Amethyst woke before everyone else. She made her way outside as quietly as possible. Orion was right behind her and Ember was perched on her shoulder. She sat on the steps and looked up towards the castle. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She hadn't been sure of accepting the teaching position but Hagrid had convinced her. Ember head butted her, bringing her back to reality. "Heading off?" She asked the bird. Ember shook her head as if to say "no". "Sticking around to see the students then?" Ember chirped. Amethyst smiled and stroked the bird's head.
"You've always had a way with magical creatures. Even as a student." Hagrid sat down next to her.
"They never seemed to care what or who I was." Amethyst looked at the half-giant. "Half-blood and Hufflepuff didn't seem to bother them. Even my own father didn't seem to care about me much."
"What do you mean?" Draco had come over to them, Harry was with him.
"I knew my mother's family blamed me for her death. I think my father did too." Amethyst said, there was a cold look on her face. "He was rarely home… spent most of his time at work and then at the pub. At least he made the choice to return to Godric's Hollow… it was the rest of his family who raised me."
"Godric's Hollow?" Harry asked, surprised. That was where his parents lived in secrecy until Voldemort killed them when he was just a year old.
"About a year after everything…" Amethyst explained. "Hagrid has been more of a dad than my father ever was. He encouraged me to pursue magizoology after Hogwarts. I traveled around Europe for a while effort returning to the United Kingdom. Spent some time studying dragons with Charlie before deciding I wanted to focus on the effect of non-native beasts on native ones. Charlie and I raised an unrelated pair of Welsh Green Dragons in the hopes of one day introducing them into the Forbidden Forest." Amethyst paused and looked at Hagrid. There was such a look of joyous pride on his face. "I've spent the past three years building trust with the beasts who call this forest home, including the small population of Welsh Greens."
"You're telling me that there are now dragons living at Hogwarts?" Harry asked in surprise. Amethyst nodded.
"Hermione was a big help there. She was able to convince the board of the benefits of having them." Hagrid couldn't contain his joy.
"That reminds me…" Amethyst thought aloud. "I need to leave a message for Bane."
"The centaur?" Harry asked cooly. His encounters with that particular centaur had not been the friendliest.
"He and the other centaurs have helped me track the acromantulas' activities in the forest. He wants to protect the forest and the beasts within just as much as I do." Amethyst wasn't surprised by Harry's reaction. "He's not the friendliest, I know, but he has been vital. We agreed to let the other know when the acromantulas attack outside the forest or in other areas they haven't before." She stood up to go inside to get some parchment. She quickly wrote a note for Bane that explained the night before, including them dragging Harry to their den and the subsequent rescue. After she sealed it she went back outside. Hagrid, Harry, and Draco had moved into the paddock – though Draco was barely inside. Neville emerged from the tent as Amethyst entered the paddock. "How are they? Did we lose any?" She asked looking at the sleeping baby hippogriffs. She glanced over at Draco and shook her head. He was eyeing the adults with uncertainty. "Draco, they will not bother you." She said calmly and he made his way to her still watching the adults.
"Some are worse than others, but we haven't yet lost any." Neville said. "This little one here is probably the worst." Amethyst picked it up and cradled it to her chest. It had been the one her and Draco recovered from the forest. It nestled against her, seemingly soaking in her warmth. Hermione had joined them and was pulling a large scarf out of her bag and used it to make a sling for the baby. "Here. She'll need this mixed into her food every couple of hours. It's a low dose healing potion with a little sleeping draught mixed in. It will help them heal slowly as to not send them into shock or anything." Neville handed a vial to Amethyst.
"How is everything?" Professor McGonagall asked as she approached the paddock. She looked around the group and noticed they still looked tired.
"Thankfully we haven't lost any babies so far." Hagrid said.
"When you are done here, I need to speak with Draco, Harry, and Hermione before the students arrive. We need to discuss your accommodations while at Hogwarts for the lectures." McGonagall looked at Amethyst. "Seems we will have small zoo joining us for the feast." She raised a hand to stop anyone from arguing. "It's only fitting, she is our new Care of Magical Creatures professor after all."
"Professor McGonagall?" Hermione called as McGonagall turned to leave.
"Yes, Minister?" McGonagall turned back around.
"I think we need to discuss this acromantula situation." Hermione replied, looking at Hagrid and Amethyst. "If they are coming out of the forest and attacking protected beasts, we need to address it officially."
"I've sent a message to Bane detailing the events of last night. I have an agreement with the centaur herd." Amethyst said looking at McGonagall and Hermione. "In light of things, I need to revise my first few lessons before the students arrive but I can meet you in the Great Hall after lunch." McGonagall nodded and then headed up to the castle.
"Let's check the protection barrier before we head up to the castle." Harry said. Neville and Hannah checked on the babies and made sure they were resting. Bill, Harry, and Hermione walked the perimeter of the paddock, reinforcing the protection charms that had been set the night before.
"Lectures?" Amethyst looked at Draco, who was still eyeing Flamebeak and the others.
"I was invited to give a series of guest lectures for Defence Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic. Co-hosting really. DADA with Harry and History with Ginny and Ron when he can make it." Draco looked at Amethyst who seemed to be studying him intently. "What?"
"Nothing." She looked away. "I guess you'll be here quite often then?"
"Possibly. Not sure how Scorpius will react to that though." He laughed at little. He saw the question on her face. "My son. My wife died a couple of years ago. Blood curse."
"I'm sorry." Amethyst squeezed his hand. "Couldn't have been easy for either of you… I guess it's still difficult at time."
"Some days are easier than others. If he didn't have Albus as a friend it might be harder." He smiled weakly and noticed another question. "Harry and Ginny's middle child."
