Being back at Hogwarts had been the release Atria had needed. It took one night of not sleeping in the same house as Lucius for her to get a decent night of sleep. The only downside she could think of was that she shared a dorm room with one of the most annoying girls in the world. Pansy had taken up the bathroom for a total of three hours, twenty-seven minutes and 56 seconds not to mention she snored. Must be her pug like nose.

Heading off to their first care of magical creatures lesson Atria walked behind Draco, Daphne beside her, Pansy charging in front of the group of Slytherins, all carrying their monster book of monsters. Atria could honestly say this book had been the greatest form of entertainment for her as long as it had been in her possession. For her birthday dinner, Narcissa had picked a beautiful dress but not the one she had necessarily wanted to wear. Atria had let the book loose on the plain gown before explaining to Narcissa how the book must have broken its restraints and completely destroyed the dress.

"God, this place is going to the dogs" Draco spoke as they reached the open field. "That oaf teaching classes, my father will have a fit when I tell him."

Atria didn't really mind Hagrid teaching, she liked Hagrid, he reminded her of a muggle book she had once read, The BFG. When Atria was in her first year, she had fallen down the astronomy tower stairs skimming both her knees only to be discovered by Hagrid crying on the stairs. Hagrid had walked her to the hospital wing, even held her hand. While it had been one of their only run-ins, she remembers it with great fondness.

"Shut up Malfoy," Once again, Harry Potter, the boy who lived, took the bait her cousin had dangled in front of him.

"Careful Potter there's a dementor behind you," Draco said gritting his teeth at Harry in malice.

Before their conversation could ascend to a more unfriendly level Atria spotted what looked to be a herd of bird horses, truly ridiculous looking creatures coming from the other side of the open forest field.

"Hippogriffs," Hagrid jeered loudly.

Once you got past their odd appearance they truly were quite magnificent creatures. They all stood in the open, maybe half a dozen of them, Hagrid spoke again "So, if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer," gesturing with his hands for them to move a bit closer.

'No thank you,' she thought to herself staying in the same spot watching as the only people who seemed to inch forward where Ron, Hermione, and Harry.

As Hagrid went into further details about hippogriffs Atria could not help her eyes as they swept the area.

Looking a little farther into the distance she saw a streak of black move among the trees, capturing her interest, she spotted it once again this time closer, making out its body and fur before once again disappearing. It didn't take her long to find it again. This time it was sitting, half its body behind a tree, beady dark eyes catching the sun making them shine.

She couldn't be sure, but the dog seemed to be looking directly at her.

"I'll do it," she heard a voice say, looking back up at to the class, 'of course Potter,' she thought as he walked cautiously towards the hippogriff.

She watched Harry as he approached the Hippogriff slowly bowing his head.

Looking back to where to dog once was she realized it was gone now.

'Stay focused,' she reminded herself internally, drawing her attention back to the lesson. Harry now sat on top of the large beast.

"Go on then," Hagrid said before slapping the hippogriff above his back legs sending him running into take off. The class watched in aw as the hippogriff stretched its wings before taking off into the air.

As the class waited for Harry to return, light conversation began to take place among them.

She walked towards the area where she had seen the dog but not too far from the group, just enough to see if the dog was still somewhere in the area.

Sitting down on one of the rocky ledges that surrounded the area, her interest was captured by another conversation not too far away. "I hope his fallen off and landed in the whomping willow," She heard Draco say, his goons laughing at his 'joke'. She looked up at him with disappointment as he caught her gaze. Visibly huffing he started to walk over to her. "What's wrong?" he now asked standing next to her, his tone Bored as if he had a hundred things he would rather be doing.

"Nothing," she grumbled at him as she turned her head.

"You've been acting moody for the last two days," He said as she continued to stare ahead of her.

"I'm just tired," she replied, looking disinterested.

"Why?" He asked moving closer towards her in concern, "Haven't you been sleeping again?"

