Chapter Two:
Evening with the Erkling
Harry Potter, a boy sixteen years old, shrugged out of his scarlet Quidditch uniform and pulled on a pair of khakis and a T-shirt, grabbing his Hogwarts robe and his father's Invisibility Cloak before dashing out of his room. He met Ron and Hermione at the foot of the stairs leading into the Gryffindor common room.
He was glad that the common room was empty tonight. He hated having to sneak out around first years. He never really liked sneaking out. Well, not all the time.
"You guys ready to go?" he asked as they headed towards the portrait hole and slipped out.
"Geeze, you look ruffled," Hermione said as she tried to flatten Harry's hair, but Harry waved her hand away. She'd been doing that a lot lately.
"It's no use, Hermione," he said as they descended the marble staircase, Harry pulling out the invisibility cloak from under his arm as he draped it over them. "My hair's never going to be perfect."
Ron laughed.
"You haven't figured that out after five years, Hermione?" he asked with a grin, and she frowned.
"I was just trying to be helpful..." she grumbled as she ducked under the cloak and Harry took the lead. She looked up to see his determined glance at the entrance hall doors.
"Ssh, Hermione," Harry said quietly as they walked across the entrance hall and opened the giant door leading outside to the grounds. "We don't know where Filch is."
Harry liked the way the air was cooler during the night. It was such a change from the heat and humidity of the day. The grass was wet and the hems of his pant legs were slowly becoming wet with dew.
He spotted Hagrid's hut in the distance, near the Forbidden Forest, which he was no stranger to anymore. The windows were brightly lit by the roaring fire inside the hut, and Harry had no doubt that Hagrid was cooking something (dissatisfying to them) for his dinner. They had learned to avoid Hagrid's meals, unless they were in the Great Hall.
He pulled the invisibility cloak off of them and folded it over his arm as Hermione knocked on the door. They heard the howls of Fang, Hagrid's watchdog, and then the sound of Hagrid undoing the lock on his door. With a creak, the door swung open slowly, revealing the hairy face of their friend and the Hogwarts Groundskeeper, Hagrid.
"Oh," he started as he saw all three of them standing on his doorstep. "I wasn' expectin' you three ou' so late."
"I thought you of all people would have known us to be night prowlers," Ron said as Hagrid stepped aside to let them in.
"Wow – Hagrid!" Hermione started as she took a seat in her usual fur- covered armchair.
Harry, too, had to look around the relatively small hut in awe as he spotted all the scrapings along Hagrid's walls.
"What did this, Hagrid?" Harry asked as he turned around to get a better look at all the walls. "These look almost like –"
"Claw marks?" Hagrid finished.
"Exactly," Harry replied.
"That's 'cause they are, Harry," Hagrid started, making his way over to the roaring fire where a spit had been set up and an animal was slowly roasting above the flickering flames.
"But –"Ron started, but Hagrid cut in as he started turning the spit.
"Bu' you wanna know wha' made 'em?"
Ron nodded.
"I know you three better 'an you think." he said with a twinkle in his eye.
"So, what did do this to your walls, Hagrid?" Hermione said as Harry slid a chair beside hers and sat down in it.
"Oh," Hagrid starting, enjoying the suspense he was building. "I really shouldn' be tellin' you this, but it's next class's...subject."
Ron grinned, and Harry gave him a disbelieving stare.
"You know how to keep class interesting, don't you, Hagrid?" he said as he caught Harry and Hermione's stares and sat back in his seat.
"Don't encourage him, Ron!" Hermione said as she shot him a piercing glance. "Hagrid –"she started as she looked over to Hagrid who had taken his seat back at the table and began chopping up a sort of root he had been growing in his garden. "This isn't a...dangerous subject, is it?"
Hagrid grinned at her. "Calm down, 'Ermione," he chuckled, not being able to soften her alarm. "It's perfectly legal. Dumbledore 'imself even requested that you get a chance to experience them first hand."
This made Harry a little calmer. If Dumbledore had requested it, it couldn't be too dangerous. He hoped.
"So, Hagrid," Ron started, sitting on the edge of his seat. "What is it?"
