The first several days of Christmas break passed slowly. Aria and Harry were two of six Slytherins who ended up staying over the holidays, but the other four were sixth and seventh years and all boys so the two first years made themselves scarce from the common room for most of the day. With Ron, they finished their holiday homework over the first four days of the holidays, something they all felt Hermione would be proud of, and they immediately sent her a letter telling her so, hoping that her parents didn't mind Hedwig coming for a visit.
When they weren't doing their homework, they were either exploring the castle or outside either exploring the grounds or visiting Hagrid and Norbert. The baby dragon was how half the size of the table and Aria worried that the dragon would soon outgrow the hut. Hagrid insisted that Norbert would be able to survive on his own once he got too big for the hut, but Aria wasn't too sure. A trip to the library and a book on dragons later, the three tried to convince Hagrid to let Ron write his brother Charlie. Apparently, baby dragons needed to stay with their mothers for the first five to six years of their lives before they were even minimally able to fend for themselves in the wild.
Norbert was definitely going to outgrow the hut before then.
"Maybe we tell one of the professors," Aria said to Ron and Harry as they trekked back up the snowy path towards the castle after another failed attempt to convince Hagrid to do something about Norbert. "It's only been a week since Nobert was born and he's almost the full size of the table. He's going to burn down the hut!"
"But Hagrid asked us not to tell anyone," Harry pointed out, worry evident in his voice. "Isn't that what friends do, keep each other's secrets?"
"Yeah, of course!" Ron cried, "but Dad always said that if the secret puts someone in danger then it's best to still tell an adult and let them help. I don't like telling on Hagrid either, but Aria kinda has a point."
"Maybe we should talk to Percy or something, get his advice," Aria suggested, seeing how uneasy Harry seemed at revealing Hagrid's secret. "Without actually telling him about the dragon."
Ron gasped, stopping the three just before their final ascent to the castle. Aria glanced at him, then in the direction he was staring. She too gasped as a cream-colored foal pranced in the snow several yards ahead, whinnying in what sounded like distress.
"What's a foal doing here?" Harry asked. "I didn't think we had stables. Is it lost?"
"It's not just a horse, Harry," Ron whispered, excited. "That's a baby unicorn!"
A unicorn! They were real? Aria all but squealed, glancing back towards the unicorn foal who pranced forward, a little nervously.
"Where's your mama?" Aria asked, keeping her voice low. She held out a gloved hand and the foal dipped its head, nuzzling her hand. She noticed a tiny horn starting to grow out of the foal's forehead and she could not keep the giggle that came out at seeing it. Unicorns were real! This was the best thing ever!
"Where's your mama?" Aria asked again. This time the foal pushed at her, nudging her off the path towards the Forbidden Forest. Now she could see the track marks the little one had made in the snow, heading back in the direction of Hagrid's hut, but just on the other side of where his garden ended.
"Should we get Hagrid?" Harry asked as they followed the foal. The three stopped at the edge of the forest, peering into the forest. At first nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the Forbidden Forest appeared as gloomy as ever, if not a bit more snow covered. The foal neighed, this time sounding distressed. It entered the forest and Aria made to follow, only for Harry to grab her arm.
"We're not supposed to go in there," he hissed.
"I'm following a unicorn," Aria pointed out, "how bad can it be?"
"We should get Hagrid," Ron said.
The foal neighed, drawing their attention about twenty yards into the forest. It was pawing at the ground. Aria pulled away from her friends, hurrying through the snow to where the foal was, standing by the fallen body of another unicorn, this one pure white with a long horn at least a foot long. It breathed heavily as a thick silver substance ran out of its neck, staining its white coat and the snow beneath. The pain and distress of the unicorn was almost unbearable. Aria fell to her knees beside the animal, stroking its mane. The unicorn flinched, its eyes meeting hers. For a moment she was sucked into the depths of the unicorn's eyes, it was like staring into the vastness of an unseen world, and for a moment it was as if she and the unicorn were one. It left her breathless and her magic whirling within her.
"Sh," she managed to murmur, "you'll be okay. I . . . Hagrid will know what to do." She looked back to her friends. Harry was the only one standing at the edge of the forest, looking towards Hagrid's hut. Clearly Ron had already gone to get the gamekeeper. Aria kept stroking the unicorn's mane. The foal knelt down in the snow, wedging itself between Aria and her mother. Aria looped an arm around the foal.
