Meanwhile, later the same night, Remus Lupin heard a knock on his office door.
"Who is it?" asked Remus calmly.
"Ameila Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, " answered Ameila, "May I please come in? There is a Hogwarts issue that needs to be addressed. The previous Headmaster never did anything about this issue. But I am sure you will understand why this issue is important and be receptive to my suggestions."
"Please come in, Ameila," replied Remus in that same calm voice.
Ameila opened the door with her wand at the ready in her right hand and entered Remus's office. She then shut the door behind her and locked it and proceeded to perform a Privacy Charm on the office so that no sight or sound could escape.
"So," said Ameila in a businesslike voice, "The concern that I wish to bring to your attention tonight is the presence of dangerous creatures and animals at Hogwarts."
"Are you referring to the beasts that roam the Forbidden Forest?" inquired Remus.
"Yes," confirmed Ameila, "The presence of the dangerous beasts in the Forbidden Forest puts the entire student body at risk."
"Well," said Remus slowly, "When I was a student at Hogwarts, Dumbledore always told us that "The Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students."
"Did he give that speech at the start of this year?" asked Amelia.
"Yes." replied Remus, "I intend to keep giving that speech in my role as Headmaster. It is very important that our students don't put themselves in harm's way by approaching these creatures."
"The thing is," said Ameila seriously, "Children and teenagers are both rebellious and curious. For many of the students, telling them that an area is off limits without providing a reason why it is off limits is almost an invitation to check out the off limits area."
"I can't disagree with that," acknowledged Remus, "Are you asking me to expand the warning to include an explanation of exactly what these creatures are and why they are dangerous?"
"Well," said Ameila slowly, "That would be an improvement. There are certainly some students who would make a point to stay out of the Forbidden Forest if they knew what lurks in it. Personally, if I knew that there was a three headed dog about, I wouldn't be much interested in finding out more about. All I would care about is never going near the dog. However, the problem is that there are almost certainly a handful of daredevils amongst the Hogwarts student body."
"That's a fair point," admitted Remus, "Some of the bolder students might seek the three headed dog to prove their bravery to everyone. The only truly safe solution would be for the aforementioned dangerous creatures and beast to not be anywhere near a school full of children and teenagers."
"Exactly," said Ameila firmly, "I am of the opinion that the best thing that can be done about the dangerous creatures and animals at Hogwarts is to quietly have the removed. I would prefer that you not make any announcement about the removal of these creatures to the student body."
"Is that because it will take some time for the removal of these creatures and animals, and you'd rather not have anyone who doesn't already know about their presence learn about it if he or she doesn't have to."
"I should be able to move fairly quickly on having this plan executed," Ameila assured Remus, "But I do think it's best if as few students as possible know about these animals and creatures. In addition to not wanting to encourage students to be daredevils, there's the not so small fact that it would terrify some of the students who don't know about these creatures to learn that they have been living amongst such creatures."
"I know a number of students avoid the Forbidden Forest at all costs because they trust that something is amiss with it and they don't want to know what that something is," observed Remus.
"I don't want the younger students of that kind to start having nightmares about dangerous beasts," said Ameila firmly.
"Another good reason to have taken away," realized Remus, "A student who unintentionally came across these dangerous beasts would not soon forget about. A student who met an acromantula would have the memory of that meeting seared into his or her mind forever."
"My thoughts exactly," nodded Ameila, "Now, I have a specific plan in place for what should happen to the creatures that will be removed."
"Let's hear it then," piped up Remus attentively.
"So," said Ameila firmly, "The Cerberus, a distinctly Greek creature, will be gifted the Greek Zoo of Magic in Athens, Greece."
"That's where a Cerberus belongs," said Remus matter of factly, "In a zoo, not on a school campus."
"An even bigger problem is the acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest," said Ameila tensely, "Acromantulas are amongst the most dangerous creatures that walk the face of the earth. That is because they have a very brutal nature while simultaneously possessing near human intelligence."
