It wasn't until the bell on the clock tower struck one that Twilight decided it was safe to move. The third years in the Gryffindor Boys Dormitory had all been in bed by eleven but some of them hadn't stopped talking until midnight and even then their breathing hadn't evened out until half past twelve. Twilight had given it another half hour before she deemed it safe enough to transform back into her human form and do the tasks she'd set for herself.
She was still as naked as the day she was born having decided it wasn't worth the trouble of procuring respectable clothes that would only be dirtied in the months that she'd be spending at Hogwarts as Twilight. Now as she hugged her chest to keep warm, which had the effect of pushing up her ample breasts and causing her now hardened nipples to dig into her arm, she was quickly coming to regret that decision.
Quietly she strode over to Harry's trunk which sat at the foot of his bed and pushed the lid up, the lock springing open at her touch. One of the first things she'd done after getting back from her first night stroll in Diagon Alley was create a separate compartment in the trunk that was connected to her blood. She'd originally wanted to connect the trunk to Harry's blood as well but had quickly decided against it. Her entire plan for her master would come undone if Harry mentioned to the Aurors that his trunk now opened at his touch. While one of the few blood magics not deemed illegal by the Ministry the fact that such high protections just suddenly appeared on the person being hunted by two mass murderers would certainly be suspicious. Add in the fact that she didn't want Harry coming across some of the books she kept in her compartment for a few months, maybe even years and it ended up being quite an easy decision to make although that hadn't stopped her from putting some enchantments on the trunk to punish anyone foolish enough to try and get inside.
Now however as she pulled out her new wand she let herself grin. It wasn't her first wand, that one had been broken before her eyes as soon as the door on her cell in Azkaban was locked behind her. However this wand, made of yew, with a core of intertwined curupira and rougarou hair, couldn't be more different than her old walnut and dragon heartstring one. Her old wand, Ollivander had warned her when she'd first bought it, was adaptable seeking wizards and witches of brilliance. Once subjugated it would do its best to perform any task she required although it may feed on her as much as she fed on it. Add in a dragon heartstring from a rampaging Hungarian Horntail that, while powerful, was known to switch loyalties upon defeat and she had a powerful wand that could be as dangerous to her as it was to those that stood in her way. But Bellatrix, young, brash, and overconfident had brushed off the man's warnings as the senile mutterings of an old coot, she thought that she would have enough of that to deal with at Hogwarts.
It was only now wielding her new wand that Bellatrix was able to recognize how addicting her old wand had been. As she cast a quick warming and silencing charm on herself Bellatrix relished in the feeling of her magic, something she hadn't felt in over a decade. The thrill was there, as it had always been, as her magic flowed from her nude body into her wand changing the world to suit her desires. However unlike the twelve and three quarters inches of walnut that was her old wand the eleven inches of yew didn't press her to do more, to use it again and again in a cycle that led her to become addicted to her wand in an effort to feel the pleasure of using it.
Yew, she knew from her studies in Ancient Runes during her fourth year was a rare wood and as such in wand crafting matched rarely with witches and wizards. Those that possessed wands of yew were rumored to be endowed with power over life and death, something that the wood's affinity for curses and dueling did nothing to discourage.
Her cores however were far more rare than the wood, especially in Britain. Curupiras were dwarves that lived in the rainforest of South America and their hairs were said to be unstable, with an affinity for powerful but unpredictable wizards. Ollivander had apparently managed to counter the curupira hairs instability with hair from a rougarou. Native to the swamps of the Southern United States these beasts had the head of a dog but the body of a human. Their hair had been used as wand cores in the former colonies for centuries and were rumored to have an affinity for the dark arts.
Her new wand was easily as powerful as her old one, with an even greater affinity for the Dark Arts, dueling, and curses three things that Bellatrix excelled at. However unlike her old wand this one was loyal and would not easily betray her. Bellatrix thought it was quite fitting, a powerful new wand for her to wield in the service of a new master.
A new wand had actually been the first thing she'd acquired the night Harry had claimed her as his own. She'd gone to Ollivander's, determined to break in if needed but had found a side window in the alley ajar. A few quick, calculated hops later and she'd been alone in a store with thousands of wands to try at her leisure. She'd expected the task to take at least an hour, likely longer but the second she was inside she had felt drawn to a particular out of the way box, hidden away in a back corner. A simple label told her all the information she needed and Bellatrix Lestrange had her wand although she put the empty box back not wanting to risk Olivander noticing her theft.
