Grey Justice + Extra

It was late at night when Barnaby returned to the cabin, slamming the door shut without care, startling poor Fang, who had been sound asleep.

"What happened?" Hagrid was in his pajamas, finishing a light midnight snack, when he saw his son arrive.

"I went to the Forbidden Forest to check on how the centaurs were handling the presence of dementors, but guess what? It turns out the Headmaster didn't think it necessary to warn them of their imminent arrival, and they suffered several dementor attacks," Barnaby explained, his expression dark. "Betty is dead."

"The foal that was born eight months ago?!" Hagrid dropped the plate of waffles he was holding, the shock and horror freezing him in place.

The half-giant couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just last week, he had brought the little centaur some flower seeds that Barnaby had collected from the greenhouse, hoping to help her grow them into a flower crown for her mother.

"That's not all," Barnaby collapsed, exhausted, onto the sofa. "On my way back, I ran into a werewolf!"

"A werewolf near the castle?!" Hagrid rushed to his son's side, concerned. "He didn't scratch or bite you, did he?" he asked, looking Barnaby up and down for any infectious wounds.

"Dad, it's me," Barnaby appreciated the concern, but it wasn't necessary this time. "If he hadn't run into the forest, I would have finished him off."

"That's good," Hagrid sighed in relief before realizing what his son had just said. "Wait, you fought a werewolf?"

"No," Barnaby shook his head.

Hagrid sighed again, relieved.

"It would be more accurate to say I gave him a beating," Barnaby emphasized. "Magic, remember?"

Yeah, Hagrid often forgot that part these days…

In fact, he needed to find time to return to Ollivander's to get a new wand, so he could start using magic again and all that.

"I'm going to write to Tonks about the centaur situation," Barnaby said as he got up, looking weary. "Betty's death has left them quite furious. Oh, and I don't think it's a good idea for us to go into the forest for a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Hagrid picked up the broom and started cleaning up the food mess at his feet, even though Fang had already cleaned up part of it while they were distracted by the conversation.

Even if the two of them were friends of the tribe, it was best to give them some space to mourn in peace.

The next morning, Ministry of Magic.

Tonks stood still after finishing reading her boyfriend's letter, trying to digest the facts recorded in it. Saying she was horrified would be an understatement.

The dementors had killed a child last night.

Why hadn't the Ministry done anything yet?

Maybe they hadn't been informed?

No, Tonks was just unconsciously finding excuses.

She couldn't help but seek out Moody, wanting to understand if she was missing something.

"The Ministry won't do anything," Moody said stoically as he took a sip from his flask. "Fudge won't allow the public to know about this incident, fearing they'll think the dementors are out of his control and that his public support will plummet."

"They KILLED A CHILD!" Tonks shouted, her hair turning a fiery red as she grabbed Moody by the collar. "SHE WASN'T EVEN A YEAR OLD!"

Moody didn't stop Tonks' outburst; he just stared at her intently.

"She wasn't human; she was a centaur," Moody pointed out the core of the current problem without hesitation. "You know perfectly well what the Ministry thinks of them. Forget compensation; they won't even send someone to apologize."

Tonks released Moody's collar and took two steps back, as if seeing him for the first time.

"Do you agree with this?" she asked in a low voice. "Does Bones know about this?" she insisted, her voice trembling slightly.

Moody remained silent.

Did he agree?

Of course not!

He didn't even agree with sending the dementors to Hogwarts!

But he…

Moody nearly jumped when he realized his mistake in staying silent at that moment, seeing the look Tonks was giving him.

It was the same look he gave Fudge every time he saw him.

"Tonks, don't make a rash decision!" Moody didn't want to lose a talent like her over a misunderstanding. "Remember what I taught you: you need a cool head before taking action!"

Tonks stared at him silently for several seconds before turning around and walking away.

"You taught me to have a cool head, not a frozen heart!" the phrase left Moody petrified in place, seeming to age five more years on the spot.

He sat down in the nearest chair and reached for his flask, raising it to get some liquid courage. But he realized it was empty and stared at it before hurling it against the wall with force.

Moody remained silent for a long time.

What would Dumbledore think about this matter?

The old Auror didn't know that the Headmaster's reaction upon learning of what had happened was to sadly shake his head for two seconds before going back to enjoying his sweets with a clear conscience.

He was busy thinking about what to do now that Lupin had ended up in the infirmary with several broken bones and multiple bruises, needing at least several days to recover enough to resume his lessons.

"Well, Severus has been wanting to teach those lessons for a while, hasn't he?" Dumbledore thought.

--------------------

Today I bring you a little extra: [AA247]

Between the 16th and the 23rd of this month, you can use this code to get a 20% discount when joining my Patreon. For all levels, except the most basic. There's a reason it's called basic...

I'm trying to see if it works well. The truth is, I don't even know if you have to use the code.

I think I put the discount directly during this time...? This is my first time using the feature.

Anyway, if someone decides to take advantage, I would appreciate it if you left me a comment clarifying if they asked for the code or if they discounted it directly.

If anyone likes ATLA, I've already started that fic on Patreon: Beifong Heir.

I even made a Fanart for it specifically!

I'll give it a go and then I'll see how to approach the Kirigakure Fic's turn...

Also, I remind you that on my Patreon this Fic is in advance.