A Little Secret in the Forest
Getting Daphne back to normal turned out to be fairly easy.
Well...
More or less.
Apparently, after thinking it over for a while, she came to the conclusion that running away from everyone probably wasn't the solution.
So she decided to change strategies.
From that moment on, she began acting as though what had happened the previous day had never happened.
No...
More accurately, as though that day had never even existed.
Nor the one before it.
According to her, she'd been so tired that she'd fallen asleep for two whole days, as though she'd slipped into a coma, and had only just woken up.
It was a rather forced and ridiculous idea.
And, apparently, she'd come up with it immediately after Professor Flitwick's lesson had ended.
So, as soon as they stepped out of the classroom, she walked over to Harry, Hermione, and Draco as naturally as if nothing at all had happened.
"Sleeping that long was practically like falling into a coma," Daphne said, keeping up her ridiculous act. "You should've woken me up, or at least checked to make sure I was still alive," she added.
Harry, Hermione, and Draco looked at her in silence.
Harry opened his mouth.
"What about Vik—?"
"Oh, right, Harry. I ran into Fleur a little while ago. She seemed quite interested in asking me a few things about you, and she looked rather annoyed. It's really not a good idea to tease her so much, you know?" Daphne said with a threatening smile that made Harry snap his mouth shut instantly. "I could've told her all sorts of things about you. For example... who you practised the Triwizard Tournament dance with. Knowing her, I don't think she would've taken it very well if she'd found out you practised with Cho instead of her," Daphne added, wearing a smile that was as sweet as it was dangerous.
Harry remained completely silent for several seconds.
In the end, he opened his mouth.
"Yeah... it was our fault for not checking whether you were still alive."
Hermione and Draco looked at Harry, surprised he'd surrendered so quickly.
So it was Draco's turn to open his mouth.
"Hermione... did you know why Draco invented golden magic? It has something to do with his family's magic, which has been passed down from generation to generation," Daphne said suddenly, before Draco had even managed to speak.
"Mmm? What magic?" Hermione asked, genuinely interested.
"I accept the blame. It was a serious mistake on our part," Draco said, keeping his calm tone while lowering his head slightly in apology. For some reason, his words came out a little faster than usual.
"Exactly," Daphne replied with the same smile.
Then she looked straight at Hermione without letting that smile fade.
For a moment, though, Hermione felt that smile was far more dangerous than the ones Daphne had aimed at Harry and Draco.
After all...
Hermione had been the one who'd asked the question Daphne wanted to forget.
Hermione swallowed.
"I... I apologise," Hermione blurted out immediately. "I'd been completely absorbed in a book and wasn't paying attention. I'll be more careful from now on," she said, finally giving in.
After all, after sharing a dormitory with Hermione for so many years, the person who knew the most secrets about her was none other than Daphne.
"Good," Daphne said, giving a small clap while keeping her sweet smile. "Now that everything's settled, it's time for Hagrid's lesson. I'm looking forward to seeing what strange and horrifying creature he'll bring this time!" she said as she turned around and cheerfully walked down the corridor.
"I don't know which version is scarier... this one or Uncle Edward mode," Hermione couldn't help saying as she watched Daphne acting like that.
"She looks just like Aunt Selene," Harry added immediately, while Draco merely nodded in agreement.
Daphne stopped for a moment and turned back to look at them with that smile of hers, making all three of them instinctively straighten up.
"Aren't you coming? It's not good to be late for class," she said.
"Oh, yes. Of course," the three of them replied in unison before following after her, without mentioning a certain Bulgarian professor ever again.
…
The group made their way towards Hagrid's hut, one of the few buildings Sirius had rebuilt exactly as it had been before, at the half-giant's own request.
What had changed, however, were the surroundings. Numerous magical creatures now wandered peacefully through fenced-off enclosures, forming part of the little sanctuary Hagrid had always dreamed of having.