Now with silencing charms up and the rest of the night open to her Bellatrix began her tasks. Quickly and quietly she set about taking out Harry's new books one by one and filling them with details and tips that she'd learned either in her later school years or in her life outside Hogwarts. She'd done this several times now and after tonight she'd have completely filled them in. Some of the information was on the verge of being dark, particularly in Harry's textbooks for charms, transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. However if Harry was as gifted in the former two as his parents had been and in the later as much as he was said to be Bellatrix felt okay giving him the information. She'd even been responsible enough to write the effect the occasional spell she added had and that they shouldn't be used without practice. Oh, Cissy would've been so proud of her, she was always going on about Bella's bullheadedness during the two's school days, especially for someone who was a Slytherin.
But Bellatrix didn't think it was her fault that all her problems vanished when she confronted them head on. Someone talked down to her, she cursed them to the hospital wing. A muggle drunk driver ran over her pet chupacabra, well the man could be her test dummy for a new spell she'd developed in Arithmancy. And if someone tried to get a little handsy with her on 'accident' thinking she wouldn't notice, Merlin help them because Bellatrix certainly wouldn't.
Thankfully the young wizard had been a Gryffindor and a mudblood at that so his sudden disappearance soon after his graduation hadn't been seen as important in the grand scheme of things. With a Ministry at war with a rising Dark Lord, the influence the Black name commanded, and more people dying every day only Dumbeldore had found the time to appear suspicious of her. Thankfully it was Bellatrix's last year at school so she'd been out from under the old goat fucker and his twinkling legilimency probing gaze soon enough.
Letting out a sigh as she reminisced on the good old days Bellatrix thought over all the other things she'd learned the previous evening. She had followed bushy haired know-it-all Ginger, no Granger out of curiosity when she saw her being led off by McGonagall and learned that the girl had actually somehow been stupid enough to sign up for every elective Hogwarts had to offer believing that there was some way for her to take them all. Dumbeldore, the old senile fool that he was, had even tried to get the girl a time turner, something Lucius's puppet Fudge had been all to eager to deny. When McGonagall had broken the news to the girl Bellatrix had thought the girl was going to break out into tears. As it was, the girl had ended up dropping Muggle Studies and Divination at the advice of her Head of House. Bellatrix didn't even think it was worth mentioning how stupid it was that a mudblood raised among muggles wanted to take Muggle Studies in the first place.
Bellatrix had returned to dinner just in time to witness another surprise, the former Hufflepuff daughter of her blood traitor sister Andy being sorted into Slytherin. The sheer look of horror on her Master's face had made Bellatrix want to either cackle in mad delight or hug him to her bosom as she cooed words of comfort to the distraught boy. Either way Bellatrix saw her niece's sorting as a blessing in disguise, not only would it make Harry carry on a friendship with a Slytherin in public but it would also help him realize that not all Slytherins were pure evil, a belief that his former friend the Weasel seemed to have been all too eager to encourage.
This also told Bellatrix that the metamorphmagus girl was either cunning or ambitious, something not only further evidenced by her apprenticeship to Mad-Eye Moody, a former Slytherin, but also by the fact that she was entrusted with ensuring the safety of the Boy-Who-Lived; something Bellatrix had learned seemed to be constantly at risk while he was at school. Bellatrix could only wonder what the old bearded fool was planning for her Master as she set about placing his books back in their respective places within the trunk before vanishing any spilt ink with a quick swish of her wand.
Thankfully, learning about what her Master had already done in his previous years of schooling would allow Bellatrix to advance several plans she'd made for him. As she looked at one particular book inside her private trunk compartment Bellatrix let an evil, cheshire cat-like grin stretch across her face as her body was raked with mad cackles that only she could hear. The banned, highly illegal title of Rituals of the Darkest Arts bore silent witness to her madness.
Nymph Selkie otherwise known as Nymphadora-Don't-Call-Me-That Tonks awoke on the first day of her second go at third year schooling to a pounding on her door. Keeping her eyes firmly shut she grabbed the nearest thing she could reach, which happened to be her pillow, and threw it at the door with a drowsy shout of "Go away!" For a second the knocking stopped and Nymph let herself bask in the belief that she had actually managed to drive off whatever well-meaning snake had decided to wake her. However this belief was quickly shattered when the door sprang open and said snake stepped inside.
Although Slytherin separated their students by year, each student got their own room, something Tonks had relished when she'd collapsed into her bed last night glad she'd have at least some privacy to be herself. In Hufflepuff the dorms weren't divided by year or even gender, instead each dorm held a pair of two willing and loyal housemates. To extol the founder's belief of loyalty being willing to share your space with an older student or someone of the opposite sex showed that you were putting your trust in them. It also allowed younger students to learn from their seniors while also providing them with a confidant should they need it. In the event that a pairing didn't work out the students were able to sign up for a change in partners at the end of each semester or the start of each school year with emergency changes able to be made at the head of house's discretion. Tonks had shared her dorm all seven years with her friend Hestia and had come to associate nights at Hogwarts with soft, almost kitten-like snores.
