Chapter 23: Hagrid and the Hippogriffs

AN: THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!

The next morning, I woke up to the sun shining through the window of the dormitory. I hoped out of bed and changed into my robes before meeting Bella, Edward, and Rosalie in the common room and heading down to breakfast.

The first thing I saw when we entered was Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin table surrounded by a group of people. When I walked past him, he did an imitation of a fainting spell, followed by a roar of laughter by everyone around him.

"Just ignore him," Bella muttered in my ear.

"Hey, Brandon!" Pansy Parkinson yelled at me. "The dementors are coming, Brandon! Woooo."

I walked right by her and sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Fred Weasley, who was eating a bowl of oatmeal. "What's the matter, Alice?" he asked with his mouth full.

"Malfoy," Edward said, sitting across from Fred next to Bella. "He's been doing that stupid imitation of Alice since he found out she fainted last night."

"Oh, thanks for bringing it up again, Edward," I said sarcastically.

"That little git," Fred said, shooting a dark look at Malfoy, who collapsed onto the ground to the cheers of the Slytherin's. "He wasn't so cocky last night. He came running into our compartment, didn't he, George?"

"Nearly wet himself," Emmett added as George nodded in agreement.

"I wasn't happy myself," Jasper said, shivering slightly. "Those dementors are horrible creatures. Sort of freeze your insides."

"You didn't pass out, did you?" I asked glumly.

"Aw, cheer up, Alice," Fred said, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Dad had to go to Azkaban once on Ministry business. He said it was the worst place he had ever been. He was shaking when he came back—took him a week to recover from that trip. Dementors suck the happiness out of that place. Most of the prisoners go mad within a month."

"Besides," Jasper added, "We'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match. Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season!"

I smiled when he said that—last time I had played Malfoy, he had come off looking much worse. Maybe history would repeat itself. I put two hotcakes on my plate and drowned them in syrup. Across from me, Bella was engrossed in her new schedule.

"Oh, yay," she said happily. "We're starting new subjects today."

"Bells, they messed up your schedule," Edward said, grabbing the piece of parchment from her hands. "Look—they're got you down for ten subjects a day. I mean, look—nine o'clock, Divination. Underneath that, nine o'clock, Arithmancy. And look," he said, shocked, "Underneath that, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. I mean, I know you're good, Bella, but no one is that good. How are you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Edward. Of course I won't be in three classes at once."

"But—"

"Oh, why do you care if my schedule is a bit full? I fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

I looked around for Harry when I noticed the Great Hall starting to empty. I looked down at my schedule and saw we had Divination first. "C'mon, guys," I said. "We have Divination, and it'll take a while to get there—the North Tower is the farthest tower from here."

Bella, Edward, and Rosalie nodded. The four of us got up from the table, said goodbye to Jasper, Emmett, and the Weasleys, then headed out of the Great Hall. I saw Emmett give Rosalie a lingering glance as we walked out, but didn't think anything of it.

We made our way down the corridors and through Hogwarts until we were panting and out of breath.

"There—has—to—be—a—shorter—way—" Edward huffed as we trudged up the stairs towards the North Tower. Eventually, we reached the landing, where the rest of the class was waiting. Dean and Seamus were leaning against the wall while Ron, Hermione, and Harry were seated in the corner.

"Alice!" Harry cried when he saw me, jumping to his feet. "Alice, I've been looking all over for you! I need to talk to you," he said, grabbing my hand.

"Okay," I said, standing in front of the line of people with my broom slung over my shoulder, "We're going to start the chaser tryouts now. I want each of you to fly down the pitch, dodge the Beaters who will be playing the opposing chasers, and shoot on the goal."

I looked over the line, composed of Rosalie, Dean, Seamus, Harry, Mike Newton, Demelza Robins, Katie Bell, and Ron Weasley. Somewhere in this group were the three future chasers of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I turned to my ex-boyfriend. "Harry, you're first," I said, attempting to smile. Even though Harry and I had been broken up for a while and we were both in new relationships, there was still the lingering pain of our messy break up.

"Me?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah," I said. "There's nothing to be nervous about. Just do what I said, and try your best." I hesitantly put my hand on his shoulder.

