"I'm not sure, Aileen."

Hagrid's face suddenly darkened, and he said in a rough voice, filled with frustration.

"You see, even the simplest task of supervising new students' training has turned into such a mess on my end, let alone teaching others – frankly, I don't know if I can handle this job."

Before that incident, Hagrid had always been confident in his knowledge and experience around the Forbidden Forest.

However, after witnessing so many young wizards poisoned and fainting before him, Rubeus Hagrid finally realized that many plants and animals he considered harmless could be fatally dangerous to the little ones at school.

"Don't worry, Hagrid!" Aileen smiled slightly. "You are definitely the best at finding and caring for magical creatures in all of Hogwarts, and I couldn't find anyone more suitable than you. Besides, I'm here, aren't I?"

In fact, in Aileen's opinion, Hagrid was even more suitable for this job than Newt Scamander.

The blood of a half-giant brought not only discriminatory gazes but also extremely high physical and magical defense, super self-healing and recovery abilities, extraordinary strength and a small amount of magical ability, a food chain apex suppression aura no less than Aileen's, and a rich store of knowledge about magical creatures…

If he were simply a magical creature researcher, Hagrid might be slightly lacking, but if he were seen as a magical creature hunter wandering in the wilderness, he would definitely be among the top talents in the magical world.

As everyone knows, those closest to nature are never the mindless "vegetarians." Hunters who eat meat heartily and drink wine in large bowls, not wasting every bit of nature's bounty, are the ones truly integrated into the natural world.

It should be noted that Rubeus Hagrid's identity at Hogwarts is not some harmless "nature reserve ranger."

People seem to intentionally or unintentionally overlook a very important point. According to the most accurate official title and position, Hagrid's current job is – **Hogwarts Gamekeeper**.

The Forbidden Forest has never been a peaceful paradise.

From the deep, cold Black Lake to the boundless forest mountains, this vast and uninhabited wilderness area was defined as a hunting ground exclusively for Hogwarts Castle as early as Salazar Slytherin's time.

"But, wouldn't that be a bit..."

Vaguely sensing that something was amiss, Hagrid put down his glass and said hesitantly.

"I mean, the *A Bite of Hogwarts* section, that sounds like it's more than just a simple introduction, right?"

Having worked as a Hogwarts Gamekeeper for so many years, Rubeus Hagrid was eager to step onto a larger stage and share his magical creature breeding expertise with more people – not to mention that the Ministry of Magic had now rescinded its verdict against him from back then.

However, judging from Aileen's meaning, it seemed more like sharing magical creature culinary experiences?!

"That's right, some of it will involve edible value, but there's no conflict."

Aileen gently tossed her hair, pondered for two seconds, and then answered with a straight face.

"Mr. Rubeus Hagrid, as a magical creature enthusiast, you must be well aware of the terrible living conditions of those cute animals in the magical world, right? Even with wizards like Mr. Newt Scamander constantly traveling and appealing, the number of magical creature populations continues to decline."

Considering that Hagrid's standards for measuring cute animals were not quite the same as those of normal people, the terrible situation Aileen mentioned could be said to resonate deeply with Hagrid – whether it was Fluffy the three-headed dog, a dragon, Aragog the Acromantula… or even harmless creatures like Buckbeak the Hippogriff, they were constantly facing threats from the wizarding world.

However, precisely because of this, the expression on Hagrid's face became even more perplexed.

"You're right, the living environment of magical creatures is indeed getting worse and worse. In that case, what you said about culinary experiences sounds even less convincing..."

If it weren't for Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Otto's sake, Hagrid's tone might have been even more impolite. After all, it was indeed a bit awkward to discuss flavors in front of a small animal protectionist – even though Hagrid's cabin menu actually included things like ferret pie.

"On the contrary! What I want to say is that you've all fallen into a misunderstanding about protecting magical creatures."

Aileen raised her eyes to look at Hagrid, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, and said softly.

"The unknown brings fear, and fear is the source of all rejection. To protect a species, the first thing you need to do is to understand it comprehensively and integrate it into the world as much as possible, and the easiest way is to figure out whether this thing can be eaten, how to eat it, and whether it tastes good..."

Seeing the expression on the white-haired dumpling's face, the two old men sitting by the wooden table exchanged glances subconsciously.

Here it comes, here it comes! This black-hearted little girl is starting to fool people again!

