Dark Pasts { A Harry Potter Story }

Chapter 77 - Felix Felicis

I was nervously clutching a Ministry of Magic leaflet — Common Apparition Mistakes and How to avoid them — as I stared at the clock for Ron, Hermione and I would be taking our Apparition test that afternoon.

"Stop worrying, you're going to do great," Harry said as he rested his hand atop mine to calm me. I gave him a small grateful smile.

"Harry Potter?" said a girl as she came up to us. "I was asked to give you this."

"Thanks . . ." He said as he began to read the note then looked up to us. "Look at this."

On the parchment, I recognized Hagrid's untidy writing covered in blotches that were clearly tears. He had written to tell us that Aragog had died and that he was hoping we could make it to the funeral later tonight.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Hermione said.

"He's mental !" Ron said furiously. "That thing told its mates to eat Harry and me! Told them to help themselves! And now Hagrid expects us to go down there and cry over its horrible hairy body!"

"It's not just that," Hermione said. "He's asking us to leave the castle at night and he knows security's a million times tighter and how much trouble we'd be in if we were caught."

"We've been down to see him by night before," Harry pointed out.

"Yes, but for something like this?" Hermione said. "We've risked a lot to help Hagrid out, but after all — Aragog's dead. If it were a question of saving him —"

"— I'd want to go even less," Ron said. "You didn't meet him, Hermione. Believe me, being dead will have improved him a lot."

Harry grabbed the note from his hands and stared at it.

"Harry, you can't be thinking of going," I said. "It's such a pointless thing to get detention for."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I know," he said. "I s'pose Hagrid'll have to bury Aragog without us."

"Yes, he will," Hermione said, looking relieved. "Look, Potions will be almost empty this afternoon, with us all off doing our tests.. . . Try and soften Slughorn up a bit then!"

"Fifty-seventh time lucky, you think?" Harry said bitterly.

"Lucky," I breathed out. "Harry, that's it! You have to get lucky!"

"Oh, yeah?" He grinned cheekily at me and wiggled his eyebrows.

I playfully pushed him and shook my head. "I mean—," I said and gave him a look, "— use the liquid luck!"

"Liz, that's — that's it!" Hermione said, sounding stunned. "Of course! Why didn't I think of it?"

Harry stared at us. "Felix Felicis?" he said. "I dunno . . .I was sort of saving it. . . ."

"What for?" Ron asked.

"What on earth is more important than this memory, Harry?" I questioned.

"Well . . . okay. If I can't get Slughorn to talk this afternoon, I'll take some Felix and have another go this evening," he said.

"That's decided, then," Hermione said briskly, getting to her feet and performing a graceful pirouette. "Destination . . . determination . . . deliberation . . ." she murmured.

"Oh, stop that," Ron said as we stood up to follow her.

I turned to Harry and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Remember, you've got to get that memory," I said.

"Yes, I know," he replied a little impatiently. "Good luck, you've got this," he added with a smile before I turned around to catch up with Ron and Hermione, who were already heading toward the entrance hall to meet the rest of the people taking their Apparition Test.

***

"Harry!" I said as I passed through the portrait hole and saw him sitting on the couch. "I passed!"

"Well done!" He said and hugged me. "What about you two?" He asked Ron and Hermione as we pulled away.

"I passed too!" Hermione said. "But Ron, he —"

We both turned to make sure Ron was not directly behind us. "He just failed," Hermione whispered. "It was really unlucky, a tiny thing, the examiner just spotted that he'd left half an eyebrow behind. . . . How did it go with Slughorn?"

"No joy," Harry said, as Ron joined them. "Bad luck, mate, but you'll pass next time — we can take it together."

"Yeah, I s'pose," Ron said grumpily. "But half an eyebrow! Likethat matters!"

"I know," Hermione said soothingly, "it does seem reallyharsh. . . ."

"So, Harry — you going to use the Felix Felicis or what?" Rondemanded after a moment.

"Yeah, I s'pose I'd better," Harry said with a sigh. "I don't reckon I'll need allof it, not twelve hours' worth, it can't take all night. . . . I'll justtake a mouthful. Two or three hours should do it."

"It's a great feeling when you take it," Ron said. "Like you can't do anything wrong."

Hermione and I shared a doubtful look. "What are you talking about?" she said, laughing. "You'venever taken any!"

"Yeah, but I thought I had, didn't I?" Ron said. "Same difference really . . ."

I shook my head and suppressed my laughter as I turned to Harry. "Slughorn usually eats early, takes a walk, and then returns to his office. I suggest you meet him there once he's had time to get back there," I said.

"Right," Harry said and nodded.

"Let's go eat ourselves, shall we?" Ron suggested. "I'm starving."

***

We lingered for a while in the common room after dinner and only when the sun had begun to set did we sneak up to the boys' dormitory, making sure it was empty before going over our plan.

"Well, here goes," Harry said as he raised the little flask and took a carefully measured sip.

There was a moment of silence. "Well, how do you feel?" I asked him.

"Excellent," he said a wide, confident grin on his face. "Really excellent. Right . . . I'm goingdown to Hagrid's."

"What?" Ron, Hermione and I said at the same time.

"No, Harry — you've got to go and see Slughorn, remember?" Hermione said nervously.

"No," Harry said confidently. "I'm going to Hagrid's, I've got agood feeling about going to Hagrid's. I feel like it's the place to be tonight, you know what I mean?"

"No," the three of us said.

"This is Felix Felicis, right?" Hermione asked anxiously as she inspected the flask. "You haven't got another little bottlefull of— I don't know —"

"Essence of Insanity?" Ron suggested.

Harry laughed, making the three of us even more alarmed.

"Trust me," he said. "I know what I'm doing . . . or at least" —he strolled confidently to the door — "Felix does."

He pulled the Invisibility Cloak over his head and set off downthe stairs, as we watched him anxiously.

"Bloody hell," Ron breathed out. "D'you see his face?" He said with a laugh, but Hermione and I simply stared at him, not finding the situation