Chapter 153 - Firenze (2/2)
From under the bed, Fang bounded out with tail wagging leaping up to lick at her. Rowan wrinkled her nose and gingerly petted the drooling puppy's head on her leg. Already quite large, Fang was going to be huge as before when he was done growing.
”Ya look tired Rowan,” Hagrid observed as he poured her a cup of tea. ”Didn't ye get any sleep last night?”
”I'm afraid I was kept wide awake,” Rowan mumbled as she gratefully accepted the strong cup of tea and took a sip.
”Eh? Well, 'ere happens to the best of us,” Hagrid mumbled as he eyed the leaves and twigs in her hair. ”I too waz kept up by dozens of spiders fleeing from the hut! Strange though, they later came back.”
”Mm, this tea is quite strong,” Rowan said in approval. ”It really wakes one up.”
”Er, yes,” Hagrid stammered as his cheeks turned rosy pink at the compliment. ”Ah, cripes!” Hagrid said as he rushed over to the eggs having started to smell something strange as they started to burn. Quickly scrambling the eggs, he manages to save them just in time.
Rowan suddenly found a giant plate before her filled with eggs and kippers. Glancing at the size, she tactfully glances over at Fang and slides half of it into the waiting pups open mouth below. With a happy slobber, Fang eagerly curls up at her feet as Rowan begins to chew on the slightly rubbery eggs. It needed a tad bit of salt and pepper but overall still edible.
For some time, the kitchen is filled with clinking until Rowan says, ”Hagrid, I was just curious, but you attended school with a Head Boy by the name of Tom Riddle, did you not?”
”Er, yes, why?” Hagrid blinked rather innocently as Fang sniffed at Rowan's scarf to only let out a low whine and curl up against Hagrid's giant feet.
”I've been trying to track members of the Slug Club for Professor Slughorn, I wasn't able to find anything about him after his leaving Hogwarts. There wasn't anyone that he was close to or anyone that might have even disliked him enough to keep tabs on him?” Rowan carefully asked.
”He was quite popular, a model student,” Hagrid quietly said as he poked at his eggs having lost his appetite. ”A shame dat he's now thought to be a murderer. But I guess ye really can't tell, can ye?”
Furrowing his brows, Hagrid finally sighs after some time, ”I really can't think of anyone, Rowan.”
The light in Rowan's eyes dim down, when suddenly the light can be clearly seen Hagrid's eyes. ”Ah! Charlus Potter Jr. asked me the same question more than ten years ago!”
”Charlus Potter Jr?” Rowan blinked not knowing who that even was.
”Aye, a good lad,” Hagrid fondly remembered. ”Waz rather sad to hear, he died ten years ago from some dark curse.”
”I see and who exactly did you mention to him, Hagrid?” Rowan eagerly leaned forward.
Hagrid scrunches his forehead trying to remember. ”T'was some Ravenclaw boy. What was his name? T'was rather funny az I recall.” Hagrid bites his lip until he jumps to his feet.
”Yes! I remember now, Fogey Artemio!” Hagrid beamed with pride at having recalled the name.
Rowan repeats the name in her mind and asks, ”And just what was so special about Artemio Frobisher?”
”Ah, well, Fogey never liked Tom,” Hagrid admitted as he took a seat. ”Dem other Ravenclaws use to ah, tease 'em mighty fierce. But after poor Myrtle.” Hagrid paused and cleared his throat rather violently. ”After dat, they just left 'em alone.”
”And what happened to him?” Rowan quietly asked.
”Poor Fogey died from a tentacula bite only a month after graduating. Apparently, the gift giver confused the potted plant with dat of another and it killed 'em in his sleep,” Hagrid sadly said as he took a sip of his herbal tea.
”And you told, Charlus Potter Jr. about this?”
”Aye, I did, Rowan. He was mighty curious about good old Tom too.”
”Of course, he was,” Rowan whispered to herself as she connected the missing portion of the found library journal to the now-deceased Charlus Potter Jr. It wasn't just a coincidence that the only person that was wary of Tom Riddle simply died a few months after graduation. Nor the fact that the second young man who looked into him died from a random dark curse. Someone was tidying up any possible loose ends.
”Thank you, Hagrid,” Rowan said as she rose to her feet. ”This proved to be a most enlightening meal.”
”Your welcome, Rowan!” Hagrid said rather pleased about himself. ”Ye can stop by any day.”
”Well, I best be off then,” Rowan said as she walked out of the door and shook leaves and twigs out of her clothes and hair. Crossing the glistening dew filled dawn, Rowan shivered in the morning chill as she was surprised to find that it was. She hadn't noticed that it had been all night.