Mosag.
Thanks to Hagrid's efforts, Aragog and Mosag's family had prospered greatly, and even their grandchildren had grown as large as cart-horses.
Although Acromantulas had cannibalistic instincts, for Hagrid's sake, Aragog had restrained his descendants from attacking any humans all these years.
When Hagrid spoke of these things, his eyes shone.
As if this were sothing to be very proud of.
Harry and Ron listened with growing horror.
Especially Ron.
Just thinking about spiders as large as carriages being rely Aragog's descendants, while Aragog himself had grown as large as a small elephant, with tens of thousands of little spiders crawling around, made him shudder uncontrollably.
Damn it, why hadn't that Tom Riddle fellow killed Aragog back then?
Both being Slytherin prefects, he was far inferior to Gemma Farley!
"Oh, I shouldn't have told you these things!"
When he reached this point, Hagrid entered his familiar phase of regret.
He was annoyed at himself for sohow revealing this matter without realizing it.
This ti, he was determined that no matter what, he wouldn't say anything more!
Absolutely not!
"If Aragog is still alive, these recent attacks might really be their doing."
Ron looked thoughtful. "Aragog's descendants might not necessarily listen to their old ancestor, after all, Fred and George don't even listen to Mum and Dad..."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Hearing Ron say this, Hagrid imdiately threw his recent resolution aside.
His whiskers trembled, it was a sign he was angry.
"Aragog does have that instinct, but he promised he's never hard anyone, anyone at all!
Besides, that murdered girl's body was found in a bathroom.
Except for cupboards, Aragog has never seen any part of the castle.
You should know, spiders prefer darkness and silence..."
After Hagrid finished venting his emotions, Sherlock suddenly spoke.
"So I suppose Aragog must know what the monster in the Chamber of Secrets actually is?"
Harry and Ron imdiately perked up.
Finally getting to the main plot!
Hagrid was still caught up in his indignation about himself and Aragog being misunderstood. Hearing Sherlock's question, he answered without thinking.
"Aragog does know! It's an ancient creature that spiders fear most.
I rember clearly—back then, Aragog begged to let him go because he felt terrified when he sensed that monster moving around the school!
How could such a sweet little thing hurt people? How could it?"
Due to the nurous problematic aspects of Hagrid's statent, Harry and Ron didn't know what expression to wear when facing him.
"So what exactly is it?"
Sherlock remained calm and asked this crucial question.
"He won't say!"
Hagrid was sowhat disappointed. "I've asked many tis, but whether it's Aragog, Mosag, or their descendants, none dare speak the na of this creature.
Sigh, they're really too timid, not even daring to ntion the monster's na."
"Hard to imagine there's a creature that can make Acromantulas afraid, so afraid they won't even ntion its na..."
Hearing Ron say this, Harry glanced at him, wanting to speak but holding back.
Sherlock sneered. "As far as I know, don't you all have the sa attitude toward Voldemort?"
Ron and Hagrid imdiately gasped and shuddered.
"See, your current reaction is quite similar to the Acromantulas."
"Oh, don't do that, Sherlock..."
Seeing the trembling Ron and Hagrid, kind-hearted Harry felt it was hard to watch.
"Fine," Sherlock shrugged indifferently. "Why not tell Dumbledore about this?"
"I don't dare..."
Hagrid said cautiously, "This matter nearly caused Hogwarts to close back then. I don't dare tell him again.
I still rember when I told him about finding Mosag for Aragog, his expression was very unpleasant."
"So this whole thing cos down to a lack of communication—Dumbledore too, and you as well..."
Sherlock sighed deeply.
He was beginning to understand Dumbledore sowhat.
However, understanding didn't an agreent.
Last year's incident with the Philosopher's Stone and Quirrell had already demonstrated this point.
For Dumbledore, Hogwarts had both made him and imprisoned him.
Despite all his impressive titles, deep down he had always seen himself solely as the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
By now, Sherlock even felt that replacing "headmaster" with "prisoner" might be more fitting.
As Snape had said, Dumbledore always felt he could control everything.
But was that really the case?
Thinking of this, Sherlock stood up. "Take to see the backyard, Hagrid."
"The backyard?"
"That's right, the backyard."
After walking around the backyard, Sherlock left with Harry and Ron under Hagrid's puzzled gaze.
"Sherlock, do you already know the answer?"
Seeing Sherlock's confident appearance, Harry couldn't help asking.
"The puzzle is only missing a few crucial pieces—by the way, Harry, did you notice any spiders at the scenes where Penelope and Cho Chang were attacked?"
"Spiders? I wasn't paying much attention at the ti," Harry thought for a mont and shook his head. He then looked surprised. "Sherlock, do you an..."
"Exactly what you think. Once Hermione gets the information, we can be completely certain."
Hermione proved even more capable than Sherlock had imagined.
Within a week, she had found everything Sherlock needed.
It was still that empty classroom on the fourth floor.
This place was becoming their regular headquarters.
"First, there's this."
Hermione's cheeks were flushed with excitent.
She pulled out a notebook containing all the fruits of her hard labor during this period.
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