ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴀᴛᴛᴇᴅ ʟɪʟᴀ ʜᴏʟᴍᴇꜱ || ᴅʀᴀᴄᴏ ᴍᴀʟꜰᴏʏ x ᴏᴄ || ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ 1-3

visions of you

We had Care of Magical Creatures after lunch. I was rather excited — Hagrid had come into the Great Hall that morning swinging around a dead polecat.

Ron and Harry were put off that we'd be having the class with Slytherin, though. Malfoy seemed to have taken enjoyment in pretending to faint whenever Harry walked by, much to everyone's annoyance except for the other Slytherins.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" Hagrid told us when we arrived. "That's it — now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books —"

"How?" Malfoy drawled.

"Eh?" asked Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. We all took out our differently bound books. Hagrid seemed to lose his thunder.

"Hasn' — hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?"

We all shook our heads. I felt bad for him — this was his first day.

"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," Hagrid said. "Look —"

He took Hermione's copy and tore the Spellotape off of it, then stroking a large finger down the spine of the book. It shuddered and fell open. Dean and I looked to each other, surprised.

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

"I — I thought they were funny," Hagrid said, looking to Hermione.

"Oh, tremendously funny!" Malfoy snarked. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off—"

"I liked them, Hagrid," I said loudly, pointedly ignoring Malfoy's glare on my back. "Very fitting for this class. Better than a boring book, though some might prefer it." I looked at Malfoy meaningfully. He only scowled at me, irritated.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid, seeming a little more encouraged. "So yeh got yer books an' now yeh need the Magical Creatures. I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on. . ."

He walked towards the forest. As soon as he was out of earshot, Malfoy sighed loudly.

"God, this place is going to the dogs," he said. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him—"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry repeated.

"Careful, Potter, there's a Dementor behind you." Malfoy said mockingly.

"Didn't know the haircut came with an attitude," I said to him sharply. "And if your father would be so peeved, maybe he should come teach the class instead. At least then he'd have a job—"

Before Malfoy could lunge at me (he looked like he was about to), Hagrid had returned. In tow were a dozen or so creatures that were half horse, half bird; Hippogriffs. He tethered them to the fence and walked back to us.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid exclaimed. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"

They were. Their coats and feathers were admirably shiny, and the hues of their bodies were rich and deep. Hagrid beckoned us to come nearer, but only a few of us did. If anything, Neville backed up.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is, they're proud," Hagrid explained. "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

I noticed that Malfoy and his lackeys weren't paying attention, still grumbling about what I'd said. I felt a sharp pain in my head, just like the ones I'd had in Diagon Alley. But alongside that came a sudden searing in my arm. I winced.

Dean immediately touched his hand to my elbow, concerned. "Are you alright?"

By then the pain had left, but I knew I hadn't imagined it. "Think so."