Chapter 24: Protect the Teacher of the Care of Magical Creature Class
On Sunday morning, Jon didn't wake up early as usual. He didn't leave the dormitory until around nine o'clock, after most of the Hogwarts first-year students had already gotten up.
He went to the Great Hall to have breakfast and overheard Draco Malfoy boasting from the Slytherin table about how he had humiliated a Gryffindor.
"I didn't even need to use my wand because I knew that stupid Weasley couldn't harm me. And guess what? He ended up hexing himself and spewing slugs everywhere. Hahaha..."
The students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw looked at Malfoy with disgust, but he didn't notice their reactions.
Jon didn't linger in the Great Hall for long. After finishing breakfast, he returned to the Hufflepuff common room and retrieved the glass cage containing two South African red spiders.
As he walked outside the castle, he encountered a ghost floating by, and quickly moved out of its way.
"Good morning, Jon!" the ghost greeted him kindly.
"Hello, Fat Friar!" Jon respectfully greeted the portly ghost, and the Fat Friar responded in kind.
"I need to go to Professor Sprout's office..."
"Oh, you're looking for Pomona. Her office is in a small cabin next to Greenhouse No. 1... Hurry along, she usually stays in her office on Sundays!" the Fat Friar said with a smile.
"Thank you, Fat Friar."
The Fat Friar was known as the friendliest ghost in the entire school. In less than a week since school started, Jon had asked him for directions three times, and each time the Fat Friar patiently and carefully showed him the way.
...
Professor Sprout was not in her office. Jon checked several nearby greenhouses and finally found her in the third one.
She was wearing fluffy pink earmuffs on her head, carefully tending to a green and purple seedling in the greenhouse.
Jon quickly stepped back and covered his ears.
Professor Sprout finished her task with the seedling and walked out of the greenhouse wearing dragon-hide gloves.
"Jon?" Professor Sprout removed her earmuffs and exclaimed in surprise.
"It's a Mandrake, right, professor?" Jon said with a smile. "I just covered my ears!"
"Very wise, otherwise you would have been in a coma for a few hours," Professor Sprout smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "If this happened during class, I would have awarded Hufflepuff extra points. So, what can I help you with?"
"Well, professor... it's about my pet. It seems to be acting strange lately!" Jon said as he took out the glass cage containing the spiders.
"Pet?" Professor Sprout shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I specialize in herbology as a teacher. For your question, you should consult Professor Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher."
"But, professor, I'm a first-year student... we don't have a class taught by Kettleburn," Jon hesitated.
"I see. So you haven't met Professor Kettleburn yet," Professor Sprout patted Jon on the shoulder. "Come on, I'll take you to see him."
...
Professor Pomona Sprout was known as one of the kindest and most caring teachers at Hogwarts, especially towards Hufflepuff students. It would be unlikely for any other teacher to take a first-year student on a trip for such a minor issue.
Following Professor Sprout's lead, they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid's hut wasn't visible within their field of vision, so it must be on the other side of the forest.
There was a small thatched cottage there. Professor Sprout raised her wand and gently knocked on the door.
"What's the matter?" an old voice came from inside the house.
"Sivanos, it's me... I have a student who needs your help!" Professor Sprout called out.
"Pomona... good morning, Pomona..." A gray-haired old man with a limp walked out of the hut.
Jon suddenly realized why Hogwarts had replaced Hagrid as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher in a later year... This Professor Kettleburn was indeed very old, with white hair and beard, and one hand and one foot made of wooden prosthetics.
"Is that you?" Professor Kettleburn looked Jon up and down. "Why do you look so unfamiliar?"
"Professor, I'm a first-year student from Hufflepuff!" Jon quickly replied.
"Hufflepuff, you say..." Professor Kettleburn's gaze softened. "Once upon a time, I was also a first-year student in Hufflepuff... over 80 years ago. It's been a long time..."
"Sivanos, Jon's pet seems to be having some trouble, and we need your help to look at it," Professor Sprout interjected, helping Jon explain the purpose of their visit.
"Alright... that's fine!" Professor Kettleburn looked at the glass cage Jon was holding in his arms.
"Two spiders, just ordinary spiders, and you consider them pets... I think you'll get along well with Hagrid..." Professor Kettleburn mumbled. "Be careful, Pomona, there's a Grindylow in the tank behind you, don't let it escape!"
"And Mr. Hart, don't kick that teapot by your feet. There's a bird and a snake inside..."
"They seem perfectly healthy, no major issues," Professor Kettleburn concluded.
"But why are they continuously hitting the cage and trying to escape... They've been acting like this since last night, and they've never been so disobedient before." Jon had prepared his words and spoke calmly and composedly.
"That is indeed a problem," Professor Kettleburn frowned. "Ordinary spiders wouldn't be so agitated. This is something I've never seen before."
"Could it be... fear?" Jon asked in a low voice.
"Fear?" Professor Kettleburn bent down and examined them closely. "It does appear to be somewhat similar..."
"But that's impossible!" He stated categorically.
"Why?" Professor Sprout questioned this time.
"Only one kind of extremely dark magical creature can cause fear in spiders... but that creature has been extinct in Britain for almost 400 years, and the Ministry of Magic strictly prohibits their presence on the British Isles. So it cannot be present at Hogwarts!" Professor Kettleburn returned the cage to Jon as he spoke.
"Perhaps you haven't been feeding them enough, Mr. Hart... I'll prepare an excitement potion for you to try with them."
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