A Very Important Question About Underworld Dogs
The four of them ran quickly toward the castle, the safest place nearby, with all the protections it was supposed to have. There should not have been any way for another one of those creatures to slip inside. Still, thinking about the troll that had infiltrated the place last Halloween, Percy hesitated for a moment, wondering if it really was that safe. As they ran, he glanced at the castle walls, wondering if that dog could actually bring one of them down.
While he was still thinking about stupid things, Hermione interrupted him, snapping him back to reality.
"What was that?" Hermione asked in a raised voice, now that they were far from where they had been attacked.
"Well… uh…," both Percy and Harry had no real idea how to explain it. Grover, on the other hand, avoided looking at them, shifting his gaze between the three of them.
"And that whole thing about being the son of Zeus and demigods… don't think I didn't hear it," she said again, staring at them with a truly authoritative look, clearly expecting answers.
"Well…," the three of them looked at each other, obviously not knowing what to say.
"And also, why does Grover have goat legs?" Hermione added, widening her eyes as she pointed at Grover's feet. At some point while they were running, he had lost his fake feet, which he was now holding in his arms. Hearing such a direct question about himself, Grover's eyes widened as he realized it, and he quickly crouched down to put them back on.
"Well…," Harry and Percy glanced at each other, silently urging the other one to speak first.
"Stop saying 'well' and explain yourselves!" Hermione shouted, annoyed by the two of them acting so stupid.
"We honestly have no idea what that was," Percy said immediately, raising his hands in an attempt to calm Hermione down. She looked like she was about to start breathing smoke… or fire, which, to be honest, would have been interesting to see. And it would also explain a lot of things… or maybe not that many, and just create even more confusion.
"Stop thinking nonsense and going off on tangents," Harry said, as if he were reading his brother's mind.
"Ahem… sorry," Percy said, scratching the back of his head.
Then Harry turned toward Grover with a serious look.
"You said it was called a Hellhound, right? What is that thing?" Harry asked. If anyone should know what it was, it had to be Grover.
After putting his fake feet back on, Grover looked at Percy and Harry for a moment. Hermione was also waiting for an answer. He did not hesitate to speak.
"That was an underworld dog. They're children of Cerberus, and they're extremely dangerous. They can move through shadows, and they can track you by scent over very long distances," Grover said nervously, glancing around as if he feared another one might appear at any moment.
"Cerberus? Like Fluffy?" Percy asked, feeling like that actually made a lot of sense. After all, Fluffy was huge, even though Hagrid had never said anything about him having puppies… or being female. And if he wasn't, that meant there was a female Fluffy somewhere in the forest. Maybe with a pink bow on her head… or, well, on her three heads. But that would only make it more terrifying.
"That one… no, that's not Cerberus. Well, yes, it is a Cerberus, sort of. Maybe some kind of descendant… or maybe not, I don't know. But Cerberus is the dog that guards the Underworld," Grover explained without hesitation.
"If it's from the Underworld, then what is it doing here?" Percy asked seriously.
"I've told you this several times. This country… no, this entire continent is dangerous. All kinds of creatures that escape from Tartarus are roaming around, far more than you think. And little by little, they're going to realize that you two are here. That's why we need to go back to the United States, to the camp, fast, before that happens. Otherwise, we'll be buried under all the monsters that exist here," Grover said, completely serious.
"There's no need to rush that much," a voice suddenly said behind them, making all of them turn around almost instantly, guards up, in case it was another attack.
But right away they realized it was Percy and Harry's Aunt Mor. Well, it was the first time Grover had ever seen her, and he instantly froze like a stone statue the moment he laid eyes on her, just like Hermione and Neville had the night before. For Hermione, since it was the second time, the fear was still there, but maybe a little less intense.
"Sorry about that. One slipped past me. I was distracted dealing with the three hundred that showed up suddenly, plus a few very annoying scorpions, and one or two empousai," Mor said, making sure Harry and Percy were fine before letting out a calm sigh. A small, proud smile appeared on her face as she ruffled their hair. "It looks like your training is really paying off. I'm proud of you," she said.
That made both Harry and Percy feel slightly embarrassed, but they still felt a strong sense of pride in their chests.
"Did you say three hundred?" Hermione asked in shock, her eyes widening as she imagined three hundred of those things roaming around. Her face turned completely pale, and she still did not understand even half of what was going on.
"Ah… uh… um… who… who are you?" Grover asked, holding back the panic flooding his body. For a brief moment, he even let out a small goat-like bleat, which made both Percy and Harry look at him with amused expressions.
"A satyr," Mor said, looking at him. "I really don't like satyrs," she added.
That froze Grover in place like a statue, completely paralyzed by fear. And that was saying something, because even though he was not the bravest satyr out there, very few people could cause that kind of reaction in him.
"She reminds me of some bastard who used to act as the protector of another bastard," Mor added with clear annoyance. "Do they seriously still use them to search for demigods all over the world? And if they complete their mission properly, they get permission to become adventurers," she said, her tone carrying a slightly mocking, amused edge.
Grover felt embarrassed for a moment and lowered his head, not wanting Mor to look at him, while his body continued to tremble, more like a newborn deer than a goat.
"For now, there's no need for you to worry about monsters. Even if a small one slips through, you should be able to handle it. It will serve as training as well. At the very least, you'll finish this school year properly," she said softly, ruffling Harry's and Percy's hair one last time before leaving quickly, as if she were genuinely busy.
As they watched her go, Percy and Harry looked at each other for a moment, slowly realizing something they might have been ignoring until now.
Mor had always been cleaning up the places where they were, making sure they would not be attacked. Every time she said she was going to do some "cleaning", that was probably what she meant.
Hermione still did not understand what was going on at all, and she needed answers.
But they did not have much time to think about it, because a sudden shout snapped all of them out of their thoughts.
"What happened here?"
That unmistakable voice belonged to McGonagall, and they could hear her hurried footsteps approaching from behind. She stared at them sharply.
She stopped right in front of them, serious, clearly waiting for an explanation.
"Ah… Professor, we have no idea what you're talking about," Percy said quickly, trying to distance himself from any trouble.
"Don't play dumb, Mr. Jackson. I saw everything from the castle window," the professor replied sternly.
"You saw everything?" Harry asked, nervous and confused.
"Of course. Playing around with spells right next to the Forbidden Forest. Do you really think that would not draw attention when you use that much magic in plain sight? You could have been injured or even lost a limb without properly controlling your magic," she said angrily, assuming they had simply been fooling around with spells.
Possibly even fighting, since Percy and Harry did have those kinds of scuffles from time to time.
"You are now strictly forbidden from even approaching or looking toward the Forbidden Forest, do you hear me? And you'd better stop playing with such dangerous magic. Where did you even learn it?" she asked, completely serious.
"Ah… um… our Aunt Mor taught us," Harry said quietly.
"Who would be so irresponsible as to teach magic of that level to such young students? You'd better head back immediately, before I decide to take points away for putting yourselves in danger," she said, though for just a brief moment, a hint of pride could be seen in her eyes.
The four of them ran off at full speed before the professor could get even more upset.
"Magic of that magnitude…," she murmured as she watched them disappear down the corridor. Then she turned her gaze outside the castle, toward the spot where the ice was still melting. "Learning magic like that at such an age…," she added. Even though she sounded annoyed, a proud smile broke across her face. She knew it had been Gryffindor students who had accomplished that, or rather, Harry, since she had seen the exact moment he cast that spectacular spell, flawlessly executed. "He will become a truly powerful wizard in the future. Brilliant," she added.
"I need to inform Dumbledore," she said, remembering her duty, before hurrying off toward the headmaster's office.