Her Tulip Heart | R.J. Lupin

Chapter 10

It was now later in the morning and Alethea was in the great hall for breakfast. Sitting with Adelyn and Estella, on the end closest to the high table (professor table) alongside the other Ravenclaws. Alethea had just caught her two friends up on what happened earlier that morning. She was all giddy as she was retelling the story while Estella was amused and Adelyn was smirking manically.

'Sounds like you had a fun start to the day.' Adelyn teased her, causing Alethea to turn a light shade of pink.

'I can't believe you're still getting more action than both of us, even though you're not getting action.' Estella complained, Alethea and Adelyn just shared a confused look but pretend to know what their friend meant anyway.

'I mean I don't think it can really go anywhere seeing as he's still my professor and you don't see me having tea with any other professors.' Alethea stated solemnly. When she saw Adelyn open her mouth to protest she cut her off.

'And no, tea with Minnie and or Hagrid doesn't count.' Alethea shot Adelyn a warning glance, to which she just huffed. Estella made a face appearing as if she had just remembered something.

'We have tea with Hagrid this afternoon!' Estella exclaimed excitedly. Ever since first year when Hagrid invited Alethea for tea where she then dragged Adelyn and Estella along with her. It had become their Wednesday afternoon tradition, but because Hagrid is now teaching they had to move tea time to Friday's.

'Oh yes! I almost forgot about that, I'm really excited to ask Hagrid how his classes have been!' Alethea announced excitedly, grinning widely. Adelyn nodded her head vigorously in agreement, wearing a smile of her own. The three girls all loved Hagrid to bits, and usually teatime was the highlight of their week.

'All this excitement is making me hungry, Dumbledore really loves making us wait for things doesn't he?' Adelyn asked them rhetorically, the other two laughed in agreement. But seriously though, why was the old wizard making them wait so long?

Not even a minute after Adelyn said that the most magnificent range of breakfast foods appeared all along the four tables. There were various jams and spreads for their toast, eggs cooked every way, sausages and biscuits. Even bowls of cereal and fresh fruit appeared. Alethea was practically drooling over the choices, even if the options were the same everyday for the past 7 years, she still couldn't overcome the excitement and hunger that came with each feast.

Alethea reached for a piece of toast and then started generously spreading on some strawberry jam.

'Someone's looking at you Thea, he may or may not be at the high table.' Estella whispered to her from her spot opposite her, she then proceeded to kick Alethea's shin just to make sure she heard her.

'Wha- os vat?' Alethea asked still chewing her toast. Estella sighed and nodded her head towards where Remus was sitting, and he was in fact watching Alethea with a small smile. Honestly Estella thought it was kind of creepy, and that he should definitely look away soon.

Alethea whipped her head around to look at Remus and when she met his eye she smiled, which caused his smile to widen too. But his smile was an amused one because Alethea was yet to realise she had jam smeared all on her cheek. He tapped his right cheek subtly, silently trying to inform her of her sticky situation. Upon seeing his signal she looked away embarrassed and grabbed a napkin to wipe her face. She then turned back around and gave him a small thumbs up.

'I don't know what that was, but please don't do that ever again when you're near me.' Adelyn fake gagged at Alethea who just threw a sausage at her. Which ironically hit her square in the face. That caused Alethea and Estella to erupt into a fit of laughs.

———~~~———

'Merlin.' Estella panted. 'Why does Hagrid have to live so far away from the castle?' She heaved as the three best friends made their way down the little rocky path to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

It was a beautiful fall day, the sun was shining and only a few clouds littered the sky. Seeing as it was autumn in Scotland, the leaves of the trees were turning orange and brown, the fallen leaves created massive piles nest tree trunks. The leaves of the Whomping Willow too were orange, and about to drop any day. But to Alethea, it was fantastic weather to have teatime with Hagrid.

'Well maybe if you joined me on my morning runs every once in a while you'd be able to walk down the hill.' Alethea replied to Estella's previous complaint bluntly.

'Yeah no thanks. I'm fine with sleeping in every morning.' Estella said after she sucked in a deep breath. With that the three girls continued their trek down to the grounds keeper's hut.

After a few more minutes of walking and stopping so Estella could catch up to the other two, they caught sight of Hagrid's small wooden hut. It appeared that he was growing pumpkins, most likely getting ready for Halloween next month. Alethea could also see the dead ferrets hanging from the kitchen window.

Just as the trio approached the hut's door, Alethea heard the crunching of leaves coming from the forest, not even 15 metres away. Apparently Adelyn and Estella heard it too, because Adelyn's fist was hovering in front of the door about to knock and Estella paled slightly.

'Okay everybody shhh, I've seen shit like this in muggle films. We must stay very still and go toward the noise.' Estella whispered to them trying to keep calm.

'No you idiot! You run away from the sound! The nitwits that go toward a strange sound die!' Adelyn argued with Estella's dumb strategy.

While the two girls continued arguing, Alethea noticed that a large black dog appeared at the edge of the forest. It looked really skinny for a dog of it's size, definitely in dire need of a good meal. Deciding she'd grab it some food, she slipped past her friends and entered Hagrid's hut. To which she greeted Hagrid with a quick 'hello' before she started rummaging around his small kitchen for food.

After hitting the jackpot on finding some raw meat, a chunk of cheese and a few carrots, Alethea exited the hut once again. Once she was back outside, she could see and hear that Estella and Adelyn were still arguing. Although now the argument had drifted to 'you would definitely die first if a murderer was chasing you' and 'no it'd be you because you're too short and wouldn't be able to run fast enough'.

She decided to let them be and saw the dog still there, but now it was sitting watching the two who were arguing, it's head bouncing back and forth between them like a tennis ball. Hearing someone approaching the dog whipped it's head around to where Alethea was trodding carefully towards it.

'I'm not going to hurt you, I just brought you some food because you looked hungry.' She told the dog gently. He seemed to trust her enough to allow her to come and sit next to him, where a basket of the said food was placed in front of him.

First he sniffed the food then went and sniffed Alethea, nuzzling his head into her side. She laughed at him lightly.

'You really need a bath, you smell quite horrid big guy.' Alethea told him honestly after she caught a whiff of him. The dog turned at looked into her eyes holding a look of offence in his unusually coloured eyes for a dog. Grey eyes. Because all abnormally large dogs have grey eyes. She thought to herself.

'C'mon Thea' Hagrid'll be waiting!' Estella yelled over to her once Adelyn and herself realised Alethea had been sitting with a dog the duration of their argument. After hearing her voice the dog turned at looked at Estella with interest, and Alethea noticed this.

'That's one of my best friends Estella, but we call her Ella or Stells. But never Stella, she hates it. One time this bitch Katherine called her Stella over and over after she had been told to stop, and let's just say someone was vomiting up slugs for a week.' Alethea laughed as she retold the story to the dog. He seemed to have understood because his mouth opened and his tongue lolled out to the side.

'Anyway I best be off, don't want to keep Hagrid waiting any longer.' Alethea said as she dusted off her school slacks. The dog once again nuzzled his head into her side, this time symbolising a goodbye.

'I'll try and come see you again Padfoot.' She emphasised the Padfoot part as she walked off. Leaving a completely baffled and panicking Sirius Black.