Every Contractor likely knew Hagrid’s identity, recognized him as a figure of immense narrative importance, and rose to take seats at the tables nearest to him. Hagrid curled his thick, carrot-like fingers, tapping the tabletop, and cleared his throat:

“Gentlemen, all you need for my assessment is sufficient strength. Beyond that, Mr. Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts, is already vexed by the incoming flood of energetic and omnipresent students, and his cat, Mrs. Norris, is unwell, so he’s also hiring some nimble temporary staff to help keep order at Hogwarts. Now, let’s begin the tests.”

With that, Hagrid began rummaging inside his oversized, dusty moleskin coat, muttering to himself: “Strange, I was sure I borrowed that thing from Nearly Headless Nick?”

But the half-giant’s expression quickly relaxed. In the palm of his hand, which he drew from his pocket, lay another hand—specifically, a semi-transparent palm with a faint blue tint, giving it a distinctly ghostly quality, severed neatly at the wrist. As Hagrid opened his grip, the transparent hand floated into the air, its fingers occasionally twitching.

Hagrid let out a breath of relief, raised his tankard, swirled the contents, and addressed the Contractors: “Grasp this palm and press it down onto the table; that will pass the interview.”

The crowd stared, while the floating, translucent severed hand provocatively hooked its fingers toward the Contractors in a universally recognized gesture of defiance.

A Contractor suddenly stepped forward, announcing loudly: “I’ll do it!”

This Contractor, presumably very confident in his strength, approached the table, seized the ghostly hand, and began applying force. It was clearly visible that the phantom palm was swiftly being driven downward toward the surface of the table. Hagrid smiled, applauded, and nodded: “You’ve passed.”

Jack the Ripper murmured quietly to Fang Senyan: “That one’s Vant. Rumor has it his peak Strength can reach 28. He wields a greatsword and has potent burst capability; specifics are unknown.”

At this moment, another Contractor stood up, calm and composed: “Mr. Hagrid, I am very interested in Mr. Filch’s duties. How is the test administered?”

Hagrid turned his head and whistled at bartender Nick: “Nick, clear some space for me.”

Bartender Nick, polishing a glass, put down the empty cup and tapped it on the bar. Immediately, the tables and stools in the center of the pub slid apart, revealing a neat, narrow clearing about ten meters long. Clearly, this bartender was no ordinary person either. Hagrid pointed to the open space: “Run from this end of the clearing to the other at top speed. If your time is acceptable, you pass.”

Since this Contractor dared to step forward, he naturally had some backing. He passed the test quite smoothly.

Fang Senyan’s current Strength, including equipment, was 13, but his Agility was a meager 10, so he naturally opted to test his might against the ghostly hand. As he gripped the hand, a wave of intense cold washed over him, causing his whole body to tremble slightly. However, this strange sensation soon vanished, and Fang Senyan began to exert force to press the phantom hand down. Evidently, the resistance was considerable, requiring significant effort just to move it a fraction lower. Despite the time consumed, Fang Senyan successfully cleared the hurdle.

Jack the Ripper, however, did not engage in the contest of strength with the ghostly hand. Instead, he moved to the running test nearby, suggesting he was likely someone whose Agility attribute was high. Still, his result was not excellent, barely scraping past the passing threshold, not even qualifying as good.

After Hagrid concluded his selections, only three Contractors remained. Fang Senyan could now reasonably deduce that the Strength, Agility, and Spirit attributes of these three individuals were all below ten points, which is why they failed. This implied, conversely, that their core attributes likely leaned toward Charisma, Intelligence, Constitution, or Perception.

Based on what Fang Senyan currently knew, there were two probable evolutionary paths for Contractors with such attributes: one being Contractors whose sheer Constitution was extremely high, granting formidable survival capabilities, and the other being Summoners who rely on summoned creatures. For such a specialized group, Fang Senyan trusted that the Nightmare Space would have alternative arrangements.

As expected, after tallying the final numbers, Hagrid turned to the remaining trio: “Gentlemen, I regret you haven’t met my requirements. However, I believe you possess some merits. Hogwarts Station is currently short-handed; if you’re interested, you can try there—or I can ask dear Nick to perhaps find you a post in Diagon Alley.”

