The Novelle Diaries & The Wampus Cub

Chapter 8: A Very Bad Day

Over the next week and a half Wren settled into her new life at Hogwarts, juggling classes, caring for the Hogad in the mornings and keeping up with the mountain of homework that seemed to pile up every day. Although each day was exhausting and in stark contrast to the homeschooling she had had before, Wren enjoyed her lessons and found herself being one of the top of her class in most subjects along with Rosewaine and Erris. The top mark was always generally allocated to one of the three.

Rosewaine and Wren grew closer every day, never spending a minute apart other than Wren's secret walks and they liked it that way. It had become so apparent to everyone else that they came as a duo that when people invited one of them to an activity, it was a given assumption that the invite had been aimed at both of the girls.

Wren awoke at her usual five Am on a friday morning and donned her adventure gear. A well rehearsed routine at this point. She wandered along the deserted corridors greeting some of the early waking portraits and then slipped out of the side door. It was an overcast morning with grey clouds cloaking the sky, becanning in a more autumnal feel onto the summer parched landscape. Wren ambled across the dew slick lawns and down the hill towards Hagrid's Hut. However, as she approached she saw that Hagrid was standing outside in the garden holding a spade which wasn't the usual sight she had grown used to. Most mornings he answered the door with a teapot in hand.

'Good morning Hagrid. Hows our little warrior today?' Wren called cheerily. However when Hagrid turned around his face told her everything she needed to know and her stomach fell like a stone. The giant of a man had red puffy eyes and tear stains down his ruddy cheeks as his colossal hand wiped his nose with a polka dot handkerchief.

'I'm sorry, Little 'en. He fought the best he could but..... But he decided to move on las' night.' He explained through a sob.

Wren couldn't quite believe what she was being told. The hogad had been improving. He had been eating better and raising his head up. He had even stood up several days ago. For all the world it looked as though he had turned a corner.

Wren walked with led weighted legs over to where Hagrid was standing and looked down at the hole he had dug. She didn't say a thing as a tear rolled down her cheek and her heart broke quietly.

'I thought you would want to say goodbye before i buried him. You know you did everythin' you could have. There weren't no better tender that that creature could of had.' Hagrid said comfortingly as he pulled aside a tartan blanket to reveal the Hogads body.

To Wren, it looked as if the creature was simply sleeping as she bent down and stroked its face. 'I'm sorry the world wasn't kind to you. I gave you all the love I could.' she whispered then kissed the top of its head between its horns.

'And that's jus' what it needed to move on in peace. You gave it dignity my girl and that's all we can ever ask for.' Hagrid said before blowing his nose loudly. Wren nodded solemnly as she stood and watched Hagrid cover the hogad up once more and lower it into the grave. Together they filled in the hole spadeful at a time until only a mound of earth between the pumpkins marked the hogads resting place.

After saying a few prayers and sending the Hogad off in the right manner, Wren had to return to the castle for the start of school though it was the last thing she wanted to do in her current state of grief.

'Your very quiet this morning.' Rosewaine commented as the girls combed their hair in the bathroom mirror. 'Bad night?'

'Bad morning.' Wren replied in a hollow voice. Rosewaine looked at her friend quizzically but when Wren didn't elaborate she decided not to push the subject. She knew Wren well enough by now that if Wren had wanted to share her thoughts she would have and so it was best to leave it alone.