Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Thud, thud, thud...

Bang, bang, bang...

Since early morning, students at Hogwarts had been intermittently hearing strange sounds coming from the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

Curiosity got the better of them, and many craned their necks out the windows, peering toward the source of the noise.

"Is Hagrid building a new hut or something?" Ron asked during Transfiguration class, rubbing his ears.

The noise was so loud that it was hurting even from a distance.

"Maybe," Harry said, glancing out the window, just as curious.

Next to Hagrid's cabin, a much larger wooden house had somehow appeared without anyone noticing, and the noise was clearly coming from inside it.

"Why can't they just use magic?" Ron muttered. "I can't even concentrate on the lesson."

"You think Professor McGonagall would accept that as an excuse?" Hermione said flatly, glancing down at the cactus on Ron's desk—now full of holes and missing chunks.

Today's lesson was on transformation spells—specifically, swapping one's arm with a cactus. If that failed, even a finger would do.

It wasn't a particularly hard spell. Hermione had succeeded after just two tries. Ron, on the other hand, had spent the entire period trying and only managed to blow the cactus pot to bits—twice.

Seamus, seated next to him, had gotten splattered with mud and was so fed up he didn't want to sit near Ron anymore.

Not that he was doing much better—his cactus had exploded three times. The classroom was now littered with the results of his "work"—spines scattered across nearly every surface.

Professor McGonagall was actively avoiding looking in their direction. Hermione figured this would probably be the last time she used cacti as teaching props.

Fortunately, not long after, the bell rang.

Harry and Ron were the first to bolt from the classroom, racing toward the Forbidden Forest.

"Hagrid! What are you doing in there?" Harry called out before they even arrived.

The door to the new wooden house opened from the inside, and Hagrid's shaggy head popped out.

Harry, leading the way, was so startled he instinctively pulled out his wand.

"Hagrid, were you attacked?"

It was a fair question—Hagrid looked a fright. Covered in dirt from head to toe, he resembled a mandrake root freshly yanked from the earth, and his face still bore several fresh, unhealed scrapes.

"Attacked? Oh, no, of course not," Hagrid said cheerfully. "We're just running a little test. Might've gotten a bit loud—sorry if we disturbed you."

Despite the apology, his eyes gleamed with unmistakable excitement.

"A test?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Testing what—magic?"

"Wait—Hagrid." Hermione, arriving just behind them, caught on to something else. "Did you just say we? Who else is here with you?"

"That'd be me."

Kyle stepped out from inside the hut.

He looked almost as grubby as Hagrid—covered in dust and grime—but unlike Hagrid, he had no injuries.

"Kyle?!"

"When did you get here?!"

"What are you doing here?!"

The three of them blurted out their questions at once. The wording varied, but the message was the same: they were shocked by Kyle's sudden appearance.

"Mind your tone."

Before Kyle could even respond, Hagrid jumped in with a stern reminder. "Kyle's going to be your professor soon. Show him a little respect."

"Wait—who?"

"Professor?!"

"Kyle is a professor?!"

They all spoke up again, in perfect unison this time. Clearly, Hagrid's announcement had knocked the wind out of them.

How did a fellow classmate suddenly become a professor?

"Don't make it sound like that, Hagrid," Kyle said, waving his hand casually. "Nothing's official yet. For now, we're still friends. Just act normal."

"Want to come in and have a look?" he added. "I might be staying here for a while, so I built myself a little place."

Still dazed from the revelation, the three followed Kyle inside. Their minds were still spinning.

"Kyle, are you really going to be a professor?" Hermione asked, unable to hold back.

"Headmistress McGonagall did mention it," Kyle said, "but it's not confirmed yet. So for now, it's just a possibility."

"But you only just graduated," Ron mumbled. "You can still be a professor?"

"I'm not sure myself," Kyle replied. "But Headmistress McGonagall and Governor Dumbledore both seem to think it's fine."

"Dumbledore... Governor?" Harry looked utterly bewildered. "Wasn't he the Deputy Headmaster? When did he become a Governor?!"

