A/N: I hope none of you mind that this is barely following along with the actual book and the order of the classes are different and such but I'll try to go along with it a bit! Or quite a lot I guess as I use a lot of direct passages from the book. You might recognize them (: I change some parts though. But I thought this part would need the original and such. Anyways, thank you all so much for supporting this story (: I love getting your comments!
Alex's POV
I excused myself from the table and started for class early. Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. I was pretty pumped but to be honest, I was a little worried for Hagrid considering it was his first day. I wanted to go down there early and give him some encouragement, maybe a pep talk. I was about to go down the steps to his hut when someone grabbed my arm and pulled me over by the rocks.
"Ow!" I flinched at the tight grip and tugged my wrist away. I rolled my eyes as soon as I saw who it was. "What do you want Malfoy? Haven't you done enough damage?" I asked, rubbing my wrist.
"Skye, please just hear me out..." he said pleadingly.
"What is there to say? I understand completely what is going on," I told him.
"You do?" he said, confused.
"Yes, you just played me like you do with all the other girls. You made me believe you liked me and then made a joke out of it. So yes, I get it. You are very welcome, I am so glad I was able to make you laugh. Now I'm gonna go, so please excuse me if you will, Mr. Malfoy," I head for Hagrid's hut once more, only to be stopped again by the wrist.
"Skye, please," he begged. I turned around to see him on his knees.
"Well, I never thought I'd see the day Draco Malfoy begging on his knees," I said with a laugh. I waited for a reaction, but Draco didn't give me a furious look or anything. He kept staring at the ground and I'm pretty sure he was trembling. "Okay, just spit it out. What do you want to say?"
"I want to say sorry. I want to tell you that I didn't mean what I said at lunch. I want to tell you that I was just scared of being judged. I want to tell you that I was afraid of ruining my reputation as a bad boy. I want to tell you that I was wrong, I don't care about my reputation or how I'm being judged as long as I'm with you. I want to tell you that I didn't play you. I genuinely have fallen in love with you, Alexandra Skye Parker." His silver eyes pierced mine and I could tell he wasn't kidding. But what was I supposed to? I was pretty sure I had gotten over Draco, but maybe I was kidding myself. But that didn't mean that the feelings I had for Harry weren't real. I sighed. I was one messed up kid.
"Look, Draco. I'm not saying that the kiss on that first night wasn't genuine. But, what you said really hurt me and my friends comforted me, including Harry. And well, Harry and I, we're a thing now and I just don't want to hurt him like you hurt me. So I'm sorry..." I fell silent.
I realized that Draco had still had his hands around my wrist as his grip loosened. He turned around and silently walked back toward the castle.
As I watched his robe sway in the wind, I wondered if that was the right decision. I shook my head, pushing Draco out of my mind.
"I have to go talk to Hagrid," I told myself.
I trotted down the stone steps toward Hagrid's hut. I found him sitting outside the door on the steps to his hut looking eager for his first day.
"Hagrid!" I call out to him. He looks up at the sound of my voice and gives me a grin too big for even his face.
"Alex! What are yeh doin'? Yer here so early!"
"I just wanted to talk to you about your first day!" I replied.
"Wha' 'bout?"
"I just want you to be prepared. These classes are with the Slytherins and you know how Malfoy is. Just don't let him get to you, alright?"
"Alex, don' worry 'bout me. I'll be fine."
"I hope so," I say as I watched students walking towards the hut. Malfoy was one of them, talking to Crabbe and Goyle who were laughing carelessly. Fang growled, and I liked to think he was growling at the sight of Malfoy and his gang because that's definitely what I was thinking in my mind. I prayed that they wouldn't ruin Hagrid's first lesson with us.
"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he shouted, as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"
I joined Alice, Ron, Hermione and Harry and followed Hagrid to the outside of some kind of paddock where there was nothing. I hesitated. I hoped I hadn't jinxed anything.
"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?" the cold heartless voice of Draco Malfoy asked.
"Eh?" said Hagrid.
"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated, this time louder. He snatched his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters from inside his bag, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Others started taking theirs out as well, everyone had clamped their book shut somehow; from belts to bullclips to Spellotape.
"Hasn' - hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" Hagrid asked, looking crestfallen.
Watching Hagrid's face made me cringe and as the class, including me, shook our heads, I felt even worse.
"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," Hagrid said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look..."
He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that had held the book from gnashing around. 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.
My heart broke.
"Oh, tremendously funny!" Malfoy scoffed. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"
"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry said quietly. Hagrid was looking downcast and there was nothing more I wanted than for Hagrid's first lesson to be a success.
"You would deserve it, Malfoy!" I shouted. This earned some sniggers and piercing glares from the Slytherins. Malfoy's expression was unreadable.
"Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread, "so... so yeh've got yer books an'... an'... now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on..."
He strode away into the Forest and out of sight.
"God, this place is going to the dogs," Malfoy said loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him-"
"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry repeated.
"Careful, Potter, there's a Dementor behind you-"
I was so close to punching Malfoy when Lavendar Brown started squealing, pointing towards the opposite side of the paddock.
Trotting towards us were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures I 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. The talons on 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.
