Professor Toyle, the potions teacher, occupied her classroom all day. It was remarkable she didn't freeze to death in the dungeon through all of September. Chester, Hortencia and Aedos couldn't break in with her there. The group eventually split for their next classes. They passed slowly, a dull experience. Hortencia felt each minute was wasted. Transfiguration seemed useless to her. If she wanted to shift her appearance she would do so at the snap of her finger.
The end of the lesson commenced but she was kept after class.
"Miss Harding, I do believe you must stay." Mcgonagall announced, rather embarrassingly inform of the rest of the class as they filed out.
Once the room had emptied, Mcgonagall approached Hortencia. "I assume you recall your detention?" Hortencia grimaced at that reminder.
"Yeah.."
"After the feast, If you head to just outside the great hall, you'll find Hagrid waiting for you with the others. And I will be asking if you showed up." Her sternness faltered slightly, "you deserve a normal life, Miss Harding. Don't waste the opportunity." Hortencia nodded.
"I know. I won't." She assured, plans of the lake in the back of her mind as she uttered those words.
"Good, you can be on your way there now." Hortencia left, traversing the halls back to the Slytherin common room.
Upon entering the room she caught sight of Aedos in the crowd of students, sat by the green fire, staring off blankly. Her vibrant hair made her easy to catch sight of. She went and sat by her.
"When should we get the gillyweed?"
"I'm uncertain. We can't simply walk in and get it, Mrs Toyle would surely refuse to give it to us if we asked."
"Wait a minute.." An idea struck Hortencia suddenly. After a past of morphing into different people to steal, avoiding the law, surely she could apply similar tactics to this. "I'll get the gillyweed. I can do it at lunch tomorrow. Trust me."
"Hm." Aedos nodded. "If you think you can. Good luck with that." She rose form her seat. "I've got a little quest of my own to work on. I'll see you at the feast."
Hortencia smiled, only just. "See you there, Aedos."
For a while longer Hortencia sat by the fire. Eventually all the students filed out to the feast. Arriving at the hall, in the crowd she couldn't spot Aedos. No one else had such long and bright hair. Normally Aedos would stick out like a sore thumb but she just wasn't there.
Eventually she gave up her search, sitting down opposite Chester as always. He waved to her frantically, sitting facing away from the table.
"Should we break into potions tonight?" Chester hollered over to her through all the noise, still uncomfortably loud considering the secrecy of the plan. His eyes were bright with excitement.
Hortencia's expression darkened, panicking. "Chester. A little secrecy please?" Chester rolled his eyes.
"Right, right. Sorry!" He was still giddy as ever, practically kicking his feet which, when sitting on the bench, did not touch the floor. "Answer the question then!"
"We can't. I have detention." Hortencia noticed the disappointment on his face. "But," he smiled again, "I have a plan to get it at lunch tomorrow."
"Great!" He thought for a second, staring down at the floor in thought. "Detention already? Hortencia-"
"Yeah I know." She was sick of hearing it. Chester seemed to notice her apprehension towards the topic.
"Well let's hope the plan works out." He swung his legs back over the bench, facing the table now. Hortencia too turned back around.
By the end of the feast, Aedos was still nowhere to be seen. Hortencia waited outside the hall for detention, anxious for the fate of her friend. Two others waited by her: the boy who'd given her and Chester the password for the Gryffindor common room, and Ramona Malfoy. Ramona looked full of anger. Her gray eyes were cold with hate behind her ocular spectacles. The boy was staring down at the floor, seemingly deep in thought. Eventually Hagrid's lofty frame came round the corner. He smiled at the three of them. He held the leash of a large dog. The dog was a black bloodhound.
"Alright you three, yer gonna be goin with me into the forbidden forest." All three looked appalled.
"Excuse me," Ramona began, a clear tone of superiority in her voice, "but that is completely out of line I-"
"Armillaria, yer comin with me, 'Ortense and Ramona, you'll be goin together. You can bring fang with ya." He handed Hortencia the leash.
"That's ridiculous!" Ramona cried. "How am I going to be safe in those woods with the help of a first year and a mutt? Why does he get to go with you-"
"Uhm- I can't run." The boy piped up.
"I don't see how that's my problem," she hissed back with a scowl, her arms folded, her chin turned up. Hagrid and Hortencia looked to each other, both thoroughly uncomfortable.
"Well, we'd best get goin' then. Follow me." Hagrid led them all out of the castle, into the dark of night.
The grounds after sunset were nightmarish. Aside from the two lanterns Hagrid was holding with ease in just one hand, there was not one light. The line of trees could be just noticed, black against the navy sky. Apron reaching the tree line, Hagrid looked more serious.
"Now, we're 'eading into the woods to find somethin'.. or.. someone I should've said." The group overlooked him with intrigue. "We're lookin' for a girl with short blonde hair. Her name is uh... Mágna... I think." He then turned specifically to Ramona and Hortencia. "Fang'll let ya know when to head back 'ere. Alright, goodluck you two. We'll see yer back 'ere soon. 'Opefully you'll 'ave Mágna with ya." He and the boy headed into the woods.
Ramona and Hortencia stood there for a moment. Fang pulled on the leash, desperate to head into the woods, panting with excitement.
Ramona sighed. "This is such bullsh- rubbish.. y'know." She seemed to change her word choice when she remembered Hortencia was a first year. With some hesitation, she took a step into the woods. Hortencia followed. The two kept going.
"Why are you even in detention?" Hortencia asked her. "Ugh- I don't even want to talk about it." She clearly did want to talk about it.
Hortencia tried to reassure her "You don't have to if you don't want to-"
"No you've already asked me now!" She cried, completely histrionic. "I got in a fight with that other kid, Armillaria, he's in my Transfig. Technically I started it but I started it verbally. He punched me first, so I returned the favour. It's all his fault I mean- who would hit a girl?"
"Didn't you hit a disabled person-"
"That's not the point, Henrietta!"
"Hortencia-"
Both suddenly fell silent at a rustling in the bushes.
YOU ARE READING
Hortencia Harding and the Draugr's wrath
Fanfiction"My parents are Portunus and Melpomene Harding. They are both in Azkaban. But I am not them and they are not me. I can forge my own path. I have to. Before I follow their lead."