"Harry's son? Your son? Friends?" She looked between Harry and Draco.
"It wasn't always a welcomed friendship, but after they ran away last year and then altered the past a few times…" Harry admitted. "Of course, Scorpius has a thing for Rose – Ron and Hermione's daughter." He teased Hermione. She scowled.
"I have told him to back off that… it is their O.W.L.S. this year and all." Draco smiled.
"We should get up to the castle." Hermione changed the subject. "We'll see you later." They waved to the rest and headed up to the school.
"I should get back to London. I'm going to be late for work as it is… but Hermione gave me an excuse." Bill laughed, feeling like he was back in school.
"Thank you, Bill." Amethyst nodded at him and he returned it.
"I have lessons to revise. I will see you at dinner." Amethyst headed to her tent. She worked on her lesson plans for the first few weeks of term and then headed up to the castle. She'd also had a reply from Bane during that time. She decided to wait until after the meeting with Hermione before responding. She would keep to her agreement and notify Bane if and when the Ministry stepped in, however, she wanted to be able to relay exactly what the plan was.
"Amethyst's here." Hermione said when she noticed Amethyst enter the Hall. The baby hippogriff was still nestled in the sling. Ember was perched on her shoulder and Orion was trotting beside her.
"Amethyst, I had a thought about the small zoo." Professor McGonagall watched as she approached them at the staff table. "Ember might make a nice addition to our usual ceiling. Having her fly around until a certain point would, I think, allow you some moments where you won't be the center of everyone's attention."
"Sounds alright to me, Professor. What do you think…" Before Amethyst could even get the question out, Ember took off. "I guess she approves of the idea." They all stood watching Ember fly gracefully around the ceiling.
"Shall we?" McGonagall motioned for them to sit at one of the house tables so that they could all face each other.
"While I was revising my lessons, I received a reply from Bane." Amethyst pulled out the parchment. She had read it over quickly on her way to the castle. "He hadn't noticed nor had any reports of the acromantulas venturing out of the forest. He did say, however, that they have started to move into Welsh Green territory as well as the outskirts of centaur territory. They won't venture far into either one because they seem to understand it would be dangerous. The baby hippogriffs are the first magical creatures he knows of that have been attacked. Though he thinks it was a tactic to lure either humans or the adult hippogriffs into the forest." She summarized the letter and then handed it to Hermione.
"He's reminding you of your agreement to notify the centaurs if/or when the Ministry gets involved?" Hermione looked up at Amethyst. "Is he afraid we'll reclaim centaur land?"
"He wants to protect the forest. He doesn't trust the Ministry – given past issues I can't really blame him." Amethyst put her hand up to stop Hermione from speaking. "However, he trusts this Minister of Magic. Whenever they sent a concern to the Ministry, it has been looked into in a timely fashion." Hermione deruffled her feathers and breathed.
"Have you responded?" Harry asked.
"I wanted to wait till after we talked. If the Ministry isn't getting fully involved yet, I want to be able to give him the extent of their involvement to this point." Amethyst looked at Hermione.
"Right now, we will be monitoring the situation. Amethyst, I will rely on your information – including your communications with the centaurs – on how things are going. Should the acromantulas start to threaten the school, staff and students, we will have no choice but to become one hundred percent involved." Hermione's voice took on an official tone. Amethyst nodded in agreement.
"We will need to establish a plan in the case that they do begin to move out of the forest." McGonagall said. "I have already placed a spider-specific protection charm on the school. Professor Flitwick perfected that charm for you, Amethyst. Not one spider will be found inside the castle nor will any be able to breach the barrier. The protection includes the bridge and the courtyards. We've also established it around the Quidditch pitch."
"Ron's going to want that charm…" Harry joked. Everyone laughed.
"In the event that they move out of the forest, you and Hagrid will have to stay in the castle." McGonagall looked at Amethyst. "Care of Magical Creatures, at that point, will relocate to the main courtyard. They baby hippogriffs will be allowed to stay in the courtyard, but I must insist that all but one of the adults be out during the day." Amethyst nodded. "If that is everything, I must finish getting ready for the students' arrival." They all got up. Amethyst headed to her seat at the staff table and started to write her response to Bane. Draco sat in his seat next to her and waited for her to finish.
"So…" Draco started but couldn't think of anything to say. He wasn't sure why he felt so nervous.
"How have you been, Draco? Aside from losing your wife." Amethyst looked over at him.
"It's been an interesting life post-Hogwarts. My parents, especially my father, disowned me after I turned my back on their pure-blood ideology. That was further fueled by my marrying Astoria. We limited their time with Scorpius, but didn't completely disallow time with their only grandchild." Draco's light grey eyes turned stormy as he thought about his parents.
"Your dad was something else…" Thankfully, Amethyst hadn't had many personal dealings with Lucious Malfoy.
"After the Battle of Hogwarts, I started to realize how messed up my life had been. I was a nasty person, especially to Harry. Partly because I believed in pure-blood superiority, but also because I was jealous. He had true friends, something I never did – apart from you and eventually Astoria." Draco watched Amethyst's facial expressions. "At first, I didn't want children. I knew the pregnancy and labor would take even more years off Astoria's life, but she didn't want me to be alone after her eventual early death. I don't regret anything, but I still wish she were here sometimes."
"I can understand that." Amethyst thought about Anthony. "Even after eight years, I still find myself wishing for what should have been. At least, I am home here." She gave the baby hippogriff some food with the potion mixed in. "I'm glad you're here, Draco." She smiled at him.
"I wasn't sure at first. I figured there were better choices than me for these lectures." Draco said with uncertainty. "I'm still not sure I made the right decision, but I'm glad you're here. At least I won't feel so alone."