Safe House

Twenty Eight

Tuesday's Care of Magical Creatures class had finally come.

I was really apprehensive about what Creature Hagrid had decided to show us for our first class back with him.

I hadn't even decided to mention that Hagrid had returned to the three Slytherins, they could see for themselves, plus I didn't want to hear anything they had to say about him.

"I can't believe you knew, you knew and didn't even bother to tell us" Draco complained for the fourth time amon seeing him in the Great Hall at breakfast.

"And I can't believe how much you think my house and family smell from never ever being to my house, I also can't believe how hard it is to see anything good about me, but yet, you're still around, aren't you?" I said. Although it was a bit muffled as I had a scarf covering my mouth.

We were all bundled up due to the cold weather. Theo and I had our hands in our pockets but our arms were looped so we could walk together.

"Is he holding a dead cow?" Blaise pointed at Hagrid as we got close enough, the Gryffindors were already down there waiting.

"Oh no" I groaned. "Nothing nice and cuddly and friendly and passable eat things like that" I said.

But after looking all around for the hag, she was no where to be seen. Aw, how sad....

"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to us, jerking his head back to the dark forest. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark."

"Who prefers the dark?" Malfoy called.

I glanced at him to see that his face was full of fear. "What did he say prefers the dark - did you hear?"

"What's up with you?" I asked him

"In our first year, He got detention with your brother and Co. and had to go into the Forest at night" Theo explained.

"Aw, Malfoy, do you want to hold my hand?" I said in a patronising tone, stretching my hand out as a joke, but I didn't expect him to actually grab it

"What, you offered" He glared at me before looking straight again.

"Drama queen" I rolled my eyes.

"Ready?" Hagrid asked cheerfully. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the Forest fer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em."

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" Malfoy said, his voice shaking with worry. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to the class, would it?"

I couldn't exactly say he was wrong so I kept quiet, and a few murmured that he was right.

"Course they're trained" Hagrid said, scowling at Malfoy

"So what happened to your face, then?" Malfoy demanded

"Malfoy! quit it" I hissed at him, squeezing his hand in more of a painful way than endearment.

"Mind yer own business!" Hagrid said, angrily. "Now, if yeh've finished askin' questions, follow me!" Hagrid turned and walked straight into the woods, no one looked like they wanted to join him, but of course Ron, Harry and Hermione went after, leading the rest in.

Malfoy still had a grip on my hand, crushing it as we got deeper into the woods

"I can't feel my fingers, Malfoy" I said

"Shut up" He said, but not releasing his grip.

"I still haven't forgiven you, you know that right" I said