Part One: Love Looks Not With the Eyes
Chapter Five (Where Draco is Injured)
*Or in the night, imagining some fear, how easy is a bush supposed a bear!*
The Daily Prophet
Volume 111 * Issue 246 * September 3, 1993
Young Malfoy attacked at Hogwarts by rogue beast
Draco Malfoy Attacked!
Yesterday afternoon, during his first Care of Magical Creatures class, young Master Draco Malfoy was attacked by a rogue hippogriff. Preliminary reports tell us this beast's name is 'Buckbeak.'
Draco has been kept at Hogwarts for the duration of his recovery. His parents briefly discussed sending him to St. Mungos, but decided against it when it became clear he could recover better while in school. He is currently under the care of one, Madame Pomfrey, in the Hospital Wing. His parents request that any cards of well wishes and gifts be sent directly to the school.
Fate of the Beast
Buckbeak, the hippogriff who attacked Draco, in an unprovoked act of aggression, is still on the grounds at Hogwarts. This disturbing fact has not escaped the attention of Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy assured us that he is looking into having the beast and possibly the professor removed from the grounds.
The professor who was "overseeing" this lesson is Mr. Rubeus Hagrid, a former Hogwarts student. This is Hagrid's first year teaching any class. He has been the keeper of the keys and grounds at Hogwarts for many years now. Our reports indicate that Mr. Malfoy is pushing for Hagrid to be held responsible for the damage this beast has caused.
Mr. Malfoy is pushing for a full trial into this matter.
"I will not rest until this matter has been thoroughly investigated," Mr. Malfoy told the Daily Prophet in a statement released earlier this morning. "My son was attacked for no reason and I will not standby and do nothing when something like this could happen again."
We will keep our faithful readers up to date on the progress of this case as it unfolds. I should hope that members of the courts and the Board of Governors will not let this incident go unpunished.
The Daily Prophet
Volume 111 * Issue 253 * September 10, 1993
Young Malfoy making a full recovery
I am so happy to report that Draco Malfoy has made a full and complete recovery from his terrible injuries after running into a rogue hippogriff last week. We have reports that Draco returned to his classes yesterday, sporting a brave face despite dealing with what must have been a traumatic accident.
None of the Malfoys were available for comment this morning, but we are assured that Mr. Lucius Malfoy will have a statement to make shortly. We here at the Prophet are delighted to see that Draco is making such a speedy recovery. We look forward to hearing more details about the fate of the deranged beast that attacked him in the first place. We do hope that an unprovoked attack such as this will not go unpunished.
The Daily Prophet
Volume 111 * Issue 354 * December 20, 1993
Hearing set to determine fate of beast who attacked Malfoy
The Daily Prophet has just been informed that the hippogriff who attacked Draco Malfoy at the beginning of the current school term will be subjected to a hearing on April 20 of next year. The hearing will determine what punishment, if any, will be extracted against the beast that attacked Master Malfoy in unprovoked act of aggression.
"I am pleased to see that the proper authorities have acted so quickly to get this matter resolved," Lucius Malfoy said in his statement yesterday afternoon. "It concerns me that such dangers exist in a place that is said to be one of the safest places in the world. I hope that the hearing will bring a pleasing outcome and remove the beast from the grounds. We can only hope that those who are responsible for this beast in the first place will also be held accountable for its actions."
We have to agree with Mr. Malfoy's assessment of the situation. It seems that the caretaker of this animal, Mr. Rubeus Hagrid, should have known this beast was unstable and should have kept him more secure. If the professors at the school can't protect our students, then who can?
We hope to see this matter resolved quickly.
The Daily Prophet
Volume 112 * Issue 44 * February 13, 1994
Beast who attacked Malfoy sentenced to death
We promised to keep you informed and up to date on any developments concerning the Malfoy case, and we are pleased we can finally report on the case.
The beast that attacked young Draco Malfoy earlier this year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been sentenced to death. This will be taking place sometime later this spring. The date is yet to be determined.
We are pleased with this ruling, seeing as we certainly don't want crazed beasts of any kind running around Hogwarts, threatening our students. Mr. Lucius Malfoy was particularly pleased when he spoke with the Daily Prophet earlier today.
"My family and I are quite impressed with how this matter was handled. We are most pleased with the outcome of the trial," Malfoy said. "The animal will be executed so that it can no longer harm any of the students at Hogwarts."
We certainly echo Mr. Malfoy's sentiments. What we don't understand is why the animal has been on the grounds for the duration of the trial. But we are assured by the Board of Governors and Dumbledore himself that the animal is securely locked up and in no danger of harming anymore of the students.
We tried to talk to the animal's owner, Mr. Rubeus Hagrid. We caught up with him after the sentence was passed down, but he was incapable of giving a comment. All he did was cry over the fate that was handed to him about his "pet".
We also tried to talk to Headmaster Dumbledore after the trial to see his reaction to the sentence.
"It seems to me that when handling such powerful creatures, one should be careful to follow instruction to the letter," Dumbledore said. "These creatures should be left to those who know how to handle them properly. It saddens me that this happened on Hogwarts grounds."
We tried to ask Dumbledore what he meant by his comments, but he did not say anything more on the subject. He just told us he needed to get back to his students.
Once we find out more about the date of the execution, we will be happy to report it to you. I think we can all agree that the safety of our children is the most important thing. We applaud Mr. Malfoy in his proactive response to this horrible tragedy.
The Daily Prophet
Volume 112 * Issue 245 * September 2, 1994
Triwizard Tournament returns after more than a century
Readers, I have the most shocking news. After more than a century, the Triwizard Tournament has been reestablished for the students of Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. Unfortunately, I don't have any further information on the topic.
The only thing that I can tell you is that the tournament was discontinued after too many accidents and deaths resulting from the three epic tasks asked of the competitors.
We have no idea what the tasks will be or who the competitors will be at this point, but we will keep everyone up to date on how this shocking turn of events plays out.
When Ginny arrived at Hogwarts for her second year, she damn near had an anxiety attack. Her first night in the dormitories found her unable to sleep and barely able to breathe properly. She had sat up in her bed the entire night replaying as much of her first year as she could remember.
The next morning she had gone to Madame Pomfrey for a sleeping draught. The older witch had gladly given it to Ginny, understanding the circumstances that led to her request. That night, Ginny had taken the sleeping draught and was rewarded with a full night's sleep filled with terrifying nightmares of her previous experiences.
The second morning she was at Hogwarts, she had gone back to Madame Pomfrey and asked for a dreamless sleeping draught. Madame Pomfrey had given the young girl a piteous look and handed over the draught. Later that afternoon, when Ginny's classes were over, she had been summoned to Dumbledore's office.
Feeling nervous that she might have already done something wrong, she walked rather quickly to the Headmaster's office. Upon her arrival, she was immediately summoned into the inter office where she found herself seated in the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk with a cup of tea in hand.
"Miss Weasley, there is no need to be nervous. I only wish to inquire about your health." Dumbledore said calmly. That twinkle was still in his eye. "I heard you have been having problems sleeping since your arrival here."
Ginny nodded. "Yes, Headmaster." She said quietly. "I have been having some trouble since I came back."
"Miss Weasley, there is nothing for you to fear so long as you don't live in the memories of what has happened to you." Dumbledore said as he took a sip of his tea.
"I'm afraid that that won't be possible, Headmaster." She said, her head down. "What if the other students ask me questions and don't stop? How do I escape this?"
"Miss Weasley, if you don't want this to be a problem, then don't let it be a problem." He said.
Ginny had tried to press him for an explanation but he would not say anything else. He insisted that she get back to her dormitory and start her studies. Knowing that the conversation as over, Ginny left the office and slowly made her way back to the dormitories.
…don't let it be a problem…
With her resolve set, Ginny lifted her head with determination. This was not going to be a problem.
Luckily for Ginny it was not complete general knowledge that she had been possessed by Voldemort during the previous term. Most every student knew that she had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets and naturally they were all curious about her experience down there. But Ginny had prepared herself for the questions she knew would come from her fellow students.
Luckily for her, word spread around Hogwarts quickly that she had very few memories from actually being in the Chamber since she blacked out not long after she got in there. Once she told the story a few times, word got around that she couldn't remember "anything good" and the students generally left her alone.
Ginny was grateful that Hogwarts quickly lost interest in her experience and seemed to pretty much forget it ever happened, for this allowed her to make friends and flourish without the cloud of Voldemort hanging over her head. Ginny quickly became popular amongst her classmates due to her sense of humor, quick wit, and natural intelligence.
About two weeks into the term, it became very apparent that Ginny possessed a greater amount of magic than her fellow students. She remembered what Dumbledore had told her the previous year and she felt a thrill at the evidence that it was true. She finally felt different (in a good way), and special. For the first time in her life she felt that she would finally be able to stand out from her family. She was no longer just "another Weasley".
However, after the initial euphoria of the discovery disappeared, Ginny started having trouble in her classes. She found that when she was attempting spells, they were coming out much stronger than any of her classmates. This might have sounded like a good thing to anyone else, but Ginny quickly realized that her spells were starting to cause damage and harm rather than their intended purpose.
Ginny attempted to get things under control for a couple of weeks, but when she found it impossible, she had requested a meeting with Dumbledore. She wanted advice and guidance on how to handle her gifts. Ginny was become fearful of her abilities and wanted to appear "normal" in front of her fellow students until she could figure out exactly what she was supposed to do with her gifts.
Dumbledore had graciously opened the door to her and allowed her to ask questions of him.
"Professor, my magic is too strong. I'm unable to perform the spells and charms I'm supposed to because they come out too strong and end up causing more destruction than good." She had said with desperation in her voice.
"Miss Weasley, I can understand your concern." Dumbledore had said with a pleasant smile on his face. "But I can assure you that a few tricks will help you fix this problem."
"Please, sir, I'll do anything to get this under control." Ginny had pleaded. "I'm afraid I'm going to hurt someone!"
"When we cast our spells, we must focus on the spell or charm we're casting so that we can force the magic out of our bodies and into a physical action. People who have more magic in them than most will require less concentration and focus because their magic is more readily available. Does that make sense, Miss Weasley?" He asked her softly.
Ginny nodded. "So when the professors tell me how hard to concentrate, I need to put less effort and focus into my spell than what they tell me. This will make my spells look normal and less powerful?" She asked for clarification.
"Indeed, Miss Weasley." Dumbledore said. "Magic is a wild and erratic thing that flows through our bodies and in our blood on a daily basis. There are certain magical levels that are considered normal. Of course for every rule there is the exception, am I right, Miss Weasley?"
Ginny giggled and nodded. "Of course, Professor." She replied.
"It might also be pertinent to know that our magic is connected to our emotions." He said softly. "That's why when children become upset their magic starts coming out of them in uncontrolled bursts. They don't know how to control it, and the emotions they have feed it, making it come out in whatever form it can."
"I suppose that makes sense, Professor." Ginny said. She sat there, deep in thought for a moment. "But Professor, if one just needs to focus or have strong emotions, then why do we need wands?"
"Magic is harder to control than just that. Those are just the simplest terms that I can explain it. Yes, it takes focus and concentration and will power to make magic work for you, but that can be a very difficult thing to do. A wand is used to help with the focus and concentration." He paused to consider something. "I would imagine that if you tried spells without your wand and the same level of focus you've been using, your spells would probably come out 'normal' looking."
Ginny looked shocked. "You think that I'm capable of wandless magic!" She exclaimed.
Dumbledore chuckled softly. "I think it will come much easier to you than it will for most."
Ginny had to let that sink in for a moment. "But how am I to continue my education if I am to try and keep all of these things in mind? People have a hard enough time with the material their given. I feel like I have to go through advanced courses or something just to be on the same level with everyone else, to understand and use my abilities."
Dumbledore nodded. He seemed to be considering something. "I believe you're right, Miss Weasley. So what do you say to a weekly appointment with me? I can help you take the material you learn in class and apply it so that it suits your abilities. Does that sound agreeable to you?"
Ginny had agreed immediately. She felt honored that she would be allowed such special appointments with the Headmaster. She knew that their time in the coming years would be invaluable and she was looking forward to it.
Her second year proved to be a much happier and successful year. When the term ended and she had to go home for the summer, she found that she was sorely disappointed at the fact. She loved being at Hogwarts and the idea of going home for several months left a dull ache in her chest and feeling of longing.
Author's Note:Yeah, so sorry about the ridiculous time lapse in updating. I swear I haven't given up on this. I am part of a writing support group and we had a challenge to write 20K in February and I used that time to work on a non-fanfiction piece. I am actually hoping to get back into this story in the next couple of weeks. There are one or two more chapters before I'm out of material and really need to start writing again, lol. That's what happens when you write out of order, lol.
I know this chapter was a bit different. It's more of a filler to show the lapse of time and the next chapter will have some D/G action! Woo hoo! If you liked it, let me know!