{Edited} The Chaotic Traveler - Chapter 10 (Patreon)

AN: Edited chapters do not count toward monthly quota's

Not beta'd yet.

Chapter 10: The Kraken Was Hungry / Blame The Squid

The morning sun rose over the distant mountains, the rays of life-giving light burning intensely into Jin's eyes, and he hissed like the shut-in he was at the abomination while opening his cabin's front door.

"Up and at em, Jin! It's a beautiful mornin!" Jin wasn't amused by Hagrid’s glistening smile, which only brought more light into his dark cabin. "Here, have a breakfast muffin; I added raisins!"

Hagrid dropped a softball-sized muffin into his hand, and Jin felt his back crack. "Did you put a cannonball in this thing?!”

Hagrid just let out a jolly laugh and motioned for him to follow. “C’mon, I’ll show you where everything is.”

Bleary-eyed from an all-nighter of real time spent reading and re-reading books to copy them into his mind, Jin was too mentally drained to do anything but listen, half-dazed, to everything Hagrid told him as he dragged him across the school grounds.

“Over there’s the stables.” Hagrid pointed. “I built em for Hippogriffs, but they should work fine for the horses we're expecting in a bit.”

Said stables were large enough for over a dozen horses, styled like a typical barn house mixed with a Viking longhouse.

“Horses?” Jin rubbed his tired eyes and tried to focus. “Why are we getting horses again? The tournament?”

“Not so loud!” Hagrid boomed and made a shushing motion despite not having a single other soul in sight. "Keep the tournament on the down-low, ya hear? The students don’t know about it just yet.”

Jin deadpanned at him. "Hagrid, it's August 31st; there aren’t any students in the school yet.”

“Oh.” Hagrid looked around and blinked, only seeming to realize that now. “Ah, right, the years just blend together, haha!”

Jin shook his head, not able to fight the chuckle that bubbled up. “So, the horses?”

“Right! The headmaster said one of the schools would be bringing them." Hagrid shot him an encouraging, responsible look. “I’m counting on ya to care for those critters while they’re here.”

"No worries, big guy.” Jin waved lazily.

How hard could dealing with horses be for a guy with House Elves?

“Is there any chance they said what kind, though?” Jin hummed. “There are a dozen types of domesticated magical horses."

He was missing that bit from his memories, one of hundreds of holes in his fragmented meta knowledge.

Hagrid shrugged unhelpfully. "Beats me, although I was told to feed em alcohol, so maybe that might help narrow it down."

Jin stopped short as he mentally pulled up the information he filed away on magical beasts. “Hagrid. The only magical horses that drink alcohol are Abraxan."

Hagrid's eyes lit up. "Oh! That's what they were called. I was drawing a blank on the name. I wonder if they would mate with a Hippogriff.” He rubbed his hands together. “How exciting, right?"

‘It’s too early for this shit.’ Jin pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. “Hagrid, please ignore the intrusive thoughts and focus. Abraxan are carnivores. They eat people. They have an XXXX-danger rating."

Jin had made sure to file away notes on the more dangerous species out there, not wanting to get shanked by something he didn’t see coming because he was overconfident in his knowledge.

“Bah, all just hot air.” The guy waved his hand like it wasn’t a big deal. “Plenty of beasties are just being playful; give 'em a good talking to and a bonk on the head if you have to, and it should be fine." The big guy gave Jin a thumbs-up. “You’ve been around these types before, right?”

Jin clamped his mouth shut to avoid giving himself away.

Instead, he looked at Hagrid's meaty, microwave-sized hands and then back at his own, barely a foot in size.

He swallowed hard and did not feel reassured. “Right.”

“Good on ya!” Hagrid clapped him on the back and made a new Jin-shaped hole in the ground. “Oops.”

Jin growled in the dirt. ‘I’m having second thoughts on this job.’

The tour continued as Hagrid pointed out the half-giant-sized tool shed, where the big guy had personally collected materials and tools over the decades.

