𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 {a Draco Malfoy story}

chapter nine

Rose

     We had Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid had returned to teach, and although I wasn't very familiar with them, I could see the excitement on Harry's face when he returned.

     "We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to the approaching students. He jerked his head back to the dark trees behind him. "Bit more sheltered. Anyway, they prefer the dark."

     "What prefers the dark?" I heard Draco say sharply to Blaise and Goyle. "What did he say prefers the dark - did you hear?"

     I laughed at the fact that the last time Draco had been in the Forbidden Forest, based on what he had told me, he had been severely terrified. Anything that brought him slight discomfort was okay with me for now.

     "Ready?" said Hagrid cheerfully, looking around at the class. "Right, then, I've been savin' a trip inter the Forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in the natural habitat. What we're studyin' today is pretty rare, only a couple people in all of Britain know how to train em -"

     "And you're sure they're trained, are you?" said Draco, the panic in his voice even more pronounced. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to the class, would it?"

     I didn't know what this meant, but the other Slytherins were agreeing with him. Even a couple of Gryffindor students looked as though they thought he had a fair point, too.

     "'Course they're trained," Hagrid said, scowling.

     We walked for about 10 minutes until we reached a place where the trees stood so close together that it seemed as though it was midnight.

     "Gather roun', gather roun'."

     A pair of blank, white, shining eyes were growing larger and larger, coming out of the trees. Moments later, the dragonish face, neck, and then skeletal body of a great, black winged horse emerged from the darkness.

     Hagrid fed it a piece of meat he had been holding, but some of the other students gasped.

     "What's eating the meat? What's happening?" said a Gryffindor girl, Parvati Patil.

     "Now... put yer hands up, who can see 'em?" asked Hagrid.

     I raised my hand. So did Harry and Neville. Hagrid nodded at Harry.

     "Yeah, yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," he said seriously. "An' you too, Neville, eh? An'"

     "Excuse me," said Draco. At least he was using manners this time. "But what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

     "Thestrals. There's a whole lot of them at Hogwarts," Hagrid excitedly said. Right, now, who can tell me why some o' yeh can see 'em an' some can't?"

     Hermione and I both raised our hands.

     "Go on, Rosalind," Hagrid said, beaming at me.

     "The only people who can see Thestrals," I said, "are people who have seen death."

     "That's correct. 10 points to Slytherin."

     I could feel Draco staring at me, and when I turned back I saw that I was right. He looked... sympathetic.

     Harry nudged my arm and asked, "Why can you seem them?"

     I looked at him, knowing how he felt. "Parents. Voldemort. Self explanatory."

+++