Lucien and Harry arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, right by the gamekeeper's hut.
From a distance, it looked like a pretty ramshackle place—leaning this way and that, like it might topple over in a stiff breeze.
But as they got closer, Lucien realized the hut was actually massive. The door alone had to be four or five meters tall.
He scanned the area around it and spotted a fenced-off veggie patch not far from the hut.
It was packed with all sorts of vegetables, but the stars of the show were those enormous pumpkins.
So Hagrid's already got this big old garden going, Lucien thought. If he lets me tuck some biting cabbages in the corner, that'll save me a ton of hassle.
Not only would the plants and fence hide them, but I wouldn't have to worry about any Forbidden Forest beasts munching on my crop.
Eh, with biting cabbages, though—who's eating who is anybody's guess.
Over by the door, Harry was about to knock.
A sharp bark cut through the air first.
Out from the side of the hut bounded a massive black dog, eyeing Lucien and Harry warily.
"Fang! What's the matter, someone comin' near the Forest?"
A booming, gravelly voice echoed from inside, followed by some heavy thuds of footsteps. The door swung open wide.
The half-giant with the wild beard and hair so thick you could barely make out his face poked his head out.
"Oh, it's you, Harry!"
Hagrid grinned ear to ear, waving off Fang to quit barking.
"And who's this?"
His gaze shifted to Lucien as he asked Harry.
"This is Lucien—Lucien Grafton. He's in Ravenclaw."
"He's my good friend!"
Lucien nodded at Hagrid.
He shot Harry a surprised glance too—didn't realize he'd climbed the ranks to "good friend" status in the boy's book.
"Haha, is that right? Hello, Lucien!"
"Ravenclaw, eh? Bet you're a right clever young wizard!"
Hagrid looked thrilled, both that Harry had made a friend so quick and that he'd brought him over to hang out.
"Heh, come on in, you two."
"Don't mind Fang—he's a big softie at heart, all bark and no bite, really."
Lucien eyed Fang. The dog looked fierce as anything, standing nearly up to his chest.
Then he glanced up at Hagrid, towering over three meters tall.
Alright then. To this half-giant, every creature's gotta look cute.
They stepped inside.
Probably 'cause Hagrid lived alone, the place was a bit of a mess—cluttered and cozy in that chaotic way.
Hagrid rummaged around and pulled out two small stools, setting them down for Lucien and Harry to sit.
"Oh, perfect timing—you're just in time for my rock cakes fresh from the oven!"
He plonked the baking tray in front of them, watching with eager eyes.
They were these rough-looking little cakes studded with raisins.
Still steaming a bit, and they smelled okay—nice and fruity from the dried fruit.
Lucien picked one up, but the second he touched it, something felt off.
Rock hard!
Couldn't even squeeze it.
"Go on, give 'em a try. Hope they suit your tastes?"
Lucien flashed a polite smile.
Heh, tastes? Not sure, but my teeth might not survive.
Under the cover of his sleeve, he snuck his wand out and silently cast a Softening Charm on the rock cake.
He took a tentative bite—now it was chewable, at least.
Hmm, not bad. Full of that raisin flavor.
Lucien nibbled away at his softened version.
But Harry took one bite and quietly set his down, staring at Lucien in shock—like, how are you even managing that?
Since he couldn't stomach the snack, Harry jumped straight to the point:
"Hagrid, I want to learn potion-making with Lucien. Could we practice here?"
"Of course!"
Hagrid didn't even hesitate, agreeing with his usual big-hearted enthusiasm.
Folks didn't come out to the hut much—it was just him, a dog, and his veggie patch for company most days.
He figured the boys just wanted to mess around with potions for fun, not that they were serious about learning.
Harry wanting to hang out here with his pal? Hagrid was all for it.
"Hold on a sec—potions need tools and stuff. Let me fetch some."
"Uh, we brought..."
Before Harry could stop him, Hagrid was already bustling off to the cluttered storeroom.
After a crash-bang-clatter, he came back lugging a huge pile of things.
"Er, this here's a cauldron, and this is a pestle..."
"This is fluxweed juice, acromantula venom, and feathers from a banshee bird..."
Lucien nearly facepalmed at the sight of the basin-sized cauldron and the pestle as thick as his arm, but when he saw the ingredients, his eyes lit up.
Unicorn tail hair, fire salamander eggs, acromantula venom...
Hagrid had a stash of all this? A lot from rare or downright dangerous magical creatures.
Does he restock from the Forbidden Forest every other day?
Oh, right—how'd I forget? Hagrid's mad about magical creatures. Knows his stuff inside out.
No wonder he could collect all this.
Magical creatures... Lucien suddenly had an idea. Maybe I can get Hagrid to help out?
He must know where some of 'em hang out in the Forest.
If I can get the lowdown from him, I could pinpoint their spots quick.
Once the little unicorn wakes up, I just take it on a tour of those areas.
Then Apparate back and forth easy—no more wandering aimlessly in the Forest.
That frees up tons of time to observe and note down the beasts.
He glanced at Harry, who was rubbing his sore jaw, and realized tutoring this kid was turning into a bonus.
Lending me his books, hooking me up with connections...
Gotta teach him proper then—keep the standards high, make sure the Boy Who Lived lives up to the name.
"Alright, Harry—full belly, time to learn!"
Harry eyed his untouched rock cake and just nodded resignedly.
...
"You need 15 grams of glowstone crystals—you weighed out 0.4 grams too much."
"Check the recipe again: 100 milliliters of fire salamander egg white. You mixed in the yolk."
"No, the mandrake root's cut a centimeter too short. Start over..."
As Harry prepped the ingredients for the Clarity Draught, Lucien hovered right there, calling out every mistake on the spot and making him fix it.
After a few rounds, Harry was sweating bullets.
In Snape's class, yeah, he got picked on, but Snape had to keep an eye on the whole room—not laser-focused on Harry.
This was different: one-on-one from a top student, with Lucien watching his every move.
Lucien wasn't snarky like Snape—just calm and steady. But he corrected every tiny slip-up right away, no exceptions.
It felt like being cornered, forced to redo it over and over.
Finally, under Lucien's watchful eye, Harry got all the ingredients ready.
Time to light the fire under the cauldron.
In this quick breather, Harry wanted to ask if Lucien really had to be so strict—maybe just practicing a basic potion would do.
But he chickened out, not wanting to upset him.
Lucien beat him to it, though:
"You're wondering why I was so chill teaching you herb transplanting back then, but now I'm riding you like this, right?"
Harry started to deny it, but Lucien's serious look made him nod awkwardly instead.
"With friends or classmates, you can only suggest stuff—they take it or leave it. And to keep things friendly, you can't push too hard."
"But this is tutoring. You're the student, I'm the teacher."
"Because of the fee you paid, because of the trust you put in me—I can't in good conscience hand you sloppy, half-baked knowledge."