SS #05 Unicorns
Title:Hope Is all We Need
Characters:Hermione Granger, Hagrid
Rating:Pg-13
Disclaimer:I own nothing at all~ Lies, all of it. No profit made.
Word Count:1402
A/N:For the hh_sugarquill Saturday challenge on unicorns.
Summery: Returning to life at Hogwarts hasn't been as easy as Hermione thought it would be. She ends up in detention with Hagrid and he takes her to help treat a weak unicorn that restores her hope.
Most of the time Hermione thinks that going back to Hogwarts to graduate properly was the best choice she made. Yet, sometimes it just seems like the worst. She has seen too much to go back to school and write essays and sit tests like none of it ever happened. Most of the castle has been fixed and returned to its previous state but there are still corridors that are out of bounds and things that Hermione looks at twice because they don’t look right to her. Things are not the same and they never will be again and that becomes painfully clear after only a few weeks. Despite that, graduating will open the doors for her and she would never be able to live with herself if she didn’t graduate from Hogwarts.
Ignorance is dangerous. Hermione has always known that but when she returns to classes it becomes painfully obvious and there are only so many taunts and comments she can take. Just because some purebloods didn’t side with the Dark Lord doesn’t mean they don’t share his ideals and Hermione gets more than one whispered taunt about how she shouldn’t have survived the war.
One day, she does something entirely out of character; she snaps and hexes another student. Her teachers can hardly believe it but Hermione feels a strange sense of calm at the whole thing. He deserved it. He knew nothing. He’d seen nothing. Professor Flitwick gives her detention with Hagrid for a night in the forest and walks off muttering to himself as Hermione makes her way to the library.
He deserved it. People had no idea what she had been through.
*****
Hagrid meets her at the front door, lantern in his hand, and tries to talk about what happened. She politely directs the conversation away from her situation and onto Hagrid himself as he leads her deep into the forest.
“Where are we going, Hagrid?”
“Been a unicorn born last night, Hermione. Need to check it is alright.”
Hermione’s eyes brighten instantly and she resists the urge to bounce on her feet, “A real unicorn, Hagrid? Oh that is just fantastic! I’ve read all about them, you know. I realise that in their first few days they are at high risk so of course, it is best that you check on the baby and the mother every day. Unicorns are such precious creatures after all.”
“I bet you have read all about them, Hermione! Wouldn’t expect any less! Have you heard from Harry recently? And Ron of course,” Hagrid questions, lowering his voice to just above a whisper as they trail deeper into the forest, parting branches in their way with his large hands.
“Oh, yes. They are starting their training soon. It will be good for them I think because Harry especially, needs to get out and focus on something. Stop....well dwelling on the past. We owe it to....well we need to move on,” she mutters, glad when Hagrid doesn’t say anything further as he beckons her into a clearing.
The adult unicorn rises to its feet when it sees Hagrid approach, watching warily as he gestures for Hermione to remain where she is and moves forward. Hermione watches fascinated as Hagrid strokes the unicorn’s nose and face until it appears to nod and takes a step to the side, revealing the tiny foal. Hermione lets out a whispered ‘oh’ as she gazes at it, silver in the moonlight and blinking up at Hagrid with dark blue, almost purple eyes as he drops to his knees and beckons Hermione forward while carefully watching the mother who allows the teenager to approach while sniffing at the air around her.
“How could anyone hurt such a creature? They are beautiful, and utterly fascinating,” Hermione breathes, thinking of her first year and the horror of what Lord Voldemort had done in the forest she was kneeling in.
Hagrid doesn’t say anything and a moment later Hermione is grateful. People were capable of doing despicable things.
“The foal is smaller than it should be. And not as strong. We need to give it some potions yer Professor made up for me. Make sure you are comfortable on your knees there, that is it, and now I will lay the foal across yer lap. You can feed her the potions in this bottle while I check the mother is recovering from the birth ok, alright?”
She nods, though she isn’t entirely sure she is ok with it. She preferred spell work to more hands on things and the importance of what she is doing weighs heavily as Hagrid lifts the foal and places it on her lap. This creature, this beautiful creature, needed these potions to survive and Hermione was responsible for giving them to her. Her fingers tremble for a second as she picks up the bottle, that Hagrid pulls out of his bag, before she pulls herself together and places it to the foal’s mouth. The foal starts to drink it down immediately, eyes fluttering shut as she does so and Hermione muses that the potions must be flavoured because no potion ever tastes that good alone.
