"Marriage?!" she exclaimed. Everyone turned and looked at her. Aly turned red, both from anger and embarrassment.

"Marriage, Alyson. To someone...with brown hair and brown eyes," she said dramatically. She studied the leaves. "You will live a long life." She squinted at the leaves. "However...you could possibly lose someone you love." Aly frowned. "Aha! You miss someone very dear to your heart, don't you?"

"Possibly," Aly said narrowing her eyes. Everyone looked around to see who possibly had brown hair and brown eyes. Aly gulped. Is that why I've been having that dream! Trelawney smiled and walked over to Amanda.

"You, my dear, your tea leaves read that you will be successful and live a long life." Amanda frowned.

"That's it?"

"Would you prefer a grim prediction?" Trelawney asked, raising an eyebrow. She turned and looked at Harry and Ron. "Harry Potter!" she exclaimed. Harry looked up from his leaves, surprised. Aly turned around. Trelawney was pointing at his cup.

"The Grim," she whispered dramatically.

"The who?" Ron asked.

"The Grim! My boy...that means someone will die." Aly gulped. Ron rolled his eyes, but Harry peered into his cup nervously.

"Have you seen the Grim anywhere else?" she asked hesitantly.

He narrowed his eyes like Aly. "Possibly."

"Oh!" Trelawney cried as stalked away. She waved her hands in the air wildly. Aly raised an eyebrow at Ron. The bell rang. "Read. Page sixty-seven and give me a four inch summary. Away with you!"

Aly got up and looked at Trelawney weirdly. She was muttering to herself.

"That woman really is crazy."

"Gather roun' now, gather round!" Hagrid exclaimed. Aly hesitantly stepped closer. It was her first Care of Magical Creatures class, and today's lesson was quite scary.

"He's a hippogriff!" Hagrid exclaimed proudly.

"A what?" Harry asked, peering at it.

"A hippogriff," Hagrid repeated obviously. Hippogriffs are magical creatures with a horse's hindquarters, and the wings, talons, and head of a bird.

"Now. I need a volunteer," he yelled over the crowd of students. Other hippogriffs were tethered on the other side of the crowd. "Harry!"

Aly looked at Harry, who looked at Hagrid nervously.

"Come up, that's a lad!" he said heartily. Harry looked at Ron and stepped up nervously. Aly felt someone grab her hand.

"It's me," Damien's voice said behind her.

"Where were you?"

"Had a bit of a run in with Peeves," he whispered back. Aly rolled her eyes.

"We're studying hippogriffs today," she said out of the corner of her mouth.

"Hippo-what?"

"Hippogriffs," she said pointing to the one Harry was standing in front of.

"Now," Hagrid said. "Bow to him."

"Bow?" Harry asked.

"Bow low. Respectfully now, don' insult him," Hagrid answered. Harry gulped and bowed low.

"Make eye contact with Buckbeak the whole way!" Hagrid added. Harry bent down low, never breaking eye contact. Everyone waited. Suddenly the hippogriff bent down, too. Hagrid applauded.

"Grea' job! Now, climb onto his back."

"Excuse me?" Harry said. Hagrid lifted him up on Buckbeak.

"What? Wait, Hagrid-"

Buckbeak suddenly took flight. Aly gasped and watched as Buckbeak ascended into the air.

"Harry!" Ron called. Buckbeak continued flying and went out of sight.

"That's...amazing!" Damien exclaimed. Hagrid grinned. Buckbeak returned in a few minutes and landed.

"Now, how 'bout everyone gets themselves settled by a hippogriff?"

Aly grinned. Everyone walked over to a hippogriff excitedly. She spotted a hippogriff with blue feathers and golden eyes. She approached it cautiously.

"Bow," she muttered to herself, summoning all of her pride. She bowed low to the ground, never breaking eye contact with the hippogriff. She waited. The hippogriff bowed to her. Aly straightened up and grinned. She stroked it head softly. It squawked softly.

"That one's Cosmos," Hagrid said walking over to her.

"I like him," Aly said softly. "This was a really good lesson, Hagrid."

"Really? I hoped so," he said beaming.

"Argh! Stupid bird!" Malfoy's voice screamed. Aly turned around and saw Malfoy on the ground. Buckbeak squawked loudly. Malfoy was clutching his arm. It was bleeding. "That stupid bird scratched me!"

"Lemme take you to the hospital wing, they'll patch you up!" Hagrid said, picking him up nervously.

"You just wait until my father hears about this!" he yelled as they left. Aly sighed and watched them go. She stroked Cosmos.

"If I know Malfoy, he'll do anything to get rid of Hagrid," she sighed to Cosmos. Cosmos snorted in Malfoy's direction.

"Yeah, he's a prat. We all know that."