Chapter 42
Chapter 42
A new week brought a new timetable, posted on the noticeboard on Sunday afternoon.
Hufflepuff shared most lessons with Gryffindor, apart from Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Hermione truly was angry.
No. Embarrassment outweighed her anger. The social death she suffered before Professor McGonagall remained painfully vivid.
Whenever Suer approached, she rose with a dark expression and moved to sit with Susan and the other girls.
“How did you upset your little girlfriend?” Rejected by Hermione yet again, Suer had no choice but to sit beside his roommates. Justin had watched the entire exchange and looked delighted by Suer’s misfortune.
“None of your business, you single dog.” Suer glared at him. “Besides, strictly speaking, Hermione isn’t my girlfriend yet.”
Justin looked blank. He did not understand the term single dog, but that did not stop him from continuing to mock Suer.
“Keep this up and I won’t help you the next time you play Morn at chess,” Suer said, striking a fatal blow.
“Oh, you can’t do that!” Justin wailed.
“Ahem.”
Professor Filius Flitwick fired a look from the front of the classroom. Justin immediately tucked in his neck like an ostrich.
At lunch, Suer’s owl brought him a note.
The items you asked me to buy have arrived. You may collect them this afternoon if you have time. –Rubeus Hagrid
Now every Christmas present was ready.
“Hm. Wizard chess. That’s for Ron.”
If Suer remembered correctly, the story mentioned that Ron’s set had been handed down from his grandfather.
“A Honeydukes sweet hamper. That goes home for Angel. A Golden Snitch statuette for Harry. The newest tricks from the magical joke shop for George and Fred. A Compendium of Herbs–Neville should like that.”
Under Hagrid’s watch, Suer sorted the parcels one by one.
“Most important of all…”
His eyes settled on a square box wrapped in silk.
“I don’t understand why you insisted that I buy this particular cat,” Hagrid said. “When the shop assistant realised I wanted to take it away, she became incredibly enthusiastic. She gave me a great deal of cat food and a brand-new cage.”
“It’s fully grown. If you want a cat, I know someone who would gladly give you a young Kneazle.”
“It’s all right, Hagrid.” Suer began unwrapping the parcel. “This cat is a present for someone else.”
“Meow.”
The ginger cat lying inside the cage lazily raised its head and looked at a face that seemed enormous from its perspective.
“Hello, kitty.”
Suer opened the cage and lifted it out.
“Do you remember me?”
The cat’s blue eyes studied Suer. It gave a soft meow, settled obediently in his arms, and enjoyed his stroking.
“Prrrr…”
“It understands you?” Hagrid stared at the cat in surprise. “But I’ve never seen a Kneazle that looked like that.”
“Perhaps.” Suer continued stroking it.
Only the scarves remained unfinished.
“Oh, right.” Hagrid slapped his forehead, rose, and walked to the moleskin coat hanging on the wall. He rummaged through a pocket.
“This is what you asked for.”
He handed Suer a small cloth bag.
“I searched for a long time before I found a shop selling one.”
“How much did it cost?” Suer took the bag.
He had asked Hagrid to find a storage pouch. It looked tiny, but the space inside could hold an enormous quantity.
“Nothing. Consider it my Christmas present to you.” Hagrid laughed. “Thanks to you, I discovered that the things I collect every day in the Forbidden Forest can earn me a great deal of money.”
“I haven’t bought new clothes in years.”
“But I’m curious. How did you learn about the Undetectable Extension Charm?”
“The library describes it.” Suer began placing the gifts for home inside the pouch one by one. “If I could have found the incantation, I would have made one myself.”
“The Hogwarts library truly contains everything.” Hagrid nodded, then became serious. “The Undetectable Extension Charm is advanced magic. It isn’t something a first-year should attempt.”
“Casting it without authorisation is also against Ministry of Magic law. Unless you fancy spending a few days in Azkaban, you had better not try.”
Suer pretended to nod solemnly.
In his view, Ministry law was much like the Hogwarts school rules.
If no one detected the violation, it did not count.
Hagrid considered Suer a good child and was pleased that he appeared to accept the warning.
After politely declining Hagrid’s invitation to dinner, Suer left the hut with a pouch full of gifts.
The cat would remain with Hagrid for a few days. Before leaving Hogwarts, Suer would return to collect it.
…
Inside the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor–
“It appears I need to find another way to earn money.”
Suer took out and counted the coins Hagrid had returned. Only a few Galleons and some silver Sickles remained.
He did not know the exact price of a pouch enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm, but it certainly cost more than a few Galleons.
He owed Hagrid a favour.
“Dad has so much good wine in his cellar. Taking two bottles for Hagrid shouldn’t be a problem, should it?”
As Suer made his decision, he walked toward the drying rack beside the fireplace.
The unicorn hair, once hard, had become wonderfully soft after soaking and washing. Enchanting light flowed along it in the fire’s glow.
Night deepened outside the castle. The Room of Requirement remained brightly lit.
Exhausted, Suer collapsed onto the sofa. His wand rolled weakly from his hand.
After casting the charm several times, he gazed with satisfaction at the scarves resting quietly on the coffee table.
Their interwoven yellow and silver colours gave off a mysterious sheen. Suer had wrapped the first one around himself. It was extraordinarily soft and fluffy.
If the maximum score was one hundred, these magically knitted scarves deserved ninety-nine.
He deducted one point to preserve his humility.
Grrr…
His stomach rumbled.
Suer no longer had the strength even to lift a fork. He closed his eyes and fell deeply asleep.
As he slept, the sofa quietly changed. It stretched and expanded, rapidly becoming a soft bed.
“Mm…”
Suer rolled over unconsciously and slept more soundly.
In the headmaster’s office on the other side of the eighth floor, Dumbledore wore a dressing gown patterned with stars. He took a sweet from a small drawer and placed it in his mouth.
“Dumbledore.”
“A portrait has just sent word that Professor Quirrell appeared in the corridor on the right-hand side of the fourth floor.”
An elderly voice came from one of the portraits.
“Hm.” Dumbledore nodded and narrowed his eyes. “I understand. Thank you, Phyllida.”
“What will you do now, Tom?”