I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC.
Hello guys, Badger here. What is this? A new chapter only a day after the previous? Why yes it is. This chapter, along with the next chapter were all written at the same time as chapter 30. Because of this, expect the next chapter to be posted sometime tomorrow, unless something delays me.
Before we begin, I have noticed I haven't done much bashing of characters. In all honesty, I feel like if I had dozens of moments committed to bashing a character, I feel like it will get to repetitive and stale. I will try to add a few moments of bashing here and there, but don't expect it to happen to much. Speaking of bashing, I am conflicted about what to do with Ron. Though Ron bashing is in the summary, I feel like it wouldn't work anymore, considering Harry did save his sister. I don't know, let me know what to do, as I am on the fence here.
Anyway, I am glad to see the previous chapter was well recieved and thank you JAIMOL for your comment, I am glad you are loving it. I also want to explain something. Mizzrazz72 told me Remus should have explained himself to Harry. Don't worry, he will, I just need to find the right moment to squeeze it into the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter and get ready, something about James' past will be revealed. I have waited for months for this, so read on and enjoy.
Chapter 31
What is a Badger afraid of?
Lupin sighed, as he leant back in his seat, the Daily Prophet on his desk. He still refused to believe that Sirius was a Death Eater. He didn't seem the type. Then again, that might have been what he wanted people to think. If he was a traitor, he would want to finish what he started and go after Harry. Lupin put his head in his hands, as the boy came to mind. He had first saw Harry on the train. He wanted to tell him everything then, but with Harry suffering slightly from the effects of the Dementor, it didn't seem appropriate. He did plan to talk to Harry at some point, however. He wanted to explain everything to the boy, regarding who he is and where he has been for twelve years. Lupin hoped Harry would understand. First, he needed to find the right time to tell him.
…
The Trio made their way down the Hogwarts grounds, towards their first Care for Magical Creatures lesson. Things had been a little bit tense in the Castle, with the recent sighting of Sirius Black. For Harry, the Dementors cold presence just made it worse.
"C'mon now!" Hagrid called "Get a move on! Got a real treat for you, a great lesson coming up!"
Hagrid led them into a small paddock next to the Dark Forest. In the paddock, was a small patch of fresh pumpkins and a rack holding a bunch of dead ferrets, attached to some kind of rope. buzzing with flies. Hagrid picks up the bundle of dead ferrets and puts it on, so the ferrets hung around his neck.
"Gather round!" Hagrid spoke up "Find yourself a spot…now, first thing you'll need to do is open your books"
"How exactly do we do that?" Ron asked, his book shaking violently
"Stroke the spine dumbass" James replied
Ron glared at James, as he stroked the books spine which opened slowly. James noted that his glares didn't carry as much heat as it usually did. Neville stroked the spine and opened the book…only for the book to start attacking him, much to the amusement of the Slytherins. The Trio, however, were not amused. James pried the book away, stroking the spine, whilst Harry helped Neville back up, whose robes now had a few holes in them.
"You okay Neville?" Harry asked
"Yeah" Neville let out a small breath "I'm good…I'm good, thanks Harry"
Harry nodded, where the sound of twigs snapping caught there attention. The group looked to see Hagrid coming back into the paddock, though this time he wasn't alone. He was joined by a creature that was the same height as him, possibly larger. The creature seemed to be a mix of a horse and an eagle, flapping its massive wings, as it entered the paddock.
"Say hello to Buckbeak…Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid said, a massive grin on his face
"Hagrid, what is that?" Daphne asked
"Why, a Hippogriff of course" Hagrid replied, looking a bit more serious "Now, the first thing you all need to remember is that Hippogriffs are proud creatures. They are very easily offended. Do not insult one either…it may just be the last thing you do…now then, who wants to come say hello?"
Harry looked around to see the other students were looking at Buckbeak, unsure. This caused him to shake his head slightly, as he stepped forward.
"I'll do it" He said, holding up his hand
"Good man Harry" Hagrid smiled "Good to see you so eager…now, slowly approach Buckbeak, I'll tell you when to stop"
Harry nodded, where he walked slowly to Buckbeak, making sure he didn't make any sudden movements that could startle the Hippogriff. As Harry slowly approached the Hippogriff, James noticed Nott whispering to Malfoy, keeping their attention on the lesson in front of them. After a second, Daphne saw James was distracted. She followed his gaze and quickly put two and two together.
