Since I changed the setting to after summer break, the events in this chapter happen on the SECOND WEEK of term, not the first.
On the monday morning that marked the second week back from break, after the absolute debacle that was Divination, (she was really starting to hate that woman, and her buggery class) Hermione was chomping at the bit to get to Care of Magical creatures, especially now that Hagrid was teaching.
She'd been to visit him over the weekend, and he'd told her in confidence that he was going to really start lessons today. No more preliminary icebreakers. He was so excited, and it was contagious.
Well, mostly. She and Ron still weren't speaking to one another, but she could tell he was excited too. The sky was a clear, pale grey, and the ground was springy and damp underfoot as they made their way down to his hut.
Also, fate seemed to be treating her life as a big joke now, because it seemed like this year, the powers that be had decided that Gryffindors and Slytherins apparently needed to spend more time around each other and squished them into as many double classes as possible.
So now, she could feel Harry Potter's presence behind her while she walked. He was muttering intently with Malfoy and a shrimpy boy with greasy brown hair and a cruel, clever face.
Hagrid was waiting for them at the door with his big black boarhound, fidgeting like a little kid. "C'mon now you lot, get a move on!" he yelled. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"
In a terrifying instant, Hermione thought he was about to lead them into the Forbidden Forest, but her fears were unfounded. He lead them around the trees and into a huge, empty paddock.
"Everyone gather round the fence! That's it, that's it- now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books-"
"How?" Cold, drawling- Draco Malfoy. Hermione hated herself for admitting it, but she was thinking the same thing.
After a small moment of confusion, they all had their books stroked and tamed. Malfoy was still grumbling, and Hagrid was looking downcast.
"Oi, can it already." The rebuke was sudden and from an unexpected source- Harry Potter spoke up against his "friend". He sounded tired and stressed...
Stop analyzing him, crazy girl! Stop paying him any attention, period!
Despite her mind screaming at her to pay his strangeness no mind, Hermione couldn't stop herself from wondering why he defended Hagrid, and what was on his mind that was causing those dark circles under his eyes.
Hagrid left them for a second to retrieve their lesson. Malfoy was STILL talking, and then again-
"Draco, God, would you shut up?" Harry sighed, making the shrimpy boy next to him giggle nastily. Malfoy's eyes narrowed, and his lips poked out into a spoiled looking pout.
"Careful Harry, there's a Dementor behind you-"
Lavender's squeal drew their attention away from the budding argument, and the strange comment. Hagrid was walking back to them, leading a dozen of the most beautiful creatures Hermione had ever seen.
"Hippogriffs!" she breathed, unknowingly edging closer to the fence. Hagrid was beaming, and she returned his smile brightly.
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is they're proud," Hagrid cautioned. "Don't ever insult one, cause it might be the last thing yeh ever do."
Hermione's traitorous eyes darted over her shoulder. Malfoy and the other boy weren't listening, but Harry was paying rapt attention.
Hagrid continued to tell them about Hippogriffs, warning then about etiquette and procedure, and Hermione thought he was doing a great job.
"Right then, who wants ter go first?"
Silence, thick and apprehensive from Gryffindors and Slytherins alike. Hermione swallowed nervously. After a minute or two, she resigned herself to be the sacrifice, seeing as how no one else would. If it was for the sake of Hagrid's first class-
"I'll do it." Harry Potter, again! What was ON with him?
"Good man, Harry!"
Hermione watched in awe as he petted, tamed, and even flew the grey Hippogriff like a pro. The class cheered when he landed, and then Hagrid started them off with their own. She and Ron were paired with the Chesnut. He still wasn't talking to her, and that was fine. Gave her time to think about Harry Potter and his actions.
Dear Merlin, she was obsessed.
She sighed in her throat and patted the Hippogriff distractedly. Most Slytherins couldn't wait for an opportunity to embarrass or shame Hagrid, but Harry had defended him and made his lesson a success.
Almost like he cared for the man...
"This is very easy," Malfoy crowed from across the paddock, where he was stroking the grey one. Hermione turned to look at him, and saw the way his eyes tracked across the area, desperately looking for attention. She pursed her lips and remembered what Harry had told her about him- that they were friends as long as he could share his fame.
"I knew it had to be, if Harry could do it...I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?"
A thrill of foreboding shot through Hermione's stomach. She didn't know why or how, but she had a feeling...
"Are you, you great ugly brute?"
Claws-
talons-
a loud, piercing shriek and a bright gout of red-
The entire class shrieked in shock. Malfoy rolled and writhed on the ground, howling that he was dying, oh GOD, MURDER, MUUURDER!
That effectively ended the whole class, and destroyed the happy mood. Hagrid ran him to the castle, with the rest of them following slowly. The mood was divided, with half of them (obvious which half) smoldering for Hagrid's sacking.
Pansy Parkinson was having a conniption. "We should go see if he's okay!" she said shrilly. Hermione winced at the dog-howl worthy pitch and plugged a finger in her ear to stop the ringing. She sighed and narrowed honey brown eyes at her. She didn't like the girl, but she looked like she was about to break down
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Pansy-" she started sympathetically.
"No one asked you, Granger!" Pansy spat. Hermione bristled and crossed her arms tightly.
"Well ex-CUSE me for trying to be nice-"
"Pansy, he'll be fine." Harry cut in. He looked slightly shaken, and he was a shade paler, but it was probably from the initial shock. "Stop screaming before you burst a vessel or something." Pansy rounded on him like lightning.
"Not all of us can get deathly hurt and be alright, you know!"
Harry smiled, but Hermione was close enough to see his fingers clench into a fist at the poorly disguised jab. "He's not deathly hurt, he's being a baby. And Hagrid told him about talking grimy to them."
"Sometimes you're absolutely horrible to him, Harry!" Pansy screamed, furious tears in her eyes. "Draco's nothing but a good friend to you- he's your COUSIN for Merlin's sake-"
"Come again?" Ron yelped, echoing the other Gryffindor's thoughts. He was ignored as Harry rolled his eyes to the highest heavens.
"Jeez, Pansy, I don't think they can hear you in Egypt..."
"I'd SWEAR the hat put you in the wrong house!" With that last parting shriek, Pansy flounced away. After a brief minute and a few threatning glowers at the Gryffindors, the rest of her housemates followed her. Hermione noticed that aside from the scrawny boy, Harry was sort of seperated from the others.
An unexpected surge of pity made her lips pull downward. She had the sudden, insane feeling to want to make him feel better about what had just happened.
Hermione and the rest went the opposite way, back to their common room.
"Looks like even the Slytherin's don't like him," Ron pointed out as they trooped through the portrait hole, suddenly feeling talkative again. "Serves him right...related to the Malfoys...blimey, no wonder Potter's such a git..."
"He's not that bad, Ron," Hermione said before she could think, and the retort was out before she could stop it.
She'd just defended HARRY POTTER, out loud. Oh lord, what was wrong with her...
Ron stared at her as though she had crabs crawling out of her nose, and she swiftly changed the subject before he could start on her.
"Trust Malfoy to ruin Hagrid's lesson though...maybe we should go see him later," she said, momentarily forgetting that she and Ron hated each other. He agreed, and they headed off to dinner.
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(A/N: The end for now, this one was getting a little lengthy for me. They visit Hagrid next, and then more things happen. See that lovely review box? It's empty and very lonely. Make it happy with words.)