Disclaimer: You know for me to keep saying that I don't own Harry Potter...is kind of depressing. But my therapist says it's a good idea...I am joking...I don't actually have a therapist. But I am sure if I did have one they would say something like that.

Author's note: You'll notice that there are a lot of extra voices in Sphen's head. The extra voices are in bold while his own thoughts are in italics...it'll be explained in a later chapter exactly why he has extra thoughts...Oh, and introducing another character...Her name's Leah...She's actually a real person...one of my friends who I grew up with...Just basically put her in the story...cause she wanted to be...Oh also quick note, cause I forgot to add it to chapter 6, but I would like to thank my beta, Prosopopeia, for helping me out. See you at dinner too by the way...lol.

Beta's note: Hello, readers! I hope you're enjoying this story by my doll here. It's great beta-ing for her. Those who are following this story, please give her our love. Cause you know, writing ain't that easy of a thing to do. Flamers will die. Concrit is more than welcomed. And just plain old compliments? Always welcomed. Heehee.

Chapter 7

Sphen was still chuckling when he and the others left to go to their next class, which was Care of Magical Creatures. Sphen had yet to meet Hagrid but from the way Harry, Ron and Hermione talked about him he must have been a nice guy. They walked out onto the grounds of Hogwarts and towards a cabin that was on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Ron and Hermione still weren't talking to each another and Sphen had a running bet with Sarah and Goshien about it.

"I say Ron and Hermione won't talk to each other for the rest of the day," he said.

"Nah, I bet they won't talk to each other for the rest of the week," countered Sarah.

"You're both out of your minds," declared Goshien. "They'll talk to each other by the end of class."

"You did see that argument," said Sarah. "Right?"

"Yeah," replied Goshien unconcernedly.

Sarah nodded. "Just checking."

As Sphen took a closer look around the rest of the class, he saw the blond Slytherin boy who had kicked him out of his compartment on the train. Sarah had told Sphen about him the day before. He was a boy named Draco Malfoy who hated Harry, Ron and Hermione but was pretty much terrified of Goshien. Sphen nearly collapsed when they told him about the kitchen sink incident.

Then Hagrid walked up in front of the class to start the lesson.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he said. "Got a great lesson comin' up!"

Everyone followed him to a paddock that was empty.

"Righ' then...so—now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah... So I'll go get 'em." He walked into the forest.

"God this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him—"

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry.

"Careful Potter, there's a Dementor behind you—"

"Ooooooh," a girl suddenly squealed.

Sphen turned to see what she was looking at. Hagrid had brought out the creatures for their lessons. They looked like horses except that their legs, wings and head were that of a giant eagle. They had steel-colored beaks and large brilliant eyes. Hagrid held their leashes in his giant hand.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily. "Beautiful, aren't they?"

Sphen saw Goshien cock her head to the side and look at them in confusion. Sphen could sort of see what Hagrid meant. They were pretty cool once you got around the fact that they were half horse and half bird.

"Now, if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer—"

Sphen saw Neville duck behind a tree while himself, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Goshien and Sarah walked closer.

"Now the firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud," began Hagrid. "Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't ever insult one. 'Cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

Sphen noticed that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle weren't listening. They were probably coming up with the best way to disrupt the lesson.

"Yeh always let the hippogriff make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see. Yeh walk toward him and yeh bow, then get away from him quick, cause those talons hurt. Now...Who wants ter go first?"

Sarah got very interested in her shoes while Goshien was staring up at the sky. It didn't seem like anybody in their right minds wanted to go near a creature whose talons hurt if you were slow. Sphen got the impression that Hagrid had a different definition of what was dangerous and what wasn't.

"No one?" asked Hagrid with a pleading look.

"I'll do it," said Harry finally.

"Oooh, no, Harry remember your tea leaves!" said two girls behind Sphen.

He's goner, thought Sphen. They'll be sending him back in pieces. Now now...Sphen. Harry has done a lot of dangerous things. He can handle a hippogriff. SHUT UP!

Harry was now bowing to the hippogriff, Buckbeak. He stepped away from the hippogriff and then it finally bowed back to Harry.

"There yeh go Harry," grinned Hagrid. "I think he'll let you ride him."

Sphen noticed that Harry looked about as willing to ride that hippogriff as he would be to poke out his own eyeballs. But Harry climbed onto the back of Buckbeak anyway and they took off. It flew around the paddock several times and then touched down.

"All righ' who else wants a go?" said Hagrid. A girl with brown, shoulder length hair and glasses raised her hand. Sphen didn't know who it was. The only thing he knew was that she was a Gryffindor.

"All righ' Leah come into the paddock and bow ter Buckbeak," instructed Hagrid.

The girl, Leah, climbed in and repeated what Harry had just done. When Leah was done riding, everyone practiced with a hippogriff. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak while Harry, Ron and Hermione practiced on another one. And next to them were Sarah and Goshien with a hippogriff named Clover. Sphen and Leah practiced with a hippogriff named Lucky.

"I've never seen you around here before," said Leah with an American accent.

"Just transferred here with Sarah and Goshien," replied Sphen.

"Oh, I transferred here last year too. From an American school," said Leah.

"Oh."

Then Sphen heard several things at once. He heard Malfoy say something and then a scream of pain. Then he looked and saw Sarah and Goshien laughing uncontrollably on the ground.

"That—stupid—idiot!" was all he could get out of Goshien as she gasped between breaths.

Sphen looked over and saw Hagrid wrestling Buckbeak; a deep gash was on Malfoy's arm. The class followed as Hagrid ran up to the castle with Malfoy. Sphen found out from Harry that Malfoy had insulted the hippogriff and it had taken a swipe at Malfoy, creating the gash on his arm.

"They should fire him right away," said a Slytherin girl.

"I don't know if you're blind or not," remarked Sphen dryly, "but it was Malfoy's fault. He didn't listen to Hagrid."

Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles next to the girl.

"Oh, what are you guys going to do? Kill me with your stupidity?" challenged Sphen.

Then Crabbe (or Goyle—it was kind of hard to tell them apart) charged him and Sphen got tackled. Oh hell no he just didn't. Sphen felt blood rush to his ears and he got angry. Sphen knew what was going to happen but he didn't care. All he knew was that he was throwing fireballs at Crabbe's direction.

Sphen was only pulled out it by Goshien when she started drawing his energy out of him. When he came out of his daze, he saw that all he had been doing was setting the Forbidden Forest on fire. He had totally missed Crabbe.

"That is quite enough, Ishitaka," said Professor McGonagall, who had went down to the class after Malfoy had been brought into the hospital wing. "Detention with me. Tonight at seven o'clock." She then turned on her heel and went to put out the fire.

Wonderful. Not only did you miss but you also got detention. I have to get a grip on this, thought Sphen.

He and everyone else walked back up the castle.