Harry looked around to see that all three of them were as eager as Ron to hear what it was they would be handling in Care of Magical Creatures class in two days.
"Well...if you must see it, I s'pose it won' hurt to show 'em to yeh." He walked over to a trunk and carefully extracted a key from one of his many coat pockets, (Harry wondered how he kept track of them all) and slid it into the padlock keeping the trunk closed. With a click, the lock snapped open and Hagrid cautiously lifted the lid of the trunk and pulled out a cage with a stout creature, slightly larger than a gnome, with a pointed face wearing grubby rags to cover its nakedness.
At first glance, Harry would have mistaken it for a house elf, but it was far too small for a house elf and it was a lot uglier.
"Hagrid – no! You didn't –"
Hagrid nodded as he set the cage on the table and stepped back so that they could see.
"You don' have to worry, 'Ermione," he said as the creature produced a high- pitched cackle that caused them to cover their ears for a moment until it quieted and sat down on the floor of the cage and cross its chubby arms. "There's on'y one of 'em."
Harry still oblivious to what it was, got up and took a step towards the cage to get a better look. The creature spotted Harry and snapped its mouth at him, revealing a mouth of razor-sharp teeth. He jumped back, almost landing in Hermione's lap as he bumped up against her chair.
"What in the world is that thing?" he asked as he took his seat, feeling a little unsettled.
"An Erkling," Hagrid said as he tapped the cage a few times and caused the Erkling to settle down.
"But – those are only supposed to be handled by trained wizards," Ron started as he got up, still smiling despite the danger of the creature. "In that Fantastic Beasts book by that Salamander guy ("Scamander!" Hermione cut in,) it's classified as four X's."
"Ron," Hagrid started. "You don' think I can handle a little Erkling? I am your professor after all." Hermione still looked a little upset that the thing was in the same room as her.
"I trust you, Hagrid," she started. "But – those things have been known to eat children!" Harry looked at it with disgust.
"Has this one..." he started, not at all intrigued by the ruthless little creature.
"No. This one's been bread in captivity," Hagrid said, relieving all of them.
"Good," Hermione started as she brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Because, if it had eaten a child – I wouldn't have been able to look at it, much less learn about it."
Hagrid chuckled.
"No, there hasn' been a recorded attack on a child since 1975, and the child killed it. They're on'y dangerous when they've go' you in their trance, lurin' you to 'em."
Harry was glad that it wasn't screeching anymore.
"How does it lure you to it?" he asked curiously.
"Wi' it's screech," Hagrid replied, and Ron gave a disgusted groan.
"Who'd follow a horrible screech like that?"
Harry shrugged.
"So...why'd you three come down here anyway?" Hagrid asked as he returned the Erkling to its trunk and replaced the lock, checking on the animal being roasted before returning to his seat.
"We just wanted to visit, you know," Harry said as he looked towards the fire. "By the way – what in the world is that you're cooking?"
Hagrid gave a start and smiled, enthusiastically. "That's somethin' I've waited five years to get. I've been on the waitin' list for this beauty." He got up again and turned the spit, then, pulled off a piece of the meat with his fingers and blew on it. "S'probably ready by now. Been cookin' it all day."
He handed Harry a piece of the meat, and did the same to Ron and Hermione. Harry sniffed it suspiciously and then peered over at Hermione who was doing the same. Ron, who couldn't refuse a new food, took a bite of the meat and smiled as he rolled it around in his mouth.
"This is pretty tasty," he said as he swallowed. "What is it?"
"Nogtail meat," Hagrid said as he took a chunk of meat and took a bite, savoring it. "They're so hard to catch, Nogtails. Bu', I've been on the waitin' lis' for one o' these for a while. They're pretty rare and not to mention, tasty."
Harry took a bite and found the warm meat to be not bad. It tasted a lot like pork, though he'd only eaten this on the rare occasions when the Dursley's decided to actually give him enough to taste.
After a while of small talk with Hagrid about classes, the three of them decided it was time to head back. Harry, more importantly, had something he'd been planning on doing on their trip back to the castle.
They started off towards the front entrance, but Harry pulled Hermione back. Ron stopped and turned around, giving Harry a questioning glance.
"Go ahead, Ron," Harry started quickly. "We'll catch up."
