Pure

Gryffindor

"'eh, come on up 'ere, 'igurashi." Hagrid motioned her forward, grinning as the small girl blinked curiously up at him from beneath her lashes. Grinning wider, he motioned toward the creature gnawing on the grass a few feet away. "Go on and give 'er a try."

"Three galleons says that that beast puts a hole through her chest," Draco Malfoy snickered to his friends. His gray eyes bore into her soul, taunting her, while she threw a quick glance over her shoulder toward the Slytherin git.

"Oh, Draco," Pansy giggled, waving her hand. Then, her own smirk in place, she became serious, saying, "I'll bet you ten that that unicorn takes one look at her, turns into a nightmare, and tries to gnaw her face off!"

"A nightmare?" another student asked.

Sneering in the direction of the muggle-born Gryffindor, Pansy stuck her nose in the air. "Don't you know?" she scowled. "If a unicorn doesn't find you worthy, it'll turn nasty. There are stories about how unicorns used to poison young witches that didn't possess the purity to approach them, and then they'd come back to feast upon them later!"

"Shut up, will you, Pansy," Hermione Granger huffed. "Those are only stories."

Hagrid coughed loudly, saying, "Now, now, class. 'igurashi, if you will."

Shuffling her feet around, the young Higurashi witch finally squared her shoulders when she heard the distinct snickering of Draco Malfoy and his posse. She would not be made fun of by them, of all people. So, breathing deeply, she moved forward slowly, as Hagrid had cautioned, and reached her hand out toward the creature standing a few good yards from her.

The unicorn glanced up at the movement, flaring its nostrils. If anything, it looked ready to bolt.

Swallowing thickly, Higurashi Kagome closed her eyes and prayed that it would be all right. She, after all, was a muggle-born herself, and she was not entirely certain whether or not a unicorn had the twisted nature to poison people through magic. But, she supposed, if Hermione Granger said they were only stories, than they had to be—

The smooth fur pressed into the palm of her hand, causing her to snap her eyes open. She glanced up quickly, mindful of the long, sharp horn pointed in her direction, as she came to the realization that the unicorn had come to her of its own accord.

Hagrid beamed, clapping, "Ah! Good work, 'igurashi, good work!"

The Slytherin students present could only sneer.

"Ten galleons, eh?" Hermione huffed.