Black and Potter | H. Potter

4 ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆ snuffles.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧*⋆.*:･ﾟ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾

| SNUFFLES |
song: you're somebody else by flora cash

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧*⋆.*:･ﾟ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾

ARA WAS PLEASED TO GET OUT OF THE CASTLE after lunch. Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was clear, pale grey just like her eyes, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as they left for their first-ever Care of Magical Creatures class.

Ron and Hermione weren't talking to each other. Ara and Harry walked beside them whispering to each other as they went down sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Then they spotted three only-too-familiar backs ahead of them that they realised they must have these lessons with the Slytherins. Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling.

Ara had once tried to be nice to Draco Malfoy before they even started Hogwarts when they met for the first time in Diagon Alley. However, he quickly showed her that he was not someone worthy of her time, seeing as he had stared at her as if she was some dirt on his shoe and called her a 'Muggle-Loving-Bloodtraitor'. From that day on, Ara despised his guts, and despised their shared blood, Ara saw him as nothing more than a classmate with ego and prejudice issues.

Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

For one moment Ara thought that Hagrid was going to lead them to the Forbidden Forest. She didn't have the nicest memories there, the last time she was there it was nighttime. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock, there was nothing in there.

"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?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"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, like Harry, had belted their books shut. But Ara had opened the book without any problem, having stroked the spine moments earlier.

"Hasn'—hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid looking crestfallen, but then Ara lifted her hand up, informing Hagrid that she had been successful, and he gave her a proud smile. "Well done, Ara."

The rest of the class shook their heads.

"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look—"

He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!"

"I—I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione.

"Oh, tremendously funny!" said Malfoy. "Really witty, giving us books that try to rip our hands off!"

Ara's anger was building up, she wanted Hagrid's lesson to be a success, and Malfoy was being anything but helpful. She was about to say something but Harry beat her to it.