Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
******
The Night Steed's convoy moved across the flat grassland, halting just before the gates of Hogwarts Castle. Among the bustling crowd, a particularly eye-catching figure stood out like a beacon.
Standing over three meters tall, Hagrid's wide eyes scanned the surroundings as a joyful expression spread across his furry face. When Harry emerged from the carriage, Hagrid's shout rang in his ears.
"Over here, Harry, come on over!"
Hearing Hagrid's call, Harry quickly separated from the group and made his way toward him. Although it had only been two weeks, Harry felt something was different about Hagrid today.
Did he forget to shave, or did he put on some weight?
As Harry neared, Hagrid's massive hand scooped him up in a hug, accompanied by a series of 'crackling' sounds that nearly suffocated Harry on the spot. The nearby young wizards froze in shock, some of the more delicate ones, unable to bear the pressure, collapsed to the ground, scrambling frantically to get further away from Hagrid.
Just ten seconds after the near-death hug incident, a weak voice, barely hanging on, escaped from Hagrid's muscular bulk.
"I-I think I'm dying… H-Hagrid…"
"Tr-truly?"
After hitting the ground hard, Harry let out a painful scream. He felt like his body might fall apart. Staring up in confusion, he saw the guilty, helpless look on Hagrid's face. He gasped for breath and gritted his teeth, managing to stand up.
"It's fine. Just a couple of broken ribs."
Harry tore off his jacket, expertly realigning the fractured ribs. After pinching his nose, he took a small sip of some unknown potion. The bruises on his body rapidly faded, and he felt rejuvenated.
"If you don't have some incredible news for me, I'm going to be seriously upset," Harry said, pulling a new robe from his backpack and throwing it on, pretending to be angry. "I'm sore all over right now. Say something nice to cheer me up."
Perhaps Harry's calm demeanor or maybe Hagrid's brain overload caused him to show a sheepish smile. Hagrid, normally not the best with words, realized that he had been too rough. After all, Harry was still a kid, and he had definitely overdone it with the hug.
"Of course... I mean, yes, there is good news, Harry!"
"Thank you!"
"Professor Dumbledore told me you really gave Voldemort a good beating, then captured him."
Hagrid swung his hand dramatically through the air, nearly sending out an air shockwave with the force of the motion, startling the curious little wizards nearby.
However, after Hagrid uttered Voldemort's name, a chill ran through many of the onlookers. In England, this name was still associated with dark nightmares.
"The Ministry of Magic has dropped all charges against me! I just found out that they still believed I was the murderer from fifty years ago, but thanks to Professor Dumbledore, I wasn't thrown into Azkaban. But now…"
Hagrid's dark eyes misted over with emotion.
"I'm innocent! I was never guilty! It was Voldemort who released the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets, not me!"
It was impossible to say Hagrid didn't feel wronged. While he didn't feel his life was particularly bad now, being falsely accused, having his wand confiscated, and being expelled from Hogwarts was a weight that had been pressing on him for years.
If Hagrid weren't such a kind-hearted man, and if someone with Harry's temperament had been in his place, the Ministry of Magic might have found itself facing a complete renovation.
"The Ministry paid me five hundred thousand Galleons, but that money is useless to me. I know you don't need that much, so I bought some nutrition supplements for Tor. He's almost ready to hatch, Harry. You have to come visit him when he's born. The first person he sees will be like a parent to him."
Hagrid continued talking excitedly to Harry, unable to contain his joy. These weren't secrets that needed to be hidden, so a group of curious little wizards stood frozen, eyes wide in shock, unsure of how to move.
"Look, I finally get to carry my wand with me again."
Hagrid patted a giant pouch hanging from his waist, where a large handle stuck out.
"Isn't your wand that little pink umbrella?"
Harry asked in confusion, assuming that the umbrella handle was where Hagrid's wand was hidden. Given Hagrid's size, a wand of his would likely be several times larger than a normal one.
"That umbrella?" Hagrid shook his head. "I stuffed a little unicorn hair inside it. But, you know, with that thing, I can only perform a few simple spells. It's not even worth using when I can just do it myself."
"I use this."
Hagrid opened the pouch's flap and pulled out a 25.4 mm caliber, menacing-looking handheld cannon. This weapon wasn't even listed in any modern firearm catalogs. If one were to trace its origins, it could only be called by one name:
A bomb gun that fires explosive rounds made with purified deuterium cores and diamond-tipped projectiles, designed to fire 25.4 mm heavy explosive darts!
"Holy shit!!!"*Chapter 208: Fearless Mech-Human Hybrid*
The Night Steed's convoy moved across the flat grassland, halting just before the gates of Hogwarts Castle. Among the bustling crowd, a particularly eye-catching figure stood out like a beacon.
Standing over three meters tall, Hagrid's wide eyes scanned the surroundings as a joyful expression spread across his furry face. When Harry emerged from the carriage, Hagrid's shout rang in his ears.
"Over here, Harry, come on over!"
Hearing Hagrid's call, Harry quickly separated from the group and made his way toward him. Although it had only been two weeks, Harry felt something was different about Hagrid today.
Did he forget to shave, or did he put on some weight?
As Harry neared, Hagrid's massive hand scooped him up in a hug, accompanied by a series of 'crackling' sounds that nearly suffocated Harry on the spot. The nearby young wizards froze in shock, some of the more delicate ones, unable to bear the pressure, collapsed to the ground, scrambling frantically to get further away from Hagrid.
Just ten seconds after the near-death hug incident, a weak voice, barely hanging on, escaped from Hagrid's muscular bulk.
