Chapter 193: Buckbeak's Burden

Chapter 193: Buckbeak's Burden

Felix Harp leaned in, studying the black-haired figure on the red cloth. "Is this all there is?"

"Regrettably, these are all we found from Azkaban," Dumbledore replied.

"Hmm," Felix nodded, pondering for a moment before saying, "I can't guarantee the number of sneakoscopes... One, that's no problem! Two, a bit of a stretch. Three, that's purely relying on luck."

Dumbledore smiled. "You've already exceeded my expectations. I initially thought we could only make one sneakoscope."

Emerging from the office, Felix glanced at the sky; it wasn't too late. He left the castle and followed a path straight to Hagrid's hut.

The scent of trees filled his nose, and the grass was damp from the earlier rain. Soon, the outline of the house became clearer.

"Fang, behave."

Felix addressed the bounding blackhound. It seemed to want to leap onto him, but no matter how it tried, it couldn't touch him through the layer of air. He didn't want it to leave muddy pawprints on him.

Felix retrieved a warm meat pie from a special compartment in his ring and tossed it to Fang.

Fang caught it in one bite, happily wagging his tail.

Felix knocked on the door. "Hagrid, it's me, Felix."

A sound like a choked sob came from inside—

"Come in, the door's not locked!"

He pushed the door open and was taken aback by the sight inside: the small room was packed, and Hagrid sat on a soft bed, guzzling from a large barrel of booze. His eyes were puffy, blurred with tears.

Beside him lay a Hippogriff, a creature with a horse's body and wings, its head resembling an eagle's. In front of it sat a basin filled with gory raw meat. Juice dripped from its beak onto the floor. At the sound of Felix's presence, it snapped its head up, watching him warily.

"Hagrid?"

Hagrid stared at him, his voice somewhat husky. "Felix, you've heard too, huh?" He patted the Hippogriff's head. "Behave, Buckbeak. You can't make any more mistakes."

Buckbeak, who had raised its head, lowered it again, continuing to work on the raw meat in the basin.

"Care for some?" Hagrid gestured toward the wooden barrel.

"No, thank you."

Felix sat down not far from him. "I did hear some rumors, but I didn't expect it would affect you this much."

"Do you think they won't look imposing enough?" Hagrid asked.

Felix gazed calmly at him, causing Hagrid to become flustered. Felix waved a hand, "Alright, you're right, I shouldn't take unnecessary risks."

He started counting on his fingers, "Unicorn, Flobberworm, Snargaluff, Fire Crab, Flower Fairy, and Augurey... Does the Augurey's call have any danger to it?" He asked Felix's opinion.

An Augurey was a small, green bird with a shy nature; it somewhat resembled a malnourished young vulture and was known for its heartrending call.

Felix pondered, "I recall its call is regular?"

"Usually it calls just before heavy rain. For a while, people used them to predict the weather, but they couldn't stand their noise, too unpleasant... And some Augureys incessantly call during the winter, signaling that they're nearing death." Hagrid spoke thoughtfully, "I can find a sunny day; they'll look downcast then."

Felix encouraged him, "Exactly, Hagrid. Base your approach on the magical creature's characteristics and eliminate potential risks."

"Haha, I think I've got the hang of it."

...

Felix returned to his office; the sky had turned completely dark. He looked at the photo of Nearly Headless Nick on his desk and inquired, "Is Nick around?"

"'I' has gone to sleep." The person in the photo blinked.

"He's been going to bed early lately," Felix remarked.

Nearly Headless Nick in the photo smiled and said, "Old folks, you know, can't stay up late."

Over six hundred years old...

Felix contemplated the flavor of that statement, "When he wakes up, please tell Nick that I've prepared his Christmas gift, something with special significance; he'll surely like it."

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