Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 338 is filled with the saccharine smell of romance.
As Cohen led the unicorn through the castle, he could clearly see its curiosity about this new place—compared to the half-finished castle in the box, Hogwarts' intricate corridors and staircases made it feel like it had entered some special thicket.

Cohen had to struggle to pull it away from the mistletoe in the hallway outside the main hall, not knowing if the unicorn would be poisoned by eating it—but the human body Cohen had created would definitely be in trouble if it ate it.

Moreover, normal humans would choose to kiss under mistletoe rather than stare at the plant with a drooling expression.

After crossing the grounds to Hagrid's cabin, Cohen knocked on the door, and a loud banging sound came from inside.

"Ah—who is it—wait—"

Hagrid sounded a little flustered, and then there was another sound of something heavy being accidentally knocked over in the room.

After a while, the wooden door of the cabin was opened, and Hagrid poked his head out.

His hair and beard were wet, as if a basin of water had been poured on them that morning, and the skin under the hair was somewhat reddish.

“Cohen? You shouldn’t have gone to find a dance partner today—oh…” Hagrid asked Cohen somewhat awkwardly, but then he noticed the girl behind Cohen—he hadn’t seen any girls at Hogwarts, so she was probably a foreigner. “Hello—”

After confirming that Hagrid was not naked, Cohen released his grip on the little unicorn.

Without Cohen's control, it rushed into Hagrid's house like a little rocket and hugged Hagrid tightly.

"Oh—ah?" Hagrid's black beetle-like eyes were filled with panic—he had never been hugged so... by a stranger before, perhaps only when his father was alive.

And the person hugging him was Cohen's dance partner. Hagrid looked helplessly at the girl hugging his leg, and then at Cohen.

Fortunately, Cohen didn't seem angry.

[A flower!] The unicorn pulled a small, blooming yellow flower from its pocket, its fragrance faintly wafting through the air. [For a kind person!]

“She really likes magical creatures,” Cohen explained. “Then I told her that you take care of all the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest—and that they’re doing very well.”

“Oh, I see—thank you—actually, I didn’t do much…I…” Hagrid scratched his hair, which was still very stiff even when wet, as if the effect of some kind of strong hairspray hadn’t faded yet. “Thank you for the flowers.”

Are you going to the dance today?

After being invited into the house by Hagrid, Cohen looked around.

The bed was in disarray, and the cabinets and chairs were overturned...

“I’ll go check it out tonight…” Hagrid said. “It hasn’t been done in years, has it?”

"With Ms. Maxim?" Cohen asked. "Judging from the footprints outside, she seems to enjoy wandering around here..."

Seeing Cohen's thoughtful expression, Hagrid quickly explained, "No—no—I wasn't planning on dancing..."

"You're not planning to dance with her or anything?" Cohen asked, puzzled. "She seems quite interested in you—"

“No, that’s not true—she doesn’t like me—” Hagrid’s face was now as red as a branding iron.

“If she didn’t like you, she wouldn’t keep hanging around here,” Cohen said earnestly. “The dragon’s been moved away, Hagrid. She definitely didn’t come for the dragon—Hogwarts is filled with the cloying scent of romance today. Being single is something to be mocked.” “Ah…would your dance partner like something to drink?” Hagrid changed the subject, looking around for Cohen’s partner. “I have some tea bags, or—”

Unfortunately, the unicorn has already found the wine in Hagrid's cabinet.

“I knew it,” Cohen said, pursing his lips.

"Can you drink?" Hagrid asked uncertainly. "I remember..."

"Actually, I'm old enough..."

Cohen clicked his tongue, shifting his gaze from the unicorn gulping down its drink—he felt it would be frustrating to stop it now, especially on Christmas Day.

“Let’s get down to business, Hagrid. Madam Maxim isn’t some neighbor who pops up at Hogwarts every few days—if you miss this chance, you’ll have to go on a trip to France to see her again,” Cohen said to Hagrid.

“I know…” Hagrid said dejectedly, head bowed, “but I just don’t dare tell her too much…you know—about…the relationship…”

“Missing out on her and being rejected by her are the same in the end,” Cohen said. “Be brave—you’re special. At least she can’t find anyone else in three schools who can put their arm around her waist, right?”

“Then… I’ll try this afternoon?” Hagrid said with a troubled look. “I’ve been really upset about that reporter these days… especially after reading those two articles she wrote about you and Harry—she’s such an exaggerator.”

"Rita Skeeter came to see you?" Cohen frowned. "When?"

It seems that his deterrence was not enough to completely intimidate the woman, or rather, the woman could not control her desire to spread rumors.

“Last week, I think, she knocked on my door when I didn’t have classes,” Hagrid recalled. “At first, she told me she wanted to interview me about magical creatures, and that magical creatures section of the Daily Prophet—but she only asked about you and Harry, especially you—”

“Me?” Cohen frowned.

If her continued spreading rumors about Harry and Hagrid can be seen as Rita trying to create a big scandal, then her investigation into Cohen's background is a bit odd.

Either he's gone mad, or he's found a powerful backer he thinks is very reliable.

“She wanted to know if I knew about your ‘that’ kind of identity,” Hagrid said. “I said I didn’t—and then she started making up some really scary things about Dementors and stuff…”

Hagrid shuddered. It was clear that Dumbledore hadn't actually told Hagrid about Cohen's situation.

“That’s really scary.” Cohen nodded stiffly. “Yes, I’m a Dementor brat.”

"Hahahaha!" Hagrid was amused by Cohen. "This woman will really make up anything to create a news story, won't she?"

“Forget about Rita,” Cohen shook his head. “Your priority right now is to become a master of romance and fix this outfit—is that hairspray in your hair? Did you use too much?”

“I tried to wash it off, but the water just seems to make it harder…” Hagrid said.

“A fresh new look.” Cohen removed the hair gel that held his hair in a messy state. “Actually, you look better with more volume—think about it, Ms. Maxim actually saw you with your hair like this the first time.”

(End of this chapter)