"ARIA!"
Harry's panicked scream startled Aria. She looked again to Harry, seeing him running towards her, wand pulled, green eyes wide with fright, seeing something beyond her. She turned to see further into the forest, screaming at the floating specter that was coming straight towards her and the unicorns, the same silvery substance that was pouring out of the dying unicorn dripping off it's chin.
There was a sudden pounding of hooves in the snow and the chorus of men giving battle cry. Horses—no they weren't horses Aria realized, but creatures which were half-man half-horse—attacked the fiend, sending it fleeing back into the Forbidden Forest with an angry and bone-chilling scream of anger. Several of the creatures went after it while many more surrounding Aria, the unicorns, and Harry as he arrived at Aria's side, panting.
"Are you all right?" he asked, leaning over his knees. Aria nodded, glancing back at the unicorn, only to realize that its flank was no longer rising and falling. The little foal put its head on its mother's neck, making a noise that sounded very much like a whimper.
"It's dead," Aria whispered. The unicorn, so beautiful and so innocent, was dead. The unicorn, which even it is final moments, had peered into her soul and seen her like they had known each other forever, was gone. Tears blurred her vision before streaming down her cheeks. She leaned over the foal, hugging it close as it mourned its mother.
"Aria! 'arry!"
Aria turned her head to peer through the legs of the creatures around them as Hagrid and Ron came stomping through the snow. Hagrid carried a cross bow that she had seen in the corner of his hut.
"Hagrid," one of the horse-men creatures greeted, his tone deep like thunder.
"Bane," Hagrid greeted. "What's 'appened?"
"A Fiend of the worst kind has entered our forest," Bane replied. "We managed to chase it off before it could do harm to your colt and foal." Bane's eyes turned to Aria and Harry.
"Is that a unicorn?" Hagrid questioned, coming closer. "Oh dear."
"Yes," another of the creatures said. "The Fiend drank its blood."
"The foal came to us," Aria said with a hiccup. "It wanted our help. We couldn't help it."
"Of course, you couldn't," Bane said, his stern voice suddenly taking a gentler tone. "You are a child." Aria sniffed.
"What'll happen to the baby?" she asked the creature. She felt like she should know what these creatures were, but she could not think of the word.
"We will look after it until it can be reunited with its herd," a third creature replied. "Rest assured, Aria Bourne, the foal will be taken care of." Aria sat up at her name.
"How'd you know my name?" she asked.
"Centaurs are Seers," Hagrid said. "They see lots o' things."
Centaur, that was the word! Aria wiped the tears away with a hand, taking in the centaurs gathered around them in a circle. Many had coats of varying colors and were all bare chested. Their skins on the human part of them matched their horse-part and many carried bows and arrows or a spear.
"You should take your young ones," Bane stated. "I can hear the others coming and you know how we feel about your kind coming into our forest."
"You own the forest?" Aria asked.
"We do."
"Oh." She petted the foal. "You'll look after the baby unicorn?"
"As if it were our own," the third centaur said.
"Come along, Aria," Hagrid murmured. "Bane, Firenze, and the others'll look after the baby."
With one last watery sniff Aria kissed the baby unicorn between its ears, pushing herself to her feet. She glanced again at the staring centaurs and, feeling that it might be appropriate to such majestic creatures, bowed towards Bane who seemed to be the leader of the group.
"At least some humans have manners," Bane mused as Aria, Harry, and a pale faced Ron followed Hagrid out of the forest. All of Ron's freckles stood out in stark contrast to his skin.
"Hagrid!" As the four exited the forest, Dumbledore and the four Heads of House could be seen making the final descend of the hill. "Hagrid, we received your floo call. What's happened?"
"Death o' a unicorn, sir," Hagrid said. "Somethin' killed it."
"No!" McGonagall cried, her hands flying to her face. "Oh, dreadful!"
"And what were you three doing in the forest?" Snape demanded of the students.
"The baby unicorn came and got us," Aria cried. "It wanted our help!"
"And if Hagrid hadn't been able to scare away this killer of unicorns? The Forbidden Forest is forbidden for a reason!"
"The centaurs scared it off, actually," Hagrid said. "Aria was with the unicorn when it passed."
