Early the next morning.
Shire found Harry and mentioned his desire to visit Hagrid today.
However, Harry seemed slightly out of sorts. His eyes were dark and tired, as if he'd been up all night. Upon hearing Shire's words, he took a moment to react.
"Huh? Oh… okay, no problem."
"I'll write to Hagrid now and ask him to prepare."
"It should be fine for you to visit around noon."
Shire nodded. But seeing Harry's weary appearance, he couldn't help but ask,
"Harry, have you been staying up late lately?"
Harry chuckled and replied,
"That Advanced Potion-Making book you asked me to find, Shire… heh, it's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."
"Our whole dorm has been staying up late to study it."
"Potion-making is so much deeper than I ever imagined."
Then Harry lowered his voice and leaned in slightly.
"Shire, do you have any more potion-making knowledge to share with us?"
"Maybe… other versions of Advanced Potion-Making?"
Shire's expression shifted slightly.
"Harry."
"You guys need to pace yourselves."
Harry gave him an awkward grin, eyes filled with hope. Shire sighed.
"Alright," he relented.
"In the Potion Classroom in the basement, third storage cabinet—there's a copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. You'll definitely find something useful in there."
Harry's eyes lit up, clearly thrilled. He turned and waved wildly to Ron and the others.
"Brothers! New study material!"
At that moment, Hermione—who wasn't far off—seemed to have overheard part of the conversation. As Shire passed by her, she quickly approached and asked curiously,
"Shire, how did you do it? You actually got Harry and the others to stay up late studying potion-making?"
"When did they become so enthusiastic about potions?"
Shire showed a slightly guilty expression and brushed her off with a vague explanation.
"Maybe they finally appreciate your hard work."
"They want to help earn more points for the House Cup."
Hermione paused, visibly surprised. A trace of emotion flickered in her eyes.
"Really?"
She sighed softly.
"So… they do care about House honor after all."
"Maybe I've been too overbearing with them."
Shire froze.
Huh?
Then he felt even more guilty.
What if Hermione found out the truth? Would she chase him all over the castle?
Worse—what if Dumbledore found out that he was the one who had opened the "door to learning" for Harry?
Shire quickened his pace instinctively.
This was dangerous. Best to slip away for now.
Thankfully, the morning passed smoothly. No further incidents.
By noon, Shire took a deep breath and made his way toward Hagrid's hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Even before he arrived, he saw Hagrid's massive figure standing out front, waving at him. The hut, originally a warm but worn place in the books, now looked newly polished. Every wooden panel gleamed reddish-brown in the sun, coated with fresh wood wax.
When Shire reached the door, Hagrid—just as warm-hearted and enthusiastic as ever—wrapped him in a huge hug.
"You finally made it!"
"Come in, Shire. It's getting colder these days."
"Come warm yourself by the fire. I'll make you a hot cup of tea."
"Oh, and this—!"
Once inside, Hagrid brought out a plate of something that looked like baked pastries.
"Try this—dragon liver cake. Baked it myself."
Shire froze. The infamous dark cuisine from the books? The one known for cracking teeth?
Still, unable to refuse Hagrid's hospitality, Shire picked up a piece and cautiously took a bite.
To his surprise, his eyes widened.
The cake was crisp with a slight chew, and carried a pleasant wheat aroma. Not hard at all. It was actually… delicious?
Even more unexpected, after eating the cake, Shire felt a warm current coursing through his body—similar to the feeling he'd gotten when receiving life force enhancement rewards.
Though negligible to his current legendary-level constitution, it was still unmistakably a positive effect.
Eyes lighting up, Shire licked his lips and asked,
"Hagrid, what's in this dragon liver cake?"
"It's delicious—can I have another?"
Tears instantly welled in Hagrid's eyes.
He choked up, then wrapped Shire in a powerful hug.
"Shire! I can finally confirm—we definitely have the same blood in our veins!"
"No matter how distant, we must be related!"
Hagrid began to explain.
