A/N: Hey, everyone! I hope that you are all having a lovely day / night!

So ... this is going to be my first update of 2021. However, before we begin, I have a couple of things that I feel is necessary for me to say.

Firstly, I've actually had this chapter completed for quite a few months now. Unfortunately, I couldn't get around to posting it because I was trying to work on the chapter that would be coming after this one. That way, I would be able to feel like I was succeeding in my writing by working ahead ... and that brings me into the second piece of information that I feel is important for all of you to know.

I am actually a victim of GAD—Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It's a mental battle that I have on a daily basis, typically making me go through long periods of exaggerated worry, fear, and dread. This means that I often find myself overthinking and fixating on even the smallest things. I'm afraid that this includes my writing. Usually, I feel like my chapters have to be long and detailed. Otherwise, my brain convinces me that I'm not doing enough and that nobody will like my work. I hold myself to extremely high and unrealistic standards, which is a symptom of my disorder. I feel like if I'm not constantly working, I'm letting people down and I'm—sooner or later—going to lose viewers. However, all this does is feed my GAD even more.

To be honest, I have actually been isolating myself from writing ever since I finished this chapter months ago. Unfortunately, I haven't been having the desire to work ... and I'm strongly convinced that it's because I've been overwhelming myself with always trying to write. Whenever I wasn't handling schoolwork, chores, or other responsibilities, I was listening to the hectic thoughts that were telling me that I had to write. I wasn't really giving me time to just relax and enjoy other activities that I love, such as video games, listening to music, creating collages, watching movies, and reading.

Now, don't get me wrong! Writing is something that I certainly can't live without ... but I have been gorging myself in it for so long. My GAD has completely rewired my brain, making this hobby of mine seem like a job that I have to keep on top of. Yet, I'm not getting paid for it ... and even though I love reviews, favorites, and follows, they don't make my GAD stop. I am basically trying to fight against a monster that has buried itself thoroughly into my mind. With that being said ... I'm still more than likely going to need some time away from my laptop.

I don't wish to give up on this story, nor do I want to give up on any of my works. However, I simply can't force myself to write when I'm genuinely not in the mood to do so. So, despite how I do wish to keep writing, I don't know when I'll get to the next chapter. I'm going to need some more time to take care of my mental health, as well as focus on school and other activities that I enjoy. With that being said, please remain patient with me. I promise, I'm doing my best ... and I very much appreciate every last one of you.

Phew! ... Well, now that we got all of the serious stuff out of the way, please keep in mind that reviews really make my day. I always look forward to hearing what you all think, so please don't hold back! Share your thoughts in the reviews or you can PM them to me at anytime! Again, I really appreciate reviews! :)

Now, I believe that's all I wanted to say at this time! It's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the third chapter of my retelling of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

Happy reading, my fellow viewers! :)


Indigo Dumbledore and the Sorcerer's Stone


Chapter Three: The Return


I loved Hagrid's motorbike. When I was growing up, I had practically been obsessed with it. In fact, I had rarely been able to get through a single day without begging Hagrid to take me for a ride. He was always reluctant to agree, mainly because the motorbike didn't officially belong to him and other staff members—particularly McGonagall, Flitwick, and Madam Pomfrey—had the habit of keeping a close eye on me. Of course, Hagrid knew that they didn't like it when I engaged in activities that could result in serious injuries; but all I had to do was put my hands together, stick out my bottom lip, and stare up at the half-giant like a lost puppy. Whenever I did that, he would eventually break out into a reassuring smile and finally agree to take me for a ride—as long as I wrapped my dainty pinky around his much larger one and promised to keep it a secret. I never hesitated to comply.

It had been years since I last rode on that motorbike. In fact, my final ride had been shortly after I broke the news to Hagrid that I was going to be leaving Hogwarts in order to continue my education at Durmstrang. I could still remember a surprising amount of details from that day—the cool breeze, the sea of leaves that covered almost every inch of the ground, and the silver clouds that completely engulfed the sky. I had visited Hagrid in his hut, where he invited me to join him for some pumpkin juice and freshly baked pie—cherry, to be exact. As we ate, I reluctantly explained how I was going away ... and not long after that, the half-giant suggested that I accompanied him for one last joyride—that it would be like his own personal sendoff for me. By that point, it had started to drizzle a little; but that didn't stop me from agreeing. Looking back on it, I now understood that Hagrid more than likely wanted to use the rain to help hide the fact that his eyes were on the verge of watering from the news. That was my final ride with him.

Even after twelve years, that motorbike still looked exactly as I remembered it. It was a light blue Royal Enfield, consisting of a large engine, a kickstart, and the same sidecar that I had ridden in as a child. It was much bigger than a typical motorcycle, courtesy of the magic that had been placed on it back when it had first been manufactured. It was also enchanted with the ability to fly at an impressive speed—similar to a broomstick. Overall, it was a remarkable form of transportation; and even for the world of wizardry, it was something that was quite rare to own.

As soon as I stepped out into the darkness of the evening, I froze in my tracks and—at the sight of the motorbike—my eyes practically bulged. The silvery moonlight gleamed against it, making the smallest details and devices stand out even more than they normally would during the day. In that moment, I felt an immediate mixture of surprise and delight begin to bubble up inside of me. Then, once I finished processing what it was that I was looking at, my lips ended up stretching into the widest grin that they could muster, baring plenty of my teeth.

The Leaky Cauldron's front door closed, filling the air with a quick—yet noticeable—thud. With that, all of the noises that were coming from inside the establishment—i.e. customers socializing, glasses clinking, and silverware sliding across plates—practically faded into an oblivion. Now, the only noise that could be heard was the sound of the wind calmly whistling through the air, carrying a very slight and tolerable chill. There were also a couple of occasional creaks, which were triggered by a few nearby signs as they lightly swayed in the breeze.

I redirected my attention back over to Hagrid, who had just exited the pub and been the one to have shut the door. He still had my trunk positioned perfectly on his shoulder, carrying it like a bundle of wood; and as soon as he saw the look on my face, a knowing smile spread across his own. His dark brown eyes almost seemed to sparkle, making it clear that he'd already been expecting this type of reaction from me.

"You mean, we're taking your motorbike, Hagrid?" I asked with hope laced around my accent.

The half-giant flicked his eyebrows up as he replied, "Well, you weren't expectin' us to take an owl all the way back to Hogwarts, now were ya?"

At the mention of Hogwarts, it was like my excitement had slammed into a brick wall. My shoulders sunk a little, while my large smile almost seemed to shrivel up. It turned out, I had been so happy over Hagrid's motorbike to the point in which I had nearly forgotten what this whole trip was about. The half-giant—by Dumbledore's request—was taking me back to the same boarding school that I had abandoned at the age of twelve. I still couldn't get my head wrapped around the thought of me actually returning to that place; but since I had no choice, I tried to convince myself to look on the bright side. After all, not only was I going to be seeing my adoptive father again, but it also appeared that I was being given the opportunity to enjoy a thrilling ride on Hagrid's motorbike in order to make it back to the school.

However, despite my efforts to think positive, it didn't take long before my mind was invaded for what felt like the billionth time. Pieces of dark memories were—once again—starting to rise to the surface of my brain, sending small shivers through my bones and making something in the pit of my stomach feel a little sour. I nearly grimaced from the unpleasant thoughts, but held back the urge to do so. As this happened, I took a moment to close my eyes and draw in a steady breath through my nose. I held it in for no more than five seconds, right before I softly let it out through my mouth and reopened my eyes.

Suddenly, not long after this happened, I found myself being pulled back into the present when I felt Hagrid place his free hand on top of my head. He then proceeded to tussle up my hair, which was something that he had done to me ever since I was a little kid. As he did this, the bitter memories disappeared back into their hiding spots and Hagrid managed to get another smile out of me—a softer and sweeter one this time.

"Ah, seems like just yesterday you were that little tyke. Always askin' for a ride, you were." Hagrid said, affectionate snickers dripping from his words. "Hard to believe it has been twelve years since your last joyride with me. I still remember it, too. It was a couple of days before you left to attend — uhh, what was it again? Drum-string?"

I failed to stifle a laugh as I corrected him, "Durmstrang, Hagrid."

"Ohh, that's right. Well, you get what I mean."

He waved his unoccupied hand in a dismissive manner. At the same time, I slowly walked around to the opposite side of the motorbike and found myself lightly gliding the tips of my fingers along the rim of the sidecar. I could feel the half-giant's gaze following me as this happened, accompanied by a spark of happiness inside of my chest.

"Don't you remember how angry Professor Flitwick had been when he found out that you took me for another ride that day?" I asked, my tone still coated in amusement. "Of course, it was never my intention to upset him or any of the other staff members; but I have to admit, it was pretty funny to see him chase after the motorbike."

A slight shade of pink slipped across the half-giant's cheeks. He let out a somewhat awkward chuckle, lifting his gaze up to a nearby lamppost that had its light flickering every few seconds.

"Ah, yes. How could I forget?" Hagrid said as he started running his unoccupied hand through his beard. "I probably should've remembered that he'd been plannin' to teach his class outside that day. One moment I was guidin' us back down to the ground from the treetops ... and then, before we could even see it coming, there was suddenly a student hollerin' out, 'hit the deck!' ... It's a good thing that Professor Flitwick has always been a short fellow. When all of his students were screamin' and leapin' out of our path, he just managed to dunk underneath the back wheel of the motorbike."

"And like all of the other joyrides that came before that, it was definitely worth the lecture." I declared, folding my arms with confidence. "To this day, I can still remember the look on Madam Pomfrey's face when you took me to the Hospital Wing. It was like the look a mother would wear after catching their child trying to sneak their hand in the cookie jar!"

Hagrid rolled his eyes in an entertained manner, still looking up at the same lamppost. It appeared that he was watching a couple of moths that were fluttering around it.

"She had to hand out plenty of icepacks and stress-reducing potions that day—that's for certain. Blimey, if looks could turn ya into ice, I'm sure that she would've transformed me into a sculpture right on the spot."

"Meanwhile, the worst that I got that day was a few leaves in my hair and a scrape on my arm that you wanted to make sure was properly bandaged. It wasn't even the length of a pinky, but that didn't stop Madam Pomfrey from going on and on about how I lucky I was that it didn't require any stitches. She even told me to count my blessings since, according to her, 'it could've been a much more severe gash across my neck and I could've bled out before being brought to her.' I swear, she was always jumping to the most extreme conclusions—especially with me."

The half-giant barked out a warm laugh, right before he lowered his attention back down to me.

"Can't say that I really blame her there, Indigo. After all, when you were growin' up, you might as well have been the literal definition of the word 'daredevil!' Hardly a day could go by without you getting into some type of mischief. You were very sneaky—even more so than any of the students, as a matter of fact!"

In that moment, I couldn't help but grow a little smug. The smile that I was wearing transformed into a slight smirk as I thought about the words that Hagrid had just said. He was right, I had been quite cunning all throughout my childhood. Despite how I had practically been a ghost at Hogwarts, there had still been numerous occasions in which I had gone around and caused all sorts of misconduct. I was especially known to pull pranks on those who I viewed as pricks. Of course, I never hurt anybody—at least, not intentionally; but even as a child, it hadn't been uncommon for me to put others in their place. I used my magic to cause many forms of mischief—knotting shoelaces together, gluing butts to broomsticks, causing nontoxic potions to blow up, and the list could go on for centuries. Needless to say, this was another reason as to why I was frequently supervised as a kid.

Still, being sneaky took a lot to master. In the wizarding world, it wasn't just a characteristic. On the contrary, it was a skill ... and it was one that—after years of working as a waitress—I had come to realize many young wizards and witches severely lacked these days. Thus, in the world of wizardry, it was actually one hell of an accomplishment to get referred to as "mischievous" or anything that was remotely close to that.

"Now, I wonder how we are doin' on time...? Hmm, let's see here..." Hagrid murmured, his voice—once again—dragging me out of my thoughts.

I watched as he reached into one of the pockets of his battered overcoat. Then, after rummaging around for a couple of seconds, he pulled out a tiny pocket watch and flipped it open to examine the time. His eyebrow furrowed as he emitted a low whistle, faint disappointment beginning to glisten in his irises. Although, I could tell that he was doing his best to hide it—especially when he looked up again. It was like he had just remembered that I was there; and it was evident that he didn't want me to feel bad over whatever it was that he was about to say.

"Looks like we're runnin' behind by a minute or two." Hagrid noted with a slight grunt, returning the pocket watch to his pocket. "But if we get a move on, we should be able to make up for that and arrive at Hogwarts right on schedule!"

