Hagrid covered his mouth in horror, staring blankly at the lifeless body of the little rooster in his hands. He mumbled to himself in disbelief, "How could this happen? Why would someone be so cruel? Why would someone do this to my poor little chicks…?"
"After you fed these chickens this afternoon, who came near your hut?" Glenn asked. Although the answer to this question might not mean much—after all, in the wizarding world, there were plenty of ways to conceal one's presence—it was still better to ask than not.
"Harry and Ron came by. Ron's spell backfired, and he kept vomiting slugs," Hagrid replied, snapping out of his daze. He frowned, trying hard to recall the day's events. "And then… it was just you two."
"And Ginny," Hermione suddenly interjected, recalling the flash of red hair Glenn had noticed earlier when they arrived. "Didn't Glenn see her too?"
Hagrid froze for a moment before nodding.
"But Ginny doesn't seem like the type to harm small animals, does she?" Hermione tried to dismiss the suspicion, considering how the little girl usually behaved. She didn't seem like someone capable of such cruelty.
"I think so too. That child is so shy and polite; she would never do something like this," Hagrid agreed, waving his hand dismissively. Then, with firm conviction, he added, "And Harry and Ron? Absolutely not. I trust them."
He then looked earnestly at Glenn and Hermione. "And you two—I'd never suspect you either."
Glenn nodded, but he silently noted the three names—Harry, Ron, and Ginny—apart from himself and Hermione. "These clues don't really tell us much. The culprit could have used some method to conceal their presence and avoid your notice," Glenn said thoughtfully. After a moment of contemplation, he added, "Hagrid, would you mind if I set up a recording device in your chicken coop? I'm not sure if I can create a magical device capable of stopping the culprit, but setting up a concealed recording device might be more suitable for now. It could help us avoid alerting the culprit while gathering some information about them."
Glenn had considered many possibilities. Since he wasn't sure about the culprit's level of skill, simply setting up defensive measures might not work effectively and could even alert them, making them more cautious.
Using a recording device, however, could capture details like the culprit's appearance or physical traits. Even if they used spells like Disillusionment Charms or Invisibility Cloaks to conceal themselves, Glenn could still deduce their physical information from footprints or the distances between them, and then gradually narrow down the suspects.
Hagrid was a friend to both him and Hermione. Seeing Hagrid so upset over this incident, Glenn naturally wanted to help.
Besides, the whole situation made Glenn uneasy.
"Would that… really be okay?" Hagrid hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed about troubling the young wizards for help.
But Hagrid was genuinely angry and eager to catch the culprit who had killed his roosters. He was furious—those poor chicks hadn't even grown enough to be slaughtered yet.
Left with no choice, he could only hold back his tears and eat three large bowls of stew to console himself.
"It's no trouble, Hagrid. We're friends, and friends help each other. Don't hesitate to ask us," Hermione said, speaking on behalf of Glenn. "You've helped us with so many things, so of course, we'll help you too."
Glenn nodded, agreeing with Hermione's words. He then reminded Hagrid, "After I set up the recording device, you should also keep an eye out for anything unusual around the area."
Hermione raised her hand and added, "And be careful about your own safety too! It's one thing if the chickens get hurt, but you mustn't get injured!"
Who knew what the culprit's true intentions were? If Hagrid's life were put in danger, that would be the real disaster!
Hagrid nodded seriously, taking their advice to heart. Then he scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Well, since the roosters are already dead, why don't you come over tomorrow, and we can cook them up and eat them?"
Glenn and Hermione: …
Glenn immediately vetoed Hagrid's suggestion.
Anything of unknown origin or handled by others should be treated with caution.
What if the real target was Hagrid? What if the culprit knew Hagrid's habit of not wasting food and anticipated that he would cook and eat the poor roosters, using that as an opportunity to poison him?
Although the probability seemed low—Hagrid, being such a kind-hearted person, likely didn't have any enemies—it was better to be safe than sorry. Glenn suggested cremating the roosters directly to prevent any potential risks. It was safer to discard food that had been tampered with.
While Glenn began setting up the concealed recording device in Hagrid's chicken coop, Hermione accompanied the grieving Hagrid to an open space, where they held a cremation for the unfortunate roosters.
During the funeral, Hagrid clutched his tattered handkerchief, sobbing uncontrollably. It was unclear whether he was mourning the loss of his chicks or lamenting the wasted food.
Ahem, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.
As Glenn worked on alchemically crafting the recording device, he pondered the shape of the wounds on the roosters.
As Hermione had pointed out, the injuries ruled out magical creatures or spells. But why would the culprit rely solely on brute force—tearing and pounding—to kill the roosters? Why not use a sharp or blunt weapon, which would be quicker and more efficient?
Was it a matter of urgency? Or inconvenience?
Glenn couldn't figure it out. There were too few clues, and the motives were unclear.
Not using tools—either there was another purpose behind it, or the culprit was just plain foolish.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
In the Chamber of Secrets, a petite figure sneezed, her red hair quivering with the motion.
...
Glenn's alchemical crafting went on for several hours but wasn't fully assembled yet. By now, it was almost curfew at Hogwarts, and the little girl was getting sleepy. It was time to head back to the dormitory.
Visiting Norbert was out of the question. Given the recent events, it was better to be cautious for a while. After what had happened today, Hagrid wouldn't dare take the kids into the Forbidden Forest for a stroll. Despite their repeated insistence that they didn't need the kind-hearted giant to escort them back to Hogwarts, Hagrid firmly refused. Armed with the magically modified shotgun Glenn had given him last year, he carefully and safely escorted the two children back to Hogwarts.
"Hagrid, be careful on your way back too," Hermione said worriedly, waving to Hagrid as his large figure disappeared into the night. Then she turned and let Glenn lead her toward the Gryffindor common room.
And there, at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, they encountered someone they shouldn't have at this hour.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
"8 amazing fanfics available on my Patreon.
Support for 250+ advance chapters:
patreon.com/DarkGolds"