Chapter 19

I woke up the next day i woke up and change to my clothes, I went downstairs to eat breakfast after eating my grandma and i went to the platform i saw draco waiting for me, he's with Lucius i ran up to them and says hi draco run up to me and hugged me, he matured a lot he looks so handsome now. I said goodbye to grandma and Lucius draco and i put our luggage at the trunk of the train and we went inside we sat on our usual sit and as usual we talk about how our summers, but then the train stopped. We looked at each other, my heart beats began to beat fast. Then i remember the dementors, it began to start freezing.

"Its gonna be alright" i heard draco, while he's wrapping his arms around me.

I just nodded then the train began to move again.

"Harry fainted" says blaise walking back to our sits.

"No way" draco chuckled.

We arrived at the castle we're at the great hall right now.

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." I sit beside Draco, while Dumbledore is explaining. Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

"Potter, potter!" I heard draco. "Is it true you fainted?, i mean you actually fainted?" He laughed. The other slytherin laughed too.

After dinner we went back to the common room, i sat at the sofa draco sat beside me.

"These dementors are scary" says pansy sitting at the other side of the sofa.

"For real" says chloe reading a book.

"We have hagrids class tomorrow" i said looking at the third years schedule.

"Well then we better sleep now its getting late" says blaise. We all nodded and get up.

I walked to my room and get in i went to the bathroom and changed into my pajamas, i walked out and saw draco sitting on my bed.

"Hey" i said walking to the bed and lays.

He lays beside me. "Tired?" He asked and put my head on his chest.

"Mhm" i said closing my eyes. I can feel him playing with my hair and i fall asleep.

I woke up the next day draco isn't on my side anymore, i frown and got up i went to the bathroom brush my teeth and change into my uniform i packed my school bags and put my books and went out of my room.

"Morning lyn" says chloe.

"Morning" i said."Where are the others?" I asked

"Already at the greathall" chloe said.

"Lets go" says draco while walking out of his room and holds my hand.

I smiled and holds his hand back and walks out of the common room.

"Please don't make me a third wheel" says chloe while we're walking to the greathall.

"Oh shush" i said we sat with the others draco sat beside me and we begin eating.

After eating we walks to hagrids hut the other students are waiting there. Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.

"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!" Draco grabbed my hand and we followed him.

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?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"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. Other people took theirs out too.

"Just stroke the spines"says hagrid.

Draco and i stroke it and it did opened, then neville opened his book and got attacked  by the book.

"Don't be such a limp longbottom" says draco while smirking.

"I think they're funny" says Hermonie.

Draco lets go of my hand " Oh terribly funny Really witty, God, this place is going to the dogs"

I sat at the big stone beside chloe and grabs a greenapple.

"Wait till my father hears about this Dumbledore's oaf teaching classes" i heard draco then he laughs, i saw harry looked at him.

"Shut up malfoy" says harry. I just rolled my eyes.

"Wohoo, wohoo,wohoo" says draco walking to harry.

I bites on my apple.

"Are they always gonna fight?" Says chloe.

"Probably" i said, taking another bite.

"They're like kids-" says chloe.

"Dementors, dementors!!" I heard draco.

I immediately look around then I remember there's no such dementors in this part, then i heard the slytherin laughed, chloe and i just chuckled.

Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"

I got up and looked at the creature. 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. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid

"Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing you do." I said then bites on my apple, draco looked at me and smirked.

"Very well Miss Simmons" says hagrid.

"Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt."

"Right -- who wants ter go first?"

Most of the class backed farther away in answer. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione had misgivings. The Hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.

"No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look.

"I'll do it" both harry and i said.

"There's no way you're gonna get in that creature just like what you said earlier thats gonna be the last thing you'll do" says chloe.

"But-" i said. Draco holds my hand.

"You're. Not. Getting. In. That. Creature" says draco. 

I rolled my eyes. "Fine."

"Alright harry come here" says hagrid. "Easy now, Harry," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink...Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much..."

Harry's eyes immediately began to water, but he didn't shut them. Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head and was staring at Harry with one fierce orange eye. "Tha's it," said Hagrid. "Tha's it, Harry...now, bow."

Harry didn't feel much like exposing the back of his neck to Buckbeak, but he did as he was told. He gave a short bow and then looked up.

The Hippogriff was still staring haughtily at him. It didn't move.

"Ah," said Hagrid, sounding worried. "Right -- back away, now, Harry, easy does it --"

But then, to Harry's enormous surprise, the Hippogriff suddenly bent its scaly front knees and sank into what was

an unmistakable bow.

"Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right -- yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"

Feeling that a better reward would have been to back away, Harry moved slowly toward the Hippogriff and reached out toward it. He patted the beak several times and the Hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.

The class broke into applause, all except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were looking deeply disappointed.

"Righ' then, Harry," said Hagrid. "I reckon he migh' let yeh ride him!"

This was more than Harry had bargained for. He was used to a broomstick; but he wasn't sure a Hippogriff would be quite the same.

"Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint," said Hagrid, "an' mind yeh don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that..."

Harry put his foot on the top of Buckbeak's wing and hoisted himself onto its back. Buckbeak stood up. Harry wasn't sure where to hold on; everything in front of him was covered with feathers.

