"Professor, I need to know; What's happened to Harry?"
It was hard to imagine that this giant, standing nearly four meters tall, could speak in such an almost bashful tone.
Professor McGonagall lifted her head, looking at Hagrid with a surprised expression.
She hesitated for a moment before answering; "Well, Hagrid, the Headmaster doesn't want me to speak out of turn. Mr. Potter violated the Statute of Secrecy and was warned. Then he was placed under house arrest by his relatives. We are working on a solution."
Almost the moment Professor McGonagall finished speaking, William felt an ominous sensation, as though something terrifying was unfolding before his eyes.
The giant in front of him suddenly became as menacing as a startled tiger, exuding an air of aggression that compelled William to rest his hand on his wand.
"Let me handle it, Professor."
William could hear the suppressed anger in Hagrid's voice.
"No, Hagrid. Trust the Headmaster. He'll have a better way to deal with this."
The mention of Dumbledore's name seemed to calm the giant once more.
He nodded heavily and dejectedly turned toward the door. Just as he was about to step out, he seemed to remember William.
"Professor William, thank you."
"Care to join me for a drink?" William found himself liking this big guy. Despite his impulsive and straightforward nature, Hagrid's simplicity made him impossible to dislike.
"I've got a bottle in my room if you don't mind."
The two bid farewell to Professor McGonagall.
Before long, William found himself back in Hagrid's small wooden hut.
A bottle that could easily pass for a barrel was opened and poured into two glasses. Hagrid muttered as he emptied the bottle, then pushed the smaller glass toward William.
"To your successful appointment!"
They raised their glasses and took hearty gulps.
"The school's Dark Arts… cough, well, alright, I've never understood it; Wizard Self-Defense Magic, or whatever it's called. That subject's … it's dangerous."
"Dumbledore warned me about that before I started. But I didn't have much choice at the time. I was still in Azkaban then, and no matter how dangerous this job is, it's better than that hellish place." William told a lie he didn't believe himself.
"Azkaban?"
"Azkaban. I was dealing potions on the black market, but I botched two transactions. The market ran out of stock, so I had to join a smuggling crew heading to the Far East to recover some of my losses and search for the materials I ruined."
William took a sip of his drink and added, "Then Fudge came into office with his new policies, cracking down hard on smuggling. That's how I ended up there."
"That's really unlucky, but at least you're out now," Hagrid said casually, clearly unbothered by the mention of smuggling.
"Yeah, that hellish place… It's full of all sorts of people, but the worst thing is those Dementors. They stare at you with that cold, hollow gaze, like they're looking at food." William shuddered, his free hand instinctively gripping his wand.
One encounter like that was already too much. He'd thrown himself into studying and practicing magic with all his might, determined to never again find himself in such a powerless situation. Next time, he'd make sure he could fight back.
"Dementors are the least lovable magical creatures! You can't reason with those things at all!"
Hagrid slammed the table with his massive hand. His eyes burned with anger, but William thought he also detected a trace of fear; though it might have just been his imagination.
"I once tried to care for a Dementor, but it was nearly a disaster."
Hagrid's single sentence left William in awe. Those decayed, repulsive creatures; someone actually dared to keep one as a pet?
"A toast to you, for daring to care for that thing!"
Hagrid raised his glass and downed a large gulp before speaking again, his voice tinged with dejection and lingering fear.
"If Dumbledore hadn't shown up, I don't know what would've happened. That half-grown Dementor attacked me, turning half the Forbidden Forest into a lifeless wasteland. I genuinely thought I was going to die there. It even tried to give me the Dementor's Kiss; "
"..."
William was beyond impressed.
The Forbidden Forest lived up to its name. At this point, he wouldn't have been surprised to find Hagrid raising a dragon in there.
Keeping a Dementor was more revolting than raising mosquitoes. If someone could manage that, then there was probably nothing too bizarre for the Forbidden Forest.
"That wretch made me relive every miserable memory in a single day. I can't even imagine what kind of hell Azkaban must be like."
They clinked glasses again and each took another hearty drink.
"I wonder how Harry's doing now. How will Dumbledore rescue him?" Hagrid asked in a low voice but quickly answered himself. "There's no way Dumbledore can fail. Nothing's too difficult for Dumbledore."
"Those Muggles… They're always abusing Harry. You wouldn't believe how skinny he was when I saw him last year!"
Hagrid took another large gulp of his drink, then set his glass on the table and turned to rummage for something.
William hesitated, then drew his wand and lightly tapped Hagrid's glass.
Refilling Charm; simple, practical, and a drunkard's favorite. Despite its various limitations, those didn't matter much in the face of good company and drinking.
"Oh, Thank ye'." Hagrid put down the umbrella he had just found, picked up his refilled glass, and took another long drink.
One spoke, and the other listened. Stories about Hagrid and Harry, accompanied by drinks, quickly made an hour pass by.
By this time, William was already a little tipsy.
Fortunately, the person across from him was even more drunk.
"I'm telling you, Hagrid, I opened my eyes, and it was Azkaban. Do you understand that kind of despair?"
"I understand," Hagrid slurred, his tongue clearly heavy.
"The whole cell was full of scum, and those Dementors outside were more annoying than mosquitoes. Their stares felt like they were going to devour you, looking at you like food every day, making you relive every miserable thought in your head, over and over again."
"Mm, mm," Hagrid mumbled in agreement.
"And on top of that, you had to rack your brains to make up stories, or you'd end up sleeping next to the toilet. You never saw a single ray of sunlight, spent all day scrubbing floors, cleaning toilets, washing clothes; any dirty or exhausting job was dumped on you."
"I could've just coasted through life. I was even preparing for civil service exams; hic!" William caught himself just in time, clamping his mouth shut.
Across from him, Hagrid was too far gone to say anything other than a muddled "mm, mm."
Not even a drunkard should hear this.
William chuckled at his own foolishness and poured himself another drink, downing it in one go. At the same time, he used magic to refill Hagrid's glass.
"Let's get properly drunk today," William thought. "Maybe it'll keep me going for three months. After that, I'll have to continue studying magic to improve myself. Otherwise, I won't even dare to get drunk casually again."
With that thought, William slumped over the table and passed out.
***
When he woke up again, the sky was nearing dusk. Hagrid was awake too, but he didn't look much better than William. With his larger glass, Hagrid had drunk at least seven or eight times more.
Rubbing his face, William said his goodbyes to Hagrid.
Hagrid escorted William back to Hogsmeade Village before waving a hand and stumbling back to Hogwarts, still reeking of alcohol.
"Ah; " William stretched, preparing to dispel the last traces of alcohol before heading back.
At that moment, the system belatedly delivered a notification.
...
Bonus Chapter At 100 power stones!
82/100!