Just like that, the disappointment in the half-giant's eyes completely transformed into reassurance and he had even managed to muster up a hopeful smile. At the same time, he swiftly lowered the dark blue trunk from his shoulder and practically chucked it in my direction. I nearly choked on a yelp, feeling my heart take a rough leap in my chest from not expecting the sudden toss. Still, I shot my arms out almost immediately and—even with my trunk under the influence of the feather-light charm—I couldn't help but stumble back a couple of steps once I managed to catch it.

Out of habit, I started to glance back and forth, wanting to make sure that there were no Muggles around. Luckily, there weren't. By this time of night, the streets of London were usually always vacant—not including stray animals or the occasional vehicles that would drive by. Although, on this particular evening, the entire area appeared to be empty. The silvery moonlight was pouring down from the sky, illuminating the various shops that surrounded the Leaky Cauldron, casting shadows against the ground, and making the pavement sparkle. Not another soul was in sight.

I flicked my attention back over to Hagrid, batting my lashes in confusion as I held my trunk in an upright position against my chest. He was now moving one of his hands somewhere behind his overcoat, creating a moment of Deja Vu since he had done the same thing when searching for my letter earlier.

"Hagrid, the school is still hours away from here. At least nine, if I remember correctly." I pointed out, sounding just as uncertain as I looked. "At this rate, we won't make it until the wee hours of the morning."

"Not with the help of this."

As those words left Hagrid's mouth, he pulled out a small, burlap pouch from behind his overcoat. It was no bigger than the size of a peach, covered in mismatched patches and what I could only assume was smudges of dirt and soot. It was evident that the pouch had seen far better days; but regardless of its shabby condition, it didn't take long for my brain to come up with a theory on what was inside.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked.

"Yep!" replied Hagrid, who briefly unlaced the pouch to show me its contents. "Lavender fairy dust! I got permission from Dumbledore to borrow some from the school's main storage closet."

Once the pouch had been opened, I was able to see a thick mass of lavender sparkles. Every last one was shimmering like an individual gemstone, emitting an incredibly bright light of the same color. I couldn't help but squint, turning my head away to prevent myself from being temporarily blinded. Not too long after that, Hagrid closed the pouch again.

In the wizarding world, fairy dust was a very unique substance. It came in dozens of different colors, each one possessing a different ability. The process of getting it was very risky and time-consuming, considering how it typically involved certain witches and wizards needing to go out and search around in all sorts of woodsy areas. Then, since it was rather difficult to come across actual fairies, those who are searching would have to locate any plants or other creatures that could've had the dust sprinkled across them. That's when they would be expected to carefully extract it and bring it back to wherever it was they came in order to have it properly prepared for use.

In the case of lavender fairy dust, it could temporarily enhance speed. Also, from what I understood, a majority of fairy dust could only offer a witch or wizard its particular ability if it was consumed—which explained why it was often the key ingredient for various potions. There were only a selected few—which fortunately included the lavender dust—that didn't need to be eaten in order to work.

The half-giant continued to explain, "A little of this in the exhaust pipe and we'll be arrivin' at Hogwarts in no more than an hour or so!"

"Well, damn...!" I said back, almost in awe from that description.

Hagrid froze, his smile falling. He lifted his gaze back up from the burlap pouch and stared directly at me with a look of pure seriousness, his eyebrows practically meeting his hairline.

"Hey." He spoke in a tone that was slightly firmer than usual, lifting a finger at me. "Watch that tongue of yours, missy."

At first, I had grown a little tense; but then, as the realization sunk in that I had just cursed, I found myself pressing my lips together and reaching a hand around to the back of my neck. I rubbed it in a somewhat sheepish manner, feeling my earlobes beginning to grow a little hot at the same time. For as long as I could remember, I had been somebody who severely lacked a filter. Ever since I was a child, I had the habit of speaking my mind—even if that meant cursing or spitting out words that I hadn't even known the meaning of. I mostly blamed it on being raised around older students for a majority of my life.

Back when I was six, I had overheard a particular group of male students cracking jokes about something that had happened in their Divination class. Apparently, from what I could recall, it had been a presentation day—meaning that each of the students were expected to get up one at a time and show the rest of the class how well-adjusted they were in the subject. However, the group of boys had used a "tinkling hex" in order to make another male student wet his trousers—right in the middle of his presentation. From what I understood, the rest of the students had burst out laughing and the targeted boy had bolted out of the classroom with tears of anger and humiliation in his eyes.

I hadn't had the slightest clue as to which boy out of the four had been the one to have cast the spell; but even as a kid, hearing what they had done really got under my skin. In the end, my anger had gotten the better of me and I had used my magic to throw the heaviest book that I could find at the boy that had been obnoxiously laughing the loudest. It struck him in the chest with such a strong amount of force that it actually caused him to topple backwards into the courtyard's fountain. Then, to top it all off, I screamed at the top of my lungs, "Damn, stinky, bloody bastards!" Needless to say, the three boys had heard me; but the one that I had managed to hit—Sirius Black—seemed to be too caught up in spitting out water and pushing his drenched curls out of his face to even notice.

Unfortunately, McGonagall had been walking by as this happened. She ended up escorting me to Dumbledore's office and—after hearing about what happened—my adoptive father had calmly instructed me to write "I shall not use indecent language" about thirty or so times in his and McGonagall's presence. Although, he didn't even seem to pay attention to how I had lost my temper and caused one of his students to get soaked in the fountain. So, looking back on it, I got off the hook fairly easy.

Ever since that day, I tried—and miserably failed—to censor myself. My cussing and inaccurate use of certain words didn't stop, particularly because I was still hearing various students using the same language all around me. As time went on, I just got increasingly better at preventing myself from slipping up around adults. In fact, the only time in which I seemed to use an indecent word—such as "douche" or "ass"—around Dumbledore or any of the other staff members was when I was genuinely trying to ask them to explain what it was. Other than that, I had learned to keep my cursing and other forms of "adult language" on the downlow. However, as I got older, that became much easier said than done.

Even now, at the age of twenty-four, I still had a sharp tongue; and after years of no longer being a student, I had adapted to being able to say whatever the hell I wanted without there being hardly any penalties. Still, I understood that there was a time and place for everything; and there were still people in my life who I had respect for. The half-giant was one of them.

"You don't need to be usin' any language like that. It's nothin' but a bunch of codswallop, ya hear?" Hagrid went on, his serious—yet quiet—tone managing to snap me out of my thoughts for what felt like the dozenth time. "I don't even know why words like that have to exist, but just because they do, don't mean that you have to allow them to leave your lips. Understand?"

"Umm, yeah. Right, I understand." I said back, lightly nodding with slight awkwardness grazing my voice. "Forgive me, Hagrid. They just slip out sometimes."

"Well, from here on out, be more careful. I highly doubt that Dumbledore would be wantin' ya to use that kind of language around the kids."

I squinted in confusion. "Kids? What kids?"

Slight shock swept across the half-giant's features. His jaw almost dropped and his eyes became as round as two coins, making it obvious that he had just finished registering what he'd said. He quickly averted his gaze from me, looking down at the burlap pouch in his giant hands. He delicately rubbed it between them like it was a lump of clay, his lips straightening.

"I should not have said that ... I should not have said that." Hagrid stated a little bashfully, right before he peeked up at me again and cleared his throat. "Ahem...! Like I said shortly after I arrived, that's between you and your dad. Now, we're really gonna have to get goin'."

I remained confused, still trying to figure out a reason as to why Hagrid had suddenly mentioned "kids." I understood that Dumbledore was the headmaster of Hogwarts; but since we were in the month of June, there shouldn't have been any students there. So, that comment only made me even more curious as to what this whole visit was about.

Nonetheless, my wondering—to no surprise—was put on hold when the half-giant's voice pulled me back into the present.

"Hmm ... ohh, boy..."

"What's the matter?" I asked, easily sensing the faint "uh-oh" sound that was now buried in his accent.

Hagrid had been gliding his eyes along the motorbike, appearing to be studying it. Although, once he heard my question, he didn't hesitate to lift his head and make eye contact with me again. He then gave a small gesture in the direction of my trunk, proceeding to explain.

"Well ... I'm afraid that it slipped my mind that the sidecar is pretty dainty. With that trunk of yours, the ride will be a bit snug—"

"Oh, that won't be a problem, Hagrid." I retorted, cutting him off in a tone that somehow managed to be nonchalant, reassuring, and dismissive all in one. "I know exactly how to deal with that. Allow me."

I lowered my trunk down onto the pavement, keeping it in its upright position. Then, after taking another quick glance around in order to make sure that there were still no Muggles in sight, I slipped my hand into my boot and withdrew my wand. I angled it downwards and focused, aiming its tip at my luggage. The whole time, I could feel Hagrid watching my every move; and within seconds, the tip of my wand started to give off a bright yellow light—similar to a firefly.

I recited a spell, "Reducio...!"

The bright yellow light shot off from my wand and stuck my trunk. It immediately started to tremble, as if everything inside of it had come to life and was attempting to break out. Not long after that, with the bright yellow light still spreading across its surface like a bunch of sound waves, the trunk—along with its contents—started to shrink. "Reducio" was one of the few charms in the world of wizardry that was used to condense items and sometimes even people. So, it continued to shrink my trunk until it was no more than the size of a keychain. Afterwards, the bright yellow light disappeared from the tip of my wand and I was able to return it to my boot.

I bent down and retrieved my shrunken trunk from the ground, pinching its handle between two of my fingers. I then showed it to the half-giant, a satisfied grin now twisted across my lips.

"Voilà! I present to you, a tiny trunk that won't interfere with our traveling in any form whatsoever."

"Heh! Well, would ya look at that?" Hagrid said with a small laugh. "Even after all of these years, Indigo, you're still just as clever as ever."

"I got my father to thank for that."

"Well, speaking of Dumbledore, he's still waitin' on your arrival! It's time for us to get goin'!"

I quickly slid my tiny trunk into one of the pockets of my faded blue jeans, just as Hagrid briskly stepped around to the side of the motorbike that I was on. He then offered me one of his giant hands, already having his opposite arm extended behind me—just in case he ended up needing to catch me. I placed one of my hands in his, maintaining my balance as I swiftly—yet carefully—stepped into the sidecar.

"All right, be careful now! Watch your step there." Hagrid cautioned while helping me. "Ahh, there ya go!"

I finished lowering myself into a seating position, having no choice but to curl my legs a little. Thankfully, it wasn't too cramped in the sidecar—especially since I no longer had to worry about my trunk taking up any of the room. Although, at the same time, since it had been twelve years since my last joyride, I could definitely feel the emotional and physical differences that came with sitting in that sidecar again. Until then, I hadn't even noticed how my gut was practically swelling with adrenaline. My mind was replaying all of the events that had led me to this moment, reminding me once again that I was actually going back to Hogwarts. So, while sitting in the sidecar of Hagrid's motorbike, I couldn't tell whether I felt more anxious, excited, or bewildered.

"Same rules still apply from when you were little!" Hagrid noted as he positioned himself near the motorbike's exhaust pipe. "No standin' up or thrashin' around at any point or time! Also, be sure to have a firm grip on the windshield until we are in the air! I don't want ya to risk flyin' out!"

"Uhh, yeah! Got it!"

I genuinely wasn't nervous over Hagrid's rules, nor was I unsettled over the thought of flying. I was just trying to settle my brain, which was currently in the middle of juggling hundreds of thoughts.

I reached a hand behind my head, looping my fingers around the black tie that was holding my hair back. I then tugged it out, letting my dark brunette hair fall from its barely tamed ponytail. There were no words that could possibly describe just how great it felt. I exhaled in a brief mixture of content and relief as I ran my opposite hand through my hair, using my fingertips to untangle a few loose knots and rub away any soreness from my scalp. All the while, I could hear Hagrid muttering to himself and fiddling around with something on the back of the motorbike.

"Now, this goes here ... and this flips up like that..."

While the half-giant murmured under his breath, I positioned my hands on the sidecar's small windshield and gripped it—the tie from my hair now on my wrist. As this happened, I couldn't help but take one final look at the Leaky Cauldron. I pressed my lips together to prevent them from falling into a small frown, my amethyst-colored eyes watching the sign as it swung lightly in the breeze. Regardless of how I knew that I wasn't going away forever, I still couldn't get myself to fully comprehend what was happening. I was actually leaving this place to visit the institution that I had been hoping to leave entirely in the past; and even though it was going to be nothing more than just a trip, it was still a lot to take in.

"Ah-ha! There we go...!" Hagrid whispered, despite how his words were still audible. "Now, time for the dust..."

I glanced over my shoulder and watched as Hagrid bent over the exhaust pipe. He delicately opened the burlap pouch again, once again freeing the vibrant purple light from inside of it. Then, after carefully tilting it, the half-giant proceeded to sprinkle no more than a palmful of the lavender fairy dust directly into the motorbike's exhaust pipe. The motorbike reacted almost immediately, starting to vibrate rather immensely—as if it was a little kid that was high on sugar. At the same time, an abrupt sound started to come from inside of the exhaust pipe—awfully similar to the fizzing noise that a stick of dynamite would make after being ignited. The exhaust pipe then proceeded to give off the same colored light that had been inside of the burlap pouch, glowing almost as brightly as the sun. All of this, by the way, taking place without the kickstart even being activated yet.

