As Harry walked up to the castle, enjoying the silence and the cool night air, he made an important decision; when he was Minister of Magic he'd get rid of dementors. There had to be a better way to secure the prison. In fact, since Sirius Black was able to escape, clearly the dementors weren't doing their job properly at all anyway.
Harry still felt pathetic, and weak, and shaky from being around one for less than minute. How did inmates like Black survive for over ten years?
If he closed his eyes he's sure he could still hear the screams of the woman he thinks might be his mum. He can still hear his own pathetic cries from the cupboard. Can still hear the taunts and insults hurled at him on the streets.
Worthless.
He'd tell Susan to make that their first priority once they're in charge of the Ministry; stamp out the entire race of dementors.
He hates feeling like this.
Vulnerable.
Weak.
He put on his 'I'm so bored and I don't care about anything' mask before opening the doors to the Great Hall. Just because he felt miserable doesn't mean anyone else would get to see it.
Weakness will get you killed.
He defiantly lifted his chin when everyone in the Hall turned to look at him.
Ignore them. Ignore them. Ignore them.
Harry kept his eyes hooded and uncaring as he quickly made his way to his friends.
"Hey," he murmured, sliding in to his regular spot.
Susan silently raised a brow at him.
"I'm fine," he said quietly in response to her obvious question. "I miss anything?"
"Nope," Ron said with a wide smile. "Food just popped up and Dumbledore hasn't introduced Lupin yet. He still alive?"
Harry gave Ron a small grin, he was just so unflappably straight forward.
"When I left he was, but who knows what Snape's up to?"
"Snape wouldn't kill Lupin just for bullying him in school," Draco said, rolling his eyes at Harry and Ron both.
Harry exchanged glances with Mione, Neville, and Luna.
Only someone who hadn't been a target for bullies would think something daft like that.
"Guess Draco's right," Susan said, subtly pointing where Snape and Lupin were now coming through the staff entrance. "Shame."
"Are we actively rooting for Lupin's death?" Harry asked curiously, loading his plate up with food.
"Susan's always rooting for someone's death," Neville muttered.
"I wasn't," said Susan. "I thought it would be interesting considering who he is to talk more with him. But then he tried to shake Harry and now I'm sort of looking forward to the Defense curse killing him."
"He tried what?" Harry demanded just as Ron asked "What curse?"
"Lupin was trying to wake you up after you... well, you know," Hermione grimaced.
Weak.
"Susan smacked him," Luna said. "I don't think he'll try again."
"You're fearless," Harry told Susan, impressed. She just stuck her tongue out at him and put another roll on his plate.
"And there's a curse on the defense position, nobody lasts longer than a year. Everyone knows that Weasley," Draco explained.
"I think that's just gossip," Hermione said.
"I think Harry's the bloody curse," Theo said. "Killed Quirrell and drug Lockhart down to the Chamber never to return, didn't he?"
Harry just shrugged and took a bite of his potatoes while everyone looked at him.
"Snape might be the curse this year, look at him," Ron said.
They looked up at the Head Table and saw that Snape was alternating between glaring at Lupin and flicking his eyes towards Harry.
Harry scowled at him.
Weak.
"Here we go," Blaise whispered, pointing towards Dumbledore who was rising to his feet just as the last of the dessert dishes popped away.
"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and one of them is very serious, I would appreciate your complete attention."
Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."
"Brill," Harry groaned. He hates dementors so of fucking course Dumbledore let them on the grounds.
He wasn't sure which he hated more in that moment- Dumbledore or the dementors.
"Faster we find Black the sooner they leave," Susan whispered reassuringly in Harry's ear.
"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises — or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors," he said.
Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound.
"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.
"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Harry and his friends didn't clap at all.
"He looks terrible, doesn't he?" Blaise said, drawing the groups attention to Lupin's shabby appearance.
"Full moon was last night, you'd look rough too," Hermione said back.
"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."
A few of Harry's friends clapped politely but Harry kept his hands firmly on the table. He wasn't going to cheer for the giant man who dropped him off in Surrey last December on Dumbledore's orders with nothing more than a cheery farewell.
"And now I want to wish you all a good night, good rest, and a good first day of classes tomorrow!" Dumbledore called with a smile out towards the students.
"You guys wanna place any bets before we go to the dorms?" Draco asked Susan and Neville.
"On what?" Neville asked.