“And I can use anything in there?” Jin asked in surprise.

Hagrid happily nodded. "Of course! There's nothing better than designing something with your own hands, eh?”

Jin stared up at the rows of carefully cared-for tools, each in their own designated spot, and felt warm at the trust he was being shown to have free access to something handymen held sacred.

‘It takes a real man to share their workshop.’ Jin laughed and slapped the big guy's arm. "Damn straight."

“I knew you’d like it!” The returned cheerful slap from the half-giant did not have the same result. “Oops.”

‘I’m starting to realize why this job position is usually empty.’ Jin groused internally.

The day went on with Hagrid showing Jin signs at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, marking each magical beast's territory.

The entire area was marked off by nothing more than a picket fence interspersed with colorful flowers separating it from the grassland.

'Is this an example of lacking common sense?' Jin couldn't help but wonder as Hagrid pointed out a section native to acid-spewing slugs, barely a few minutes from the main path.

“Acid-Spewing slugs?” Jin worriedly eyed a half-melted tree.

“Sure! They roast great over a good flame once ya get the acid out.” Hagrid beamed. “Just gotta watch where ye step. Look over ere’.”

Various creatures marked areas in unusual ways that were easy to overlook, yet the more Hagrid talked, the more Jin felt his respect for the guy grow. 'He really must have become at home in these woods.'

Hagrid efficiently pointed out the faintest markings of different habitats, from a Jobberknoll nest to a Puffskein dwelling, and even to the almost nonexistent traces of a Diricawl, a type of flightless magical bird that turned invisible when threatened.

“Think you could give me a few bushcraft lessons?” Jin couldn’t help but ask after a while, figuring the skillset would be useful for him somewhere in the future.

“I’d be honored!” Hagrid beamed brightly. “I make a mean forest stew; I’ll show you how to tell the poisonous stuff from the edible stuff later.”

Jin couldn’t help but feel like the half-giant was a cool big brother with decades of bushcraft and survival skills.

If not for the Jin-sized indents the big guy kept leaving around the school grounds.

The trip around the area took a few hours, but Jin got a firsthand look at all the key locations he needed to know.

The two walked and talked, Jin expanding on his backstory a bit when prompted, and Hagrid sharing some of the struggles he faced growing up, especially not being legally allowed to practice magic.

Around noon, Hagrid invited Jin to his place for lunch.

He winked at Jin and shot a stream of fire into his hearth using an umbrella. “I may not have a ‘wand’ in the traditional sense, but as long as a focus don’t look like one, no one around these parts bothers me.” He gave Jin a knowing nod. “If you want to get around the rules, have a blast. Just keep it on the down-low, ya hear?”

“I…” Jin didn’t know what to say. He’d known Hagrid for a day, and the guy was blatantly sharing how to break the law.

Jin’s background wasn’t exactly known to anyone outside of those who actually read the employment documents he filled out, such as McGonagall, so the lack of a wand seemed to translate to ‘unable to cast magic’ to the majority of the British magicals, and Hagrid was trying to cheer him up.

The big guy laughed warmly. "I've been in your shoes before, way back when. Wasn't a fun time for me."

‘I wonder what Hagrid would have become if Riddle didn’t screw him over?’ Jin couldn’t help but wonder as he nodded. "Thank you, Hagrid. It means a lot."

Even if Jin had no inclination to tell people he could cast magic as he was, he was still thankful for the kind-hearted gesture. "You're a pretty cool guy."

“Aw, shucks.” Hagrid blushed. “I’m just average.”

“Bud, there ain’t nothing average about you.” Jin elbowed his side.

“Ha! I’ll take it.” Hagrid boomed.

The two bonded as the day went on, and Jin listened to the crazy stories Hagrid had to tell, using real-life examples to explain how to deal with specific issues.

The big guy got into the craziest situations without realizing how insane they were.

