The Untold Reborn

Chapter-16 : Shades of Truth

After a satisfying lunch with Ginny and the Weasley twins in the Great Hall, Aurelia excused herself and made her way toward her next class. She was feeling a strange sense of contentment, something she hadn't expected after the strange events of the past few days. With the Dementors, Harry's fainting, and the mystery of Sirius Black lingering in the background, a quiet afternoon of lessons seemed almost... calming.

But peace didn't last long.

As she moved through the castle halls, heading toward her Charms lesson, she overheard a group of Ravenclaws chattering by the courtyard steps.

"Did you hear about Malfoy? He got hurt during Care of Magical Creatures with the Gryffindors."

Aurelia's heart skipped a beat. Malfoy? Injured? She wasn't particularly fond of him—they argued constantly—but something about the idea of him getting hurt during a lesson worried her. Maybe it was the uncertainty of what had happened.

"What happened to him?" she asked one of the Ravenclaw girls who had mentioned it.

"Oh, something about a Hippogriff! I heard he went too close, and it lashed out," the girl said with a laugh, clearly not concerned about the Slytherin boy.

Aurelia's stomach twisted slightly as she headed off to her lesson, trying to focus on her work, but thoughts of Draco Malfoy's injury nagged at her mind.

By the time her final class of the day had ended, her curiosity was unbearable. She made her way through the castle, half hoping to bump into Malfoy and half hoping to find Harry, Ron, or Hermione to get the full story. She turned a corner near the Gryffindor common room and, to her relief, spotted the trio heading down the corridor.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" Aurelia called out, hurrying to catch up with them.

The three of them turned around, waiting for her to reach them.

"What happened to Malfoy today?" Aurelia asked, not even bothering with pleasantries. "I heard something went wrong in Care of Magical Creatures."

Harry rolled his eyes. "He's fine, really. He just got a scratch on his arm and made a big deal out of it."

Ron snorted. "Yeah, he acted like he was dying. Said he was going to complain to his father, of course."

"Did Hagrid get into trouble?" Aurelia asked, her concern shifting.

Hermione frowned. "Not yet, but it's only a matter of time before Malfoy's father tries to make things difficult for him."

"We were just heading to Hagrid's now," Harry added. "Want to come?"

Aurelia nodded, relieved she'd caught up with them. The four of them made their way down the sloping grounds toward Hagrid's hut. The air was growing colder, and the dimming light gave the surroundings a slightly eerie feel. Dementors on the outskirts of the school grounds seemed to cast a shadow over everything.

As they reached Hagrid's hut, they could hear the sound of heavy footsteps and a low mutter from inside. Ron knocked on the door, and after a moment, Hagrid's large, disheveled figure appeared in the doorway. His face was flushed, and he reeked of something strong—likely firewhisky.

"Oh, it's you lot," Hagrid slurred, his eyes red and watery. "Come in."

The four of them exchanged uneasy glances before stepping inside. The familiar warmth of the hut and the crackling fire offered a comforting contrast to the cold outside, but it was clear something was off.

"Hagrid, are you all right?" Hermione asked gently.

"I've mucked it up," Hagrid mumbled, sitting heavily in his chair. "First class, and I've gone and gotten a student hurt. I'll lose me job for sure..."