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chapter 173 part 2
"Look, see? That one is laying an egg."
Hagrid pointed with his finger.
'That's a crab?'
William followed Hagrid's finger and froze—there were no crabs at all, just creatures that resembled turtles!
Despite the misleading name, he had to admit that Fire Crabs were stunningly beautiful. The shells of these magical creatures were covered in brilliant, sparkling jewels, and from the look of the patterns, they clearly weren't inlaid after the fact.
"Those jewels?"
"Of course, they're real. Fire Crab shells are covered in jewels," Hagrid grinned. "Even the goblins at Gringotts admit their authenticity. They're beautiful, aren't they?"
Any creature with a back full of jewels would be quite a sight…
William admitted to having worldly tastes.
"It's a pity they're so aggressive. I'm still trying to find a way to reduce it. Otherwise, keeping one in the fireplace would be the best choice for the rainy season..."
"By the way, William, two of the first-generation Fire Crabs have died. Aren't you good at brewing potions? Do you need them to make a cauldron?"
"That's too valuable, never mind," William shook his head frantically. Hagrid's reminder made him remember that Fire Crab shells were one of the finest materials for making cauldrons. A cauldron made from one would surpass ordinary cauldrons in multiple aspects, its only drawback being a price so exorbitant that no one would ever think of using it to make one.
"It's no problem. The second generation will probably die soon too. By then, I can pay off the debt from getting the Fire Crabs. These two won't be missed."
Hagrid completely ignored William's explanation and started rummaging through his cabinet.
"Here, these are the two. They should be enough for a cauldron. I don't know much about it, so if the materials aren't enough, you'll have to wait. We'll probably need the third generation to die for that."
The crab shells, wrapped in coarse oil paper, were thrust into William's hands. The warm sensation made him instinctively grip them tighter—the warmth was too hard for him to refuse on a damp, rainy day.
"Heavens!"
Hagrid's smile was cut short by his exclamation. He ran to the enclosure—several jets of fire were already shooting into the air.
"Is there anything I can do?" William asked quickly.
"Sorry, William, you have to leave. These creatures are more timid than I thought. They see you as a threat and are preparing to attack. If you stay any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to calm them down."
Hagrid looked embarrassed. "We'll drink another day. Sorry, William, this is how it has to be today—"
As another jet of fire lit up the hut, Hagrid was cut off mid-sentence.
'I actually got driven out by a turtle-like Fire Crab...'
'I only know how to use a cauldron, not how to make one—maybe I should ask Singeade?'
If the Alchemy Professor didn't know how to make a cauldron, he'd really just be coasting by, not to mention he was a professor at Hogwarts.
'Why does it feel like I'm freeloading off the school's professor resources for something students could never do?'
---
Diary
(Blank) Rain
Damn weather, it makes me too lazy to even check the date.
Class was fun, but it was basically useless.
That education model of slightly embarrassing the students, while not bad, doesn't bring me joy. Instead, it brings something similar to that place—hmm, the temporary satisfaction of bullying others.
This is wrong.
When the cold comes, the chill feels even heavier than before—even though both the rainfall and temperature are much better than yesterday.
Even chocolate isn't working as well...
Even with chocolate in my mouth, as I write in this diary, I feel lazy, thinking I should do nothing at all, just lie down by the fireplace…
(crossed out)
The Fire Crab shell is much more useful than I thought. Professor Singeade took one, said he'd give me the finished product in a week. The other one is still with me.
It feels warm to the touch, more comfortable than a phoenix feather—which is amazing, considering phoenix feathers are far rarer.
Right now, only chocolate and the Fire Crab shell can bring me a bit of warmth.
Diary
(Blank) Rain
Another day I don't want to check the time.
That troublemaker Afra is finally out of detention.
With no classes, I languished in front of the fireplace all morning, falling asleep while hugging the Fire Crab shell.
I can't believe I would do something like that. If Adams hadn't brought Afra to knock on my door, perhaps this lethargy would have lasted the entire day?
All my plans are a complete mess. I spent the afternoon playing with Afra.
A disastrous October.
Considering I want to continue being a professor at Hogwarts in the future, does this mean I have to schedule everything in September from now on?
Diary
(Blank) Rain
Blank
Diary
( ) Rain
…
Diary
October 28th, Sunny
The rain has finally stopped! My long-lost energy is back!
Both Hagrid and Adams said today should be the last of the rainy season!
Even Professor Trelawney, who is usually nowhere to be seen, made a special appearance at the dining table—saying her divination result was that the rainy season is over!
Hooray!
It's a shame about my exam papers, though; I only have a few left—no time to write in my diary today, I have to make more!
