Winning People Over with Virtue, Convincing Them with Reason

"Professor Reed! Grawp is still just a child! I can guarantee he won’t cause any damage!"

Although Aragog’s departure had left Hagrid devastated, he still followed Adam for his brother’s safety.

Along the way, Hagrid racked his brains, using what few words he knew to describe how harmless Grawp was.

Before Hagrid could finish, a commotion came from the distance. Adam turned to look and saw only a patch of treetop vanish from sight as several birds chirped and shot into the sky.

That sound was probably… a tree being knocked down.

Hagrid’s face flushed red.

"I guarantee Grawp won’t hurt any Hogwarts students! I’ll guarantee it with my life!"

"If Hogwarts students do not enter the Forbidden Forest, then I believe your guarantee. But I already said that Hogwarts will step up the development and use of the Forbidden Forest starting next term."

Adam looked at Hagrid and shook his head.

"You should know that since Voldemort’s return, the Death Eaters’ power has left the Ministry of Magic unable to protect everyone. Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor suggested that I strengthen the students’ practical combat training, and I thought he made a great deal of sense."

"Starting next term, Defense Against the Dark Arts will place greater emphasis on practical lessons, with classes held in the Forbidden Forest—just as I told Aragog before. Various magical creatures will be kept within designated areas to serve as training grounds for the students."

"Furthermore, Professor Sprout suggested that Hogwarts add several greenhouses so students could better study herbology. Therefore, I decided to establish new herb fields and greenhouses in the Forbidden Forest."

After outlining his plans for the Forbidden Forest, Adam continued.

"When students enter the Forbidden Forest in large numbers and frequently cast spells within it, even if you are willing to guarantee it, I cannot allow Grawp to continue living there as he did before."

"Back when I was a student, neither Acromantulas nor giants could threaten my life, so even though I knew they were in the Forbidden Forest, I did not interfere. But now I am the headmaster. I need to be responsible for the safety of Hogwarts students. Do you understand?"

Firenze listened silently. He knew Adam was saying these words to him as well.

As they spoke, they had arrived at Grawp’s "home."

Looking at Grawp, who was playing with a tree in front of them, Adam turned to Hagrid.

"He is a pure-blooded giant, right?"

"Uh, yes, but he’s far too small. He was often bullied among giants, so I brought him back…"

Adam glanced at the sixteen-foot-tall, nearly five-meter Grawp and nodded.

"He is your brother, so I will give him three choices as well. Considering that his intelligence may not be enough to understand my words, you can make the decision for him."

Hagrid wiped away his tears and nodded.

"The first choice is for him to move into an area with a danger rating of XXXX. The students will also regard him as one of their attack targets. Of course, you can go in to look after him normally, and you can persuade the students not to attack him."

"No! He can’t do that! Living with those dangerous creatures… he’s still just a child!"

Hagrid shook his head.

Adam was somewhat speechless. This sixteen-foot-tall child could not live alongside creatures with a danger rating of XXXX?

The Thestral you brought in last term and made a whole group of actual children take care of was also a creature with a danger rating of XXXX!

Speechless as he was, Adam continued.

"The second choice is for Grawp to leave Hogwarts and find some secluded place to live. He is not a member of Hogwarts. If he can threaten others and cannot provide any value, I have no reason to keep him at Hogwarts."

Hagrid hesitated for a moment, then asked about the third choice.

"The third choice is for me to make him bigger—big enough to match an ordinary giant—then let him return to his home."

Afterward, Adam let Hagrid experience it firsthand. This was not enlargement like an Engorgement Charm; it enlarged his strength along with his body, and the effect could last for a long time.

"You took him away from home because he was too small and got bullied. So what do you think of letting me make him normal-sized and send him back to live the life a giant should live?"

Hagrid fell into hesitation. Giants were so aggressive and violent that they often slaughtered one another despite being of the same kind, not to mention that Grawp’s original tribe had now joined the Death Eaters.

"I choose the second option."

"Fine. Then do it as soon as possible. Have him move out before school starts."

Adam nodded, then looked at Firenze.

"Professor Firenze, can you lead us to the centaur settlement in the Forbidden Forest?"

"…I should be able to, if their patterns of movement have not changed since they cast me out."

Firenze nodded.

On the way to find the centaur settlement, Firenze looked at Adam.

"Professor Reed, forgive my boldness, but how many choices did you prepare for the centaurs?"

"The same three: submit, leave, or die."

"Proud centaurs were not as tough as they claimed to be."

Adam stroked the Wand of Darkness, which had regained its shine after being cleaned, and said calmly.

"Convincing them went even more smoothly than convincing the Acromantulas."

Firenze, who had watched Adam use the Wand of Darkness to "convince" the centaur settlement, thought for a moment before ultimately choosing to remain silent.

Compared with the sensible Aragog and Hagrid, who had already witnessed Adam’s strength, the centaurs were far more hot-tempered and straightforward in their attitude. So Adam had directly chosen to win them over with virtue and convince them with reason.

Under Adam’s abundant martial virtue and exquisite physics, the centaur settlement was successfully moved by Adam and agreed to relocate to the area with a danger rating of XXXX.

Before that, however, they asked Adam for two months to prepare—for example, to recover from their injuries. Adam generously agreed.

Thinking back to how the centaurs had previously shouted that the Forbidden Forest had always belonged to them, Adam could not help but find it amusing.

If the centaurs had truly lived in the Forbidden Forest all along and held ownership over it, Hogwarts’ contract could never have included the Forbidden Forest.

When Adam became headmaster, he discovered that this ancient magical contract contained Spirituality Dimension power similar to the will of nature.

In other words, when this magical contract was established, the position of headmaster had already been acknowledged by Hogwarts Castle, the Forbidden Forest, the Black Lake, and every other area of Hogwarts.

So either the centaurs were later arrivals who moved to Hogwarts after the four founders established it, or they were natives who had been beaten into submission by the four founders and ultimately spared.

If it was the former, then they had spent so long living under someone else’s roof that they had started to think of it as their own home.

If it was the latter, they lost back then and still dared to jump out now? Did they think I could no longer lift a wand?

Did they know the last natives who were beaten into submission were called Indians? How were they doing now?

In any case, the Forbidden Forest was basically dealt with now. All that remained was to properly establish each section, and then they could prepare for the start of term.

Qi—oh, right. I nearly forgot!

Adam looked at Hagrid and waved his hand, erasing from Hagrid’s memories his understanding of Adam.

He would remember what he had done with the new headmaster that day, but he would no longer be able to recall any specific information about the new headmaster.

Now everything was properly taken care of~