By your side: d.m

Year 3- The best teacher.

As Hermione, Harry, Ron, and I walked through the hallway I heard a shrill voice say; "Be careful, Potter, the dementors are coming!" I turned around to see Pansy Parkison. "Watch out, Parkison! A shower might be coming to get you!", I said. Ooo, that was mean. She ran away fake crying. Fred and George came up to us. "What's up with you?", asked Fred. "Pansy Parkison.", I told them scoffing. "I don't remember her being very brave when the dementors came to her compartment. You could hear the shrieks from a mile away." I laughed. "I wasn't too happy either. They're nasty, those dementors.", said George, and I rapidly nodded to agree. "Glad we had Lupin there, though.", I said. We kept walking when I said; "Hermione, you have ten classes today. Some at the same time. How are you going to manage that?" "Don't worry about it.", she said simply. We went to Divination class and were greeted by a voice in the shadows. This school never fails to shock me.

I tried to respect what the teacher was saying, but she really sounded ridiculous. She predicted Harry was going to die, but he avoids death every year, so maybe there is something trying to kill him. Wait... Sirius Black? I started to get nervous, so I just stopped paying attention. Hermione was questioning Trelawney's (the teacher's) teacup prediction, understandably, but she told Hermione that she "perceives very little aura around her." I wasn't born with the gift of "Seeing" as Trelawney claims, but if there was a prediction I was sure to come true, its that Hermione was soon leaving that class.

After Divination we had Transfiguration, and Professor McGonagall seemed to share our feelings towards our teacher. She told us that she predicts someone dying every year, so that made me feel slightly better. As we were walking to Care of Magical Creatures, Hermione said; "Divination is just a bunch of guesswork. Now, arithmancy, that's a fascinating subject." "But you haven't been to arithmancy yet.", said Ron. Then I took it upon me to find out what she was up to.

When we arrived, I said hi to Daphne and Draco, who was also there. "Has anyone been able to open yer books?", asked Hagrid. "Ye.. Ye stroke them..."

"Obviously, why didn't we think of that! Stroke them!", said Draco, annoyed. "Professor, I figured it out.", I said, shutting Draco up.

"God, this place has gone to the dogs... Wait until my father hears about-" "Shut up, Malfoy." I said. He walked up to me and towered over me with an angry expression, to which I returned. He smiled at me, and I was about to laugh before his face dropped. "D-dementor, dementor!!", he screamed and pointed behind me. I squirmed and almost fell backwards before I realized there was nothing there. He laughed and I looked at him angrily again while he smirked. "Ugh, I'll get you back!" Hermione pulled me away. I sat down next to Daphne on a rock. I decided to look through another one of my books, one about magic artifacts, and Hagrid called Harry to ride on the hippogriff he was telling us about. I was turning the pages when I found out about one that said "time turner." Of course! How could I have been so stupid?

I went up next to Hermione and said; "So where's the time turner?" She froze. "I have no idea what you're talking about.", she said. "Oh, please. You can't be in two places at once. It's the only explanation." She looked at me for a second. "Alright, but Professor McGonagall told me I cant tell anyone." "My lips are sealed.", I said. Harry came back on the hippogriff.

I clapped for Harry because he successfully rode the hippogriff. Most people clapped as well. Draco murmured "Oh please..", and walked up to the hippogriff. "Yes.. You're not dangerous at all, are you, you great ugly brute?" "Draco, no!", I said, but Buckbeak, the hippogriff slashed Draco's arm. "Ahh!! I'm dead! It's killed me! It's killed me!" He sounded ridiculous, but I ran and said "He must be taken to the hospital!" "I'll take him.", said Hagrid. "Since when do you care about Malfoy?", asked Ron, but I ignored him. "I'm going to go see if he's okay!", said Pansy, but I pushed her backwards and said; "Out of my way, Parkison.", and I went instead.