The sudden convulsions, mixed with the fizzing noise, completely cut me off guard. My eyes grew to be the size of two Galleons and my jaw nearly dropped as my fingers automatically curled a little tighter around the small windshield. Meanwhile, Hagrid didn't think twice before leaping right into action. He quickly closed the burlap pouch and stored it somewhere behind his old overcoat, right before he swung his left leg over the motorbike and mounted it.

"What the devil—?! U-uh, is this supposed to be happening?!" I inquired, looking up at the half-giant with my voice almost quivering along with the motorbike's movements.

"I believe so!" Hagrid answered, just as he swiftly retrieved his goggles from another secret spot underneath his overcoat and slipped them on. "I must admit, it's my first time ever using any sort of fairy dust on this thing!"

For a moment, I could've sworn that my heartbeat had ceased to exist. I stared at the half-giant like he had just grown a second head, still holding onto the sidecar's windshield as tightly as my fingers would allow. The fizzing noise was also getting louder with every passing second, which only made this whole scenario even more nerve-wracking. Even as somebody who loved flying, I had never experienced something like this.

"What?!" I blurted out at last, having no choice but to speak louder in order to be heard over the unnerving fizzing. "You mean, you don't really know if this is meant to happen?!"

"Not necessarily! I was told about the possible side effects!" replied Hagrid, who had just used the head of his boot to quickly nudge the kickstand up. "Nothin' to worry over, I'm sure!"

I wish that I could say that I felt at least somewhat comforted by the half-giant's words, but I was unable to. My stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels and, by this point, it was as if the adrenaline was pulsating through every last vein in my body. Before this, I had never imagined that lavender fairy dust would cause such an unsettling reaction.

"All right!" Hagrid exclaimed over the deafening noise that was still coming from the glowing exhaust pipe. "Next stop, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

"Oh, Merlin, help us...!" I muttered under my breath, hoping to death that our transportation wasn't in the middle of undergoing some sort of negative response from the fairy dust.

One of Hagrid's hands zipped around, skillfully fiddling with a few other fixtures on the vibrating motorbike. The headlight turned on, its white beam—despite being bright—not even beginning to compare to the purple light that was being emitted from the exhaust pipe. Then, after clamping a hand around one of the handlebars and giving it a firm squeeze, Hagrid positioned his opposite hand over the kickstart.

He bellowed over the noise, "Brace yourself! One...! Two...! Three...!"

With that, the half-giant slammed his palm down on the kickstart and quickly grabbed the other handlebar afterwards. The engine immediately roared to life, filling the air with its typical rumbling sound. Although, I noticed right off the bat that it was much louder than I remembered—almost perfectly resembling thunder. For the briefest moment, a cringe slipped across my face and my shoulders started to rise in an attempt to protect my ears. A piece of me was genuinely surprised that I hadn't gone deaf from all of this noise; but then, before I could find myself fixating on it, my body ended up flying backwards. My back struck painlessly against the back of the sidecar, making me grunt, and my fingers instantly curled even tighter around the windshield. I was also sure that my amethyst-colored eyes looked like they were on the verge of bulging out of their sockets.

CRACK! BANG! BOOM!

The exhaust pipe let out three individual bursts, each one causing a mild puff of bright purple sparkles to shoot out from it. At the same time, a huge rush practically erupted from the direct center of my abdomen. It shot through my entire body like a bursting ball of electricity, making every last one of my nerves feel as though they were tingling. The sensation was absolutely overwhelming; but it didn't take long before I realized that I was very familiar with this feeling.

"HOLD ON!" Hagrid yelled as he twisted one of the handlebars and made the engine growl some more.

The wheels whirled, screeching against the pavement; and just like that, the motorbike was off. It bolted away from the Leaky Cauldron, only for the half-giant to preform a hasty U-turn at the very end of the street and correct our path. He effortlessly rounded another lamppost, just barely missing it and making the tingly sensations inside of me grow even stronger. Then, as the motorbike soared back down the road and zipped past the Leaky Cauldron again, Hagrid leaned back and pulled the handlebars up. The motorbike reacted almost instantly, leaping up into the air and saving its wheels from running over a small pothole. However, instead of falling back down, the vehicle remained airborne—no longer ruled by gravity. It curved into an upright position and took off directly into the sky, making something in my belly feel like it had just been flung by a slingshot—but in a good way.

As this happened, Hagrid yelled out, "UP, UP AND AWAY!"

"WHOAAAA! AHHHHH! AHH-HA-HA!"

I didn't even try holding back my screams. They shot up from my throat and fled out of my mouth before I even had the chance to notice that they were coming. It didn't take long before I found myself also letting out strings of ecstatic laughter. Meanwhile, my hands—despite trembling a bit—fought to maintain their firm grip on the windshield and the wind tore effortlessly through my hair—along with Hagrid's. Mild G-forces rippled across our faces, while our eardrums continued to get filled with the various noises from the motorbike.

BLAM! BOOM! CRACKLE!

Another three bursts came from the shimmering exhaust pipe, which now had a waterfall of purple sparkles pouring out of it. It trailed after the motorbike beautifully, slicing through the darkness with its mystical glow. Fortunately, fairy dust was known to dissolve whenever it met non-magic territory. So, it was good to know that Hagrid and I wouldn't have had to worry about the lavender dust sprinkling down from the sky and raising concerns among the Muggles.

"WAHOOO!" I howled, letting my enthusiasm take full control right then and there. "OHH MY—! AHHH! HA-HA-HA!"

The amount of thrill that I was feeling in that moment was indescribable. I was practically high on adrenaline, making it hard to believe that—just a minute ago—I had been questioning the motorbike's state. It was like my mind had completely abandoned every last thought that it had been holding. Every last ounce of my prior anxiety felt as if it had shriveled up and disappeared, permitting me to bask in the incredible liveliness that was still ricocheting all throughout the inside of my body. Even after all of these years, it was very easy for me to recall this sensation. In the past, I had gotten it during all of my joyrides with the half-giant; and it made me feel almost exactly like a little kid again.

"WATCH YOUR GRIP NOW!" Hagrid cautioned. "KEEP HOLDIN' ON!"

"AHHHH!" I shrieked joyfully again, the pit of my stomach almost feeling like it was being tickled by the tingles that were still rippling through it. "HA-HA! AMAZING! AHHH-HA-HA! THIS IS AMAZING!"

The half-giant laughed, seeming amused by my comment. As this happened, the motorbike broke through the clouds and it was like the entire universe around us had vanished. Hagrid reacted immediately, almost standing as he leaned his chest over the handlebars and moved them downward. Without any hesitation, the rumbling motorbike curved out of its vertical position and proceeded to bolt horizontally—as if the clouds had become our road. The bright purple light that was coming from the exhaust pipe flickered through the sky in a manner that was similar to lightning, while the engine continued to roar like a dragon.

I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to risk getting blinded by the clouds. Meanwhile, I could feel the coolness of the condensed water vapor sweeping across my face. It went along perfectly with the feeling of the wind whisking through my hair. The overall experience was incredible, making me smile from practically ear-to-ear. There was even a small piece of me that could've sworn that my cheeks were seconds away from popping, but I was having too much fun to care.

"WOOO-HOOO!" I cheered at the top of my lungs, tossing my head back.

Hagrid joined me, "YEAAAHHH!"

I found myself laughing again almost instantly. Then, with my hands still clamped around the windshield, I felt what was like the pit of my stomach jumping all the way up into my chest. It lasted for only a second, accompanied by the intoxicating sensation of my adrenaline. At the same time, my butt had flown up from my seat and plopped back down inside of the sidecar not even a full two seconds later. My grip on the windshield never wavered, saving me from possibly flying out in that moment; and as I reopened my eyes, I realized that Hagrid had guided the motorbike downwards. It turned out, we had dipping through the clouds again and were now flying directly beneath them.

The whole city was visible again. My eyes shimmered with amazement as I looked down, seeing thousands of blue, yellow, purple, and green lights that were illuminating from various buildings, bridges, boats, billboards, and tourist attractions. It was like a sea on lanterns, casting beautiful glows against the large waterway and not the mention the never-ending maze of streets. I had nearly forgotten just how phenomenal this view was—and the fact that this was my first time experiencing it with Hagrid just made it even greater.

I lifted my head again, seeing the thick line of clouds still hanging directly above the motorbike. In that moment, since the G-forces had mildly settled down, I decided to take a risk. I withdrew my left hand from the sidecar's windshield and held it straight up in the air, watching as the tips of my fingers glided nicely through the bottoms of the clouds. Once again, I could feel the moisture from inside of them. Meanwhile, my right hand continued to hold onto the windshield since the motorbike was still going much faster than it normally would.

"DON'T YOU BE LETTIN' GO WITH BOTH HANDS!" Hagrid hollered, making it evident that he had noticed what I was doing. "WE'LL BE AT THE SCHOOL BEFORE YA KNOW IT!"

I wasn't even listening—at least, not entirely. I was too caught up basking in the thrill of the ride, feeling like I was on top of the world. My left hand remained high in the air, while my attention was drawn back down to the glorious view. My smile remained wide and my hair continued to blow in the cool wind as I watched the city soar beneath the motorbike. London was absolutely breathtaking—even more so when there was adrenaline involved. I was loving every last second of this.


The city was eventually replaced by endless stretches of slanted meadows, mountains, and treetops. The rich moonlight poured against every inch of the grass, making it look like it was on the verge of glowing since it was such an immense shade of green. There were also swarms of wildflowers calmly bobbing in the breeze, adding even more beauty to the scenery. All it took was one glance to come to the conclusion that Hagrid and I were no longer in London.

By this point, my adrenaline had calmed down and—even though I was still enjoying the flight—a majority of the tingles that were in my body had dissolved. I had my head resting back against the back of my seat, a blissful grin decorating my face as I felt the wind continue to glide across my cheeks and blow through my hair. My eyes were opened halfway, observing the sky as it soared along with the motorbike. There were still clouds hanging around, but there weren't as many here as there had been in the city. So, I was now able to see the stars a whole lot better. Granted, they were a little like blurred dots from how fast the motorbike was going; but I still liked to believe that they were just as pretty as I remembered.

Occasionally, I would cast glances over the edge of the sidecar and watch as the motorbike zipped over multiple streams, bushes, treetops, crops, and valleys. Not only was I wanting to take in the sights some more, but I was also trying to see if I could spot anything that would somehow relate to my past. Unsurprisingly, no matter how many times I looked around, I failed to find anything like that; but I didn't really seem to mind. I was practically on Cloud Nine, feeling the rush inside of me gradually fading. It was similar to how a person would be after experimenting with a drug for the first time—or so I imagined. I had never taken any sort of narcotics before.

In regards to how long Hagrid and I had been in the air, I had no idea. Although, I could still recall what the half-giant had said after presenting the lavender fairy dust to me—that with its assistance, we would be able to make it to our destination in no more than an hour or two. It didn't necessarily feel like that much time had gone by; but judging by the change in our surroundings, it was easy to confirm that Hagrid and I really had been traveling for quite a while. If I had to guess, it had been at least an hour-and-a-half since we flew away from the Leaky Cauldron.

I chose to relax in the sidecar, calmly grasping the windshield and listening to Hagrid as he hummed a random tune to himself. Meanwhile, the exhaust pipe continued to let out more bangs, booms, crackles, and blams every so often. They weren't as loud as they had been during the beginning of our ride, which meant that the lavender dust must've been starting to wear off. Still, it had done its duty and provided an excellent amount of help.

Suddenly, after flying for another ten-to-fifteen minutes, the half-giant's voice cut through the air again—sounding absolutely jolly.

"AH-HA! THERE IT IS! WE MADE IT!"

As soon as I heard those words, it was like a chunk of lead had landed in my abdomen. With very little hesitation, I straightened myself back up and leaned a little forward in the sidecar, opening my eyes as wide as they could go. Straight ahead, breaking through the darkness of the night, I could see it—Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was a gigantic castle that looked like it belonged in some sort of medieval fairytale, consisting of stone walls, high towers, and jumbled battlements. In addition to that, the school was perched directly on top of some humongous rocks, supported by magic and overlooking the endless miles of bright green lawns, pretty flowerbeds, and active vegetable patches. A massive loch—which, from what I remembered, was often referred to as the Black Lake—was also located at the bottom of the cliffside, accompanied by a faint fog and glimmers from the moonlight. Lastly, from what I could see, there was a dark, dense, unsettling forest that completely overtook the outskirts of the school—despite still being on its property. I was very familiar with that forest. It was the Dark Forest...