After the second failed attempt, Jin stopped pointing out the weird parts and just listened with a wry smile. 'I wish I could have read a story based on Hagrid's day-to-day life. He's a riot.'

And like that, Jin’s introductory day passed by as he got a good understanding of where things were and what chores he needed to attend to before he finally made it back to his hut and collapsed on the couch from fatigue.

A groan of exhaustion left his lips. 'Ugh, I need to organize my hours better. I can't just laze around in the morning at the Leaky Cauldron anymore.'

Shadow chose that moment to squat on the back of Jin’s head, rubbing her little butt in to get comfortable.

‘And I’m a cat owner.’ Jin weakly raised a hand. “Gol, feed Shadow.”

His dutiful butler elf appeared in a pop.

"Right away, Sir." He snapped his fingers, and Bron popped in.

“I got the missy chow!” Bron held the bowl of tuna up proudly just in time for Shadow to lunge at him with claws out. “AH!”

‘And now I sleep.’ Jin drifted off to the peaceful sounds of a House Elf being mauled.

0000

Stepping off the Hogwarts Express, the fabled Golden Trio of Hogwarts, as their year mates liked to joke, had their heads on a swivel, already looking for abnormalities pointing to the next challenge that would try to kill them.

"I just want a quiet year, guys." Harry, now in his fourth year at school and more than fed up with bigger problems, said in an almost pleading voice.

"Don't jinx us, Harry; nothing good will come of it." A bushy, brown-haired teenager answered with a soft elbow to his side. "We should be focusing on our studies, anyway. I'm not letting you slack off this year!"

Harry looked away, recalling the dressing-down she had given him at the end of their third year when she discovered he was intentionally holding his studies back so he wouldn't make Ron jealous. "I already said I would try my best, Hermione.”

His bushy-haired friend narrowed her chocolate-brown eyes at him. "You promised."

Harry met her eyes and confirmed. “I promised.”

“Good.” She smiled brightly and hooked her arm with his. “We can start tonight then. I’ll quiz you on last year's curriculum.”

“But we just got here!” Harry argued.

"You promised~." She teased back, surprised by Harry's flush. "What's wrong, Harry?"

“You’ve… um… grown over the summer, Hermione." He choked out, trying not to focus on what his arm was touching. "In a good way, I mean."

“I have?” Hermione looked down at where his arm was pressing against her budding chest, having gone through a bit of a growth spurt over the summer, and flushed back, yet she didn’t pull away. “I guess I have.”

The two best friends matched eyes and felt a spark flow between them.

Yet, in the next moment, that spark died as Ron obliviously stepped off the train, munching on a chocolate frog. "What's with the smoking bloke next to Hagrid?"

His voice snapped the two out of their momentary trance, and they pulled back in a flash.

Harry coughed into his fist. “What bloke, mate?”

“Over there.” Ron bit into his frog and jerked his chin toward the boats, an unfriendly look on his face. "Think he's the next up to attack us?"

“Ronald!” Hermione stepped up and slapped his shoulder. “He’s obviously been hired as part of the staff if he’s helping Hagrid. Don’t just accuse a random man of a crime he didn’t commit.”

“Hey!” Ron held up his hands in defense. “We’ve been attacked three years in a row. I’d rather get the jump on one for once.”

“You can’t jump someone who hasn’t done anything!” Hermione lectured.

“Only if you’re not trying hard enough.” Ron countered.

Hermione was aghast. “That’s called committing a crime, Ronald!”

"He's not entirely wrong, Hermione." Harry added his two cents as he watched them butt heads. "We have been attacked three years in a row.”

Hermione snapped at him. "You can't really condone attacking someone who hasn't done anything, Harry?"

“I don’t.” He confirmed to appease her and turned to Ron. “Mate, I know how you feel, trust me, but we can at least talk to Hagrid first before becoming suspicious.”

“I’m ok with that.” Ron nodded and relaxed. "I still think the new guy’s suspicious, though."

