Chapter 10: Hermione and Hagrid

"Thank you for walking me out, George!"

Stepping out from the eerie Knockturn Alley into the bustling and lively Diagon Alley, Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly expressed his gratitude to George.

He felt that if it weren't for George escorting him, those strange and sinister wizards along the way might have devoured him.

"Harry! Harry!"

At that moment, a girl with thick, bushy brown hair came running down the street toward them.

"It's so good to see you! What happened to you? You're covered in dust—and your glasses!"

"I'm happy to see you too, Hermione," Harry said, adjusting his cracked glasses with a smile of relief.

"It's a long story."

"Well, let me fix this first. Reparo!"

Hermione pulled out her wand and cast the repair charm on Harry's glasses.

As if time rewound itself, the cracked glasses returned to their pristine condition in mere seconds.

"Looks like I need to practice this spell myself," Harry said with a sigh as he examined his now-perfect glasses.

Unlike Hermione, who had not only mastered every spell in their first-year curriculum but also self-taught many others, Harry still struggled with even the basics, including the repair charm.

George, standing nearby, couldn't help but share the same thought.

The repair charm doesn't just fix small items like glasses—if mastered, it could restore entire collapsed buildings effortlessly.

In his future adventures in the Marvel universe, this spell alone could potentially earn him a fortune.

"And you are?" Hermione asked, turning to George with a look of curiosity after fixing Harry's glasses.

"He's a new friend of mine, George. Hermione Granger, meet George," Harry said, quickly introducing them.

George extended his hand with a smile. "Hello, Miss Granger. You look lovely today."

"Hello, George."

Hearing George compliment her appearance, Hermione's face lit up with delight, and her opinion of him soared. Few people—besides her parents—had ever called her pretty. Smart? Often. But pretty? Almost never.

"Well, Harry, now that your friend is here, I should be heading back. See you at Hogwarts!"

After shaking Hermione's hand, George waved goodbye and headed back into Knockturn Alley without lingering.

For a first meeting, he thought a brief introduction was enough. Overdoing it might come off as overly deliberate. Besides, his time was valuable, and he needed to return to studying magic.

Most importantly, he had no intention of interfering with Lucius Malfoy slipping Voldemort's diary into Ginny's possession.

The diary, containing a fragment of Voldemort's soul, could manipulate minds. Even with his mental abilities, George didn't feel confident about resisting its influence.

And why bother stopping it? With Dumbledore overseeing everything, the incident would ultimately become a valuable trial for Harry without causing any real harm to the students.

Perhaps I can even find a way to benefit from it.

"That guy seems pretty nice. Why haven't I seen him at school before?" Hermione asked, watching George's retreating figure with curiosity.

George's age seemed close to hers. He was either in her year or one above. She was sure she would have remembered him if they'd met before.

"He's starting at Hogwarts this year as a first-year," Harry explained.

"Oh, so he's younger than us. How did you meet him?" Hermione asked as she led Harry toward Flourish and Blotts.

Harry recounted his recent ordeal.

Meanwhile, George, upon returning to his shop's entrance, noticed an enormous figure standing there, peering inside.

The word "enormous" didn't quite do it justice—the man's height was beyond the limits of ordinary humans.

With a quick estimate, George guessed the man was around eleven feet tall. Standing next to him, George probably wouldn't even reach his waist. The sheer size was overwhelming.

Why is he at my shop?

George instantly recognized him.

It was none other than Rubeus Hagrid—Hogwarts' Keeper of Keys and Grounds, gamekeeper, and a master of magical creatures.

Thinking about Hagrid's unique lineage, George couldn't help but inwardly give a thumbs up to Hagrid's father. What a legend.

After all, most giants stood between twenty-five and thirty feet tall. For Hagrid's human father to not only court but also have a child with a giantess was a feat worthy of awe.

"Excuse me, sir. Can I help you with something?" George asked as he approached.

Hagrid turned and looked down at George. Spotting a small, skinny wizard, his tone softened considerably.

"I'm looking for a potion to get rid of flesh-eating slugs. I heard only this shop carries it, but it seems to be closed."

Despite his gentler tone, Hagrid's massive size made his voice sound like a booming shout to George.

"This shop's owner, Mr. Merton, passed away recently due to an accident while brewing potions. I've taken over the business, and I know the potion you're talking about. Let me get it for you."

George unlocked the door and quickly fetched a bottle from the counter.

"Slug Repellent Potion—it works not only on flesh-eating slugs but also on cabbage moths and stem borers," he explained.

"Oh, thank you, young man!"

Hagrid took the potion with visible satisfaction.

"How much?"

"Just fourteen Sickles," George replied cheerfully.

"Cheaper than I expected!"

Hagrid dug into the giant pocket of his moleskin coat, counted out fourteen silver Sickles, and handed them over.

He had expected such a rare potion to cost at least a couple of Galleons.

"I'm feeling generous because I'm about to start at Hogwarts myself, so I gave you a half-off discount," George said with a bright smile, pocketing the coins.

Since his telepathic abilities allowed him to communicate with magical creatures, George thought it would be wise to establish a good relationship with Hagrid.

Hagrid was warm-hearted, straightforward, and kind—a perfect person to befriend.

Sure enough, Hagrid's demeanor brightened even more upon hearing this. He examined George closely and said with a wide grin:

"So, you're one of the new students this year! I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Once you're there, come by and visit—I'll bake you some rock cakes!"