The Secrets of The Sighted (Golden Trio Era) {3}

Memory Retrieved

"Lets get inside and have a drink. Get on his other side, Harry... That's it... Up you come, Hagrid... Well done..." Mikayla held the door open as Harry and Slughorn guided Hagrid over to the his armchair by the table. Fang, who had been skulking in his basket during the burial, now came padding softly across to them and put his heavy head into Harry's lap as usual. Slughorn uncorked one of the bottles of wine that he had brought. "I have had it all tested for poison," he assured them while pouring most of the first bottle into one of Hagrid's bucket-sized mugs and handing it to Hagrid.

"Had a house-elf taste every bottle after what happened to your poor friend Rupert." Mikayla's eyes widened in shock at the statement and had to smother the gasp that tried to leave her mouth. Slughorn didn't seem to notice her repressed outrage, and Harry stopped her from saying anything my resting a hand on her knee and squeezing it in warning. Mikayla swallowed her swears and schooled her face into a neutral expression after taking a deep breath. She sent Harry a nod to let him know that she wouldn't say anything and Harry removed his hand from her knee in response.

"One for Mikayla..." Slughorn said while dividing a second bottle between three mugs, "one for Harry... and one for me." Slughorn raised his mug high after handing Mikayla and Harry their cups, "to Aragog." Slughorn toasted, "Aragog," Harry, Mikayla and Hagrid chanted together. Both Slughorn and Hagrid drank deeply. Harry, however, with the way ahead illuminated for him by Felix Felicis, knew that he must not drink, so he handed the mug to Mikayla, who quickly poured the drink into her own mug, before Harry set the mug back on the table before him.

"I had him from an egg, yeh know," Hagrid began morosely, "tiny little thing he was when he hatched. 'Bout the size of a Pekingese" Hagrid described and Mikayla smiled at him when he looked over at her, "sweet," Slughorn responded noncommittally. "Used ter keep him in a cupboard up at the school until... well..." Hagrid's face darkened and the two young Gryffindors knew why. Tom Riddle had contrived to have Hagrid thrown out of school, blamed for opening the Chamber of Secrets, using Aragog as a scapegoat.

Slughorn, however, did not seem to be listening, he was too busy looking up at the ceiling. Mikayla followed his gaze and saw that there was a number of brass pots hung, and also a long, silky skein of bright white hair, hanging from the ceiling. "That's not unicorn hair, Hagrid?" Slughorn asked curiously tilted his head to the side, "Oh, yeah, gets pulled out of their tails, they catch it on branches an' stuff in the forest, yeh know..." Hagrid confirms Slughorn's indifferently. "But my dear chap, do you know how much that's worth?" Slughorn sat up a bit more in his chair.

"I use it fer bindin' on bandages an' stuff if a creature gets injured," Hagrid admits while shrugging. "It's dead useful... very strong." He explains to Harry and Mikayla mostly. Slughorn took another deep draught from his mug, his eyes moving carefully around the cabin now, looking for more treasures that he might be able to convert into a plentiful supply of oak-matured mead, crystallised pineapple, and velvet smoking jackets. He refilled Hagrid's mug and his own, and questioned him about the creatures that lived in the forest these days and how Hagrid was able to look after them all.

Hagrid, becoming expansive under the influence of the drink and Slughorn's flattering interest, stopped mopping his eyes and entered happily into a long explanation of bowtruckle husbandry. Even though his intentions weren't exactly in the right place, Mikayla felt grateful towards Slughorn for working as a great distraction for Hagrid. The Felix Felicis gave Harry a little nudge at this point, and he noticed that the supply of drink that Slughorn had brought was running out fast. Mikayla silently did the Refilling Charm after Harry had asked her to via a whisper.

After an hour or so, Hagrid and Slughorn began making extravagant toasts: to Hogwarts, to Dumbledore, to elf-made wine, and to- "Harry Potter!" Hagrid bellowed slopping some of his fourteenth bucket of wine down his chin as he drained it. "Yes, indeed," Slughorn croaked a little thickly, "Parry Otter, the Chosen Boy Who, well, something of that sort," he mumbled, making Mikayla snort and Harry stick his tongue out at her while Slughorn drained his mug too. "Mikayla Black!" Hagrid raised his mug to Mikayla and spilt half of his drink, Mikayla smiled shyly at him as Slughorn parroted Hagrid's words.