"You can do it, Harry!" a voice called from the stands. I looked over and saw a slender girl with pale blonde hair. Her blue robes contrasted nicely with her pale skin. She smiled widely at her boyfriend and waved while jumping up and down.

Harry smiled at her before hopping onto his broom and pushing off into the air, dodging the opposing chasers effectively and sending the Quaffle through the goal post.

"So, do you forgive me?" he asked, staring at me with his green eyes.

"What?" I said, shaking my head so I could concentrate on the present instead of the vision.

"I said do you forgive me for telling Malfoy about you fainting on the train last night?"

"Of course I do, Harry!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him. "Harry, you're my boyfriend. I know you would never do anything to intentionally hurt me. So, all is forgiven, Harry." He smiled at me as we walked over to rejoin Bella, Edward, Rosalie, Ron, and Hermione.

"So, how are we supposed to get up there?" Edward asked, pointing towards the ceiling there the classroom was supposed to be. As if an invisible spirit heard him, a ladder descended, and the entire class climbed up it and into the room.

There were small tables with four chairs to each table. I winked at Harry as I went to sit with Bella, Edward, and Rosalie. In front of each of us, there was an empty light pink teacup.

"Where the heck is she?" Rosalie whispered, pointing to a sign in the room, which read, "Sibyl Trelawney, Divination." I shrugged my shoulders just as a woman entered the room. She had huge glasses that made her look like an overgrown moth with a large shawl draped over her thin frame.

"Welcome to Divination," she breathed, taking a seat by the chair in front of the fireplace. "I am Professor Trelawney. It is so nice to see you all in the physical world." Nobody said anything. "So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all the magical arts. I must warn you, that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I can do for you. Books will only take you so far in this subject." Edward, Rosalie, and I all glanced at Bella, who looked stunned that a book would not help her succeed in this class.

Professor Trelawney continued. "The Inner Eye is a gift granted to very few witches and wizards. You there," she said, pointing to Seamus. "Is your mother well?"

"Uh, I think so," he said.

"I wouldn't be too sure if I was you," she said. Seamus looked at Dean with a worried glance while Professor Trelawney paid them no attention. "The first term will be devoted to tea leaves. Next term, we will move on to palmistry. By the way, dear," she added, turning her gaze to Lavender. "Beware a man with bronze locks."

Lavender glanced at Edward before scooter her chair closer to Parvati.

"After that, we will progress to the crystal ball. The class will be disrupted by a nasty bout of the flu with me losing my voice, and around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever." The class fell silent with her last prediction. "I wonder, dear," she said to Hermione, "If you could pass me the largest teapot." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief that it was nothing worse. She got out of her seat and handed Professor Trelawney the large silver pot. "Thank you. By the way, the way, the thing you're dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October."

The color flooded out of Hermione's face as she sat back down next to Ron.

"I want you to divide into pairs. Drink the tea until only the drags remain. You will then turn the cup upside down and hand it to your partner. Then, use your copy of Unfogging the Future to interpret the shapes you see."

Once Rosalie and I had drained our teas, we swapped cups and opened our books. "Right, so what do you see?" I asked.

"A load of brown, soggy junk," she said, resting her head in her hands. I saw her eyelids start to droop—the perfumed fire made the room hot and made everyone feel sleepy.

"Broaden your minds," came Professor Trelawney's voice.

"Right," I said, stifling a yawn. "You've got a cross thingy, which means 'trials and suffering'—sorry," I added. "But you've also got this thing that could be a sun, which means happiness. So you're going to suffer, but you're going to be happy about it." I gave her a small smile.

"You need your inner eye tested if you ask me," she said, laughing quietly.

Next to us, Bella and Edward weren't doing much better. "That is not a frog, Edward," Bella said, yanking the cup out of his hands. "It's clearly a tree, can't you see?"

"I'm sorry, but it looks like a frog to me!"

"Okay, my turn," Rosalie said, drawing my attention back to our table. There's this round thing that could be a bowler hat—maybe you're going to work for the Ministry like Dad." She rotated the cup in her hand. "But now it looks like an acorn…" She ran her fingers through her blond curls, and I saw every boy in the room staring at her as she dissected my cup. Rosalie glanced down at her book. "That means a windfall of gold—perfect, you can lend me some—and then there's an animal shape. It looks like a hippo…no, maybe a sheep…" She pouted her lips, and I heard a groan from the table where Seamus and Dean were sitting.