“Diagon Alley!” Fang Senyan’s heart leaped upon hearing the name. In this world, Diagon Alley was the largest marketplace for wizards, where unheard-of magical items and creatures could be procured. The largest Goblin bank, Gringotts, was also situated there. Without a doubt, this was compensation offered to Contractors who had abandoned the main quest. Though they wouldn't enter Hogwarts Academy, they could embark on new adventures in the opportunity-rich environment of Diagon Alley.

The three remaining Contractors exchanged glances. Two of them seemed to be from the same team and opted for the station, but the third chose to seek employment in Diagon Alley. Hagrid drained the last of the ale in his tankard, wiped his great beard, and addressed Fang Senyan and the others: “Let’s go. In a few days, Hogwarts will be swamped with new students. Nick! May I use the fireplace upstairs?”

Nick, intensely focused on mixing a cocktail, replied without looking up: “Hagrid, be careful about the Ministry people giving you trouble.”

Hagrid shrugged dismissively: “Time is tight, Dumbledore authorized it—you don’t know how bad things are at Hogwarts right now, it’s like a knocked-over bowl of cream of mushroom soup—you know that a newborn with a special status is arriving this year, and that makes that person restless again. Alright lads, keep up, there’s plenty of work needing to be done. The compensation we offer is quite substantial, mind you.”

The group ascended to the second floor of the pub, instantly crowding a small room. Hagrid scooped a handful of powder from a jar to the left of the fireplace; the powder, resembling glittering dust, sifted through his fingers, and he scattered this substance, known as Floo Powder, into the adjacent hearth.

With a loud WHOOMPH, the flames in the fireplace roared upward. Those nearby strangely felt no heat. The color of the fire shifted rapidly as it churned, finally settling into a vibrant emerald green. Hagrid laboriously bent over, looked back earnestly, and said: “The Floo Powder only lasts three minutes. If anyone is late, I’ll have to regretfully inform you that you’re unemployed again.”

Then Hagrid ducked into the fireplace, his massive frame quickly vanishing into the flames. The remaining Contractors exchanged looks. Vant was the first to step up, casting a fierce glance around, then gesturing to the people beside him: “Lads, let’s go.” He plunged into the fireplace first.

With a leader taking the plunge, those following entered sequentially. Fang Senyan was in no rush to compete, entering the fireplace last. As the emerald flames rushed toward him, he instinctively flinched, yet felt only a sensation like warm air brushing past his face. Then, his vision dissolved into darkness. A few seconds later, a speck of light appeared ahead, rapidly magnifying, like a train speeding through a dark tunnel approaching a bright, sunny exit.

Once the light resolved into an opening, a strong push came from behind Fang Senyan, propelling him forward. He stumbled a few steps before steadying himself. Looking back, the place he’d just vacated was merely an ancient-looking fireplace. He now stood in a Scottish-style wooden cabin, furnished entirely with raw wood that exuded a faint scent of resin. Stepping outside the cabin, he could see its roof was painted red, like a little scarlet cap.

There were more than ten similar cabins, forming a miniature settlement. A set of iron tracks wound straight from the center of the town toward the distance. Seeing this scene, Fang Senyan suddenly realized something, feeling a sense of déjà vu. This confusion cleared entirely the moment he spun around! There, bathed in the sunset glow and evening clouds, lay a vast, shimmering lake, and on its shore, a castle of imposing grandeur—the kind only seen in fairy tales and dreams—soared from the ground!

In that brief moment, he had traveled from bustling London directly to the vicinity of Hogwarts School! And judging by the surroundings, he was standing right at the terminus of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in London—Hogwarts Station!

Voices drifted from the distance. Hagrid was seen walking alongside a man in a linen shirt. The two Contractors who had been sent to the station stood to one side, seemingly in the process of handover. Hagrid waved at the man, then turned back and called out: “Everyone over here, quickly now! We still have to cross the Black Lake. We must arrive before dark.”