In the afternoon, a little before three, Ethan met up with Harry and Ron in the Great Hall, preparing to visit Hagrid together.
Crossing the grass, they reached the edge of the Black Lake. Walking a little further, they arrived at Hagrid's small wooden house, a crossbow and a pair of rubber boots stood by the front door.
"This is it. Hagrid said he's the only one with a house here. I'll go knock,"
Standing by the door, Harry turned to Ethan and Ron.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Along with Harry's knocks, Ethan and the others clearly heard the sound of objects falling and a deep dog barking from inside.
Immediately, a deafening voice came: "Back, Fang, back!"
After a while, the door finally opened, and Hagrid walked out. His hair was messy, his beard was knotted, he looked unkempt, and he was still holding a black hunting dog collar in his hand.
"Back, Fang!"
While saying this, he pulled the black dog to the side, making way for Ethan and the others.
Stepping inside, they found that there was only one room. Hams and wild chickens were hung from the ceiling, a copper kettle boiled water in the brazier, a large bed stood in the corner, covered with a patchwork quilt.
Besides these, there was a white fur blanket, which looked rather dusty and unremarkable, but it was made of unicorn hair. There were also some brightly colored feathers, if he wasn't mistaken, they were from a silencing bird and a hagbird. As for those giant tusks, Ethan couldn't tell what they were.
Indeed, Hagrid was a hidden tycoon at Hogwarts, his family background was quite rich.
In the future, if he could get his hands on some magical creatures that interested Hagrid, he could exchange them with Hagrid.
"Don't be shy, make yourselves comfortable,"
Hagrid said, letting Fang go.
The dog, as soon as it was released, pounced at Ethan's feet, whining in a flattering manner.
"This is Ron Weasley!"
"This is Ethan Adrian!"
Harry introduced the two to Hagrid, as both parties didn't know each other yet.
Hagrid, who was about to offer them some hospitality, turned his head, looked at Ron's red hair and freckled face, and said with a headache:
"I've spent almost half my life getting the Weasley twins out of the Forbidden Forest."
Really, heaven knew how much extra work he had since those twins went to school.
Ron's face turned red, not knowing what to say. He knew his twin brother too well, he was definitely the champion of mischief and troublemaking.
Fortunately, Hagrid only mentioned it once and didn't bring it up again.
Soon, Hagrid prepared the reception, rock cakes and hot tea.
Harry and Ron, with all their might, could only bite off a few crumbs from the rock cakes, but they still pretended to be very fond of them.
Although Ethan's physical strength had been enhanced, his teeth had also been strengthened accordingly, but he didn't want to try the rock cakes. He immediately broke off a piece and secretly fed it to Fang at his feet.
It was unknown whether Fang had grown up eating rock cakes, but he ate them with gusto, and they seemed quite fragrant.
"Take more if you like, I have plenty of rock cakes. Don't be shy,"
When he noticed that Ethan's rock cake was almost gone, Hagrid happily greeted Ethan.
"No need, I'm full with just one,"
Ethan quickly shook his head and refused.
Harry and Ron, naturally, knew what was going on, but Fang wouldn't go to their side. Even if they wanted to feed the dog, they couldn't.
"By the way, Hagrid, do you know where I can find some frogs?"
He had just gotten the formula for the Babbling Brew today, but frog brains were not easy to find. They didn't serve frog dishes on the Hogwarts dining table, otherwise, he could have collaborated with the kitchen. Ethan hadn't seen any in Snape's potions classroom either.
Stuck in Hogwarts, Ethan, besides the Forbidden Forest, didn't know where else he could find them.
"There are plenty of frogs by the pond to the east, but they should all be hiding now. Unless you go dig them up,"
Hagrid pointed in a direction and said to Ethan, not hiding anything. Although he didn't know Ethan before, since he was introduced by Harry, he must be a friend of his. Harry's friend is his friend.
"I see!"
"So, Hagrid, do they sell frogs in Hogsmeade?"
If they were all by the pond, he could just use a "Wingardium Leviosa" and get them, but now he had to dig up frogs, which was impossible. So that path was blocked.
Diagon Alley or Knockturn Alley must have them for sale, but unless he used a Undetectable Extension Charm box to transport them, otherwise, relying on owls, how much could he buy? It probably wouldn't be worth the postage.
Besides, those three idiots were being hunted, they wouldn't dare leave Knockturn Alley. Otherwise, they could transport frogs to Hogsmeade for him.
"Bruce's Pet Shop has them. Some little things like to eat mice and frogs." As Hagrid spoke, he seemed to remember something, and immediately added: "You can't go to Hogsmeade until you're in your third year. You're not allowed to sneak off. If you need frogs, I can bring some back for you."
"Okay, I'll ask you for help if I need it,"
Ethan skipped over the topic. If Hagrid brought them back, he wouldn't be able to bring back many at a time. A large quantity would easily die.
The Babbling Brew needed fresh frog brains, and the time of death couldn't exceed an hour.
As long as he knew there were frogs, he could just go to the shop once with his Undetectable Extension Charm box and empty the whole shop.
Ethan wasn't just going to use the Babbling Brew himself, he could also sell it for money. Sales wouldn't be a problem, especially for students in their fifth, sixth, and seventh years.
"Hagrid, is Snape targeting me because of my parents?"
Harry remembered that Hagrid had been a key keeper at Hogwarts for many years, and he was also friends with his parents, maybe he would know about this.
"Doesn't Snape do that to all students?"
"Especially when he's facing Gryffindors,"
Hagrid avoided Harry's eyes, speaking in a halting manner. It could only be said that he was truly bad at lying.
Seeing that Hagrid was unwilling to say more, Harry could only drop the subject. He would just ask his aunt when he got back.
However, this also made Harry even more certain that something must have happened between Snape and his parents.
Later, when Harry saw the case of Gringotts being robbed on July 31st in the Daily Prophet, he asked Hagrid some questions.
Hagrid was even more deliberate in avoiding the topic, trying to stuff Harry's mouth with rock cakes.
On the way back, all three of them had their pockets filled with rock cakes. Hagrid was too enthusiastic, and they couldn't refuse.
It was just that after leaving Hagrid's cottage, Harry had even more questions in his mind.
He was already thinking about Snape and his aunt's family, and now there was the package from Gringotts. He always suspected that the robber who robbed Gringotts was after the package Hagrid had taken earlier.