The Princess of Light

Chapter 5.34 (Ordinary Wizarding Levels)

"Well, I mean, I'd already let in that one of Davies's, so I wasn't feeling all that confident," Ron was telling for what must've been the sixteenth time. "But I dunno, when Bradley came towards me, just out of nowhere, I thought - you can do this! And I had about a second to decide which way to fly, you know, because he looked like he was aiming for the right goalhoop - my right, obviously, his left - but I had a funny feeling that he was feinting, and so I took the chance and flew left - his right, I mean - and - well - you saw what happened." He concluded modestly, sweeping his hair back quite unnecessarily so that it looked interestingly windswept and glancing around to see whether the people nearest to them - a bunch of gossiping third-year Hufflepuffs - had heard him. "And then, when Chambers came at me about five minutes later - What?" Ron asked, having stopped mid-sentence at the look on Aurora's face. "Why are you grinning?"

"I'm not." Said Aurora quickly, and looked down at her Herbology notes, attempting to straighten her face. The truth was that Ron had just reminded Aurora of Harry, by swiping his hair back, and she was about eighty percent sure that Ron, wanting to be more like Harry, had started to do it now too. "I'm just glad we won, that's all."

"Yeah," said Ron slowly, savouring the words, "we won. Did you see the look on Chang's face when Ginny got the Snitch right out from under her nose?"

"I suppose she cried, did she?" Said Harry bitterly.

"Well, yeah - more out of temper than anything, though..." Ron frowned slightly. "But you saw her chuck her broom away when she got back to the ground, didn't you?"

"Er-" said Harry.

"Well, actually...no, Ron." Said Hermione with a heavy sigh, putting down her book and looking at him apologetically. "As a matter of fact, the only bit of match Harry, Aurora and I saw was Davies's first goal."

Ron's carefully ruffled hair seemed to wilt with disappointment. "You didn't watch?" He said faintly, looking from one to the other. "You didn't see me make any of those saves?"

"Well - no," said Hermione, stretching out a placatory hand towards him. "But Ron, we didn't want to leave - we had to!"

"Yeah?" Said Ron, whose face was growing rather red. "How come?"

"It was Hagrid," said Harry. "He decided to tell us why he's been covered in injuries ever since he got back from the giants. He wanted us to go into the Forest with him, we had no choice, you know how he gets. Anyway...."

The story was told in five minutes, by the end of which Ron's indignation had been replaced by a look of total incredulity. "He brought one back and hid it in the Forest?"

"Yep," said Harry grimly.

"No," said Ron, as though by saying this he could make it untrue. "No, he can't have."

"Well, he has." Said Aurora firmly. "Grawp's about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, bombards us with bird's eggs, and knows Hermione," she snorted, "as Hermy."

Ron gave a nervous laugh. "And Hagrid wants us to...?"

"Teach him English, yeah." Said Harry.

"He's lost his mind." Said Ron, in an almost awed voice.

"Yes," said Hermione irritably, turning a page of Intermediate Transfiguration and glaring at a series of diagrams showing an owl turning into a pair of opera glasses. "Yes, I'm starting to think he has. But, unfortunately, he made Ara, Harry and me promise."

"Well, you're just going to have to break your promise, that's all." Said Ron firmly. "I mean, come on...we've got exams and we're about that far -" he held up his hand to show thumb and forefinger almost touching "-from being chucked out as it is. And anyway...remember Norbert? Remember Aragog? Have we ever come off better for mixing with any of Hagrid's monster mates?"