Chapter 107: Hagrid, Practically Raised on Veritaserum
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
Hagrid waved both hands at Ron's accusation, insisting it couldn't be true.
"Snape is a Hogwarts professor. How could he possibly do such a thing?"
Bellowing as he spoke, Hagrid opened his hut door and hurried Leonardo and the others inside to warm up.
Seeing Hagrid didn't believe Ron, Hermione added, "But we really saw it. Snape never took his eyes off Harry, and his mouth kept moving. He was clearly chanting."
"Hagrid, I read that when casting a dark curse, you have to maintain eye contact with the target. Snape fit that exactly."
Hearing even meticulous, book-precise Hermione say this, Hagrid sighed and threw up his hands.
"Then tell me why Snape would target Harry."
That question left them speechless.
After a long moment, Harry pushed up his glasses and said awkwardly, "At the start of term, Snape did pick on me a lot, but afterward..."
He glanced at Leonardo. Ever since taking Leonardo's advice—using an Eye-Clearing Draught and taking off his glasses during Potions—Snape's attitude had shifted a full one-eighty.
Early on, Harry couldn't escape a barrage of cutting remarks.
But later, Snape mostly just called on him often. Very often.
And because he'd been studying Potions with Leonardo, Harry's progress had been fast.
He could answer most of Snape's questions decently.
"Ahem, class is fine. It's just when I'm walking around the grounds, if I run into Snape, he, uh..."
"He gives me a very... odd look."
"And outside class, he likes finding reasons to dock points from me."
Leonardo sipped the barley tea Hagrid had poured and kept his thoughts to himself.
Of course Snape did. Apart from Harry's eyes and his gift for Potions—both from his mother—everything else, including his face and his manner, looked exactly like his father.
And outside Potions, Harry still wore glasses. Not only did they keep Snape from seeing those eyes clearly, but they also dragged him straight back to James Potter.
The man who'd humiliated Snape and taken Lily from him.
If Snape wasn't docking Harry, who would he dock?
Oh, right—Snape docked everyone not in Slytherin equally.
Well, he hadn't taken any points from Leonardo.
Leonardo glanced at Harry, and an absurd thought drifted across his mind.
If he invented a gender-shifting potion or charm and had Harry use it, then dyed his hair Weasley-red and took off the glasses...
Heh. Would Snape survive it?
Maybe because of the changes Leonardo had brought, Snape hadn't been nearly as vicious toward Harry.
And while the trio now suspected Snape, it wasn't overwhelming.
"Even putting Quidditch aside," Ron said, "loads of strange things have been happening lately."
"The troll on Halloween—how did a monster like that even get into the school!"
"And not just the troll. There was a room with a three-headed dog!"
"Ron, we've been over this. It's called a Cerberus."
Hagrid looked up, startled. "How do you know about Fluffy?"
All at once, the three turned toward Hagrid—Leonardo alone kept sipping tea—and asked in unison, "Fluffy?"
"Er—he's my pet," Hagrid muttered, scratching his wild hair.
"Got him off a Greek fella. He's a right cute little thing. Dumbledore borrowed him to guard—"
"Guard what? Cute? That dog nearly bit Harry's hand—"
Harry threw an arm around Ron and clapped a hand over his mouth.
They were the only ones who knew about that—well, them and Leonardo—and Harry had no desire to spread that humiliation.
"What! Harry, let me see!"
Hagrid slammed his giant mug on the table, grabbed Harry's arm, and rolled up his sleeve in a panic.
"Merlin's beard, why didn't you say? A Cerberus's teeth are cursed with Dark magic!"
"Fluffy's just a big baby—seems he can still hurt people by accident. I'll have to tell Dumbledore. Even if it's something between him and Nicolas Flamel—"
Hagrid froze mid-sentence, realizing he'd said something he shouldn't have, and clamped his mouth shut.
After checking both of Harry's arms—thin but uninjured—Hagrid sat back down and scratched his head, puzzled.
"Strange. No marks at all. Dumbledore asked me before if you'd been hurt, Harry. Didn't say why, but this..."
No one answered him.
Hagrid looked up and saw three very different expressions.
Harry's was mortified. He'd just realized the Headmaster already knew about the bite.
Ron gnawed a rock cake, his thoughts both muddled and oddly clear.
Hermione opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Leonardo, however, wore the faintest hint of a smile.
Hagrid was practically raised on Veritaserum.
Entrust him with your life, yes. Your secrets? Absolutely not.
And Dumbledore had entrusted this to Hagrid on purpose—so Hagrid would leak just enough to Harry and his friends.
Dumbledore always set the dominoes just right.
"Hagrid, who is Nicolas Flamel?" Hermione finally blurted out, curiosity winning out—and both Harry and Ron looked at Hagrid too.
"N—nothing. That's top secret. Secret. All right?"
Hagrid lifted his tankard and swallowed a huge mouthful of tea to hide his discomfort.
No matter how the trio prodded and pressed afterward, Hagrid answered only with nods and shakes of the head, not daring to say another word.
After a while of this tug-of-war, the three finally couldn't sit still and asked to leave.
They were eager to investigate the truth.
Watching them go, Leonardo's lips curled ever so slightly.
Good. One step closer to the Philosopher's Stone.
They'd learn what it was for real after Christmas.
Then he'd find a chance to speak to Dumbledore—maybe he could get access early.
Leonardo stayed to chat with Hagrid a bit longer. This time, Hagrid was willing to talk—at least a little.
After leaving the hut, Leonardo didn't head back to the castle.
He took a detour toward the Forbidden Forest.
"Aurelius."
The little Qilin appeared at his side instantly.
Leonardo rubbed the now-thicker mane along Aurelius's neck and spoke softly.
"Take me to see Seleneia. A unicorn's due date should be within the next two months."