"I think a lecture can wait, Severus," McGonagall murmured, reaching a hand out to Snape's arm, "look at the state of Miss Bourne!" Aria glanced down at her winter cloak which she had pulled on over her usual Muggle winter coat, jeans, and boots. The thick silvery substance that had been coming out of the unicorn and that had dripped from the chin of the Fiend stained the bottom half of her cloak.
"Hagrid," Snape murmured, the horror unable to stay out of his voice, "what exactly did the killer do to the unicorn?"
"I don't rightly know, Pr'fessor," Hagrid replied. "I didn't see it."
"It floated," Harry told them. "The . . . Fiend. And it had that silver stuff dripping down its chin."
"The stuff came out of the unicorn's neck," Aria added.
"Merlin!" Sprout cried, even as Flitwick swore beside her.
"Let's get you to the castle," Snape finally said, grasping Aria's shoulder. "Try and get the blood out of your cloak."
"Blood?"
"That's unicorn blood, Aria."
Somehow, she had guessed that that was what it was, but she hadn't wanted to think about it like that. It made the whole thing far more brutal and terrible. Aria felt tears well up again in her eyes.
Barking from Hagrid's hut brought the party's attention elsewhere. Fire licked at the roof of Hagrid's hut and Fang's barking came from within.
"Fang!" Harry cried.
"Norbert!" Ron shouted.
"Stay here!" Snape hissed, grabbing the two boys before they could race towards the burning hut. Hagrid, Dumbledore, Flitwick, and Sprout were already hurrying over. The three first years glanced at each other, Aria crying harder now. Norbert would be discovered, Hagrid would get in trouble, and they would get in trouble for hiding the dragon. This was turning out to be a terrible day!
"I wonder what set that off," McGonagall murmured, handing Aria a handkerchief. "Hagrid's usually so careful."
Dumbledore opened the door to the hut and was knocked over by two creatures. Hagrid caught the man before he could fully tumble off the front stoop, and Sprout and Flitwick dived out of the way of a panicked Fang and an excited baby dragon who thought the furry companion was playing tag.
"I don't believe it!" McGonagall cried as Hagrid went chasing after Norbert. "Is that . . . is that a real . . . ."
"That's a dragon," Snape stated. Aria watched as the man stared at the sky as if looking for wisdom or patience.
"What's Hagrid doing with a dragon?" McGonagall demanded.
"How should I know?"
"Severus! This is serious!"
Snape sighed, steering the three first years away from the commotion and back up the hill towards the castle.
"Severus!" McGonagall cried.
"Come along, Minerva," Snape called over his shoulder. "I'm sure the others can get this handled." Aria peered over her shoulder, almost tripping in the snow as she watched the headmaster attempt to corral Norbert.
McGonagall hurried after them, muttering about fiends and dragons and why couldn't she just have a quiet Yule? Snape kept a firm grip on Aria's shoulder, as well as Harry's as he too seemed intent on staring back at the dragon and Hagrid and the other professors.
At the front doors of the castle the other students had gathered.
"Is something wrong, Professors?" Percy asked. "We all saw you dashing outside and . . . well . . . Fred and George are here and not hurt." He eyed Ron though as if Ron might be hurt.
"What's all over Aria?" George asked while Fred glared at their older brother. The other students: the four Slytherin sixth and seventh years, a fourth year Ravenclaw girl, and three fifth year Hufflepuff girls, all eyed the silvery substance on Aria's cloak.
"That's unicorn blood," one of the Slytherin seventh years said. "You showed us a vial in potions class a few weeks ago."
"That I did, Mr. Lawrence," Snape replied, "and you are correct. It is unicorn blood." He ushered the three first years into the warmth of the castle and straight into the Great Hall, ignoring Filch's cries as they tracked snow across the atrium.
In the Great Hall a table had been prepared with hot chocolate and other snacks, a particular table that had been there every day of break. It was close to the roaring fire along the side of the Great Hall where couches and armchairs and carpet had been set out for the students and staff while most of the long tables had been pushed to the far end of the hall. Snape yanked Aria's cloak off of her, tossing it over the back of an armchair which he set her in while ordering Fred to bring Aria a cup of hot chocolate.
"Chocolate always helps," Snape stated as Fred handed Aria the steaming mug. "Wizards and witches react to chocolate differently than Muggles; it has both calming and invigorating components." Aria nodded, taking a sip, noting the familiar way its warmth filled her, almost tickling her from inside. The other students gathered around, asking questions all at once.
