Reading settings
Chapter 36: Drunk
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
"Professor, I was wondering, what happened to Harry?"
It was hard to imagine a Giant nearly four meters tall speaking in such an almost sheepish tone.
Professor McGonagall looked up, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked at Hagrid.
She hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Alright, Hagrid. Albus told me not to speak of it, but Potter violated the Statute of Secrecy and was given a warning. Then he was put under house arrest by his relatives. We're trying to figure something out."
Almost as soon as Professor McGonagall's words fell, William felt something terrifying happen before his eyes. The Giant in front of him seemed like an awakened tiger, bristling with aggression. It made him instinctively place his hand on his wand.
"Let me handle it, Professor."
William could hear the suppressed fury in his voice.
"No, Hagrid. Trust Albus. He has a better way of handling this."
The mention of Dumbledore's name managed to calm the Giant down again.
He nodded heavily and walked dejectedly toward the doorway. Just as he was about to leave, he remembered William.
"Thank you, Professor William."
"Care for a drink together?"
William was starting to like this silly big guy. Although he was impulsive and straightforward, his simple nature made him impossible to dislike.
"I have a bottle back in my hut, if you don't mind," Hagrid said.
The two bid farewell to Professor McGonagall.
Before long, William was once again inside Hagrid's small wooden hut.
A bottle of liquor, practically a small barrel, was opened and poured into two cups. Hagrid muttered as he emptied the bottle, then pushed the smaller cup toward William.
"To your successful appointment!"
The two raised their cups and took a long drink.
"The school's Dark Magic—cough, alright, I never could get it straight... Defense Against the Dark Arts... something like that. The professor for that course is very dangerous."
"Dumbledore told me before I took the job, but I didn't have much choice. I was still in Azkaban at the time. No matter how dangerous it is, it's better than that godforsaken place."
William lied.
"Azkaban?"
"Azkaban. I was in the black market potions business, but I messed up a couple of orders. The market was short on supplies, so I had to follow a smuggling team to the Far East to make up for my losses and look for the ingredients I ruined."
William took a sip of liquor and added, "Turns out Fudge had just taken office with a new policy, cracking down hard on smuggling. So in I went."
"That's real unfortunate. But it's good you're out," Hagrid said nonchalantly—clearly, something like smuggling was no big deal to him.
"Yeah, that godforsaken place... it was full of all sorts. The worst part was the group of Dementors, watching you with that cold, gloomy stare, like you were food."
William shuddered, his free hand gripping his wand.
One encounter like that was bad enough. He had desperately read every book and frantically studied magic precisely to avoid that kind of powerless situation from ever happening again. Next time, he would absolutely not let himself fall into such a helpless environment.
"Dementors are the least lovable magical creatures there are! You can't have a proper conversation with those things at all!"
Hagrid slammed his fist on the table, his eyes filled with anger and—perhaps it was William's illusion—fear.
"I tried to raise a Dementor once, but it was almost a disaster."
That one sentence from Hagrid was enough to fill William with a new level of respect. Those creatures that reeked of decay—someone actually dared to keep one as a pet?
"To you, for trying to raise that thing!"
Hagrid raised his cup and took a huge gulp, speaking with a mix of frustration and lingering fear.
"If Albus hadn't rushed over, I don't know what would've happened. That half-grown Dementor attacked me and made half the Forbidden Forest feel lifeless. I thought I was going to die right there. It even tried to give me a Dementor's Kiss—"
...
William was beyond impressed.
The name Forbidden Forest really lived up to its reputation. At this point, he wouldn't even be surprised if Hagrid was raising a dragon in there.
Raising a Dementor was more disgusting than raising a mosquito. If a creature like that could be raised, then there was probably nothing that couldn't exist in the Forbidden Forest.
"That bastard made me remember every unhappy thing in my life within a single day. I can hardly imagine what kind of hell Azkaban must be."
The two clinked their cups and drank again.
"I wonder how Harry is doing now, and how Dumbledore is going to get him out."
Hagrid asked in a low voice, but he quickly answered himself.
"Dumbledore will be fine, of course. There's no difficulty that can stump Dumbledore."
"Those Muggles, they abuse Harry all day long. You have no idea how skinny Harry was when I saw him a year ago!"
Hagrid took a big swig on his own, then set his cup down on the table and began to turn around, looking for something.