I was baffled. Everything looked exactly as I remembered. My eyes kept darting around, drinking in as many of the details as possible. Meanwhile, I could feel the inside of my chest starting to grow a little numb—as if all of the freedom and joy that I had been experiencing during the flight had completely faded into an oblivion. Bits of flashbacks were beginning to shoot through my mind again—both good and bad. With that, I could no longer pinpoint the exact emotion that I was going through. In that moment, it was like all I could really focus on was the fact that Hogwarts didn't look the slightest bit different.

Golden light was being emitted through almost every last one of the windows, cutting through the night effortlessly. There were also hundreds of lanterns scattered in various areas outside of the castle, marking numerous slopes, bridges, and other pathways.

"WE'LL BE GOIN' 'ROUND TO THE OTHER SIDE!" Hagrid shouted, the engine roaring as he twisted the handlebars again. "BRACE YOURSELF NOW!"

I looked up at him, hollering back, "FOR WHAT?!"

"THIS!"

"WHA—?! W-WHOOAAA! AHHHHHH!"

Without any hesitation, Hagrid had practically thrown himself forward. His arms were now as straight as they could go, firmly locked in place, and his hands were guiding the handlebars downwards. The motorbike changed its route instantly, curving downwards and suddenly beginning to plummet towards the Black Lake in a manner that was similar to a rollercoaster. That's when I ended up screaming again, immediately tightening my grip on the windshield as I was tossed back against the back of the sidecar again. My hair—along with the half-giant's—shot upwards, while a new burst of adrenaline abruptly electrocuted through my stomach.

My heart thumped wildly, fueling the adrenaline inside of me even more; and even though this hit wasn't as strong as the earlier one had been, it was still enough to cause another energized smile to rip widely across my face. I also couldn't help but start to release some ecstatic laughter again—completely out of reflex. In that moment, I was thankful to feel at least some happiness again.

The Black Lake was approaching fast. My eyes were huge, staring directly down at the dark water that was always known to be eerily calm. Then, with literally no more than just a split second to spare, Hagrid pulled the handlebars back up and prevented the motorbike from diving into the watery abyss. It immediately straightened its path, its wheels just barely skidded across the surface of the lake. At the same time, I yanked my left hand away from the windshield, leaned over the edge of the sidecar, and glided it through the water. A drop or two flew back and hit me in the face, but I didn't care. It was surprisingly lukewarm tonight.

I could hear the half-giant laughing contently, just as I plopped myself back in place and gripped the windshield with both hands again. Not long after that, the wheels of the flying vehicle touched down on the uneven cliffside. It proceeded to drive along the humongous rocks with very little difficulties, tossing me and Hagrid around in the process. Then, just as we started to approach one of the many battlements, Hagrid reacted by pulling the handlebars up—as if he were trying to pop a wheelie. The motorbike quickly lifted up into the air again, just barely managing to miss by the wall by soaring through one of the squared openings that lined the top.

"YAAHHOOOO!" I howled vigorously, just as my butt lifted up from my seat and dropped back down again. "AHHH! AHH-HA-HA!"

The motorbike flew over a series of green houses. It then soared in a spiraling motion, going all the way up one of the towers without coming in contact with it. Once we reached the very top of the pointed roof, Hagrid turned the handlebars and had the motorbike fly over to another tower. Like before, it spiraled perfectly; and after making it to the top of that roof, the half-giant started to skillfully zig-zag the motorbike through some of the other towers.

I twisted myself around in the sidecar multiple times, glancing over both of my shoulders as I kept trying to take in as many of the sights as possible. In the distance, further down the sloped grounds, I just barely managed to spot a variety of high, colored stands and a couple of equally tall rings—the Quidditch pitch. It then disappeared behind a couple of more towers and battlements, the golden lights from the many windows casting occasional gleams against the motorbike.

"ALL RIGHT! TIME FOR US TO GO DOWN!" Hagrid announced. "HANG ON!"

I complied immediately, making sure that my grip on the windshield was as tight as it could be. At the same time, the half-giant led the motorbike downwards. It fell through the air, its speed noticeably starting to decrease—as if a parachute had suddenly popped out from the exhaust pipe. Then, just as it was about to come in contact with the ground, Hagrid pulled on the handlebars and the motorbike ended up dropping down onto its wheels perfectly. It continued to skid through the grass, only to come to a halt a couple of seconds later. At last, our ride had reached its end.

I let out whatever was left of my elated chuckles, feeling the rush inside of me automatically starting to disappear—just as it had earlier. I withdrew my hands from the windshield and dropped my head back against the back of the sidecar, still wearing my lively smile as I worked on catching my breath. I needed a moment to readjust, no longer hearing the roars of the engine or feeling the wind gushing through my hair. I could also see the stars a whole lot clearer now; and despite how we were no longer that close to them, I was still able to confirm that they really were just as lovely as I remembered.

Hagrid laughed again, slipping his goggles off and placing them back behind his overcoat. Then, after shaking some of his hair out of his face, he nudged the kickstand back down with his boot, climbed off the motorbike, and proceeded to walk around to my side of the vehicle. I lifted my head back up as he did this, watching him. With that, the half-giant stopped in his tracks and looked down at me with a broad smile.

"How was that, Indigo? Was it all just as thrilling as you remember?"

"Even more so!" I replied, my eyes practically twinkling. "That was absolutely incredible, Hagrid! Just like old times!"

"Well, I'm definitely glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I did as well." Hagrid declared warmly, right before he held one of his hands out to me. "Now, come on. Time for ya to get up and outta there."

I obeyed, reaching my hand up and placing it in his much larger one. I then started to clamber back up onto my feet, which took me a moment since my legs had been slightly curled and tucked inside of the sidecar for the entire trip. The whole time, I could hear the half-giant murmuring things like, "Easy does it" and "I got ya, don't worry." Once I finished standing up, I hopped out of the sidecar and watched as my feet met the grass perfectly. From the corner of my eye, I also saw that the exhaust pipe was no longer emitting the vibrant purple light. The magic from the fairy dust must've officially worn off.

"Oh, thank Merlin...!" I huffed, closing my eyes. "As amazing as that ride was, I have to say that it still feels marvelous to be able to stand again!"

Hagrid snorted. "Heh! I'd imagine so. Perhaps, I'll try gettin' the sidecar remodeled at some point. That way, we can prevent any future rides from bein' cramped. How's that sound?"

By that point, I had my hands cuffed behind my back and was spreading my shoulders as far apart as they could go. The bones in my arms cracked a little as I did this, sending blissful tingles through my muscles. Yet, I still made sure to answer the half-giant—nearly grunting as I did so.

"Sounds like a great idea, Hagrid."

"In that case, I'll see what I can do."

I rocked my head from side to side, helping to get rid of the slight strain that had built up in my neck. Then, with my hands remaining where they were near my tailbone, I bent forward and arched my upper body like a cat. My entire frame jittered a little as I did this, the muscles in my back and legs silently praising me as a few more bones gave faint, harmless cracks. At last, with a pleased exhale, I straightened myself back up and undid my hands—no longer stretching.

However, once I reopened my eyes, a heavy curtain of bewilderment fell over me. A strong chill darted through my bones almost instantly, somehow failing to make me tremble; and my amethyst-colored eyes felt like they had grown to be the size of two gourds. As soon as I'd opened them, the first thing that I saw was none other than Hogwarts. It was at the very top of the mountain, surrounded by a humongous blend of pine, oak, maple, and beech trees. Meanwhile, Hagrid and I were stationed near the bottom of a conjoining hill, standing on a slight incline that coincidentally made the moon look like it was shining directly behind the school.

I swallowed quietly at the sight of the castle's silhouette, trying to rid my throat of a faint lump that I hadn't even realized had formed. Once again, bits of my brain started to flicker like random fixtures on a machine—pulling shreds of my past back to the surface of my mind. Each piece seemed to last for no more than just a couple of seconds; but that was all that some of the memories needed in order to bite down on me like razor-sharp teeth.

I nearly cringed, keeping my gaze locked on Hogwarts as I slowly moved my arms over my chest.

"Damn ... even after all of these years, everything looks exactly as I remember..." I murmured with no particular emotion, my words still audible. "Holy shit, really..."

"Hmp-mmh-mmh!"

At the sound of Hagrid roughly clearing his throat, I didn't think twice before turning my head to look at him. Until then, I hadn't noticed that he had been caught up in searching for something underneath his overcoat; but now, he was staring directly at me with his eyebrows fully raised and lips practically forming a straight line. There was a rare spark of seriousness in his eyes as well. In that moment, it dawned on me that—for the second time that evening—I had cursed in front of him.

"Sorry, sorry. My bad, Hagrid." I said, quickly backtracking as I uncrossed my arms and held my hands up to my shoulders. "I swear, they just slipped out again."

"So I noticed. Like I told ya earlier, Indigo, you'd best start workin' on tamin' that tongue of yours. Or, at the very least, try to." Hagrid advised, in which he lowered his gaze back down to his overcoat and started to rummage through one of the pockets. "I'm sure that you know by now that—if you're not careful—speaking like that can get ya into all heaps of trouble. And I don't want that for you."

"I know you don't, Hagrid. Believe me, I get it. I'll ... do my best to be more careful." I declared slowly, slight awkwardness grazing my voice as I lowered my arms back down to my sides—already knowing that I was going to suck at keeping that promise. "What are you doing anyway?"

"Searchin' for that blasted key."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Key? What key?"

"Well, my key, of course!" Hagrid replied, in which he pulled his hand out of the one pocket and immediately jammed it into the other. "The one that's for the front door of my house."

As soon as I heard those words, I realized that I hadn't even paid attention to where the motorbike had landed. I had been too caught up in staring at the school like a zombie, as well as trying to adapt to being back on the ground. Nonetheless, at the mention of the half-giant's house, I didn't think twice before beginning to take a wider look at our surroundings—doing my best to ignore Hogwarts in the process. As this happened, my lips stretched into an elated grin. I knew exactly where Hagrid and I were.

To my left, more mountains and trees accompanied the horizon for miles, creating a view that was surprisingly peaceful. Meanwhile, to my right, there was a small garden that was currently being overrun by pumpkins, cabbages, and other gourds of diverse sizes. Then, there was the structure that tied it all together—a small building that looked like it was formed by a pair of conjoining octagons. It was constructed entirely out of aged stone and being taken over by moss in numerous places. The roofs were also fairly disheveled, having multiple shingles placed over each other incorrectly and not to mention a few that were even starting to rot. Finally, aside from the stained glass windows and old chimney, there were various items—rundown wagons, tin pails, stacks of firewood, and even a rumpled scarecrow—placed along the sides of the building. This was Hagrid's hut—one of the main places that I absolutely adored visiting as a little kid.

"Oh my wand, Hagrid...! It's your hut...!" I said at last, unable to tell whether I sounded more cheerful or mesmerized. "Holy he—heck! When I was growing up, I used to love coming here to see you! Don't you remember?"

Hagrid let out a single laugh, not seeming to notice how I had nearly said the word "hell" instead of "heck." At the same time, he withdrew his hand from his overcoat and started to search the pockets of his trousers.

"Remember? I'm still in the process of tryin' to catch up on all of that shuteye that I lost!" he retorted with his accent caked in amusement. "You—being the slippery little tyke that you were—always managed to sneak out of the castle at least three or four times a week! It would be way past your bedtime, but that never stopped you from scurryin' down the mountain to pay me a visit. Then, ninety-nine percent of the time, I had to stay up until the wee hours of the mornin' in order to make sure that you actually slept and didn't try wanderin' off to Merlin knows where!"

A few chuckles escaped from my lips. "I didn't turn you into an insomniac, did I?"

"Surprisingly, no. Although, over the years, you did end up makin' me have to pluck a grey hair or two."

"Hey, I resent that!" I retaliated, one of the corners of my mouth curling into a wise smirk as I shoved Hagrid in the arm. "Those grey hairs of yours came long before me."

"Aye, watch it now, missy! There hasn't been any grey hairs in this beard for quite some time! And I'm plannin' to keep it that way for as long as I can!"

I laughed a little again, admiring how it felt to have the chance to joke around with the half-giant again. However, once I saw his smile drop, it didn't take long for mine to do the same. I witnessed Hagrid pull his hand out from one of the pockets of his trousers, right before he huffed in disappointment and gave his eyes a slight roll. Afterwards, he didn't hesitate to begin rummaging underneath his overcoat again.

"Still having trouble finding your key?" I asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"Yeah ... and I'm startin' to think that I left it inside on accident." Hagrid admitted as he finally gave up on searching his clothes, dropping his arms back down to his sides. "I must've sat it down somewhere and forgot about it when I was leaving to get you. Ah, shoot...! There's somethin' in there that Dumbledore wanted me to show ya before ya went to see him."

In that moment, I couldn't tell whether I felt more delighted or curious. There was no doubt in my mind that I loved the thought of being able to go inside of the half-giant's house again—especially after all of these years; but at the same time, I couldn't help but wonder what it was that Hagrid needed to show me. It must've been important if Dumbledore was wanting me to see it. So, right then and there, I knew that getting inside that hut was absolutely essential.

I held a hand up my chin, narrowing my eyes in thought. Within seconds, I recalled something.

"Hmm. Well, what about that spare key of yours?"

"Huh?" Hagrid immediately lifted his head again and stared at me like I was suddenly speaking a different language. "Spare key, you say...?"

"Yeah. You know, the one that you stored underneath the stairs in case of emergencies?"

As I spoke, I nonchalantly strolled over to the front section of the hut. Then, I lowered myself down onto my knees—not caring if I got any dirt on my faded blue jeans—and peeked through the slim gap that was provided between the first two steps. I had to squint in order to have a better shot of seeing what was underneath there; but with the help of the moonlight, I managed to locate the spare key fairly quickly. It was visibly tarnished and abnormally large—the size of a normal person's hand, to be more precise. It was just barely gleaming between two medium-sized rocks. So, without any hesitation, I slipped my hand through the narrow opening, pinched the dirty key between my fingers, and pulled it back out. At last, I glanced over my shoulder and held up the key for Hagrid to see. He had been watching me the entire time.

At the sight of the key, the half-giant broke out into a smile, his disappointment and embarrassment being chased away by relief. He then swiftly walked over to me and took the old key from my hand.

"Blimey, that's right! I rarely needed this thing—practically forgot that it even existed!" Hagrid said as he proceeded to clamber up the stone stairs, studying the key in his palm. "Merlin's beard...! I must say, it surprises me that you actually remembered where I kept it—especially after all this time!"

"I have a long memory, Hagrid. You'd be amazed by how much I can recall."

My voice was fairly bland, making it obvious that I wasn't trying to brag. On the contrary, while helping myself up from the ground and wiping away some stray pieces of grass from my jeans, I was doing my best to pay no mind to how true that statement actually was. My memory went way back; and that was one of the main reasons as to why I'd never considered returning to Hogwarts to begin with.

I shook my head, not allowing myself to fixate on that. Instead, after dusting myself off, I watched as Hagrid proceeded to insert the key and twist it around in a specific pattern—being careful as to not break any of the pieces. Within seconds, I heard the sound of the wooden door unlocking. Afterwards, Hagrid withdrew the key and pushed it open, filling the air with a mild creak that seemed to startle a couple of crows in the distance. The half-giant then stepped aside and looked back at me, still wearing a smile as he gestured for me to go inside.

"Well, what are ya waitin' for? As the sayin' goes, ladies first!"

Once those words reached my ears, I grinned like a little kid that was getting ready to enter a candy store. My eyes glistened with excitement and I didn't think twice before trotting up the stone stairs with a pep in each step. Then, as soon as I entered the hut, I could've sworn that I felt my heart swell with joy. Dozens of memories were starting to appear in my mind all over again; but this time, they were all pleasant. Everything looked exactly the same, as though I'd been here just yesterday.

Multiple shelves and cabinets lined the walls, supporting jars, oversized dishes, cookware, pieces of pottery, a few tattered books, and plenty of other knick-knacks. Not only that, but on the east side of the hut, there was a medium-sized fireplace that had a copper kettle hanging in it. There wasn't a fire in it though. A large, old armchair also sat near it, made out of rust-colored leather that still looked surprisingly comfy. Then, there was the bed that was tucked in the corner at the north end of the room. It was massive, covered in a patchwork quilt with a couple of pillows and—was that a few bones?—sitting near the bottom. Wax candles and lanterns were also placed in various areas—across the mantle, along a few circular tables, and the list could keep going. Although, none of them were lit at this time. Finally, aside from the old-school stove and a few extra stray chairs that were meant to be used for guests, there were hundreds of empty bird cages, dirty buckets, tin containers, and lines of rope suspending from the ceiling. Overall, it wasn't much ... but it was more than enough for the half-giant.

As silly as it might've sounded, I used to love helping Hagrid boil water, carry gourds, and chop wood as a kid—even though a majority of the other staff members frowned on the thought of me engaging in such "risky" tasks. In addition to that, the two of us used to bake together very often. We would make plenty of goodies—fudge, tarts, cupcakes, etcetera—and then go around the entire school, offering them to as many professors and students as possible. I still remember how much Lily used to adore my homemade butterscotch cookies and pumpkin pasties...

I took slow steps across the wooden floorboards, still dragging my eyes all around the hut. Before I knew it, I found myself standing beside the armchair. I delicately dragged my fingertips along the squishy arm, automatically recalling how Hagrid used to read me bedtime stories in that exact armchair. He would have me sit in his lap and, as the warm glow of the fireplace filled the hut, he would cradle me close to his chest and read as many books as he needed in order to get me to fall asleep. He wasn't necessarily the greatest when it came to reading, but that never stopped the half-giant from reciting all of those tales to me; and they never failed to put a sleepy grin on my face.

"Wow..." I breathed, sounding just as gleeful as I looked.

I continued to glance around the small—yet cozy—space, while Hagrid walked in, placed the spare key down on a nearby cabinet, and proceeded to unpack a few items from his overcoat. He pulled out the burlap pouch of lavender fairy dust and placed it carefully on the nearest windowsill, right before he withdrew his pink umbrella from somewhere underneath the same garment. He then leaned it perfectly against the wall, the floorboards creaking a little with every move that he made.

"Do excuse the feathers, if ya don't mind." Hagrid said offhandedly. "They came from a pheasant that I found durin' one of my strolls through the woods. Poor thing had an injured leg when I found 'er. So, I brought her back here and took it upon myself to nurse her back to perfect health. I was able to set her free again yesterday evenin', but I never got 'round to cleanin' up 'er feathers just yet."

"Don't worry about it. After working at the Leaky Cauldron for so long, I've practically become immune to messes." I pointed out just as casually, still glancing around. "A few feathers ain't nothing."

Not long after those words left my mouth, I noticed a crossbow and cylindrical bag that was fully packed with arrows—hanging from a coat rack. I quickly jogged over to them, wearing an amazed smile that perfectly resembled one that a child would wear after spotting the latest Nimbus broom. Then, I gently glided the string of the crossbow between two of my fingers. I had always wanted Hagrid to teach me how to shoot arrows with that very device; but whenever I asked him, he would always tell me the same thing—that I needed to wait until I got older. Eventually, in my first year of Hogwarts, he agreed to show me how to balance the crossbow and even started to give me private lessons on how to aim. However, I never got the chance to officially learn how to shoot—mainly because learning how to aim with a crossbow took a lot more practice than I had originally thought it would. Plus, I ended up leaving the school the following year...

"He still has it...!" I whispered to myself, clearly referring to the crossbow. "Bloody brilliant...!"

I withdrew my fingers from the crossbow and gazed over my shoulder to check on the half-giant. He had just pulled out his pocket watch again, a pleased grin sweeping across his face as he flipped it open and examined the time.

"Ah, perfect...!" Hagrid murmured. "We're right on schedule now...!"

I turned away from him, still wanting to look around the hut. Just then, from the corner of my eye, I spotted something—a medium-sized platter that had a plaid kitchen rag draped over it. It was placed in the direct center of one of the circular tables, accompanied by a cutting board and a giant knife. Feeling curious, I walked over to the dusty table and peeled the kitchen rag away, revealing what had been underneath it. On the platter, there was a nicely cut log of pound cake. It looked remarkably gooey, every piece having a swirl of cinnamon incorporated into its center. There was also powdered sugar sprinkled along the top, making it look even more appetizing.

My eyes practically shimmered at the sight of the dish. I traced the tip of my tongue along my lips, shortly before my stomach decided to release a quiet rumble. Due to being busy, I hadn't eaten hardly anything today—not including breakfast and the bowl of pea soup from mine and Odette's meal break. So, I was just thankful that the pound cake didn't cause my mouth to start filling with saliva.

"Hey, Hagrid?" I said as I glanced over in his direction again, now speaking in a hopeful tone. "Is it okay if I have a slice of this?"

"Well, of course you can! Go right on ahead!" Hagrid replied, almost making it sound like I didn't even need to ask for permission. "I made that earlier this afternoon. Cinnamon pound cake, to be exact. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I think that it turned out pretty tasty. So, you can have as many slices as ya want! I don't mind one bit."

I flashed him a grateful stare, right before I lowered my gaze back down to the platter of pound cake and picked up a single slice. If I was ever told that I possessed the largest sweet tooth in the entire world of magic, I wouldn't have been the slightest bit surprised; but I still wasn't planning to have more than one piece. I didn't want to risk making myself sick, especially since I was still needing to see Dumbledore.

I lifted the piece of pound cake up to my mouth and sunk my teeth into it. The taste was a perfect blend of cinnamon and powdered sugar—absolutely heavenly. My taste buds relished in it as soon as I started to chew, bringing back even more memories of when Hagrid and I used to test each other's baked treats. At the same time, my shoulders practically melted in bliss.

"Mmmm...!"

"How do ya like it?" Hagrid inquired. "Is it good?"

"It's scrumptious." I replied, using my unoccupied hand to hide my mouth since I was still chewing. "Thank you for letting me have a piece."

"Ah, don't mention it. Food is for eatin', after all. I'm just happy that it's to your liking."

With that, the half-giant continued to unpack various items from his overcoat and place them back in their original spots around the hut. Meanwhile, I swallowed and continued to take more bites out of my small piece of pound cake. Every bite almost seemed to melt in my mouth, spreading the divine flavors across my tongue even more. As I ate, I kept looking around and my feet slowly moved in the direction of the bed—not at all minding the dozens of feathers that were spewed across the floorboards.

Once I made it over to the bed, I took a seat on the edge and swallowed my fifth bite of pound cake. I then leaned back and rested my back against a black pillow, wanting to take a moment to bask in the familiar comfort; but just as I was about to take another bite out of my pound cake, I was caught off guard when I noticed just how firm and lumpy this particular pillow was. Not long after that, I felt something brush against my spine ... and I heard a low, slow, groan-like noise—similar to what a person would make after waking up.

I turned my head almost immediately, unable to tell whether I felt more confused or alarmed. That's when I saw something that I wasn't expecting. There was a face staring back at me, confirming that it wasn't a pillow that I was leaning on. Instead, it was some sort of creature.

At that very moment, my heart punched me in the chest and my amethyst-colored eyes grew to become the size of saucers. I could've sworn that all of the color rushed out of my skin right then and there, a sharp gasp also escaping from my throat. Without any hesitation, I yanked myself away from the creature and hopped off the bed like my life depended on it. I then spun around on my heels, not knowing if the mysterious beast was going to attempt coming after me.

"Holy crap—!" I blurted out, only to end up stumbling over my own feet and losing my balance. "W-WHOA!"

I toppled backwards and landed right on my ass, causing a mild THUD to erupt through the hut. It might as well have taken the half-giant less than a second to react. He hurried over to where I was and got down on one knee beside me, placing one of his burly hands against my back.

His accent dripped with concern as he spoke, "Blimey, Indigo! What happened?! Are you okay?!"

I didn't respond, keeping my eyes locked in the direction of the bed. I didn't need to look at Hagrid to know that he ended up following my gaze, wanting to see what it was that startled me so badly. One possibility after another shot through my mind, reminding me of just how many beasts actually existed in the wizarding world. However, before I could try figuring out which one was in the hut with me and Hagrid, I witnessed a pair of paws appear on the edge of the bed. Then, the creature stepped down onto the floor, abandoning the darkness that had been cloaking it. With that, the moonlight—which had been pouring in through the stained glass windows—exposed its identity.

As soon as I managed to process what it was that I was looking at, my cheeks started to burn and I immediately felt the urge to smack my hand against my forehead. I had been expecting this beast to be somewhere along the lines of an Erumpent or Valcore. Instead, it was a dog—a literal dog that didn't even look like it was the slightest bit related to magic. It was large and fairly muscular, possessing black fur, floppy ears, a wet snout, and a face that was very droopy. Its eyes were also a dark shade of brown, staring directly at me.

I remained alert and steadily moved my hands down to the floor, not wanting to risk getting on this dog's bad side. I then scooted myself back, but only made it about an inch or two since the half-giant still had his hand resting against my back. The whole time, my wary gaze stayed glued to the canine.

"Oh, Fang!" Hagrid said all of the sudden. "Easy there, boy!"

The dog—who now had the name Fang—cut a glance over at the half-giant, tilting his head a little to the side. Then, a couple of seconds later, he redirected his attention back over to me. He slowly tried inching his head closer to where I was, only to end up retracting it every time. Not long after that, he started slapping the floorboards with his front paws repeatedly—as if he were trying to determine whether or not it was safe to approach me. His nose wiggled in my direction as he sniffed audibly. All the while, he started letting out noises that perfectly resembled the groan-like one that I had heard back on the bed. I couldn't necessarily tell if he was growling, but his size—and not to mention the sight of his claws—made me feel like I was seconds away from getting mauled.

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't you start makin' noises like that!" Hagrid exclaimed, clearly directing his words to the canine. "Settle down right this second!"

With every little jump that Fang made, I found myself holding my breath. I was practically a wide-eyed statue, sitting as still as I could on the floor and hoping to death that I wouldn't do something that would somehow trigger this dog to attack. Then, as Fang lowered himself into what looked like a pouncing position, I could've sworn that I felt every last drop of my blood become cold. His groan-like noises kept creeping up his throat, only to be interrupted every few seconds by small—yet strong—huffs from his nose. I nearly grimaced every time that he did that, not knowing if that was going to be the moment in which he did something.

"Eh, eh! Fang! Fang! What did I just tell ya?!" Hagrid inquired, now speaking in a much firmer tone. "Calm yourself!"

Fang peeked over at the half-giant again, the front of his body still bent downwards and touching the floor. It took him a moment, but the dog reluctantly agreed to rise back up onto all four of his legs. Not long after that, his attention returned to me and he ended up letting out a new noise. It sounded like a cautious grunt that was blended with a small bark.

I slowly lifted my hands up to my shoulders and held them there, wanting to show Fang that I didn't have anything in them. Needless to say, I was still wary of what was going on—unable to pinpoint exactly how this dog was feeling in regards of my presence.

"Good doggy..." I murmured audibly, not exactly knowing what else to say in that moment. "I mean no harm, okay...? Good, good doggy..."

"This is Indigo." Hagrid explained, now appearing to want the canine to learn my name. "She's a friend of mine, as well as the daughter of Headmaster Dumbledore. There's absolutely no need to be anxious of her, ya hear?"

Fang blinked slowly, as though he were trying to process everything that he'd just been told. He still seemed very watchful of me, releasing another groan-like sound as he stared. Meanwhile, I kept my hands where they were and maintained eye contact with the dog. The entire time, I kept praying to Merlin that he would end up taking comfort in Hagrid's words and back off; but then, completely out of the blue, Fang turned his head a little to the right in order to look at something else. Not knowing what else to do, I steadily followed his gaze ... and that's when I noticed the slice of pound cake that I'd previously been enjoying. It was sitting on the floor, directly beside my knee. It turns out, when I had stumbled backwards and fallen, I ended up dropping it. Now, it seemed to have captured the canine's interest.

I peeked back over at Fang, checking to see if he was still looking at the discarded dessert. Upon confirming that he was, I did something that I knew that I more than likely wouldn't have if Hagrid hadn't been there with me. I carefully lowered one of my hands and curled my fingers around the piece of pound cake, right before I lifted it up from the ground. Then, after using my other hand to pluck away a stray feather that had stuck to it, I flicked my eyes back over to Fang and saw that he was—once again—staring directly at me. His tongue was now darting in and out of his mouth, creating a smacking sound; and his ears were raised as high as they could go. Clearly, I had his attention.

"Hey, boy..." I spoke in the calmest tone that I could muster. "Do you want this...?"

Fang cocked his head at me, suddenly keeping his tongue in his mouth—as if that was his way of expressing bewilderment.

"...You can have it." I went on, maintaining steady movements as I extended my hand out in the dog's direction. "Here, it's yours now..."

Fang remained right where he was and stared at the slice of pound cake. Another groan-like noise came from him, making it even more obvious that he wanted it. As this happened, I noticed the sides of his mouth starting to glisten with drool and—for a moment—I thought that he was actually going to walk up to me. Fang had lifted one of his paws, only to place it back down in its original spot. He repeated this action a couple of times, proving that he was just as wary of me as I was of him.

"It's okay, fella. Indigo won't bite." Hagrid promised, his voice now gentle and reassuring. "That's it. Come on..."

Apparently, the half-giant's words of encouragement was all that Fang needed. He started to approach me, keeping his movements slow and cautious. As I watched him, I could've sworn that my heart—which was already beating a little faster than normal—was starting to skip beats every few seconds. Regardless of this, I breathed as steadily as possible and used the feeling of Hagrid's hand against my back to remind me that I wasn't alone. Before I knew it, Fang was standing right in front of me. He stretched his head out a little and sniffed, processing my scent once more. Shortly after this, he let out a sound that almost perfectly resembled a low whimper.

"Don't be scared..." I whispered, despite how I didn't know if that was how the dog was actually feeling. "Go ahead..."

Fang inched his nose closer to my hand, continuing to wiggle it. Then, when he was close enough to snatch the chunk of pound cake, he did just that. His movements became much quicker, as though he were afraid that I would end up changing my mind. He pressed his wet snout against the heel of my hand and started to nosily devour the pastry from my palm. Within seconds, it was gone ... and I cringed as I saw that it had been replaced by a thick slab of saliva.

"Ah, there ya go...!" Hagrid chortled, giving Fang a couple of rubs on the back. "Silly dog...!"

Fang chewed and swallowed the piece of pound cake quickly. After that, I nearly jolted when he suddenly decided to lean in close to my face and started to lick my cheek—slight reluctance still being shown. I grimaced again, but felt at least somewhat relieved to know that my presence no longer seemed to bother the canine.

"Uhh...! Nice to meet you, too..." I muttered, using my clean hand to give the side of Fang's neck a few pats.

"Okay, okay." Hagrid said with a mixture of amusement and affection dripping from his words. "That's 'nough, Fang. Go stretch your legs and do your business now."

The dog obeyed almost instantly. He stopped licking my cheek and scurried right past me, right before he trotted over to the front door. Hagrid had left it slightly cracked open, but the gap was too narrow for Fang to slip through. So, the canine reacted by easily slipping his nose through the gap and nudging the door open a little more. After that, he scampered outside.

Suddenly, it felt like a million bricks had been lifted off my shoulders. I dropped my head and huffed, trying to process everything that had just happened. Unfortunately, it didn't take long before humiliation started to sink in. I could feel the tips of my ears starting to grow hot, the wrinkly face of that dog filling my mind as I looked down at my hand again. My face immediately twisted with disgust, in which I flicked my wrist and caused a string of drool to fly away from my fingers.

"Eww..." I grumbled.

"Are you all right, Indigo?"

I refused to look up, giving my eyes a slight roll as I kept trying to flick more saliva away from my hand. I could tell by the sound of Hagrid's voice that he was trying—and failing—to prevent himself from snickering at least a little bit. My level of embarrassment increased, causing the heat that was along the tips of my ears to spread all the way down to my earlobes.

"Why didn't you tell me that you had a dog?" I asked, sounding faintly annoyed.

"What are you talkin' about? I've told ya about Fang before. Back in 1984, when you returned to Durmstrang for another term, I sent you a letter all about him."

As soon as I heard those words, I found myself lifting my head and staring at the half-giant like a third eye had just sprouted from his forehead.

"...Hagrid, that was seven years ago. Just because I said that I have a long memory, doesn't mean that I can actually recall everything from the past."

Hagrid was definitely caught off guard by that comment. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, making it obvious that he was having a difficult time with coming up with a response. He then proceeded to help me up from the floor, gently gripping my arm with one hand and keeping his other one where it was against my back. He rose back up onto his feet alongside me. Afterwards, Hagrid withdrew his hands from me and the two of us made eye contact again. He suddenly looked like he was walking on eggshells.

"Well, of course you can't remember everything..." Hagrid said at last, rubbing the back of his neck in a somewhat awkward manner. "That isn't what I meant, Indigo. I just thought that—"

"That I would remember you writing to me about a dog during one of my later years at Durmstrang? Well, clearly, I didn't."

The half-giant didn't say anything back. He pursed his lips at me, his eyes flickering with something. I could only assume that it was hurt; and in that moment, I felt a wave of guilt come crashing over me. Those words had escaped my mouth before I even realized that I'd been thinking about saying them. They also came out in a tone that was firm and a little harsh. I might've been used to speaking that way towards certain people, but Hagrid wasn't one of them.

Using two of my clean fingers, I pinched the bridge of my nose and massaged it. Then, after letting out a heavy sigh, I lowered my hand from my face and stared at the half-giant with a frown.

"I'm sorry, Hagrid. I ... I didn't mean to speak to you like that..." I said as I softly shook my head, my accent now coated in sincerity. "I promise, I'm not upset with you. It's just ... I wasn't expecting to see any animals this evening—especially in here. That whole thing with Fang just ... it just caught me completely off guard. After all, you know how animals typically behave around me..."

"Yeah, that's true. I do." Hagrid confirmed, a sympathetic grin curling up on the corners of his lips. "But you don't have to worry about Fang—of all critters—actin' like that. He wouldn't hurt a fly. Too much of a bloody coward to do so, actually."

The half-giant made sure to send me a playful wink as he said that final sentence.

I shook my head a little, a faint smile slipping across my face as I gave my eyes a harmless roll. At the same time, I walked past Hagrid and grabbed another kitchen rag from where it had been tossed over the back of a stray chair. I then started to use it to clean away the sticky layer of saliva from my hand, still feeling the half-giant's gaze on me.

"I have confidence in your word, Hagrid; but in regards of animals, I also have plenty of unpleasant experiences under my belt. So, at least for the time being, I don't wish to take the chance of being around Fang all by myself. You understand, I'm sure." I declared, wrinkling my nose in displeasure as I kept focusing on the drool that was between my fingers. "And besides, I highly doubt that Fang will mind if he and I keep our distance. If you ask me, he didn't seem particularly thrilled when he noticed my presence..."

"Heh! Fang takes time to warm up to everyone. He's always nervous when he comes in contact with strangers. It's not just you." Hagrid remarked, now speaking in a hopeful and slightly amused manner. "As a matter of fact, I think that Fang has already taken a liking for you. He doesn't go up and lick just anybody, ya know?"

I replied bluntly, "He came up to me because I had a piece of pound cake in my hand."

"I won't lie, that's definitely a possibility; but it's still very rare for Fang to approach strangers like that—even if they were to have food."

I straightened my lips as I thought about those words, doubt forming inside of me. For as long as I could remember, I possessed a rocky relationship with animals. Whenever I came in contact with one—whether it was among Muggles or in the wizarding world—the animal would react negatively. No matter which animal it was, it would always become scared or aggressive after noticing my presence. The reason why was one that even I didn't know. I never treated animals badly, but that didn't stop them from either fearing or despising me. As the result of this, I had developed the habit of being extremely cautious around creatures. So, it wasn't so simple me to grasp the thought of an animal—such as Fang—actually being okay around me.

"But don't worry, Indigo." Hagrid went on, pulling me out of my thoughts as he gave me a couple of reassuring pats on the back. "I understand what you're saying. As time goes on, I bet that you'll grow to become more comfortable around Fang. And until that time comes, I promise that I'll do my best to keep you and him from ever coming in contact without me."

"Thanks, Hagrid."

The half-giant offered me a smile that was much more affectionate. Then, he gestured in the direction of the main table and said, "You know, if you want, you can help yourself to 'nother piece of that pound cake."

I couldn't help but let out a faint scoff. At the same time, I lifted the kitchen rag up to my face and proceeded to scrub Fang's drool away from my cheek.

"As much as I appreciate the offer, I'm afraid that I've lost my appetite."

"Fang startled you that badly, eh...?"

It was a statement, rather than a question. So, I didn't respond. In return, Hagrid's eyes briefly flickered with guilt—which made it clear that he regretted not bringing up his dog beforehand. Nonetheless, instead of allowing himself to dwell on what couldn't be undone, he tussled up my hair once more and continued to grin.

"No problem. I'll make sure to save ya 'nother slice for later."

Wanting to express my gratitude, I gave the half-giant the tiniest hint of a smile and said, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Hagrid replied, shortly before he tilted his head a little to the side. "So, you're okay then?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

The half-giant raised an eyebrow. "Are ya sure?"

I kept wiping my cheek. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Because, if you're not, I can—"

I exhaled playfully, rolling my eyes in an exaggerated manner.

"Hagrid..."

Hagrid lifted his hands up his shoulders, small snickers escaping from his lips. All through my childhood, he had always one of the first people that were there for me in my times of need; and in that moment, he seemed to realize that he was reverting back to his old habits.

"All right, all right. I get it, you're a grown woman now. If you say that you're sure 'bout somethin', then that's all there is to it." Hagrid declared, right before he lowered his arms back down to his sides and breathed out. "I suppose that old habits really do die hard."

I chuckled briefly, feeling slight amusement starting to bubble up inside of me. It was a pretty refreshing sensation, to say the least.

"I really am okay, Hagrid. I can assure you, there's nothing to worry about." I said as I finally lowered the kitchen rag from my cheek. "As long as I don't get ambushed by anymore animals, I'm fairly certain that I'll be able to get through the rest of this evening smoothly."

As that second remark left my lips, I allowed some giggles to accompany it. I was only trying to be silly, even going as far as to include a playful wink at the end of my sentence. However, as soon as those words reached Hagrid's ears, his smile faded and his eyes looked like they had grown to be a size larger than normal. That definitely wasn't the reaction that I was expecting to receive from him. So, it didn't take long before my amusement was replaced by confusion. The half-giant looked like he was actually taking my comment seriously, despite how he always knew when I was joking.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, genuinely lost. "You ... do realize that I was only joking with that last sentence, right...?"

"Oh, uh ... yeah. Ahem!" Hagrid pretended to clear his throat, which only made it even more obvious that he had something on his mind. "Yeah, I know that you were joking."

"So, what seems to be the problem then?"

"Well, um ... you see, uhh ... blimey, how do I say this...?"

Hagrid pressed his lips together, practically transforming them into a straight line. He then ran a hand through his beard, suddenly looking down at the floor in order to avoid making eye contact with me. I hadn't seen him struggle this much to find his words since the time I had tried asking him—at the age of seven—where babies came from. He ended up giving me the whole "stork" story, but it might as well had taken him centuries to tell it. So, this moment almost felt like a direct hit of Deja Vu.

"Come on, Hagrid." I prodded as calmly as I could, despite how I was practically high on my confusion. "Whatever it is, you can spit it out. I'm sure that I can handle it."

With slight reluctance, the half-giant lifted his head back up. Then, after making eye contact with me again, he let out a small huff.

"Okay, very well. You know how I told you earlier that we needed to come in here because I had something that Dumbledore wanted me to show ya?"

"Yeah...?" I replied, stretching the word out as I cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well ... perhaps now is the best time for me to show ya what it is."

I opened my mouth to say something back, but stopped myself when Hagrid turned away and started walking back over towards the head of the hut. The floorboards continued to creak with every move that he made. Meanwhile, I stayed put and batted my lashes as I watched him. He approached the left side of his armchair. Then, he bent down and retrieved something that had been sitting on the floor beside it. Once he picked it up, my eyes widened and I had to fight the urge to smack my hand against my forehead in exasperation. The item was medium-sized, as well as covered by a thin, shiny, red cloth that looked like it was made out of silk. Although, due to the outline of its shape, it wasn't hard for me to figure out what it was.

"Oh, Hagrid..." I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. "Please don't tell me that's what I think it is..."

Once I reopened my eyes, the first thing that I saw was the half-giant shooting me an awkward—yet encouraging—grin. He carried the item over to the main table, right before he picked up the platter of pound cake with his opposite hand and sat it down on one of the stray chairs. Afterwards, Hagrid carefully placed the item down in the direct center of the table and gestured for me to come over. I obliged begrudgingly, taking slow steps over to the table as I rolled my eyes to myself. Then, after making it, I tossed the kitchen rag that I'd been holding over to one of the nearby shelves and folded my arms over my chest.

"Keep in mind, Dumbledore is the one who wanted you to have this." Hagrid reminded, right before he pinched the top of the silk cloth and—after a few more seconds—pulled it off. "Ta-da! Surprise, Indigo!"

I watched blandly as the item was revealed. It was an antique cage that had each of its metal bars remarkably polished. Not only that, but there was something inside of it—a small critter, to be exact. It was perched on a swing that was built into the cage, rubbing the side of its head against it—more than likely to help get rid of an itch. The creature was one of the smallest owls that I had ever seen. It possessed very bright red feathers with some white and pale brown incorporated into its belly, face, and wings. In addition to that, it also had large, round, vibrant green eyes that perfectly resembled two shiny emeralds. Then, there was—of course—its beak, talons, rounded wings, short tail, and ear tufts. Overall, the puny creature looked almost exactly like a fluffy cluster of rose petals; but regardless of how cute it appeared, my expression remained dry.

"Ain't she a beauty?" Hagrid asked, his cheerful tone making it evident that he was trying to lighten the mood. "She's an Eastern Screech Owl. A very rare one, as a matter of fact."

I glanced at him lazily. "Rare?"

"Well, certainly! Even in a world like ours, it's not at all common for her particular group to possess such a color scheme! Red feathers and green eyes? For an Eastern Screech Owl, that's very unique!"

In the world of magic, almost every witch or wizard owned an owl—whether it was assigned specifically to them, or to their whole family. In fact, owls were one of the top four creatures that were often kept as pets in the wizarding world—along with cats, toads, and rats. According to what others have told me, pets were very beneficial to have. Students were able to rely on them to overcome homesickness, as well as use them to practice various spells on. In addition to that, pets were also very helpful inside of homes and other businesses. Owls, in particular, were mainly used for postal services. Whether it was letters, gifts, or anything else that they could carry, the owl's prime duty was to deliver it to the correct location.

For obvious reasons, I had never owned an owl before. Whenever I wanted to have something delivered to Dumbledore, Hagrid, or anybody else, I would ask Odette to take it back to her home and have her owl—a large, beige one named Fawn—take it to wherever it needed to go. Then, if Fawn turned out to be unavailable, I would simply leave my deliveries in a secret place behind the Leaky Cauldron—where they would be found and transported by other owls.

Unfortunately, owls—for whatever reason—were the main creatures that seemed to hate my guts. Once, in my first and only year at Hogwarts, I—along with the rest of my peers—had been instructed to locate a feather of any sort and bring it to our next lecture in Charms. I ended up going to Dumbledore for assistance, who calmly permitted me to use a feather from the owl that had just flown in to deliver his mail. To make a long story short, the owl ended up going into a rampage as soon as it saw me reaching for it and it didn't hesitate to scratch my nose with its talons. Miraculously, I only got a couple of cuts and they healed after about two-to-three weeks. As the result of this, I never developed the desire to get an owl of my own; but now, it looked like I was getting one regardless.

Exasperated, I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Hagrid..."

The half-giant spoke calmly, "Now, I know what you're going to say—"

I interjected, peeking at him through my lashes with a dead serious look in my eyes.

"Owls loathe me with a burning passion."

"Oh, they don't loathe you, Indigo. They're just territorial. There's a difference." Hagrid pointed out, clearly still trying to inject some positivity into the conversation. "Surely, you already know that owls are independent creatures. Actually, scratch that. They are very independent creatures. They don't just automatically connect with the witch or wizard that they are given to at first sight. You need to put in the effort of creating a bond first."

"A bond?"

I scoffed, making the word sound abnormal. Then, after staring at the half-giant like he had just grown another head, I lowered my gaze back down to the cage. In that moment, it came to my realization that the puny owl was no longer rubbing its head against the side of its swing. Instead, it was staring directly at me like I was its prey. Her pupils were expanded as far as they would go; and as soon as she noticed me staring at her, her feathers stuck up in every which direction. She spread her wings, flapping them as she let out a feisty wail.

Unfazed, I lifted my head back up and made eye contact with the half-giant again. My voice remained blunt.

"Hagrid, this thing looks like it wants to rip my throat out in my sleep...!"

"First of all, she's not a thing. She's your new pet and messenger." Hagrid retorted, raising his eyebrows to show that he was being serious. "And secondly, I can guarantee that if ya really try, you will be able to form a bond with her. It will take time, there's no doubt about that; but I've seen plenty of first years get along greatly with their owls. If students can do it, I'm sure that you can also."

My shoulders sunk. I then cut another glance down at the cage, noticing how the tiny owl wasn't taking the news well—just like I wasn't. Her head kept twisting from left to right, quickly flicking her gaze back and forth from me to Hagrid. Her feathers were still ruffled and her talons were curled tightly around the swing, making it look like it was seconds away from breaking. She even let out a sharp hiss that sounded similar to air being released from a balloon. With that, I rolled my eyes and redirected my gaze back over to the half-giant again.

"But why in Merlin's beard would my dad want me to have an owl?!" I inquired, unable to tell whether I sounded more annoyed or defeated in that moment. "He knows my history with them! And not to mention all animals!"

"Well, golly! How do you expect to send or receive any mail without an owl?" Hagrid asked, sounding genuinely curious. "You told Odette that you would write to 'er as much as you can during your stay here, right?"

I sighed. "Well, yeah..."

"So, in order to do that, you are going to need an owl of your own."

With every word that left the half-giant's mouth, the more I felt like he was overpowering me. After all, I knew that I couldn't deny any of the stuff that he was saying. He was stating facts; but that only made me dread the thought of creating some type of "bond" with this feathered creature even more. I could already tell that it wasn't going to be the slightest bit easy.

"Now, don't look so disappointed." Hagrid said, placing a hand on my shoulder as he spoke in a sincere—yet determined—tone. "Look, I understand that you've been havin' to take in a lot tonight; but this—having an owl to call your own—will be good for you. Who knows, it just might help ya grow to be more comfortable 'round all kinds of other critters."

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you, Hagrid."

"Ah, codswallop. Everythin' will be just fine. You just need to give your owl a chance and work on constructin' that bond."

I squished my lips together, knowing that I had no choice. As this happened, the half-giant gave my shoulder a couple of encouraging pats. Then, after withdrawing his hand, he flicked his attention back over to the cage and smiled at the puny owl through the bars like it was a newborn infant. I followed his gaze, only to stare blandly at the same critter.

"Ya gotta admit, she's adorable." Hagrid said, his eyes practically twinkling with delight.

"...She literally looks no bigger than an actual piece of mail." I retorted, knowing that I couldn't exactly disagree with the half-giant's prior comment. "Are you sure that she's even gonna be able to carry any of my deliveries?"

As soon as those words left my lips, the owl flapped her wings and let out another high-pitched shriek—as if she were saying that she resented that question. Meanwhile, Hagrid arched an eyebrow and explained.

"Well, if this little one did have some more growin' to do, it honestly wouldn't surprise me. Eastern Screech Owls usually grow to be somewhere between seven-to-ten inches; but don't let their small builds fool you. They're actually a lot stronger than most people think. So, I wouldn't worry over the thought of your mail being too heavy for her."

I squinted in thought. "I just find it odd since I've never seen such a puny owl get assigned to somebody before..."

The owl arched her wings, making it look like she was seconds away from jumping off the swing. She then made another hissing noise, the feathers on her chest practically vibrating as she did so. Meanwhile, her giant eyes continued to stare directly at me—looking like they were trying to drill holes right through my face. Clearly, this owl didn't like how I kept referring to her as "small;" but all I was doing was stating a fact.

"To be honest with ya, neither have I." Hagrid admitted, watching as the bright red owl glanced back over at him and slowly lowered her wings—as though he was calming her. "But Dumbledore specifically chose this little lady to be yours."

I turned my head to look at him, not knowing whether I looked more confused or bewildered by that piece of information. Hagrid, on the other hand, casually slipped one of his fingers into the cage and started to lightly scratch the top of the feathered creature's head. In return, the owl relaxed her eyes shut and made a blissful sound that I couldn't necessarily describe. Although, it made me think of how a cat would purr when being rubbed.

I spoke at last, "What?"

"Yep. He wouldn't allow any other owl to be assigned to you. He wanted only this one."

I blinked repeatedly. "But ... why would he want to give me a specific owl? Last time I checked, they were all used for similar purposes in our world. Why not assign something more along the lines of a Great Grey or even just a typical Barn Owl?"

"I'm afraid that I can't provide you with any answers there, Indigo. All Dumbledore said was that this owl was — hmm, what was that word again?" Hagrid paused for a moment to think, right before his eyes seemed to light up with realization—as though a lightbulb had turned on in his head. "Ah, that's right! Destined. He said that you were destined to have this particular owl."

"I ... don't see how that makes any sense." I retorted slowly, the uncertainty in my voice increasing with every word that left my mouth. "An owl is an owl, is it not? ... How would somebody be destined to have a particular one? And not to mention why? It just ... I don't know ... think it seems pretty silly."

The half-giant stopped stroking the top of the puny owl's head and retracted his finger from the cage. He then redirected his attention back over to me, a gentle smile fiddling around with the corners of his lips.

"Ah, well, you know how your dad is. We might not always understand what he's up to, but we still know that he's wise and makin' the decisions that he's makin' for good reasons. So, if you're that curious about your owl, then I'm sure that Dumbledore will be more than happy to answer your questions when you go see him." Hagrid declared, right before he tilted his head a little to the side and gestured to the antique cage. "Now, how 'bout it?"

"...How about what?"

"You're goin' to have to give your owl a name."

I furrowed my brow in disbelief. "A name?"