Ron looked bewildered for a moment, then a look of understanding fell over his face and he shrugged, continuing to walk towards the castle.
"Harry? What is it?" Hermione asked as she looked up at him. His face was half bathed in moonlight, and it glinted off his glasses.
"I wanted to talk to you...alone," he replied as he started walking beside her as leading her off the path and along the forest edge. "I was hoping I'd get the chance tonight."
Hermione, though still a little bewildered, walked with him.
Harry led them down towards the Great Lake where the moonlight reflected off the water's glassy surface. He slowed and turned to face her. With a deep sigh, he started.
"Hermione – no, wait...I can't do this," he said as he turned away, looking out over the water.
But Hermione coaxed him on.
"What is it, Harry? You can tell me."
After a moment of hesitation, Harry started talking, keeping his gaze on the lake.
"Hermione – today, after the Quidditch match, something happened." Hermione looked alarmed, but Harry went on. "Nothing serious – just something I've been avoiding. Hermione, when you hugged me today, something fired up in me that's been asleep for so long. I felt happy for once in a long time. Just being around you is..."
His voice trailed off, but Hermione got what he was saying.
She glanced down at his hand and saw that his fingers were twitching with nervousness a little. She took a slow step towards him and took his hand, lacing their fingers. This seemed to calm Harry a little, and he smiled, sighing out some of the tension between them.
"Hermione, what I'm trying to say is that I...like you."
This made Hermione smile.
"Well," she said, softly. "I wasn't expecting this."
Harry turned to face her.
"Today, you made me feel like I was stronger than anybody in the whole world. Hermione – when I'm around you, I feel...complete." He took her other hand in his and looked down at her face, the silver light reflecting off the lake playing against her face. "Hermione...I have to ask you this, or I think I'll go out of my mind. Will you...go out with me?"
Hermione smiled, stepping closer to him.
"Yes," she said before their lips brushed against each other. They shared a soft kiss in front of the lake that night. It lasted only so long, though, because they had to get back to the castle before Ron got suspicious.
Hand-in-hand, they walked across the grounds towards the castle.
Evening with the Erkling
Harry Potter, a boy sixteen years old, shrugged out of his scarlet Quidditch uniform and pulled on a pair of khakis and a T-shirt, grabbing his Hogwarts robe and his father's Invisibility Cloak before dashing out of his room. He met Ron and Hermione at the foot of the stairs leading into the Gryffindor common room.
He was glad that the common room was empty tonight. He hated having to sneak out around first years. He never really liked sneaking out. Well, not all the time.
"You guys ready to go?" he asked as they headed towards the portrait hole and slipped out.
"Geeze, you look ruffled," Hermione said as she tried to flatten Harry's hair, but Harry waved her hand away. She'd been doing that a lot lately.
"It's no use, Hermione," he said as they descended the marble staircase, Harry pulling out the invisibility cloak from under his arm as he draped it over them. "My hair's never going to be perfect."
Ron laughed.
"You haven't figured that out after five years, Hermione?" he asked with a grin, and she frowned.
"I was just trying to be helpful..." she grumbled as she ducked under the cloak and Harry took the lead. She looked up to see his determined glance at the entrance hall doors.
"Ssh, Hermione," Harry said quietly as they walked across the entrance hall and opened the giant door leading outside to the grounds. "We don't know where Filch is."
Harry liked the way the air was cooler during the night. It was such a change from the heat and humidity of the day. The grass was wet and the hems of his pant legs were slowly becoming wet with dew.
He spotted Hagrid's hut in the distance, near the Forbidden Forest, which he was no stranger to anymore. The windows were brightly lit by the roaring fire inside the hut, and Harry had no doubt that Hagrid was cooking something (dissatisfying to them) for his dinner. They had learned to avoid Hagrid's meals, unless they were in the Great Hall.
He pulled the invisibility cloak off of them and folded it over his arm as Hermione knocked on the door. They heard the howls of Fang, Hagrid's watchdog, and then the sound of Hagrid undoing the lock on his door. With a creak, the door swung open slowly, revealing the hairy face of their friend and the Hogwarts Groundskeeper, Hagrid.
