AN: So if I begged forgiveness, would any of you give it? I'm very sorry that I let this story just sit here; I lost my inspiration and got wrapped up in other stories. I know that doesn't make it up to you, but I am sorry and will hopefully be able to finish this story.

Just a quick note, I have received comments about how Harry and Hermione are not being portrayed the way they are in the book, but that's the point. If I wanted to read about the characters just as they were written, I would reread the books.

I'm trying to create an amazing story, with strong individuals that are able to stand on their own, as well as to morph into a group. So if you don't like the way they are being written, I apologize and suggest you find a new story. I'll be extremely sorry to lose any of you as readers, but I'm not going to snap them back into JKR's portrayal.

Also, I don't understand the population of Hogwarts at all! There are supposed to be around 800 – 1000 students, but there are only 10 students per year mentioned, so that leaves 20 or so students missing in each year and house. Also, the Gryffindor dormitory is confusing, as if there are about 30 students per year, than there would have to be more dormitories, and the Gryffindor Tower doesn't seem large enough.

So in this story, there are more, unknown students and the tower is magically enhanced, like the tents in GoF. But like JKR, I'm not going to give that much focus to something that doesn't really have much significance. Just know that when you see names you don't recognize, it's because they're made up!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related, nor am I making a profit off this story.

Chapter Seven: Blossoming Friendships and a Stupid Slytherin

Harry slowly made his way into the library in his trunk, body aching from the workouts he'd put himself through the past two days. He hoped that he'd build up his muscles quickly, as the young wizard did not relish the thought of suffering from a sore body for an extended period of time. The manual in the gym had mentioned that it'd take time for him to build up his endurance; Harry just prayed the time passed quickly.

"Good morning, sweetie." Lily's cheerful voice greeted him as he walked into the room, brightening his morning. He'd had another nightmare the night before, causing him to shoot awake at two in the morning and he had trouble getting back to sleep.

"Morning, mum, dad." He replied, giving the portraits a small smile as he settled into the plush chair behind the desk. He pulled out the book on Goblin customs he'd been reading on the train, as he'd already read up on his arithmancy and still couldn't get his monster book open.

"How was your first day?" James questioned, since Harry hadn't visited them the day before. Harry sat the book down and looked up at his parents, still a little overwhelmed at having them to talk to whenever he wanted.

"It was good, until potions, that is. The morning was great. I had Herbology, which I'm not very good at, but then we had Defense, which was brilliant. Our new professor let us face a boggart instead of lecturing. Well…not all of us; I didn't get a chance to do it, which was a little disappointing.

"It's the strangest thing, but I feel like I should know the Defense professor. Which doesn't make any sense, seeing as I don't really know that many people in the Wizarding world outside of school." Harry shrugged, not too bothered by the mystery. It was just a strange feeling.

"Who's the professor?" Lily asked, wondering if maybe it was someone he'd known when he was a baby, before…before.

"Remus Lupin." Harry supplied, getting the nagging feeling he should recognize the name again. He wasn't expecting James and Lily to burst into large smiles.

"Remus Lupin? He was one of the Marauders, Harry. I'm sure I've mentioned him, so that's why his name was familiar." James said, joy filling his heart at the thought of his friend.

"Really? He knew you guys?" Harry's eyes got wide, the possibility of actually knowing someone who'd been friends with his parents sending excitement spiraling through him. Having their portraits was great, but it'd be extraordinary to have a physical connection to his dead parents, such as an old friend.

"He was one of my best friends. He and Lily were the master minds behind a lot of our pranks. It's strange though, that he's teaching here. With all the anti-werewolf laws, I'm surprised Dumbledore was allowed to appoint him." Lily's brow furrowed as she contemplated his words before coming to the most likely conclusion.

"Unless no one knows about Remus. His secret wasn't exposed before we made these portraits, so it's possible that it's still secret to this day. But it's too much of a coincidence that Remus was brought in at the same time that Sirius escaped from Azkaban." Lily murmured, bringing James down from his high.

