I walked down to the cabin with Draco Malfoy, a bunch of Slytherin wannabe gangsters walked behind us,
"Is there ANY way to get rid of them?" I asked
"No sorry, they just tend to stick to me," He brushed me off and I rolled my eyes and stuffed my hands in my pockets, whenever Draco got like this it was like Snape putting on his façade
"Everyone here?" barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, after we had gathered around the table. I nodded towards the three but other than that I didn't say or do anything. "Let's crack on then — who can tell me what these things are called?" She indicated the heap of twigs in front of her. Hermione's hand shot into the air. Malfoy did a buck-toothed imitation of her jumping up and down in eagerness to answer a question I scowled and put a heavy hand on his shoulder, I hated when he got like this, I take it back it- he was worse than Snape. Suddenly twigs on the table leapt into the air and revealed themselves to be what looked like tiny pixieish creatures made of wood, each with knobbly brown arms and legs, two twiglike fingers at the end of each hand, and a funny, flat, barklike face in which a pair of beetle-brown eyes glittered.
"OH!" I said startled and Draco chuckled at my reaction
"Kindly keep your voices down, girls!" said Professor Grubbly-Plank sharply, scattering a handful of what looked like brown rice, among the stick-creatures, who immediately fell upon the food.
"So — anyone know the names of these creatures? Miss Granger?" "Bowtruckles," said Hermione. "They're tree-guardians, usually live in wand-trees."
"Five points for Gryffindor," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, "Yes, these are bowtruckles and, as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?"
"Wood lice," said Hermione promptly, which explained why what Harry had taken for grains of brown rice were moving. "But fairy eggs if they can get them."
"Good girl, take another five points. So, whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree in which a bowtruckle lodges, it is wise to have a gift of wood lice ready to distract or placate it. They may not look dangerous, but if angered they will gouge out human eyes with their fingers, which, as you can see, are very sharp and not at all desirable near the eyeballs. So, if you'd like to gather closer, take a few wood lice and a bowtruckle — I have enough here for one between three — you can study them more closely. I want a sketch from each of you with all body parts labeled by the end of the lesson." The class surged forward around the trestle table. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Harry circling around the back so that he ended up right next to Professor Grubbly-Plank.
"Where's Hagrid?" he asked her, every lesson he asked her this, I wonder who Hagrid was?
"Never you mind," said Professor Grubbly-Plank repressively. Suddenly a smirk fell over Draco's face as he leaned across Harry and seized the largest bowtruckle. Oh no
"Maybe," said Draco started in an undertone, "the stupid great oafs got himself badly injured."
"Maybe you will if you don't shut up," said Harry out of the side of his mouth. I crossed over to Draco grabbing a random bowtruckle as I went, I put a hand on Draco's shoulder again trying to pull him off but he didn't budge
"Maybe he's been messing with stuff that's too big for him, if you get my drift." Draco finally let me pull him away, I looked back at Harry and grimaced, he looked distraught,
"Why do you do stuff like that?" I asked in a low tone. He shook my hand off his shoulder,
"That's nothing, just watch what comes next," He said and I stood there watching him go. I really didn't get him, I approached the group, we were close to their group... close enough for them to hear us
"Yes," Draco drawled from the group nearest them, "Father was talking to the Minister just a couple of days ago, you know, and it sounds as though the Ministry's really determined to crack down on substandard teaching in this place. So even if that overgrown moron does show up again, he'll probably be sent packing straight away."
I punched him.
"OUCH WHAT YOU DO THAT FOR?" He exclaimed holding his shoulder,
"What'd I do?" I asked innocently just as Professor Grubbly-Plank came bustling over
"What's going on over here?" she asked peering down at us with sharp eyes,
"N-nothing ma'am" Draco said dropping the hand holding his shoulder. I heard laughter coming from Harry's group, I cut them a glare. They shut up. I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose; I could feel a headache coming on. Gosh, this was just getting ridiculous, did they always fight like this?