Fred and George and the Toilers of Trouble (Year 1) ✔

Chapter 26:9

The fog had taken over the scene, and they were once again shuttling unsteadily through Hagrid's most relevant memories of Aruzula Darc. Dumbledore looked remorsefully at the gamekeeper, who stood by with his shoulders slumped forward. They rose and fell with heavy breaths. Although so much could be said, Dumbledore sighed and focused on the next scene.

When the twisting, undulating clouds settled, they could see Hagrid waiting in a corridor outside the offices, an unnaturally large spider perched on his shoulder. He was tracking a thorny bug, as it scurried down the crevice between the wall and the floor. With a grin, he placed the spider directly in its path, and the eight-legged creature moved fast to wrap the bug in silvery thread before thoroughly enjoying its lunch. With that complete, Hagrid crept to the nearest door. The group of onlookers followed him closely. He spied as a photographer snapped a very familiar picture of the Slug Club. And there, standing in the back row beside the girls, was the boy who had just recently tortured him with snowballs on the icy road to Hogsmeade. They all looked so happy to be there with one another. Hagrid unknowingly mimicked his present self, as he slumped his shoulders and trudged solemnly to a bench nearby. He reached down, and the spider crawled up his arm. He rubbed its prickly back with one large finger and waited.

Filch yelped as a girl from Gryffindor passed directly through him. She scowled at Hagrid and rushed off, somewhat fearful of the gigantic spider, but mostly afraid of him.

"Don' pay tha' one no mind, Aragog," he said, leaning close. "I think yer an amazin' little beast."

A muffled mew seemed to come from his belly, and the twins wondered for a moment how the spider could talk, let alone to meow like a cat.

"Oh! Yer hungry, too, are yeh?"

The large boy opened his robe and a colossal gray cat with a smooshed, adorable face was nestled within a hidden pocket. Mrs. Norris trotted forward playfully. She pawed at the cloudy vision, and it swirled in response.

"Arnold, be more patient, now. I'll feed yeh in a bit. Few bugs won' do the trick for yeh. I know tha' much."

The door opened further and the members of Slug Club entered the corridor, including Professor Slughorn, who was nipping at the photographer's heels with suggestions over which moments to animate. They weren't all there, however. Two of the students were missing. Hagrid got to his feet and entered the office, where he found Aruzula and the older boy from the Shrieking Shack in the middle of a deep discussion.

"I'd only asked about your parents," the boy said defensively, pressing in on her. His voice was smooth and captivating. "You must be a pure-blood with those skills."

She rolled her eyes and continued cleaning up the goblets they had used to toast the inaugural meeting. "I thought pure-bloods were no different than half-bloods."

"That is vastly incorrect," he continued. "Aruzula, you know you belong in Slytherin House...with me."

"With you?" the girl laughed, blushing. "You're a fifth year."

"What does that matter?"

"Well, I wouldn't be with you in any sense, would I?"

"Perhaps." He smirked devilishly. "But can we agree that you're not a Hufflepuff?"

"What does that even mean?"

"You're ruthless...and cunning."

"I am a Hufflepuff. So sorry."

"No, you aren't."

"Well, the Sorting Hat disagrees with you."

"Does it, now?" he asked with an enlightened little voice.

Aruzula spun round to face him and her cheeks went from pink to bright red. They were standing only inches apart.

"Tell me your secret!" the boy said, almost as a command.

Aruzula glared into his ever-widening eyes, the trickle of a smile lifting the corners of her lips. "You tell me first."

Dumbledore looked completely enraptured by this moment, as he watched the young Hagrid lumber forward and cough roughly into his hand. Aruzula turned. It was difficult to tell by her distant expression if she was grateful for the interruption or not. Nervously, she pulled her hair over her ear and left Slughorn's office with Hagrid. The handsome Slytherin boy watched steadfastly as they strode off down the corridor, hands firmly in his pockets.

"Thank you for rescuing me. He's...intense," said Aruzula. "So, did you find out what creature bit Kettleburn in the head?" She grinned nastily. "Must have been rare if the wound keeps oozing blood like that. Have you considered —?" Darc stopped herself, looking concerned. "What is it, now?"

Hagrid pulled Arnold from the inside pocket of his robe and allowed the cat to scurry off down the hall. "I went ter the library, like I said...an' I started readin' up on blood, an' that..."

"And?" she pressed, looking bothered that he hadn't also released the fat, furry spider on his shoulder.

"I gone an' read up on Bloodcraft."

"Hagrid, we've spoken about this a thousand times."

"No, you lied ter me!" he said, standing tall. Aruzula was plunged into the darkness of his massive shadow. "Took me two-and-a-half years ter piece it together. There's so many books in tha' library. An' it takes me a bit longer ter read than most. But I learned, I did. They call it Black Magic. S'not too good, Aruzula. In fact, it's right evil. I know 'cause Madam Pince, tha' new librarian, snatched the book outa me hands an' hid it away in the Restricted Section. Didn' know we even had a Restricted Section! Everyone's cross with me now, 'cause she took twenty-sev'n house points from Hufflepuff!" He shook his head in disbelief, as if nothing worse could have happened. "Tha's not all. Pince says I shouldn' even be thinkin' bout Black Magic 'cause it's the wors' kind o' Dark Arts there is!"

"Shh!" Aruzula whispered, trying to cover his mouth so the students roaming the halls on the way to class wouldn't overhear.

Hagrid backed away, his eyes set. "Yeh made me use the DARK ARTS!"

Aruzula snared him by the arm and dragged him down a more discrete corridor.

"I knew! I knew I should'na killed her!" he sobbed miserably. Hagrid's oversized cat, almost able to experience his pain, hurried back and pounced up his wide leg to be held. "Poor thing, jus' lookin' up at me the whole time. Not understandin' why I'd gone an' hurt it so badly. An' the blood. There was jus' so much."

"Hagrid, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't. I owe you my life."

"But it's almos' over now, innit?!" he hollered, suddenly fuming with anger. "You're jus' gonna walk back inter tha' paintin' an' be gone forever. Me only friend in the entire wizardin' world...vanished...as if she ain' never existed!"

Aruzula's face turned to stone as she backed away and looked down at him sternly. "Stop crying, Hagrid. I've had enough of your blubbering," she said coldly. "To wield powerful magic, sacrifices must be made. You didn't have a choice. And maybe I don't either."

"What're yeh sayin'?"

"I'm not going back into that painting," she said darkly, looking determined. "Never."