Professor Trelawney swept over to our table and plucked the cup out of Rosalie's hand. "Let me see that, dear." She peered into the cup. "The falcon, dear—you have a deadly enemy."

There was a scoff, and Bella whispered loudly, "Well, everyone knows that." Everyone spun in their seats to stare at her. "Well they do!"

Professor Trelawney ignored her and continued. "The club…an attack. This is not a happy cup. The skull—there is danger in your path." Everyone was staring at Professor Trelawney, engrossed in her analysis of my cup. She turned it once more and let out a shriek, dropping it on the ground. "My dear…my dear…no, it's better not to say."

"What is it?" Lavender asked kindly, moving to Professor Trelawney's side. "You can tell us, Professor."

"My dear," she gasped, looking at me. "You have the Grim."

"Huh?" Obviously, I wasn't the only one who didn't understand. Bella tilted her head to the side while Dean Thomas shrugged his shoulders at me. The rest of the class, however, seemed horrified.

"The Grim, my dear, the Grim! The giant dog that haunts graveyards! The worst omen—the omen of death!"

My stomach dropped. It was the dog—the dog I had seen on Magnolia Crescent when I was running from the Prunley's to avoid Uncle John's wrath. Bella got out of her seat and peered at the tea leaves in the broken cup on the ground. "I don't think it looks like a Grim," she said.

Professor Trelawney frowned. "You'll forgive me, dear, but I detect very little aura around you. Very little perceptivity to the resonance of the future.

Seamus got out of his seat and stood next to Bella. "It kind of looks like a Grim if you do this." He squinted his eyes and looked at the broken cup.

"If you've all decided whether or not I'm going to die!" I said loudly, surprising everyone, including myself. Professor Trelawney looked shocked.

"Yes…I think we'll leave the lesson here for today. If everyone would please pack their things…" Silently, everyone in the class placed their books in their bags before grabbing their things and heading down the trap door. Harry joined Edward, Bella, Rosalie and I as we made our way to Transfiguration. I didn't say anything about what had just happened, and I was glad none of them brought it up.

When I entered Professor McGonagall's room, I took a seat at the back of the room, hoping that would distract everyone from the giant target I could feel on my forehead. Unfortunately, it didn't. Everyone kept turning around to look at me, and I didn't even notice when Professor McGonagall transformed into a cat at the front of the room.

"Really, what is wrong with all of you?" she asked after she had changed back into her normal form. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time I haven't gotten a standing ovation."

"Please, Professor," Bella said. "We've just had our first Divination class and—"

"Ah, say no more, Miss Swan. Tell me, who will be dying this year?"

Everyone looked at her. I raised my hand. "Me."

"I see. You should know, Miss Brandon, that Sibyl Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she has arrived at this school. It is her way of greeting the new class. If it weren't for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues…" Her nostrils flared as her knuckles went white. She shook her head. "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney—" She stopped speaking again, took a deep breath, and continued. "You look in excellent health to me, so forgive me for not excusing you from today's homework. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."

I laughed, feeling better about the Divination class. It was ridiculous—I wasn't going to die.

After Transfiguration had ended, Bella, Edward, Rosalie, and I made our way to the Great Hall for lunch while Harry caught up with his friends.

"Cheer up, Rosalie," Bella said, throwing an arm around her neck. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said."

Rosalie ignored her. "Alice, you haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?" She placed her hand on top of mine, and I immediately went into a trance like usual.

"Aw, what's the matter, Rose?" I asked, taking a seat next to her in the common room one night. I saw tears in her eyes, and I couldn't stand seeing my best friend upset.

"It's nothing," she said, wiping her eyes. "It's stupid."

"Nothing you say is stupid," I reassured her, moving my chair closer to her.

"Well, I miss Emmett," she admitted. "This is the first year I'm not at school with him, and I miss him so much. I mean, you, Bella, and Edward will all be going to that Christmas party Slughorn is hosting, and I'll be here all by myself. I won't even have Emmett here to keep me company." A few tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Rose, I'm sure—"

"Rosalie!" Edward called, racing up to us.

"Edward? What's wrong?"

"It's—you have to come quick!" He pulled her to her feet and dragged her to the portrait hole. I followed, curious to see what was going on. The portrait swung open—and Emmett was standing there with his traditional smile on his face.

"Hey, Rosie," he said. Rosalie shrieked and leapt into his arms while he pulled her into a deep embrace. I stared at them, realizing how much I missed my boyfriend.

I let out a sigh when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around and saw a pair of blue eyes staring down at me. "You didn't think I'd let Emmett sneak into Gryffindor tower without me, did you?" Jasper asked. I clasped my hands to my mouth while he lifted me into the air and pulled me against his chest.

"Alice?" Rosalie asked, waving her hand in front of my face. "What did you see?"

"Just us with Jasper and Emmett," I said.

"Wait, what?" she said, her eyes getting wider. "Did you say me with Emmett? As in, me with Emmett?"

"Rosalie, weren't you asking her something?" Bella said, nudging her in the ribs.

"Oh, yeah. Well, have you seen a Grim anywhere?"

"Yeah," I said, taking a seat at the Gryffindor table. "I saws one the night I left the Prunley's." Rosalie stopped where she was as any color drained from her face.

"A stray," Bella scoffed, sitting down next to me. Both Edward and Rosalie looked like they had just seen a dementor behind me.

"This is bad," Edward said to Rosalie.

"I know," she said. She turned to me and Bella. "My Uncle Billus saw one once, and he died 24 hours later!"

"That's a coincidence," Bella said matter-of-factly, pouring herself a cup of tea.

Edward looked at Bella with shock. "You don't know what you're talking about!" he said angrily. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"

"Well, there you have it!" Bella said, throwing her hands up in the air. "They see a Grim and die of fright. The Grims aren't an omen—they're the cause of death! And Alice is still alive because she's not stupid enough to see one and say 'oh look, a Grim. Better go kick the bucket!'" Bella reached into her bag and pulled out her Arithmancy textbook. She flipped open to a page in the middle, propped the book against a plate, and started reading.

"Divination is a lot of guesswork if you ask me. Very vague and imprecise."

"There was nothing vague about that Grim in the cup!" Rosalie said defensively.

"Please," Bella said, rolling her eyes. "You said you thought it could have been a hippo or sheep."

"You just don't like Divination because Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just can't stand being bad at something for a change!" Rosalie shouted.

She had hit a nerve. Bella slammed her book shut, knocking over my pumpkin juice. She picked it up and threw it in her bag before getting up from the table. "If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens where there aren't any, I'm not sure I'll be studying it any longer! That lesson was rubbish compared to my Arithmancy class!"

Edward looked after her with confusion. "What is she talking about?" he asked."She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet!"

***

After lunch, I headed down to Care of Magical Creatures with Bella, Edward, and Rosalie. Like usual, Edward and Rosalie weren't speaking to Bella, so the four of us walked in silence. I was about to try to get them talking when I saw a white-blond head flanked by two bigger figures—we must have these lessons with the Slytherins.

In front of the group, Hagrid was standing in his moleskin coat, looking excited. "C'mon now, get a move on!" he called to the people behind us. I looked back and saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione walk up to us. "

Hey," Harry said, giving me a hug. "Are you ready for this?"

I nodded. "I just hope the Slytherins don't do anything to mess this up for Hagrid.

"Got a real treat for yehs," Hagrid said happily. "Great lesson comin' up. Everyone here? Right, follow me." I followed him with a sinking feeling—Hagrid wasn't leading us into the Forbidden Forest, was he? I'd been there enough to last a lifetime. Instead, we walked up to a paddock with nothing inside. "Now everyone gather 'round and open yer books ter—"

"How?" came a cold book.

"'Scuse me?"

"How are we supposed to open our books without them ripping our hands off?" Malfoy asked, holding his book up, which was bound together with thick rope. I looked around and saw everyone's books had been shut with something—Edward had his wrapped in spell-o-tape while Bella used a scarf to shut hers.

"Hasn't—hasn't anyone bin able ter open there books?" Hagrid asked with a crestfallen expression. Everyone shook their heads. "Yeh've got the stroke 'em," he said, grabbing Rosalie's book. He pulled off the belt and ran his forefinger down the spine. The book shuddered before falling open in his hand. "I—I thought they were funny."

"Oh, yes," Malfoy sneered. "Books that can bite and rip our skin off. How hilarious."

"Shut up, Malfoy," I said. I wanted Hagrid's first lesson to be a success, so I was not going to let Malfoy ruin it.

"So—er—I'll just go an' get the magical creatures," Hagrid mumbled, walking into the paddock.

"God, this place is going to the dogs," Malfoy said when Hagrid was out of earshot. My father will have a fit when I tell him that oaf is teaching a class."

"Be quiet, Malfoy," I snarled, clenching my fists.

Malfoy, smiling widely, walked towards me. His face turned to fear as he pointed behind me. "D—dementor!" he stuttered. I quickly spun around as all the Slytherins burst into laughter.

"Oooooh!" Hermione squealed, pointing into the paddock. Hagrid had emerged, leading a large bird-like creature with him. More of the creatures were following behind Hagrid. The thing had a long body that was similar to a horse. It also had wings and the head of an eagle. It's sharp beak and piercing eyes made me shiver.

"Git up there," Hagrid said, slapping the front creature on its backside. He galloped forward, and everyone in the class took 20 giant steps back. "Hippogriffs!" Hagrid called. "Beautiful, aren't they?"

I could see what he meant. After the initial shock of seeing an eagle-horse hybrid, I began to appreciate the beauty of how the coats transitioned from fur to feathers. How their smooth coats gleamed handsomely in the sun.

"So, I yeh want to come a bit closer—"

No one seemed to want to move. I looked over at Bella, Edward, and Rosalie, and the four of us approached the paddock.

"Alice, don't do it!" Harry hissed. I ignored him and moved closer to Hagrid and the hippogriffs.

"Now, the firs' thing yeh ought to know about hippogriffs is that they're extremely proud creatures. Don't never insult one, 'cause it may be the last thing yeh ever do." I glanced behind me and saw Harry wringing his hands nervously. I ignored him and went back to listening to Hagrid. "Now, yeh always want the hippogriff to be the one to make the firs' move. It's polite. Who wants to try with Buckbeak here?"

No one said anything.

"Nobody?" he asked, his smile drooping into a frown.

"I'll do it!" I said, climbing through the fence into the paddock.

"Atta girl!" Hagrid said, clapping me on the back with so much force, I fell onto the ground. The rest of the class giggled while Hagrid grabbed my hand and helped me to my feet. Like usual, I didn't go into a vision when Hagrid touched me. Maybe it was something about people who were bigger than most doorways.

"Okay," I said, brushing my robes off. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Now, make eye contact with Buckbeak. Try not ter blink if yeh can—hippogriffs don't trust yeh if yeh blink a lot."

I stared Buckbeak in his orange eye, forcing it to stay open. My eye was watering, but I kept it fixed on Buckbeak.

"Now, bow," Hagrid commanded. I inclined my head, exposing the back of my neck to Buckbeak. I looked up, but saw Buckbeak was still glaring at me with his fierce orange eyes. "Uh, yeh should back up, Alice. Do it slowly," he said in a worried voice.

As I was about to move, Buckbeak surprised everyone. He bent his knees and sank down into a bow.

"Well done, Alice!" Hagrid roared. "Yeh can touch him now if yeh want." Smiling, I moved closer to Buckbeak and stroked his neck. He closed his eyes lazily, clearly enjoying the affection I was giving him. "Okay," Hagrid said, turning to the rest of the class. "Who else wants to try?"

Inspired by my success, the rest of the class climbed into the paddock. They were all paired with a hippogriff. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were with a black one while Edward, Bella, and Rosalie were with a tawny-colored one. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over on Buckbeak.

Malfoy was now petting Buckbeak's beak., looking smug. "I knew this had to be easy," he called loudly so the entire class could hear. "I mean, if Brandon could do it…I bet you're not even dangerous are you, you great ugly brute?"