"Enough!" McGonagall cried. "Let Miss Bourne have a minute without all your chattering. Now. Miss Bourne, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Weasley had an encounter with a dying unicorn. As you can see from the state of Miss Bourne's robes, the unicorn was, unfortunately, attacked. She was by its side when it passed."
"It was so beautiful!" Aria cried, taking another sip. It was helping keep her tears at bay, the warmth that now encircled her doing much to calm her. "I didn't even know unicorns existed until today. I thought they were just stories. Or centaurs."
"You saw the centaurs?" one of the sixth year Slytherins, Robert Harrod, cried. "What were they like?"
"Huge!" Ron cried. "Taller than any horse."
"It wasn't the centaurs that attacked the unicorn was it?" Robert asked. "I thought the centaurs and unicorns got along. At least that's what Professor Kettleburn said."
"We do not know what killed the unicorn," Snape replied, "but it was not the centaurs. I suggest, though, that you take this as a reason why the Forbidden Forest is forbidden. That forest is magical, and while we have wards around the grounds there is deep magic within those woods that even our wards might have missed. Stay away from the woods until further notice. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good."
Dumbledore, Sprout, and Flitwick entered the Great Hall at that moment. Sprout and Flitwick made a beeline to the hot chocolate while Dumbledore chose a scone before meandering over to the group.
"Professor Sprout!" one of the Hufflepuff girls cried. "You've been singed!"
"Ah . . . yes." Sprout glanced at her robes, soot clinging to the fibers.
"It appears our gamekeeper rescued a dragon egg from a poacher a few days ago," Dumbledore told them. The students gaped at him. He bit into the scone, chewing thoughtfully before continuing.
"As the holidays have been so busy, he did not have the chance to tell me before the egg hatched. The baby dragon escaped Hagrid's hut and he needed our help in containing it. I have sent a missive to the Welsh Dragon Preserve for their help."
Aria wondered when he had had the time to send the missive between Hagrid's hut and the castle. She finished off her hot chocolate and George brought her another one along with a gingerbread man.
"I assume Professor McGonagall and Snape have informed you about our young first years' encounter with the unicorn?" Dumbledore peered over his spectacles at the students who all nodded his head. "Then I must press upon you that, in avoiding the forest, you also avoid overrunning Hagrid's hut while the dragon is there."
Dumbledore and Flitwick had created a rock structure that resembled a cave beside Hagrid's hut, and had warded it to keep Norbert in and which allowed Hagrid to go in and feed the dragon. The wards were pretty large so, even though Dumbledore had told the students to not go and visit the dragon, the fourteen students stuck at Hogwarts for the holidays went together to see the dragon, staying on top of the hill against the wall of Hogwarts to peer down at Norbert.
"I can't believe Hagrid somehow managed to rescue a dragon!" one of the Hufflepuff girls said. "Didn't think he would be smart enough for that."
"He's got a good head on his shoulders," Fred insisted. "Bit . . . eccentric, but a good head. Wonder how much he had to pay for it though. Can't imagine him stealing it or tricking a bloke."
"What kind of dragon is it?" the Ravenclaw asked.
"It's a Norwegian Ridgeback," Percy stated. He was there, a bit under protest apparently if Fred and George were to be believed. Aria assumed it had more to do with Percy wanting to keep a leash on Fred and George. "See the spikes along the middle of his back? When he gets older those spikes will fuse together into one ridge along his back."
"How do you know that?" Teddy Lawrence, one of the seventh year Slytherins asked.
"What doesn't Perfect Percy know?" Fred and George teased together.
"Just because you two don't listen to Charlie rambling on and on about dragons doesn't mean the rest of us ignore him," Percy snapped, glaring at the twins. "Our brother, Charlie, is a dragon handler at the Romanian Dragon Reserve."
"I remember him," Frank Treworgy, the other seventh year Slytherin, said. "Was always out with Professor Kettleburn and hanging out with that girl with pink hair."
"Tonks!" Fred and George cried.
"She's great!" Fred said.
"She's in the auror training program," George said.
"She's going to put all you dark wizards away," Fred added.
"Want to say that again?" Teddy growled. Fred and George cackled with laughter, the older boy's glare doing nothing to frighten them. Percy looked like he wanted to melt into the snow.
"What's an auror?" Aria asked, distracting Teddy from murdering the twins.
