Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 20 Aragog
"None of your business!" Hagrid's face darkened instantly. He swung his large hand violently and said gruffly, "Get away from me!"

He then strode towards his cabin.

Even Snape, running at a brisk pace, could hardly keep up with his pace.

"Hey, Hagrid!" Snape called after him, "What's going on?"

"boom!"

Hagrid slammed the door shut.

This is trouble.

Snape stood there frowning. He knew he wasn't Harry, and Hagrid would never easily tell him what happened back then.

But he hadn't expected Hagrid's reaction to be so intense, and he wasn't even given a chance to communicate with him.

As for asking faculty or ghosts as Abbott suggested, it would be difficult to obtain useful information from them. It is believed that Dumbledore had already told those in the know to keep this a secret.

Should I really just barge into the girls' restroom on the second floor?

But he had no reason to go directly to Myrtle.

He had to obtain the appropriate information through seemingly reasonable means before he could ask the poor little girl.

Otherwise, given Dumbledore's keen insight and wisdom, he would likely have had a hard time getting past that hurdle.

It seems I have to take a risk and use something drastic.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Snape walked up to Hagrid's cabin and knocked hard on the door.

"Hagrid! Don't hide in there silently! You have the guts to kill that little girl, but why don't you have the guts to open the door? Open the door!"

A few seconds later, the door suddenly opened.

Snape saw Hagrid pointing a giant crossbow at him.

"No, I didn't! Aragog would never kill anyone!"

Hagrid roared, his eyes red.

"Who is Aragog? Is he the spider mentioned in the Daily Prophet?"

Snape took a step forward and reached out to deflect the giant crossbow aimed at him.

"Hey, don't try to scare me, Hagrid. You won't hurt anyone."

Hagrid lowered his weapon, but still glared fiercely, his unkempt beard trembling with each breath.

"Could it be that I guessed right, and you were the one who was expelled from Hogwarts thirty-three years ago?"

"Let's go inside and talk."

Hagrid was silent for a moment, then stepped aside to let Snape into the room.

The cabin had only one room. Hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling, and a large bed with patchwork quilts made of scraps of cloth sat in the corner. Hagrid's pink parasol leaned against the back wall of the cabin.

Snape sat down at the only large wooden table in the room.

"Abbo told me some things about you. Can I try some of your rock-skin cakes?"

Hagrid snorted loudly through his nose.

Finally, he took a large plate of rock cakes from the cupboard and placed it heavily in front of Snape.

Snape soon regretted it; the rock cake had almost knocked out his teeth, but he had to pretend he loved it.

He put down the half-eaten rock cake in his hand, looked down to make sure there were no of his own teeth on it, and said, "Hagrid, I believe you are not the murderer of that matter."

“If you are, I don’t think Dumbledore would ever let you stay at Hogwarts. I was just guessing earlier so I could have a chance to talk to you.”

"Since you're still here, there must be more to the story than meets the eye back then."

Snape pulled several folded copies of the Daily Prophet from his robes.

“Take a look,” he said, pushing the newspaper off the table toward Hagrid. “This is the report from back then.”

Hagrid shifted uncomfortably. "Could you tell me the story of Aragog?" Snape asked.

“I can’t tell you,” Hagrid said dryly. “I won’t say anything.”

"Then let me boldly enter the realm of speculation and conjecture."

Snape sat up straight and stared directly into Hagrid's dark eyes.

In 1943, a series of attacks occurred at Hogwarts, resulting in the death of a female student and causing widespread panic.

"Tom Riddle discovered that you were keeping a giant spider in the castle and believed that it was this spider, Aragog, that killed the girl."

“No… Aragog didn’t…” The parts of Hagrid’s face not covered by his beard and hair turned as pale as paper.

Ignoring Hagrid's explanation, Snape continued, "Whatever the truth, the Chamber of Secrets attack is over."

“Riddle received the ‘Special Contribution to the School Award’ for this, and the so-called ‘troublemaker’—” He gave Hagrid a scrutinizing look, “you were expelled from school, and your wand was broken, right?”

Sweat began to bead on Hagrid's forehead, and his beetle-like, dark eyes were filled with panic.

"Can we talk now?"

Hagrid nodded stiffly, his face blank.

"Since Aragog isn't the murderer, what do you know?"

"It won't tell me."

"what?"

“I’ve asked Aragog many times, but it won’t tell me.”

"It just told me that there was an ancient creature it feared most roaming around the school, but it wouldn't say the name of that terrifying creature."

Snape tapped his fingers lightly on the table; he was close to getting the answer he wanted.

What do you know about Riddle?

"He was outstanding, always ranking first in every subject, and even became the president of the boys' student council."

"And then what happened? Such an outstanding person."

“I don’t know,” Hagrid shook his head. “We haven’t heard from him since he left school.”

It seems Hagrid knows almost nothing about Riddle's affairs.

"So what do you know about that poor girl?"

Hagrid hesitated, seemingly unsure whether he should reveal the girl's information.

“Look,” Snape repeated, bending down to spread the newspaper out in front of Hagrid, “how can she rest in peace in the other world if the real killer is still at large?”

“She didn’t go to another world,” Hagrid said in a hoarse, low voice. “She’s still in the castle.”

"What do you mean by that?" Snape asked, feigning surprise.

“The weeping Myrtle, the dead girl,” Hagrid said, “her body was found in the washroom, and she has returned.”

"You mean that ghost who's always crying sadly in the girls' restroom?"

"Yes." Hai Ge shrugged nervously, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

“Thank you, Hagrid, this information has been very helpful to me,” Snape said. “I swear I won’t tell anyone except Dumbledore about your affairs. Of course, I suppose he already knows this.”

"Furthermore, out of personal interest, I will try to find out the truth of what happened back then. If possible, I will clear your name at the appropriate time."

Snape stood up and walked toward the door.

He walked toward the castle in the deepening twilight, the light from the windows floating in the fresh air.

Later, when no one is around, he can go see Myrtle and then legitimately discover the entrance to the secret chamber, which is the faucet with the little snake carved on it.

Although we can't get in yet, this is still a welcome step forward.

(End of this chapter)