Just as Draco and the other champions were undergoing the wand inspection ritual...
Pansy and Hermione, who had split from Draco earlier, had already made their way out of the castle and could now see Hagrid's hut at the edge of the grounds.
Perhaps because Halloween had only just passed, they could spot the enormous pumpkins sitting in the fields even from a distance. It seemed Hagrid's giant pumpkins hadn't all been used—or perhaps hadn't been used at all—during the festivities this year...
Aside from the eye-catching pumpkins, the girls also noticed the pale blue Beauxbatons carriage parked not far behind Hagrid's hut. A few wizards in deep blue robes were gathered nearby in conversation—likely Beauxbatons students.
Not far from them, the Winged Horses that pulled the carriage were grazing peacefully, their glossy coats shimmering under the sunlight.
It had to be said, the carriage—full of fairy-tale charm—made both Pansy and Hermione pause to admire it for a moment...
"Looks like our Care of Magical Creatures professor is also responsible for looking after those Winged Horses."
"Look, Hagrid's over there. Come on."
"Ah... I know, I know." Pansy hesitated for a few seconds, her cleanliness instincts kicking in, before stomping her foot lightly and following along.
Avoiding the fish-smelling feed buckets was a challenge, but Pansy wanted even more to find out what the first task of the tournament was. And besides—she wasn't about to lose to Hermione.
Not in anything.
As they got closer, Hagrid's towering figure was impossible to miss in the wide, open space. The girls immediately spotted him bustling about.
But to their surprise, something about him seemed... off today. Even Pansy—who rarely interacted with the gamekeeper—noticed that something was unusual about him...
...
Whether out of convenience or habit, Hagrid was almost always seen wearing his moleskin overcoat. It had practically become his signature look.
But today, he wasn't wearing it at all. Instead, he had on a brown suit
and a yellow-and-red plaid tie.
For a moment, Hermione genuinely hesitated about going up to him.
This attempt at dressing up made him look rather out of place.
But that wasn't even the worst of it...
The worst part was clearly his hair. Hagrid had definitely tried to tame it.
He must have used an excessive amount of pomade, because his usually wild mane was now slicked into two shiny, greasy bunches, giving him a strangely uncanny appearance.
If not for his massive frame, Hermione and Pansy might not have recognized him at all. This unexpected sight made both girls freeze where they stood, staring at each other in disbelief...
"That's... Hagrid, right?"
"I'm pretty sure it is, but... maybe he just has too much hair. It doesn't exactly suit him."
"....."
"....."
Pansy rolled her eyes at Hermione's attempt to defend him. If any Slytherin besides her had seen this, they would have burst out laughing instantly.
Those people weren't exactly kind toward half-bloods...
Just then, Hagrid seemed to notice the arrival of the two girls.
"Why, Hermione!"
Completely unaware of how strange his outfit looked, Hagrid dropped the giant pumpkin he'd been carrying and hurried over the moment he spotted Hermione.
At the same time, an excited Fang bounded toward them.
The sight of the drooling dog made Pansy stiffen and immediately hide behind Hermione, completely abandoning the confidence she usually projected.
"Quick! Stop that dog!"
"It's just—wait, I know! Put your wand away, now!"
Thankfully, Hermione crouched and scooped Fang into her arms. Otherwise, Pansy might have panicked and done something decidedly unwise with her wand.
Utterly oblivious to how close he'd come to being turned into a statue, Fang happily licked Hermione's cheek. His carefree enthusiasm left her both exasperated and amused.
"Fang hasn't seen you in ages, Hermione."
"Sorry, Hagrid. You know how things have been lately."
"I understand. With Harry becoming a champion, you've got loads to prepare."
"Ah… well."
Hermione answered awkwardly.
Clearly, Hagrid didn't realize that her relationship with Harry Potter wasn't what it used to be. At least for now—until the matter involving Draco was resolved—Harry no longer confided in her the way he once did, and Hermione wasn't sharing everything with him either.
But Hagrid, whose emotional sensitivity seemed to reflect his half-giant heritage, didn't notice her hesitation at all. Instead, he turned to Pansy, whose expression was rather sour.
"And who might this be?"
"She's… a friend of mine and Draco's. Pansy Parkinson."
"I see. Welcome, Pansy."
Pansy blinked, sighed as if resigning herself to something, then lightly pinched the edge of her robe between her fingers and dipped her head. "Pansy Parkinson, Mr. Hagrid."
"Uh… I… Have you eaten? I could make you something—"
Flustered by Pansy's elegant aristocratic greeting, Hagrid didn't seem to know how to respond and defaulted to offering them sandwiches.
"No! We've already eaten. We came because we have something important to ask."
At the memory of Hagrid's unusual food offerings, Hermione's expression tightened as she hurriedly cut him off and explained why they were here.
"Oh? What do you want to ask? If I can help, I will."
"You know… the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. We thought you might know something about it."
"Ha!"
As though reminded of a delightful secret, Hagrid beamed, completely unaware that Hermione's intention was essentially to "cheat."
"That's right! Just wait—you're going to see something you've never seen before. I promise it'll blow your minds. Ah… shouldn't have said that."
"Tell us what it is, Hagrid!"
"No, no, no! I don't want to spoil anything. But it'll be incredible. Never thought I'd live to see the Triwizard Tournament come back!"
Whether it was the incident with the Philosopher's Stone that had taught him caution, or simply a rare moment of resolve, no matter how Hermione pressed, Hagrid wouldn't reveal any details. It left her visibly frustrated.
Meanwhile, Pansy—who had stayed silent the whole time—seemed to notice something as she scanned the area.
She first glanced up at Hagrid's massive figure, then slowly crouched down.
What is this…?
She reached out her small hand.
Picked something up.
Held it closer.
It was… a feather, nearly as large as her palm.