Destiny and the Dragon (A Draco Malfoy Love Story)

Chapter Sixteen

I walked briskly to my first ever Care of Magical Creatures lesson. I had never had any pets (it's not exactly possible to take care of a dog when you live in a room with thirty other children) but I was just as curious about magical creatures as every other aspect of the Wizarding World, and I couldn't wait to get to know some of them. Not to mention Dumbledore had announced that Hagrid would be our professor, and I really liked that sweet bloke. I was nearly jittery with anticipation as I walked up beside Blaise and Tracey, who, like the majority of the people around us, were struggling wildly to hole their hairy, growling Book of Monsters closed where it couldn't bite them. Neville Longbottom had already failed, and I chuckled as I heard a yelp from the Gryffindors standing nearby.

"Didn't you guys try rubbing the spine?" I asked, and after glancing at me with a mixture of confusion and desperation, they both tried it to great success.

"How did you figure that out?" cried Tracey incredulously. I shrugged.

"Got lucky, I guess."

"Brilliant and modest," Blaise drawled with heavy sarcasm.

"No, I'm serious! I had to stun it for a few weeks so the muggles wouldn't notice, first—"

"Whatever," Tracey muttered.

"That's it. Come on, now," Hagrid beckoned from before us. "Come closer. Less talking, if you don't mind. I got a real treat for you today. A great lesson. So follow me. Right, you lot. Less chattering. Form a group over there. And open your books to page 49."

"And how exactly do we do that?" Malfoy sneered.

"Stroke the spine, you daft idiot," I called from behind him, and he shot me a menacing glare that made me laugh.

"Excellent, Phoebe! Five points to Slytherin!" Hagrid congratulated. Neville got bit again, and yelped even louder. "Don't be such a wimp, Longbottom," Hagrid chided, but Neville shook it off.

"I'm okay, I think," he said nervously.

"Righ' then. So... so... yeh've got yer books, an' now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Right. So... I'll... I'll go an' get 'em," Hagrid said. Malfoy and his friends jeered and laughed, and Hermione turned to them with her arms crossed.

"Well, I think they're funny," said Hermione, glaring at Malfoy.

"I agree, it's the coolest book I've ever had," I echoed, giving mine a hug for good measure. Hagrid looked at us warmly as he shuffled off to get whatever creature we were studying.

"God, this place is going to the dogs. Wait until my father hears Dumbledore's got this oaf teaching classes," Malfoy said snydly, and Blaise grabbed my arm to keep me from going at him.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" I grumbled at the same time that Harry pulled out his wand and stepped forward.

"Listen here, you stupid prat—" he began angrily, and Malfoy stepped back.

"Look, Potter, there's a Dementor behind you!" Malfoy feigned, causing Harry to wheel around in real panic. Then Malfoy and his goons pulled up their hoods and began to tease him with terrible impressions of those horrible creatures. I shivered, remembering the blackness as it was about to kill me, and looked at my shoes.

"Beautiful, isn't he?" I heard Hagrid's gruff voice announce, and looked up to see him pulling a majestic creature behind him. It had a head like a magnificent eagle, and large wings folded in to match, but hooved legs like a horse.

"Wow," I sighed. I was one of the outliers, though, and most students stepped back warily.

"Hagrid... What exactly is that?" asked Ron timidly.