Complete and Utter Balderdash (Book 4)

Chapter 11: Hurt

Chapter 11: Hurt

Why. Why her? Why now of all times?! Ugh! Hagrid hid the mugs while we hid under the Invisibility Cloak. We backed away into a corner. Fang was barking madly at the door.

Hagrid opened the door and where we could see her quite well.

"So, you're Hagrid, are you?" Umbridge asked. She walked right into the room as she stared at every direction. "Get away!" She yelled as she tried to get the dog away from licking her face.

"Er - I don' want ter be rude, but who the ruddy hell are you?" Hagrid asked.

"My name is Doleres Umbridge," she said.

"Doleres Umbridge?" Hagrid said. "I thought you were one o' them Ministry - don' you work with Fudge?"

"I was Senior Undersecretary to the Ministry, yes." She said. "I am now the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher -"

"That's brave of yeh," said Hagrid, "there's not many'd take tha' job anymore -"

"- and Hogwarts High Inquisitor," said Umbridge. It was like she didn't even hear him.

"What's that?" said Hagrid.

"Precisely what I was going to ask," she said as she pointed to the broken mug.

"Oh. Oh, tha' was . . . was Fang. He broke a mug. So I had ter use this one instead." Hagrid said. He pointed to the one he had been drinking.

"I heard voices," she said quietly.

"I was talkin' ter Fang," said Hagrid.

"And he was talking back to you?"

"Well . . . in a manner o' speakin'," said Hagrid. "I sometimes say Fang's near enough human -"

"There are four sets of footprints in the snow leading from the castle doors to your cabin," said Umbridge. Hermione gasped and I clamped my hand over her mouth.

"Well, I on'y jus' got back. Maybe someone came ter call earlier an' I missed 'em." Hagrid said.

"Well I . . . I don' know why that'd be." Hagrid said. Umbridge wheeled around as she searched through his house, invading.

"What has happened to you? How did you sustain those injuries?" Umbridge asked. She's asking way too many questions.

"Oh, I . . . had a bit of an accident," he said.

"What sort of accident?"

"I-I tripped."

"You tripped," she repeated. Hagrid then began telling this wild story about a broomstick and some kind of a horse.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Where've I . . . ?"

"Been, yes." She said. "Term started more than two months ago. Another teacher has had to cover your classes. None of your colleagues has been able to give me any information as to your whereabouts. You left no address. Where have you been?"

FIRST OF ALL, YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW. THAT IS NOT YOUR BUSINESS. SECOND, YOU ARE UGLY. LIKE A TOAD.

"I - I've been away for me health," he said.

"For your health?" She repeated. "I see."

"Yeah, but o' - o' fresh air, yeh know -" he said.

"Yes, as gamekeeper fresh air must be so difficult to come by," she said. It's obvious she was playing him. Toying around.

"Well - change o' scene, yeh know -"

"Mountain scenery?" Umbitch said. She knew, I thought. She fucking knew.

"Mountains?" Hagrid repeated. "Nope, south of France fer me. Bit o' sun an' sea."

"Really? You don't have much of a tan." Umbridge said.

"Yeah . . . well . . . sensitive skin," Hagrid said.

"I shall, of course, be informing the Minister of your late return." Umbridge said.

"Righ'," Hagrid said nodding. I didn't feel right. It was something really bad. My knees began to shake and my head was pounding hard. Something bad. . . Something very bad was bound to happen. But the strange thing was, I didn't sense it coming at a direct approach.

I seemed to be so lost into my own thoughts that my friends had already leaked out of Hagrid's hut. I followed in suit, but worry still beckoned inside me. I didn't know where it was coming from, but the sensation was different. Someone was bound to get hurt. I couldn't indicate who, but it frightened me by thinking of the endless possibilities.

When it was Sunday, there was still no sign of struggle anywhere. I couldn't sense any of it. There were still bad vibes, but none of which that led to the source. It was frustrating at the most. . .

Tuesday strolled along and it was the day when we would see if Hagrid would be able to pull it off. I was still off track and didn't focus in on much, until I saw the horses that I saw that pulled the carriages to school.

"Now . . . put your hands up, who can see 'em?" Hagrid asked. Harry and I raised our hands. "Yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry. Aquila. An' you too, Neville, eh? An' -"

"Excuse me, but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?" Draco asked. Hagrid only pointed to where a cow's carcass was. Bits of the flesh was ripping apart from its body.

"What's doing it?" Parvati squealed. "What's eating it?"

"Thestrals," said Hagrid. "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em here. Now, who knows -?"

"But they're really, really unlucky!" Parvati interrupted. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who seen them. Professor Trelawney told me once -"

"No, no, no." Hagrid said. "Tha's jus' superstition, that is, they aren' unlucky, they're dead clever an' useful! 'Course, this lot done get a lot o' work, it's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages unless Dumbledore's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate - an' here's another couple, look -"

Two more came out and went close to Parvati who started squeaking again.

"Righ', now, who can tell me who some o' you can see them an' some can't?" Hagrid asked. Hermione raised her hand.

"The only people who can see thestrals are people who have seen death," she said. Before Hagrid was to begin again, Umbridge had arrived.

I had that same feeling like a few days before, only it was worse. Much, much worse. My knees buckled and I got a shiver that went up my spine. My head felt like it had a tremendous brain freeze and my stomach turned into knots.

I fell down on my knees only to have Draco by my side to help me back up to my feet. I could only shake my head to tell him that I didn't need him.

When December arrived, I was receiving hot flashes in the snow. It's winter! And I was burning. It felt like I was melting. Of course I didn't tell anyone what was wrong with me, they wouldn't understand. No one could help me, I just had to let it take its course, whatever this was.

I struggled to get to our special class where Harry and I taught what we were doing next. When it was over, I just headed back to my dorm, trying to sleep it off.

Only I couldn't. I was tossing and turning all night long. I couldn't help but think this was getting worse. My stomach turned into twists and knots once again, and it jolted. I jerked up out of my bed.

It was happening now. . .

Two people, two distinctive people I recognized most. One was Mr. Weasley, and the other. . . was my father.