"No, not really," she replied honestly.

He let out a worried breath before sitting next to her and making a suggestion, "Have you gone to see professor Snape yet? He would give you some drought of peace if you asked."

"No, I'm not that desperate." She said with a small smile, to which Draco agave a small humorous laugh. These were the moments Draco would give the world to have more of. The small ones that lasted a split second before everything else caught up with them. Atria turned to him then, the carefree girl who was once in her place gone. "Why don't you just leave him alone?" Draco knew who she was talking about and cursed Potter under his breath.

Draco scoffed, "He told me to shut up."

"And it might do you some good to listen." She said, her head snapping to look at him.

Draco just rolled his eyes and ignored her before going off on his own tangent, "But look at this half breed, teaching, it's a disgrace," he said gesturing towards Hagrid.

"Draco." She said softly, looking away trying to remove him from her line of sight, not wanting to have this argument right now, "Please don't do this right now."

"Do what? Look at him, he doesn't even know what he's doing. Barbarians. The whole lot of them."

Running a hand over her eyes, under her breath, she groaned, "Shut up Draco."

He paused and looked at her. He had heard her and one wouldn't say he was pleased. A small fire burning in his eyes he whispered to her, "What did you just say to me?"

After getting nothing but Frustrated sigh Draco took a breath, calming himself and stood from his seat.

"After this lesson, I'm taking you to professor Snape, Something's up with you and this attitude is getting on my nerves."

She gave looked at him staggered before snapping at him "Nothing is wrong with me."

"If this is about last year-" he started but she cut him off not wanting to even try to have this conversation with him again.

"No because nothing happened last year," she said with an irritated sigh.

They both paused, before he continued, "Don't lie to me." He said with a pause between each word, to make sure she heard him loud and clear."I don't need you to tell me what I already know. While I don't know exactly what went on between you and father, I know you must have played a part." He paused once again before continuing "Did you even try, ju-" He stopped. Atria's body had gone stiff, her eyes were closed her head bowed. He realized he had crossed a line.

He went to say something but Atria must have thought he was going to resume his verbal attack. "Draco," She whispered softly, "Please don't, Just let it go," she said pleadingly.

Then, the sound of wings flapping stopped him as buck beak flew through the trees, Harry still on his back as they readied to land.

Draco gave her one last look before he stormed back to his gaggle of Slytherins.

The class clapped as Buck Beak came to a halt and Harry climbed off his back. The rest of the class still sceptical but intrigued moved toward the other hippogriffs. Atria simply stood to the side and laughed as Daphne attempted to get one of the hippogriffs to bow to her.

The following events happened in a flash. Draco had been in front of the hippogriff and before anyone could do anything, Buck Beak had raised himself onto his hind legs and brought down his front ones, knocking Draco to the ground. Atria moved as close as she could without aggravating the hippogriff more, to see if Draco was okay.

"I'm dying, I'm dying, look at me, it's killed me" she heard him cry as he rolled around on the floor, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at her cousin theatrics, he looked like a toddler.

Hagrid wrestled Buck Beak into is harness before rushing back to Draco "yer not dying" Hagrid said looking panicked as he lifted Draco off the ground, yes there was a bit of blood but he would live. Hermione had moved to open the gate as Hagrid carried her wailing cousin away.

"They should sack him straight away" she heard Pansy cry from behind her. Atria turned with a raised her chin, looking at Pansy with disgust. "Calm down, Parkinson."

Pansy turned her head to see Atria and glared at her fellow Slytherin "Calm down?" She repeated back to Atria, "Look at what that beast did him!" Pansy motioned to the blood that had splattered onto the grass continuing "Whose stupid idea was it to have that halfbreed teach a class."

Atria levelled her eyes, before returning are gaze to a manic Pansy. "You're making a right fool of yourself. He'll be fine he was just being overdramatic. Besides, it was Draco's own fault he was trying to show off. Hagrid had nothing to do with it." Pansy just glared at Atria as her face grew redder with every passing second, "Well you could be more worried, he's your cousin after all."