"They're like Muggle police," the Ravenclaw told her. Harry shivered. Aria stepped closer to him.
"We should head inside," Percy stated, having also noted Harry's shiver. "It's getting very cold out here."
"Aw, just cast a Warming Charm!" Ron cried. "Please, Percy?"
"If you die Mum will kill me." But Percy cast the Warming Charm on his brothers, Harry, and Aria all the same.
"Look!" The second Slytherin sixth year, Henry MacDonald, pointed towards Hagrid's hut just beyond Norbert's warded area. "Hagrid's talking to the centaurs!"
"I never thought I'd get to see one," one of the Hufflepuffs murmured. "They're as tall as Hagrid!"
"What do you think they're talking about?" Fred questioned.
The students watched as the centaur, Aria recognized him as the one Hagrid had called Firenze, suddenly pointed towards them. Hagrid turned, seeing them, and the students all looked at each other with some sort of fear and trepidation. They really weren't supposed to be where they were. Would Hagrid get them in trouble?
"Perhaps we should go," Teddy muttered, yanking at his friends' cloaks.
"Aria!" Hagrid's voice carried up to them. "Come down 'ere for a sec! Firenze's got somethin' for you."
Firenze had something for her? Aria glanced at Harry and Ron who shrugged their shoulders. What could the centaur want to give her? Another look at her fellow schoolmates got similar shrugs and she plodded down the hill towards Hagrid and Firenze who came a little bit further out of the forest. Norbert gave a cry as she walked by his area and she waved at him, wondering if he was lonely in there without her or Harry or Ron visiting.
Arriving beside Hagrid, Aria bowed to Firenze, feeling that that might be appropriate for a creature with such an aura of respect and dignity about him. Firenze chuckled at her action.
"We meet again, Aria Bourne," he said. "I am glad to see your ordeal within the forest hasn't sent you to hide away in the castle."
"I have had dreams about it," Aria admitted, "but nothing super awful."
"Those will go away with time," Firenze assured her.
"Were you able to locate the baby unicorn's family?"
"We were able to locate Caeli's family," Firenze replied. "It is why I am here." His legs bent and he was suddenly kneeling down in front of Aria. It was almost a little disorientating to suddenly be at the same level of the centaur. His eyes were a dark purple, and more intense up close. He held out a box, dark wood with detailed carvings of the sun, moon, and stars on the top and around the edges. It was clearly handmade.
Taking the box, Aria gently flipped the silver latch and lifted the lid. Within lay several items, neatly labeled. Along the top were seven vials of the silvery unicorn's blood, tied in two different bunches were unicorn tail hairs and unicorn mane hairs, and in three more vials was a fine dust that glistened as if it were white sand mixed with glitter. These were labeled "unicorn horn."
"I don't understand," Aria said. "I mean . . . thank you for the potion ingredients?"
"You will come to recognize them for their true value soon enough," Firenze assured her. "I am certain your Head of House can tell you all about them. But Caeli's father, the head of his herd, gave us centaurs permission to gather the ingredients from Caeli's mother, and in thanks for your attempt to help, asked that we give these to you."
There was something in his voice that made Aria suspect there was more going on. Her dad had a similar tone when he only told her part of the truth of a situation. He had used it a lot when her mum was sick, trying to keep the worse of Abigail's illness away from Aria.
"Thank you," Aria settled on saying, latching the top of the box back down. "And tell . . . Caeli's . . . dad that I appreciate the gift."
Firenze rose to his hooves, appearing as if he would say something else, but he stopped, head jerking to the side as he glared towards the path leading up the hill towards the castle. Aria followed his gaze. A group of adults, including the headmaster and Heads of House were walking towards them at a very hurried pace.
"Time for me to leave," Firenze muttered. He cantered off into the woods.
"Wish he didn't have to go so soon," Aria said to Hagrid.
"Some o' those people be Ministry," Hagrid replied. "The centaurs and the Ministry are a bit at odds at the moment."
"Why?"
"The Ministry keeps shrinking the centaur's land. On the other side of the forest, which stretches across the mountains and lake, the Ministry's cutting down forest to make room for wizarding communities. Centaur's and the Ministry have an agreement, and basically the Ministry's not honoring it."
"Oh. That's not very nice."
"Hagrid!" one of the men, a pudgy fellow in a bowler hat, cried as the group reached them. "What were you doing, letting a centaur so close to a student?"
