Because You Love Me

56. Wrong Place, Wrong Time

The giant moved aside and allowed the three youngsters to come into his hut. He shut the door behind him and sat down on a stool in the middle of the room. Ron and Hermione made themselves comfortable in chairs stationed around the table and Harry remained standing. He was too nervous to sit.

"What did yeh want ter ask me?" Hagrid asked.

Harry took a deep breath. "I found out last night that you were at school the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened. Someone showed me what happened. They said that you had opened it."

Hagrid stared at Harry blankly. "I don't know who told yeh that, Harry, but it's not true. I never opened that chamber."

"So then the spider wasn't the monster?"

"No. I'm afraid not, Harry. Who told yeh that? About Aragog?"

"Aragog?" Hermione repeated.

"Yeh. He's a spider. A huge one at that. Me oldest friend, he is."

Ron shuddered. "I don't like spiders."

Hagrid frowned at him. "He wouldn't hurt any of yeh. Gentle creature, he is. Has a big family too." He sighed. "Harry, I would tell yeh if I did open it."

"But if you didn't open it, Hagrid, then why did they expel you?"

The giant twisted his hands nervously. "Because he convinced them I did and don't yeh ask me who 'he' is 'cause I'll not tell yeh. Some things yeh just don't need to know. Dumbledore never believed him, but he wasn't in charge then. They blamed the whole thing on me and broke my wand."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at one another. They weren't about to tell him that they already knew who the person was he was talking about. They just didn't realize that they really had no idea exactly who he was. They left Hagrid's hut a few minutes later, more confused than they had been when they went.

"So Hagrid didn't open the Chamber of Secrets?" Ron confirmed.

"No," Hermione said. "I knew it couldn't have been him."

"I was hoping," Harry admitted, "but I didn't know. People do terrible things sometimes and then they grow up and realize it was wrong. If it wasn't Hagrid, then who was it?"

Hermione shrugged. "We may never know."

~ * ~

March, April, and a week of May went by before anyone knew it. School was almost over and Harry and his friends were no closer to figuring out anything else about the Chamber of Secrets. Attacks seemed to have stopped, which was excellent, but it wasn't helping them find the entrance to the chamber any faster. The teachers and the rest of the staff had been searching for it tirelessly since the first attack, but they hadn't had any luck.

Alaina and Severus had started patrolling at night, mostly spending time together when everyone else was in bed so they didn't have to hide their affections from each other. They had gotten permission from Dumbledore before doing so and he seemed to think it was a great idea.

Another day of classes had gone by. Alaina made her way down to the Dungeons to surprise Severus, but when she got down there he wasn't there. She left him a note saying that she would be back by later and then went back to her office to grade papers.

Harry and Ron were in the common room when Hermione came down the stairs. She announced that she was off to the library. She seemed to be in such a hurry that they didn't question it. They simply continued their conversation. When she didn't return for hours and hours, they went on up to bed. They knew that Hermione could get consumed by her studies so they weren't worried about her.