𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 \\ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝐿𝑉𝐼𝐼𝐼.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙮-𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

UMBRIDGE WASN'T LETTING up, and life at Hogwarts was miserable. Caroline thought she could handle a nightly detention, sometimes twice in a day. But Caroline didn't foresee how taxing Umbridge's torture would be on both her and the whole school. Caroline was worried about Harry. Dumbledore's Army had failed and he was blaming himself.

They walked on the bridge one afternoon, miraculously escaping the castle. Caroline's hand from punching Draco was healed, just a few bruises remaining. She wore a gray sweatshirt over black jeans, her blue converse strapped to her feet. Her braids were in a ponytail at the crown of her head, away from her face.

"You did everything you could. No one could win against that old hag." Ron spoke first, breaking the tension.

"Even Dumbledore didn't see this coming." Hermione said, she and Ron walking behind Caroline and Harry.

Caroline reached for Harry's hand, lacing their fingers together. "Harry, if it's anyone's fault, it's ours."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, we talked you into it." he said.

Harry looked out at the grounds, Caroline facing him, holding his hand. "Yeah, but I agreed," he turned, Caroline's gaze piercing into the side of his face. "I tried so hard to help, and all it's done is make things worse. Anyway, that doesn't matter anymore. Because I don't want to play anymore. All it does is make you care too much. And the more you care, the more you have to lose," Harry glanced at Caroline. "So maybe it's just better to..."

"To what?" Caroline asked darkly, almost daring her boyfriend to say what she knew he was going to say.

"To go it alone," Harry looked at all of his friends, his gaze landing on Caroline. She wasn't happy, he knew that. Before Caroline could speak, someone whispering to get their attention drew away the friends' focus. "Hagrid." Harry said when he saw their friend lurking.

They ended up in the Forbidden Forest, Caroline squeezing Harry's hand, eyes darting in every direction. "Any idea where he's taking us?" Ron asked. They had been getting no answers the entire time they were with Hagrid.

Silence. "Hagrid, why can't you just tell us?" Harry asked, leading Caroline over tree roots.

There was a rumbling sound, and a herd of centaurs ran past the five of them. "I've never seen the centaurs so riled. And they're dangerous at the best of times," Hagrid said with a sigh. "The Ministry restricts their territory much more... they're gonna have a full uprising on their hands."

"Hagrid, what's going on?" Hermione said, fed up with the lack of answers.

"I'm sorry to be so mysterious, you four. I wouldn't be bothering you at all with it, but with Dumbledore gone... I'll likely be getting the sack any day now. And I just couldn't leave without telling someone about him." Hagrid said sadly.

Caroline noticed the giant in the forbidden forest first, her eyes widening. "Oh, no way." Caroline muttered in awe.

Hagrid smiled uncomfortably as the giant searched for him. "Grawpy. Down here, you great buffoon," Grawpy the giant turned around, his footsteps shaking the earth as he walked towards the four. Harry pulled Caroline back by her waist as the giant clapped a bug between his hands. "Grawpy. Brought you some company." Hagrid spoke.

"'Company'?" Caroline asked, her eyes never leaving the giant. He was amazing, until he smiled and started running at the four friends, knocking Hagrid away. Grawpy was stopped by a rope that tied around his waist and a tree stump, containing him.

"I couldn't just leave him, because... Because he's my brother." Hagrid revealed.

"Blimey." Ron whimpered.

"Well, half brother, really. He's completely harmless, just like I said. Little high-spirited, is all." Grawpy looked at all of them closely, Caroline's heart hammering in her chest.

Then Hermione shrieked as Grawpy lifted her into the air, holding her close to his face. "Grawpy, that is not polite." Hagrid spoke.

"Hagrid, do something!" Ron shouted. Harry held Caroline tighter around the waist.

"We talked about this. You do not grab, do you? That's your new friend, Hermione," Without so much as a word, Ron ran at Grawpy with a stick, hitting the giant in the leg with it, snapping the stick. "Grawpy." Hagrid staid sterner as Ron was kicked away from the giant.

"Grawp!" Hermione shouted, her finger raised in the giant's face. "Put me down. Now." the brunette demanded, and the giant placed her on solid ground, looking sad.

"You all right?" Ron asked instantly.

Hermione nodded. "Fine. Just needs a firm hand, is all." she said, the four of them watching the giant carefully.

"I think you've got an admirer." Harry said, still holding Caroline.

"You just stay away from her, all right?" Ron shouted at the giant, who was searching for something.

Caroline had a feeling she knew what Grawpy was looking for. She unraveled herself from Harry, though he put up a fight. "Would you shut up?" Caroline hissed, pushing her hair away as she turned towards Grawpy.

She lifted up a patch of moss and found the bike handle that was accidentally kicked away from Grawpy's view. With bated breath, her friends watched as Caroline held the bike handle and walked up to Grawpy, poking his leg to get his attention. Saying a small prayer, Caroline extending the handle out to the giant and he smiled, taking it from her happily.

Caroline stepped back to Harry as Grawpy rang the bell on the handle. "How'd you know he was looking for that?" Harry asked.

"If you still took Care of Magical Creatures, you would, too," Caroline remarked, Harry holding her tight with an arm at her waist. Grawpy stepped over to Hermione, offering the handle to her. "Ring the bell." Caroline whispered, and Hermione did just that, the giant smiling gleefully.

"He gets his own food and all. It's company he'll be needing when I'm gone," Grawpy took the handle back from Hermione, sitting down behind Hagrid. "You will look after him, won't you? I'm the only family he's got." Hagrid spoke over Grawpy ringing the bell.

Caroline nodded. "Of course we will." she promised Hagrid, a promise she intended to keep.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —