*2300 words*
"Alrighty then," Hagrid huffs cheerfully, dropping a huge bucket down onto the ground and passing us a shovel each.
"You have three hours to get this all cleaned up! Don't forget e'keep yerselves well hydrated!" He sounds slightly cautious. I don't think Hagrid very much agrees with detentions. As he limps off slowly I examine the huge layer of caked dung and mud that sits on the floor of this little enclosure. I often wonder what he keeps in these little scattered pens near the woods.
I sigh as I pick up my shovel and begin working.
"Pfft , your not actually going to do this are you?" Draco seems annoyed. He jumps up onto the fence and sits with his arms crossed as he watches me in disgust. He is clearly upset about his quidditch practice.
"Yes of course I am, we got a detention and Hagrid obviously needs this pen cleaned for something important." I grunt as I struggle to lift the heavy shovel full of mud.
Draco rolls his eyes and clenches his jaw as he looks away from the pen. "Hah! , important...please...it's obviously for one of his bloody creatures."
"What do you mean...creatures?" I stop shovelling as I give my already aching back a rest.
A devilish gleam comes to his eyes but quickly vanishes.
"Have you not seen his creatures? His unicorns and pegasus ponies and..." he pauses and looks slightly angry, "and his hippogriffs."
My eyes widen in awe. Unicorns? They aren't real!
"Well what's a hypogriff?" I question. I have never heard that word before.
"Doesn't matter!" He quickly brushes off my question. "Anyway I say we bunk off here and go take a look."
"Absolutely no way!" I exclaim as I continue working. "And why aren't you shovelling!?"
"I should be at the quidditch pitch right now," he rolls his eyes. "Not here with you shovelling dirt like a dog."
I feel taken aback ever so slightly. I feel like he discreetly called me a dog. I brush it off quickly and focus on getting the pen cleared.
I hear Draco mutter something and look up at him to see his wand in his hand. He waves it slightly and the whole pen clears of mud. I gawk at it.
"Hey! I don't think we are allowed wands in detention!"
He rolls his eyes once again and hops off the fence.
"Come on," he grabs my upper arm and pulls me along behind him as he quickly walks towards the woods. "If we're going to be stuck here for three hours we're going to make it fun."
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We've been walking through the woods in silence for almost ten minutes now. It feels like we're going in circles. I follow behind Draco as he leads the way.
"Are you sure we aren't lost?" I cautiously eye the surrounding trees.
"Yes I'm sure of it!" He snaps.
I frown slightly. He seems very annoyed at me today. I don't care! But I don't want his pranks to continue if we slip back into old ways.
I bite my lip slightly and inhale deeply. "Was it really, you?"
He stops walking for a second and turns to look me in the eye. I cant really read his face but it has softened. The breeze blowing his platinum fringe around his forehead.
"Yes." He states and turns around to keep on walking.
He knew exactly what I was talking about. I smile ever so slightly. Maybe I have more people looking out for me than I think.
"Well-why?" I press as I run a little to keep up.
"Well-there's no reason!" He blurts out. "I guess-well, I knew, you'd belame me for the whole rat thing so I just did that so you wouldn't-but you still did."
I look down at the ground. "Well...I'm sorry...then, I guess I just read you wrong."
He pauses in silence for a few seconds not answering me just walking straight on. "Yeah guess you did." He deadpans. I blush. He seems very mad.
Suddenly we enter a clearing. Draco huffs as he brushes leaves off of his cloak and picks tiny twigs from his hair in disgust.
I walk in front of him slowly and cautiously, observing the dusty clearing surrounded by trees. I turn back to him, seeing him with his hands in his pockets just watching.
"Well!?" I whisper, not wanting to upset any creatures that may be lurking.
He archs his head forward slightly obnoxiously. "Well what?" He says quite louder than necessary.
"Shhh!!" I exclaim in a furious whisper. "I was reading a book that Cedric gave me from the library a few days ago-"
Draco rolls his eyes and cuts me off by walking into the center of the clearing. "Alright then!" He shouts. "Where are you then you little donkeys! Come out!"
"Draco!!" I run to him and grab his arm but he shakes me off.
Suddenly a white head appears on a trail nearby and a beautiful pegasus comes into vision.
I gasp in shock and awe and slowly walk towards it in an almost trance but I'm stopped when Draco grabs my shoulder and pushes me quite viciously behind him.
"Ow!!" I snap as I rub my shoulder.
He walks slowly towards the creature with his hand extended. It's beautiful. Prettier than anything I have ever seen in my life. It's pure white without a speck of dirt in sight despite its living conditions. It's mane and tail seem to sparkle light blue like a diamond sheath, and it's beautiful wings looks so soft. Like the most comfy pillow I have ever seen.
His hand greets its muzzle and it whickers slightly. I did not have him down as the type of boy to be friends with a pegasus .
I quickly approach but he pushes me back again and this time I fall to the ground. He moves for a second but then resumes his position at the Pegasus.
"What the hell is wrong with you!" I shout. I rarely shout but when I do I really mean it.
I bring myself back to my feet and stare at him with fury in my eyes.
He just looks back at me and clenches his jaw. "It doesn't know you!" He hisses. "If you keep trying to come over and touch it so fast it's going to attack you."
The horse neighs loudly,throwing its head in the air but Draco soothes it and it calms down.
"See," he looks back at me. "She doesn't recognise you."
I look away and rub my aching shoulder. "Well I didn't have you down as the type to be out here in the forest with Pegasus ponies and unicorns and...oh! what was that other stupid thing!" I fuss. My nerves are extremely tender due to my eventful week.
