Authors Note – Hi! Sorry for not updating for a while. School holidays have started so I will beginning updating regularly again. Please review, I'm really happy with the responses I've received and what them to keep coming.
Chapter 5
The trio stumbled into the Gryffindor common room little after midnight, feeling as though their arms were going to fall with the amount of cauldrons they had to scrub clean. Feeling too tired to do any research about their little Voldemort problem the Trio said their goodbyes to one another and made their way to bed.
The rest of the week went without a hitch. It was nice to just have some fun with his friends without worrying about someone coming after his head, Harry reflected.
Hermione had dragged Harry and Ron to the library at least one hundred times searching through the restricted section after hours. Harry thought he would never see the day Hermione the teacher's pet break the rules and had told Hermione this. She simply responded with a glare that had made Harry almost pee his pants and she said that desperate times call for desperate measures. Ron who had been laughing his head of shut his mouth quickly after having the same glare directed at him.
Harry laughed mentally as he revisited the memory before making sure his Occulmancy shield was still up as he walked down to Hagrid's hut for their Magical Creatures lesson.
"So how much do you want to bet that Malfoy is still a prick" Ron said loudly, shaking Harry out of his retrieve.
"Ron!" Hermione yelled aspirated hitting Ron on his head.
"Owe abuse much!" Ron exclaimed rubbing his head in mock anger, sending a wink in Harry's direction.
Laughing as his best friends antics, Harry walked down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They were the last ones to arrive and slipped in with their classmates not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves.
"'Ello, now I got something special to show ya all! Now follow me and open ya books to page 39" Hargrid said cheerfully.
It was a shock to say the least to see Hagrid so cheerful and filled with life. Though Harry realised that Hagrid was still alive during this time period it still had surprised him to see Hagrid so happy. In the future Hagrid had never given up hope even when everyone else had, that was until he had seen Madam Maxine die. He wasted away after he had seen her die taking comfort in a bottle of Firewhisky until he was executed publicly by Voldemort himself.
"Dumbledore's finally lost it; just wait till my father hears that they have this bumbling oaf teaching classes" Malfoy sneered, "And you Mudblood, Weasel and Scarhead shouldn't you be of in some insane asylum right now. I mean everyone knows about you three screaming you head off and fainting when the Dementors came onto the train".
Harry's hand clenched into a fist; depict the fact that Harry owed Malfoy his life in the future there was no denying the fact that he had been a stuck up little prick when they were still in school. Instead of cursing Malfoy like he wanted to he only smirked in response.
"Nice to know you haven't changed Malfoy over the holiday's" Harry said lightly. Malfoy not expecting that response only stared puzzled at Harry.
"His here is Buckbeak, he's a Hippogriff an amazing creature. But insulting it may be very well the last thing you every do. On that note who wants to go on a ride with him?" Hagrid asked clasping his hands together.
Just like last time everyone backed away leaving Harry to be the only choice. Harry sent Hermione and Ron a pleading look but they only smiled in response.
"Okay 'arry this is what you have to do. Bow, nice and low; if he bows back you can go and touch him" Hagrid said.
Harry followed his giant friend's instructions and just like before Buckbeak bowed back.
"Good job 'arry, you can go and pat him now."
Harry slowly and cautiously walked up to the creature not wanting to scare it away.
"Nicely down 'arr you can go and ride him now" Hagrid said happily grabbing Harry by the waist and setting him down on top of Buckbeak.
Buckbeak took off flying up high in the sky, gliding through the wind. Harry let out a whoop of laughter as he felt the wind go through the hair. His blood pumped through his veins as Buckbeak flew into a steep dive only to pull up at the last moment.
'Hermione was right, I am an adrenalin junky' he thought as Buckbeak touched the ground.
Harry climbed off Buckbeack to be congratulated by Hagrid and his classmates; Harry simply smiled in response.
"Well you're nothing but a big fat scaredy cat aren't you, ya beast" Malfoy sneered walking up pompously to Buckbeack.
Harry who had been talking with Ron and Hermione turned around just in time to see Buckbeak about to slash Malfoy. Harry knowing what was about to happen next jumped in front of Malfoy only to be slashed with Buckbeaks talons across his chest.
Wincing in pain Harry fell to ground with a thud. Black spots covered his vision as he tried to stand up. He could faintly recall seeing Malfoy's pale face look at him in shock and Hermione's frantic voice telling Hagrid that he needed to go to the hospital before the darkness engulfed him.
.
.
.
Harry woke up to seeing white walls and too clean surroundings that were all the indication he needed to tell himself that he was lying in the hospital wing. He had always hated the hospital wing. It was a place where someone would always but their nose into someone's private matters and Harry had always been a very private person. After growing up in the Dursley household and having rumours whispered about him wherever he went, privacy was the only thing he had to rely on.
Harry grabbed his glasses from the side table and to sit up only to have pain shoot up his body. Gasping in pain, Harry collapsed back onto the bed in agony. Breathing heavily, he slowly removed his bed sheets from his body to find some bandages wrapped around his chest.
"Mr Potter, why do we always end up meeting like this" Madam Pomfrey said.
"Well I have been told that I am a magnet for trouble" Harry replied cheekily.
"Though that may be, I hope that you don't make a habit of getting into trouble this year with Sirius Black running about" the Healer said.
"I'll try Madam Pomfrey but I've been told that the attraction to trouble runs in my blood" He said smiling.
"Good now I'm going to check those bandages of yours to make sure those slash marks haven't opened up again" she said briskly.
"Again, what do you mean by again? Just how long have I been asleep for?" Harry asked alarmed.
"You've been out for 3 days dear" Madam Pomfrey said calmy.
"3 da-" Harry's sentence was cut short by the sound of Hermione's voice.
"HARRY!" Hermione yelled running up to where Harry was lying.
"Miss Granger, do keep in mind that this is a hospital wing not a Quidditch pitch and please keep you voice down" Madam Pomfrey said sternly before turning around to go and check up on her other patients.
As soon as Madam Pomfrey was gone, Hermione grapped Harry by the arm and pulled him into a tight hug, "Merlin Harry what were you thinking" Hermione exclaimed.
"Seriously mate, I know Malfoy turns out to be a pretty okay guy in the future but right now he's a selfish prick. Why would you jump in front of him like that" Ron said.
"Well I'm pretty sure Hermione once called it my saving people thing" Harry said laughing.
"Seriously though mate why did you do that" Ron asked with his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Well I do owe him my life and I didn't know how to repay him and them the opportunity presented itself so I reacted" Harry shrugged.
"Mate are you high?" Ron asked worried. This was the first time in years his best mate was so happy and free. Even when they were in school Harry had always been guarded. It was nice to see he best friend happy and acting like a teenager for once and cracking out jokes.
"No I'm not, do I look like someone who takes drugs" Harry said in mock anger.
"Well if the shoe fits…" Ron said suggestively.
Hermione who was watching the scene unfold hit both Ron and Harry on the head with her Potions book.
"Owe" they both exclaimed.
"Harry you complete idiot, what you were thinking! You could have been killed!" Hermione hissed. "I'm glad you're okay but if you pull a stunt like this one more time I swear to Merlin I will kill you myself".
"I promise I won't do anything like that again" Harry said sincerely.
"Good" Hermione said simply before engulfing both Ron and Harry into a hug.
During the war Hermione, Harry and Ron had become a family. They had been through so much together and had formed a somewhat dysfunctional family together. They knew each other's darkest secrets and the light in each other's darkest moments.
They were a family not related by blood but a family never the less and nothing was going to change that. They had a mission to complete and they would finish it together.