Forever Yours ☞︎ Harry Potter X Reader

Third Year ➪ Attacks and Fears

Harry had calmed down a little since Divination after Professor McGonagall told them that the subject wasn't a very precise form of magic.

Y/N felt slightly calmer as well, because -- who knew better than Professor McGonagall? Ron on the other hand was still sceptical and frankly quite frightened, which led to him and Hermione arguing over lunch -- she still believed that Divination wasn't a true form of magic, or anything, for that matter. To her, the thought of knowing what will happen before it happened, was impossible.

Y/N and Harry were both pleased to go outside for their first-ever Care of Magical Creatures class. The rain from the previous night had cleared, the sky was a nice pale grey, and the grass was damp. However, Hermione and Ron still weren't speaking to each other, so the walk to class was rather silent as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when he spotted three only-too-familiar backs ahead of them that Harry realized they must be having these lessons with the Slytherins. Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. Harry was quite sure he knew what they were talking about.

Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

For one nasty moment, Harry thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest; Harry had had enough unpleasant experiences in there to last him a lifetime. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it -- make sure yeh can see -- now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books --"

"How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out too; some, like Harry, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.

"Hasn' -- hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.

The class all shook their heads.

"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look --"

He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!"

"I -- I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione.