Forever and Always Potter

3.6

I finally reached Hagrid's hut, Malfoy just steps behind me. The butterflies were still swirling around from our last encounter. Kat saw us and raised her eyebrows, "Where have you two been?" I rolled my eyes, "No Kat, my book bag broke and he helped me." Georgina laughed, "Mhmmm can't remember the last time I saw Malfoy help someone, do you Kat?" Kat shook her head. I noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione and waved, but before I could make my way over to them Hagrid called the class over.  "C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today!Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!" The class followed Hagrid for about five minutes until they found themselves in some kind of paddock.  "Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it — make sure yeh can see — now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books —" 

 "How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Please Draco don't ruin Hagrid's first lesson I thought to myself. Hagrid showed us that we needed to stroke the book in order to open it. 

"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," said Harry quietly. I looked at Harry in an apologetic way, for some reason I always felt that I was to blame for Draco's terrible treatment towards Harry. 

Hagrid left us to go get whatever magical creature that was in today's lesson. "God, this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him —" I turned to face him, "That's enough Draco." Pansy Parkinson soon decided to join in, she whispered something in Draco's ear. "Dementor.. dementor." Draco said shaking. My heart sank as my head turned along with Harry's and the rest of the class. Of course there was nothing behind us. "Classy Malfoy." I whispered angrily into his ear. He looked at me, he looked almost sincere. "I didn't mean to scare you." 

 "Oooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing toward the opposite side of the paddock. We all turned to look.  Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliantly, orange eyes.  Their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures

Oh god they were hippogriffs, I had read about them in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them they could be really dangerous. "What the bloody hell is that." Malfoy whispered under his breath. "I think it's beautiful," Kat said most of the class nodded in agreement.  "So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer..."   No one seemed to want to. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, approached the fence cautiously. I stepped forward but a strong arm stopped me, "Don't go near that thing," Draco sneered. I turned around amused, "Are you concerned about me Malfoy?" Draco scoffed, "Please Potter, we just can't risk being down a chaser in our first Quidditch match." 

I turned my focus back to the hippogriff and oh god Harry was climbing the fence toward the large animal. "This should be good," Malfoy said under his breath. Harry gave a bow, but as he went down Buckbeak's large talons went up in the air and almost took his head off. I panicked and grabbed whatever was closest to me. Whatever I grabbed was cold, Malfoy looked at me and raised his eyebrows. I should've yanked my hand back as fast as possible but instead I left it there for a few seconds.