No Strings Attached

Introduction

Hello everyone, welcome to our Walkthrough for No Strings Attached Side Quest of Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery. This is a creature-related side quest, and by completing it, you can increase your friendship level with Hagrid.

To finish this side quest, you will need to adopt the Matagot, for which you need to have Magizoology at level 6 or higher. Once you start the quest, Hagrid will ask you to meet with him at the Three Broomsticks, so proceed there when you are ready.

Summary

Walkthrough

Upon arriving, you will be able to interact with some of the characters and see what they have to say.

You’ll join Hagrid at the table, and notice that Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris are also there. You will be surprised to see the caretaker and his cat at the Three Broomsticks, so you’ll assume that they didn’t just come for a friendly round of Butterbeer.

Hagrid will tell you there is a matter that needs to be investigated. You’ll ask Mr. Filch to tell you about the problem. He will tell you it is about Mrs. Norris.

If you’ve completed Valentine’s Day Ball adventure, you will get some additional lines of dialogue.

Mr. Filch will say that his cat is being stalked by a vicious beast. He’ll go on and explain what happened recently.

You will ask him to describe the creature to you. Hearing about the creature requires earning five stars within one hour. Three stars are needed to pass.

Make sure to slide the screen left and right to see all the available actions. There are bonus progress actions tied to Mrs. Norris and your character. Prioritize those if you want to save a bit of energy.

According to Hagrid, Mrs. Norris is being stalked by a Matagot. This will be the first time you hear of such a creature.

Hagrid will tell you that Matagots are usually quite friendly under normal circumstances but a wild Matagot can be very dangerous under the wrong conditions. You will wonder what kind of conditions would that be.

Hagrid will be glad that Mr. Filch decided to ask for help with the matter. The caretaker will say that he’s not letting his cat out of sight until the problem is solved.

You’ll tell him that you will do all in your power to find the creature and keep it away from Mrs. Norris. You will ask him to tell you where he last saw the Matagot. He’ll say that he saw the creature lurking around the Training Grounds.

You will ask him to wait in the courtyard with Mrs. Norris while you track down the Matagot. Before you go, Hagrid will advise you to familiarize yourself with Matagots.

You’ll decide to befriend another Matagot in the reserve.

For the next task, you will need to unlock Matagot in the Dusklands. To do that, you will need to have Magizoology at level 6 or higher. You will also need 70 Red, 15 Blue, and 30 Yellow Notebooks. This is not a small number of notebooks, and it might take you a while to collect them. Thankfully, the side quest is not time-limited, so you can take as long as you need to collect those notebooks.

Once you’ve unlocked the creature, proceed to the Training Grounds to look for the Matagot.

Upon arriving, you will spot Ben practicing his dueling skills. You will approach and cheerfully greet him. Ben’s reaction will differ, based on your current progress of the main story.

You’ll be curious to know what he is doing at the Training Grounds so late. He’ll say that he was practicing some spells.

He will then ask you the same question. You will tell him that you are looking for a stray Matagot. Ben’s reply will differ, based on your progress of the main story.

You will ask if he saw anything out of the ordinary while he was practicing. He will tell you that the only unusual thing he saw was Chiara heading toward the Forbidden Forest. Sadly, he didn’t see any magical creatures.

Suddenly, you will hear a strange sound.

Ben will wonder if it was the Matagot. You’ll suggest searching the area and finding the source of the spooky sound.

Searching the Training Grounds requires earning five stars within three hours. All five stars are needed to pass, so avoid starting this task if you are low on energy.

Be sure to slide the screen left and right to see all the available actions. There are bonus progress actions tied to Ben, your character, and the large door. Focus on those if you want to save some energy.

After searching for a while, you will hear the spooky sound again. You’ll figure out that the sound is coming from the entranceway.

Ben will ask if you are feeling confident about encountering the creature. There are two options to reply with. This choice won’t significantly impact the story, so feel free to pick either option.

Moments later, you will spot a black cat approaching you.

Your previous choice will take effect here.

You will tell Ben about what Hagrid said earlier, and you will advise him to be careful. Suddenly, the cat will start hissing at your friend, and moments later, it will turn into a terrifying creature.

Not long after that, it will run away, towards the Courtyard.

You’ll quickly decide to follow the creature. Head to the courtyard once you are ready to continue. Once you arrive, you will notice the Matagot playing with Mrs. Norris.