One stinging hex later and Nymph was sitting up in bed glaring daggers at the sole person in Slytherin who couldn't seem to get the message to sod off, Tracey Davis. Said girl stood around five feet tall with brunette hair that fell to just below her shoulder blades curling at the ends. Her cheeks were dusted with a light scattering of freckles and had just the tiniest amount of baby fat although it looked like it would disappear in the near future. If looks could kill Slytherin would have had a new record for school year's quickest murder. Fortunately for Tracey and unfortunately for Nymph, young Ms. Davis didn't seem to get the hint as she quite rudely refused to kneel over dead for the metamorphmagus's convenience.
"Wow, your hair is hideous," the brunette said with an easy going grin that seemed to grow as she took in Nymph's annoyance.
"Thank you," Nymph growled, "but that's just the way it normally looks. Now why are you waking me up at, what time is it anyway?"
"7:45," Tracey said helpfully.
"7:45? 7:45! Don't wake me up till 9:00!" Nymph ordered pulling the sheets over her head so she could try to hide from the world. Let it be said that Nymph Selkie, or rather Nymphadora Tonks was not a morning person.
"Sorry but classes start at nine soooo," with a flick of her wand and a muttered freezing charm Nymph's warm toasty blankets became freezing cold sending said girl flying out of her bed with a shriek that would have made any banshee or irate Molly Weasley jealous.
"I'm going to kill you," Nymph promised, letting the end of her wand light up green to emphasize her point.
"Nah, you love me." Tracey said confidently as she holstered her wand in her sleeve. "Now come on, I'm hungry and Daphne's already gone to save us seats."
"Why isn't Ms. Greengrass here," Nymph inquired as she began to change from her sleepwear into her Hogwarts robes, "I thought you two were two peas in a pod considering how close you two stuck together last night? Is there anything there I should know about?" Nymph asked, raising an eyebrow as she let a dark grin slide across her face in what her mother called, the 'Sirius grin'.
"Ewww! No!" Tracey said her face flushing slightly green. "She's been my best friend since we were kids but I don't see her that way. Ugh, why'd you have to say that now I feel like I need to obliviate myself."
"I could help with that," Nymph said cheerfully, holding up her wand, the end still glowing green. "Call it a thank you for such a warm welcome this morning. Now how many years of your life do you want to forget?"
"None!" Tracey cried before she noticed something on Tonks's bed which caused her to grin. "Help me Ellie," she cried as she levitated the small stuffed elephant from Tonks bed to her grasp where she held it up like a shield.
"Hey, leave Mr. Peanuts out of this!" Tonks cried flushing beet red.
"Fine, but no erasing my memory."
"Deal, now why isn't Greengrass with you." Tonks said, hurrying to change the topic as she carefully arranged Mr. Peanuts back in his proper spot atop her mess of a bed.
"Well," Tracey said, shifting uncomfortably. "Daphne hasn't been in a really great mood lately. The last time I saw her like this was the beginning of our first year. I'd thought that she'd just been struggling to adjust to Hogwarts but when I asked all she told me was that she'd found out her parents had done something without telling her. She was determined to do the whole Ice Queen persona to get everyone to leave her alone but I never thought she'd take it to this extreme. She keeps it up all the time and I only get to see my friend when we're by ourselves. The worst part is Draco Malfoy-"
"The blond prat who kept trying to flirt with me last night by going on and on about how powerful his daddy is?"
"Yeah him. He keeps talking like he owns her or has this great big secret that would destroy her. I've tried asking him about it but all he'll do is give me that stupid grin of his and say, 'You'll find out eventually.' I mean AGGHHHH!" Tracey let out a yell of frustration as she picked up Tonk's pillow from the floor and threw it into the wall before collapsing to the ground hugging her knees to her chest.
"I'm worried about her," she sniffled. "It's not easy being a half-blood in Slytherin. All the other muggle-borns or half-bloods have something to offer, a skill, a talent, something that makes it so the pure-bloods if not respect them, at least leave them alone. Me, I've got nothing." She said with a chuckle that dissolved into a sniffle. "The only reason I'm not the House's go to stress reliever is because Daphne protects me and I can't even get her to tell me what's going on."
"Well," Tonks said, shifting uncomfortably. Feelings reallllyyyy weren't her thing, she left them to Hestia and normally wouldn't touch them with a 39 and a half foot pole. "Have you told Daphne about how you feel?"
Tracey responded with a flat stare, "Really? Your advice is to 'tell her how I feel?' Merlin!" she cried falling onto her back spread eagle. "Slytherin's going to eat you alive?"