“You know, muggles believe in unicorns. Well, maybe not believe but we have stories about them. I knew of unicorns before I came to Hogwarts and I think every little girl wants to see one. Touch one. There are so many things my parents told me were impossible and would never happen and now, look at me. I’m kneeling in the forest feeding a unicorn foal after surviving a war where I was imprisoned and was probably on the brink of a breakdown. I guess, it shows you can never know what is coming,” she finishes, glancing up to see Hagrid rubbing some sort of pink paste into the belly of the foal’s mother who whines slightly when he presses too hard. His black eyes stare down at her and he cocks his head to the side for a moment.
“You can never know what is going to happen. I thought old Dumbledore....well I thought nothing could kill him, so I did. I thought he would pass happily in his bed many years from time. Great man, Dumbledore! Ye have to live for today, Hermione. We have today.”
Hermione smiles, looking down at the unicorn that has finished her potions and feels tears sting the back of her eyes. It was such a pure and innocent creature and it gave her hope, covered in dirt on the forest floor that they really could move on from the war. Innocence had somehow survived. Pure things still existed and people had hope in their eyes because some had lost everything, but they had still won. They were still here.
“Will the foal need more potions, Hagrid?”
“Oh yes, I will be down here for a few weeks yet, even just keeping an eye on them, you know. The pair of them. The mother had a rough time of it so she did.”
“I want to help!” Hermione, responds immediately.
“You’ve only got one detention,” Hagrid replies with a chuckle, starting to put his things back in his bag.
“I know, but I want to help. I want to make sure that they make it. Can’t I help? I’m sure if I explained the benefits I am getting from it Professor McGonagall, then she would have no issue with it at all!” Hermione babbles, while easing the unicorn foal from her lap as it moves unsteadily to its feet and then nuzzles the side of her face.
“I think you’ve got a new friend there! If you are sure, I will talk to the Professor about it then,” Hagrid replies softly, watching Hermione tentatively reach out to stroke the unicorn. She hadn’t dared while she was delivering the potions, afraid she would scare if off and then the creature wouldn’t take it anymore.
They leave soon after, and Hagrid insists on walking her back to the front doors of the Castle despite her being perfectly capable of going herself. She had spend months in the wilderness in many dangerous situations but that doesn’t matter to Hagrid. Some things change and can’t be put back to the way they were and some things just never change. Hermione falls into her bed with a little more hope in her heart. They could create a new normal.
1402//30 = 47 points for
Characters:Hermione Granger, Hagrid
Rating:Pg-13
Disclaimer:I own nothing at all~ Lies, all of it. No profit made.
Word Count:1402
A/N:For the hh_sugarquill Saturday challenge on unicorns.
Summery: Returning to life at Hogwarts hasn't been as easy as Hermione thought it would be. She ends up in detention with Hagrid and he takes her to help treat a weak unicorn that restores her hope.
Most of the time Hermione thinks that going back to Hogwarts to graduate properly was the best choice she made. Yet, sometimes it just seems like the worst. She has seen too much to go back to school and write essays and sit tests like none of it ever happened. Most of the castle has been fixed and returned to its previous state but there are still corridors that are out of bounds and things that Hermione looks at twice because they don’t look right to her. Things are not the same and they never will be again and that becomes painfully clear after only a few weeks. Despite that, graduating will open the doors for her and she would never be able to live with herself if she didn’t graduate from Hogwarts.
Ignorance is dangerous. Hermione has always known that but when she returns to classes it becomes painfully obvious and there are only so many taunts and comments she can take. Just because some purebloods didn’t side with the Dark Lord doesn’t mean they don’t share his ideals and Hermione gets more than one whispered taunt about how she shouldn’t have survived the war.
One day, she does something entirely out of character; she snaps and hexes another student. Her teachers can hardly believe it but Hermione feels a strange sense of calm at the whole thing. He deserved it. He knew nothing. He’d seen nothing. Professor Flitwick gives her detention with Hagrid for a night in the forest and walks off muttering to himself as Hermione makes her way to the library.
He deserved it. People had no idea what she had been through.
*****
Hagrid meets her at the front door, lantern in his hand, and tries to talk about what happened. She politely directs the conversation away from her situation and onto Hagrid himself as he leads her deep into the forest.
“Where are we going, Hagrid?”
“Been a unicorn born last night, Hermione. Need to check it is alright.”
Hermione’s eyes brighten instantly and she resists the urge to bounce on her feet, “A real unicorn, Hagrid? Oh that is just fantastic! I’ve read all about them, you know. I realise that in their first few days they are at high risk so of course, it is best that you check on the baby and the mother every day. Unicorns are such precious creatures after all.”