There was just too much to take in all at once. His brain felt overloaded.

"Oh, that happened recently," Kyle explained.

It took a while, but the three finally began to process everything and turned their attention to their surroundings.

Unlike Hagrid's hut next door, which was outwardly rustic but secretly extravagant, Kyle's place looked entirely normal. The furniture—tables, chairs, benches—were all standard Hogwarts models, exactly like the ones in the common room.

Even the curtained bed looked like it had been dragged in straight from a dormitory.

All very ordinary. So ordinary, in fact, that the trio quickly lost interest.

While they were exploring, Kyle and Hagrid were chatting in the corner.

"How do you feel about it?" Kyle asked.

"It's amazing," Hagrid said, beaming. "It's beautiful—so full of energy—absolutely perfect."

"So in your mind, a bad temper equals energetic?" Kyle shook his head. "You'd better be careful. Just now it nearly stabbed a hole through you with its tail."

"It's fine. I don't mind," Hagrid said, patting his chest proudly. "If I can see it every day, it can poke two holes in me."

"Yeah, no thanks. I'd rather not have to cover your Care of Magical Creatures class."

Their back-and-forth made no sense to Harry and the others, who were listening in with mounting confusion.

But just then, Hermione noticed something else—there was another door on the far wall.

"What's that room?" Hermione asked, pointing toward the door.

"Oh, the garden," Kyle answered without thinking.

"The garden?" Ron said in disbelief. "You made yourself a garden?"

"What's wrong with that?" Kyle replied. "Living next to the Forbidden Forest means I've got plenty of space. What's so strange about building a garden?"

Ron opened his mouth but said nothing.

Actually, when he thought about it, it kind of made sense. If you had that much space, why not build a garden?

"Can we take a look?"

"No," Kyle said.

"Thanks—wait, what?" Ron blinked. "What did you say?"

"No," Kyle repeated. "You can't go in. The garden's not finished yet. It's a mess and there's nothing to see. Come back when it's done."

The three of them—eager young witches and wizards all—instantly looked deflated.

But Hagrid, seeing their disappointment, couldn't help but soften.

"Oh, come on, Kyle, it's just a look," he said in a low voice. "There's not really anything in there anyway."

Hagrid was trying to keep his voice down, but the room wasn't that big. Everyone heard him. All eyes turned expectantly to Kyle.

They'd noticed something was off about Hagrid today. The wounds on his body were one thing—but his mood was stranger still. He was unusually giddy, and his eyes practically glowed with excitement.

And if Harry knew anything about Hagrid, it was that this expression only came out when he was dealing with magical beasts with fangs, claws, or scales.

Like the three-headed dog in first year. Or the dragons during the Triwizard Tournament.

But this house was completely ordinary—no sign of any beasts, not even a measly doxy. So whatever it was must be in the so-called garden.

The more Harry thought about it, the more curious he became. He kept sneaking glances toward the door.

"Well... alright," Kyle relented after a moment's hesitation, seeing Hagrid's reaction.

There really wasn't much in there now anyway.

And knowing Harry and the others, they were far from the quiet type. Their curiosity was legendary. If he refused again, there was a real chance Harry would sneak in later wearing his Invisibility Cloak.

Might as well let them see it now.

Kyle reached out and opened the door. The three rushed in immediately, unable to hide their anticipation.

"Whoa!"

The moment they stepped through, all three stopped and gaped at the scene before them.

Harry gave a crooked smile, glanced at Kyle who had followed behind, and asked, "This is what you meant by... a garden?"

"Yep," Kyle nodded.

"You're serious?"

"What? Is there a problem?"

Harry didn't answer.

Because what he saw—was the Forbidden Forest.

Turn around and you could even see Hagrid's hut. All Kyle had done was build a door in his house that opened directly into the Forest.

He was calling the entire Forbidden Forest his garden?

Seriously...

Harry felt like he'd been played. Just like that, all his interest vanished.

Ron looked equally unimpressed.