"Gee up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures towards the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"
I merely nodded as I stood there in awe, taking in the Hippogriffs' gleaming coats, changing smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy grey, bronze, a pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut and inky black.
"So," Hagrid said, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter com a bit nearer..."
No one seemed to want to, but I approached eagerly as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Alice followed behind me cautiously.
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't ever insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."
I heard snickers and whispers and I looked around. 'Of course,' I thought to myself. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle weren't listening; they were talking in an undertone and I had a bad feeling about what they were talking about. Quite possibly how best to disrupt the lesson.
"Yeh always wait for the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk towards 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?"
The last part disheartened me and I was now a little hesitant about interacting with the Hippogriffs. Most of the class backed further away in answer. The Hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.
"No one?" Hagrid asked, with a pleading look.
"I'll do it," Harry said boldly.
There was an intake of breath from the back and both Lavendar and Parvati whispered, "Oooh, no, Harry, remember your tea leaves!"
"He'll be fine," Alice retorted.
I smiled, Harry was so brave. I felt a stare on the back of my head and turned around. Malfoy quickly turned away and huffed. I contained a smirk and turned back to look at Harry climbing over the paddock fence.
"Good man, Harry!" Hagrid roared. "Right then - let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."
Hagrid untied one of the chains, pulled the grey Hippogriff away from his fellows and slipped off his leather collar. On the other side of the paddock, we all seemed to be holding our breaths. I sneaked a peek at Malfoy whose eyes were narrowed maliciously.
"Easy, now, Harry," I heard Hagrid say. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink - Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much..."
I see Harry looking nervous, but nonetheless, he looks Buckbeak in his fierce orange eye.
"Tha's it. Tha's it, Harry... now, bow..."
Harry hesitates but he gives a short bow and looks up.
The Hippogriff was still staring haughtily at him. It didn't move.
"Ah," Hagrid said, sounding worried. "Right - back away, now, Harry, easy does it-"
But then, just as Hagrid finished talking, the Hippogriff bent his scaly front knees, and sank into what was an unmistakeable bow.
"Well done, Harry!" Hagrid says, ecstatic. "Right - yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"
Harry slowly moves toward Buckbeak and reached out towards him. He patted the beak several times and the Hippogriff closed his eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.
I started clapping and everyone else followed me as we broke into applause. Everyone besides Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle who looked very disappointed.
"Righ' then, Harry. I reckon he migh' let yeh ride him!" .
My eyes widened. How I wanted to ride a Hippogriff. Harry on the otherhand looked doubtful.
"Come on Harry! I know you can do it!" I called out encouragingly. He looked my way and smiled. A smile that melted my heart.
"Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint," Hagrid was telling him, "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 his back. Buckbeak stood up and they both looked so mighty.
"Go on, then!" roared Hagrid as he slapped the Hippogriff's hindquarters. Twelve-foot wings flapped open and a gust of wind flew by all of us as Harry soared upwards. Buckbeak flew once around the paddock then came back toward the ground.
"Good work, Harry!" Hagrid shouted, as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle cheered. "OK, who else wants a go?"
As Harry's success as an encouragement, the rest of the class and I climbed into the paddock, cautiously but eager. Hagrid untied the Hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bwoing nervously, all over the paddock. I contained my laughter as I watched Neville constanly run backwards from his Hippogriff, which didn't seem to want to bend its knees. Alice and Hermione practiced on the chestnut, while Harry watched. Ron and I practiced on the jet black one.
Meanwhile, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful. I hated that look and I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.
"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 ugly great brute?"
Before I could even react, there was 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.
"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"
I had an urge to run over by his side. Half of me wanted to slap him for overreacting and being stupid to insult Buckbeak and the other half wanted to never let him go. None of them won and I just stood there, staring.
"Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Someone help me - gotta get him outta here -"
Hermione ran to open the gate while Hagrid lifted Malfoy with ease. As they passed, I saw a long, deep gash in Malfoy's arm; blood spattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, up the slope towards the castle.
Shaken, the Care of Magical Creatures class followed at a walk. The Slytherins were all shouting about Hagrid.
"They should sack him staright away!" said Pansy Parkinson, who was in tears. I rolled my eyes at the sight of her. Her presence annoyed me greatly.
"It was Malfoy's fault!" Dean Thomas snapped. I nodded in agreement as Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles threateningly.
We all climbed the stone steps into the deserted Entrance Hall.
"I'm going to see if he's OK!" Pansy cried as we all watched her run up the marble staircase towards the Hospital Wing. The Slytherins, still muttering about Hagrid, headed away in the direction of their dungeon common room.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Alice started towards the Gryffindor Tower.
"Coming?" Alice asked me.
I hesitated. Should I check in on ...Draco? Or should I join my friends and boyfriend?
The image of Draco's twisted face and gash appeared in my mind. The kiss we shared, his silver eyes piercing mine and one word, "Skye".
Then I look in front of me, on the stairs, Harry Potter. The boy who lived who had shown me kindness on the very first day of my magical world. My best friend who cares for me and will protect me no matter what. The kiss we shared, his affectionate green eyes and messy black hair tickling my face.
"I'm coming," I reply.