"Well in my defense I didn't really get a chance to have a heart to heart with Greengrass." Tonks said dryly. "And aren't you being a little hypocritical. Slytherin's supposed to be the house of the cunning yet here you are sharing secrets not your own."
Tracey sighed, "I haven't shared anything that you wouldn't have been able to find out on your own anyway. Everything I've said is pretty much an open secret. As for why I'm telling you..." she shrugged, "who knows. Maybe I just needed to get it off my chest. Maybe I'm lying or trying to earn your sympathy. Maybe you looked like fun and I want you as a friend so I'm trying to be open with you. And maybe everything I've said is a lie so I can manipulate you."
"Wow," Tonks said flatly. "And here I was thinking last night I was lucky enough to befriend the only Slytherins at the table that didn't look like they bathed in hair gel or had a stick up their ass."
"Welcome to Slytherin," Tracey smiled bitterly before she sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. "Table! Daphne's been saving us a seat we need to go NOW!" So it was Nymph Selkie began her second take on her third year being dragged through the halls of Hogwarts as she yelled various curse words at an overexcited snake with Hufflepuff loyalty.
Harry was not in a good mood as he sat at the Gryffindor table eating a plate full of scrambled eggs and bacon. He'd gotten up easy enough and since he didn't think waking Ron was his duty anymore since their friendship seemed to be on hiatus Harry had even managed to get to the Gryffindor table earlier than he normally did. However his good mood did a 180 when he realized that he had nowhere to sit.
Admittedly there were plenty of open spots scattered about but looking around Harry realized just how narrow his group of friends really was without Ron and Hermione to keep him company. Sure there were his fellow Quidditch team members but outside of practice and games Harry couldn't really say he talked to them all that much. The twin terrors were decent enough but they had Lee Jordan and as much as he liked them Harry knew that when it came down to it they'd choose Ron over him since the Weasley's stuck together.
Ginny and Colin were fanboys and although Harry felt that Ginny may have come out of her hero worship after he rescued her at the end of last year he didn't feel like chancing it especially with the whole Life Debt thing the two had. His other year mates Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan seemed to be the best of friends and even Longbottom had found a place with the second years if the gestures he and the younger lions were doing were anything to go by.
Feeling quite isolated and more than a bit peeved at the realization Harry took a seat at a deserted portion of the table where he loaded his plate and began to eat, feeding the occasional piece of bacon to Twilight who was sitting on his shoulders half napping.
Not having anything better to do Harry began to look around the Great Hall and it was then he noticed someone else sitting by themselves. When Harry's emerald eyes met the Slytherin's arctic blue Harry knew, he'd fucked up.
Greengrass was looking at him, not staring because that would be rude something a pure-blood would obviously never be, but looking at him with far more emotion than Harry thought he'd ever seen on the face of Slytherin's Ice Queen. It almost looked like frustration, as if Harry was a particularly difficult puzzle that she just couldn't seem to figure out. Thankfully Greengrass was distracted when two more Slytherin's appeared, the one girl who never seemed to be particularly far away from her side, Tracey Davis, Harry recalled after a moment of thought.
Taking a sip of hot chocolate Harry looked at Tracey's companion and had to swallow his drink less he spit it out. As it was the Boy-Who-Lived became the Boy-Who-Was-Choking and only after a passing Gryffindor gave Harry a helpful pat on the back did he recover his breath. What in Merlin's name was Nymph doing with Greengrass and Davis?
Harry had originally wondered why the former Hufflepuff had been sorted into Slytherin but after thinking about it it actually wasn't that difficult to see why. He already knew she was ambitious seeing as how she'd been able to get an apprenticeship under Mad-Eye, as for cunning, well she was a metamorphmagus it wasn't that difficult for Harry to imagine her transforming into a teacher to get herself out of detention while she was a student.
Letting out a groan Harry let his head rise and fall as he banged it against the table. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." He cursed. It was just his luck that two of the girls he was betrothed to would end up befriending each other wasn't it. "Fucking magical Potter luck," he muttered.
"Mr. Potter, I don't know what has put you in such a bad mood this morning but that doesn't give you a reason to lose your manners. Consider yourself lucky that Gryffindor doesn't have any points or I would have taken them for your language just now."
Turning around Harry was met with the disapproving gaze of Professor McGonagall whose upturned nose reminded Harry vaguely of Twilight when he had offered her a yellow Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean. Careful to keep his emotions schooled, Harry gave a simple, "Yes, Professor," as he took the slip of paper she was offering him.
As he watched McGonagall stride away in her green robes Harry let a scowl cross his face, well at least today couldn't get any worse.
Looking down at his schedule Harry could only let out a mournful groan as he returned to banging his head against the table. "Me and my big mouth."