They were too familiar with this feeling – the alluring bloodline of a Veela hybrid, coupled with Grindelwald's lecture rhythm, and Dumbledore's characteristic kind and gentle eyes…

Unconsciously, Aileen had gradually begun to grow into a qualified dark lord.

Neither Dumbledore nor Grindelwald considered themselves as good as Aileen's terrifying imitation and learning talent.

And what made the two of them helpless was: usually, the things that came out of this child's mouth, although they seemed particularly absurd and crazy at first glance, always contained a legitimate logical reason that was hard to refuse after thinking about it carefully.

For example, the current scene was the best example…

"Mr. Hagrid, are you afraid of wild boars?"

"How could I be, it's just a pig..." Hagrid shook his head, chuckling.

"However, in the natural world, any wild boar that is slightly larger generally weighs 300 kilograms, and with a running speed of 40-70 kilometers per hour, it can easily knock most wizards into serious injuries. Whether it's bite force, jumping power, or defense, it's more terrifying than many beasts in the conventional sense."

Aileen smiled lightly and spread her hands, licking her lips without leaving a trace, and said very seriously.

"The most important reason why people are not afraid of wild boars is because, when we see wild boars, a large part of the relevant knowledge and memories that emerge in our minds are roasted suckling pig, roasted pork knuckle, smoked ham, fried bacon, grilled sausage, pork stew..."

"Think about it, when you think of a knife cutting through the golden-red pig skin, the rising heat carrying the satisfying aroma of meat and unique oil, the layered fibers of the chewy pork hind leg, the pink, thick, and delicious crust under the crispy skin of the pork knuckle that has been marinated overnight… all fear will disappear, replaced only by the most simple laws of nature."

As Aileen's voice娓娓道来(wěiwěidàolái -娓娓道来 means to narrate slowly and in detail), corresponding pictures instantly appeared in the minds of the three wizards present.

Especially Albus Dumbledore, who had been eating an elderly health diet for two consecutive days, swallowed a mouthful of saliva without leaving a trace – this child is really a devil, isn't she? It's really not necessary to describe it in so much detail in this kind of situation.

*Gurulu~*

Hagrid couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva, turned his face slightly, and looked at Aileen with a frown.

"Wait, you don't mean to say..."

"Another question, do you think humans are afraid of geese?"

Before Rubeus Hagrid could finish speaking, Aileen smiled slightly and continued.

"You know, an adult swan can weigh up to 30 pounds. In an agitated state, it can confront a宅男(zháinán – a slang term for otaku) wizard who has lost his wand head-on. Uh, I mean, the kind of wizard who doesn't like to exercise, spends long periods of time alone at home, staring blankly in one place. But obviously, we don't need to worry about swans facing extinction."

"Because, just like the memories of wild boars, our taste buds and brains clearly tell us how delicious roasted whole goose, swan pie, herb-oil-soaked goose, carrot stewed goose, pan-fried goose liver… these dishes are."

"Of course, there are also the most common owls in the magical world, which are called round-faced fat chickens in the non-magical world. An adult, large-bodied round-faced fat chicken can easily hunt prey that is twice its weight, and its hunting range extends from the sky, land, all the way to the underwater realm. Even so, owl messengers are still the most suitable pets for young wizards..."

"That's right, all of these animals have one thing in common – they are deeply understood and familiar to humans, and have been perfectly integrated into our daily lives, whether as food, pets, hunting partners..."

Aileen licked her lips again, a cold glint flashed in her lake-blue eyes, and a yearning expression appeared on her face.

"As far as I know, a group of Acromantula live in the Hogwarts Forbidden Forest. If I'm not mistaken, that's why you were falsely accused of being the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago, right..."

When she said this, Aileen paused deliberately, glanced at Hagrid, whose expression had frozen, and then at Albus Dumbledore, who showed no surprise, and continued mercilessly.

"Mr. Hagrid, or rather, Senior Hagrid? Acromantula, these are magical creatures that have been marked as high-risk by the Ministry of Magic. Even if the Ministry of Magic rescinded the previous accusation against you for opening the Chamber of Secrets, this kind of creature that is extremely dangerous to human wizards is still..."

"Aragog wouldn't hurt anyone! People have prejudices against Acromantula."

Hagrid's thick, tangled beard twitched violently, and he said, panting.

The Acromantula is a giant spider that originally grew in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, especially the dense jungles of Borneo. Hogwarts was not originally surrounded by this kind of magical creature.

However, between 1940 and 1943, a tourist gave an Acromantula egg to Rubeus Hagrid. Hagrid named it Aragog and brought it into the castle, raising it in a storage room in the dungeon.