"You're right, Lils. He obviously wanted to keep an eye on him incase Sirius tries to contact him. And maybe to offer Harry a connection to us as well."

"Okay, hold on just a minute." Harry said, raising his hands to try and stop his parents' conversation. Two pairs of eyes met his as they quieted down, waiting for him to continue.

"You're telling me that Remus Lupin, my Defense teacher, is a werewolf?" James fidgeted in his frame, clearly not having meant to reveal such a secret.

"Yes, Harry. But it wasn't something he chose; he was attacked when he was only a child. Remus is one of the gentlest men I've ever met, so I would hate for you to begin to fear him for something he cannot help." Lily spoke quietly, her mother voice coming out. Harry could almost literally feel the pressure of her words and the desire not to disappoint her.

"I…should he really be around so many people, though?" He muttered, the picture of a giant wolf snarling coming to mind.

"Hogwarts is safe for him, don't worry. Dumbledore, no matter his faults, would never let someone with the potential to be dangerous in the castle without a plan already in place." James said, not wanting to reveal the reason behind the Whomping Willow, since he'd already said too much.

"I guess so. Professor Lupin seems like a nice guy and it sucks that that happened to him." Harry said, feeling sorry for the man. It explained the scarring, however.

"He is; I'm sure you'll end up liking him a lot. Just don't judge him, Harry." Lily responded, giving him a soft smile that he returned.

"As long as he doesn't try to bite me, I think I can do that." James let out a laugh at his son's words, glad he seemed oddly mature for his age.

He'd not have been surprised if he'd, a mere 13 year old, had gone screaming in fear to the Headmaster, demanding Remus's resignation. The man within the portrait was extremely proud of the young man Harry was turning into, despite all the horrifying things he'd had to live through.

"And, son, please keep this to yourself." Harry nodded at James in acknowledgement before he checked his watch, noting it was close to breakfast time. He hadn't used his dad's watch that morning, not wanting to over use it, so he needed to get out of the trunk before his roommates woke up.

"I gotta get going. I'll see you guys later." He waved bye to them before quickly exiting the trunk, faintly hearing his dad start to try and come up with a way to use Remus to clear Sirius's name.

When he emerged from the trunk, goblin book in hand, he saw that the others were just starting to stir. He debated waking Ron, but since they didn't have class until after lunch, he wasn't sure if his friend would even stir until then. Deciding to leave him in peace, Harry made his way down to the common room, where he was surprised to find Ginny, charms book in her lap.

"Morning, Gin." Harry said quietly as he joined her, sitting in the chair across from hers. Ginny gave a startled yelp, eyes flying up to meet his as her pulse jerked in her chest from fright.

"You scared me!" She said, palm going to her chest to try and stop the pounding. Harry blushed a little, not having meant to frighten her.

"Sorry." Ginny gave a good natured sigh and smiled, letting him know he was forgiven.

"You're up really early." Harry observed as he got comfortable in his chair. Ginny's eyes darted down to focus on the book in her lap, face flushing.

"I, uh…I had trouble sleeping." The wizard looked back up at her, taking note of the dark bruises under her eyes that hadn't lessened since he'd first seen her in Diagon Alley.

"Nightmares?" She shrugged, embarrassed that he'd discovered that she was still so weak as to be suffering from night terrors.

"I'm sorry, Gin. I know how horrible they are. I've been having them too, which is why I'm up too." Okay, so the last part wasn't completely true, but it was close enough to it that he didn't feel that bad about it.

"R-Really?" The thought that her hero was also a victim of nightmares made her look up, a hopeful look on her face. She didn't want Harry to have nightmares, but the knowledge that he did was reassuring to the young witch. Because if Harry struggled with demons, then she must not be as weak as she'd been thinking she was since the summer.

"Yeah. They've gotten bad since the dementor on the train. I wish there was a way to just get a good night's sleep, you know." Harry mumbled.

"Yeah. The only thing I can think of is Dreamless Sleep Potion, but it's very addictive. My mum's told me stories of people getting so hooked on it that they died from being so tired their bodies just shut down or overdosing on the potion." Ginny said, giving a shudder as she recalled the tales. She wasn't sure if they were completely true or were embellished to frighten young children, but they made her very weary of using the potion none the less.

"Sounds awful." The boy responded, getting a nod of affirmative from Ginny.

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, both returning to their books. They read for a good half hour before students began emerging from the staircases, many headed to the Great Hall with a quiet hello to the two.

"Guess it's time to get some breakfast." Ginny sighed, not really hungry, but knowing she needed to eat. She needed to get healthy and skipping meals was not the way to go about getting there.

"Yeah. I'm just gonna wait for Hermione if you wanted to go down together." Harry said, eyes peering at the girls' staircase.

"Uh, sure." She whispered, cheeks flushing.

"Mornin' Harry." The boy looked over at Neville's voice, giving his friend a grin.

"I'm surprised you're up. The others don't seem to want to come down 'til lunch." Neville gave an embarrassed shrug.

"I…uh, Gran has me on this…I have to eat at certain times." He mumbled, mortified he'd actually just revealed that his grandmother had him on a diet.

"Oh, well we're waiting for Hermione if you wanted to go down with us."

"Sure, thanks." The pudgy boy leaned against a chair, stomach still churning. He hated that he seemed to be the odd one out of his roommates, as all the others were very small. It didn't help that he was always getting teased by the Slytherins about his weight.

"Did someone mention me?" Hermione asked, smiling at the three as she descended the stairs.

She might have overreacted the night before to Ginny's apparent apathy for classes, so she was just going to let it go. Not everyone was as dedicated to their studies as she was and the muggleborn would just have to accept that if she didn't want to drive people away. She didn't want to go back to being the bookworm with no friends.

"Good morning, Hermione." Harry said, standing and slipping his large tome under his arm. From the bag slung over his friend's shoulder, it was clear she meant to spend the morning in the library, even though it was only the second day of school.

"Where's Ron?" She asked as they all started towards the exit.

"Still sleepin'. And snorin'." Neville replied, making Harry and Ginny both chuckle. They knew first hand just how loud Ronald could get. It was a miracle any of the boys got sleep at all with him in the room.

"Oh. I don't know why that surprises me." The group shared a laugh at Hermione's words as they made their way into the Great Hall. The four Gryffindors quickly took their places at the long table, their plates soon piled with food as they continued to chat.

Harry noticed that Ginny picked at most of her food, only taking a small bite every once in a while. He was worried about her lack of appetite, but knew she'd be embarrassed if he drew attention to it. Besides, it was only the beginning of school and she was still dealing with her inner demons, so he determined that the best he could do for her was to just be there in case she ever needed to talk.

As the only two people who'd ever survived Voldemort's attack, Harry felt connected to the small redhead in a way that he couldn't really describe. Now that he was actually paying attention to her and seeing her as 'Ginny' instead of 'Ron's little sister', he found that he had the urge to protect her and help her heal. Which was a little mortifying to the thirteen year old.

"So are you looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures?" Hermione asked, eyes glancing between the two boys as she buttered a slice of toast.

"I'm sure Hagrid will make it memorable, at the very least." Harry replied with a shrug, glancing up at the teacher's table to see the giant chatting happily with Professor Flitwick.

He spotted Remus Lupin speaking with McGonagall and had to fight the urge to go ask him about his parents. He'd give the man some time before that conversation was brought up.

"I'm nervous, to be honest." Neville said, remembering the huge dog that belonged to the groundskeeper.

"Well, it can't be too dangerous, I'm sure." Hermione said, even though she had a slight knot of anxiety in her stomach. Imagines of Norbert and Fluffy flashed in her mind, reminding her that Hagrid did not have the same sense of self-preservation as everyone else.

"Nothing can be worse than a three-headed dog, right?" Harry joked, also remembering the giant dog. The three exchanged a nervous look, all getting more worried the longer they thought of it.

"Right. So Ginny, what classes do you have today?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject and get their minds off the possibilities of Hagrid's first lesson.

"Uh, I just have Charms this morning. I'm free after that." The girl replied, taking a bite of eggs.

"Really? Just the one course?" Harry asked, surprised. Sure, they didn't have class until after lunch, but they had two classes between meal times. So it was a surprise that Ginny only had the one.

"Yeah. I don't know who made the schedules this year, but I love them." She replied with a smile, which the black haired boy returned. She was amazed at how at ease she was beginning to feel around Harry, since it'd only been a few days since they'd actively started talking. She just felt like he wouldn't judge her as most others did, and she was so very thankful for that.

"Lucky. I've got Arithmancy after Care of Magical Creatures and I'm doubting my decision to take it. I've gone through the text and it looks so confusing." Harry said with a grimace, making the short girl hide a snicker behind her hand.

"Nonsense Harry, I'm sure Professor Vector will make it enjoyable, yet challenging." The bushy haired girl spoke up, earning a slight eye roll and grin from him.

"I've got Divination with Professor Trelawney. I've never even seen her in the last two years." Neville said, showing he was reluctant to attend the class.

"I haven't either. I didn't even know the class exited until we got our forms. Good luck, mate. I'm sure it'll be…interesting." Harry responded, clapping the boy on the back. The larger boy gave a pathetic sigh, figuring he should have chosen a different class. But he'd wanted an easy O to make his Gran happy, so he was stuck with it.

When done, Ginny headed to Charms while the third years separated, the two boys headed back to the common room and Hermione off to the library. The rest of the morning was spent in peace, Harry reading about goblins while Neville worked on his potions essay, which Harry was happy to help with when he could.

Ron finally emerged around 10:30, complaining about hunger. Harry shared the candy that was left over from the train, glad he had something to quiet his friend. He loved Ron like a brother, but the boy really was annoying when his stomach was grumbling.

/*/

Harry was glad to get out of the castle after lunch, feeling a little confined after an entire morning sitting in the common room. The quartet, which had absorbed Neville, made their way to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, glad they only had to make the long trek twice a week. When they spotted the familiar backs and green lined robes, they all shared a sigh.

"So much for a peaceful day." Ron muttered, glaring at Draco's back. Harry silently concurred, even though he was still optimistic that the young Malfoy would pull his head out of his arse.

Hagrid was waiting for the class at the door of his hut, a broad smile on his face. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start. He reminded Harry of Dudley on his birthday or Christmas, waiting for his presents to be given.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the students approached.

"Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me."

The students all shared an apprehensive look, not sure if Hagrid would actually lead them into the Forbidden Forest or not. But as they followed, the half-giant led them around the trees until they came to a clearing that housed some sort of paddock. An empty paddock.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" He called out, pointing to where they should stand.

"That's it—make sure yeh can see—now firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books—"

"How?" Draco questioned, voice cold as he gave the huge man a disdainful look. Harry glared at him, even if he was wondering the same, making the blonde boy stiffen a little.

"Eh?"

"How do we open the books?" Malfoy repeated.

He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. The other students took theirs out too; some, like Harry, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.

"Hasn'—hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" asked Hagrid, looking crestfallen. The students all shook their heads negatively.

"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em." Hagrid explained, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Look—" He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite his large hands, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

"Oh, how silly we've all been! We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!" Malfoy sneered, causing the groundskeeper to frown.

"I—I thought they were funny." Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione.

"They're fine, Hagrid. Malfoy's just upset the book messed up his hair." Harry said, glaring at the Slytherin, silently reminding him of the power he'd put behind his threat on the train. The blonde boy crossed his arms, glaring back at him.

