Chapter 67

Chapter 67

“Where is he?”

Fear entered Hermione’s eyes. She had finally abandoned the attempt at secrecy and hurried forward to reveal herself, but when she caught up with the blue flame, Suer had vanished.

A living person had disappeared without warning.

The darkness pressing in from every direction almost made her cry. At a loss, Hermione turned this way and that.

“Suer?” she called softly. “Where did you go?” A tremor entered her voice.

In truth, Suer had stood nearby the entire time, hidden completely by the night.

He had noticed her the moment they left the castle.

There was nothing wrong with Suer’s eyesight. In fact, it was excellent. Any normal person would notice when a lump of brown hair suddenly grew from one side of a white stone pillar.

Then, upon the silent path to Hagrid’s hut, a second set of footsteps had appeared.

Following someone required a little skill, foolish girl.

Seeing Hermione on the verge of tears, Suer sighed. “I’m here.”

You are a witch, Hermione. If you had drawn your wand and cast a light spell, none of this would have happened.

The voice emerging beside her made Hermione jump. A high-pitched scream gathered in her throat.

“Don’t scream. It really is me.” Suer stepped forward, balanced the box on one hand and covered her mouth with the other. “Don’t wake the sleeping Draco!”

Hermione could only make muffled noises between his fingers. Fear lingered in her round eyes as she blinked hard and watched Suer’s face become clear before her.

Then anger rose.

“Ow!” Suer whispered and snatched his hand away. “Are you a dog?”

In the light of the blue flame, he examined his palm. A perfect set of teeth marks appeared upon the flesh, broad in the middle and narrowing at either side.

“Are you a dog?” Suer hissed again, shaking his hand.

Hermione glared and stamped one foot. “W-who told you to frighten me?”

“You secretly followed me, yet somehow it’s my fault for startling you. Women really are–”

A freezing stare shot towards him halfway through the mutter.

The little lion’s fur stood on end, and she bared her small canine teeth.

Suer wisely fell silent and rubbed his aching palm against his robes.

The pain soon faded. He glanced at Hermione, who remained angry.

“I’m going to Hagrid’s hut to congratulate him on becoming a teaching assistant. Would you like to come?”

Hermione badly wanted to refuse out of spite. But she was afraid to return to the castle alone and did not wish to answer Suer’s question.

What could she do?

The proud little lion simply walked ahead.

When she heard no footsteps behind her, she stopped and looked back into a smiling pair of eyes.

Before Hermione could grow angrier, Suer quickened his pace and caught up.

“Lumos.” He drew his wand and quietly spoke the spell, adding enough magic to light the path more clearly.

Suer walked in front with the box, Hermione behind. Together they followed the trail to the yellow oil lamp.

“Ah!” Hermione, who had taken quiet little steps all the way, suddenly cried out. Her arms locked around Suer’s neck, and her legs wrapped around him with practised ease.

She had heard heavy breathing. In the poor light, she had also seen a great black shape.

Suer had been about to knock. Hermione’s sudden weight pulled him backwards, and only a quick grip on the door ring kept them upright.

He felt the girl trembling against his back.

Suer reached down and patted the calf curled around him. “It’s all right…”

“That’s Fang, Hagrid’s enormous dog.”

Hermione finally saw the black dog. It looked fierce and wore a broad, thick leather collar.

“He looks frightening, but he’s very gentle.” With difficulty, Suer bent over and vigorously patted the approaching dog’s head by way of greeting.

“He startled me the first time too.”

“Oh.” Hermione flushed and climbed down with familiar ease. They had been at Hogwarts for less than a year, and she had already climbed on and off Suer several times.

Suppressing her embarrassment, she bent down and stroked Fang’s enormous head.

“Who’s there?” The noise outside naturally alerted the person within. A muffled, nervous shout came through the door.

“It’s me, Suer.”

Heavy footsteps sounded. Then the great wooden door opened a crack, with Hagrid hiding behind it to make sure he recognised his visitor.

A blast of hot air poured through the gap and forced Suer two steps backwards.

“Oh, what brings you here so late?” Hagrid muttered, opening the door wider. “Come in quickly.”

The enthusiastic fire had heated the hut almost beyond endurance. Suer’s senses told him it was as hot inside as the height of summer.

No wonder Fang backed several steps away when Hagrid opened the door. Sleeping in such heat might suffocate the poor dog.

Suer quickly discovered the cause. A wooden hut ordinarily could not trap so much warmth, but Hagrid had sealed every window with heavy curtains and stuffed rags into every crack through which air might pass.

Hagrid lifted the large iron kettle beside the fire and made Suer and Hermione each a cup of tea. Then he dropped two homemade rock cakes onto an empty plate with a clatter.

“Hermione and I came to congratulate you on becoming the teaching assistant for Care of Magical Creatures.” Suer placed the box on the table. “This is your present.”

“You shouldn’t have.” Hagrid’s eyes brightened. His mouth protested, but his hands reached for the box. He recognised the wrapping; the bottle Suer sent at Christmas had looked exactly the same.

“I drank that last bottle in one swallow. Truth be told, it was too small for me to taste properly. I’ll savour this one.”

After several admiring noises, Hagrid carefully placed the box in a basket filled with hair and hoisted it to a roof beam with a rope.

“I’m glad you like it.” Suer smiled. “Compared with the gift you gave me, it is nothing.”

“Truth be told, I don’t understand why Professor Kettleburn suddenly stopped teaching.” Hagrid shook his head, looking regretful.

“Dumbledore didn’t tell me why he chose me as assistant either.”

“Whatever the reason, we can call you Professor Hagrid now,” Suer said with a smile. “And for your favourite subject, Care of Magical Creatures.”

“Only a teaching assistant.” Hagrid’s beard bounced up and down. He was clearly delighted.

While the two talked, Hermione suddenly raised one delicate finger towards a round black “stone” in the fireplace.

“What’s that, Hagrid?”