"Hi, Hagrid," Harry and his group greeted him, being among the first students to arrive for Care of Magical Creatures. A few others had already arrived as well and were now happily feeding some of the young Nifflers and Bowtruckles.
Lately, Hagrid's lessons mainly consisted of feeding some of the smaller creatures before drawing them and writing descriptions alongside the sketches. It had become quite a popular class for relaxing after all the others that...
...required using their brains a little more.
"Oh... hello, you lot," Hagrid replied as he tried to make his way through several young Hippogriffs that kept hopping around, trying to steal the strips of rat meat he was carrying in his hands.
When he finally turned around, Harry frowned.
The half-giant had a massive bruise around his right eye and another mark on his chin.
"What happened to you? Did one of the animals go mad?" Hermione couldn't help asking immediately.
"Oh, no, of course not. Every one of them's adorable, calm, and perfectly peaceful," Hagrid said at once, as though what Hermione had suggested was the craziest thing he'd ever heard.
As he spoke, Hagrid tossed several more strips of rat meat towards a group of young Hippogriffs from Red's army, who chased after them like playful puppies. A little farther away, several Nifflers rummaged around near the fences while a few Bowtruckles watched the students from the trees.
Of course...
That was rather debatable.
As much as Hagrid loved magical creatures, not many of them were really as adorable and peaceful as he claimed.
Even the creatures now living around the castle looked peaceful enough.
But they were fully prepared to conquer it at any moment.
At least, that was what Harry had overheard from Red's thoughts before turning off his ability, because that creature's ramblings were...
Far too much for him.
"Then who did this?" Harry asked, still frowning. Not just anyone was capable of giving Hagrid a black eye.
"Well... er... you could say it was my family," Hagrid answered, trying to find the right words.
"Family?" all four of them echoed in unison.
"You have family?" Daphne asked immediately.
"Yeah, well. On my mum's side, I've got a few... and a half-brother," he added with a happy smile.
"On your mother's side? Then you mean..."
"Giants," Hermione said, quickly covering her mouth, since Hagrid usually didn't like people knowing that.
Unlike last year, however, he didn't seem bothered by it this time.
"Yeah. Giants," he replied calmly. "When the castle was destroyed..." His expression became a little sadder. "Headmaster Black gave me some time off while the new castle was being built. Not that I needed a holiday, mind you. Then he suggested I use the time to get to know that side of my family I'd always avoided. I wasn't exactly thrilled at first, but... in the end, it changed me quite a bit," Hagrid said with a gentle smile.
"So... they hit you?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, no, no. Grawp didn't mean to hurt me. He's a good lad, he just doesn't always know his own strength," Hagrid said, waving a hand so they wouldn't get the wrong idea. "He's just a bit clumsy, and moving somewhere unfamiliar probably frightened him quite a lot," Hagrid added.
"Grawp? Somewhere unfamiliar?" Hermione asked, looking at the half-giant with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, well... er..." Hagrid immediately realised what he'd just let slip and became visibly nervous.
"Professor Hagrid! One of the Hippogriffs escaped towards the castle!" Terry shouted at that very moment, pointing at one of Red's army members, who was sprinting straight towards the castle entrance, clearly intending to cause some sort of trouble.
"Oh, look at that," Hagrid said far too quickly. "I'd better go fetch the little fellow. We'll have a chat later. I don't know why they've been even more restless lately. Headmaster Black told me to keep an eye on them at all times."
And before anyone could ask another question, he took off running towards the castle with a worried expression.
Harry and the others remained where they were, exchanging glances for several seconds.
Daphne was the first to break the silence.
"You don't think he..." she murmured.
"...brought back a giant from his trip? No... I don't think so," Harry finished with a strange grimace.
"Even if it's Hagrid, he wouldn't dare break..." Hermione stopped herself before finishing the sentence.
"Well... he did try to raise a dragon in his hut," Draco reminded them.
The four of them fell silent as they looked towards the Forbidden Forest.
After all...
The idea that Hagrid had brought back a giant no longer seemed quite so absurd.