"Well," he sighs, and he rests his forehead gently against the side of the horses head. "She's calming, innocent and she doesn't talk." He looks at me for that last, exaggerated part while he grits his teeth.
Gosh you wouldn't want to be offended too easily.
"Well...how do I make her be my friend?" I don't really remember, but I do know that when I was a child I used to love unicorns and flying horses. I always dreamed of meeting one. And those memories are suddenly becoming clearer to me now.
He slowly reaches out his hand to me. I look down at his palm. It looks so soft. Too soft, he must use some kind of lotion...I almost want to ask him right there and then. I look back up to him hesitantly and he rolls his eyes and sighs. "Don't worry, I don't think lover boy is crawling around the woods at this time of the day."
I blush slightly. "No I wasn't meaning it like that!" I begin, but give up and just place my hand on top of his. He gently grasps it with his fingers and pulls it out to the horses muzzle at a snails pace.
I look nervously at him and back to the horse with big eyes when it begins sniffing me. He just keeps looking at me with no change in that monotonous emotion so I presume all is ok.
He slowly releases my hand and moves his away and I allow my finger tips to caress the horses muzzle and face. I smile brightly and laugh. "Brilliant!!" I gasp in amazement. He smiles slightly but quickly grunts and turns away.
He heads towards the horses back and touches its wings.
"What are you doing?" I question.
"Going for a ride of course." He says as if it's obvious.
"Oh my-you're kidding!" I gasp, covering my mouth and jumping up and down slightly on the spot. Twelve year old me is bursting out and dying with excitement.
He raises and drops his eyebrows to say yes and frowns at the same time .
"Uh-" I stop as I near. "Well...uhm...well who's- who's going in front and then...then who's going behind?" I stutter out.
"Well I don't care do I!" He barks, I thought I seen a tint of rosy pink in his cheeks but I was definitely mistaken.
"Well uhm, I'll just stay here then!" I decide, nodding my head and backing away.
"Nonsense!" He quickly says. "I didn't walk all the way out here just for you to chicken out!"
He climbs on easily, swinging his leg over and grunting as he lands down on the calm creatures back. He adjusts himself before turning back to me.
"Come on then, haven't got all day." He reaches out his arm to me.
I gulp and walk over slowly. The creature huffs a little as it watches me approach. I hear him mutter quiet words to it.
I grab his arm and sluggishly pull my body weight over and onto the horse. "Ugh!" I pant, as my unfit body struggles to catch up with me. He sniggers slightly under his breath.
Uhmmm I don't really know where to put my hands so they awkwardly sit on my thighs. I cannot put them around him, that's just awkward...maybe on his shoulders? No! That's just weird!
I bite my lips slightly and look around. It's quite a tall horse and my stomach flutter as I look down.
"Well...aren't you going to-well grab on or something!" He snaps, he sounds a bit awkward as he does. At least its not just me.
"Yes!" I quickly reply, I try to make it seem like I was just busy or something and not freaking out!
I wrap my arms around his waist barely touching him. The familiar feel of the school robes greets my hands.
He smells so...nice? So expensive and clean. I need to know where he shops for these care products.
He quickly jolts the Pegasus in the stomach with his heels and I squeak as it begins cantering from a halt and then with an almighty whoosh and a sweep of its huge wings, it takes off above the trees and into the sky.
I scream as it ducks around branches to get to the clear air but Draco laughs at my struggles completely unfazed. He grips its mane firmly, the veins popping from his thin skin as he holds on tight.
My arms suddenly contract and I have a much tighter grip of him as I hold on for dear life. My cheek against his back as I scream into the sky.
My stomach turns and knots making me squeeze my eyes shut, refusing to open them and look down.
"WOOOO!!" Draco shouts loudly as the horse soars through the sky. I feel his body turn slightly as he looks to me.
"Open your eyes!" He laughs, "You're missing everything."
I slowly open my watery eyes. Immediately my jaw drops and my eyes widen as I see the stunning view. The forest looks like a green quilt that's been knitted by a caring grandmother. A blue river snakes through it evidently. Everything looks so magical.
"This isn't real!" I gasp, "I'm dreaming! I've hit my head on something!"
Draco laughs and turns back to face the horses neck.
I don't know if he makes it or if it does it itself but the horse suddenly jolts forward and soars downward towards the river.
"DRACOOOO!!!" I scream in pure fear. I feel my body lifting from the horses warm back as she flies vertically down.
She pulls herself up last minute and glides just centimetres from the wide rivers waters.
Draco reaches his wand down nearer to the current and flicks a gush of water my way, it completely drowns me.
"Draco Malfoy!!" I squeal, wiping the dirty water from my face the best that I can.
He laughs hysterically, I feel his stomach bobbing up and down under my hands as he laughs.
I too laugh. Gosh I've never felt so alive.
We land smoothly back in the clearing, both laughing. Draco dismounts quickly and grips his hands under my armpits as I jump down.
He suddenly reaches out and wipes down the top of my wet hair with his hands.
I smile at the exhilarating experience. We continue laughing and catching our breath for a few seconds before a twig snaps and we quickly turn around.
"Oi!" Hagrid folds his arms but looks like he wants to smile.
"You two had bett'r be heading back t'thee castle now don't ye think?" He taps his foot slightly on the dusty ground.
I smile and nod. "Thank you Hagrid." I nod my head once again to him as we trace off back through the woods and to the school.