"Righ' then. So—so yeh've got yer books an'—an'—now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on…" Hagrid strode away into the forest and out of sight.

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

"Do you need a repeat, Malfoy?" Harry asked, striding closer to the annoying teen with a fierce glare.

The two boys seemed to be locked in a silent battle of wills, confusing the on looking students who didn't know about their train ride conversation. Crabbe and Goyle looked uncertainly between them, not sure if they should get involved or not. The tense moment was broken suddenly by Lavender Brown, who 'oohed' loudly.

Turning toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliantly orange eyes.

The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather color around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of them were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures.

"Gee up, there!" He roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as the man reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence.

"Hippogriffs! Beau'iful, aren' they?" He roared happily, waving a hand at them.

Harry stared at the creatures, trying to see what Hagrid did. As he got over the shock of seeing such a strange animal, he could appreciate the hippogriffs' gleaming coats, which changed smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black.

"So, if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer—" Hagrid beamed and motioned for them to step closer to the fence. But no one seemed to want to, all fearful of the large beasts. The trio shared a look before they stepped forward cautiously.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud. Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do." He said seriously, stressing the importance of what he was saying.

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle weren't listening; they were talking in an undertone and Harry had a nasty feeling they were plotting how best to disrupt the lesson. The arrogant Slytherin evidently wasn't taking their conversation seriously, which meant that he would need to be put in his place.

"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move. It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn't bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt." Hagrid continued.

The rest of the class passed smoothly, with Harry actually getting to ride the hippogriff named Buckbeak. It was an experience he wasn't sure he wanted to repeat quickly, but it had been amazing none the less. He still preferred his broom, but riding on the animal's back had made him feel very…powerful.

Things only got ugly when he heard Malfoy's snide remarks as he pet a disdainful Buckbeak. Harry made his way over, not knowing what the boy had planned, but not wanting him to ruin Hagrid's class.

"This is very easy. I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it…I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you? Are you, you great ugly brute?"

"Malfoy, NO!" Harry shouted, diving forward as the hippogriff reared back at the insult. He impacted hard with the blonde and fire shot through his side, making his eyes water and a groan to be ripped from his throat.

"What—get off me!" Malfoy pushed at him, trying to dislodge the other teen's weight.

Harry cringed as he pushed himself away, his side throbbing. He glanced down and was shocked to see his robes and shirt were torn, bare skin exposed and covered in three long scratches that were bleeding.

Looking up, he met the horrified eyes of his fellow students as Hagrid led a shameful Buckbeak back over to the others, recollared.

"Harry! Oh, you're bleeding. Are you alright?" Hermione rushed up to him, worry making her movements jerky as she peered at his injury. Harry pressed his hand against the wound, trying to stop the blood flow.

"I'm fine." Turning to Malfoy, Harry glared so darkly at him that the Slytherin felt a shiver of fear.

"You are so stupid! I thought purebloods were supposed to be better, smarter than everyone else. And yet, here you are, being a complete arse! You could have gotten killed, you idiot." He wasn't sure when he'd started yelling, but by the end of it Malfoy was paper white with shock.

"C'mon, Harry, need ter get yeh ter the 'ospital wing." Hagrid said, trying to remain calm as one of his students bled out onto the grass.

The Gryffindor shot another nasty look at Draco before heading out of the paddock and towards the castle, his friends and housemates closing ranks around him to block him from the Slytherins.

"'m so sorry, Harry." Hagrid mumbled, ashamed he'd gotten his friend hurt in the first lesson.

"It's alright, Hagrid. Malfoy was asking for it." Harry replied, giving the large man a smile to let him know he wasn't angry. They rest of the students were left at the entrance, Harry being escorted up the grand staircase by Hagrid and his friends. They made it up to the Hospital Wing without incident.

