After noting the positions of the two Rowan trees, Kael didn't linger and found Hagrid, who was gazing at the wooden hut, with a bundle of randomly picked branches.
"Oh... have you chosen already?" Hagrid turned his head and stammered, "I wasn't thinking about the Dragon Egg, just that something ran past just now... maybe a Kneazle."
"There are Kneazles in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Yes."
Seeing that Kael believed him, Hagrid breathed a sigh of relief and said, "In fact, there are quite a few Kneazles in the Forbidden Forest, it's just that they seldom appear before wizards. Even I only occasionally catch a glimpse of one.
You should know, these Fantastic Beasts are very clever and extremely cautious. If they want to hide, no one can find them."
Kael nodded, Kneazles are indeed very intelligent.
Newt always believed they, like Wampus Cats, possess a natural ability for Legilimency, though its expression is more complex and doesn't belong to any known magic.
But one thing is for sure, you can never hide your intentions from a Kneazle, as they can easily see where your heart is.
Subconsciously, Kael thought of his own Tom, who just eats and sleeps, sleeps and eats, and turns over at a stretch...
How to say it, that guy is definitely an anomaly among Kneazles, like a husky mixed in a wolf pack, standing out uniquely.
Upon returning to the hut, Hagrid enthusiastically invited Kael in for a sit.
"Maybe next time, Hagrid." Kael shook his head and said, "I need to finish my homework quickly and handle these branches while I have time during the break.
By the way, remember to write me a letter when the Dragon Egg hatches. I helped care for young dragons with Newt before, so I've got some experience."
"That's great..." Hagrid blurted out, then quickly cleared his throat and said, "No, I mean, of course, if you have the time!"
"Don't worry about that, I'll definitely have time." Kael waved his hand and walked towards the castle.
Hagrid turned and went back to the hut.
Inside the house, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were anxiously waiting, and as soon as they saw Hagrid returning, they rushed over.
"Where's Kael..." Harry asked.
"Oh, he's got other things to do and has already gone back to the castle." Hagrid took the bow and arrows off his shoulder and hung them on the wall, "I think you all should go back and do your homework too, instead of pestering me here about Professor Snape.
I can assure you; he definitely won't steal the Philosopher's Stone."
"But..."
Harry wanted to say more, but Hermione spoke first, "Is what Kael needs to do related to those Rowan Tree branches? Also, what were those Protective Talismans you mentioned?"
"Ah, that..."
Hagrid thought for a moment and said, "I remember it's a wooden carving about the size of a Galleon, called something... Passing Exam Talisman... I can't recall the name, but the meaning is correct.
Those things were popular at Hogwarts last year; almost everyone had one."
"Passing exams..." Harry and Ron's eyes lit up, and they eagerly asked:
"Can that really help people pass exams?"
"How much does it cost!"
"You two..." Hermione said angrily, "If you want to pass exams, you should read more books instead of relying on some talisman.
And couldn't you think it through? If that thing really helped everyone pass exams, how could Professor McGonagall allow them at Hogwarts... it's cheating!"
"Or maybe Professor McGonagall doesn't even know..." Ron retorted.
Harry nodded in agreement. "Or the professors didn't consider it a cheating tool, after all, Hagrid said it only appeared last year, so it's still new."
"You... hmph!"
Hermione was too angry to speak, she snorted coldly and turned to ask: "Hagrid, are you saying that the talisman can really help everyone pass exams?"
"That's certainly not possible," Hagrid said with a smile, "even last year, many got P (Poor), plus D (Dreadful) and T (Troll) scores as well.
Hermione's right, if you want to pass exams, you've got to read more, it's the only way."
The light in Harry and Ron's eyes faded instantly.
"So, was Kael lying to us?" Harry asked somewhat disappointed.
"Uh... not exactly, because Kael said more than once last year that those things had symbolic meaning, nothing else."
Hagrid furrowed his brow in thought for a moment and continued: "But strangely enough, a lot of people still thought they actually worked.
I heard a student say before that his grades in Charm Class were always poor, but in the finals, he unexpectedly got an A (Acceptable)."
Hearing this, Harry and Ron's eyes brightened again, only Hermione frowned, seemingly deep in thought.
The hut fell into silence, leaving only Hagrid by the fireplace sawing wood... uh, singing a lullaby.
If Professor Flitwick were here, he would definitely tell everyone that the student's grade of A had nothing to do with the talisman, it was entirely due to his hard work.
Unfortunately, Professor Flitwick was not here, and at this moment, he was likely still enjoying a drink at the Three Broomsticks.
On the way back to the castle, Harry and Ron were still enthusiastically discussing what had just happened.
"Passing exams... heavens, that thing is even more amazing than the Philosopher's Stone," Harry said seriously, "No matter the price, I definitely want to buy one!"
"Yeah... I want one too." Ron's mood suddenly dropped a bit; he touched the few copper coins in his pocket and whispered, "I hope it's not too expensive."
"I can... er, lend you, or you could ask Fred and George."
Harry originally intended to say he could buy one for Ron, but quickly remembered that Ron was sensitive about Galleons, so he quickly changed the subject and said:
"I remember Fred and George helped with the map at the start of the school year, maybe this time it's the same.
They're your brothers; they'll surely give you a good deal."
"Yeah, you're right, how could I forget..." Ron suddenly looked up, excitedly saying, "They've always been close with Kael; they wouldn't let their own brother fail exams!"
"Hmph!"
At that moment, Hermione suddenly bumped into Ron, then quickly walked past them.
Their laughter came to an abrupt stop.