"Firenze wanted to speak to Aria, Minister Fudge," Hagrid explained. "It's not like 'e was gonna 'arm Aria or anythin'. She's just a little foal in his eyes."
"Are you all right?" Minister Fudge asked Aria.
"Of course," Aria replied. "Firenze was very nice. He has purple eyes, did you know that? Is that normal for centaurs?"
Another man, a bit taller than Fudge and pudgy but not as round as the minister, laughed while he straightened his glasses. He wore a deerstalker pulled over his ears for warmth.
"Centaurs do have a few strange eye colors," the man said. "Though not noticeable until you're close, like you were. My name is Amos Diggory, I'm the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. You've met Minister Cornelius Fudge, our esteemed Minister of Magic. This is Owen Rhys and his team of dragon handlers from the Brenin y Ddraig Preserve in Wales."
"Look who's trying to get on my good side," Owen Rhys muttered with a lopsided grin. He had silver-tooth that made him look like a pirate. "Most people just call it the Welsh Dragon Preserve. Wouldn't want to get your tongues all twisted now, would we?"
"I can speak Welsh just fine," Diggory insisted.
"You put in a good effort," Rhys agreed. "Now, where's this dragon?"
"What're you going to do with Norbert?" Aria asked, following the group towards the warded area.
"Norbert?" Snape cried. "Did you children name the beast?"
"Norbert is a perfectly respectable name for a dragon," Aria insisted, seeing a flash of hurt cross Hagrid's face. "And of course we named it. Why wouldn't we? It's got no one else around to name it."
"Merlin preserve me," Snape muttered.
"We're going to get your friend into a box," one of the dragon handlers replied, "and then transport him to the preserve. He'll be happy there."
"I don't see a box," Aria said. Was it invisible? The man patted his pocket and she realized that it must be shrunk and that they would enlarge it.
"Miss Bourne," Dumbledore said, "if you would please join your schoolmates at the top of the hill, that would be much appreciated. We wouldn't want you to accidentally get singed if Norbert decides he wants to practice his flame throwing." Aria nodded, climbing back up the hill in the same snowing path she had made when coming down.
"What's in the box?" Ron asked.
"I'll show you when we get inside," Aria answered.
"What did a centaur want with you?" Teddy demanded.
"Apparently I make good company," Aria replied with a sniff. Teddy was a pureblood, and while he had not been like others in the house who whispered and hissed at her, neither had he ever tried to stop anyone from doing so.
The students watched as the dragon handlers expertly cajoled Norbert into a large crate with a piece of meat before floating the box back up the path. Minister Fudge and Amos Diggory stayed behind with Professor Dumbledore to speak with Hagrid.
"You children should get inside!" McGonagall called up to them. "Before you all freeze to death!"
"Some of us are hardly children," Robert muttered as they all headed back inside. Filch was there with his mop to complain loudly about them trampling in snow. The twins stomped extra hard, creating more sludge for Filch to clean.
"Why is Mr. Filch the only custodian?" Aria asked McGonagall as they all made their way to the ever-warm hot chocolate stash in the Great Hall. "In Muggle schools there's a whole department to clean the school building and keep the grounds looking nice and tidy. Here there's only Hagrid and Mr. Filch. And I've never seen either of them use magic."
"Filch's a Squib," Henry almost sneered.
"What's wrong with being a Squib?"
"Well, they can't do magic now can they?"
"Mr. MacDonald, you will keep your tongue!" McGonagall glared at the sixth year before turning to Aria. "Now, I think we are all curious as to what you were given by your centaur friend."
"Firenze."
"Yes. Firenze." The Heads of House and the students gathered in front of the fire, leaving room for Aria on the floor so that they could all see when she opened the box. She heard an intake of breath from her professors as well as the four upper classmen Slytherins and Percy.
"Firenze said that Caeli's dad – that's the baby unicorn's name – asked that they give me this as a gift," Aria told them. "But except for wand making, I'm not sure what else I would use any of this for."
"Potions," Percy answered promptly.
"None of which you'll be making any time soon," Snape said. He pulled out his wand and tapped the box. "There's a preservation charm on the box, though the ingredients inside already have a very long shelf life." Aria gave him a confused look. "They last a long time, Miss Bourne. This is a very generous gift. Very valuable gift. I suggest putting it in your trunk for safe keeping."