"Second day of school and you've already ended up here." Madame Pomfrey shook her head in disbelief as she shuffled around the bed she'd pointed him to sit on.

"Ah, you know me, I can't stay away." He replied with a smile, making the nurse have to fight back a chuckle.

"Indeed." She replied and set to healing him, watching as the blood vanished and his skin knit back together.

"There, you're all fixed up. Try to stay out of harm for a few weeks." Harry nodded as he got off the bed and made his way towards the doors, where the others waited. Hagrid was twisting his huge hands nervously, still guilt-ridden for the episode.

"Hagrid, really, it's alright. I'm not going to make a fuss about it. Accidents happen." Harry reassured, patting him on the arm as the group left the hospital wing.

"I jus'…"

"I'm really alright, Hagrid. You're class was awesome before Malfoy's idiocy."

"Yeah, it was a great start of the year." Ron supplied, trying to make the huge man feel better. Hermione gave him a small smile, proud that he was trying.

"I…I best get them put away." Hagrid mumbled before he made his way down the stairs, relieved that Harry was okay. He didn't even want to think about what would have happened if it'd been Malfoy who'd gotten injured.

"You should go get changed, Harry. Arithmancy starts in a little while and you don't want to be late for the first day." Hermione said, heading towards the common room to grab her book. She hadn't been willing to put it in her bag with the monster book, afraid the Spellotape might break and it's eat the other, helpless text.

"Yeah, mate, you look banged up." Ron said, pointing to his ripped robes. Harry was glad he'd gotten more clothes that summer, as he'd hate to be down to only a few uniforms the way he would have been last year.

/*/

Ginny looked up from her notes when Harry threw himself into the chair next to hers, groaning and rubbing at his forehead. Hermione waved at her as she sat in the third chair, pulling out her own notebook.

"What's wrong?" The red head asked, glancing between the two third years. Ron was over by the window, having coerced Shamus into a game of chess, so she knew it at least didn't have anything to do with her brother.

"Arithmancy." Harry moaned, as if the one word answered the question entirely. Ginny turned confused eyes to the other girl, who was fighting back a small amused smirk as she paged through her notes.

"It seems the class was harder than Harry originally thought. I think it's going to be a brilliant course." Hermione supplied, snickering as Harry groaned louder at her answer.

"My head feels like it's going to explode!" Ginny bit her lip at his pouting, thinking he was adorable.

"Well, can you ask to be removed from the class, since it's only the second day?" She questioned, making Harry's head pop up and a hopeful look appear on his face.

His eyes, so clear and beautiful, zeroed in on the brunette, begging her to say it was possible. She was still unnerved by the direct gaze, but Hermione was determined not to let him weasel out of the class.

"Do you really want to tell McGonagall you want out of Arithmancy after only one class? What would she think of that?" At her quirked brow, Harry slumped back in his chair.

Hermione knew how to guilt trip with the best of them, that was for sure. There was no way he could ask McGonagall to change his schedule just because he found the subject more challenging than he'd imagined. She'd think he was a dunderhead!

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." Ginny said, giving him an encouraging smile that he returned.

"Let's hope so." He sighed again before pulling out his Arithmancy book, wanting to go back over the chapter before he tried to do the homework problems. He only read for a half hour before he let Ron pull him into a chess game, not wanting to spend his entire Friday night doing homework.

He was even able to persuade Ginny to come join them, which soon evolved into a game of exploding snap as Ron just kept kicking his butt at chess. Hermione eventually wandered over, having finished her Arithmancy homework in record time.

The common room quickly filled with laughter as the twins and their friend Lee Jordan joined in, until almost all of the Gryffindor third and fourth years were caught up in the game.

It was a great way to start out the school year and Harry hoped the rest of the year passed in much the same way.

AN: So if y'all would like me to continue, please review. I'm having trouble with the next chapter and won't bother if you guys don't want to read more. So let me know!