“I bet you have read all about them, Hermione! Wouldn’t expect any less! Have you heard from Harry recently? And Ron of course,” Hagrid questions, lowering his voice to just above a whisper as they trail deeper into the forest, parting branches in their way with his large hands.
“Oh, yes. They are starting their training soon. It will be good for them I think because Harry especially, needs to get out and focus on something. Stop....well dwelling on the past. We owe it to....well we need to move on,” she mutters, glad when Hagrid doesn’t say anything further as he beckons her into a clearing.
The adult unicorn rises to its feet when it sees Hagrid approach, watching warily as he gestures for Hermione to remain where she is and moves forward. Hermione watches fascinated as Hagrid strokes the unicorn’s nose and face until it appears to nod and takes a step to the side, revealing the tiny foal. Hermione lets out a whispered ‘oh’ as she gazes at it, silver in the moonlight and blinking up at Hagrid with dark blue, almost purple eyes as he drops to his knees and beckons Hermione forward while carefully watching the mother who allows the teenager to approach while sniffing at the air around her.
“How could anyone hurt such a creature? They are beautiful, and utterly fascinating,” Hermione breathes, thinking of her first year and the horror of what Lord Voldemort had done in the forest she was kneeling in.
Hagrid doesn’t say anything and a moment later Hermione is grateful. People were capable of doing despicable things.
“The foal is smaller than it should be. And not as strong. We need to give it some potions yer Professor made up for me. Make sure you are comfortable on your knees there, that is it, and now I will lay the foal across yer lap. You can feed her the potions in this bottle while I check the mother is recovering from the birth ok, alright?”
She nods, though she isn’t entirely sure she is ok with it. She preferred spell work to more hands on things and the importance of what she is doing weighs heavily as Hagrid lifts the foal and places it on her lap. This creature, this beautiful creature, needed these potions to survive and Hermione was responsible for giving them to her. Her fingers tremble for a second as she picks up the bottle, that Hagrid pulls out of his bag, before she pulls herself together and places it to the foal’s mouth. The foal starts to drink it down immediately, eyes fluttering shut as she does so and Hermione muses that the potions must be flavoured because no potion ever tastes that good alone.
“You know, muggles believe in unicorns. Well, maybe not believe but we have stories about them. I knew of unicorns before I came to Hogwarts and I think every little girl wants to see one. Touch one. There are so many things my parents told me were impossible and would never happen and now, look at me. I’m kneeling in the forest feeding a unicorn foal after surviving a war where I was imprisoned and was probably on the brink of a breakdown. I guess, it shows you can never know what is coming,” she finishes, glancing up to see Hagrid rubbing some sort of pink paste into the belly of the foal’s mother who whines slightly when he presses too hard. His black eyes stare down at her and he cocks his head to the side for a moment.
“You can never know what is going to happen. I thought old Dumbledore....well I thought nothing could kill him, so I did. I thought he would pass happily in his bed many years from time. Great man, Dumbledore! Ye have to live for today, Hermione. We have today.”
Hermione smiles, looking down at the unicorn that has finished her potions and feels tears sting the back of her eyes. It was such a pure and innocent creature and it gave her hope, covered in dirt on the forest floor that they really could move on from the war. Innocence had somehow survived. Pure things still existed and people had hope in their eyes because some had lost everything, but they had still won. They were still here.
“Will the foal need more potions, Hagrid?”
“Oh yes, I will be down here for a few weeks yet, even just keeping an eye on them, you know. The pair of them. The mother had a rough time of it so she did.”
“I want to help!” Hermione, responds immediately.
“You’ve only got one detention,” Hagrid replies with a chuckle, starting to put his things back in his bag.
“I know, but I want to help. I want to make sure that they make it. Can’t I help? I’m sure if I explained the benefits I am getting from it Professor McGonagall, then she would have no issue with it at all!” Hermione babbles, while easing the unicorn foal from her lap as it moves unsteadily to its feet and then nuzzles the side of her face.
“I think you’ve got a new friend there! If you are sure, I will talk to the Professor about it then,” Hagrid replies softly, watching Hermione tentatively reach out to stroke the unicorn. She hadn’t dared while she was delivering the potions, afraid she would scare if off and then the creature wouldn’t take it anymore.
They leave soon after, and Hagrid insists on walking her back to the front doors of the Castle despite her being perfectly capable of going herself. She had spend months in the wilderness in many dangerous situations but that doesn’t matter to Hagrid. Some things change and can’t be put back to the way they were and some things just never change. Hermione falls into her bed with a little more hope in her heart. They could create a new normal.
1402//30 = 47 points for