Fortune of Fate (A female Harry Potter fanfiction)

[19]

  As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Rose's mind was racing and her spirits were low. She'd lost two points for Gryffindor in her very first week - why did Snape hate her so much?

  ''Cheer up,'' said Ron, ''Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?'' 

  At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door. 

  When Rose knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling rom inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, ''Back, Fang - back.'' 

  Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.

  ''Hang on,'' he said. ''Back, Fang.''

  He let them in, struggling to keep hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound who wanted nothing more that just to pounce on the visitors.

  There was only one room inside. Hams  and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it. 

  ''Make yerselves at home,'' said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Rose and started licking her ears. Like Hagrid, Rose observed, Fang was not as fierce as he looked. Rose cooed and the dog, petting it. 

  ''This is Ron ,'' Rose told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.

  ''Another Weasley, eh?'' said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. ''I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest.'' 

  The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisings that almost broke their teeth, but Rose and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Rose's knee and drooled all over her robes.

  Rose and Ron were delighted do hear Hagrid call Filch ''that old git.''

  ''An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime D'yer know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her - Filch puts her up to it.''

  Rose told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Rose not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students. ''But he seemed to really hate me.'' Hagrid shook his head, ''Rubbish!'' he said. ''Why should he?'' Yet Rose couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet her eyes when he said that.

  ''How's yer brother Charlie?'' Hagrid asked Ron. ''I liked him a lot - great with animals.'' Rose wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Rose picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet.

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

ɪɴᴠᴇꜱᴛɪɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ-ɪɴ ᴀᴛ ɢʀɪɴɢᴏᴛᴛꜱ ᴏɴ 31 ᴊᴜʟʏ, ᴡɪᴅᴇʟʏ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴡɪᴢᴀʀᴅꜱ ᴏʀ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜᴇꜱ ᴜɴᴋɴᴏᴡɴ.
ɢʀɪɴɢᴏᴛᴛꜱ ɢᴏʙʟɪɴꜱ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪɴꜱɪꜱᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴀᴜʟᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ꜱᴇᴀʀᴄʜᴇᴅ ʜᴀᴅ ɪɴ ꜰᴀᴄᴛ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴇᴍᴘᴛɪᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴅᴀʏ.
''ʙᴜᴛ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ꜱᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴏꜱᴇꜱ ᴏᴜᴛ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ,'' ꜱᴀɪᴅ ᴀ ɢʀɪɴɢᴏᴛᴛꜱ ꜱᴘᴏᴋᴇꜱ ɢᴏʙʟɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀɴᴏᴏɴ.

  Rose remembered Ron telling her on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date. ''Hagrid!'' said Rose, ''that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!''

  There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Rose's eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake. Rose read the story again. 

  'The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.' 

  Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?

  As Rose and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Rose thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Rose?