William paused for a second, then took out his wand and tapped it gently on the cup.
The Refilling Charm. Simple and practical, a drunkard's favorite. Although it had its limitations, in the face of a good drink, those limitations were hardly a problem.
"Oh, thanks."
Hagrid put the umbrella he'd just found back down, then picked up his cup and took another big gulp.
One spoke while the other listened. The story of Hagrid and Harry, accompanied by alcohol, made an hour pass by in a flash.
By now, William was also getting a bit tipsy.
Fortunately, the person opposite him was even more drunk.
"I'm telling you, Hagrid, the moment I opened my eyes, I was in Azkaban. Do you understand that kind of despair?"
"I do." Hagrid's tongue was so thick he was slurring his words.
"A prison cell full of scum, and those Dementors outside are more annoying than mosquitoes. They stare at you like they want to eat you, looking at you like food every single day. Every day, they make you relive all the unhappy things in your head."
"Mmm, mmm."
"And on top of that, you have to rack your brains to make up stories, otherwise you'll be sleeping next to the toilet. You won't see a sliver of sunlight all day. Mopping the floors, scrubbing the toilet, washing clothes—all the dirty, tiring work gets piled on you."
"I could have just been coasting, waiting to die. I was even going to apply for a government job—hic."
William managed to stop himself in time. Across from him, Hagrid could only manage a few "mmms" and nothing else.
You couldn't even tell secrets to a drunkard.
William laughed at himself, then took another heavy gulp, simultaneously using magic to refill Hagrid's cup.
Getting thoroughly drunk today would probably last him three months, right?
After this, he would have to continue studying magic and improving himself—otherwise, he wouldn't even dare to get drunk so casually.
With that thought, William slumped directly onto the table.
...
When he woke again, the sky was nearing dusk. Hagrid was already awake, though he wasn't in much better shape than William—his cup was larger, so he had drunk at least seven or eight times more alcohol.
Rubbing his face, William said his goodbyes to Hagrid. Hagrid saw William back to Hogsmeade, then waved his hand and, still tipsy, returned to Hogwarts.
"Ah—" William stretched, preparing to shake off the last vestiges of drunkenness before heading back.
The System's prompt belatedly arrived.
(end of chapter)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
"Professor, I was wondering, what happened to Harry?"
It was hard to imagine a Giant nearly four meters tall speaking in such an almost sheepish tone.
Professor McGonagall looked up, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked at Hagrid.
She hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Alright, Hagrid. Albus told me not to speak of it, but Potter violated the Statute of Secrecy and was given a warning. Then he was put under house arrest by his relatives. We're trying to figure something out."
Almost as soon as Professor McGonagall's words fell, William felt something terrifying happen before his eyes. The Giant in front of him seemed like an awakened tiger, bristling with aggression. It made him instinctively place his hand on his wand.
"Let me handle it, Professor."
William could hear the suppressed fury in his voice.
"No, Hagrid. Trust Albus. He has a better way of handling this."
The mention of Dumbledore's name managed to calm the Giant down again.
He nodded heavily and walked dejectedly toward the doorway. Just as he was about to leave, he remembered William.
"Thank you, Professor William."
"Care for a drink together?"
William was starting to like this silly big guy. Although he was impulsive and straightforward, his simple nature made him impossible to dislike.
"I have a bottle back in my hut, if you don't mind," Hagrid said.
The two bid farewell to Professor McGonagall.
Before long, William was once again inside Hagrid's small wooden hut.
A bottle of liquor, practically a small barrel, was opened and poured into two cups. Hagrid muttered as he emptied the bottle, then pushed the smaller cup toward William.
"To your successful appointment!"
The two raised their cups and took a long drink.
"The school's Dark Magic—cough, alright, I never could get it straight... Defense Against the Dark Arts... something like that. The professor for that course is very dangerous."
"Dumbledore told me before I took the job, but I didn't have much choice. I was still in Azkaban at the time. No matter how dangerous it is, it's better than that godforsaken place."
William lied.
"Azkaban?"
"Azkaban. I was in the black market potions business, but I messed up a couple of orders. The market was short on supplies, so I had to follow a smuggling team to the Far East to make up for my losses and look for the ingredients I ruined."
William took a sip of liquor and added, "Turns out Fudge had just taken office with a new policy, cracking down hard on smuggling. So in I went."
