"Look, Potter, I don't what that birdy little brain of yours is thinking, but I need to go back." I rose to my feet to dust off the back of my pants. "It's the middle of the night and unlike you-" The hippogriff shrieked before jumping to his feet. Potter pounded his talons into the ground, glaring at my arm.

"What is your problem, Potter?" He inched foward and tapped my left arm with his beak. He jumped back as if touching my skin burned him. It was the dark mark that suprised him. "Potter, it's fine. As ugly as it looks, it's not going to bite you. I've got to head back. Classes are tomorrow and I really need some sleep." I tried to leave the clearing, but the huge scarhead leaped into my path. "What are you playing at, four-eyes?" He towered over me, spreading his wings to full legnth. I jumped when a loud screech came from the stables. Granger screeched, flapping her wings wildly, but before I could go to her, I was being yanked up by the neck of my robes. Potter ran out of the woods, me still hanging from his beak. He slung me over on his back just seconds before he took off into the sky. I had no choice but to wrap my arms around his neck as he climbed higher and higher.

"Potter," I yelled. "Put me down!" He screeched before folding his wings in tight against my legs, plummeting towards the lake. The water came rushing up to us. As he dove, he twirled around, making my stomach turn. "Potter! Pull up!" He stopped rolling long enough for me to see the shadow of the giant squid pass beneath the water. My heart started pounding so hard that it was about to burst. I gripped the feathers on his neck, almost plucking him bald.

"PULL UP, YOU BLOODY SCAR-HEADED BASTARD! PULL UP!" My voice was too high and panicky for my pride.

Potter instantly leveled, hovering inches above the black water. My grip on his neck eased as I watched the shadow of the squid swim away. He angled his head to see me, cooing through his beak. He flinched when I dug my heels in his sides.

"I'm fine, you git." The water sloshed when he grazed it with his talon. My heart lept in my throat and I was suddenly dizzy. I slumped into Potter's back as all my limbs turned to ice. "Potter," I groaned. "Get me out of here before I die of fright!" He cooed again. My vision was starting to go black.

"GO!" I yelled with what strength I had. My stomach lurched as he sped back to the clearing. I couldn't help but to watch the water as it sped past. What if I fell in? Could hippogriffs swim? The image of Potter swooping in and plucking me from the water...made my vision go completely black.

"Malfoy?" A loud, gruff voice was the next thing I could hear. "Malfoy?" Something that felt like a leather cushion hit my cheek. "Mis'r Malfoy? C'mon, Malfoy. I don't wanna get you in trouble by taking to the hospi'al wing." I could hear Potter screeching beside me. "'Arry, ease yer feat'ers o'er him. He's fine." He cooed pitifully before a huge weight collapsed on the ground beside me. My heart stopped pounding in my head and my eyes were slowly opening. By the time the sight of the half-giant cleared, he was smiling from ear to ear. He turned to the hippogriff. "See, 'Arry. He's awake." Potter's head popped in and filled my vision. I must be hallucinating! His large green eyes were almost as shiny as gemstones. In those eyes, I saw the boy who blew me off in first year. The boy who stole my place as the king of Hogwarts...without even wanting it. Harry Potter, the one that has been two steps ahead of me my entire life...

"I feel like I'm flying again." My breath came out in a rush.

"It's a'right Malfoy. You just passed out. Yer gonna be weak fer a while." Potter pounded his claw before screeching. "I think 'Arry wants to know what happened back ther'." I nodded and reached out for Hagrid. I took his hand and pulled myself up, nearly falling back over when Potter bumped my cheek with his beak.

I patted his head, the feathers slid through my fingers like satin. "Thanks for not dropping me, Potter." Hagrid and Potter stared at me waiting for the answer. My stomach churned again and I sighed. "I would rather not if I'm going to see my explanation blasted on the Daily Prophet's front page. It is a flaw that only my mother and my nurse is aware of. I'm now more than ever not in the position to have my weakness exposed."

"Malfoy, yer in no worry here. Anythin' you say is with us. You need te let us know so we know what t'do if it happens again." I gripped my hands so hard my knuckles turned white. Potter cooed, bumping my shoulder. It was like he was catching on to my discomfort while Hagrid just stared. My eyes shiut tightly.

"I have this muggle problem," I said through gritted teeth. "My nurse called it aquaphobia." The giant sat back, confused. Potter propped his head on his talons, listening. "It means that I am afraid of water. I won't say why, but I've had this since I was six, and I would greatly appreciate if the news of Draco Malfoy's muggle ailments didn't reach the Prophet." Hagrid and Potter shared a look before the professor spoke.

"Don't worry, Malfoy. Yer secret is safe with us."

The next week was completely uneventful. I made sure to avoid Potter during class. After Crabbe would leave, I would throw Potter's dinner into the stable, ignoring the cooing and the shrieks coming from him. Granger was chained to the stable, now that Weasley was able to attend class. Without Potter to distract him, Weasley has been especially keen to making my life hell. Every time I'm within ear shot, I would hear 'greasy-haired git' or 'snake face', which considering who now owns me, was a very insulting name.

After the Gryffindors became humans again, the Slytherins entered the stables. Weasley was first to change. A smug smile was on my face when his pig snout and curly tail appeared, but it was short lived, because I was given my vial. Hagrid winked before moving on to the next student. Potter was standing there beside Longbottom. His eyes shone even brighter in the daylight. We were face-to-face.

"We need to talk, Draco." His face looked like it was carved from stone. A hard, invasive look. My stomach lurched and my head spun.

"Yes we do, bird-brain, but I have an assignment to complete." I downed the vial in one gulp. He watched awe-struck as I shrunk. My bones twisted and popped as everything around me was getting bigger and bigger. Harry and Neville's heads bent over the door. They stared at me with gaping mouths.

Neville gasped, "Malfoy's a...He's a-"

"A pheonix." Harry breathed.