Navigating Hogwarts

Chapter 7

"Look out for you? You're going to walk around in my room like some ghoast?"

I looked Draco in his eyes, we were still pretty close since Draco was still softly pushing me against the tree. No that something was about to happen since the whole class was literally on the other side of the tree.

"I might just-" but Draco couldn't finish his sentence, since he was interrupted by Hagrid.

'Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" Hagrid called. Draco let go of me and we quickly joined the others, followed by a smirk from Blaise. I saw Harry looking at us in the corner of my eyes, but I couldn't care less about him right now. Luckily, Hagrid started talking again. "That's it — make sure yeh can see — now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open 'yer books —"

"How?" The blond boy next to me asked a bit too unfriendly.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" I repeated Draco. Draco took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope.

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

The class all shook their heads. I kind of feel bad for him now.

"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.

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

"Shut up, Malfoy," "Shut up, Draco" Harry and I said at the same time, looking at each other with a confused look.

"Apologise right now" I whispered to Draco.

"But-"

"No. It's his first day. Apologise "

"Sorry Hagrid, you're right. They are way less boring then our other books" Draco told Hagrid which surprised the whole class.

"Well... thank you Malfoy" Hagrid nodded, surprised by the Slytherins action. He then started talking about an animal or something.

"I'm proud of you" I whispered softly while slinging my arm around his shoulder so I could hang against him.

"Only this time, potter"

Then Hagrid suddenly pulled an Hippogriff from behind the trees.

'So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer —"

No one wanted to, the creature was scary and looked like he had darn sharp paws, I'd they even would be considered paws. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, approached the fence cautiously. Probably because they felt bad for the teacher.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do. Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt.

"Right — who wants ter go first?"

Most of the class backed farther away in answer. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione had misgivings. The hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.

"I'll do it," said Harry. Of course Harry was the one person who would do it, the wannabe teachers favourite.

Harry went flying but Draco and I weren't paying much attention. I was looking through the book with Blaise, giving every creature we saw a name, like Lola the limax and Vecna the Valcore. Then Harry came back and everyone's attention went back to him.

'Good work, Harry! Okay, who else wants a go?"

Emboldened by Harry's success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock.

Draco and I paired up and took over Harry's hippogriff who easily bowed for the both of us.

"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry to hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it. . . . I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

It happened in a flash of steely talons; Malfoy let out a high-pitched scream and next moment, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes.

"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me."

"Don't over react Draco" I pulled of my tie and twisted it around his arm to stop the bleeding. "You should go to the doctor however, just to make sure you don't have an infection"

"I'm dying" Draco was still crying, clearly over reacting.

"Skylar is right, Draco. I'm taking you there now. Class dismissed" Hagrid left with Draco after dismissing the class. I decided to, even through he was over reacting, pick up Draco's stuff so he wouldn't have to come back down only for his robe and a book. I took the stuff when I saw Harry looking annoyed at me. "Something wrong?"

"You're helping him, after what he just did to Buckbeak."

"You know that animal attacked him, not the other way around"

"Because Draco made fun of him"

"It's not like he can hear us" I rolled my eyes while picking up the last book that was on the ground.

"You could have stopped Draco. Then this wouldn't have happened. What if Hagrid gets fired now? This is his first class ever!" He started to raise his voice at me again, but I tried to stay calm.

"I'm glad you care so much about him."

I was about to walk away but Harry stopped me. "Don't act like I don't care about you"

"You should listen to my words carefully, because I wasn't saying that"

"You're just angry because we didn't have that much contact for the last 12 years." His voice started to raise even louder, I was surprised Hermione nor Ron wouldn't stop him now. He continued yelling "Well sorry that I got raised up with the Dursley's who never told me about magic until I was 12"

"Is it jealousy that I'm hearing?"

"Don't act so god damn Slytherin, Skylar"

"Just fulfilling my duty as evil twin"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Actually you didn't" somehow I stayed calm, I don't know why. "I don't need your apology. I'm happy to be in Slytherin. And guess what, right now I'm going to my friend who's in the hospital, to bring him his stuff. Bye Harry"

I went to the Hospital, leaving Harry there with his friends. When I entered I saw Pansy sitting next to Dracos bed. Draco complaining about the pain and Pansy comforting him.

"He's overreacting is he?" I asked the nurse who just shoot a smile and small laugh at me, confirming my thought.