“You think vegetarian meat is suspicious.” Hermione snarked.

Ron bristled. “Any meat that’s not real meat is a crime!”

“Um… guys?” Harry butted in again. “That guy’s looking our way.”

“What?”

“Who?”

The two turned to see the tall, muscled young adult with wild brown hair looking their way, a pipe trailing blue smoke from his lips.

The guy waved.

The trio awkwardly waved back.

“He seems nice.” Harry smiled.

“He seems suspicious.” Ron narrowed his eyes.

“He seems to work out.” Hermione said absently.

“…” “…”

Harry and Ron silently turned to Hermione, who looked lost in thought, then noticed their gazes and flushed. "I meant he looks strong!"

Harry and Ron narrowed their eyes as one. ““I don’t like him.””

They looked at each other and nodded in camaraderie.

“You don’t need to worry.” The three jumped at the dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood as she passed by on her way to the carriages. “The shattered mosquito is friendly. He’s only here because the rainbow vampire squashed him. I wonder if he’s seen a Snorcack?”

“…” “…” “…”

The trio watched Luna go in silence, with almost visible question marks floating over their heads, until Hermione quickly followed her.

“Luna! What did you mean by that?!”

“The Snorcack? It’s a wonderfully interesting creature.”

“Not that! The other part!”

“Oh, you mean their reproductive organs? Well…”

Hermione did not get her answers on the ride to the castle.

She did, however, receive an in-depth explanation of the biology of a creature she didn't know existed.

She took notes.

0000

Jin got a close-up look at the Hogwarts Express train when Hagrid brought him along to gather the first years in the boats.

Seeing the small kids, all big-eyed in oversized robes and excited for the coming year, was amusing. ‘Was I that innocent at one time?’

“Who’s the weirdo blowing blue smoke next to Hagrid?” A curious kid pointed at Jin.

Jin’s face twitched.

‘I take it back. Screw these little shits.’ He took a deep breath of the calming smoke and went about helping Hagrid get the kids situated in the boats like a mature adult.

"Someone else sit next to the smoking weirdo." The same kid who spoke before took the farthest boat from Jin.

Jin’s smile turned strained. 'Am I petty enough to use subtle charms on children during a boat ride?’

He looked at the kid picking his nose.

‘Yes. Yes, I am.'

0000

"Mr. Fluff." McGonagall was not amused. "Why are my first years soaking wet?"

She waved her wand and quickly dried the shivering children, whose expressions ranged from awed to excited to traumatized.

“It’s raining?” Jin tried.

“We have clear skies.” McGonagall didn’t even look up to check.

“Sudden shower?” He tried again.

“I have been standing here since the train arrived.” She tapped her finger against her wand.

“The Kraken was hungry, Ma’am.” Jin stood at military parade rest. “I saved who I could.”

McGonagall's brow twitched. "I do not recall a Kraken being in my lake, young man."

“Did you look for it, Ma’am?” Jin asked with a steady poker face.

“…I did not.” She narrowed her eyes at the admission. “Nevertheless, the giant squid has never harmed a student before.”

“No student was harmed, Ma’am.” Jin waved to the students who were keeping a wide berth from him. “You have my word of honor.”

"Mhm." She looked between the tall young man she had a favorable impression of and the rest of the chattering children, who were, indeed, entirely unharmed aside from the earlier wetness. "Very well. Don't let this happen again."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Ma'am." Jin saluted sharply. "Have I mentioned that your hat looks particularly vibrant in that shade of green?"

"You have not." She harrumphed and adjusted the lid of her witch hat like a preening cat. "But I thank you for noticing. Now, shoo, you are dismissed for the night."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am." He winked, and a slight smirk formed on the woman's face.

Yet, as he passed her and his smoke drifted her way, she held up a hand. “Mr. Fluff.”

“Ma’am?” Jin looked back.

She turned to him with an odd look. “Is that Dragonheart Root you are smoking?”