Entering the Arithmancy classroom Harry immediately dropped into the nearest available seat as he set his books down on the table before leaning back and closing his eyes. Apparently changing your classes right before school started didn't always work out in your favor. Arithmancy had been fine as it had simply replaced Divination but Ancient Runes was another story. Since Harry had signed up for the class late and the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff class had already been finalized McGonagall had simply put Harry in the Ravenclaw-Slytherin class. Even though he didn't have the class until next Monday Harry just knew that not only would he have to deal with Draco but that Greengrass and Nymph would be in there too.
As the rest of the class filed in and took their seats Harry opened his Arithmancy book and began to read the first chapter. He'd skimmed it when he'd first bought the book from Diagon Alley but as he looked through the book Harry quickly realized that someone had been writing in it. The pages were lined with small, neat notations, ideas, and advice for how to understand the material and apply it. Harry was tempted to tell a teacher about the mysterious notes especially after his experience last year but the information actually seemed quite harmless and looking it over Harry realized that one of the concepts he'd struggled with when he'd practiced it just days earlier was now easy for him to understand with the newly added information.
Giving a silent thank you to whoever decided to give him a break Harry got out a piece of parchment, ink well, and quill as Professor Vector entered the room.
Professor Vector appeared to be in her early twenties although the truth was she was closer to her mid-thirties. Dressed in tight fitting red robes with curly black hair that fell from under the brim of a scarlet pointed hat her pale skin gave her the appearance of a runway model advertising Madame Malkin's latest. Along with Professor Bathsheda Babbling who taught Ancient Runes and Professor Aurora Sinestra who taught Astronomy the trio of stunning bachelorettes were regarded as the three most desirable teachers at Hogwarts.
Rumors abound about how Vector along with Professor Babbling had traveled together for a decade after the two had graduated Hogwarts so they could earn their respective Masteries. After they'd earned their degrees the two had returned to Hogwarts and accepted teaching positions where they had found a quick companion in the newly hired Astronomy teacher Professor Sinestra. While there were no confirmed cases of the three being caught in compromising positions it was a long held belief of the student body that the three often warmed each other's beds.
In such an old fashioned society one would think that even rumors of such things would have seen the three fired, outcast from magical society, however two things prevented that from happening. First was that the images the idea brought to mind to most hot blooded males (and quite a few females) was actually quite the turn on. The second reason and the most important one as far as most of the student body was concerned came about when one seventh year Gryffindor, may he live on forever, and the only lion it was said the snakes actually liked had courageously - or stupidly depending on your opinion of Gryffindor traits - asked Professor Babbling during an Ancient Runes NEWT class where members of all four houses were present if it was true the three slept together.
As the tale went Professor Babbling had turned with a twinkle in her teal eyes that would make even Dumbledore jealous and said that while she could not comment on teacher relationships. However, if such a thing did happen and a student was to walk in on three witches doing such a thing; well, the three would have to 'reward' such a student in order to make sure the truth never got out.
So it was that a whole generation of male wizards became dedicated to catching the trio in the act to earn the infamous reward. Immediately after the reward was revealed Ancient Runes and Arithmancy saw a sharp spike in the amount of people that registered or transferred into the elective and it was reported that those who had Astronomy with Professor Sinestra were suddenly wide awake despite the late hour at which the class was held. For years students had tried every trick, scheme, scam, gimmick, ruse, plot, ploy, and other words with a similar meaning that they could think of but no one had been able to get even a clue on where the three met up. This was the only issue all four houses stood united on even going so far as to collect a winner's pool and ordered a trophy for the one who provided proof of their conquest.
Harry was shaken out of his stupor when a flash of red crossed his vision. As he focused back on the class Harry realized that Professor Vector was going over how to calculate probability. Having already read the section and feeling like he understood the basic concepts well enough Harry allowed himself to lean back in the chair as he retreated into his mind, images of three hot Professors giving him 'private lessons' to help him improve dominating his thoughts and making him glad he had chosen a seat at the back of the class.
Harry's next class was Transfiguration and this time Harry chose to sit in the middle of the room. As he focused on Professor McGonagall's lecture on Animagi Harry couldn't help but notice the furtive glances the majority of the class kept shooting his way. Even when McGonagall transformed herself into a tabby cat with spectacle markings around her eyes only half the class seemed to be paying attention, something the Professor picked up on.
"Really, what has gotten into all of you today?" Professor McGonagall asked, turning back into herself with a faint pop, and looking around. "Not that it matters," she said, clearly a little miffed "but that's the first time my transformation's not gotten me a round of applause from the class."
