Chapter 67

The interior of Hagrid's hut was dimly lit, with the flickering flames of a fire casting shadows on the walls. The fire was situated in a large hearth that dominated the far wall of the room, with a copper kettle bubbling away on top of it. The room was filled with the scent of woodsmoke and something sweet and spicy, perhaps a batch of Hagrid's famous rock cakes baking in the oven.

The room was filled with an eclectic mix of furniture, including a massive oak table that took up most of the space in the centre of the room. It was surrounded by mismatched chairs of all shapes and sizes, some with wobbly legs, others with tattered cushions. On the walls hung a variety of objects, such as dried flowers, animal skulls, and a crossbow.

In one corner of the room was a large pile of firewood stacked haphazardly, with a couple of axes resting against the wall nearby. Beside the fire was a large, shaggy three-headed dog, whose snores could be heard over the crackling of the flames. When the creeks of the door hinges echoed into the room, the Cerberus jumped up ready to stop the intruders and maul them until nothing remained. Once the Cerberus saw who was entering, it charged at one of them, pushing them onto the floor. The three head simultaneously licked the intruder.

"Calm down, Fluffy," Hagrid said a he put his finger in his mouth and whistled. The Cerberus sprang up from the floor and returned to the place it was napping. "Sorry, little lad, he gets really excited when we have guests."

"It's okay Hagrid," Albert said as he used the Scouring Charm to get rid of the slobbering mess the Cerberus left.

"Can you get some tea cups out from that cabinet there, please? And also get the third vial from the left on the second row," Hagrid said as he put out the open fire. "And now back to you three. Next time I catch you trying to sneak into the Forbidden Forest alone, I will hand you over to Professor McGonagall. In the time of when I first became the Groundskeeper, I have caught twenty Gryffindor students and only four of them were brave enough, or stupid enough, to try and sneak back into the Forbidden Forest."

"We were just curious of what was in there," George said. "We just wanted to know why Dumbledore forbids students from entering. The previous headmaster let students roam the forest but Dumbledore doesn't."

"There are foul beasts in the forest, and there are magical creatures that are beyond the capabilities of majority of the students," Hagrid said impatiently. "Dumbledore forbade you from entering the forest because you'll need the combat ability of a freshly graduated seventh year to be able to enter the core of the forest and the ability of an Auror to survive in the core. "

"Hagrid, are you going to treat Groot? He seems to be in a lot of pain," Albert said as he changed the subject of discussion.

"Oh! Shoot! Pass me that vial and pass me a bunch of unicorn's hair and a brush from that drawer," Hagrid said as pulled the chair out and sat down. He placed the Tree Guardian on the tabletop and popped open the vial. He reacher over the table to grab a bowl and pour a bit of hot water into it. Hagrid then poured the content of the vial into the bowl and mixed it with his finger. Whilst he was doing this, Albert placed unicorn hair and the brush near him. Hagrid scooped up a lump of the mixture and placed it on the injured Tree Guardian and used the brush to spread it around. He then used the bundle of unicorn hair as a bandage.

However, this took longer than they had expected. Hagrid, as a half giant, did not have the most dexterous hands. He fumbled while trying to wrap up the wound and, as a result, some of the unicorn hair poked into the wound. The Tree Guardian was annoyed with that, so it tore some of it off when Hagrid left to go to the kitchen.

"Although it's not the best, it'll do just fine," Hagrid said. "My hands aren't the best for this type of job. Anybody want tea? I have rock cakes in the oven! Let me go fetch them."

Hagrid went to the kitchen to bring back a plate of rock cakes. While he did that, Albert made himself some tea while the other three picked up and smelled the vial Hagrid used.

"Hagrid, what is this?" George asked.

"Dittany. Dittany is a plant that is used for medication. We use it as an ingredient in healing potions and as a wound-cleaning agent. I asked Professor Sprout to cultivate some and then I asked Professor Snape to make it into a goop," Hagrid said as he placed the plate on the table and offered it to them.

"Why a goop?" Lee asked.

"Added preservatives meaning it lasts longer and is more effective," Hagrid said. He then explained what a Tree Guardian was and how they reproduced. To summarise, they were basically the magical version of bees. They pollinated wild magical flowers and trees. After explaining what they did, he went to the table to get the Tree Guardian and a bowl of what looked to be rounder and smaller crickets.

"Try feeding Groot this. Their species dislike them, but Groot doesn't," Hagrid said proudly.

"What are those?" Fred asked.

"They are baby Earthen Tortuga," Hagrid said. "It is a distant relative to the extinct Lion Tortuga. It is a cross between a lion and a turtle initially found on the Island of Tortuga, Haiti. When I first found Groot, he did not like them. But after he visited a lot, I finally got him to eat it and it looks like he likes them. Tree Guardian diet comprises greens, so Groot is special among them."

Fred and Lee both jumped at the opportunity to feed Groot while George was battling it out with Hagrid's rock cakes. When Albert saw George taking one from Hagrid, he almost burst out laughing. George took a few bites before he couldn't break anymore off. He looked like he was in genuine pain.

"Hagrid, why are they called Tree Guardians?" Fred asked.

"Well, when they nest on trees and make them their home and we cut them down, the wood is the best for making wands and other magic wood based objects. However, you have to be careful when chopping down the tree. If they catch you and scratch you, you're done for. They cover their hands in a poison that can cause permanent blindness or paralysis," Hagrid said. He then looked at the plate of rock cakes. "Are you sure you don't want some?"

"No, thank you Hagrid. It's almost dinnertime," Albert said as he stood up from his seat. "We want to save room in our stomachs."

"Fair enough. Do you want to take some for later?" Hagrid asked.

"No Hagrid, they'll go stale," Albert said as he motioned for the others to stand up.

"Before I forget, we got a commission for Silverwood after you left after last time. It's sitting out in the front," Hagrid said.

"Oh! Thats what that was. I'll cut a bit when we leave if that's okay with you," Albert said.

"Yeah, that's fine, but use the axe. You probably haven't learnt a spell to cut it. Bye lads. Hurry back before it gets dark," Hagrid said as he waved.

"Bye Hagrid," the four boys said simultaneously as they left.

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"What are you going to do with that? You already have Unicorn hair, so what's the point of getting that?" Lee asked.

"I don't know. I'll find a use for it in the future," Albert said.

"That wood is like the one near our house," Fred said. "When we went exploring, we followed the trail and got to the other side of the forest. We saw Hagrid dragging the bark."

"So, how were you guys caught?" Albert asked.

"We were too loud, and he heard us," George said.

"And when we were there, we found nothing. No magical creature, nothing," Lee said.

"So you guys went on the trail? One of the safest parts of the Forbidden Forest and you didn't find a magical creature? That is to be expected. Creatures would avoid the trail since human regularly go there and that's why you didn't see any," Albert said. "But I'm sure if you went off from the trail, you would find some."