HP • 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 ─ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐎𝐂

Memories

She had received a note from Hagrid. Apparently, one of his arachnid friends had passed away, and he invited her and the Gryffindor trio to a sort of ceremony. It would take place at twilight, which meant breaking the school safety rule just for this occasion. Of course, Cassiopeia agreed. Ron had been talking non-stop about this giant spider for quite some time, and she needed to see it with her own eyes.

She sneaked out at dusk in her Animagus form to Hagrid's cabin.

"You came!" Hagrid exclaimed hoarsely as he opened the door and saw Cassie transfiguring back into her human form. "Of course, dear Hagrid," Cassiopeia smiled gently.

Already seated inside the cabin, looking oddly cheerful, was Harry. "Well, hello, scatterbrain," he greeted.

"Cassie!" Harry exclaimed happily.

She raised an eyebrow at the boy but didn't comment on his behavior. "Where's Ron and Hermione?" she asked as she entered the cabin.

"Ron and Hermione couldn't make it," Harry said.

"Where are we going to bury him?" she asked. "In the Forbidden Forest?"

"Blimey, no!" Hagrid protested, wiping his eyes that kept watering through his shirt sleeve. "The other spiders won't let me anywhere near their webs now that Aragog's gone. I heard only his orders stopped 'em from eating me. Can you believe that?"

The honest answer would be "yes." Acromantulas are carnivores.

"I've never had an area in the Forest I couldn't access," Hagrid commented, shaking his head. "Wasn't easy getting Aragog's body out of there, believe me... they usually eat the dead, you see... but I wanted to give him a proper burial... a dignified farewell..."

He broke into sobs, and Cassi started patting his elbow to comfort him. Harry was also patting his shoulder to calm him down.

"We'll bury Aragog right here, Hagrid, in your garden?" Cassie suggested, noticing a huge spider with its legs twisted through the window.

"Just beyond the pumpkin patch, I thought," he replied, his voice choked. "I've already dug the... grave. So we can say something nice about him... happy memories, you know..." His voice trembled and faltered. There was a knock on the door, and he turned to answer it, blowing his nose on a large stained handkerchief.

Slughorn hurried in, carrying several bottles in his arms and wearing a somber black scarf around his neck. Cassie raised an eyebrow, confused to see the professor.

"Hagrid," he said in a deep, solemn voice. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss."

"That's very kind of you," Hagrid replied. "Thank you very much. And thank you for not giving Harry detention..."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Sad night, sad night... where's the poor creature?"

"Outside," Hagrid informed, his voice trembling. "Let's... let's begin then?"

The professor paused for a moment, surprised to see Cassie. "You too, Miss Gaunt?" he asked with a smile and a nod.

Cassi just smiled as the four of them headed out to the backyard.

The moon shone faintly through the trees, its light mingling with the glow from Hagrid's window to illuminate Aragog's corpse. It lay beside a massive freshly dug three-meter-deep hole. A fantastic creature, Cassie thought in contemplation.

"Magnificent," Slughorn said, approaching the spider's head where eight milky eyes stared unseeingly at the sky and two enormous curved pincers glistened motionless in the moonlight. Cassi heard the clinking of vials as Slughorn leaned over the pincers, apparently examining the massive hairy head. "Not everyone can appreciate how beautiful they are," commented Hagrid from behind Slughorn, tears streaming down his wrinkled eyes. "I didn't know you had an interest in creatures like Aragog, Horace."