It happened in a second. Malfoy was on the ground while Buckbeak's talon came down on his shoulder. Buckbeak was screeching over Malfoy's high-pitched screams. Hagrid wrestled Buckbeak off Malfoy and tied him to a post. Buckbeak was still straining to get at Malfoy when Hagrid walked over to him.

"I'm dying…I'm dying," he moaned on the grass, scarlet blood staining his robes.

"Yer not dying," Hagrid said, his usually red face white. "Someone help me—I need to get him up—"

"Hagrid!" Bella said sternly. Hagrid turned to look at her. "He needs to go to the hospital wing!"

"I know what he needs. I'll do it—I'm the teacher." Silently, Bella opened the paddock gate as Hagrid carried Malfoy back to the castle. Everyone else packed up their things and headed inside.

"They should fire him straight away!" Pansy Parkinson sobbed.

"It was Malfoy's fault!" Dean Thomas shouted angrily. Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles menacingly at him. When we reached the entrance hall, Pansy sprinted to the hospital wing while all the Gryffindors headed to the common room.

"That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid's first lesson," Bella sighed, sinking into a chair. "I mean, Malfoy will be okay, right?"

"Of course he will be," Edward said now that he had decided to talk to Bella again. "Madam Pomfrey can mend anything in a heartbeat. Trust Malfoy to do something to mess things up for Hagrid."

"They wouldn't fire him, right?" Rosalie asked worriedly. "I mean, it wasn't his fault!"

"I hope not," I said glumly.

***

After dinner, Edward, Bella, Rosalie, and I were sitting by the fire, working on our homework. Harry was sitting next to me, trying to let him massage my shoulders. "Harry, would you quit it?" I snapped. "I'm trying to work on this!"

"Fine!" he huffed, storming off to talk with Ron and Hermione. I sighed and glanced out the window.

"Hey," I whispered. "There's a light on in Hagrid's cabin."

Edward checked his watch. "We could go down—it's still pretty early."

Bella gave me a look. "Oh, come on!" I whined. "I'm still allowed out on the grounds. I mean, Black hasn't gotten past the dementors yet."

"Well, okay," she relented. The four of us got up and headed out to see Hagrid. When we reached his cabin, I knocked on the door, and Hagrid let us in. He was sitting at his table with a large bottle of whiskey in front of him.

"'Spect it's a record," he hiccupped. "Don't reckon they've ever fired a teacher after one lesson."

"You haven't been fired, have you?" Bella gasped, sitting next to him and laying her hand on top of his arm.

"Not yet," he said miserably, "But it's only a matter of time. Once Malfoy—"

"How is he?" Rosalie asked.

"Madam Pomfrey did the best she could, but he's still sayin' he's in pain."

"He's lying," I said. "Madam Pomfrey regrew all the bones in my arm after Lockhart made them disappear. Trust Malfoy to milk it for all it's worth."

"School governors have bin informed, of course. They reckon I started too big…"

"It's Malfoy's fault!" Edward exclaimed. "You told us what happened if you insult a hippogriff. It's his own fault for not listening."

"Don't worry, Hagrid," Bella reassured him. "We'll back you up."

"Ah, yeh guys are the best," he said, pulling us into a giant hug as tears leaked out of his eyes.

"I think you've had enough to drink," Bella said, grabbing the bottle from the table and emptying it into the sink. Hagrid got up from the table and walked outside. We heard a splash of water, and Bella looked outside the door to see what it was.

"What happened?" I asked.

"He's stuck his head in a barrel of water," she said, shaking her head.

Hagrid walked back in with sopping hair, wiping the water out of his eyes. "That's better," he said. "Listen, it's nice of yehs ter come down here an' see me—"

Hagrid stopped dead, staring at me.

"WHAT DO YEH THINK YER DOIN'?" he shouted, storming over to me and grabbing my arm. "YER NOT TO BE OUT OF THE CASTLE THIS LATE, ALICE! AN' YOU THREE, LETTINGT HER!" He threw open the door to his cabin and pulled us across the grounds. "I don't want yehs coming down to see me this late again. I'm not worth yeh getting in trouble."

Okay, so I know I said it would be up yesterday, but I had a funeral to go to this week, so I didn't have a chance to write. I hope you all liked it, and now that I'm on break, I'll try to update a LOT more often…at least until the end of January!

Oh, and please review!