In 1943, after Hagrid was falsely accused of being the culprit who opened the Chamber of Secrets, Aragog was released into the Forbidden Forest by Hagrid. Later, Hagrid often went to the Forbidden Forest to see Aragog and found his wife, Mosag.

Since then, a colony of Acromantula has appeared in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts.

But over the years, this colony of Acromantula living in the Hogwarts Forbidden Forest has never attacked any Hogwarts students. Of course, part of the reason is that no student has ever ventured deep into the Hogwarts Forbidden Forest to find their nesting place.

If Aileen remembered correctly, this kind of cruel, man-eating giant spider would not behave as friendly and harmless as Hagrid imagined when facing humans who took the initiative to come to their door - the reason why they didn't eat Hagrid was partly due to the kindness of raising him, and more because they probably couldn't beat a frenzied half-giant wizard.

However, just like the story of the terrifying bipedal apes gradually climbing to the top of the food chain.

In Aileen's opinion, the main reasons why a creature is feared and rejected are only two: not finding a suitable way to eat it, or not developing irreplaceable medicinal value.

Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of so many potion masters in the magical world, half of the value development has been completed: Acromantula can secrete venom, and this precious potion material costs one galleon/100 Sickles on the black market.

And now, Aileen was going to further develop this magical animal, truly making it a kind of conventional magical creature that could be widely accepted in the magical world, rather than a demonized, high-risk animal - medicinal and edible, these are two completely different degrees of social awareness.

In other words, people will not have too much reverence for anything that can be eaten.

And from the perspective of the food chain, even if that animal also eats people, then everyone is at least in a 50-50 relationship. For example, magical lobsters and magical mantis shrimps may also eat people, but no one is afraid of them.

Of course, the first step is to give the Acromantula a more pleasant name.

"Land-based Soft-shelled Hairy Crab" is a more lovely name - although many people like to classify spiders as insects, theoretically speaking, spiders are more closely related to crabs.

"Don't get excited, Hagrid, I haven't finished yet... Actually, I agree with your point of view, Acromantula aren't that scary, but my perspective is slightly different, our goals are the same."

Aileen shrugged and naturally took over Hagrid's words, continuing.

"With people's understanding of this "Land-based Soft-shelled Hairy Crab," I think there is a certain chance that even more people can be involved in the breeding of Acromantula, only needing... a little sacrifice. I'm just an ordinary chef, cooking food is my specialty, but how to catch prey is not my area of expertise."

"No, no way! Aragog is my friend, I won't hurt him."

Hagrid shook his head with a serious face, a trace of pain appeared on his face, "Aileen, you don't understand, in many people's eyes, wizards like me are not that different from Acromantula, I've even been to wizard prison..."

"Of course I understand, in fact, I knew it from the first moment I saw you."

Aileen looked at Hagrid, whose emotions were almost stirred up, stood up and patted the giant's arm as hard as granite, calmly tossed her hair, and sacrificed her final trump card.

"Hagrid, you're a half-giant, right? And I'm a Veela hybrid – a half-human wizard just like you. So, you need to understand one thing, we're in the same camp, not the magical creatures. Now, tell me your decision."

As Aileen's voice fell, the cabin fell into a brief silence.

Until a few minutes later, Hagrid sighed heavily, raised his head and took a meaningful look at the small hand Aileen handed to him, his bright black eyes filled with struggle and tears.

"I'm sorry, Miss Kaslana, I won't actively hurt Aragog and his descendants. At least, I won't do that until they harm or attack wizards."

Hagrid paused slightly, turned his head and glanced at Professor Dumbledore, who had been silent, just smiling at the two of them.

If this was Professor Albus Dumbledore's request, Rubeus Hagrid would naturally try his best to complete it, but from the current situation, it was clear that Professor Dumbledore was giving him the choice more to him.

The giant's tone gradually became smooth and firm. Although there was still some choking, there was no longer the confusion as before. He lowered his head, looked into Aileen's eyes, and said seriously.

"And I've also decided that I will accept Professor Dumbledore's invitation to return to Hogwarts to continue my studies and fulfill my father's last wish, plus the duties of Gamekeeper... So, I may not have much energy and time to complete the work of a Forbidden Forest hunter."

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*Gua~* Super big chapter! 5000 words!

Current progress (28/28), all previous overdue updates have been paid off. Then, the overdue updates from yesterday's chapter comments will be recalculated (0/1).

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