"You think there are planning something?" She whispered
"It's possible" James replied "Nott is more sneaky then Malfoy…I wouldn't put it past them doing something, especially if it gets Hagrid in trouble somehow…both Malfoy and Nott are part of the whole Pureblood superiority nonsense, they most likely see Hagrid as some kind of beast, due to his giant blood, just keep a close eye on them"
Daphne nodded, as they turned their attention back to Harry, still keeping an eye on the duo. Harry continued to approach Buckbeak, until Hagrid raised his hand, signalling for Harry to stop.
"That's it, easy" Hagrid said smoothly "Now, its important that you let Buckbeak make the first move…its polite you see. Just give him a bow and if he bows back, it means you are allowed to touch him…if not…well, we will get to that later"
Harry swallowed a little bit, out of nerves. He took one small step forward, as he bowed, keeping his eyes on the Hippogriff. Buckbeak's head tilts to the side, eyes narrowing at Harry, as he kicks his front legs, making a few squawking noises.
"Back up Harry…back up a little bit" Hagrid spoke up
Harry quickly takes a few small steps back, wincing slightly as he steps on a stick which snaps. He freezes, keeping his gaze on Buckbeak, as he bows again. Buckbeak calms down as he stares at Harry for another moment, before he bows his own head.
"Oh well done Harry!" Hagrid cheered "Go ahead and give him a pat"
Harry tentatively moves towards Buckbeak, an arm raised. Buckbeak watches Harry carefully, as he got closer, where he eventually inched his head closer to Harry's hand, until Harry felt the softness of the feathers on the Hippogriffs face, which caused Harry to smile, as he stroked Buckbeak's feathers.
"Oh yes, well done Harry" Hagrid smiled, as some other students clapped "Alright, I think he might let you ride him now"
"I beg your pardon?" Harry asked, his smile dropping
Hagrid lifts Harry up, ignoring Harry's protests and drops him onto Buckbeak's back.
"Just settle down there" Hagrid spoke "Try not to pull on his feathers, he doesn't like it when you do that…now, off you go!"
Hagrid slapped Buckbeak on his rear, causing the Hippogriff to begin galloping across the field, Harry holding on for dear life. After a few seconds, Buckbeak's wings unfurled, huge and powerful, where they were then up in the air. As Harry looks at the views of the castle below them, his grip gradually loosened, as he began to lose himself at the joy of flying. He let out a loud cheer, as they flew over the Black Lake, Buckbeak's talons skimming the water.
"You know what…you are awesome" Harry spoke, making his voice loud enough for Buckbeak to hear
Buckbeak let out a trill of appreciation, as they flew back over to the small paddock, where Hagrid's whistle alerted the Hippogriff, to which he flew back down, with elegance. As Harry slid off Buckbeak's back, giving him another stroke on his feathers, most of the students began clapping and cheering, only a select few like Malfoy and Nott glaring at Harry, rolling their eyes. No one notices Nott give Malfoy a nod, with a smirk on his face.
"Good work Harry" Hagrid smiled, before he whispered "How am I doing on my first day?"
"You're doing brilliant…professor" Harry smiled back
The two smiled at each other, when something catches their attention.
"Give me a go!" Malfoy said, as he walked towards Buckbeak "You aren't dangerous at all are you, you great, ugly brute!"
"Malfoy, NO!" Hagrid exclaimed
Malfoy steps back, when Buckbeak lets out a loud squawk and raises his talons to strike, only to recoil back, when he hits a blue shield. He shakes his head, before he looks to James Badger, who was standing a few feet away. James raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, his wand snapping back into his holster, taking a few steps back. Buckbeak huffed slightly, taking one look at Malfoy before walking off. Malfoy looked both shocked, and angry about what happened, until Hagrid spoke up.
"Malfoy, 20 points from Slytherin for failing to follow a Professors instructions!" Hagrid exclaimed, before he took a small breath and turned to James "James, take 15 points to Slytherin for stopping a student from getting injured…or worse"
James nodded, as Hagrid gave Buckbeak a ferret and led him away, before anything else happened. Nott grabbed Malfoy by his collar and dragged him away, whispering something into his ear, evidently mad. James watched the two leave, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
…
The Defence classroom definitely seemed a lot more warmer and brighter then the previous two years, though the occasional glimpse of a Dementor looking through the windows were ignored. Each student were standing in a wide semi-circle, facing Lupin who was standing in the middle of the classroom, standing next to a wardrobe, which seemed to be rattling violently, which a few students eyed warily.