"Oh," he started as he saw all three of them standing on his doorstep. "I wasn' expectin' you three ou' so late."
"I thought you of all people would have known us to be night prowlers," Ron said as Hagrid stepped aside to let them in.
"Wow – Hagrid!" Hermione started as she took a seat in her usual fur- covered armchair.
Harry, too, had to look around the relatively small hut in awe as he spotted all the scrapings along Hagrid's walls.
"What did this, Hagrid?" Harry asked as he turned around to get a better look at all the walls. "These look almost like –"
"Claw marks?" Hagrid finished.
"Exactly," Harry replied.
"That's 'cause they are, Harry," Hagrid started, making his way over to the roaring fire where a spit had been set up and an animal was slowly roasting above the flickering flames.
"But –"Ron started, but Hagrid cut in as he started turning the spit.
"Bu' you wanna know wha' made 'em?"
Ron nodded.
"I know you three better 'an you think." he said with a twinkle in his eye.
"So, what did do this to your walls, Hagrid?" Hermione said as Harry slid a chair beside hers and sat down in it.
"Oh," Hagrid starting, enjoying the suspense he was building. "I really shouldn' be tellin' you this, but it's next class's...subject."
Ron grinned, and Harry gave him a disbelieving stare.
"You know how to keep class interesting, don't you, Hagrid?" he said as he caught Harry and Hermione's stares and sat back in his seat.
"Don't encourage him, Ron!" Hermione said as she shot him a piercing glance. "Hagrid –"she started as she looked over to Hagrid who had taken his seat back at the table and began chopping up a sort of root he had been growing in his garden. "This isn't a...dangerous subject, is it?"
Hagrid grinned at her. "Calm down, 'Ermione," he chuckled, not being able to soften her alarm. "It's perfectly legal. Dumbledore 'imself even requested that you get a chance to experience them first hand."
This made Harry a little calmer. If Dumbledore had requested it, it couldn't be too dangerous. He hoped.
"So, Hagrid," Ron started, sitting on the edge of his seat. "What is it?"
Harry looked around to see that all three of them were as eager as Ron to hear what it was they would be handling in Care of Magical Creatures class in two days.
"Well...if you must see it, I s'pose it won' hurt to show 'em to yeh." He walked over to a trunk and carefully extracted a key from one of his many coat pockets, (Harry wondered how he kept track of them all) and slid it into the padlock keeping the trunk closed. With a click, the lock snapped open and Hagrid cautiously lifted the lid of the trunk and pulled out a cage with a stout creature, slightly larger than a gnome, with a pointed face wearing grubby rags to cover its nakedness.
At first glance, Harry would have mistaken it for a house elf, but it was far too small for a house elf and it was a lot uglier.
"Hagrid – no! You didn't –"
Hagrid nodded as he set the cage on the table and stepped back so that they could see.
"You don' have to worry, 'Ermione," he said as the creature produced a high- pitched cackle that caused them to cover their ears for a moment until it quieted and sat down on the floor of the cage and cross its chubby arms. "There's on'y one of 'em."
Harry still oblivious to what it was, got up and took a step towards the cage to get a better look. The creature spotted Harry and snapped its mouth at him, revealing a mouth of razor-sharp teeth. He jumped back, almost landing in Hermione's lap as he bumped up against her chair.
"What in the world is that thing?" he asked as he took his seat, feeling a little unsettled.
"An Erkling," Hagrid said as he tapped the cage a few times and caused the Erkling to settle down.
"But – those are only supposed to be handled by trained wizards," Ron started as he got up, still smiling despite the danger of the creature. "In that Fantastic Beasts book by that Salamander guy ("Scamander!" Hermione cut in,) it's classified as four X's."
"Ron," Hagrid started. "You don' think I can handle a little Erkling? I am your professor after all." Hermione still looked a little upset that the thing was in the same room as her.
"I trust you, Hagrid," she started. "But – those things have been known to eat children!" Harry looked at it with disgust.
"Has this one..." he started, not at all intrigued by the ruthless little creature.
"No. This one's been bread in captivity," Hagrid said, relieving all of them.
"Good," Hermione started as she brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Because, if it had eaten a child – I wouldn't have been able to look at it, much less learn about it."
