What If? Year 2

Chapter 23

"Merlin's beard, Goldie!" Harry shouts, as he, Ron, and Hermione walk into the quiet classroom, "Why are you here so early? I thought we were gonna be the first ones here cause of Hermione." I smile as the girl in question smacks him with her bag.
"I wanted a good seat!" she tells him, walking straight to be and sitting besides me, "and I see that your sister wanted one too." I nod and look at McGonagall, who was smiling at us all.
"You didn't have to come with her, Harry," I tell him, as Hermione starts to take out her book, "you could have just gone to the bathroom or something... honestly, if you just used your head." Hermione giggles and Harry throws his bag on the table behind Hermione and us.
"Mr. Potter, it is the first day!" McGonagall says, "don't go breaking my desks." Ron lightly puts his bag besides Harry's and looks at Hermione and I.
"You'll scooch your notes so we can see them, won't you?" he asks.
"Or you could take your own notes, Mr. Weasley." Hermione and I giggle, as we move closer together. Harry and Ron soon turns to the subject of Quidditch, so Hermione turns to me.
"Professor McGonagall told you, right?" she whispers, pulling out a glittering Time Turner, "Just keep close to me, alright?"
"Of course," I respond, "it's good that we have the same classes."
"Except Muggle Studies," Hermione replies, "I'm taking Muggle Studies."
"Why? You're a muggle born... I'm not taking it because my mom can just explain it to me."
"I think it'll be interesting to see how wizards understand technology." I shake my head and giggle.
"I... I think you're giving yourself more work than necessary," I tell her.
"Told you, Mione!" Ron shouts, "I don't even understand how you're gonna get to them all." Hermione scoffs and turns to him.
"I've already told you... I've got it figured out!" She turns to me and shakes her head.
"They're so nosey," she scoffs, as other students start to trickle in.

"You and Hermione are not allowed to sit next to each other anymore," Harry complains, "No one else got to answer or ask any questions!" I roll my eyes and cross my arms.
"You weren't gonna ask any questions anyways!" I snap at him, making Hermione and Ron laugh. We continue the walk down to Hagrid's for Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid is there waving to us, with a Hippogriff tied up besides him.
"Hello you four," he says, happily, "now... all of you need to stand out behind the fence until the lesson starts."
"Okay, Professor," I say, setting my bag down by the fence and taking out my monster book. I hear yelling and see Neville fighting with his book as he is walking to us.
"Oh, Neville," Hermione sighs setting her stuff besides mine. I set my book down and race to Neville to try to help.
"Flipendo!" I shout, pointing my wand at his book, which is now on the ground chasing after him. It flips onto it back and tries to squirm back to its feet. I rush towards it and retie it shut.
"T-thanks Goldie," he says walking to me as I pick up his book and stroke its spine.
"No problem, Neville," I reply, handing him his book, "Quick tip... stroke the spine first before you try to open it." He nods and cautiously strokes the back of the book.
"Noted," he whispers, as the book seems to calm down, "thanks... again." I nod and pull him over to where Hermione, Ron, and Harry are standing. We wait for the other students while watching the Hippogriff.
"Oi, Potter!" Draco shouts, as he walks up to us, "I can't believe you let your little sister be the same class as you. I mean how far c-... DEMENTOR DEMENTOR!" Harry and I spin around, which causes laughter to erupt from the group of Slytherins. I spin back towards them, anger seething from my bones. I pull out my wand and point it straight at Draco.
"You should watch yourself, Malfoy," I snarl, "wouldn't want me to give your sister another reason to snap your nose off, would we?" He backs up a little and holds his hand up.
"If you're so smart, why couldn't you just do it?" he snaps back, as Harry instinctively grabs the back of my cloak.
"Don't tempt me." He flips his hood up and sneers at me. Harry tightens his grip as Draco moves away from us.
"Don't even give him the light of day, Goldie," Ron tells me, as Harry tries to calm me down, "He doesn't deserve it."  I sigh and pick my book back up and carefully stroke the spine of it.
"S-sorry... I shouldn't have let him get to me," I tell them as Hagrid walks over to us.
"Welcome to Care of Magical Creatures!" he says, as the last students trickle in, "Today we're learning about these magical creatures... does anyone know what it is?" I look around before timidly raising my hand.
"Er... yes, Gold-.. Miss Potter?"
"It's a... a H-hippogriff," I stutter out, my face turning red. I hear people start to snicker at my snicker and mock it.
"That is correct, ten points to Gryffindor! This one here's name is Buckbeak." Hagrid motions to the hippogriff as he unties it from the ground and wraps it around his hand. "Now... does anyone want to come meet him?" I look at the pretty bird, try not to make eye contact with is as I do. I hear one unified shuffle back and some grabs me and pulls me back. Harry is left standing out by himself.
"Come on up, Harry!" Hagrid says, none the wiser, "just listen to exactly what I say and you'll be fine." Harry looks back at me and frowns. He walks up to Hagrid and stops when Hagrid holds out his hand.
"Now, make eye contact with Bucky here and bow," Hagrid tells him, "And don't break eye contact. They respect you for that." Harry looks up and bows to the bird. My breath catches and I hold it. Buckbeak bows back to Harry and Hagrid claps.
"There! He likes ya, Harry," he says, "now you can go up and pet him... maybe he'll even let you ride him." Harry gets up slowly and reaches out his hand to pet Buckbeak. He moves to Harry's hand and lets him pet him.
"Does anyone else want to try?" I pull my robes from Hermione's hand and walk up slowly. Buckbeak looks at me and I make eye contact with him. I bow deeply, keeping the eye contact. It almost felt like my heart stopped as Buckbeak continues to stare at me. Finally he bows and I take a deep breath.
"Hi, Bucky," I say, walking up to stand with Harry. I move my hand down his neck and scratch by his wing. I hear a scoff and watch as Draco swagger over to us.
"I'll bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he sneers, and I see what is about to happen and I pull Harry away from Buckbeak, "Are you, you great ugly brute?"
"Draco, don't," I say, as Buckbeak stares at him and unfurls his wings, "bow to him!"
"I'm a Malfoy... I bow to n-..." One of Buckbeak's talons slash into Draco's arm and Hermione shouts.
"Hagrid, do something!" Hagrid pulls the chain and tries to calm down the Hippogriff.
"It's killed me!" Draco whines, rolling on the floor, "It's killed me!" I walk over to him and see that his arm has a small gash, but he is mostly alright.
"Ferula," I say, as a bandage appears over the gash, "you kind of deserved that one... Stop rolling, that'll make it bleed more." Draco's squirming makes me fall over besides him. Hagrid picks him up.
"Class dismissed," he shouts, "I'm taking Mr. Malfoy here to the hospital wing." He rushes off and Harry helps me up.
"You're to nice for your own good, Golds," he says as we go back over to Hermione and Ron, "You should have let him lay there in agony." I shake my head.
"Just because he's a prick, doesn't mean he deserves pain, Harry," I tell him, "even if I was a little happy to see his smug little smirk wiped off his face." Ron and Hermione nod. Ron hands me my bag and book before we walk back up to the castle.