This time everyone seemed to be deliberately not looking at Harry and Ron slowly raised his hand where it quivered slightly in the air. "P-Professor, we've just had our first Divination class and we were reading tea leaves, and, well -"
"Ah, of course," Professor McGonagall said with a small huff as she closed her eyes and began to massage her temple. "Now tell me Mr. Weasley, which of you will be dying on me this year?"
About a quarter of the class focused on Professor McGonagall, another quarter looked around unsure of what was going on, while the last half turned to look at Harry, silently answering her question.
"I see," Professor McGonagall said, stari54ng at Harry through her spectacles. "You should all know that Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them have died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues I would say -"
Breaking off Professor McGonagall deliberately exhaled slowly, her nostrils which had flared as she began to rant returning to their normal size. She went on more calmly, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic out there. I will not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. The act of seeing the future is immensely difficult as it is and true Seers are very rare to come across. Professor Trelawney -"
Once again she stopped, and after taking a moment to collect herself she gave Harry a flat stare. "Forgive me Mr. Potter if I do not take the news of your impending death with the utmost seriousness. You look to be decently healthy so you will excuse me if I don't let you out of the homework tonight. Know that if you do perish before our next class together you need not turn it in."
About half of the class broke into laughter and even Harry let out an appreciative chuckle giving a silent thank you to Tonks for her advice to avoid Divination. If even Professor McGonagall, a woman who never spoke badly about anybody couldn't even speak about Professor Trelawney without going on a rant then she had to be even worse than he'd imagined. However not everyone seemed convinced, a few still looked worried and Harry thought he heard Lavender Brown whisper, "But what about Neville's cup?"
After Transfiguration ended Harry made his way to the Great Hall for lunch once again sitting by himself before he made his way outside of the castle after lunch for Care of Magical Creatures. Twilight had ditched him going off to do some wandering on her own or, and more likely in Harry's opinion, to nap off her lunch. Yesterday's rain had cleared and the grass was damp as he set off for his class with Hagrid.
Hagrid stood in his moleskin overcoat outside his hut waiting for the class, Fang the boarhound lying down at his side. "C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached, a grin on his face. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Everyone here? Right, follow me now!"
For a moment Harry thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the Forbidden Forest, his previous experiences in there making Harry more than willing to follow Dumbledore's order that the Forbidden Forest was out of bounds. However Hagrid merely strolled along the edge of the trees and five minutes later the students found themselves outside of an empty paddock.
"Right everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it - make sure yeh can see - now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books -"
"How," the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy spoke up.
"Eh?"
"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out too; some were held shut with belts or rope while others were crammed inside tight bags or held together with binder clips. Only Harry seemed to not have his book restrained in some manner.
"Hasn' - hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" asked Hagrid, looking slightly disbelieving and slightly crestfallen.
Every person except one shook their head.
"Well Harry," Hagrid said, perking up as he focused on the one student who hadn't, "how'd ya get yours ta open?"
As the class turned to look his way Harry gulped nervously as he began to stroke the spine of his book with his finger. Truth was the book had tried to kill him when he'd first bought it and he'd ended up throwing it into his trunk after tying a belt around it. However the next morning when he'd opened his trunk the book had been cowering in a corner shivering and had gone out of its way to be obedient to him, taking his words as if they were gospel. It had also seemed to have developed a fear of Twilight having cowered under Harry's bed when it once caught sight of her. Harry had looked towards his familiar and thought she'd looked slightly prideful at the reaction she'd provoked.
As Harry stroked the book it let out a slight shiver before it fell open, laying quiet in his hands. "You've got to stroke the spine," he called out with a grin.
"'Xactly," Hagrid said, his face lighting up, "All yeh got ter do is stroke 'em. Take 5 points to Gryffindor for a right answer 'nd 'nother five for bein' the only one ta get yer book ta open. Now ya all get yer books open and I'll go an' get the Magical Creatures."
As the class began to stroke their books Hagrid strode out of sight. "God, this place is going to the dogs," Malfoy complained loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, wait until my father hears about this."
"Shut up Malfoy," Harry said. While he might be suspicious of Dumbledore and want to distance himself from Hagrid due to his loyalty to the man, Harry knew that Hagrid wasn't a bad person, just someone with a screwed up love for all things monstrous.
"Ooooooh!" squealed Lavender, pointing towards the opposite side of the paddock. Trotting towards them were half a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were easily half a foot long and around their necks were leather collars attached to a length of chain the ends of which Hagrid held in his meaty hand as he led the beasts into the paddock where he tethered the creatures to the fence.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand in the creatures direction. "Beau'iful things, aren' they?"
Harry could sort of see what Hagrid meant if you were able to see past the massive talons, strange appearance, and sharp beak topped off by lava colored eyes the Hippogriff's held a strange beauty with a gleaming coat that changed from hair to feathers each a slightly different color.
