Hidden Wings - Part I

Hagrid's problem

What Mioha should have expected was that Rita Skeeter would not waste the opportunity of writing an article in Witch Weekly about the second task of the Triwizarding Tournament.
The day when the newspaper arrived in March started like any other.
After her lessons in the morning, Mioha was eating lunch with Erica, who had somehow gotten some other third-year Slytherins to join them. Among them was the blonde girl Astoria Greengrass, sister of Daphne.
Her character was very similar to her older sister's, yet she seemed to care less what other people thought of her.

Daphne seemed embarrassed that Astoria had decided to sit with Mioha, and kept glaring at them while picking at her food.

"Where is Esma?", Erica asked while staring into her History of Magics book, which was propped up against a jug of pumpkin juice. She was trying to absorb twenty pages of Goblin wars into her brain in less than five minutes, having forgotten that Professor Binns was going to ask about them.

"She and Swift left", Mioha replied, and sighed.
She missed her little friend very much, but knowing that Esma would try to visit as often as possible made bearing the ache inside her a little easier.

She stuffed her Potions book into her bag and stood up.

"Who's Swift?", Astoria inquired curiously.

"He's Esma's mate", Mioha informed her.

"No kidding?"
Astoria giggled.
"So Esma has fallen in looove."

Erica grinned.
"Yeah, that explains her absence. I was wondering where she had gone."

"Oh!"
Astoria sat up, suddenly looking excited.
"Maybe she'll have babies this year! Cute little ones!"

Mioha rolled her eyes in amusement, although she too felt a little excited by the idea of seeing little Esmas and Swifts.

"Bye guys", she said and waved at them, before making her way out of the Great Hall.

Harry, Hermione and Ron joined her on her way to Potions, the boys looking glum at the prospect of having to endure another lesson in the dungeons. Hermione, as always, looked thrilled.

"Come on, guys", Mioha tried to cheer them up, nudging Ron in the side.
"Look at it this way, we're done after Potions. I have to meet Hagrid later, but I can show you the Abraxans if you want."

"You have to see them", Hermione jumped in, looking excited at Mioha's idea. "Especially the black one, she's beautiful."

Harry grunted something unintelligible that sounded suspiciously like: "If Snape doesn't kill me first."

"Si-Schnuffles wrote", Ron said suddenly as they descended another flight of stairs.
"We're supposed to meet him in Hogsmeade today."

"What?"
Mioha looked at him incredulously.
"But if he gets caught-"