Slytherin Princess | ✓

twenty-five

All throughout the Christmas Holiday, Draco and Pansy had been spending a lot more time together. It seemed as if they were together and Sunday evening, Pansy confirmed it. I gave her an encouraging smiling and congratulated her for I knew she'd crushed on him for the last few months.

Monday morning came around and so did the latest Daily Prophet report. I knew it was a bad idea, but Draco persuaded me into giving a word about the events of last year for Hagrid's Cares class.

"Oh, this is so rich," Draco said excitedly, showing me the article.

The title read Dumbledore's Giant Mistake. It went on to talk about Professor Moody's position as the Defense teacher and then talked about Hagrid. My eyes narrowed at the article:

An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being "very frightening."

"My best friend, Adelaide Ward, was attacked by a hippogriff, nearly took her arm off. My other friend, Vincent Crabbe, got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."

After asking Adelaide Ward, the fourth-year best friend of Draco Malfoy, how she feels about the situation, she looked terrified to say the wrong thing. "Yes, I was very scared after I had gotten attacked by the hippogriff," she says.

The article then went on to talk about how Hagrid was a half giant, anyone with a brain could figure that out. But even worse, Rita Seeker tied Hagrid into being a Dark Lord sympathizer due to the fact that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had giants on his side.

"Draco, this article is horrible! That Skeeter woman didn't even add the second part of my comment!" I huffed.

"Who cares? This is gold!" Draco laughed, encouraging his goons and Pansy to laugh as well.

Cares lesson, after breakfast, didn't look good on Hagrid. A new teacher, Professor Grubbly-Plank, was there to teach lessons today. Not that I minded much, there was a unicorn— it was very much alive this time and not in the Forbidden Forest. Draco held my wrist, keeping me back as Pansy and the rest of the girls made their way to the unicorn, including Granger and Kemper.

"What d'you reckon's wrong with him? You don't think a skrewt —?" Harry said to Weasley.

"Oh he hasn't been attacked, Potter, if that's what you're thinking," said Draco softly. "No, he's just too ashamed to show his big, ugly face."

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

Draco turned to me and motioned for me to take out the newsprint I had in my bag and handed it to him.

"There you go," he said. "Hate to break it to you, Potter..."

Harry snatched the page out of Draco's hand and unfolded it with Weasley, Longbottom, and two of their other friends looking over his shoulder. After reading the article, Harry whispered something to Weasley and then glared at Draco and me.

"What d'you mean, 'we all hate Hagrid'?" Harry spat. "What's this rubbish about him" — he pointed at Crabbe behind me— "getting a bad bite off a flobberworm? They haven't even got teeth! And you" — he narrowed his eyes at me— "acting like a little damsel in distress when you're the one that jumped in front of Malfoy."

"I'm not acting like anything," I raised my voice, stepping towards Harry. "I was scared after I was attacked, but Skeeter didn't add what I said after —"