A few days passed, and classes resumed in earnest. This shift in schedule meant Aaric was able to spend more time with Daphne during the daylight hours, while Luna became noticeably clingier during the mornings and nights.
"We spent a whole week together in the Dreamlands. Why'd you literally stop time today morning?... Not that I'm complaining," Aaric asked Luna as they walked toward the Great Hall for breakfast, with Luna and Daphne flanking him.
Luna only giggled in response; the answer was obvious, and Aaric knew it perfectly well.
"Oh dear," Daphne muttered to herself, noting just how much Luna had been 'corrupted' by Aaric's insatiable nature. But she wasn't complaining either.
When they reached the Great Hall, they saw that all of their friends were gathered at the Gryffindor table, so they moved to join them.
"How's it going?" Aaric asked, sliding onto the bench.
Ars gave Aaric a thumbs-up from where he sat with Padma by his side, receiving one in return.
Fleur stood up and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek as a greeting before he sat down with Luna and Daphne on either side of him, while Fleur took the seat beside Daphne.
Aaric just smirked at Ron and a few other male students who were shooting him dirty looks, not even bothering to hide their blatant jealousy.
"Have you been smuggling love potions into the school?" Harry asked him with a chuckle, earning a scoff from Aaric.
"I guess you shared one with Krum, eh?" Ron muttered bitterly, casting a disapproving glance toward Hermione.
"Grow up, Ron," Daphne said with a small frown. Ron had been making these snide comments incessantly, even going so far as to call Hermione a traitor on occasion.
Harry was doing his best to mediate between the two, but Ron was simply too blinded by jealousy to listen.
"I assure you, Ron, there were no such things involved. He just had the thought to see me as a girl before you ever conceived of it," Hermione shot back sharply. She was utterly fed up with his nonsense at this point.
"That reminds me, I read in the Daily Prophet that your dad has petitioned the Wizengamot to ban love potions. Why is that?" Alice Marwood asked Aaric, showing zero interest in Ron's teenage antics.
"Tell me one good use of those potions..." Aaric answered the question with a question of his own.
Alice placed her hand on her chin and thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "Well... now I'm wondering why they haven't been banned already," Alice muttered after a moment of realization.
Aaric nodded in agreement.
Ron was still seething at Hermione's words but did not shoot back a response; it seemed Hermione's sharp retort had actually made him think a little.
At that moment, a flock of owls arrived in the Great Hall, swooping down to make their Daily Prophet deliveries.
Fleur had subscribed to the newspaper and accepted her copy, placing a Sickle in the owl's leather pouch and offering it some treats before it flew off.
She started reading the paper with a smile, but that expression quickly twisted into a frown the more she read.
Daphne raised an eyebrow when Fleur silently handed her the paper, pointing to the headline and article on the front page.
"'Dumbledore's Giant Mistake,'" Daphne read the headline out loud before summarizing the article for the table.
Aaric already knew the contents of the article just from the headline. The conversation between Hagrid and Maxime about their heritage hadn't taken place on the night of the Yule Ball, but during the following week.
And Rita Skeeter had been present in her Beetle Animagus form to eavesdrop on the private conversation.
The article Daphne was reading to everyone was exactly what he had known. It exposed Hagrid's half-giant heritage and branded him a danger to the school.
"She called him a 'savage' and a 'monster'?" Harry asked with rising anger as Daphne read the vicious quotes to them, Pyra nudged Harry to Comfort him.
"Let's go talk to him. He must be devastated," Ron said, standing up immediately. He might have been a jealous teenager, but he wasn't a heartless idiot, and he cared deeply for Hagrid.
Harry and Hermione stood up the next second and followed Ron. They would fight amongst themselves as much as they wanted, but they were always united for their friends when it mattered.
"Should we pay this bitch a visit?" Daphne asked Aaric in a lethal whisper, referring to Rita Skeeter.
"No need. She will be reaping the fruits of the seeds she has sown very soon," Aaric said with a dismissive shake of his head as he stood up.
"I'll go talk to Hagrid. See you in class," Aaric said to the girls and gave the three a kiss on the cheek before leaving to catch up with the trio.
Luna, Daphne, and Fleur exchanged a knowing look. They knew Rita was absolutely fucked from this point on.
Aaric arrived at Hagrid's hut and saw the trio already inside, consoling the gentle giant who was sobbing on his oversized couch.
"I just had ter open me big mouth an' make Maxime uncomfortable. An' now I'm makin' trouble fer Dumbledore," Hagrid wailed, his face buried in his hands just as Aaric entered.
"Next time you meet Madame Maxime, tell her there is no reason to be ashamed of her heritage when you are riding on top of the biggest dragon known to wizards. And I don't think any trouble will be coming the Headmaster's way," Aaric consoled Hagrid as he closed the door behind him.
Hagrid calmed down a little after that and gave a weak nod. The students spent some more time with Hagrid, listening more than they talked to comfort the distraught half-giant.
Even with their consolation and support, he did not feel up to teaching his class for the day and opted to stay in the safety of his hut.
The day's Care of Magical Creatures class was shared between the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. Since Hagrid did not arrive to teach, the students simply spent their free period on the Hogwarts grounds.
"How does that woman know these things?" Hermione asked, pacing. She was currently standing with Harry, Ron, Aaric, and Daphne.
"Fred and George once showed me something they called Extendable Ears. They said they made them themselves. You reckon Rita has something like that?" Ron muttered, directing his question toward Hermione.
"I guess we'll have to find out," Hermione answered thoughtfully before checking the time. She then looked ahead to see Krum standing some distance away near the lake, seemingly waiting for her.
"Well, I promised Alice we would study Potions together. Do any of you wish to join?" Hermione asked the group, Victor was there because he wished to observe.
"Why not? I think Pyra will be helpful for you," Harry agreed in a heartbeat, earning a nod from Hermione as she smiled at the salamander.
"I guess I'll join Harry," Ron said next. He clearly did not wish to join as he knew Krum would be there, but he didn't want to be left alone either.
Aaric and Daphne shook their heads, indicating they had other plans, and waved at the trio before departing back toward the castle.
The trio waved back, and Hermione linked arms with Viktor as they walked, earning a scowl from Ron that he didn't even try to hide.
"What are we making today then?" Alice asked Hermione, standing ready with a book and cauldron in hand. She didn't seem to mind the additional company.
"Hm... Let's go with 'Emberheart Draught.' It requires a living salamander to provide continuous flame beneath the cauldron. And with our cute Pyra here, that will be a good start," Hermione suggested, gesturing to Pyra, who was currently resting in Harry's arms.
Victor observed the Salamander before nodding towards Harry in approval. Having a powerful familiar was a sign of a powerful wizard after all.
Alice nodded with a smile and cooed at Pyra before the girls started preparing the workstation for the potion.
Viktor and Harry were fascinated by the process, watching intently. Meanwhile, Ron stood to the side with a Potions book in hand.
He was reading about the draught and observing the brewing process quietly.
"Is good vork," Viktor commented in his thick accent as Hermione expertly prepared the ingredients, earning a shy smile from the girl.
Ron, for once, did not make a snide comment. Instead, he watched them, thinking of Hermione's words during breakfast about being treated as a girl.
A/n: Give me your thought on the chapter and reviews on the fic.
And.. you got any power stones? Well, hand em over then.