The Vanishing Cabinet...Black

sixteen. care of magical creatures

tw: n/a

"REMIND ME AGAIN WHY YOU HAVE TO DO THIS?" Cass said boredly. She lounged on her fluffy blue bed, picking at her nails. Last night, the two girls had stayed up till midnight playing Exploding Snap together, and now, it was a misty morning, and Malka had her first ever Care of Magical Creatures class. 

"Because I need it for alchemy, Cass," Malka chuckled, putting her hair in a ponytail with a green ribbon. 

The two girls shared one of the larger rooms available for fifth years. The walls were pale stone, with oval-shaped bricks about the size of a hand scattered over one wall, and large rectangular granite on the other wall. They shared one massive window that was at the center of the room, with a plush window seat and pillows in front of it. Periwinkle curtains hung open from it, and it let light into the entire space. To the left and right of it were the girls' beds, both low beds with drawers underneath. They had more drawers as an extension of their desks, which were up against the wall and next to their beds, and they both had a small closet next to the door. It was quaint, but Cass's side was filled with picture frames of the Holyhead Harpies, her and Malka, or her and her family. Malka's side merely had a few sentimental items, like a crystal globe from her mother, a Ravenclaw poster, and a school prize she had recieved for her Potions work in third year. It was mostly tidy, aside from the dozens of pairs of shoes that neither of them bothered to pick up.

"But you're leaving me alone with Binns! Ugh, if I give you some chocolate, will you stay?" Cass said, batting her eyelashes.

"No, Cassana, even if I want to. Goodbye," Malka rolled her eyes lightly before stepping out their door. 

She'd asked a Hufflepuff where Care of Magical Creatures met, and they'd replied with the same thing Flitwick told her. So she made her way out of the castle. She had to admit that even if she wasn't the most naturey person, the walk down to the Forest was quite beautiful. She and Cassana had taken several tours around the grounds in their first year, but after that, she'd barely ever walked around the Castle. It occurred to her that she had never even visited the Black Loch since Fourth Year.

The morning was thick with fog, and Malka had to keep her eyes fixed onto the ground, making sure she didn't slip on the thick blades of wet grass surrounding the pebbled path. She wore her hair up today, knowing they were working with unicorns. She had also worn a plain black miniskirt instead of her usual tweed, not wanting to dirty it, paired with a black top and her neverchanging red cardigan.

"Ah, our new friend: Miss Malka Mei Arslan!" Professor Kettleburn proclaimed. And Malka could see why Cass thought he was scary in their First Year. Three of his extremities were artificial, with a pirate hook arm and two wooden legs. He also wore a golden eye patch, had frizzy white facial hair, but was otherwise bald and spoke with a grizzly-bear like voice.

Malka felt a tinge of surprise at his address of her middle name. The class was small, with only about ten other students (out of which nine were boys), but they were from every house. She could see mostly Gryffindor boys, with a few Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Reg. He was staring at her with eyes as wide as saucers, transfixed as if she had two heads.

"I'm not one for welcomes, anyway, so moving on," Kettleburn scuttled her along into the mass of the other students, where she was jostled briefly before regaining her footing. "Unicorns! Big! Shiny! Pretty, even! Now, the five I have in the forest we'll be studying for the next three weeks. They are young enough that their coats have silver in them and they do not mind a man's touch, but they are old enough to ride. Though I don't recommend you even try until the second week of studying has passed. Especially you, Mister Clark,"