"Second if you want to be technical," Atria said, giving Pansy a fake smile.

Pansy let out a mocking scoff, "So very considerate, as you are always Atria," she said sarcastically, "You would think someone like you would be a bit more grateful."

"Someone like me?" Atria asked Pansy sceptically, what was the stupid cow on about now.

"Yes, you know," She said inclining her head toward Atria, "A stray."

That captured Atria's attention she felt herself grow tense at the insult but she had been given worse. "And how do you figure me that Parkinson?" She said spitting out her last name like it was poison on her tongue.

"Well," Pansy said looking Atria up and down before moving, "You have no parents, no money and your notable last name can only get you so far. You should count your lucky stars the Malfoy's even kept you." The two girls now stood face to face inches apart.

Atria let a small smile form on her lips, "Oh yes, lucky me."

"Yes, very lucky you." Pansy said, before her face turned to one of distaste, "Considering the fact that your father is a desperate convict and your mother was a blood traitor slag. I'm surprised they didn't throw you out the first chance they got."

At this statement, All surrounding onlookers went quiet and continued to watch with eager eyes.

"What did I hit a nerve?" Pansy asked Atria knowingly.

"Be quiet Pansy," Daphne said from the side, trying to defuse the situation.

"Yes Pansy be quiet," Atria said her jaw clenched with contained fury. While she did not let her face convey the anger she felt. Her eyes expressed the rage that was building inside her. Her hands were clenched so tight she felt her nails digging painfully deep into her palms.

"Come on Black," Pansy said stepping even closer to Atria almost daring her to do something, "Don't you want to make daddy proud?"

Atria's hand flinched towards her wand but she collected herself and with one last glare at Pansy, Atria turned and walked swiftly away. Bumping into some of the people who had gathered around to watch she had couldn't bring herself to care, she needed to getaway.

"Atria!" She heard Daphne call behind her but she continued walking off.

She saw the looks, the stares she got as she walked away, catching Harry's eyes as he stood with Ron and Hermione.

She continued deeper into the forbidden forest, after half an hour of walking she thought she was far enough away from the class, everyone would have probably headed back up to the castle by now anyway.

She sat down against a tree, a small pond sat before her, closing her eyes she breathed deeply trying to focus on anything but the stares she had gotten a few minutes earlier. Pansy that fucking Bitch, always one to turn heads by making a scene and dragging in whoever happened to be in close proximity. Why did people always have to look? She tried to do as little as possible so people wouldn't notice her but no matter how hard she tried to stay invisible, something always happened that brought her into the limelight.

Atria's anxiety flared as she willed herself to stop thinking about it. She counted to five over and over in her head focusing on breathing. Two seconds breathing in, three seconds out. She tried, she really did but she felt the familiar tightening in her chest grow until she couldn't stand the intrusive feeling any longer. She brought her legs up to her chest and pressed her forehead against her knees, trying to block out the eyes she still felt staring at her. She felt her eyes water before she told herself no, she was not allowed to cry but the tears still leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She lifted her head, leaning it against the trunk of the tree and wrapping her cloak tighter around her. Looking at the reflection in the water, she saw the now setting sun. She wondered how deep the pond might b., What if she walked in and let the water slowly swallow her until the pressure crushed her. How long until someone found her, would they look, would they care?

She closed her eyes, tears still sneaking out of the closed lids, She listened to the sounds the forest made around her and it wasn't long before she felt herself drifting further and farther into darkness.

With her eyes still closed she began once again to register the world going on around her, hear twigs and leaves crunch. It was now dark and quite cold, she knew it was time to go back to the castle. She heard the snap sound again, a twig perhaps. She opened her eyes slowly and looked to her side to see what was making the sound only to see the big black dog from earlier that day standing next to her.