Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

Year 6- Ch.187

After arriving at Hagrid's cabin, Céline quickly hugged Hagrid who had sobbed as soon as they got there. Harry patted his elbow soothingly. Shortly after Slughorns arrived with several bottles of wine. He set them down on the table and the four of them went to the back,n just behind the pumpkin patch where a very large spider lay dead on his back with his legs curled in and tangled.

It took everything in Céline to not be physically sick at the sight of it. She held onto Harry's arm, which he gladly let her use for support. Slughorn went unnoticed by Hagrid as he took a couple viles of the venom when he want to examine the enormous creature. After a few sweet words from Slughorns and then burying Aragog, they helped a sobbing Hagrid back into the cabin.

They four of them sat at the table, where Dang came to rest his large sulking head on Céline's lap and Slughorns poured one whole bottle of wine in Hagrid's bucket sized mug and then another bottle of wine between three smaller mugs. Céline only took one sip of the wine before Harry stopped her. When she looked at him she noticed that he had only pretended to take a gulp of the wine. That's when she realized she should probably not drink as well.

After about an hour or so, Hagrid and Slughorns were both flushed from all the wine. They had almost drunk all of the bottles until Professor Slughorn gives Harry a nod to refill the bottle, to which he did happily. Harry and Céline watch the two go from making toast, to telling tales of illegal trades, to Hagrid crying again, to the both of them singing a sad song about a dying wizard named Odo.

At some point in the midst of all the singing, Harry had leaned in near Céline's ear and told her to pretend to sleep, so she did. She rested her head on her arms on the table and rested her eyes. By the end of the slurred singing, Hagrid's head was swaying and rolling to the side.

"....terrible.." Hagrid muttered before falling asleep and letting out low snores.

"..sorry" said Slughorn thickly, "never was able to carry a too in my life."

"He wasn't talking about your singing." Harry said quietly, as Céline turns her head so that she faced Harry. She kept her eyes closed but listens carefully. "He was talking about my mother and father dying."

The room froze and stayed quiet other than the soft snores of Hagrid.

"Oh.. oh yes, that's was-- was terrible indeed.... Terrible.." slughorn said. He seemed to be a loss for words for a moment before he speaks again, "do you... Remember any of it?"

"No, sir, I was only one when it happened." Harry said steadily, "but I pretty much know everything now. Did you know my dad died first?"

"I-- I didn't know.." Said Slughorn looking horrified by the information.

"Yeah, Voldemort murdered him and stepped over his body to get to my mum." Harry said without looking away from Slughorn. Céline opened her eyes slightly to look at Harry but didn't move from her sleeping position. She was just as horrified by the news as her professor.

Hagrid snorted and twitched his head slightly but didn't stir awake. Professor Slughorn shuddered and couldn't look away from Harry.

"She couldn't have gotten away." Harry said, his tone still steady from the Felix Felicis, "he said he needn't kill her, he only wanted me. She had the chance to run."

"How dreadful..." Breathed Slughorn, "she could have... He didn't need to...that's awful.."

"It is, isn't it." Said Harry quietly, "but she didn't, because dad was already dead, and she couldn't see me go too, so she tried to plead with Voldemort, but he just laughed--"

"That's enough.." Slughorn said holding one shaky hand up to stop Harry from continuing, "I've heard enough... I'm an old man now... I can't hear this... I don't want to hear this.."