"So," Hagrid said, rubbing his hands together as he looked around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit closer -" Slowly the lions edged forward their loyalty to Hagrid triumphing over the fear of the hippogriffs.
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know about hippogriffs is they're proud, easily offended they are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."
The entire class listened to Hagrid with rapt awestruck attention although Harry noticed that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't listening and were instead talking in an undertone giving Harry the nasty feeling that the trio intended to disrupt the lesson.
"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite so yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him cause those talons hurt. Right now who wants ter go first?"
Immediately both classes except for Harry took several steps back leaving Harry standing out front as a sacrifice, I mean volunteer. "Good man, Harry!" Hagrid roared beaming. "Right then - let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."
As Harry reluctantly climbed over the fence Hagrid undid the collars on one of the Hippogriffs and led it about ten feet away from Harry. The rest of the class swarmed the outside of the paddock with eager anticipation.
"Easy now Harry," Hagrid said quietly as Harry began to slowly walk forward. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink to much, it makes the Hippogriffs think you're untrustworthy." Harry's eyes immediately began to water but he refrained from blinking, Buckbeak had turned his head to the side and was now staring at Harry with one fierce orange eye.
"Tha's it Harry, now bow…"
Slowly Harry slid into a bow making sure to expose the back of his neck to the hippogriff despite his instincts screaming at him to do otherwise. Harry looked up to find the hippogriff still staring down at him, unmoving.
"Right," Hagrid said as he licked his lips, sounding worried. "Right now slowly back away Harry, easy does it.
But then to Harry's and the class's surprise the hippogriff bent it's scaly front knee and sank into an unmistakable bow.
"Well done Harry!" Hagrid cheered. "Right - yeh can touch him now. Go on stroke his beak, ruffle a few feathers."
Although he thought a better reward would be being able to back off, Harry obediently slowly moved towards Buckbeak and reached out petting it's beak several times. The hippogriff lazily closed its eyes and even seemed to lean into the touch clearly enjoying the attention. The class broke into applause all except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle who looked deeply disappointed that Harry wasn't on the ground rolling around in pain with a shredded arm.
"Righ' then Harry," Hagrid said cheerfully as he strode up to Harry and put his hand on his back. "He seems ta like yeh, I be he might' even let yeh ride him."
Harry almost broke his neck due to how quickly he turned to look at Hagrid. However as he was opening up his mouth to protest Hagrid grabbed the back of his robes and lifted Harry easily up onto the hippogriff's back setting him just behind the wing joint. "Now go on then!" Hagrid roared as he slapped the hippogriff's hindquarters. "Oh and make sure yeh don't pull any of his feathers out, he might throw yeh!"
Harry barely heard the warning as he seized the hippogriff around the neck as he went soaring upwards. Unlike his broom which flew smoothly the Hippogriff rocked back and forth with the hindquarters rising and falling in sequence with the wings. The wings which beat uncomfortably on either side of Harry under his legs and made him feel as if he would be thrown off at any moment. The glossy feathers were difficult to hold and Harry out of fear of pulling one out didn't dare to get a stronger grip.
Buckbeak flew around the paddock once, twice, three times before going in for a landing. This was the part Harry had been dreading for as the hippogriff landed it did so at a gallop which set Harry bouncing around on his back even more, almost sending him flying off. As Harry slid off of Buckbeak's back slightly queasy the crowd broke into a cheer. "Good work Harry," Hagrid said, giving him a slap on the back that nearly made Harry toss up his lunch. "Now who's next?"
As the rest of class climbed over the fence emboldened by Harry's success the Boy-Who-Lived made his way to the edge of the paddock where he collapsed against the post. A questioning meow and a weight pressing into his side let Harry know that Twilight had rejoined him. Harry gave his familiar what he thought was a reassuring grin although it didn't seem to work since the cat stood up on her hind legs and began to massage his chest with her paws.
As she kneaded his pectoral muscles Harry let out a soft groan as his queasiness faded away focusing his attention on the rest of the class. The paddock was filled with a mix of bowing, scampering, and awe as the students and hippogriffs bowed to each other. Neville was nervously backpedaling away from his hippogriff which didn't seem to want to bend a knee while Lavender and Parvati were eagerly petting their hippogriff complimenting his coat as the beast stood preening at their attention.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had already bowed to Malfoy who was now petting his beak with disdain. "This was easy," he complained loud enough for Harry to hear him who stood up and quickly began to make his way towards the trio, Twilight trailing behind him. "It had to be if Potter could do it. I bet you aren't dangerous at all, are you you big ugly brute."
Buckbeak immediately rose at the provocation, rearing back on his hind legs as he lashed out with his talons. Malfoy let out a high pitched scream as he fell backwards, red crimson blood splattering the ground. Hagrid wrestled Buckbeak back into his collar as Malfoy looked at the ground in front of him in shock. "P-potter," he croaked disbelievingly.
