𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 | 𝑁𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑚

Chapter 7 - Firewhiskey

"Dark creatures in that forest," he said in his gravelly tone. "Dark creatures indeed. And even more the curious, the one that you said tore into the unicorn."

"Yeah," Harry said shakily now. The change in his tone caught Helena's attention--she looked to him curiously now as he stared down into his tankard. "If you don't mind me saying, Hagrid, it--well, the way it was bent over the unicorn--it reminded me of--" He swallowed, taking a moment to recuperate himself. "Remember in my first year, when I got detention with you, and you took us to the Forbidden Forest?"

Hagrid nodded. Neville closed his eyes, as if thinking back to it as well.

"I saw Voldemort in there that night. I didn't know it right then, but I did. He had been drinking a unicorn's blood, the same one you had been tracking. This--whatever we saw tonight--this felt almost exactly like that." When he raised his eyes back up, Helena noticed how bloodshot they looked now. She lowered her gaze, wondering if perhaps hers looked similar.

"But your scar didn't hurt now, did it?" Hagrid asked quickly, and Helena could tell his heart had gone aflutter with immediate worry. Harry shook his head, to their relief.

"No, no. I'm just saying--this felt similar."

"Hagrid," Helena interrupted now, and he turned his bushy head toward her. "You can't speak of this, not yet," she said. "McGonagall doesn't know we went out there tonight. Sure, she's got a case open on the incident already, but I can't imagine what she might be like if she discovered that three of us professors went out there without any permission."

"Righ'," Hagrid coughed. "Righ', yeah, o' course."

"Hagrid," Neville reiterated cautiously. "Promise."

Hagrid looked hesitant. "So long as you three promise never to go skulking around there again. Otherwise yeh'll find yourself witnessing more things yer not meant to see."

"Deal," Helena offered up immediately.

"Alrigh' then," Hagrid said, satisfied. "Deal. Now, how about I escort you three back up to the castle an' you all get a good night's rest for the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow."

"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry accepted, unwilling to further push the subject for the night. They emptied their tankards and sat them up on the table before heading out of the hut, out of its warmth and into the cold. Now, even with all her robes on, Helena felt chilled to the bone; she couldn't imagine how Harry and Neville were feeling with their mere thin cardigans on.

At last, they found themselves before the tall front doors. "This is where I leave yeh," Hagrid said, raising his lantern to his face. "I'll see you three tomorrow."

"G'night Hagrid," they each said in a scattered blend. "Thanks for the tea," Helena added. She felt like a kid again, having been guided back to the castle by one of her previous professors.

"O' course," Hagrid smiled, and then descended the steps, leaving them to be shadowed by the dark once more. For a moment, they watched after his silhouette, before Neville finally pushed the door open and they stepped inside the Entrance Hall. If Hagrid's hut had felt safe, that had been nothing compared to how Helena felt now.

Harry gave a great yawn. "I think we should talk more about this tomorrow, when we get back from Hogsmeade," he said.

"Yeah," Neville agreed. "It's. . ." He checked the watch on his wrist. "Late."

"Yeah. Though I'm not sure I'll be able to get much sleep after. . . that."

If Helena could verbalize it, she would have to say that she, too, would not be able to sleep now, not after witnessing such an innocent creature be so preyed upon. But, instead, she resigned to nodding her head, like an idiot.