The Prisoners of Hogwarts

Chapter 41 A Warning to Hagrid

"May I sit down?"

"Of course! It's my fault for not being hospitable enough! What a lapse in judgment!" Hagrid snapped out of his daze and hurriedly moved an equally enormous chair from next to his huge wooden table.

The chair appeared to be of normal size in his hands, but its enormous size became apparent when he placed it in front of Lynch.

The chair reached Lynch's chest height.

Lin Qi looked at the huge wooden chair in front of him, then his gaze swept across the room again. He realized that Hagrid wasn't deliberately making things difficult for him; rather, all the furniture in his room was far too large for an ordinary person.

He didn't speak, but simply raised his right hand, extended his long index finger, and gently tapped the huge oak chair.

The air seemed to be stirred only by Lin Qi's fingertips.

The next moment, the chair seemed to be thrown into an invisible vortex—the thick chair legs visibly contracted and thinned, the intricate wood grain rapidly closed and reorganized, and the huge chair back collapsed inward, its edges becoming rounded and smooth.

The whole process was quick, taking only a breath. A wooden chair with normal proportions and simple lines stood steadily in place, as if it had always been this size, and the huge object from before was just an illusion.

Lynch looked at Hagrid, who was standing blankly to the side with his wide, black beetle-like eyes.

"There's no need to stand. Sit down, Hagrid," Lynch said, turning his gaze to him. His voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable, penetrating power. "This is your house. You are the master."

"Oh! Hehe...hehe..." Hagrid seemed to be startled awake, scratching his big, furry head sheepishly and letting out a dry laugh. He rubbed his huge hands vigorously on his trouser legs a few times, as if trying to wipe away the sweat from his palms.

He turned and dragged another equally enormous chair over from the wooden table, plopped down, and the wood creaked and groaned under his heavy body.

When he sat down and his gaze met Lin Qi's, he subconsciously avoided the other's eyes, rubbing his knees somewhat awkwardly.

Lynch gracefully sat down in the shrunken chair and got straight to the point: "Hagrid, I came to see you tonight because I need your help with something regarding my first public lecture."

Hagrid immediately straightened his back, his expression focused: "Just say the word, Professor Lynch! Anything I can do!"

"As you know," Lynch's voice was calm and clear, reaching Hagrid's ears, "this Friday afternoon, I will be giving my first lecture in front of the entire school."

At that time, students ranging from first-year students to soon-to-be seventh-graders will be in my classes.

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls of the cottage, looking towards the direction of the castle.

"A dry, rote speech in the auditorium is not what I want to begin with. What I want is to tell them the true meaning of magic."

So I plan to move the classroom to the grounds in front of the castle, where I will conduct my first teaching session.

To ensure it's impressive, this is how I need to arrange the classroom space.

Then he raised his hand, spread three fingers, and lightly stroked them across the air in front of him.

As his fingertips traced a path, wisps of gray mist appeared out of thin air without warning. They were not still, but rather like living things, rapidly intertwining, swirling, and coalescing in the air.

In an instant, a meticulously detailed three-dimensional model made of mist floated between the two of them.

"This is my envisioned layout. One thing to note is that sturdy railings need to be added around each seat." Lynch looked at Hagrid. "Can you help me set it up?"

"Uh..." Grimm was almost about to pat his chest and agree immediately, but just as the word "okay" reached his throat, he remembered Professor McGonagall's instructions—all of Professor Lynch's course content needed to be approved by Dumbledore.

Hagrid's enormous hand froze in mid-air, his lips trembling, the word "okay" stuck there, turning into a short and awkward whisper.

Lynch took in Hagrid's reaction without changing his warm smile: "Of course, I have given a detailed report to Headmaster Dumbledore on the requirements for the setup and usage of these venues, and have received his personal approval."

These words were like unlocking an invisible shackle.

Hagrid's tense shoulders instantly relaxed, and a relieved smile returned to his face, even tinged with a hint of embarrassed shyness: "Oh! Of course, no problem! As long as Professor Dumbledore approves!"

He immediately regained his energy, his large, fan-like hand scratching his disheveled hair again. His beetle-like eyes, still holding a hint of awe and inquiry beneath the tangled strands, cautiously glanced at Lin Qi's pale, serene face. "Don't worry! Leave those railings to me! The materials are all readily available, sturdy and durable oak! I'll start working first thing tomorrow morning, two days! Two days at most, and they'll be perfectly built for you! I guarantee they'll be both sturdy and beautiful!"

"Very good." There was no obvious approval in Lin Qi's voice, but the calmness itself was a form of recognition.

He stood up nimbly, his tall figure casting a clear shadow in the warm yellow light of the small house. "Then I won't disturb you any longer. It's late, farewell."

"Oh! Of course!" Hagrid responded, rising a little faster than usual, causing his massive chair legs to scrape against the stone floor with short, sharp scraping sounds.

His massive frame displayed an agility disproportionate to his size, and he reached the door in two steps, his enormous body appearing somewhat cramped. "It's late, you should get some rest, Professor Lynch."

He easily unlatched the heavy wooden bolt and opened the door.

The crisp night air rushed in immediately, carrying with it the dampness of earth and vegetation, and a hint of the sweet scent unique to the pumpkin patch behind Hagrid's cottage.

Hagrid turned to the side, trying his best to press his massive body against the inside of the door frame, making way for Lynch to clear the entire doorway.

"Take care on your journey, Professor Lynch," he said, his voice still loud, but with a hint of caution.

Lin Qi nodded slightly in response.

He stepped out of the doorway, but then stopped, as if he had suddenly remembered something, and turned to look at Hagrid.

"What you just said about being careful on the road reminded me of something I feel I need to remind you of."

Hagrid stood inside the door, looking at Lynch with a puzzled expression.

"As you know, I now consider that stone house in the Forbidden Forest my home, and I often walk around in the Forbidden Forest."

Therefore, they are quite sensitive to various changes in the forbidden forest.

I've recently discovered a dark and dangerous force in the Forbidden Forest. I've tried to find the source of this force, but to no avail.

I know that part of your job is to guard the Forbidden Forest and you often deal with the various magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest.

Therefore, I think you should warn the creatures living in the Forbidden Forest, especially benevolent creatures like unicorns and centaurs.

"Thank you, Professor Lynch!" Hagrid's expression turned serious and his face became solemn upon hearing that there had been changes in the Forbidden Forest that threatened the kind and beautiful magical creatures.

He knew the identity of the young man in front of him well. This was a dark force that even the legendary executioner could not trace back to its source, and it could not be taken lightly.