Mr. Filch won’t be too happy about it. He will seem disappointed that you couldn’t keep the creature away from his cat. You’ll tell him what happened recently but Mr. Filch won’t seem to care about your excuses.

He will ask if you have a plan to drive the Matagot away from Mrs. Norris. There are two options to choose from. Both of these will result in the same outcome, so feel free to pick whichever one you prefer.

The following scene will differ slightly, based on your choice.

Either way, the Matagot will transform and run away.

The caretaker will run to his cat and ask her if she is all right.

Both of you will be glad to see Mrs. Norris unharmed. Mr. Filch will thank you for saving his cat from the Matagot. Shortly after, Liz will approach you and say that you’ve made a mistake chasing the Matagot away.

You’ll tell her that you only defended Mrs. Norris from the creature. She’ll say that the Matagot wasn’t terrorizing Mr. Filch’s cat.

You will ask her to explain what she’s seen. Mr. Filch will tell her that the creature has been stalking his cat for days. Liz will then decide to explain why chasing away the Matagot was a mistake.

Talking to Liz requires earning five stars within three hours. Three stars are needed to pass.

There are bonus progress actions tied to Liz and your character. Focus on those if you want to save some energy.

According to Liz, the Matagot wasn’t terrorizing Mrs. Norris. In fact, the two of them were just playing.

She will say that she’s seen them playing together several times recently. You’ll be surprised to hear that.

If you’ve completed Into the Hybrid Lion’s Den side quest, you will get a few additional lines of dialogue.

Mr. Filch will ask his cat if what Liz was saying is true. The cat will just give him a sad look.

The caretaker will look at you and say that you need to correct the situation immediately.

He will blame you for driving the Matagot away and say that you need to get it back. You can choose whether you want to object or accept the blame. If you like Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris, it is recommended to go with the second option.

You will figure out that you need to find a way to win the creature’s trust before you can bring it back to Mrs. Norris.

Proceed to Hagrid’s garden once you are ready to continue. Hagrid will point at the Matagot in his garden and ask if it was causing trouble.

You’ll tell him that the creature and Mrs. Norris are friends. These lines will differ, based on your previous choice.

The Matagot will angrily hiss at you.

You will need to find a way to bond with the creature before you can safely bring it back to Mrs. Norris.

You’ll ask Hagrid if he would be willing to help you. He’ll nod and say that he is up for a challenge.

According to him, you will need to find a way to calm the creature down before attempting to bond with it.

You will wonder how to turn the Matagot back to its friendlier form. Hagrid will suggest being friendly to it and making it clear that you mean no harm. You’ll figure out that you could offer the creature some food. Hagrid will like your idea.

Feeding the Matagot requires earning five stars within eight hours. All five stars are needed to pass.

There are bonus progress actions tied to your character and Hagrid. Prioritize those if you want to save as much energy as possible.

Your plan will work, and the Matagot will change back to its friendly form.

Still, you will wonder if it is safe to approach the creature. According to Hagrid, it is safe. He will tell you to pet the Matagot.

Before you get the chance to do so, Fang will get in front of the creature and start barking.

Hagrid will quickly tell him to back off. He will apologize to you for his dog’s behavior and ask if you are upset. There are two options to reply with. If you like Fang, it is recommended to pick the second option.

You will realize that the Matagot is very similar to other cats. If you have a pet cat, your character will mention it.

You’ll figure out that you should probably talk with another magical feline owner, in order to learn more tricks for bonding with the Matagot. Hagrid will like your idea. He’ll suggest you talk to the Quidditch announcer, Murphy McNully.

He will tell you that Murphy has a pet Kneazle named Kneil, and he will more than likely be willing to help you. If you are friends with Murphy, you’ll mention it here.

Before you can continue, you will need to reach level 3 with Matagot. There is no need to rush this task, especially since there is no time limit on the side quest.

Once you complete the task, proceed to the Care of Magical Creatures to meet with Murphy. Upon arriving, you will be able to interact with some of the characters by tapping on the speech bubbles above them.

If this is your first time meeting Murphy, the two of you will get acquainted. Otherwise, you will happily greet one another.

You will tell him that you want to reunite the Matagot with Mrs. Norris. However, in order to do that, you will need to learn some tricks to bond with the creature, so you will ask Murphy for help. If you have a pet cat, you’ll get an extra line of dialogue.