"I-I think I'm dying… H-Hagrid…"
"Tr-truly?"
After hitting the ground hard, Harry let out a painful scream. He felt like his body might fall apart. Staring up in confusion, he saw the guilty, helpless look on Hagrid's face. He gasped for breath and gritted his teeth, managing to stand up.
"It's fine. Just a couple of broken ribs."
Harry tore off his jacket, expertly realigning the fractured ribs. After pinching his nose, he took a small sip of some unknown potion. The bruises on his body rapidly faded, and he felt rejuvenated.
"If you don't have some incredible news for me, I'm going to be seriously upset," Harry said, pulling a new robe from his backpack and throwing it on, pretending to be angry. "I'm sore all over right now. Say something nice to cheer me up."
Perhaps Harry's calm demeanor or maybe Hagrid's brain overload caused him to show a sheepish smile. Hagrid, normally not the best with words, realized that he had been too rough. After all, Harry was still a kid, and he had definitely overdone it with the hug.
"Of course... I mean, yes, there is good news, Harry!"
"Thank you!"
"Professor Dumbledore told me you really gave Voldemort a good beating, then captured him."
Hagrid swung his hand dramatically through the air, nearly sending out an air shockwave with the force of the motion, startling the curious little wizards nearby.
However, after Hagrid uttered Voldemort's name, a chill ran through many of the onlookers. In England, this name was still associated with dark nightmares.
"The Ministry of Magic has dropped all charges against me! I just found out that they still believed I was the murderer from fifty years ago, but thanks to Professor Dumbledore, I wasn't thrown into Azkaban. But now…"
Hagrid's dark eyes misted over with emotion.
"I'm innocent! I was never guilty! It was Voldemort who released the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets, not me!"
It was impossible to say Hagrid didn't feel wronged. While he didn't feel his life was particularly bad now, being falsely accused, having his wand confiscated, and being expelled from Hogwarts was a weight that had been pressing on him for years.
If Hagrid weren't such a kind-hearted man, and if someone with Harry's temperament had been in his place, the Ministry of Magic might have found itself facing a complete renovation.
"The Ministry paid me five hundred thousand Galleons, but that money is useless to me. I know you don't need that much, so I bought some nutrition supplements for Tor. He's almost ready to hatch, Harry. You have to come visit him when he's born. The first person he sees will be like a parent to him."
Hagrid continued talking excitedly to Harry, unable to contain his joy. These weren't secrets that needed to be hidden, so a group of curious little wizards stood frozen, eyes wide in shock, unsure of how to move.
"Look, I finally get to carry my wand with me again."
Hagrid patted a giant pouch hanging from his waist, where a large handle stuck out.
"Isn't your wand that little pink umbrella?"
Harry asked in confusion, assuming that the umbrella handle was where Hagrid's wand was hidden. Given Hagrid's size, a wand of his would likely be several times larger than a normal one.
"That umbrella?" Hagrid shook his head. "I stuffed a little unicorn hair inside it. But, you know, with that thing, I can only perform a few simple spells. It's not even worth using when I can just do it myself."
"I use this."
Hagrid opened the pouch's flap and pulled out a 25.4 mm caliber, menacing-looking handheld cannon. This weapon wasn't even listed in any modern firearm catalogs. If one were to trace its origins, it could only be called by one name:
A bomb gun that fires explosive rounds made with purified deuterium cores and diamond-tipped projectiles, designed to fire 25.4 mm heavy explosive darts!
"Holy shit!!!"
Upon seeing the handheld cannon, Harry couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
"Astartes is right here with me?!"
"Hagrid, where did you even come from? No, wait, an Astartes in armor is only about ten feet tall—you're even bigger! You must be some kind of fearless mech-human hybrid!"
"What are you talking about, Harry?" Hagrid said, bewildered, as he patted Harry's forehead. "No fever, you're fine."
"But your gun! There's no other name for this besides a bomb gun! And you're telling me you're not Astartes?"
"This?" Hagrid scratched his head, still confused. "I can't use one of those smaller ones. Don't wands transform into the most suitable form for their wizard? This one fits me just fine. Those little toys you guys use? Uh... I can't work with them; my hands are too big."
Hagrid gave a hearty laugh, not seeing anything unusual about the situation.
"I've got a bigger one, too."
With that, Hagrid patted his bomb gun. Despite only having attended Hogwarts for a few years, Hagrid still frequently maintained his gun after losing his wand. Professor Dumbledore secretly repaired Hagrid's broken wand using the Elder Wand, and while Hagrid couldn't use it openly, he still treasured it.
After fifty years of companionship, the wand had evolved time and time again. Wands naturally grow stronger as their wielders do, and it was undeniable that Hagrid had gotten stronger over the years.
However, the progression of a traditional wizard's wand didn't seem to apply to Hagrid. At least, Harry couldn't figure out which category of weapon this massive 2.5-meter-long cannon with a starting caliber of 220 mm could belong to. It had long passed the typical classification of a firearm.
The dark barrel of the cannon was so large that one could easily imagine putting a human head into it—yet, Hagrid held it effortlessly, the weapon fitting his massive frame perfectly.
"In this world, where everyone is some kind of freakish character... I guess I'm still just a small fry," Harry muttered, finding an imaginary corner to slump into, his eyes empty as he absentmindedly pulled at the grass and roots hidden under the snow.
The Night Steed pulling the cart curiously watched Harry, then gently nudged his head against Harry's, as if silently trying to comfort him.
(End of Chapter)