Authorial Note: I know I'm updating rather quickly at the moment, but for me, when it rains, it pours! If you think that I should slow down, just tell me :p. If not, enjoy! And don't worry, Rhyanna, you will get your "four words" soon enough.
Dedication: This chapter is for my wonderful reviewers! I love you guys!
Chapter 4 - A Flying Start to the Day
Harry didn't rest well that night. As soon as the grey morning light began to creep slowly across the sky, Harry slid out out bed. Pulling in his robes, he made his way down to the main hall, which had already been lavished with a breakfast feast. A sweeping houseelf, having spotted Harry, bowed apologetically before scuttling out of sight. Taking a seat besides a crusty mountain of buttered toast, Harry waited. The bold song of a wood pigeon rang sporadically through the large windowless openings above the staff table, where the owls usually entered.
"Up early this morning, Harry?" inquired Dumbledore from behind him.
"Yeah." Harry replied with a forced laugh.
"You might as well tuck in whilst you still have the choice." Dumbledore advised. "A while ago, I really fancied having BBQ beans for breakfast, but I was not quite adventurous enough. One morning, I decided that 'today would be the day I have beans.' However, I had woken up late, and when I came down, they had all been consumed before my arrival."
Harry tried to take this wisdom to heart, but his thoughts kept slipping to the previous night's events. As Dumbledore walked onwards to the staff table, he thought about asking him.
"No, it'd be silly." He told himself. "It was just me feeling guilty again. There's no reason to be alarmed. It was just tiredness and an overactive imagination."
It had been so real.
Fortunately, it was not long before several more students drifted groggily into the hall, including Hermione and Ron.
"Mornin'." Ron greeted, friendlily, instantly reaching out for a chocolate croissant, and stuffing it into his mouth.
"Hey." Harry responded reflexively.
"Where did you go last night?" Hermione asked. "I came downstairs, and you'd gone."
"I was tired, so I went to bed." Harry lied.
"Muah buff innyun dea?" Ron asked, his words blurred by the flurry of food in his mouth.
"What?" Hermione asked, disgusted at his table manners.
Ron took a large gulp, and tried again. "What about Ginny and Dean?"
It took a split second for Hermione to work out what he was asking. When she did, she snapped in reply, "Ask her yourself. She's your sister."
Ron scowled, but the sudden apparition of a plate of bacon prevented the situation from escalating into an argument.
"Anyone seen Dean this morning?" Harry asked, as he forked a couple of large waffles onto his plate, the previous night's hunger now raging again.
"Nah." Ron replied. "I think he went to the hospital wing with a headache."
"Can't imagine why." Harry replied darkly.
Hermione began to say something, but her voice spluttered into hoarse coughs.
"Sore throat, Miss Granger?" asked Professor McGonagall, winking, before handing the group their timetables.
A reasonable time later, the three friends made their way outside to attend their first lesson, Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid was standing in front of his cabin, waiting.
"Mornin'." he greeted, happily. "Yer'll like what we're doing today."
Hagrid's approval could only mean a bad thing, Harry thought. Terrible visions of teeth and claws drifted into Hermione's mind.
"So..." Hagrid said, as the other students made their way down from the castle. "How are you lot?"
"Fine." they all responded, without thinking.
Hagrid, however, seemed convinced by their half-hearted affirmation, and didn't pursue with any further questions. Within a couple of minutes, the other students arrived: Hannah Abbot, Ernie MacMillan and a couple of Ravenclaw girls, who Harry didn't know.
"Now," Hagrid called to the group, "Before we do anything, can yer give me your permission slips."
They all complied, handing over small brown slips of parchment. Even Harry had no problems getting his Aunt and Uncle to sign; they were all too eager to increase Harry's exposure to dangerous, and hopefully lethal beasts. They had taken the view, the bigger the fangs, the better.
"Alright." Hagrid declared, shoving the slips into his pocket. "Now some of you won't remember what we're doing today..."
Harry was sure they would. Hagrid's lessons were often, unfortunately, unforgettable.
"But, we touched on them before." Hagrid finished as he lead them behind his cabin to the pasture.
"Hippogriffs!" everyone exclaimed in unison, as three majestic beasts entered their sight.
"Good!" Hagrid praised the class. "That's right. Now, who remembers how... blimey!"
One of the hippogriffs had cantered over to Harry, his grey fur instantly recognizable. Buckbeak. The elegant animal bowed, and Harry returned the gesture, before reaching out a hand to stroke his feathered neck.
"Well... er... class." Hagrid continued, slightly stunned, "That's how you greet a hippogriff. Umm... off you go then!"
The class dispersed to the opposite end of the enclosure, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione and Hagrid around Buckbeak.
"Wow." Hagrid declared, impressed. "That's the first time Beaky has bowed to anyone since, well... you know."
Harry understood, Buckbeak's yellow eagle eyes meeting with his own.
"Should've pocketed a sausage from breakfast for him." Ron remarked, keeping his distance from the powerful animal.
Hagrid moved away, "You're doing OK, then; I better go and give the others a hand."
"Wait!" Harry called, a sudden idea drifting into his head. "Can I ride him?"
Hagrid paused for a second. "Well, Harry; I don't know. I don't want any accidents - this is only the first lesson."
"Ah come on." Ron pleaded. "It's Sirius's hippogriff - it's what he would've wanted."
Harry felt a slight twang in the base of his stomach at the direct mention of his godfather's name.
"Oh, OK then." Hagrid eventually conceded, before quickly moving off to rescue Ernie from a hippogriff which was becoming increasingly agitated.
Harry bowed again, and Buckbeak lowered his front, inviting a rider to mount.
"Who's coming with me?" Harry asked.
"Umm... It's Ron's turn." Hermione replied very quickly, rubbing her legs absentmindedly from the memory of the discomfort caused by her last trip. Ron, however, was keen to participate.
Harry climbed on, and placed his arms firmly around Buckbeak's thick neck. Ron followed, gripping Harry. Ron nodded, and Harry lent forwards and whispered something into the hippogriff's ears. The boys felt Buckbeak tense underneath them. With a liberating screech, he pushed down upon the ground, spraying clods of mud into the air. To the sound of "oohs" from several of the girls below, the noble companion of Harry's godfather shot into the sky.
The cool breezes rushed into Harry's face. This was where he belonged. The people on the ground shrank to insignificance, and the clouds began to mask the hurts abandoned on the dirty floor a third of a mile beneath.
"Brilliant!" Ron shouted, his words slightly muffled by the wind.
For a hour, which stretched into an eternity, the two of them swooped and spirals in an awesome silence, interrupted only by the powerful beat of Buckbeak's wings. Eventually, Ron lent forwards and informed Harry of a plan, which made Harry smile.
With a friendly pat, Harry turned Buckbeak towards the castle, and they dived, the high speed bringing stinging tears to the boys' eyes. Ten feet away from a high window of a classroom, they halted, Buckbeak spreading his wings wide to brake.
Draco Malfoy was inside by the window, attending a History of Magic lesson. Buckbeak instantly recognised him as the boy who had insulted him three years earlier. With a quiet squawk, he tapped on the glass three times, and then backed away out of sight. Malfoy looked around nothing. The mischievous hippogriff tapped again. Malfoy, thoroughly confused, span around again, to face an empty window. Binns, the ghost teacher had not noticed, but was continuing to lecture the practically snoozing class.
Buckbeak tapped for a third time, but this time stayed in sight. Malfoy span round, but turned back again thinking that there was still nothing there. Realisation hit him, and he took a double-take. The hippogriff opened his beak in an angry caw, and Malfoy fell out of his chair in fright, to the amusement of those around him in the classroom.
Laughing, Harry and Ron flew back down to the ground, where Hermione was talking to Hagrid.
"That was amazing, mate!" Ron exclaimed, as he dismounted. Harry was still laughing.
"Yeah." he replied.
The boys related their prank to Hermione as they burst loudly through the door to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Unfortunately, to their grave misfortune, they had forgotten to find out who their teacher was.
"Detention."
Dedication: This chapter is for my wonderful reviewers! I love you guys!
Chapter 4 - A Flying Start to the Day
Harry didn't rest well that night. As soon as the grey morning light began to creep slowly across the sky, Harry slid out out bed. Pulling in his robes, he made his way down to the main hall, which had already been lavished with a breakfast feast. A sweeping houseelf, having spotted Harry, bowed apologetically before scuttling out of sight. Taking a seat besides a crusty mountain of buttered toast, Harry waited. The bold song of a wood pigeon rang sporadically through the large windowless openings above the staff table, where the owls usually entered.
"Up early this morning, Harry?" inquired Dumbledore from behind him.
"Yeah." Harry replied with a forced laugh.
"You might as well tuck in whilst you still have the choice." Dumbledore advised. "A while ago, I really fancied having BBQ beans for breakfast, but I was not quite adventurous enough. One morning, I decided that 'today would be the day I have beans.' However, I had woken up late, and when I came down, they had all been consumed before my arrival."
Harry tried to take this wisdom to heart, but his thoughts kept slipping to the previous night's events. As Dumbledore walked onwards to the staff table, he thought about asking him.
"No, it'd be silly." He told himself. "It was just me feeling guilty again. There's no reason to be alarmed. It was just tiredness and an overactive imagination."
It had been so real.
Fortunately, it was not long before several more students drifted groggily into the hall, including Hermione and Ron.
"Mornin'." Ron greeted, friendlily, instantly reaching out for a chocolate croissant, and stuffing it into his mouth.
"Hey." Harry responded reflexively.
"Where did you go last night?" Hermione asked. "I came downstairs, and you'd gone."
"I was tired, so I went to bed." Harry lied.
"Muah buff innyun dea?" Ron asked, his words blurred by the flurry of food in his mouth.
"What?" Hermione asked, disgusted at his table manners.
Ron took a large gulp, and tried again. "What about Ginny and Dean?"
It took a split second for Hermione to work out what he was asking. When she did, she snapped in reply, "Ask her yourself. She's your sister."
Ron scowled, but the sudden apparition of a plate of bacon prevented the situation from escalating into an argument.
"Anyone seen Dean this morning?" Harry asked, as he forked a couple of large waffles onto his plate, the previous night's hunger now raging again.
"Nah." Ron replied. "I think he went to the hospital wing with a headache."
"Can't imagine why." Harry replied darkly.
Hermione began to say something, but her voice spluttered into hoarse coughs.
"Sore throat, Miss Granger?" asked Professor McGonagall, winking, before handing the group their timetables.
A reasonable time later, the three friends made their way outside to attend their first lesson, Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid was standing in front of his cabin, waiting.
"Mornin'." he greeted, happily. "Yer'll like what we're doing today."
Hagrid's approval could only mean a bad thing, Harry thought. Terrible visions of teeth and claws drifted into Hermione's mind.
"So..." Hagrid said, as the other students made their way down from the castle. "How are you lot?"
"Fine." they all responded, without thinking.
Hagrid, however, seemed convinced by their half-hearted affirmation, and didn't pursue with any further questions. Within a couple of minutes, the other students arrived: Hannah Abbot, Ernie MacMillan and a couple of Ravenclaw girls, who Harry didn't know.
"Now," Hagrid called to the group, "Before we do anything, can yer give me your permission slips."
They all complied, handing over small brown slips of parchment. Even Harry had no problems getting his Aunt and Uncle to sign; they were all too eager to increase Harry's exposure to dangerous, and hopefully lethal beasts. They had taken the view, the bigger the fangs, the better.
"Alright." Hagrid declared, shoving the slips into his pocket. "Now some of you won't remember what we're doing today..."
Harry was sure they would. Hagrid's lessons were often, unfortunately, unforgettable.
"But, we touched on them before." Hagrid finished as he lead them behind his cabin to the pasture.
