The Potions Master's Daughter Part 2

CHAPTER 7 In Draco's Defence

Alice was very late to the first Care of Magical Creatures of the year. She was running as fast as she could through the gloomy Hogwarts grounds down to Hagrid's Hut. Thin rays of sunshine peeked through the clouds and glistened on the damp grass. As she ran downhill toward the Hut the sight that stretched out before her, instantly reminded her of the painstaking ordeal that was Care of Magical Creatures. Not only was it a constant battle of egos between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy; it was also a disheartening, neverending showcase of Rubeus Hagrid trying hard to do his best and failing each and every time.

Once Alice found herself in close proximity to the class, she could immediately hear Draco Malfoy's cold voice.

'Well, I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive,' he said sarcastically. 'Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?'

Soon, Alice was able to see for herself what he was talking about. Students were scattered all over the grassy plain by the pumpkin patch, each tending to a strange creature resembling a slimy shell-less lobster, locked up in a small cage. Alice walked up to Daphne and Blaise whose faces were expressionless. Without a word, Blaise handed Alice a handful of frog livers, and when she opened her mouth to say something, he simply shook his head.

'Don't ask,' he said dispassionately. 'Just put this in its mouth.'

Alice took a closer look at the small pale monster in the crate which was making suspicious sounds as though it was about to explode. 'Does it even have a mouth?' she asked unsurely.

Daphne looked at her with a complete lack of emotions. 'Does it matter?'

'Just because they're not very pretty, it doesn't mean they're not useful,' they heard Hermione Granger snap back at Draco. 'Dragon blood's amazingly magical, but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?'

Vince and Greg, who were casually resting on the nearest pumpkins ignoring the task set by Hagrid, sniggered at Hermione's comment. Draco didn't respond; he merely mouthed the words she had said behind her back, exposing his front teeth to mock hers.

'I forgot how much I hate this class,' said Daphne as they made their way up the hill, back to the castle.

'Let's face it,' said Gregory who had just caught up with them, accompanied by Vince, Millicent and Tracey. 'Hagrid shouldn't be a teacher.'

'Those Skrewts,' said Tracey, referring back to the creatures they were attempting to feed for the previous hour, 'they're dangerous. My step-uncle died trying to catch one once.'

'Oh, really?' said Alice. Tracey Davis was a rather quiet, introverted person but whenever she spoke up she had something fascinating to say. Her best friend Millicent nodded solemnly, clearly having heard the step-uncle story before.

'What was he doing trying to catch one?' asked Vincent as they headed across the grounds into the castle.

'Apparently, they're very valuable,' Tracey explained. 'My step-uncle was one of those magical creature hunters.'

'Valuable?' Gregory jogged forth to catch up with her. 'How valuable?'

Tracey shrugged. 'Hundreds of galleons, if not thousands.'

'You are joking,' muttered Vince. He stopped abruptly and looked pensively back in the direction of Hagrid's hut. 'Thousands of galleons you say...'

Greg joined him and they stood there together for a while, whispering something to each other while the rest of the group had disappeared inside the castle and headed towards the Great Hall for lunch.