Potter's Girl / Butterfly Effect.

36. Rita Skeeter

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX;

RITA SKEETER

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Boxing Day that year was unnervingly quiet – Hermione and Ron seemed to have come to an unspoken agreement to not speak of their argument, though they did send each other befuddled glances when they thought the other wasn't looking. Harry had apologize to Cassie for not spending much time with her at the ball. She accepted, however much she still wanted to shout at him.

   The end of Christmas holidays meant the impending cloud of upcoming classes that hung over their heads drew nearer and nearer, and along with it, their homework over the break. The task that had seemed so far away in December was now closer than ever, leaving Harry with only one month to decipher his clue.

   "You said what about the bath?" asked Cassie, tossing the heavy egg between her hands and watching it intently. Something had been bothering her about the whole thing; the egg, the second task in its whole.

   "Diggory told me to mull things over in the hot water," he said, banging his head on the book in front of him with every word. He sighed and looked up at her. "Don't suppose you've any clue what he's on about?"

   "Why would I?" She bit her thumbnail. With a groan, she stood and set the egg back on the table. "Just.. head to the Prefect's bathroom, okay? It might sound weird, but I'm sure it worked for him. Why would he lie?"

   "To throw me off?" suggested Harry, though he stood and picked up the egg. "I'll try it. But we've got Hagrid's class now, we should best get going."

And so they left the library for Hagrid's hut – however, upon arriving, it was not Hagrid that stood in front of his own hut, but Professor Grubblyplank, the short woman with an even shorter temper.

"What's she doing here?" Cassie muttered to Harry as they approached the cabin. It was not unusual for Hagrid to leave school – in fact, Cassie had been informed that he'd left at least once every year – but during the Triwizard Tournament?

"Let's ask them," he said, nodding towards Ron and Hermione, who were staring begrudgingly at Malfoy and his gang. Harry and Cass approached the two.

"We've already asked," said a put-out Hermione when Cassie opened her mouth to query about the new professor, "she says he's been indisposed."

"Whatever that means," added Ron, still glaring and rolling his jaw at the Slytherins. They were laughing, presumably at the fact that they, the Gryffindors, were so confused. "How much you wanna bet they know something?"

"This way, please," called Professor Grubblyplank to the class, gesturing towards a paddock where the Beaxbatons horses were shivering. Cassie, Harry, Hermione, and Ron followed her, each sparing a glance back at Hagrid's cabin. All the curtains were closed, and no light seeped out from underneath the crack of the door.

"What's wrong with Hagrid?" Harry asked Grubblyplank, hurrying to catch up with the surprisingly quick woman.

"Never you mind," she said in a tone of such that suggested he was only being a nosy child, and not worried about his friend.

"I do mind, though," replied Harry hotly. "What's wrong with him?" He repeated, yet Grubblyplank ignored him (probably purposefully) and led the fourth-years past the paddock and toward a tree on the edge of the forest, where a large unicorn was tethered. Many girls cooed at the sight of it.

"Boys, keep back!" warned Professor Grubblyplank. "They prefer the woman's touch.. go on, girls, easy does it.."

Hermione and Cass shared a nervous glance with their boys, then inched up towards the unicorn, along with Lavender, Parvarti, Pansy Parkinson, and Daphne Greengrass. Once they stood not three feet from the creature, it lifted its head and watched the girls with its dazzling brown eyes. Then, ever so slowly, it bowed its head down in front of Cassie.