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IT was on Monday that Hagrid reappeared at the staff table, receiving warm welcomes from every house but Slytherin. Roxanne herself had gone up to greet him along with Charlie right behind her. The half-giant had invited the two to tea after their Tuesday lessons, and they had cheerfully obliged.
Roxanne did not sleep the night she got the letter nor the night after Hagrid had come back. Every time she closed her eyes, she was met with a flash of red and terrible screams. They were her own from when she was a child; perhaps a warning of what her future had in store.
Tuesday dawned upon Roxanne rather quickly, the girl getting dressed in her warmest clothes before trudging downstairs towards Hagrid's hut. She had gotten ready a bit too late, and ended up spending more time than anticipated looking for her Ravenclaw scarf. It had ended up being in her roommate's drawer, the girl mumbling to herself in annoyance as she wrapped it around her neck.
The late bell rang for Care for Magical Creatures and the girl debated whether it was worth it to attend the class or not. Hagrid would probably end up talking about how much he missed being at Hogwarts for the first half of class and then explain the lesson they'll be doing tomorrow if they were lucky. Roxanne just didn't have the time for that.
She had neglected writing her mother back for as long as she could, but the last letter was the final warning before her mother did something Roxanne would never recover from. A response would cool things down between them until she figured out a way to keep her quiet, consisting of a detailed but insincere apology, and a promise that she'd come back to her when she could. That would be a lie as well.
"Miss Carter, haven't you a class to attend this morning?" Dumbledore's lofty voice sounded from behind the stopped girl. "You were thinking very hard for quite a long time. I found it hard to intervene."
"I-I've got Hagrid's class this morning," she spoke, unsure if this conversation would result in punishment. She still had not turned around, skeptical as to why the man had stopped her in the hall. First years were sprinting to class around the two, almost oblivious to the ancient wizard and brunette standing in the middle of the hall.
"I would advise you to hurry down Miss Carter, but I'm rather knowledgeable when it comes to your test scores. Rather excellent in all your classes," Dumbledore hummed, still not moving from his spot. Roxanne did the same, back still turned.
"Yes– Thomas always helped me with Care for Magical Creatures when I lived with them. I think I know the subject as well as Hagrid," Roxanne finally turned around, a smug smile sitting on her lips. It was true; Roxanne had been taught the lessons Hagrid taught in her past years during the summer by her brother, Thomas.
"Well, I'll let you be on your way. Do send your brother a letter for me. Ask how those dragons are, Roxanne," Dumbledore chuckled, vanishing as quick as he had appeared. The girl scurried to class afterward, anxious she'd get caught by another professor and have to deal with another mind numbing conversation.