"Surely, you don't expect bein' able to truly connect with your owl without namin' her. Every critter at Hogwarts needs a name, Indigo."

"If that's the case, then why don't you name her?"

"Because she's not mine to name. She's yours." Hagrid remarked, remaining calm while also injecting some seriousness into his tone. "Plus, I've learned from experience that giving a creature a name is one of the best ways to spark a bond with it."

I opened my mouth to protest, but no words came out. I knew that the half-giant was—once again—right ... and as I reeled my jaw back in, I found myself letting out a heavy sigh. Then, after running a hand through my hair in a mixture of defeat and exasperation, I redirected my gaze back over to the cage. To no surprise, the tiny owl was staring right at me again. She looked beyond annoyed—similar to a teenager after being instructed by their parents to clean up their bedroom. I rolled my eyes at the sight, right before I leaned forward, rested my elbows against the table, and made eye contact with the feathered creature.

I spoke bluntly, "First of all, I'd just like to point out that I'm lacking just as much excitement as you are—if not more."

Hagrid gave me a small nudge on the arm. "Indigo..."

"All right, all right. I'm sorry. I'll give her a name now."

With that, the entire hut became choked with silence. I squinted at the owl in thought, slowly dragging my attention all the way from the bottom of her pointy talons, to the top of her vertical ear tufts. Her feathers were practically glowing in the moonlight, making her look like a ball of fiery embers. There was only one other time in which I had ever discovered such a vivid shade of red—back when I first saw Lily's hair. Suddenly, I recalled something silly that I had asked Lily as a child ... and with that, I knew exactly what to name this owl.

"Cherry..."

"Huh?" Hagrid sounded confused, making it clear that he hadn't heard me. "What was that?"

"Cherry." I said a little louder, watching as the feathered creature gnawed on her wing—more than likely to help take care of another itch. "I've decided that her name will be Cherry."

"Oh, Cherry, aye? ... How'd ya come up with that?" inquired the half-giant, who now sounded interested. "Because she's got red feathers?"

I straightened my lips and gave a faint shrug, right before I softly said, "You could say that..."

I blinked slowly, watching as a silvery beam of moonlight from a nearby window continued to shine against Cherry's feathers. It was as though I was being pulled into some sort of trance, remembering the sound of Lily's laughter as I asked the question that made me settle on the owl's new name. As this happened, I—without thinking—ended up lifting one of my fingers up to the cage ... and Cherry didn't think twice before reacting. She let out another screech that sounded like it was meant to come from an owl that was much larger. Then, she jumped off the swing and flew right at the bars at the speed of a bullet. Before I knew it, I felt the sharp sensation of Cherry's beak sinking roughly into the very tip of my index finger. It was as though my skin had been penetrated by a blade. Yes, her beak was that pointy.

"GAH!" I screamed, immediately snapping out of my thoughts.

I jerked my hand away from the cage, clenching my teeth and screwing my eyes shut. My entire body jolted as soon as I felt the bite, pain continuing to shoot through the top of my index finger like it had just been injected with magma. Meanwhile, I could hear the sound of Cherry softly hooting from where she was now holding onto one of the vertical bars of the cage. It was as if she was chortling.

"Indigo!" Hagrid exclaimed with concern, right before he started directing his words to the owl. "Cherry! Owls are not meant to bite their owners or attack them in any way whatsoever! Don't be rude!"

The puny owl blinked at the half-giant, giving another hoot like she was actually trying to say something back. Then, she flapped her wings and casually returned to where she had previously been perched on the swing—as though she hadn't done anything wrong. As this happened, I reopened my eyes and shot daggers at the feathered creature.

"Well, up yours too, birdbrain!" I hissed.

Cherry squawked back, her feathers ruffling all over again.

Hagrid exhaled. "Indigo..."

"What?! She started it...!"

My cheeks started to burn as I realized just how childish I was starting to sound. So, with a grunt, I tried distracting myself by shaking my hand—wanting to lessen the stinging sensation that was still shooting through my finger. Not long after that, Hagrid caught my wrist and placed it in his palm like it was made out of glass.

He spoke gently, "Let me see."

I didn't bother pulling my hand away, observing my finger with the half-giant. The skin on its pad had been broken, causing a trickle of blood to be freed; but other than that, there was nothing serious about this injury. Regardless of how much it stung, it was very minor and nothing to worry about.

"Ah, it's just a little bite." Hagrid said, as if I was in need of reassurance. "It'll heal before ya know it."

"Ugh...!" I groaned in annoyance, shaking my head a little. "I thought that you said that by giving that blasted ball of feathers a name, it would spark a bond between us."

"Keep in mind, I also said that it would take time and effort to build. Creating a firm bond with any sort of creature in our world cannot be rushed, Indigo; but don't worry. You and Cherry will get there eventually."

I slumped my shoulders again, feeling another trickle of doubt run through my body. At the same time, I let out a sigh and watched as more crimson liquid continued to leak from the tip of my finger.

"Do you have any bandages in here?" I asked, wanting to change the topic.

"Bandages? Heh!" Hagrid let out a genuine chuckle, evidently trying—once again—to lighten the mood. "You're the whole reason as to why I started keeping some in my hut in the first place! They're right over 'ere."

In that moment, I couldn't help but crack the faintest hint of a grin. I gave my eyes a small and playful roll, watching as Hagrid turned away and headed over to one of the cabinets. Then, as he pulled a drawer open and started to rummage around inside of it, I cut another glance over at the antique cage. My smile automatically faded, only to be replaced with the sight of me rudely sticking my tongue out at the puny owl. She almost seemed to glare in response, right before she looked away and started rubbing her beak against her other wing.

"Hmm, I know for a fact that they're in 'ere somewhere..." Hagrid murmured, still searching through the drawer. "Hmm, maybe I put them underneath — oh! Hold on...! There they are...!"

I quickly pulled my tongue back into my mouth and flicked my attention back over to the half-giant. I witnessed him pick up a small box from inside of the drawer, right before he opened it and pulled out a thin, neon blue plaster. Then, after returning the tiny box to the drawer, Hagrid pushed it shut, casually spun around on his heels, and walked back over to the same spot that he had been standing previously.

"Here ya go, Indigo."

"Thanks."

Hagrid took the liberty to peel the back of the plaster off. Afterwards, he handed it to me and I wrapped it carefully around the tip of my index finger. It stuck to my skin, hiding the sore wound and not to mention the small amount of blood that was surely being absorbed in that moment.

"Now," Hagrid said all of the sudden, "I have to go take Cherry to the Owlery."

I had been wiggling my finger, checking to see if the plaster would stay put. However, as soon as I heard those words leave the half-giant's mouth, I didn't think twice before lifting my head to look at him again. He had just picked up the silk cloth that had been covering Cherry's cage, tossing it over his shoulder. Then, I watched as he lifted the cage and held it like it was a lantern.

All I managed to say in that moment was, "Huh?"

"Dumbledore told me that after lettin' ya meet your owl, I will need to take 'er to the Owlery to help 'er get acquainted with all of the others." Hagrid explained, a warm smile crossing over his face. "Besides, I think that I've hogged quite enough of your presence tonight. You need to go to your dad's office. He's waitin' for ya there."

I paused, giving the half-giant's words a chance to sink in. Once they did, I nearly jolted from remembering the whole reason as to why I agreed to return to Hogwarts in the first place. Dumbledore had requested my presence; and just like that, curiosity draped over me again.

"Oh, right!" I said, pushing the whole incident with Cherry to the pack of my mind. "He still changes the password to get into his office, correct?"

"Yeah, he changed it again just a couple of days ago."

"What's the current password then?"

Hagrid took a glance around the hut, as if he was making sure that nobody was around to eavesdrop on us. After that, he leaned in a little closer to me and whispered in a tone that made it seem like the password to Dumbledore's office was one of the most valuable pieces of information that the entire universe of magic had to offer.

"The current password is Sugar Mist."

"Sugar Mist...?" I chortled, pushing a stray strand of my dark brown hair out of my face with my fingertips. "Yep, that definitely sounds like a password that my father would come up with..."

Hagrid chuckled and placed his unoccupied hand on my shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

"You'd best be on your way now. Dumbledore will be very happy to see ya."

I offered him a soft smile, feeling slight disappointment beginning to form inside of me. As much as I was looking forward to seeing my adoptive father, it was still pretty upsetting to have to part ways with the half-giant—especially after such an eventful evening with him.

"Will I be seeing you again, Hagrid?" I asked with a hopeful glint in my amethyst-colored eyes.

"Well, of course you'll be seein' me again!" Hagrid confirmed, laughing a little. "I didn't fly all the way to London and bring ya all the way back to Hogwarts, just to not see you durin' your stay here! You don't have to worry about such a thing, Indigo. As a matter of fact, I'll be seein' you tomorrow mornin' during the meeting!"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Meeting...?"

The half-giant faltered. He stared at me with a dumbfounded look on his face, right before he looked down at the cage and pretended to study Cherry. At the same time, he pursed his lips in a bashful manner and muttered, "I should not have said that..."

"There's going to be a meeting tomorrow?" I asked, my confusion increasing with every passing second. "A meeting about what...?"

"I'm sorry, Indigo, but it's not my place to tell you that." Hagrid replied as he lifted his gaze back up to me and lightly shook his head. "Dumbledore will explain everything once you get to his office. You do remember how to get there, right?"

I could tell that he was only trying to change the subject, but I saw no point in trying to prod the conversation along. Hagrid wasn't going to tell me. So, the only option that I had was to take his word and wait to have my questions answered by Dumbledore.

"Yeah..." I replied, giving my head a couple of faint nods. "I believe so."

"Good ... because it's time for ya to head there. Meanwhile, I'll be takin' Cherry to the Owlery."

As soon as those words left the half-giant's mouth, he leaned forward and planted a small kiss against the crown of my head. Then, he straightened himself back up, turned away, and walked over to the front door. I watched as he pushed it open, right before he looked back at me with affectionate eyes. Meanwhile, Cherry was softly hooting to herself—as if she was singing from her place on the cage swing.

"It's good to have ya back, Indigo. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

I returned his grin gently. "Okay, Hagrid."

The half-giant then made a move to leave. However, before he could even finish taking one step, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder to see me again.

"Oh! And you don't have to close the door behind you entirely. I want to give my hut the chance to air out a bit."

"All right, I'll keep it cracked open." I said, nodding a little more to show that I understood. "Thanks for the ride, by the way."

"Ah, don't mention it. I'll see ya at breakfast, all right? Goodnight, Indigo."

"Goodnight to you as well, Hagrid."

With that, Hagrid withdrew his gaze from me and walked out the front door, taking Cherry with him. Not long after that, I heard the sound of him calling out to Fang, who I imagined must've been gnawing on something or lying in the garden by this point.

"Aye, Fang! Come on, boy! You can accompany me to the Owlery!"

The dog barked a couple of times in response, as though he were agreeing with Hagrid's words. At the same time, I straightened my lips—no longer grinning—and took one final glance around at the hut. On the outside, it looked like I was—once again—taking in as many of the details as possible; but on the inside, I was thinking about how it was time for me to head to the castle. After twelve years, I was going to step foot into it again ... and that thought was a lot heavier than it seemed.

"Well, Indigo ... you don't want to risk making your father wait any longer..." I mumbled to myself, shortly before I let out a sigh. "Time to get a move on..."

With that, I quickly—yet blandly—trudged in the direction of the hut's front entrance. After that, I stepped outside and pulled the door shut until it was opened by just a crack. Then, as I turned around, I noticed right off the bat that Hagrid and Fang were nowhere in sight. An uneasy knot started to form in the pit of my stomach, courtesy of how I knew that I was going to be entering the school all on my own. Although, as difficult as it might've been to believe, I actually preferred that. It might've been extremely unpleasant, but it was still better than putting up with the risk of concerning others.

With a huff, I stepped down the stone stairs and twisted my body in the direction of the school. The moon was still capturing its silhouette from the top of the mountain perfectly. At the sight of it, a faint lump to began to form in the direct center of my throat; but I maintained my composure. I took down a small gulp to help get rid of the lump, staring at the castle with the driest expression possible.

"So, Hogwarts..." I grumbled blandly. "Looks like we meet again after all..."


TO BE CONTINUED...


A/N: There we go, my lovely audience! We have reached the end of the third chapter of my retelling of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." :)

I hope that you all enjoyed!

Remember, I usually take a couple of weeks off between every update in order to give my brain a chance to relax and recharge. Plus, as I stated at the very top in the first Author's Note, I'm trying to take care of my mental health and my next chapter might take more time to put together. So, once again, please remain patient with me.

Remember, I love feedback and I get very excited to hear what you all think of my work! So, please don't hold back on sharing your thoughts! :D

Until the next post, everybody! Happy reading and writing to you all!

Much love and God bless!

Crystalteen, out! :D :D :) :)