Together (A Harry Potter love story) 3

26

"Harry, please," Mione said, speaking for the first time with tears in her eyes, "please be sensible. Black did a terrible, terrible thing, and to Millie's dad too! But d-don't put yourself in danger, it's what Black wants..."

"Harry, look," I said, in a softer tone than before. His eyes met mine and I hesitantly put my hand over his on the bench, "you'd be playing right into Black's hands if you went looking for him. Your mum and dad wouldn't want you to get hurt, would they? They'd never want you to go looking for Black-"

"I'll never know what they'd have wanted because, thanks to Black, I've never spoken to them," said Harry shortly, pulling his hand from mine and placing it on the table instead.

There was a silence, in which I bit my lip anxiously, staring at my porridge; my appetite had completely disappeared.

"Look," Ron began, obviously casting around for a change of subject, "it's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's - let's go down and see Hagrid. We haven't visited him for ages!"

"No!" said Mione quickly, glaring at Ron. "Harry isn't supposed to leave the castle-"

"Yeah, let's go," said Harry, standing up, "and I can ask him how come he never mentioned Black when he told me all about my parents!"

I watched him guiltily; that was exactly what I had gone and talked to Lupin about. Further discussion of Sirius Black, however, plainly wasn't what Ron had had in mind.

"Or we could have a game of chess," he said hastily, "or Gobstones. Percy left a set-"

"No." I stood up next to Harry, sending him a timid smile. "Let's visit Hagrid."

Finally, Harry sent me his familiar lop-sided grin, nodding at me gratefully. I let out a short breath, before shooting Mione and Ron an expectant look. They both sighed, before pushing themselves up.

We made our way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the glittering, powdery snow, my socks and the hem of my cloak soaked and freezing. The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been enchanted, each tree smattered with silver, and Hagrid's cabin looked like an iced cake.

Ron knocked, but there was no answer.

"He's not out, is he?" said Mione, who was huddled next to me and shivering.

Ron had his ear to the door. "There's a weird noise. Listen - is that Fang?"

Harry, Mione and I put our ears to the door, too. From inside the cabin came a series of low, throbbing groans.

"Think we'd better go and get someone?" Ron asked nervously, taking a step back.

"Hagrid!" Harry called, thumping the door. "Hagrid, are you in there?"

There was a sound of heavy footsteps, then the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes red and swollen; tears splashing down the front of his leather waistcoat.

My eyes widened. "Hagrid!"

"Yeh've heard!" he bellowed, and he flung himself onto my neck.

Hagrid being at least twice the size of a normal man, this was no laughing matter. About to collapse under Hagrid's weight, I was rescued by Harry and Ron, who seized Hagrid under an arm and heaved him back into the cabin. I stumbled backwards, rubbing my aching bones.

"Are you okay?" Mione asked, helping me into Hagrid's hut.

"Yeah, thanks," I mumbled, dropping into a chair beside the boys. Hagrid was now sobbing uncontrollably, his face glazed with tears which dripped down into his tangled beard.