Gentle Plops in the Darkness

It was almost wizarding hour. Darkness had fallen with a gentle 'plop', and was now wrapping the hut, the woods and the castle in its deep, velvety blanket. All was still and silent. The corridors of the castle, usually so alive with noise, movement, shouting, screaming, swearing, were now eerily still and silent. The owlery, usually brimming with owl calls, wing flappings, and the gentle splats of owl poos descending from the ledges, was now deathly still and silent. Even the scary noises in the woods had been turned off for the night.

But, wait, not was all still nor silent.

For, in the Gryffindor common room three small figures-a boy, with green cats eyes, and tousled black hair, a girl, with a serious, slightly worried face and huge hair, and another boy, with carrot red hair, and a more than his fair share of freckles-were preparing to depart.

'I say,' said Ron, ' Look out of the window. It looks just like darkness has fallen with a gentle 'plop' and is now covering is in its deep, velvety blanket.'

'Indeed,' agreed Hermione, rushing over to the window, 'Bravo, curriculum.'

'Quite right,' said Harry, 'But do come along now, our outsized and hirsute friend will be waiting.'

So, making one last check they'd packed all their necessaries (for Hermione, a French Frase book, for Harry, his wand, and for Ron, his elf shoes), the three minions of Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of the keys, climbed out of Gryffindor common room, and made their way down to the hut.

When they reached the hut, Harry, Ron and Hermione were met by the sight of a gargantuan man, with wild gingery-brown hair, moustache, beard and eyebrows, clad in a torn faded brown overcoat clasping what can only be described as an hellish big grey dog, to his barrel of a chest.

"Bye-bye Fangy," sobbed Hagrid, "Don't forget I love you, will you? 'ere," he continued, reaching a hand into one of the many pockets of his coat and drawing out a torn picture of himself, smiling and waving frantically, which he presented to the bemused looking hound "Got this for you, so…..so you remember me. Ok? An', an', I fink of you, every day, I will, so don't forget me. Oh, I love ya so much Fang, you're, you're like the son I almost had……."

At this six eyebrows shot into the air, but were immediately fined and sent back for speeding.

"Ok, Hagrid," interrupted thoroughly bemused looking Hermione, "Come on, we're not leaving for ever you know, you'll be back before you know it."

"Yea," agreed Ron, "Don't worry. Anyway," he continued, looking around excitedly, "Are we ready? Can we go now? Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssse."

"Alright," said Hagrid, "You're right, we're going to go to Pareeee and we are going to have fun."

He stepped back to face Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were gazing expectantly up at him (well they weren't actually gazing particularly expectantly, but it's a long way to gaze, and your eyes get kind of tired, so you tend to end up with that kind of amazed/bemused/bored look, which can also be described as gazing expectantly), and pushed his thick matted hair out of his shinny, tear stained face, "Do I look Ok?"