Dark child

36

Everybody got up late on Boxing Day. The Slytherin common room was much quieter than it had been lately, many yawns punctuating the lazy conversations. Elara was glad that nobody was talking about George anymore. It was time now for most students to think of the homework they had neglected during the first week of the holidays, and for Elara to put the last pieces of her egg's clue together. She had translated most parts of the message into English, and now was trying to decipher the last bits of it.

Elara didn't go to visit Severus or Barty. She was, of course, curious to know if Harry had cracked the egg's clue yet and was sure Barty knew about it, but whether he had or hadn't, there was nothing to do about it for her. She also was curious to know more about Karkaroff's dark mark, but the memory of last night and Severus ignoring her was still painful in her mind. So she decided to keep her distance with her beloved dad and her handsome boyfriend for the time being.

And so the first day of the new term arrived, and Elara set off to lessons. Snow was still thick upon the grounds, and the greenhouse windows were covered in condensation so thick that they couldn't see out of them in Herbology. Nobody was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures much in this weather, though as Pansy said, the skrewts would probably warm them up nicely, either by chasing them, or blasting off so forcefully that Hagrid's cabin would catch fire. At the end of breakfast though, Draco received a thrilling news.

"Look!" He hissed at Elara, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle. They all leaned in to read the morning daily prophet that Draco had just received from an owl. It was an article topped with a picture of Hagrid looking extremely shifty.

DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE

Elara didn't need to read more. She already knew Hagrid is a half giant, Severus had told her ages ago. But Draco and the rest of the Slytherins spent the rest of the breakfast time reading the article gleefully.

After breakfast, they arrived at Hagrid's cabin, and they found not Hagrid, but an elderly witch with closely cropped gray hair and a very prominent chin standing before his front door.

"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago," she barked at them as they struggled toward her through the snow.

"Who're you?" said Ron, staring at her. "Where's Hagrid?"

"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she said briskly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated loudly.

"He is indisposed," said Professor Grubbly-Plank shortly.

Draco laughed softly. Harry turned and saw him and the rest of the Slytherins looked gleeful, and none of them looked surprised to see Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"This way, please," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, and she strode off around the paddock where the Beauxbatons horses were shivering. Everyone followed her.

"What's wrong with Hagrid?" Harry said, hurrying to catch up with Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"Never you mind," she said as though she thought he was being nosy.

"I do mind, though," said Harry hotly. "What's up with him?"

Professor Grubbly-Plank acted as though she couldn't hear him. She led them past the paddock where the huge Beauxbatons horses were standing, huddled against the cold, and toward a tree on the edge of the forest, where a large and beautiful unicorn was tethered.

Many of the girls "ooooohed!" at the sight of the unicorn.

"Oh it's so beautiful!" whispered Lavender Brown. "How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!"