A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Despite Hagrid being quite old, he sometimes acted like a child.

 He had an enduring love for magical creatures, especially those that were big, rough, and strong. According to Ollivander, Hagrid had been expelled and had his wand broken during his time at Hogwarts.

 William suspected the reason for Hagrid's expulsion was due to his habit of raising strange and dangerous "little pets," just like the illegal three-headed dog he had now.

But what could they do? Everyone had their own quirks and hobbies.

 For instance, the most popular rumor at Hogwarts right now was that Snape enjoyed wearing women's clothing.

Of course, Ravenclaw never judged others for their preferences. Even if Snape really was into cross-dressing, they wouldn't think less of him.

So, William tried to console Hagrid, "You should just tell Professor Dumbledore about it, Hagrid. He can easily sort this out."

Dumbledore was, after all, the most towering and steadfast figure in the wizarding world. With his abilities, there was hardly a problem in all of Britain or even Europe that he couldn't handle. 

A simple three-headed dog would be nothing to him.

Hagrid nodded quickly, though whether he actually listened to William's advice was anyone's guess.

After they finished visiting the three-headed dog, William, Cedric, and Cho chatted with Hagrid about school matters. 

After a while, William asked, "Does Professor Snape have some kind of grudge against Professor Tywin?"

Having lived at Hogwarts for half a century, Hagrid knew most of the important events that had occurred within the school.

Hagrid froze for a moment, then shook his head. "Where'd you hear that? There's no grudge between them."

William quickly recounted the incident in the hospital ward. He had already told Cedric and Cho about it a few days earlier.

Hagrid looked shocked after hearing the story, surprised that the professors had drawn their wands in front of a student.

He stood up, pacing in thought, and after a few moments, shook his head again.

 "I've never heard of any grudge between Tywin and Snape. Back in their school days, Tywin was in Ravenclaw. He was pretty average—so ordinary that you'd lose sight of him in a crowd. Bit of a bookworm too, not like Snape and James, who were always the center of attention."

"James Potter?" William asked.

"Yeah," Hagrid replied, hesitating as though unsure whether to continue.

"Back then, Snape and James were always at odds, representing their respective houses. It got so bad once that there was an all-out brawl between the houses. 

"I remember Dumbledore was furious that day, angrier than I've ever seen him. That year, even though the House Cup was still underway, both Slytherin and Gryffindor were declared the losers."

"But James' death had nothing to do with Professor Snape," Hagrid continued, his voice rising with emotion. "It was all because of Sirius' betrayal!" His voice boomed, and the three-headed dog, Fluffy, stirred slightly from its sleep, growling softly.

"When James and Lily got married, Sirius was his best man. They were inseparable at school, always together. They even made Sirius the godfather of little Harry. But that filthy, rotten traitor had already betrayed them, and joined Voldemort's side!"

The mere mention of Voldemort sent a shiver down Cedric's spine. Children from magical families like his grew up hearing tales of the Dark Lord. 

Even though Cedric had been only a toddler when Voldemort fell, some of those early memories remained.

Hagrid, clearly upset, muttered, "I always knew it! The Black family—every last one of them was Slytherin through and through. 

"Even though Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor, he couldn't shake his true nature. His betrayal led to James' death, and thank Merlin, he got what he deserved—locked away in Azkaban."

William decided to push further, testing the waters. "So, Snape never betrayed James? He's always been on our side?"

Hagrid fell silent for a moment. After ensuring that Fluffy had gone back to sleep, he finally said, 

"That's not for you young ones to worry about. All you need to know is that Professor Dumbledore trusts him."

William, Cedric, and Cho exchanged glances. It seemed there was more to the story than Hagrid was willing to admit. There were clearly some hidden truths.

James Potter, as the father of the famous Harry Potter, was known to have been a hero who died at the hands of Voldemort. 

But Tywin's accusation—that Snape was somehow responsible for James' death—lingered in their minds. Tywin had seemed to know something, but why had he said what he did?

It was all very strange. Snape had been teaching at Hogwarts under Dumbledore's watch for years. He was even the head of Slytherin House. It didn't seem possible that he could be connected to Voldemort.

Could it be that Snape had betrayed James in some way that contributed to his death? And maybe Tywin, being a friend of James, had discovered this secret?

William, Cedric, and Cho were full of questions.

But Hagrid refused to speak further on the matter, swiftly changing the subject. "Isn't today the Gryffindor Quidditch team tryouts?" he asked, scratching his beard. 

"Wonder if Charlie'll find any good recruits. I like him a lot—he's got a real knack for handling magical creatures. And It's his last year at Hogwarts. Hope Gryffindor can take the cup."

Cedric, however, cleared his throat in defiance.

He then began passionately outlining the superior chances of Hufflepuff winning the Quidditch Cup this year, based on team chemistry, roster depth, and past performance records. Cho listened with great interest, as she was a big fan of Quidditch as well.

Meanwhile, William stood up and noticed a small clipping from the Daily Prophet tucked under Hagrid's tea cosy. It was a report about the recent Ministry break-in:

"Ministry of Magic Break-in: Latest Update"

The investigation into the illegal break-in at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures on August 1st is still ongoing. It is widely believed that dark wizards were responsible.

The head of the department, Cuthbert Mockridge, reiterated today that no magical creatures were stolen.

A spokesperson for the department, Amos Diggory, stated this afternoon: "The contents of the department's storage remain confidential. Please refrain from interfering."

The break-in at the Ministry had been the biggest news of late, nearly overshadowing the rumor about Snape's supposed love for cross-dressing.

William recalled hearing rumors about the break-in while on the train with Lee Jordan during the summer. At the time, it had seemed like nothing more than a joke, but now it appeared to be true.

On the article, certain words like "Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures" and "illegal smuggling" had been circled in red ink—by Hagrid.

And Hagrid had a good reason for it.

On August 1st, the same day of the break-in, Hagrid had taken William to Diagon Alley. It wasn't until a few days later that Hagrid had bought Fluffy from a Greek wizard, after the man had mysteriously disappeared for a while.

Hagrid was now worried that the man who sold him Fluffy had been involved in the Ministry break-in and had smuggled out illegal magical creatures—selling one of them to Hagrid.

If the Ministry found out, Hagrid could be sent to Azkaban.

As for the Ministry's claim that nothing had been stolen—well, official statements weren't always the most trustworthy.

join my patreon for 35+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL