Chapter 4: Roses:

Wrapped in a tartan blanket, McGonagall shivered as she approached the door to Hagrid cabin. She tapped and jumped back as Fang hurled himself against the large wooden door.

"Down Fang! Ged outa it!" Hagrid's voice boomed out into the still night. The door opened and Fang leapt at McGonagall she gasped as Hagrid's hand shot forward and grabbed the dog by it's collar, pulling it into the house and stepping into the cold night air, closing the door behind him.

"I'm sorry if I woke you Hagrid but-" Minerva began, Hagrid held up a hand to stop her.

"But yer want t' go pay a visit t' tha' Chantille LaBelle… Is tha' right?" McGonagall nodded.

"Ok then… but Fang's commin' too."

***

"What!! Ged lost? In there? On Purpose?"

"I'm sure it's not difficult…"

"Nah, it's not difficult, no… but it's suicide! There's werewolves, and giants and worse in there!" Hagrid, Minerva and Fang stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Please Hagrid; I think that this woman can find Albus, I she knows where he's gone!"

"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE IS DEAD!" Fang barked madly at his master's raised voice.

"He's alive, Hagrid. I know he is." Hagrid ran a hand over his matted beard.

"Why are you so sure, professor?"

"Why are you so convinced that he's dead?"

"This isn't a good idea."

"Hagrid." Minerva's lips set in a line, a determined frown on her face. "I will do this with, or without you. Without will be more dangerous. Even if Albus is dead Chantille LaBelle has something to give me from him and I will go and get it." Without another word she spun on her heal and marched into the forest alone. Hagrid groaned as her watched the determined witch's slender form disappear behind the trees.

"Come on then Fang." He sighed as he stomped off after her Fang running at his heals.

***

Minerva shivered. The forest was dark. A furious wind whipped about her face pulling the pins out of her bun. Strange, inhuman, screams rang out all around her. There was a foul stench of damp and rotten flesh that filled the air around her.

"Y'all right?" Asked Hagrid as Mcgonagall shivered a second time. The professor pulled her blanket closer around her shoulders.

"Just cold."

"Horrid, init. An' fer the life o' me I can never shake the feelin' tha' something's watching me." It was true, McGonagall looked around her. TO make it all the more terrifying she was sure that she could her the sound of her name being called and echoing amongst the trees. The darkness seemed to close in on her, it could've been the middle of summer and the sky outside full of light, the sun blazing lightly but the deep darkness of the Forest would not have been affected. McGonagall had no way of knowing how long she's been in there. Her eyes hurt from straining to see, her fingers were purple and aching from cold, her long black hair, now completely loose snagged on branched and bushes.

"WOAH!" McGonagall's foot stuck under a tree root that she was sure hadn't been there before and she was sent flying into a bramble bush. She put her head into her hands in disappear.

"This is hopeless! You were right we're never going to find LaBelle and now thanks to me-"

"Professor,-"

"- thanks to me we'll never got out of here and-"

"Professor!"

"-we'll be her forever! Oh Hagrid I'm so-"

"Professor McGonagall!" The half-giant rumbled.

McGonagall stopped talking and pulled herself out form the brambles to stand by Hagrid.

"Merlin, we made it!" Sure enough, in front of them stood an old cottage, her walls a honey colour with a heavy looking wooden door held with jet black hinges. A path lead to the front door boarded with glowing shimmering rocks and flowers. The house it's self was small and along the honey walls grew creepers and flowers, along the door frames grew roses of brightest white and darkest black.