Hagrid chuckled.
"No, there hasn' been a recorded attack on a child since 1975, and the child killed it. They're on'y dangerous when they've go' you in their trance, lurin' you to 'em."
Harry was glad that it wasn't screeching anymore.
"How does it lure you to it?" he asked curiously.
"Wi' it's screech," Hagrid replied, and Ron gave a disgusted groan.
"Who'd follow a horrible screech like that?"
Harry shrugged.
"So...why'd you three come down here anyway?" Hagrid asked as he returned the Erkling to its trunk and replaced the lock, checking on the animal being roasted before returning to his seat.
"We just wanted to visit, you know," Harry said as he looked towards the fire. "By the way – what in the world is that you're cooking?"
Hagrid gave a start and smiled, enthusiastically. "That's somethin' I've waited five years to get. I've been on the waitin' list for this beauty." He got up again and turned the spit, then, pulled off a piece of the meat with his fingers and blew on it. "S'probably ready by now. Been cookin' it all day."
He handed Harry a piece of the meat, and did the same to Ron and Hermione. Harry sniffed it suspiciously and then peered over at Hermione who was doing the same. Ron, who couldn't refuse a new food, took a bite of the meat and smiled as he rolled it around in his mouth.
"This is pretty tasty," he said as he swallowed. "What is it?"
"Nogtail meat," Hagrid said as he took a chunk of meat and took a bite, savoring it. "They're so hard to catch, Nogtails. Bu', I've been on the waitin' lis' for one o' these for a while. They're pretty rare and not to mention, tasty."
Harry took a bite and found the warm meat to be not bad. It tasted a lot like pork, though he'd only eaten this on the rare occasions when the Dursley's decided to actually give him enough to taste.
After a while of small talk with Hagrid about classes, the three of them decided it was time to head back. Harry, more importantly, had something he'd been planning on doing on their trip back to the castle.
They started off towards the front entrance, but Harry pulled Hermione back. Ron stopped and turned around, giving Harry a questioning glance.
"Go ahead, Ron," Harry started quickly. "We'll catch up."
Ron looked bewildered for a moment, then a look of understanding fell over his face and he shrugged, continuing to walk towards the castle.
"Harry? What is it?" Hermione asked as she looked up at him. His face was half bathed in moonlight, and it glinted off his glasses.
"I wanted to talk to you...alone," he replied as he started walking beside her as leading her off the path and along the forest edge. "I was hoping I'd get the chance tonight."
Hermione, though still a little bewildered, walked with him.
Harry led them down towards the Great Lake where the moonlight reflected off the water's glassy surface. He slowed and turned to face her. With a deep sigh, he started.
"Hermione – no, wait...I can't do this," he said as he turned away, looking out over the water.
But Hermione coaxed him on.
"What is it, Harry? You can tell me."
After a moment of hesitation, Harry started talking, keeping his gaze on the lake.
"Hermione – today, after the Quidditch match, something happened." Hermione looked alarmed, but Harry went on. "Nothing serious – just something I've been avoiding. Hermione, when you hugged me today, something fired up in me that's been asleep for so long. I felt happy for once in a long time. Just being around you is..."
His voice trailed off, but Hermione got what he was saying.
She glanced down at his hand and saw that his fingers were twitching with nervousness a little. She took a slow step towards him and took his hand, lacing their fingers. This seemed to calm Harry a little, and he smiled, sighing out some of the tension between them.
"Hermione, what I'm trying to say is that I...like you."
This made Hermione smile.
"Well," she said, softly. "I wasn't expecting this."
Harry turned to face her.
"Today, you made me feel like I was stronger than anybody in the whole world. Hermione – when I'm around you, I feel...complete." He took her other hand in his and looked down at her face, the silver light reflecting off the lake playing against her face. "Hermione...I have to ask you this, or I think I'll go out of my mind. Will you...go out with me?"
Hermione smiled, stepping closer to him.
"Yes," she said before their lips brushed against each other. They shared a soft kiss in front of the lake that night. It lasted only so long, though, because they had to get back to the castle before Ron got suspicious.
Hand-in-hand, they walked across the grounds towards the castle.