The hourglass representing Slytherin's points behaved like the stock market—plunging one moment, surging the next—leaving the students utterly baffled.
That said, classes still had to be attended.
Over the next two days, Audrey successfully obtained exemptions from Astronomy, History of Magic, and Charms.
Astronomy was easy—her memory was extraordinary, and the star charts were already etched into her mind.
Charms went without saying. As Grindelwald's direct disciple, with combat power equivalent to three Lucius Malfoys purely through magical technique, she was essentially committing dimensional reduction in a fifth-year classroom.
History of Magic was even more absurd: the moment she attended class, Professor Binns latched onto her and stopped even emotionlessly reading from the textbook. Dumbledore had no choice but to forcibly exempt her.
She had originally planned to exempt Defense Against the Dark Arts as well, but Quirrell refused.
Audrey sighed. This was definitely Voldemort's idea—but Quirrell, what was with that kindly, doting fatherly look?
Do you believe the guy on the back of your head won't shave you bald?
Friday arrived.
After successfully skipping Muggle Studies, Audrey was stopped in front of the Great Hall by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.
She had already been eating in her dormitory for two straight days. Today, she only came because Iselin had been far too enthusiastic to refuse—only to end up intercepted by three small fans.
"Audrey," Harry said excitedly, "Hagrid invited us to visit his hut this afternoon. Do you want to come with us?"
Hermione added, "Rubeus Hagrid—the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. The tall one with the big beard. You saw him at the start of term!"
Of course Audrey knew Hagrid. She'd wanted to visit him for a long time—not just because Hagrid was secretly one of Hogwarts' wealthiest individuals, but mainly because she'd been itching to freeload some magical creatures from the Forbidden Forest.
Still, she was lazy. Thought about it, never moved.
Now that the trio invited her, the timing was perfect.
"Sure. What time?"
"Around three!"
Seeing Audrey agree, the three of them immediately brightened.
Hermione hadn't originally been on the invitation list, but Ron figured Audrey seemed closer to her, so he dragged her along—despite deeply disliking this bossy, aggressive top student.
By sheer coincidence, the Golden Trio came together early because of Audrey.
At five minutes to three, when the trio arrived at Hagrid's hut, Audrey was already waiting outside.
The pumpkins in the vegetable patch were growing well—clearly prepared for Halloween two months later. Hagrid had put real effort into them.
A crossbow and a pair of rubber boots hung beside the hut's door. The crossbow was enormous, though in Hagrid's hands it probably felt like a toy.
After greeting everyone, Harry stepped forward and knocked.
Hagrid opened the door a crack, revealing a face with more beard than exposed skin.
"Hold on!"
He looked flustered. "Back up, Fang!"
Audrey watched with amusement as Hagrid wrestled Fang's collar while opening the door and ushering everyone inside.
The hut wasn't luxurious. Hams and pheasants hung from the rafters, and water boiled in a pot. The place felt lived-in—though the smell left something to be desired.
Hagrid released Fang.
Fang immediately charged toward Audrey.
In the original timeline, Fang had slobbered all over Ron, but clearly Ron was no longer appealing.
Fang stopped in front of Audrey, sat obediently, stuck out his tongue, and wagged his tail like a helicopter rotor, staring at her expectantly while panting happily.
"Oh—this is Miss Audrey Astre," Hagrid said, rubbing his hands. "I've never seen Fang like someone this much. Oh, right—I really like your songs. Especially Forest Dweller. Absolutely brilliant!"
Audrey rubbed Fang's head and scratched under his chin, giving Hagrid a professional smile. "Thank you for the compliment, Hagrid."
Harry quickly introduced everyone. "Hagrid, this is Ron."
"Oh! Another Weasley boy," Hagrid said while pouring boiling water into the teapot. "Your two older brothers gave me a real headache. Took me ages to chase them out of the Forbidden Forest!"
Ron laughed awkwardly.
"And this is Hermione."
"I've heard of you!" Hagrid said cheerfully, placing rock cakes onto a plate. "They say Gryffindor's got a witch even more Ravenclaw than Ravenclaw. Professor McGonagall must be delighted—she was the same when she was young!"
