Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 520 My family's trunk is quite big
"Because eating is so enjoyable," said one of the slightly smarter snake heads, as it was being pinned to the grass by the chin of another fierce-looking snake head.

"Only I can enjoy this!" the menacing snakehead said.

Who said that?!

Get lost—don't act like you're the boss—

I'm going to bite you to death!

The surrounding snake heads finally couldn't stand the possessiveness of this fierce snake head anymore and swarmed around it to fight it—but as they fought, they couldn't tell which head they were attacking, so the brawl turned into a melee.

Hagrid had just untangled the snake's head when it twisted into a pretzel again.

“Well…it seems there’s no way to untangle them until they stop arguing…” Hagrid said. “You see, they’re actually quite cute when they argue—”

"Yes, she is quite cute..."

"Navi said in a trembling voice."

Although they were standing very close, Neville exuded an urge to leave.

He didn't seem to understand Hagrid's statement that "it's cute when they argue," because these snake heads even bite their own brothers, making them extremely dangerous.

"What are you doing?!" Suddenly, the alert smuggler noticed Cohen reaching out.

[Pat your head?] The innocent snake head released its grip on the fierce snake head. [And then there's fish to eat?]

[Touch his head and you'll get fish to eat?] The other snake heads stopped, and now nine pairs of eyes were staring straight at Cohen.

"Yes, you get what you pay for, and that giant brought a whole bunch," Cohen said.

In almost a second, the twisted snake heads slipped apart and scrambled toward Cohen—

“You can untie it yourselves!” Hagrid’s eyes widened. “Merlin’s beard, I thought you’d have to get help—”

After Cohen had touched all nine heads ("Haven't you already been touched by me?" Cohen said to one of the more unruly snake heads), he decided to encourage Neville to try it too.

“No…” Neville swallowed hard and said defiantly.

But Cohen pulled him in front of the nine heads first, and when Neville saw that each of the Hydra's heads was just nudging towards his hand instead of opening its mouth, he surprisingly listened to Cohen and tried it once—

"His-"

The nine heads hissed incessantly, vying to burrow under Neville's outstretched hand, their eyes devoid of docility, filled only with a thirst for the fish.

A snake that truly wants to eat fish will not laugh.
-
Hagrid's class can be considered a safe landing—it's unlikely it wasn't, since there were only two students in the class: Cohen and Neville.

To Cohen's surprise, Hagrid's knowledge of Hydras went beyond just that they had nine heads and were bigger than him, making them "cute."

Hagrid gave them a comprehensive overview of Hydra's blood and venom ("They're poisonous?!" Neville exclaimed, immediately withdrawing his hand from scratching their densely packed heads upon hearing this).

“That’s right, only the middle head is poisonous.” Hagrid said with great interest, as if he were introducing something very interesting.

He grabbed the shy snake's head with one hand, pried open its mouth, and revealed two long, venomous fangs, which he showed to Cohen and Neville.

"Hmm...do you want to feed me? Ah—" the shy snake head said, opening its mouth wide. "Their blood is an optional ingredient in a potent bone-regenerating agent—a substitute for white cinnabar, but generally no one uses it on this. Hydra blood is more unpredictable and can easily cause limb regeneration..."

“‘Limb proliferation’ means…” Neville’s expression twisted.

Hagrid was racking his brains trying to figure out how to explain the word to Neville.

"It might mean that the severed parts will grow more limbs," Cohen speculated. "If you cut off one head, it can grow two. Maybe they were actually born with only one head?"

"Ten points for Gryffindor!" Hagrid said gleefully. "That's right, Cohen, that's it—and where were we—oh, right, and its venom, just a drop of it can drive someone mad..."

“Going mad…” Neville swayed in shock.

“But diluted Hydra venom can act as a tranquilizer,” Hagrid said, stuffing a large fish into the mouth of the shy hydra head. “It can stabilize dark magic injuries and a magic-deluded mind—hey, you get both, don’t fight over it—”

Then, Hagrid saw Neville, who was in a daze, and as if realizing what he had just said, he immediately covered his mouth.

However, Neville's mind is not on Hagrid at all right now.

“Wait, Hagrid, what do you think diluted Hydra venom can do?” Cohen asked.

"It can be used as a tranquilizer—what's wrong with that?" Hagrid asked, puzzled. "I got the book from an old Greek priest who still uses this medicine to treat some irreversible brain damage... It should be right, right?"

At the same time, the bells rang from the castle, signaling the end of get out of class.

"Alright, get out of class dismissed—well, I won't be giving you any homework on the first day of school..." Hagrid clapped his hands.

Then, Hagrid's large, furry head shoved close to Cohen and whispered apologetically, "Cohen, could you help comfort Neville? He seems to have remembered...emmmm...something bad."

“Yes,” Cohen said. “After the class is over, can I borrow this hydra for a few days? My box is quite big, perfect for keeping a hydra.”

"Of course you can—but what do you need it for? It has a huge appetite."

"Potion research?" Cohen said. "Don't worry, half of my box of animals are Greek. It'll feel right at home there."

“Okay, as long as it’s over this week,” Hagrid agreed. “You can understand it, so it’ll be easier for you than me—I always have trouble telling which head is facing which, and the merfolk treat it really badly—Hey! Don’t bite your own head! Let go!”

Hagrid saw the Hydras fighting again and quickly went to break them up.

Cohen then walked towards the castle with a dejected Neville.

Sunlight streamed onto the castle steps, but Neville seemed to be hiding in his own shadow.

“Hagrid certainly didn’t mean to bring up that word,” Cohen said.

“I know… I’m not that sensitive…” Neville said softly, “I’m not usually like that—I just… suddenly—suddenly—”

The sound stopped abruptly, he covered his face, and a few low sobs escaped his lips.

After a long while, it seemed as if he had finally wiped away his tears.

“Cohen, you know about me?” Neville asked Cohen, his eyes slightly red. “It’s about… St. Mungo…”

(End of this chapter)