✓ | RECKLESS AND BRAVE | Draco Malfoy

67 | OCULOPLANIA

OCULOPLANIA
(n.) letting your eyes wander in order to assess someone's 'charms'

TESSA WAS IN THE MIDST OF PROCRASTINATING IN THE COURTYARD WHEN A LETTER ARRIVED. She was laying under the sun as Hermione and Ron studied while Harry was busy deep in his thoughts when a girl approached them.

"Harry Potter?" the girl said. "I was asked to give you this."

"Thanks," he muttered and took the parchment. And once she walked away from them, he said, "Dumbledore said we wouldn't be having any more lessons until I got the memory!"

"Maybe he wants to check on how you're doing?" Hermione suggested.

Tessa peered over her brother's shoulder to read the letter that was stained with tears, smearing the ink.

Dear Harry, Tessa, Ron, and Hermione,

Aragog died last night. Harry, Tessa, and Ron, you met him, and you know how special he was. Hermione, I know you'd have liked him. It would mean a lot to me if you'd nip down for the burial later this evening. I'm planning on doing it round dusk, that was his favorite time of day. I know you're not supposed to be out that late, but you can use the cloak. Wouldn't ask, but I can't face it alone.

Hagrid

"Look at this," Harry said, handing the note to Hermione.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," she said as she scanned through and passed it to Ron.

"He's mental!" he said furiously. "That thing told its mates to eat Harry, Tessa, 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. 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," Tessa reminded.

"Yes, but for something like this?" Hermione shook her head. "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 muttered. "You didn't meet him, Hermione. Believe me, being dead will have improved him a lot."

     Tessa pursed her lips together. "I honestly do want to be there for Hagrid, but . . . I'm still mentally scarred of Aragog. I do feel sorry he passed away, but," she shuddered, "I still have the occasional nightmares of that night his children nearly ate us."

     They all turned to Harry who was silent and in his thoughts. "Harry, you can't be thinking of going," Hermione said. "It's such a pointless thing to get detention for."

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

     "Yes, he will. 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?"

"Lucky," Ron murmured suddenly. "Harry, that's it — get lucky!"

     They shared a look as Harry asked, "What d'you mean?"

     "Use your lucky potion!"

     Realization dawned on Tessa's face as she slapped his arm excitedly. "You're right!"

     "Ron, that's — that's it!" Hermione added, looking very stunned. "Of course! Why didn't I think of it?"

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