At the hospital wing, I waited for Madam Pomfrey to come out and said; "He's fine. I've regrown bones before." I glared at him, and he gave me a sheepish smile. "What. Were. You. THINKING, DRACO?"
"I didn't even do anything!"
"You angered the hippogriff on purpose! I was so worried!"
"You were worried?", he asked smiling. I rolled my eyes. "You think you can come to class?", I asked. I guess I can, but it still hurts...", he said with a pout. I scoffed and walked with him to class. "Have you told your father about your injury?", I asked. He nodded. "He said he'll 'take care of it'" I didn't think much of it. We went to potions and Snape said. "Finally you're here. Ms. Hernandez, since you're already with him, you will help Mr. Malfoy do his potion, since he has a broken arm." "Yes,sir.", I told him. This is gonna go wonderful. I sat next to him and started working on my potions.

"Taliaaaaa~", he said. "Whaaaat", I said mocking him. "I need help cutting these roots..." I glared at him and cut them for him. After a few minutes he said; "Lia......" "What now?" "I'm having trouble skinning this shrivelfig." "FINE." I did that as well. He laughed and said; "Don't worry, I promise ill make it up to you once my arm's out of this cast. Anything." "Yeah, whatever...", I said playfully. After a while, his smirk disappeared. "Father's not happy about my injury. He's contacted the school governors.. Don't know if we'll see Hagrid around here in a while...", he said. My jaw dropped.

"I can't believe you! Are you trying to get Hagrid fired?" "Well, he's not the best teacher we've ever had." I scoffed. "I thought you were better than this. Guess I was wrong..." "I never meant for it-" "Just shut up.", I told him harshly.

I didn't talk to Draco for the rest of the day. I was walking to Defense Against the Dark Arts with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ron was still trying to figure out how Hermione was taking so many classes. "Do you have a feeling she's hiding something from us?", he told me and Harry. I shrugged. Professor Lupin got to Defense Against the Dark Arts late, and when he came in he said; "Please stand up and put your books away, this will be a practical lesson. He brought our attention to a closet in the middle of the room. "Now, inside here is a boggart. Anybody know what it is?" "Yes, sir. A boggart can take the shape of whatever person in front of it fears the most. Nobody knows what it actually looks like.", I said. "Very good. Now, Neville, step up to the front of the class, please." I gave Neville two thumbs up as he stepped to the front of the room.

"The charm to repel a boggart is simple. It will turn the boggart into something not so scary. You raise your wand and cry, 'Riddikulus'. Everyone say it." "Riddikulus!", echoed the class. "This class is ridiculous.", I heard from Draco and laughed before I remembered I wasn't talking to him. Professor Lupin whispered something to Neville and when the wardrobe opened, professor Snape came out.

"R-Riddikulus!", said Neville, ad suddenly Snape was wearing clothes a grandmother would wear. The class roared with laughter. "Next, Ron!" The boggart turned into a spider. Then, the spider was trying hard to balance on rollerskates. "Lets see... Talia!", Lupin called. I stood up to the front of the class. The boggart was confused for a moment, then it turned into Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "You're a monster.", said Ron. "I almost died! All because of you!", said Hermione. "We will never forgive you.", said Harry. I was stiff, I couldn't move. I was about to start crying when the boggart changed shape. It was now Draco. Oh no.

"Did you really think I'd be friends with a blood traitor like you? Pathetic. I'll never care about you.", he spat at me. This was the most embarrassing thing ive ever experienced in my life. "R-Riddikulus!", I cried, and Draco turned into a blond Professor Flitwick, our charms teacher.

I ran to the back of the class avoiding everyone's stares. Hermione sat next to me. 'Um... Just so you know, I don't think last year with the chamber was your fault...", she said. I started crying. "Thanks, Mione."

"But if you're friends with Malfoy, I can't say anything for him...", she whispered. "What?" "Oh, nothing." Harry's boggart turned into a dementor, and Lupin stepped in for him. Then he dismissed the class. "Talia, please stay behind.", Professor Lupin asked me. "Yes?", I said. He sat down and gestured for me to do the same.

"Ms. Hernandez, in my years at Hogwarts, I also thought I was a monster. I can't exactly tell you why, but I had friends that made me feel better. Because they knew who I really was inside. You have friends like that. Something tells me you know how to choose your friends. Remember, fear nothing... But fear itself.", he told me. "Thank you, Professor Lupin... Really..." He actually made me feel much better. This is the best DADA teacher we've ever had! Why couldn't the other ones be like this?