(end of chapter)
"Look, see? That one is laying an egg."
Hagrid pointed with his finger.
'That's a crab?'
William followed Hagrid's finger and froze—there were no crabs at all, just creatures that resembled turtles!
Despite the misleading name, he had to admit that Fire Crabs were stunningly beautiful. The shells of these magical creatures were covered in brilliant, sparkling jewels, and from the look of the patterns, they clearly weren't inlaid after the fact.
"Those jewels?"
"Of course, they're real. Fire Crab shells are covered in jewels," Hagrid grinned. "Even the goblins at Gringotts admit their authenticity. They're beautiful, aren't they?"
Any creature with a back full of jewels would be quite a sight…
William admitted to having worldly tastes.
"It's a pity they're so aggressive. I'm still trying to find a way to reduce it. Otherwise, keeping one in the fireplace would be the best choice for the rainy season..."
"By the way, William, two of the first-generation Fire Crabs have died. Aren't you good at brewing potions? Do you need them to make a cauldron?"
"That's too valuable, never mind," William shook his head frantically. Hagrid's reminder made him remember that Fire Crab shells were one of the finest materials for making cauldrons. A cauldron made from one would surpass ordinary cauldrons in multiple aspects, its only drawback being a price so exorbitant that no one would ever think of using it to make one.
"It's no problem. The second generation will probably die soon too. By then, I can pay off the debt from getting the Fire Crabs. These two won't be missed."
Hagrid completely ignored William's explanation and started rummaging through his cabinet.
"Here, these are the two. They should be enough for a cauldron. I don't know much about it, so if the materials aren't enough, you'll have to wait. We'll probably need the third generation to die for that."
The crab shells, wrapped in coarse oil paper, were thrust into William's hands. The warm sensation made him instinctively grip them tighter—the warmth was too hard for him to refuse on a damp, rainy day.
"Heavens!"
Hagrid's smile was cut short by his exclamation. He ran to the enclosure—several jets of fire were already shooting into the air.
"Is there anything I can do?" William asked quickly.
"Sorry, William, you have to leave. These creatures are more timid than I thought. They see you as a threat and are preparing to attack. If you stay any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to calm them down."
Hagrid looked embarrassed. "We'll drink another day. Sorry, William, this is how it has to be today—"
As another jet of fire lit up the hut, Hagrid was cut off mid-sentence.
'I actually got driven out by a turtle-like Fire Crab...'
'I only know how to use a cauldron, not how to make one—maybe I should ask Singeade?'
If the Alchemy Professor didn't know how to make a cauldron, he'd really just be coasting by, not to mention he was a professor at Hogwarts.
'Why does it feel like I'm freeloading off the school's professor resources for something students could never do?'
---
Diary
(Blank) Rain
Damn weather, it makes me too lazy to even check the date.
Class was fun, but it was basically useless.
That education model of slightly embarrassing the students, while not bad, doesn't bring me joy. Instead, it brings something similar to that place—hmm, the temporary satisfaction of bullying others.
This is wrong.
When the cold comes, the chill feels even heavier than before—even though both the rainfall and temperature are much better than yesterday.
Even chocolate isn't working as well...
Even with chocolate in my mouth, as I write in this diary, I feel lazy, thinking I should do nothing at all, just lie down by the fireplace…
(crossed out)
The Fire Crab shell is much more useful than I thought. Professor Singeade took one, said he'd give me the finished product in a week. The other one is still with me.
It feels warm to the touch, more comfortable than a phoenix feather—which is amazing, considering phoenix feathers are far rarer.
Right now, only chocolate and the Fire Crab shell can bring me a bit of warmth.
Diary
(Blank) Rain
Another day I don't want to check the time.
That troublemaker Afra is finally out of detention.
With no classes, I languished in front of the fireplace all morning, falling asleep while hugging the Fire Crab shell.
I can't believe I would do something like that. If Adams hadn't brought Afra to knock on my door, perhaps this lethargy would have lasted the entire day?
All my plans are a complete mess. I spent the afternoon playing with Afra.
A disastrous October.
Considering I want to continue being a professor at Hogwarts in the future, does this mean I have to schedule everything in September from now on?
Diary
(Blank) Rain
Blank
Diary
( ) Rain
…
Diary
October 28th, Sunny
The rain has finally stopped! My long-lost energy is back!
Both Hagrid and Adams said today should be the last of the rainy season!
Even Professor Trelawney, who is usually nowhere to be seen, made a special appearance at the dining table—saying her divination result was that the rainy season is over!
Hooray!
It's a shame about my exam papers, though; I only have a few left—no time to write in my diary today, I have to make more!
(end of chapter)
