"Is that so? Haha, that's our Fang for you!"
Hagrid reached out and gave Fang's head another affectionate rub before taking a long, satisfying gulp of hot tea. He looked around at the group. "So, did you lot come to see me for something specific today?"
[Actually, I want to make something for Ariana, but I'm missing a few materials. I heard you're the Keeper of the Forest, so I wanted to see if you had anything I could use.]
Under the watchful eyes of Hermione and the others, Tom took the lead. As for the three-headed dog? Harry and the boys weren't in a rush to bring that up just yet.
"Materials from magical creatures, eh? What kind of stuff are you looking for? Tell you what, for Dumbledore's sake, I can help you look around."
Though he wasn't clear on the exact details, Hagrid knew Ariana's connection to Dumbledore was special. Since it was a gift for her, he agreed after only a moment's hesitation.
[I want to make her a pair of gloves.]
"Gloves, eh..." Hagrid stroked his beard in thought. "Dragon hide would be best—most common too—but we don't have dragons in the Forest, and I haven't got any hide to give ya. Erumpent hide is great, but that's way rarer than dragon; no chance I've got that. Then there's Graphorn skin... Wait, would Acromantula silk work?"
Hagrid hesitated, looking at Tom a bit sheepishly. Acromantula silk was incredibly precious, but since it was a thread, it might be more of a hassle to turn into gloves.
He was in a bit of a bind. On one hand, he genuinely didn't have the right leather. On the other, he hated the idea of harming his animal friends for materials, even if it was just harvesting a carcass. Most of his "collection" consisted of things that had naturally fallen off or been gifted to him. He never went out to hunt for leather—if he had any, it was usually a gift from the Centaurs.
[Acromantula silk? That's perfect.]
To Tom, the specific material didn't really matter. If Hagrid hadn't been able to provide, he would have just added it to the shopping list and let Snape deal with the headache. Since it was for Ariana, Snape wouldn't be able to protest anyway.
"Glad to hear it." Hagrid breathed a sigh of relief.
Truth be told, if Tom had insisted on leather, Hagrid would have had to point him toward a Graphorn carcass he'd buried deep in the forest and let Tom harvest it himself. He was much happier not disturbing those remains.
"Hold on, I'll go get it for you."
Under their curious gazes, Hagrid walked over to his massive bed. He picked up the patched-up quilt, his thick fingers expertly finding a loose thread. He began to carefully unravel a section.
"See? This is top-grade silk. Arago—I mean, it took a lot of work to get this." He handed the shimmering, silver, and incredibly flexible silk to Tom. "Here ya go. If you need more, just ask. I can probably... er... get some more."
"Wait, Hagrid! You used Acromantula silk to sew a quilt?!"
Hermione's eyes were wide with disbelief. During her research on the three-headed dog, she'd read plenty about magical creatures, including Acromantulas. Their most valuable asset was venom, followed closely by their silk. And Hagrid was using it for mending blankets?!
"If I remember correctly, while the silk isn't worth 100 Galleons a pint like the venom, it's still worth a fortune..."
Hermione trailed off. Hagrid didn't look shocked or regretful like she expected. The big man just blinked and patted the worn fabric of his quilt.
"Oh, sure, I know it's worth a lot. But what's that matter? These materials were gifts from my friends. If it were you, would you go and sell a gift a friend gave ya?" He paused, a content smile spreading across his face. "Besides, all I need to know is that this quilt is comfy to sleep under. That's enough for me."
Hermione opened her mouth but found she didn't have a comeback. Seeing the genuine warmth in Hagrid's eyes when he mentioned "friends" made her lecture on market value and practicality stick in her throat. For the first time, she realized how hollow and presumptuous her book-learned standards could be.
"...I'm sorry, Hagrid," Hermione said softly. "I just thought you could be living a bit more comfortably."
"Oh, I think I'm doin' just fine." Hagrid waved a hand and took a loud, crunchy bite of a rock cake. "Got food, got drink, got a roof over my head, and I've got magical creatures to keep me company. What else could a man want?"
Harry and Ron exchanged a look. This was their opening. "So, Hagrid," Harry started, "since you know so much about magical creatures, could you tell us about... say, creatures that are good for guarding things?"
"Guarding things?" Hagrid's eyes lit up. "Sure! A Sphinx is a classic choice. Won't let anyone past unless they answer a riddle—unless you're like Dumbledore and can just... well, handle 'em. Then there's dragons; Gringotts keeps one to guard the high-security vaults. And if you're guarding plants, Bowtruckles are great, and quite easy to tame..."
"What about a three-headed dog?" Harry blurted out, cutting to the chase.
"A three-headed dog?!"
At the mention of those words, Hagrid's smile faltered for a fraction of a second. It was brief, but everyone noticed. He picked up his tea, taking a long drink to buy time, his voice muffled by the mug.
"Three-headed dog, eh? Rare breed, those. From Greece. Takes a lot of specialized skill to look after 'em. Why are you lot askin' about that?"
"Because there's one in the fourth-floor corridor at Hogwarts!" Ron blurted out.
Thump!
Hagrid slammed his tea mug down, his face suddenly turning stern. "You lot went to the fourth floor? Since when?!"
"A few nights ago," Harry said, hanging his head as Hagrid's temper flared. "Filch was chasing us, and we ducked in there to hide... that's when we saw it. A massive dog with three heads. And there was a trapdoor right under its feet. Hagrid, do you know what's under there?"
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