It wasn't that he couldn't cook—his sausages were the juiciest and most flavorful Harry had ever had.
But he had always insisted on serving dragon liver cake to guests.
Even advertised it once in The Daily Prophet as a "special delicacy."
His reasoning was simple:
Only someone with Giant blood could genuinely enjoy dragon liver cake.
Ordinary wizards might buy it once, out of curiosity—but a second time? Never.
Except for one shady old wizard who tried to use it to commit dental fraud, no one had ever come back for more.
Until Shire.
This, combined with Shire's physical resilience and appetite, confirmed everything in Hagrid's mind.
Tears streamed down his giant cheeks.
After all these years, he had finally found someone like him in the wizarding world.
Shire thought about explaining that he simply had a unique constitution, not Giant blood—but seeing Hagrid so emotional, he hesitated.
He looked at the plate of cakes.
Might as well eat them first.
They were made from magical wheat and herbs collected from the Forbidden Forest.
No wonder they carried such a powerful vitality.
One cake could be worth several Galleons easily.
"The hidden tycoon of the wizarding world," Shire thought.
By the time he finished the entire plate—even with his enhanced physique—Shire felt full to the brim.
He quickly stopped Hagrid, who had excitedly started preparing another batch.
"Burp… Hagrid, I can't. I really can't eat anymore."
Hagrid just grinned.
"No worries! I'll pack some for you to take back to your dorm."
"These cakes don't spoil. When you run out, just send me a note—I'll bake more."
Then, as if remembering something, Hagrid rummaged through a nearby cabinet and pulled out a carefully wrapped package.
"First time meeting, I have to give you a gift."
"It's getting cold—a blanket I made from unicorn hair."
"My craftsmanship's not great, but don't mind it."
Shire's jaw nearly dropped at the glimmering silver fabric inside.
Unicorn hair?
He gasped.
How much unicorn hair had it taken to make a whole blanket?
The cost was comparable to high-end invisibility cloaks.
Hundreds—possibly thousands—of Galleons.
He immediately waved his hands.
"Hagrid, this is way too valuable. I can't accept this."
But after several refusals, Hagrid's eyes dimmed.
"Shire…"
"Do you… do you also feel ashamed to be associated with a half-Giant?"
He lowered his head slowly.
"It's okay. Really. That's normal."
"Of course you're not a half-Giant. I made a mistake."
Shire stood frozen.
His heart twisted.
A moment later, he sighed and took the blanket.
"I just thought it was too expensive, honestly."
"But okay. We half-Giants do need to wear unicorn hair blankets in winter."
"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take it."
Hagrid's head shot up.
Seeing Shire accept the gift—and the identity—his smile broke into a flood of tears.
Much later, when Hagrid finally calmed down, Shire asked if he could visit the Troll.
Hagrid didn't even hesitate.
His "little brother" wanted to see a Troll? Totally reasonable.
High-risk magical creatures? Practically a half-Giant hobby!
"Of course," Hagrid said warmly.
"I've cleared out the outer edge of the Forbidden Forest. It's safe now."
"The Troll that broke into the Castle—he was injured, so I've been caring for him here."
"He'll be happy to see you."
As they approached, the air grew thick with the familiar stench of Trolls.
Ahead, Shire spotted the massive creature he had previously fought—its injuries now nearly healed.
When it saw Hagrid, it grunted happily.
"Ha—grid—"
But then its eyes fell on the boy beside him.
Shire.
The one who had broken its bones multiple times.
Its expression froze.
"Look who I brought for you?" Hagrid said cheerfully.
The Troll stared.
Did… you lure this terrifying kid back here?!
It immediately screamed in terror, backing away repeatedly—
Until finally, it dropped to the ground.
"Don't hit—!"
"Surrender—!"
Shire's eyes narrowed.
Without a word, he took out a newly potted Goldfish Vine and slowly stepped forward.
At the same time, he focused his gaze on the magical plant in his hands.
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