"Go on, then!" roared Hagrid, slapping the Hippogriffs hindquarters then they flew minutes later they came back.

"Who wants to go next?" Says hagrid.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful.

"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry to, hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it...I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the Hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

It happened in a flash of steely talons; Malfoy let out a high pitched scream and next moment, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes. 

"DRACO" chloe and I screamed.

"It's killed me, its killed me."draco shouted.

"Its just a scratch" says hagrid.

"Hagrid you have to take him to the hospital" says Hermonie.

"Yes yes I'll do that im the teacher" says hagrid then he carry draco.

"Your gonna regret this" says draco.

"Class dismissed" says hagrid.

"You and your bloody chicken" i heard draco.

"I'll go check him let's meet later at the greathall" i told chloe and the others they nodded and i run to the hospital wing when i got there i saw Lucius and draco sitting at the hospital bed.

"I'll tell the ministry about this" i heard Lucius talking to draco there's an anger in his voice. I walk inside and he saw me. "Lyn are you ok? Any scratches?" He asked.

"Im fine Lucius, thank you" i told him and smiled.

"Very well you two should go I'll take care of this that creature will be dead in no time" says Lucius.

Draco and i both left.

"Just like i said earlier that creature is easily offended, your so ugh" i told him.

"Sorry should have put that in mind" says draco i just rolled my eyes, he holds my hand and walk to the great hall we sat with our other friends.

Malfoy didn't reappear in classes until late on Thursday morning, when the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. He swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting, in Harry's opinion, as though he were the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle.

"How is it, Draco?" simpered Pansy Parkinson. "Does it hurt much?" 

Chloe and I looked at pansy.

"Yeah," said Draco, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Harry, chloe and i saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away. 

"Settle down, settle down," said Professor Snape.

Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn't have said 'settle down' if they'd walked in late, he'd have given them detention. But Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in Snape's classes; Snape was head of Slytherin House, and generally favored his own students above all others.

We were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron, so that they were preparing their ingredients on the same table. 

"Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm --"

"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," said Snape without looking up.

Ron went brick red.

"There's nothing wrong with your arm," he hissed at Draco.

Draco smirked across the table.

"Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots."

Ron seized his knife, pulled Draco's roots toward him, and began to chop them roughly, so that they were all different sizes.

"Professor," drawled Draco, "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."

Snape approached their table, stared down his hooked nose at the roots, then gave Ron an unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy black hair.

"Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."

"But, sir --!"

Ron had spent the last quarter of an hour carefully shredding his own roots into exactly equal pieces.

"Now," said Snape in his most dangerous voice.

Ron shoved his own beautifully cut roots across the table at Draco, then took up the knife again.

"And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," said Draco, his voice full of malicious laughter.

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," said Snape, giving Harry the look of loathing he always reserved just for him.

Harry took Malfoy's shrivelfig as Ron began trying to repair the damage to the roots he now had to use. Harry skinned the shrivelfig as fast as he could and flung it back across the table at Malfoy without speaking. Malfoy was smirking more broadly than ever.

"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" he asked them quietly.

"None of your business," said Ron jerkily, without looking up.

"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," said Malfoy in a tone of mock sorrow. "Father's not very happy about my injury --"

"Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury," snarled Ron.

"¨C he's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this" -- he gave a huge, fake sigh -- "who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"

"So that's why you're putting it on," said Harry, accidentally beheading a dead caterpillar because his hand was shaking in anger, "To try to get Hagrid fired."

"Well," said Malfoy, lowering his voice to a whisper, "partly, Potter. But there are other benefits too. Weasley, slice my caterpillars for me."

Our next class is DADA.

"Good afternoon," Professor Lupin said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. They had never had a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts class before, unless you counted the memorable class last year when their old teacher had brought a cageful of pixies to class and set them loose.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please...riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!" said the class together

"This class is riddikulus" i heard draco, i just chuckled.

"Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville."

The wardrobe shook again, though not as much as Neville, who walked forward as though he were heading for the gallows.

"Right, Neville," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"

Neville's lips moved, but no noise came out.

"I didn't catch that, Neville, sorry," said Professor Lupin cheerfully.

Neville looked around rather wildly, as though begging someone to help him, then said, in barely more than a whisper, "Professor Snape."

Nearly everyone laughed. Even Neville grinned apologetically. Professor Lupin, however, looked thoughtful.

"Professor Snape...hmmm...Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Er -- yes," said Neville nervously. "But -- I don't want the Boggart to turn into her either."

"No, no, you misunderstand me," said Professor Lupin, now smiling. "I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?"

Neville looked startled, but said, "Well...always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress...green, normally...and sometimes a fox-fur scarf."

"And a handbag?" prompted Professor Lupin.

"A big red one," said Neville.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?"

"Yes," said Neville uncertainty, plainly wondering what was coming next.

"When the Boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape," said Lupin. "And you will raise your wand -- thus -- and cry "Riddikulus" -- and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag."

There was a great shout of laughter. The wardrobe wobbled more violently.

"If Neville is successful, the Boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical..."