After everyone sat down, Hagrid said regretfully, "Shame Audrey ended up in Slytherin."
Ron reacted most strongly, nodding hard. "Exactly! The Sorting Hat must've gone senile! How could Audrey be a Slytherin?"
Hermione asked with concern, "Audrey, no one bullies you in Slytherin, right?"
Audrey picked up a rock cake and took a huge bite, chewing as she replied, "It's fine. My achievements in singing make life fairly comfortable."
Hagrid slapped his thigh angrily. "They're just trying to use your fame, those sly little bastards!"
Audrey swallowed. The rock cake was hard, but the seasoning was decent. "Hagrid, I am a Slytherin too."
"Oh—sorry! I didn't mean you."
Seeing Audrey crunching through rock cakes like they were biscuits, the trio each picked one up.
Hagrid beamed.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The trio's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
What was this thing made of? Actual rock skin?
Crunch, crunch…
Watching Audrey demolish yet another, they were stunned.
Was this girl iron-toothed and bronze-jawed?
"Why aren't you eating?" Hagrid urged warmly. "My rock cakes are delicious!"
Aside from the rock cakes, the visit was a great success.
They chatted happily. Hearing Hagrid call Filch "that old useless lump" delighted Harry and Ron. When Hagrid learned that Miss Rorl had confessed to Filch, his face split into a grin like a freshly baked naan.
When the topic turned to Slytherin losing 102 points, Hagrid danced with joy—completely unaware that Audrey had quietly earned Slytherin over 110 points in just the past two days.
Naturally, when Snape and the July 31 Gringotts break-in came up, Hagrid still stood firmly against Harry.
Audrey just kept petting Fang and said nothing. Main-plot events were best avoided.
"Hagrid, do you have any unicorn hair?" Audrey asked suddenly.
Hagrid nodded. "Of course. Those little darlings shed once a year."
"Could you give me some?" Audrey said. "I want to knit a sweater."
Hagrid stood up and rummaged around, eventually producing two huge bundles of unicorn tail hair and some mane hair as well. "Take it, Audrey. If you need more, just ask!"
Ron's eyes nearly fell out.
That was unicorn tail hair—ten Galleons for a tiny pouch, barely a pinch. And here Hagrid had bundles upon bundles!
Poverty limited Ron's imagination. Still in shock, he instinctively gulped down his tea—promptly scalding his throat.
"Hagrid," Audrey said as they were about to leave, "as thanks for the unicorn hair, I'll help your pumpkins grow a bit."
"The pumpkins?"
Everyone looked confused as Audrey raised her wand.
This was her first time using ancient magic—the plant magic inherited from Hufflepuff.
She felt her second magic circuit surge to life, mana flowing through her like mercury.
Under the starlight, the pumpkins in the garden grew rapidly—bigger and bigger.
"Oh, this is incredible," Hagrid marveled. "I thought this year's pumpkins were a lost cause. No chance for a pumpkin carriage—but now? This'll break records!"
Audrey stopped casting.
The largest pumpkin had grown as tall as Hagrid's belly, yet the most astonishing part was that they were still unripe, retaining the fresh green hue appropriate to the season.
Harry asked, "Is that Transfiguration?"
Hermione gasped. "No—it's not Transfiguration!"
"Merlin's beard! Godric above!" Hagrid exclaimed. "What magic is this? I've never seen anything like it! Legends say only Lady Hufflepuff could make plants grow so fast! Audrey, you should've gone to Hufflepuff!"
Audrey didn't answer, only smiled. "Don't forget to fertilize them, Hagrid."
She waved. "I'll be heading off. Goodbye, everyone!"
With that, she vanished.
"Oh, Harry," Ron said dejectedly, "why didn't she come back with us?"
"Are you an idiot?" Hermione shot him a look. "Audrey's in Slytherin. If people saw her hanging out with a bunch of Gryffindors, it wouldn't be good for her!"
Ron pouted. Always you, always so smart. Annoying girl.
Did Audrey go back to the castle?
No.
With a since I'm already here mindset, how could she not take a stroll through the Forbidden Forest?
She might not bother making a special trip just to explore—
But now?
Come on, magical creature cuties.
Hand over your exotic physiques already~~~!