Puppet Strings (Hogwarts x Reader)

Chapter 3

***

Y/n was pleased to get out of the castle after lunch. Her morning schedule consisted of Muggle Studies and History of Magic. Solene had also signed up for Muggle Studies, and while the two girls couldn't talk to each other, Y/n was still glad for Solene's company. She seemed very very sweet—the moment she'd spotted Y/n in Muggle Studies, she had hurried over with a big smile on her face to sit next to her.

Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as Y/n set off for her first ever Care of Magical Creatures class. She was walking with Val and Solene—Emi hadn't been feeling good that morning ("Or so she claims," Val had told Y/n, rolling her eyes) and so it was just them three.

Y/n rolled her eyes as she heard Malfoy talking about Harry's fainting spell again.

"Honestly, when's he gonna let that go?" Y/n muttered.

"He's like a one trick pony," Val said, shaking her head.

Solene signed something, and Val sputtered a laugh.

"What did she say?" Y/n asked, curious.

"She said, 'looks more like a ferret to me.'"

Y/n giggled, and she heard Solene laugh too. Her laugh was a bit quieter, but it was still there. It was almost melodic.

Y/n spotted red and gold robes walking towards Hagrid's hut, and was looking forward to having a class with Harry, even if he wasn't speaking to her much—though to be fair, he hadn't really gotten the chance. It seemed Ron pulled him away each time Y/n tried to talk to Harry.

Y/n wasn't sure what to do about that. She had liked Ron when she first met him, but apparently the feelings were now not mutual. Was it really only because she'd been sorted into Slytherin? Maybe Hermione would talk some sense into him.

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!"

For one moment, Y/n thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there.

"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 Malfoy.

"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; some, like Y/n, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.

"Hasn'—hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.

The class all shook their heads.

"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look—"

He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

"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.