"That's real unfortunate. But it's good you're out," Hagrid said nonchalantly—clearly, something like smuggling was no big deal to him.
"Yeah, that godforsaken place... it was full of all sorts. The worst part was the group of Dementors, watching you with that cold, gloomy stare, like you were food."
William shuddered, his free hand gripping his wand.
One encounter like that was bad enough. He had desperately read every book and frantically studied magic precisely to avoid that kind of powerless situation from ever happening again. Next time, he would absolutely not let himself fall into such a helpless environment.
"Dementors are the least lovable magical creatures there are! You can't have a proper conversation with those things at all!"
Hagrid slammed his fist on the table, his eyes filled with anger and—perhaps it was William's illusion—fear.
"I tried to raise a Dementor once, but it was almost a disaster."
That one sentence from Hagrid was enough to fill William with a new level of respect. Those creatures that reeked of decay—someone actually dared to keep one as a pet?
"To you, for trying to raise that thing!"
Hagrid raised his cup and took a huge gulp, speaking with a mix of frustration and lingering fear.
"If Albus hadn't rushed over, I don't know what would've happened. That half-grown Dementor attacked me and made half the Forbidden Forest feel lifeless. I thought I was going to die right there. It even tried to give me a Dementor's Kiss—"
...
William was beyond impressed.
The name Forbidden Forest really lived up to its reputation. At this point, he wouldn't even be surprised if Hagrid was raising a dragon in there.
Raising a Dementor was more disgusting than raising a mosquito. If a creature like that could be raised, then there was probably nothing that couldn't exist in the Forbidden Forest.
"That bastard made me remember every unhappy thing in my life within a single day. I can hardly imagine what kind of hell Azkaban must be."
The two clinked their cups and drank again.
"I wonder how Harry is doing now, and how Dumbledore is going to get him out."
Hagrid asked in a low voice, but he quickly answered himself.
"Dumbledore will be fine, of course. There's no difficulty that can stump Dumbledore."
"Those Muggles, they abuse Harry all day long. You have no idea how skinny Harry was when I saw him a year ago!"
Hagrid took a big swig on his own, then set his cup down on the table and began to turn around, looking for something.
William paused for a second, then took out his wand and tapped it gently on the cup.
The Refilling Charm. Simple and practical, a drunkard's favorite. Although it had its limitations, in the face of a good drink, those limitations were hardly a problem.
"Oh, thanks."
Hagrid put the umbrella he'd just found back down, then picked up his cup and took another big gulp.
One spoke while the other listened. The story of Hagrid and Harry, accompanied by alcohol, made an hour pass by in a flash.
By now, William was also getting a bit tipsy.
Fortunately, the person opposite him was even more drunk.
"I'm telling you, Hagrid, the moment I opened my eyes, I was in Azkaban. Do you understand that kind of despair?"
"I do." Hagrid's tongue was so thick he was slurring his words.
"A prison cell full of scum, and those Dementors outside are more annoying than mosquitoes. They stare at you like they want to eat you, looking at you like food every single day. Every day, they make you relive all the unhappy things in your head."
"Mmm, mmm."
"And on top of that, you have to rack your brains to make up stories, otherwise you'll be sleeping next to the toilet. You won't see a sliver of sunlight all day. Mopping the floors, scrubbing the toilet, washing clothes—all the dirty, tiring work gets piled on you."
"I could have just been coasting, waiting to die. I was even going to apply for a government job—hic."
William managed to stop himself in time. Across from him, Hagrid could only manage a few "mmms" and nothing else.
You couldn't even tell secrets to a drunkard.
William laughed at himself, then took another heavy gulp, simultaneously using magic to refill Hagrid's cup.
Getting thoroughly drunk today would probably last him three months, right?
After this, he would have to continue studying magic and improving himself—otherwise, he wouldn't even dare to get drunk so casually.
With that thought, William slumped directly onto the table.
...
When he woke again, the sky was nearing dusk. Hagrid was already awake, though he wasn't in much better shape than William—his cup was larger, so he had drunk at least seven or eight times more alcohol.
Rubbing his face, William said his goodbyes to Hagrid. Hagrid saw William back to Hogsmeade, then waved his hand and, still tipsy, returned to Hogwarts.
"Ah—" William stretched, preparing to shake off the last vestiges of drunkenness before heading back.
The System's prompt belatedly arrived.
(end of chapter)
