Chapter 152: A Conflicted Hagrid
After saying goodbye to Cedric, Kyle left the castle and made his way toward the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid was standing in his vegetable garden outside his cabin, watering pumpkins the size of wheels.
"Kyle, come on in and have a seat."
The two entered the cabin, where Hagrid cheerfully set down a plate of Rock Cakes and a teapot for Kyle.
"How's the new school year treating you?" Hagrid asked.
"Not bad." Kyle didn't touch the Rock Cakes but took a sip of tea instead. "It's just that there are a few more classes each week than last year."
"Yes, second year is a bit tougher than the first," Hagrid said with a warm smile. "But you'll be fine, I'm sure of it. Harry was here yesterday and mentioned you, actually."
"Potter?" Kyle was surprised. He and Harry hadn't had much interaction; other than a brief meeting in the corridor, they hadn't spent any time together. Back then, he'd given Harry a map and a bag of pet treats, so he doubted Harry had said anything unkind about him.
"Harry said thanks to that map you gave him, he hasn't been late once these past few days," Hagrid chuckled.
Hagrid's face lit up as he thought back to Harry's visit. The boy had sat in the hut, eagerly sharing amusing stories about school. Hagrid's heart warmed at the memory. Although, Harry's curiosity about the Philosopher's Stone had been a bit of a challenge. Dumbledore had repeatedly stressed its secrecy, and as Hogwarts' most loyal keeper of secrets, Hagrid would never reveal it. But he hadn't wanted to mislead Harry either, so he'd had to come up with excuse after excuse to avoid answering. It had been quite a mental workout.