It was just the Forbidden Forest. They'd been there before. What was with all the secrecy?

Hermione, however, narrowed her eyes and fixed her gaze on a tree not far off.

Trees weren't unusual in the Forbidden Forest, obviously—but this one was broken. That was odd. Even odder were the three massive gouges on it.

The marks were clean, as if clawed out by something.

But what kind of creature could rip through a tree like that?

Even if the trees near the edge of the forest weren't as thick as the ones deeper in, it was still unsettling.

No, wait—it wasn't just one tree. It was five.

Hermione scanned the area. Sure enough, five trees lay crookedly toppled nearby. Three of them had identical claw marks. The other two... their trunks were splintered, uneven, as if they'd been rammed down.

Rammed...

"Hagrid," Hermione said, frowning, "You didn't bring Grawp here, did you?"

"Er... no..." Hagrid stammered, caught off guard. "I didn't bring him here..."

Grawp was Hagrid's half-brother—a sixteen-foot-tall, underdeveloped, pure-blood giant.

Hagrid had taken him from the giant clans and kept him hidden in the Forbidden Forest, doing his best to teach him wizard customs and basic manners.

To put it gently, Grawp might have been physically underdeveloped, but mentally... he was exactly what you'd expect from a full-grown giant.

Hagrid trying to teach him the complexities of human etiquette was, frankly, a Herculean task.

And now, seeing Hagrid so flustered only confirmed Hermione's suspicion.

Those broken trees? They had to be Grawp's doing. No one but a giant could cause that kind of damage.

"Listen to me, Hagrid," she said patiently. "I know Grawp's a sweet kid, but not everyone does. People are afraid of giants. If they see him, it'll cause panic."

"I..." Hagrid opened his mouth to protest, then hesitated, sighed, and said instead, "I've been teaching Grawp English. He's almost got the hang of it."

Harry and Ron both shot him a look of deep skepticism... It was like being told a Quintaped was learning to knit.

Still, seeing how torn Hagrid looked, Harry decided to step in and ease the tension.

"Alright, Hermione. I'm sure Hagrid knows what he's doing. We should probably head back to the castle."

"Yeah," Hagrid added quickly, "It's nearly lunchtime. You lot better get going."

The three of them turned around and made their way out of the new wooden house. As soon as they stepped outside, the door slammed shut behind them.

"Something's off," Ron muttered. "Don't you feel like something's... not right?"

"Of course it's not right," Hermione said. "Hagrid would never bring Grawp this close to the edge of the Forbidden Forest."

"No, not that." Ron shook his head. "I can't explain it, but something just feels... different."

"Hagrid sent us away," Harry said, frowning.

"Yes! That's it!" Ron slapped his thigh, finally realizing it.

Every time they'd visited before, Hagrid had insisted they stay for a meal. Sure, his food was a bit... well, let's just say it was memorable—but he was always enthusiastic about having them over.

But this time, Hagrid had been the one to suggest they return to the castle.

"Maybe he was worried Hermione would keep pushing," Harry said uncertainly.

He knew full well how relentless Hermione could be when she got going.

Anyway, Hagrid had to be fine. There was no way a Death Eater could convincingly impersonate a half-giant.

"Forget it, let's just head back," Harry said. "Tomorrow's the weekend. We'll have plenty of time—we can come by again."

The other two nodded in agreement.

Ron didn't mind either way, and Hermione didn't have any better options.

After all, they hadn't actually seen Grawp nearby—everything was just speculation. If they came early tomorrow and asked Hagrid a few casual questions, he might slip up.

They'd used that tactic more than once, and it had always worked.

The trio started back the way they came.

Hermione glanced back at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, scanning the area for any signs that a giant had been there.

But that single glance froze her in her tracks.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"Come on," Ron urged, "if we miss lunch, we'll be stuck with dry bread again."

"Those trees... don't you think they look strange?" Hermione said.

"Trees?" Ron looked up. "It's the Forbidden Forest. Of course there are trees. You've really been reading too much."