"Intriguing isn't it?" Lupin asked "Would anyone like to venture a guess at to what is inside?"
"That's a Boggart, that is" Finnegan spoke up, taking a small step back
"Very good Mr Finnegan, ten points to Gryffindor" Lupin smiled "Can anyone tell us what a Boggart looks like?"
"Nobody knows" James replied, just a second before Hermione, who glared at him "Boggarts are shape-shifters, taking the shape of what a particular person fears the most…which is what makes them so terrifying"
"Correct Mr Badger, take 10 points to Slytherin" Lupin nodded "Boggarts are practically unstoppable, luckily there is a very simple charm created to repelling Boggarts, repeat after me…Riddikulus"
"Riddikulus!" The class repeated
"Very good" Lupin smiled "Now, though not as dangerous as some other Magical Creatures that exist, Boggarts can pop up anywhere, especially if there are any dark places it can hide, like a wardrobe for example…because of this, I believe it is necessary for you to learn how to repel them, though the spell is not enough…a Boggarts main weakness is laughter, you will need to force the Boggart into something you find truly amusing…now, I want you all to get into a single file line, I want each one of you to face what fears you most and repel them and remember…Riddikulus"
There was a mass of shuffling in the classroom, as the students got into a line. Unfortunately for Ron, he was first in line. Lupin opened the wardrobe, where a large spider comes out, making Ron freeze slightly. Harry watched, believing he was lucky that he didn't see Aragog last year. Ron raises his wand, a tad bit shakily, using the spell, where roller skates appeared on each of its legs, causing it to slip and slide, causing most of the class to laugh, with Ron letting out a small sigh of relief. For the next few minutes, Harry watched as several students went up and all the fears that were revealed. There were spiders, vampires, snakes, being given a failing grade for Hermione which James found amusing, clowns and all other kinds of weird and creepy things. Then it was James' turn, causing students like Malfoy and Nott to lean slightly in sadistic interest. James stepped up to the Boggart, which began twisting and changing, looking for what he feared most. After a minute or two, with the Boggart still twisting, Harry began to think if James feared anything at all. But then, the Boggart took shape and it wasn't anything that Harry was expecting. In the Boggarts place, stood a young girl who seemed to be about ten years old, possibly younger. Her hair went down to her shoulders and was a blondish brown and her eyes were a blueish grey. Harry was confused, but seeing James' tense posture and the slight shaking of his wand arm, he must have known who this girl was.
"It's all your fault!" The Boggart spoke "You said you would protect me…you promised! You were supposed to keep me safe…you failed me…WHY DIDN'T YOU PROTECT ME!"
A small breeze swept through the classroom, leaving a slight chill. James' wand arm shook slightly. After a moment, he raised his arm, using the incantation where the Boggart turned into a bouncy ball and flew into the wardrobe, before the door closed with a slam. There was an uncomfortable silence, as everyone processed what just happened. Harry placed a gentle hand on James' shoulder, which only made him tense even more.
"James…" Lupin called softly, unsure on what just happened himself
"What, I couldn't think of anything funny" James replied defensively, where a bell rung
"Class dismissed" Lupin said
As soon as the words left his mouth, James pushed through a group of students, grabbing his thing and left, the door to the classroom slamming shut. Harry and Daphne shared a worried look, wondering who that girl was that caused James distress.
…
Oh my god! Who was that girl? Why is James afraid of her? Why is she angry with him? Questions I'm sure you have. Well, you will have to wait for the upcoming chapter.
First things first though. The starting section with Remus was to remind you that he will explain everything to Harry at some point. That's what always bothered me about canon Remus. 'Oh, I was your fathers best friend, and I was practically an uncle to you, so I decided to let you live with the Dursleys and not make any contact for 12 years'. I feel like this should've caused more tension between the two characters but what do I know, I didn't write the books. If I did, Sirius and Fred would be alive and Harry would have been married to either Hermione or Luna.
Anyway. The moment with Buckbeak was kept close to canon, as there isn't much to change. The major change, was James stopping Buckbeak from injuring the ponce Malfoy. This is because the whole time travel plot won't be happening here. Also, Nott wasn't happy with Malfoy's failure [if you couldn't tell, it was a ploy to get Hagrid in trouble and removed from Hogwarts because...Pureblood propaganda].
Then, there is the defence lesson. Something I have been waiting to publish. I cannot wait to see your comments about this. I hope you enjoyed and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Badger out.
