From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 61 Hagrid's Great Transformation

"Did you see how badly Ravenclaw lost today?" Harry said to his two friends as they walked along the path from the Quidditch stadium to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They were going to meet Hagrid. For some reason, he was not present at the Quidditch match today.

"Don't worry, Harry." Ron comforted his friend. He fully understood Harry's concerns. "Since we can defeat Slytherin once, we can defeat them again!"

"Don't be so confident." Hermione has always played the role of discouraging enthusiasm in small groups. "You know, Ivy is said to have joined Slytherin's Quidditch team. Slytherin's performance today must have something to do with him."

"What?" Ron and Harry seemed to be hearing this news for the first time. "You mean, Ivy cast a spell on those troll-like Slytherin Quidditch players? That's why they were so powerful in the game? Isn't using magic considered cheating?"

"I didn't say that." Hermione shook her head. "Besides, using magic in a Quidditch match is not necessarily cheating. I remember the rules only saying that you are not allowed to use wands on your opponents. So if the target of the spell is a teammate..."

"Maybe it's true..." Harry said pessimistically, "Their agility on the broom has almost doubled. Combined with their terrifying size, Slytherin's strength has been greatly enhanced... Apart from magic, I can't imagine anything else that could do this..."

"We can ask Hagrid. He must have watched Quidditch matches for many years and should have experience with this kind of thing." Hermione patted Harry's shoulder comfortingly.

"Wuhu--Ha!" There were shouts coming from the sky. The three of them looked up and saw a group of large birds flying in the sky. Perhaps they were some magical animals in the forbidden forest.

"Is there something wrong with my ears?" Ron asked uncertainly, "Why can I hear those big birds talking?"

"I seemed to hear it, too." Harry said hesitantly. "To be honest, this is the first time I've discovered that I can understand what other animals say besides snakes..."

"Maybe this means we are particularly gifted in some amazing area of magic." Ron said cheerfully, and then he realized what Harry had just said, "Wait, Harry! What did you just say? You can understand snakes?"

"Yes, one time I went to the zoo with my aunt and her family, and a Brazilian python told me that it had never been to Brazil." Harry shrugged. Since entering Hogwarts, the life in the Muggle world seemed as far away as hundreds of years ago to him. "I dare say this is not a rare ability. There must be many people who have similar abilities!"

"No, Harry, no." Hermione looked at him with a mixture of regret and shock. "That's Parseltongue. Many dark wizards have this ability. The most famous known Parseltongue is Slytherin himself, and his descendants have inherited this ability from him."

"Wait." Harry was confused, and remembered what the tattered hat had said to him during the Sorting Ceremony that day. "You mean, I'm a descendant of Slytherin?"

"It's no big deal. Many wizards are related to each other. Maybe this means you are a collateral relative of Slytherin." Ron looked around and whispered, "Let me tell you something. That annoying Malfoy and I are cousins by blood."

"Harry!" Harry hadn't yet come to terms with the fact that his best friend was actually a cousin of his enemy when he heard a shout from above his head. It was Hagrid's voice, so he naturally looked up.

However, what caught Harry's eye was not Hagrid's messy beard, but several strange creatures that Harry had never seen in his life.

Their bodies, hind legs and tails look like those of horses, but their front parts have wings, huge claws and heads like giant eagles. They also have big bright orange eyes, which make them look very majestic.

It was not until these strange creatures rolled up a flurry of snow and fell to the ground that Harry and the other two understood exactly where Hagrid's voice had come from - he was riding on the backs of these giant beasts!
"Hagrid!" Harry gasped, choking on the snowflakes that flew into his mouth and causing him to cough. Ron had to help him finish the second half of the question: "How did you become so - short?"

In the impression of the three friends, Hagrid has always been a gentle and kind person. People who don’t know him may be scared away by his huge body, but after just a few words, they can understand that this big guy who blocks out the sun is actually a passionate guy.

But now, Hagrid's recognizable huge body disappeared, just like a woolen sweater exposed to the sun, Hagrid's body also shrunk, becoming only half of its original size. But even so, he was much taller than Ron, the tallest of the three.

"Oh! Hello! Ron and Hermione!" Hagrid jumped off the back of the beast and said happily to the three of them, "This is all thanks to Ivy! He helped me fulfill my lifelong dream! Flying in the sky on a hippogriff!"

The three of them looked behind Hagrid and saw Ivy waving at them with a smile.

"Shrinkage," Ivy explained simply, "can reduce people's size to half of their original size, and the clothes they wear will also change accordingly."

"Magic is amazing..." Ron murmured, and at the same time he couldn't help looking at Hagrid who was standing next to him. It was the first time he could see the wrinkles on Hagrid's forehead without looking up.

"We met in the forest." Hagrid hugged Harry affectionately. He seemed to be curious about the change in his body, especially hugging Harry to his chest like this. You know, Harry could only hug his thighs in the past. "At that time, I was choosing a suitable Christmas tree for Hogwarts, and I saw Ivy flying down from the sky on a group of hippogriffs."

"Hawk-headed Masamune...? Sorry, what?" Harry tried clumsily, failing to enunciate the syllables correctly.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid repeated, patting the beasts beside him. "They are the lovely big guys!"

"Would you like to try it?" Hagrid's eyes sparkled as he said to the three little wizards who were not yet used to talking to Hagrid without having to look up. "Ride them in the air for a spin?"

(End of this chapter)