"Reading doesn't make you stupid—but you clearly are," Hermione snapped, glaring at him. "Didn't you notice? All the trees we saw just now are suddenly completely intact."

With her reminder, Harry realized something was wrong too.

Back in the garden, several trees had clearly been broken. But now, the trees around the hut were all standing tall and whole—not a single trace of damage.

"So what?" Ron shrugged. "Maybe Kyle fixed them. It's not a big deal for him."

"Fixed them... and you didn't hear anything?" Hermione grew more irritated. "It's been, what, a minute? Even Professor Dumbledore couldn't restore five trees in that short a time."

"And we're so close—you'd have heard branches shaking or leaves rustling, wouldn't you?"

"No," Harry said, shaking his head, finally grasping what she meant.

Maybe Kyle could restore the trees that quickly, but doing it without a sound? That was impossible. There should've been noise—branches creaking, leaves shifting.

But the whole time they'd been out here, it had been dead silent.

Not even the buzz of insects.

That's right—no insects.

The edge of the Forbidden Forest was usually teeming with them. Every time they visited Hagrid, they'd hear beetles clicking and fairies flitting about.

But this time, nothing. It was unnaturally quiet, as if everything nearby had simply vanished.

"Let's go check!" Hermione said firmly, spinning around and heading back.

Harry followed immediately.

Ron glanced longingly in the direction of the Great Hall, sighed, and trailed after them.

Hermione didn't bother knocking on the door. She went straight around to the back of the hut—and her eyes went wide.

There was no door. Nothing.

But they'd just come out of the Forbidden Forest from this direction. How could the door be gone?

Refusing to accept it, Hermione stepped forward, trying to get a closer look.

But five minutes passed, and the distance between her and the hut remained the same—neither near nor far. No matter how she walked, ran, or changed direction, she couldn't get any closer.

If she hadn't just come out of it herself, Hermione would've sworn she was looking at a mirage.

"This... this can't be happening..." she murmured.

...

Meanwhile, inside the hut's "garden"...

Hagrid watched the three of them pacing around outside and said, "Looks like they've figured out something's up with your setup."

"Of course they have," Kyle said, waving his wand and seamlessly reattaching the broken trees. "Harry and Ron wouldn't notice the details, but Hermione? She's sharp. Always has been."

"You thought about what you're going to tell them?"

"Why should I explain anything?" Kyle said. "I'm about to be a professor—why do I need to justify myself to three students? Honestly, if you hadn't spoken up for them, I wouldn't have let them in at all."

"...Sorry," Hagrid mumbled.

"It's fine." Kyle waved it off. "If I'm right, they'll be knocking any second now…"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Told you." Kyle spread his hands.

"Should we open it?"

"No. Pretend we didn't hear anything." Kyle muttered to himself, "The garden's test isn't finished yet. Should we keep going? Or wait till after lunch?"

The moment Kyle said that, Hagrid perked up, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"What do you mean, wait? Of course we keep going!"

"Then just be careful. Don't get too close."

"Relax, relax!"

Under Hagrid's expectant gaze, Kyle opened a trunk.

A massive black dragon burst out with a roar, whipping its tail straight at Kyle.

But Kyle was ready. He calmly raised a shimmering shield.

The dragon's tail slammed into it with a thunderous impact—and didn't budge the barrier an inch.

Kyle gave a snort and raised a middle finger at the Hungarian Horntail.

Is that all?

The dragon shrieked in fury and lashed out again.

Golden runes flared to life along the wall of the wooden house.

This time, Kyle didn't even move. But the Hungarian Horntail swerved awkwardly and missed its mark, its tail slamming into a tree far from its intended target.

And yet, the dragon didn't even seem to realize it had missed.

"Hmm... not bad." Kyle pulled out a piece of parchment and began scribbling notes at lightning speed.

Alchemy Mist Concealment Effect

(Cannot be seen from outside; entry requires special method; sound remains audible)

Effect confirmed on dragons

Range and distance: TBD

Interaction with other magic: TBD