In Servitude to the Dark || Tom Riddle

𝙒𝙤𝙡𝙛 𝘼𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮

Two weeks before winter break, Hagrid was seen crying great drops of tears at the head table, during dinner, not even trying to hide his shoulder heaving sobs. McGonagall and Flitwick were doing their best to calm him and had to escort him out.

"What's going on with Hagrid?" Aster asked in concern. She might not be taking Hagrid's class, but it didn't mean she had stopped caring for the gentle giant.

Ron and Hermione both looked up with cautious hope that their rift was starting to mend. Since the argument, Aster had been diligently avoiding the other two-thirds of the Golden Trio, and everyone in Gryffindor was feeling uncomfortable. This was the first time she opened up to her friends in weeks.

"Oh well, you remember Malfoy's accident?" Hermione started, giving Ron a warning look as if to say, 'don't ruin this. We may not get another chance.'

"You mean when the hippogriff attacked him?" she asked incredulously. She couldn't imagine how that long-ago incident could possibly make Hagrid break down now.

"More like a tiny scratch," Ron couldn't help but add.

"Anyway," Hermione spoke as if Ron hadn't said anything. "Malfoy, both son and father, are suing Hagrid for damages and emotional suffering."

Aster rolled her eyes in disgust. "Oh for Merlin's sake," she said. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." She had cast the diagnostic spell on Malfoy Jr. herself, and according to the scan, the cut he got from running away from the dementors was bigger than the one he got from the hippogriff. Not to mention her scan told her it had been long healed - for weeks even - before the dementors even attacked. She told her two friends this.

Hermione perked up. "You can be a witness for Hagrid's trial then," she said excitedly and then explained. "We're putting a case together for Hagrid."

"When is the trial, and what's at stake?" Aster asked seriously. It sounded like the Malfoy's really were taking this all the way to court.

"Well, if the Malfoy's win then Hagrid loses his job," Hermione answered. "And Buckbeak, the hippogriff, gets executed."

"It's scheduled for some time in April," Ron added solemnly.

Aster let out a breath. No wonder Hagrid was so torn. He absolutely loved his monstrous animals. "And what's Dumbledore doing for Hagrid?"

Ron and Hermione both shrugged. "Probably fighting to keep Hagrid from getting fired even if we lose the case," Ron guessed. "Don't know if there's anything he could do for Buckbeak though."

All thoughts of Hagrid, the trial, and the hippogriff were put off to the side when a large official-looking owl flew in and landed in front of Aster's dinner.

"That's a Gringotts letter!" Hermione gasped.

Aster shot her a warning look as she extracted the letter from the owl. "Thank you for announcing that to everyone," she said dryly, causing the bushy haired girl to wince in shame.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Ron asked. "The bank doesn't send out letters to just anyone."

"Of course, I am," she replied, pushing away from her dinner. "But I'm going to do it alone." She was willing to call a truce between them, but she still couldn't trust them yet.

The looks in Ron and Hermione's eyes told her they understood. "Well, if you need anything..."

She nodded gratefully before heading to her favorite spot, up to the 7th floor. Upon opening the door to the Room of Requirement, the first thing that hit her was this horrible smell, like some dead rodent that had been fermenting in fish sauce. Blinking away the tears that sprung to her eyes, she then noticed the room wasn't her comfortable lounge, but a sophisticated potion's lab. She was just about to cast the air freshening charm when a voice suddenly stopped her.