"Yes?" She shot him a look, and Jin coughed. "Yes, Ma'am. Is that an issue? I was told it was perfectly safe for even children to inhale."

"I see…" She looked at him thoughtfully, then shook her head. "No, it's no issue. Carry on, Mr. Fluff."

Jin nodded and walked off with a neutral expression, almost feeling the considering look she sent his way before she turned to the new students with a flat expression and assumed her role as the school's number one boss bitch. "Good evening, students. My name is Professor McGonagall and…."

Jin tuned out the rest of her voice as he walked down the dirt path back to his cabin.

As an assistant at the school, he wasn't welcome at the Great Hall for meals and would have had his meals sent by House Elves if his own elves hadn't stepped in.

Not that he minded.

Jin was more focused on McGonagall's comment.

'Did my smoke give something off?' Jin considered it as he moved. 'Hm, either way, just smoking a random root isn't enough to give me away. I can't cast magic to them; I'm harmless.' He smirked. 'My cover story has its uses.'

Jin’s thoughts turned toward the professor's phenomenally pointed hat. 'I can’t believe she actually changed the color of that thing; I was just making a joke.’

The boat ride was fun.

Jin only used a few subtle charms to add a bit of excitement. Just some extra boat shaking, poking shoulders with levitation charms, and odd tickling charms. 'I wasn't even the one who got them wet! Blame the squid.'

Somehow having sensed Jin's intentions, the friendly neighbor squid joined in with the prank, waving its tentacles and splashing some water at the kids, much to Hagrid's confusion.

Every time the big guy turned around, the tentacles retreated, and Jin looked innocent. 'Hagrid probably just thought the kids were excited. It was worth it if only to see him smile that large.'

So, Jin was getting a soft spot for the big lug; sue him.

'It was interesting seeing the golden trio, though.' Jin caught sight of them by the train and casually waved. 'Harry's famous anyway, so it's not weird if I recognized him. He seemed pretty chummy with Hermione for a moment there; maybe I should give him a push with that?'

Jin didn't remember everything from Canon, of course, but one thing that somehow managed to stick through was his dislike of the Harry and Ginny pairing. 'Well, let's see how it goes; I'm not much of a meddler in people's lives. For now, I'm hungry.'

“Gol.” He spoke aloud as he walked, removing his pipe to empty out the burnt bits.

His reliable House Elf appeared at his side. “Yes, Sir?”

Jin’s pupils sharpened without the smoke. “I’m thinking steak for dinner.”

“Right away, Sir.” Gol made no mention, simply bowing his head.

“And Gol.” Jin stopped him.

“Yes, Sir?” Gol asked.

“Make it rare.” Jin’s pointed teeth poked through as he smiled.

“Right away, Sir.” Gol answered confidently and popped away.

Jin calmly refilled his pipe and lit a new bowl, his features shifting back to normal as he absently blew smoke rings. 'My connection to my animal side is growing.'

The changes were slowly coming, and he wasn't sure how to cope as his body continued to grow at a phenomenal pace. 'I could really use the advice of an actual Animagus, but there's no way I'm admitting anything to McGonagall, and that only leaves…'

His steps paused as a thought occurred to him.

A quick review of his memories revealed that his idea could become a viable plan. "Sil."

"Master?" His scarred House Elf appeared in a near-silent pop.

“Are you busy these days?” Jin asked.

"No, Master.” Sil shook his head. “Only working on the Room."

“Perfect, I have a job for you.” Jin instructed the listening Elf. “I want you to keep an eye on Hogsmeade for me.”

“For what, Master?” Sil tilted his head.

"For a dog.” Jin’s gaze shone. “A large, black, shaggy Grim."

There was one person who could help fulfill two of his goals at once.

It would just take some dog-napping.

Chapter End.

AN: Which title option did you like better?

I might start slowing down with these edits and release on the same schedule as Merchant's Odyssey from now on, it's taking time away from writing Ouroboros. Still, I hope you enjoy!