"I'm just feeling a bit off… nothing serious…" Astoria stammered.
Jon shook his head calmly and pressed again. "Daphne said you've had to stay at St. Mungo's every summer for years?"
Astoria lifted her head, nodded lightly, and whispered, "Yes… just an old condition… it's nothing…"
Then she hurried to change the subject. "Has my sister… does she know who you really are?"
"I don't think she does." Since Astoria clearly didn't want to address the question directly, Jon couldn't push further. He simply nodded. "As long as you're alright…"
"Yes… I'm fine…" Astoria murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
They talked a little more in the Forbidden Forest, but Astoria seemed restless, nervous, her words scattered. A Bowtruckle even climbed onto her shoulder without her noticing.
Jon gently reminded her to look after herself, and then the two returned to Hogwarts Castle one after the other.
...
Jon had barely stepped back into the castle when he ran into Blaise Zabini.
"Christopher, Headmistress Umbridge wants you," Zabini said quietly.
Jon blinked. "I haven't had dinner yet."
"She said to come immediately. It's urgent…"
"Alright." With a direct order from the Headmistress, Jon had no choice but to postpone his meal. He hurried toward the "New Headmaster's Office" on the first-floor corridor.
"What's that pink toad up to now?" he wondered silently.
But the moment he entered Dolores Umbridge's office, everything became clear.
Inside, alongside the headmistress Hogwarts refused to acknowledge five Aurors, fully armed. Jon recognized one immediately—Dawlish, the Auror the stone gargoyle had flattened.
They carried thick coils of rope—heavy enough to restrain a dragon, Jon guessed.
Was this whole setup… to take down Hagrid?
A few minutes later, Malfoy, Montague, Avery, and several others from the Investigative Task Force arrived.
"Christopher!" Umbridge barked as she polished her wand. "Prepare yourselves. When we move out, everything must proceed smoothly. We can't afford another disaster like with Trelawney or Moody!"
"What are we doing?" Draco Malfoy asked as he walked in.
"We're going to capture that filthy half-breed Giant," Umbridge said without hesitation—exactly as Jon expected. "We leave once it's fully dark. Tell no one."
"Brilliant!" Malfoy said excitedly.
Jon forced himself to look pleased and mimicked Umbridge's movements, polishing the larch wand that had once belonged to Barty Crouch Jr.
But his mind was racing. Should he warn Hagrid?
He remembered that in the original timeline Hagrid had been attacked as well, but had survived thanks to his giant resilience. Yet this time, Umbridge seemed far more prepared—and she had more people.
What if Hagrid couldn't withstand the assault this time? What if they executed him?
But warning him without drawing suspicion? Impossible. If he slipped away and Hagrid escaped before the group arrived, Umbridge would surely suspect him.
He would just have to adapt moment by moment.
Still lost in thought, Jon followed the Aurors' example and put on a dragon-hide coat.
...
As soon as night fell, the group slipped quietly out of the castle: six grown wizards and five students—eleven in total.
Before this, Jon had been stuck in Umbridge's office with the other Slytherins, never once finding an opportunity to contact Hagrid.
Under the cover of darkness, they crossed the lawns and made their way toward Hagrid's hut.
When they were still over a hundred yards away, noise erupted near the hut. Umbridge signaled sharply, and the group ducked behind a clump of shrubs.
Rubeus Hagrid emerged, wearing his moleskin coat, carrying a large sack, and hurried toward the Forbidden Forest.
"Follow him. Attack when we're close," Umbridge whispered.
Jon had an idea. Without looking at Umbridge, he turned to Sean Avery.
"Sean, do you remember Care of Magical Creatures this afternoon?"
"I do…" Avery nodded quickly. "He rushed into the forest right after class."
"If I remember correctly, he's done that a lot lately," Blaise Zabini added. "You remember—I mentioned it before."
"That's right," Malfoy said at once. "I remember."
Seeing he'd successfully steered the discussion, Jon tactfully fell silent.
But Umbridge had heard everything. She turned toward Avery and Zabini.
"You're saying… that damned half-breed Giant frequently sneaks off into the Forbidden Forest alone?"
"As far as I recall… Rubeus Hagrid is Dumbledore's most trusted subordinate," Jon added smoothly.
"I see…" Umbridge frowned. "Could it be that Dumbledore hid something in the Forbidden Forest, and left this half-breed in charge of guarding it?"
"That's possible, Minister Umbridge," Dawlish said after a moment of thought.
"Then should we still—?" a curly-haired Auror began cautiously.
"Wait!" Umbridge ordered sharply. "Do not attack yet. We follow him. He won't detect us. And he may lead us straight to whatever Dumbledore left at Hogwarts."
The group slowed their steps in unison, keeping a safe distance behind Hagrid. Two Aurors cast stealth spells.
Together, they slipped into the Forbidden Forest.
Jon pretended his shoelace had come loose and crouched down to tie it.
Then he eased his way toward the back of the group.