by my side¹ - d. malfoy

Sixteen

CARE OF Magical Creatures wasn't as fun when it was freezing, with snow still covering the grounds. However, things were different as Draco and Laura walked up, Draco's arm around Laura (she was cold).

Hagrid wasn't there. 

Instead, it was a teacher Laura had never seen.

"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she said briskly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

Laura frowned at this. Where was Hagrid?

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry loudly said, saying what they were all thinking. The new professor sent Harry a look.

"He is indisposed."

That was all Professor Grubbly-Planks said. All of the Slytherins started to laugh, Draco being the one to start the laughter. Laura moved his arm off, walking over to where Blaise was standing, a sour look on her face.

"This way, please," Grubbly-Planks said. Everyone followed. Laura watched as Harry went to question their new teacher. Laura was also curious, but she didn't feel like it was her place as she hadn't known Hagrid very long or very well.

They walked past the Beaxbaton horses, approaching a unicorn. Many of the girls 'oohed' and 'ahhed' at the sight of the unicorn.

"Oh, it's so beautiful!" Laura heard Lavender Brown whisper. "How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!"

The unicorn was so blindingly white. It made all of the snow around it look gray. Laura felt a bit bad watching it nervously paw the ground as they all stared at it.

"Boys, keep back!" Professor Grubbly-Plant barked, throwing an arm out. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, approach with care, come on, easy does it..."

Laura stayed further behind the other girls in her class. Being at Hogwarts for a semester had caused Laura to realize either they were behind or Ilvermorny was ahead. Laura had already learned about unicorns, so she was fine letting everyone else have a turn.

"What d'you reckon is wrong with him?" she heard Harry say. "You don't think that a Skrewt-?"

"Oh, he hasn't been attacked, Potter, if that's what you're thinking," Draco said softly. Laura glanced between him and Blaise, who just sighed. "No, he's too ashamed to show his big ugly face."

Laura blinked at him. He didn't know she was still standing over there.

"What d'you mean?" Harry replied sharply.

Blaise put a hand on Laura's shoulder as Draco pulled out a neatly folded newspaper from his robes. She hadn't even noticed it was there.

"There you go," Draco smirked. "Hate to break it to you. Potter..."

"It's not going to do anything," Blaise muttered. "He likes to think he's higher than your cousin when he doesn't care in most situations. It's a dumb rivalry from our first year."

Laura's eyes narrowed. Blaise's grip on her shoulders was too tight to break out of without causing a scene. She could only watch Harry and Ron's expressions as they read.

"How did she find out?" she heard Ron whisper.

"What d'you mean, 'We all hate Hagrid?'" Harry spat at Draco. "What's this rubbish about him" - he pointed at Crabbe - "getting a bad bite off a flobberworm? They haven't even got teeth!"

They watched as Crabbe was snickering to himself. Laura glanced over at Blaise, who nodded silently, taking his hands off her shoulders.

"You know what? I completely forgot about you, Crabbe," Laura said vehemently. Almost all the boys looked at her with either a shocked or relieved expression. Draco had specifically not looked over, wincing a bit, but Laura stared at him the hardest.