"What's the plan for dealing with the acromantulas then?" Remus grilled Ameila.
"So," explained Ameila in a slow and calm voice, "An acromantula reservation is being established in deserted part of northern Scottland. The acromantulas that have roamed the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts for over half a century now will be relocated there. There is a prominent acromantula living in the Forbidden Forest named Aragog. Hagrid brought Aragog to Hogwarts when he was a student here and Hagrid released Aragog into the Forbidden Forest after Hagrid was falsely accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets. Hagrid even found a wife and now they have dozens of sons and daughters, not to mention grandsons and granddaughters."
"Hagrid always seemed a damn bit too obsessed with the wrong kinds of magical creatures," said Lupin, remembering hearing about Hagrid wanting a pet dragon."
"True," agreed Ameila, "In the specific case of Aragog, Hagrid is and has always been too blinded by his own love of Aragog to see that he is a danger to others around him. Hagrid was sobbing uncontrollably when I informed him that Aragog would be moving away from Hogwarts. He broke down into a hysterical rant about how hard it was for him when he had to let go of Norberta."
"Norberta?" wondered Remus.
"Turns that Hagrid did got a hold a dragon egg a few years and a few nanoseconds ago," said Ameila disapprovingly, "He had named his baby dragon Norbert. We now know this dragon to be a girl, so she is Norberta."
"I do remember hearing Hagrid say back in the day that dragons and acromantula were "vastly misunderstood creatures, vastly misunderstood," remembered Remus.
"Heartbreaking though the removal of Fluffy and Aragog may be for Hagrid," declared Ameila in a businesslike voice, "The bottom line is that these creatures don't belong at a school, and they aren't going to stay at Hogwarts. It's that simple."
"The needs of the many, the Hogwarts students, outweigh the needs of the one, Hagrid," exclaimed Remus confidently.
"That's right," said Ameila in a no nonsense voice, "Hagrid was irresponsible to bring those creatures to Hogwarts in the first place and Dumbledore was more irresponsible for allowing them to stay instead of using his influence as Headmaster to have them removed."
"Are there any other creatures that need removing?" wondered Remus.
"The centaur herd currently stationed in the Forbidden Forest will soon have a new dominion," Ameila informed him, "A centaur reservation is being established in a deserted part of Wales. My concern with the centaurs is not that they are unduly aggressive, which they aren't. My concern is that centaurs are creatures that need to be treated with profound respect. I feel it would be all too easy for children and teenagers to disrespect or even provoke the centaurs, even if only accidently. "
"Centaurs prefer their own company anyway," said Remus in a crystal clear voice, "The centaurs at Hogwarts have never liked their occasional encounters with students and staff. Centaurs prefer to stay away from both muggle humans and witches and wizards. They like to manage their own affairs and not be pestered by people. They seem to be more okay with Hagrid than with other humans but even that's iffy."
"In other words," said Amelia firmly, "Removing the centaur herd from the Forbidden Forest and establishing a centaur reservation is best for all parties involved."
"Will any creatures or animals be allowed to stay in the Forbidden Forest?" asked Remus gently.
"Yes," replied Ameila softly, "Pure and gentle creatures such as thestrals and unicorns are welcome to stay in the forest and it's all good if an occasional cat wanders in. The idea is not to make Hogwarts animal free. The idea is simply to remove those animals that endanger the staff and especially students."
"When will this removal be executed?" asked Remus.
"Overnight," answered Ameila briskly, "I have a team from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures coming to Hogwarts at 2 A.M. while the students and staff are asleep to remove the Cerberus, acromantulas, and centaurs from the Forbidden Forest and transfer them to their new locations. They also have the green light to removal any other creatures or animals they deem are a danger to the students."
'Thank you, Ameila," said Remus sincerely, "Those dangerous beasts don't belong at Hogwarts and I'm glad to know that they are about to be in our rear view mirror."
"Taking the dangerous creatures and animals away from Hogwarts is a big step in the right direction," finished Ameila proudly.
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