While Kyle and Hagrid were talking, Kanna stood beside them with a completely bewildered expression.
Who am I, why am I here, what are they talking about?
Wasn't this about a dog's loss of appetite? How did they suddenly start discussing a three-headed dog? And what exactly was a three-headed dog — literally a dog with three heads? There certainly wasn't one in this room.
"Kyle..." She asked quickly while Hagrid was lost in thought, "What were you two just talking about?"
However, Kyle didn't answer her question directly. Instead, he looked at the half-giant and gestured with his mouth, "Bring it out, stop hiding it. I'm not a professional vet, but I need to see the actual situation."
"I don't have—" Hagrid started to resist, but thinking about his pet's recent condition, he sighed, "All right, but you can't tell anyone."
"Of course." Kyle nodded, "I swear on Cedric's honor."
Hagrid, looking conflicted, didn't quite catch what the boy said and walked out the door.
But Kanna heard it.
"Why did you swear on Cedric's honor?" the young witch asked, puzzled.
"Don't worry about the details." Kyle waved his hand, "If I had any honor of my own, I'd definitely use that instead."
Kanna said nothing, quietly shuffling away.
Hagrid returned quickly; apparently, his hiding place for Fluffy wasn't far.
Back in the hut, he first drew the curtains, then lifted the moleskin coat covering his arm, revealing the "cute" dog hidden underneath.
At this point, Fluffy was about the size of a cow. Finding itself brought back into the cramped room, it quickly drooped its heads and lay motionless on the ground.
Kanna was startled — she hadn't expected Hagrid to actually bring back a dog with three heads, and one that was so... ugly!
The three-headed dog's appearance was like other large Magical Beasts in the wizarding world, each ugly in its own distinctive way.
Fluffy was no exception — his mouth full of sharp teeth took up about half of each head, and the flesh around his nose was folded in layers, resembling a washboard.
'Could the three-headed dog have some Shar Pei ancestry?' Kyle wondered, scratching his head.
After all, he had never seen a three-headed dog before. Though Newt's zoo-case was amazing, it didn't contain everything. In fact, even in Greece, Cerberi (plural of Cerberus) were extremely rare Magical Creatures, about as rare as Basilisks.
Kyle was certain that whoever sold it to Hagrid must have been an amateur.
"What luck." He murmured, unable to resist patting Fluffy's ugly yet endearing head.
His fur was coarse, like stroking an old shoe brush — far rougher than Fang's.
The little fellow was quite fierce; discovering his head being patted, he immediately tried to bite Kyle's hand.
After dodging, Kyle gently patted the middle head, "Don't act up, I'll give you something tasty later."
Fluffy immediately quieted down, whimpering "woof woof" at him.
"How about some dried Murtlap meat?" Kyle pondered, "The texture is firmer than beef — you should like it."
{T/N: All those times he said mortla rat or similar words, he was referring to this specific magical rat species. Sorry for not translating it correctly before.}
"Woof woof..."
"Thirty pieces?" He frowned, "No way, that's too much. I only have nine pieces, perfect for the three of you to share equally."
While Kyle was haggling with Fluffy, Hagrid watched with his eyes nearly popping out, looking back and forth between the huge dog and the kid.
"Mr. Scamander taught you this too?" He asked incredulously.
Kyle just smiled without saying anything.
In the wizarding world, many people knew Chris could talk to Magical Creatures, though his father's explanation was simply that "Mr. Scamander taught me".
Since Newt had never publicly denied it, people naturally believed this explanation. In their view, as the greatest magizoologist of the century, it was perfectly normal for Newt Scamander to possess unique skills.
Only a very few people knew the truth, like the Weasleys, the Scamanders, and Dumbledore... well, that last one's uncertain, strike that. And among these people, Hagrid was clearly not included.
"Merlin's beard, looks like Mr. Scamander really thinks highly of you." Hagrid said enviously, "I begged him for ages, but he never agreed to teach me how to talk to magical creatures."
"It's just a little trick, Hagrid." Kyle said with a smile as he took out the dried Murtlap meat to feed Fluffy, "I'm sure even if you can't understand his words, you still know what he wants to express."
"Yes, I can." Hagrid said proudly, "I always know what Fluffy wants, and Fluffy understands me too. He was quite mischievous when he was little, but he'd always fall asleep when I sang."
To prove he wasn't just boasting, the half-giant demonstrated, gently patting Fluffy while starting to sing.
Then, Kyle clearly heard the poor cerberus's words.
"Here we go again, here we go again, my head hurts so much."
"Just sleep, everything will be fine when you're asleep..."
"Sleep, quick!"
Fluffy's three heads closed their eyes simultaneously, and within seconds he was snoring, the routine so practiced it was almost heartbreaking.
"See, he's asleep." Hagrid said happily.
Kyle gave a dry laugh. Seeing how content Hagrid was, he thought for a moment and decided not to reveal the truth, instead steering the conversation back to their earlier topic.
"He's very big now, Hagrid." He said while petting Fluffy's head, "You must have noticed too — since he came into the room earlier, he's been very depressed. You need to release him into the Forbidden Forest soon."
"I know, but I'm worried..." Hagrid said dejectedly, "Fluffy's still so young. How will he manage without my care?"
Kyle raised an eyebrow, thinking that the half-giant should be more concerned about the other creatures in the Forbidden Forest.
Hagrid's eyes wandered for a moment before he continued, "And if he's in the Forbidden Forest, Dumbledore might see him. What if he sends Fluffy away?"
"Then send him deeper into the forest." Kyle said, "Don't forget these are special times — the Ministry's Aurors are investigating all magical creatures of uncertain origin. Better for Dumbledore to find him than the Aurors."
"That Greek fellow isn't with them." Hagrid said, his face reddening with agitation, "I checked — he wasn't in any of the Ministry's photos."
"But the Aurors won't care about that." Kyle said calmly, "What they'll care about is that right before that group was arrested, you happened to buy a three-headed dog of uncertain origin."
✭✭✭
T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!
For just $1.50 you can access all the extra content, and descriptive images, costs only $2!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1305453