There lying in the grass unconscious, blood blossoming on the back of his robes which lay shredded across his body was the Boy-Who-Lived. If anything Malfoy turned even whiter as he looked at his rival's body, "the scars," he croaked.
Some students hearing his whisper made their way over and a gasp went up from the crowd as they took in the sight. Even with the three new cuts slicing deeply into his back Harry's body told a tale of trauma, with great, big, ugly welts and scars that covered the entirety of his back leaving not a single spot empty. The girls were all sobbing while quite a few boys were letting out the contents of their stomachs in the grass.
Hagrid came stomping over having finally chained Buckbeak to the side of the paddock and grabbed Harry sweeping him easily into his giant grasp. Hagrid didn't say a word as he went running up the slope towards the castle, Twilight at his heels somehow keeping pace with the half-giant's massive strides.
It was a sullen and shaky Care of Magical Creatures class that followed afterwards all of them lost in their own thoughts. As soon as they reached the castle the class split the snake heading towards the dungeons while the lions headed back to their tower.
By that evening the entire castle knew about the scars that decorated the back of their savior and many students sent owls rushing home to their families to inform them. Within three days the entire magical community was in an uproar demanding to know how their hero could have possibly been so badly treated. However Harry was nowhere to be found, in fact he didn't reappear at the castle for nearly a month but when he returned it was a very different Harry from the one the students and staff had known.
Author's Note:
Guess who? That's right it's me bringing you the next chapter of Harry Potter's Familiar Cat. I intended to get this chapter out last Saturday but I wasn't able to so it's coming out now instead and before you ask no Draco won't owe Harry a Life Debt since I hate DracoxHarry or DracoxHermione stories with a passion unless they make Hermione evil. I can easily see Hermione becoming a Bellatrix-isque devotee to any up and coming dark lords especially if they befriend her early in the first year back when everyone else thinks she's just an annoyance.
Now as for this chapter, Bellatrix is back and we get not only her perspective but also Tonks. She has big plans for Harry and yes Harry will become an Animagus by the end of the school year, (look at the titles of the books for details but it will be a rare Animagus that I promise you). I got the idea for the Hufflepuff dorm system from one of the Author's I follow, DZ2 specifically his Sanguis Draconis story so check that out if you want the original idea. The idea for Sinestra, Babbling, and Vector being a couple isn't anything new and I feel like the reasoning I gave is a believable reason for why they haven't been fired. Also $10 if you can guess who'll be the one to find their 'room' it sure must have a few requirements to enter. *wink wink*
The Care of Magical Creatures class and Professor McGonagall's rants are almost straight out of the book with some slight editing here and there. Honestly part of the reason I had Harry save Draco is so we don't have the Buckbeak execution subplot especially since Hermione doesn't have the Time Turner in this story. I mean seriously giving a student the ability to travel through time for classes of all things, Dumbledore must seriously be going senile.
There are three main reasons I had Harry save Draco though, first it protects Hagrid one of the few people at the school Harry still likes although Harry will be distancing himself from Hagrid since A. I hate writing Hagrid's speech style and B. Hagrid is seriously loyal to Dumbledore (see Dudley's pig tail for details). Second it allows me to legally get Harry out of the Dursley's while giving them a well deserved punishment for how they treated him (Sing: Here comes Bellatrix, here comes Bellatrix, right to Privet Drive). Lastly I can get rid of his glasses (something I hate) while giving Harry a healthy body. It won't be the body of a demigod with a massive 20 inch dong and enough muscles to give All Might a run for his money but rather the body Harry would have had if he hadn't been abused, underfed, and locked in a cupboard most of his life.
I think that covers most of it for this chapter so as usual comment since it keeps me writing and helps me improve my story and I enjoy reading them. Also I do intend to write some smut for those of you complaining about the lack of it but that'll be in later chapters so don't expect it for a while. Lastly I'm thinking of starting a Pateron (switch r and e) account so I can earn some money to help pay for college so let me know if that's a thing I should do and if so what rewards I should offer each level.
Thanks for reading make sure to comment and check out my other stories, and until next time this is the devil with more easter eggs in his stories than the Easter Bunny and permanent ne'er-do-well resident of the Hazbian Hotel
-D'yavol Lucifer 3:)
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*IMPORTANT NOTICE*
All the coverart for my stories are ones I found online. I am really interested in using fanart provided by you the readers to replace them. If you're interested draw something up and pm me so I can send you the details on where to send it or pm me and I'll give you some details so you can draw one. As I say in my bio if I use it I may add you as an oc in one of my stories! Isn't that exciting!