The next morning Harry crawled out of bed, his body stiff, his throat sore, reminding him of last night's little adventure with Malfoy. His sleep had been restless and twice he had awoken in a cold sweat. Despite all that, he was feeling infinitely better than he had last night.
Ron was just beginning to stir as morning approached, still struggling to cling to unconsciousness and failing miserably.
"What time is it?" Ron asked with a yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"A little passed seven."
The red-head groaned, mumbling something about sleep and stupid parakeets.
"I take it you had unsettling dreams as well?" Harry asked, smirking at his friend.
Ron nodded in response, still attempting to become one with the waking world.
"Since I'm up," Harry announced with a resigned expression. "I might as well get started on the homework that I didn't finish last night."
Ron groaned at the mention of it before glancing at Harry with a thoughtful look.
"You think Hermione will take pity on us both and let us copy?"
He shrugged uncertainly. "It can't hurt to ask," he replied as he made his way to the bathroom to start his day.
Harry could feel Ron's suspicious eyes on his back. Breakfast was going to be a tedious affair. He could tell that Ron was in full-blown mother-hen mode now.
<<<<< >>>>>
"Today we will be learnin' how ter detect an' remove chizpurfles from magical creatures," Hagrid announced in a dispassionate tone. His usual enthusiasm when discussing magical creatures had been decidedly lacking all year. Hagrid looked exhausted. Harry had been meaning to ask the man about it, but with school and everything else, he kept getting sidetracked.
His classmates sighed in relief – chizpurfles were a safe subject. While it had been a while since they had faced off against a creature that Professor Hagrid had insisted was 'safe and friendly,' most students still attended each lesson with a lot of trepidation. Their luck couldn't hold out forever.
Professor Hagrid continued discussing the finer points of chizpurfle detection before trailing off into a prolonged silence. He took in his surroundings with an angry scowl.
"Well," he cried. "What are yeh waitin' fer?"
The students stared back at him as if he had gone mental.
"You haven't given us any instructions, you dolt," Malfoy snarled.
Harry unintentionally tensed at the sound of the blonde's voice. He had decided to let the incident with Malfoy slide, but clearly, he wasn't over it yet. Ron eyed him in concern.
"Oh...um," Hagrid struggled for words, flustered by the embarrassing situation.
"Each of yeh is ter grab a box from o'er there," he waved his hand towards the side of the hut. "Follow the instructions in yer book abou' detectin' chizpurfles, an' then try ter remove them from the creature contained in yer box. When yer done, bring 'em ter me an' I'll give yeh yer grade."
The students nodded apprehensively. Chizpurfles they could handle, but chizpurfles on an unknown creature made them wary. With a fair amount of caution, they moved towards the boxes that were stacked against the wall of the hut.
Hagrid pulled Harry aside as he was passing.
"McGonagall just informed me that yeh have detention wif me tonight," he stated.
YOU ARE READING
When the Snow Melts
Fanfiction[COMPLETE] How can love blossom in the midst of hatred? How can it catch you so suddenly and unexpectedly? Draco's 6th year was not at all going how he had planned. But a friendship, a relationship with Harry? That was definitely not something he sa...