"Hippogriffs!" everyone exclaimed in unison, as three majestic beasts entered their sight.
"Good!" Hagrid praised the class. "That's right. Now, who remembers how... blimey!"
One of the hippogriffs had cantered over to Harry, his grey fur instantly recognizable. Buckbeak. The elegant animal bowed, and Harry returned the gesture, before reaching out a hand to stroke his feathered neck.
"Well... er... class." Hagrid continued, slightly stunned, "That's how you greet a hippogriff. Umm... off you go then!"
The class dispersed to the opposite end of the enclosure, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione and Hagrid around Buckbeak.
"Wow." Hagrid declared, impressed. "That's the first time Beaky has bowed to anyone since, well... you know."
Harry understood, Buckbeak's yellow eagle eyes meeting with his own.
"Should've pocketed a sausage from breakfast for him." Ron remarked, keeping his distance from the powerful animal.
Hagrid moved away, "You're doing OK, then; I better go and give the others a hand."
"Wait!" Harry called, a sudden idea drifting into his head. "Can I ride him?"
Hagrid paused for a second. "Well, Harry; I don't know. I don't want any accidents - this is only the first lesson."
"Ah come on." Ron pleaded. "It's Sirius's hippogriff - it's what he would've wanted."
Harry felt a slight twang in the base of his stomach at the direct mention of his godfather's name.
"Oh, OK then." Hagrid eventually conceded, before quickly moving off to rescue Ernie from a hippogriff which was becoming increasingly agitated.
Harry bowed again, and Buckbeak lowered his front, inviting a rider to mount.
"Who's coming with me?" Harry asked.
"Umm... It's Ron's turn." Hermione replied very quickly, rubbing her legs absentmindedly from the memory of the discomfort caused by her last trip. Ron, however, was keen to participate.
Harry climbed on, and placed his arms firmly around Buckbeak's thick neck. Ron followed, gripping Harry. Ron nodded, and Harry lent forwards and whispered something into the hippogriff's ears. The boys felt Buckbeak tense underneath them. With a liberating screech, he pushed down upon the ground, spraying clods of mud into the air. To the sound of "oohs" from several of the girls below, the noble companion of Harry's godfather shot into the sky.
The cool breezes rushed into Harry's face. This was where he belonged. The people on the ground shrank to insignificance, and the clouds began to mask the hurts abandoned on the dirty floor a third of a mile beneath.
"Brilliant!" Ron shouted, his words slightly muffled by the wind.
For a hour, which stretched into an eternity, the two of them swooped and spirals in an awesome silence, interrupted only by the powerful beat of Buckbeak's wings. Eventually, Ron lent forwards and informed Harry of a plan, which made Harry smile.
With a friendly pat, Harry turned Buckbeak towards the castle, and they dived, the high speed bringing stinging tears to the boys' eyes. Ten feet away from a high window of a classroom, they halted, Buckbeak spreading his wings wide to brake.
Draco Malfoy was inside by the window, attending a History of Magic lesson. Buckbeak instantly recognised him as the boy who had insulted him three years earlier. With a quiet squawk, he tapped on the glass three times, and then backed away out of sight. Malfoy looked around nothing. The mischievous hippogriff tapped again. Malfoy, thoroughly confused, span around again, to face an empty window. Binns, the ghost teacher had not noticed, but was continuing to lecture the practically snoozing class.
Buckbeak tapped for a third time, but this time stayed in sight. Malfoy span round, but turned back again thinking that there was still nothing there. Realisation hit him, and he took a double-take. The hippogriff opened his beak in an angry caw, and Malfoy fell out of his chair in fright, to the amusement of those around him in the classroom.
Laughing, Harry and Ron flew back down to the ground, where Hermione was talking to Hagrid.
"That was amazing, mate!" Ron exclaimed, as he dismounted. Harry was still laughing.
"Yeah." he replied.
The boys related their prank to Hermione as they burst loudly through the door to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Unfortunately, to their grave misfortune, they had forgotten to find out who their teacher was.
"Detention."