"Aragog! Aragog!"

Hagrid's voice echoed around the silence of the forest. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting an eerie glow on the ground.

Hagrid tried to ignore the faint tremor in his hands. Where was Aragog? He couldn't survive in the wild! Where would he get his food? How will he avoid getting trampled? What if it rained?

Millions of thoughts raced around Hagrid's head, making him dizzy with worry.

"Rubeus! What are you doing out here after curfew?"

"Professor Dumbledore!" Hagrid cried, half in fear and half in relief. "'s Aragog! He's gotten away from me!"

"Aragog wouldn't be that big spider that just ran past me ten minutes ago, would it?" Professor Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling.

Hagrid looked at Dumbledore in delight. "Did he, really? Is he alright?"

"He's perfectly fine, Rubeus," Professor Dumbledore said placatingly. "As for you being out after curfew…"

For the first time, it occurred to Hagrid that he might be in trouble. He looked at his feet bashfully.

"... you are not allowed out of your dorm until breakfast."

"Thank yeh, Professor!" Hardly daring to believe his luck, Hagrid quickly left for the castle.

The next morning, it took a great amount of effort to get out of bad. Not having Aragog to wake him up didn't help matters, and so Hagrid started his day on a bad note.

He should have known this was just the beginning.

Riddle was waiting outside after his second class, and the look in his eyes truly scared Hagrid.

"Hagrid! Professor Dippet has called for you!"

Hagrid swallowed nervously, adjusting his bag. "Now? I have class."

"As do I, Hagrid. Come, I'll escort you."

"'s fine, I'll go there on me own."

"Nonsense, you don't even know where the Headmaster's office is."

Hagrid conceded and walked silently behind Riddle.

Sooner than he would have liked, they were standing in front of a Gargoyle. Riddle whispered something too soft for Hagrid to hear, and it twisted, revealing a staircase.

Once both of them were standing on the steps, it started moving. Hagrid hardly noticed the sight and the unusual mechanism. All his focus was on trying not to be sick.

Sooner than he would have liked, they reached the top. Riddle knocked sharply and the Headmaster's reedy voice came through.

"Come in!"

Riddle opened the door confidently and strode in. Hagrid followed behind hesitantly.

The Headmaster was sitting on a straight back chair, the quill in his hand scratching away on the heavy parchment in front of him.

Scowl lines were etched on his face, made sharper by the single candle on his desk casting contrasting shadows.

He did not look up as they came in. Hagrid waited nervously, not sure if he wanted Dippet to hurry up.

Riddle looked as calm as ever, his cold eyes glinting maliciously. Hagrid was sure the happiness on his face did not bode well for him.

Finally, Dippet rolled up the piece of parchment and tied it with a ribbon. A wave of his wand had floo powder floating in the fireplace, and the Headmaster threw the parchment accompanied with a string of numbers.

He finally turned to the them waiting quietly, and at seeing his stern glare, Hagrid wished he hadn't.

"Well, Mr. Hagrid. I am not pleased at calling you here for such terrible business. Not pleased at all."

"Sir?" Hagrid asked, feeling certain that something was going to go terribly wrong soon.

Professor Dippet sighed, seeming to age a decade in front of Hagrid's eyes. "There's no easy way to say it," he murmured, seemingly to himself.

Looking up at Hagrid, he seemed to gather himself. "You are hereby expelled. You are not being kicked out of Hogwarts on Professor Dumbledore's insistence, but I will be keeping an eye on you. You will start training with Mr. Ogg. He needs an assistant."

The Headmaster fixed him with a steely glare. Hagrid couldn't get his throat unstuck so he just nodded.

"Ministry officials will be coming for your wand sometime later today."

"Me wand?" Hagrid heard himself say as if from far away.

Professor Dippet's expression got impossibly sterner. "Untrained underage wizards are not allowed to keep their wand."

"Yes, o' course," said Hagrid, still in a daze. "I'll jus' go an' pack me bags."

"You do that."

Hagrid left, hardly noticing where he was going. He didn't realise when he reached the Gryffindor tower, staring blankly at The Fat Lady. It was there that Professor Dumbledore found him.

"Hagrid! Are you alright, dear boy?"

Hagrid jolted, face screwing up. For some reason, all he could think about was his Pa.

"Me Pa would be so disappointed."

Professor Dumbledore looked at him sorrowfully. Coming closer, he put his hand on his shoulders. Hagrid was slightly taller than the Professor, but at the moment, he felt like a toddler in need of reassurance.

"Your father and I were good friends," Professor Dumbledore said, eyes almost cruelly gentle. "And I assure you, he would be very, very proud of you."

That was all Hagrid needed to hear. He smiled at the professor through a hazy film in front of his eyes, not bothering to wipe away the tears running down his face.

And yet he was smiling. He didn't care that soon he'll have to face the students' taunts as he learned to do menial labour. He did not care that he might never be able to use his wand again.

He knew he had done no wrong, and if his Pa were still alive, he'd have believed him.

And for Hagrid, that was enough.

The End