Murphy will happily agree to help you. Learning about magical cats requires earning five stars within three hours. Since all five stars are needed to pass, avoid starting this task if you are low on energy.

There are actions with bonus progress tied to Merula, Murphy, and the Matagot. Focus on those if you want to save some energy.

You will thank Murphy for the tips. You’ll recall him mentioning that cats love chasing after bright lights, so you will come up with an idea to illuminate the tip of your wand and wave it around the Matagot.

Murphy will like your idea. He will ask you about the spell you are planning to use to illuminate the tip of your wand. There are three options to choose from. The correct answer is “Lumos”.

Shortly after, you will take out your wand and prepare to cast the spell. Trace the wand movement to cast the Wand-Lighting Charm.

Your plan will work, and the Matagot will happily chase after your wand.

Merula will spot the creature running around you, and she will assume that you are going to be attacked. She will take out her wand and approach the Matagot. As soon as the creature sees her, it will transform into its frightening form.

You will yell at Merula to lower her wand. Unfortunately, the Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts won’t be willing to listen to you. She will quickly aim her wand at the Matagot and cast the Stunning Spell.

Moments later, the creature will multiply into two and angrily hiss at Merula.

Shortly after, the Matagots will run away. Merula will be determined to find the creature and drive it away from Hogwarts. You’ll quickly decide to follow her and stop her from doing something reckless.

Proceed to Forest Grove when you are ready to continue. Once you arrive, you will spot the Merula preparing to attack the creatures.

You will try reasoning with her. She will ask you for a good reason not to drive the creatures away from Hogwarts. There are two options to choose from. If you like the Matagot, it is recommended to pick the second option.

You will ask Merula to give you a chance to explain everything. Convincing Merula requires earning five stars within three hours. Three stars are needed to pass.

There are bonus progress actions linked to one of the Matagots, Merula, and your character. Focus on those if you want to save some energy.

You will tell Merula that you also acted the same when you first saw the Matagot. However, you later realized that you misjudged the creature.

Your words will seem to have an effect on Merula, and she will admit that she was quick to jump to conclusions. She’ll explain why she had a bad feeling about the black cats.

In the end, she will decide not to drive the Matagots away from Hogwarts. Your previous choice will take effect here.

Merula will say that she is doing it for Mrs. Norris. You’ll chuckle at her and nod.

You will suggest feeding the Matagots some treats to calm them down. After giving them some food, the creatures will lower their guard.

You’ll tell Merula that you plan to fully bond with the creatures before bringing them to Mrs. Norris.

The Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts will say that she might be willing to accompany you… if you ask her nicely.

You will happily tell her that she is welcome to come along. Before you can proceed, you’ll need to reach level 7 with Matagot. Since the side quest is not time-limited, you don’t need to rush this task. Simply take as long as you need, and you will eventually complete it.

Once you’re done, proceed to Hagrid’s garden. Upon arriving, you will notice the speech bubbles above some of the characters. Tap on those if you are curious to see what they have to say.

You’ll happily tell Mr. Filch the good news. He’ll be grateful that his pet is having a good time with the Matagots.

You’ll take a look and notice all of them playing with each other.

Mr. Filch will be surprised to see two Matagots, instead of one. You’ll promise to tell him all about it one day, over some Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks.

You will also point out that Mrs. Norris now has twice as many new friends to play with. Hagrid will agree with you. He will suggest joining the creatures and having some fun.

Enjoying the playdate requires earning five stars within eight hours. All five stars are needed to pass.

There are bonus progress actions tied to your character and Mrs. Norris. Prioritize those if you want to save as much energy as possible.

Mrs. Norris and the Matagots will have a wonderful time together.

Hagrid will praise you for going out of your way to reunite them. While achieving that wasn’t easy, in the end, everything turned out well. Both Matagots will approach you, and you’ll gently pet them.

After considering everything, Hagrid will say that the creatures should stay at Hogwarts. That way, you and Mrs. Norris will be able to visit them whenever you want.

You will be very happy to hear that. Hagrid will say that you can even invite some of your friends to come along and play with the Matagots.

This will mark the end of No Strings Attached Side Quest. Hit the Collect button to claim your rewards. You will receive 500 Experience Points and 200 Friendship Experience for Hagrid.

What an interesting quest. You befriended another magical creature and helped Mrs. Norris reunite with her new friends.

Thank you for reading, and see you soon with more quests and adventures!