Harry Riddle || Harry potter

Chapter 25: Dark Lords of the Past and Future

"Oh yes. Hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me," Filch ranted. "It's a pity they aren't still using the old punishments. You probably wouldn't be so quick to break the rules if you'd end up hanging by your thumbs from the ceiling for a day or two."

"Sounds like something my father does to people on his days off," Harry muttered under his breath.

Filch's shoulders stiffened. He didn't speak again until the silence was broken by a call of: "Is that you, Filch? Hurry up! I want ter get started!"

Harry scowled, as did Draco and Hermione. Ron looked relieved, but Filch snapped at him, "You think you'll be enjoying yourself with that great oaf? Think again - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

Neville looked one more stressful emotion away from tears. Draco bit his lip. His silver eyes widened. "We can't go into the forest!" he shouted, his voice going up several octaves until he practically sounded like a girl. "It's-"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Draco," Harry snapped. Draco looked livid, but Harry just continued, "It's just the bloody forest."

"Of course you wouldn't be afraid of the creatures in the forest," Filch spat. "Your father probably has some kind of hold over all of them."

Harry shrugged. "I wouldn't know about such things, Mr. Filch."

Hermione, Neville, and Weasley looked between Harry and Filch, puzzled expressions on their faces.

Their awkward staring contest was broken by Hagrid's arrival from the shadows. An enormous grey dog with hanging lips trailed behind him. As soon as it saw the children, though, it loped over to them. Neville grabbed onto Harry's sleeve and whimpered as the dog approached. Harry shook him off and reached down to run a hand over its smooth coat. "What's his name?" he asked.

"Fang," Hagrid said in a clipped tone.

Harry smiled down at Fang. "He's nicer than Sabine. Took me two years to get that mutt to warm up to me. This one does it in two minutes." Harry looked up and wrinkled his nose. "I like dogs. I should make my father get me a dog."

Hagrid made a barely audible growl. He opened his mouth to speak but Filch beat him to it. "I'll be back at dawn for what's left of them." Filch moved his eyes slightly in Harry's direction. "Now's not the time," he said while locking eyes with Hagrid. "Don't try anything. It'll just bring you more trouble."

Hagrid nodded jerkily and Filch walked away, leaving the children glancing amongst each other, their eyebrows raised. Harry snuck a suspicious glance at Hagrid. He had the feeling they were saying something about him.

"I thought you were suspended," Harry finally said, snottily. "Remember? For keeping that bloody dragon which could've killed us all?"

Hagrid balled his hands into fists at his side. "I can't teach for a while, Riddle—"

"You mean until the Board of Governors decides they won't fire you. If they decide not to."

Hagrid gritted his teeth. "But I'm still groundskeeper!" he spat. "If Professor Dumbledore wants me to take yeh on a detention, I can bloody well do it!"

"I'm not going into that forest," Draco cut in. "I'm bloody not."

"Yeh are if yeh want to stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid roared back.

"This isn't what a bloody detention is supposed to be," Draco snapped. "We should be copying lines or something, not risking our lives in the Forbidden Forest! If my father knew about this-"

"Daddy isn't here, Draco," Harry interrupted. "Come on. You can't be afraid of a forest, can you? Do you see Neville begging not to go? No!"

Neville was currently hanging onto Harry's sleeve and whimpering like a maniac.