"Duels," Ron said, pulling a parchment out of his robe pocket. "Duels are tonight."
Harry perked up almost immediately. How could he have forgotten? A duel would be an excellent time to shake off this shaky feeling of weakness. And he's dueled on the first night every year since his very first one.
"What do you mean nobody wants to duel me?" Harry demanded, staring around the silent common room in shock. "Since when?!"
"Since they found out you're Slytherins Heir," Blaise drawled with a small wink.
Harry should have know that he would eventually come to regret encouraging that rumor within Slytherin.
"What am I supposed to do now?" he whined quietly to Draco a few minutes later as they watched two fifth year girls have what Harry considered to be the most boring duel in the world.
"Be happy you aren't being attacked?" Draco suggested with his blonde brows raised high. "You could have a peaceful night, for once."
Harry didn't want peace. He wanted the sharp rush that proper dueling gave him. He wanted to feel alive again and he wanted to stop feeling so god damned weak.
"Or you could challenge someone," Ron suggested. "You don't have to wait around for someone to challenge you."
Oh. Duh.
"Cheers Ron, just for that you can be my second," Harry smiled at the suddenly pale Ron.
"Let's give Ron a break, I don't think he's recovered from last year," Theo said hastily. "How about I'll be your second?"
Harry shrugged, already eyeing the older students scattered around the back of the common room.
"Doesn't matter to me, it's just for show anyway, yeah? Who should I pick?" he said.
"Challenge a seventh year if you even want to pretend to have a challenge," Blaise said.
"But none of them have done anything to me," Harry murmured. "Well, maybe Flint... he was a prat before I made the team..."
"Not Flint," Draco said quickly. "If you attack the Quidditch Captain do you really expect to stay on the team?"
"Challenge Pucey," Ron said, pointing where one of their beaters was standing next to one of the chasers on the team, Warrington. "He's in NEWT defense classes so he shouldn't be too easily beaten and he's a good sport."
"Good thinking Weasley," Draco said. "I'll go tell him Harry wants a challenge so he doesn't hold it against him during practice."
"Draco," Harry hissed as Draco walked towards Pucey, having suddenly had an ingenious idea.
"Yeah?" Draco glanced at Harry just as the other duel winner was being announced.
"Tell Warrington too," he grinned. "No rules against challenging two people, right?"
"You want to duel two seventh years?" Theo yelped quietly as Draco laughed and moved quickly to the older students' side.
"Why not?" Harry shrugged. "I dueled Fred and George last year, didn't I?"
"They were fourth years," Ron pointed out.
"And they were easy. This'll actually be fun."
"Quit arguing and move Weasley," Blaise grinned. "We have gold to make."
"Next challenger!" Cassandra Owens, the female seventh year prefect, called from the front of the room.
Harry stepped forward quickly, excited now to prove his strength to himself.
"I challenge Adrian Pucey..." he paused for a dramatic moment before adding, "And Cassius Warrington."
Draco was probably rubbing off on him, but the gasps of surprise made Harry preen slightly.
"Can- can he do that?" Owens whispered to Flint, the male seventh year prefect.
"You gonna tell him no?" he muttered back.
"Awe c'mon Potter, we don't wanna hurt our seeker," Pucey said with a small grin as he stepped forward.
"Why does everyone always think they're going to win?" Draco snickered. "It's like they've never seen Harry duel before."
"I dunno Dray, they might. I've never dueled two seventh years at once before." Harry blinked up innocently at the older boys. "But I mean if you guys are scared...?"
"We accept," Warrington grunted, stepping up beside Pucey.
"Okaaay," Owens said, frowning at the deviation from the norm. "Volunteer for seconds?"
"I'll be Harry's second," Theo offered immediately.
Pucey and Warrington looked hopefully at Flint who scowled and shook his head.
"He's playing you," he said flatly. "And Slytherin can't afford to be down three players."
"I'll do it," Blaise offered. "It's just for show, right?" he winked at Harry.
Harry shrugged, enjoying the way Blaise seemed slightly panicked at his non-response.
"Everyone back up!" Owens called to the room. "Potter, Pucey, Warrington- positions."
Harry stepped to the opposite side of the two boys who were strategizing quietly.
"Ready?"
Pucey and Warrington stepped apart and took up the standard dueling position. Harry just flexed his hands and grinned.
The dome was already up, they couldn't back down now.
"Go!"
Harry laughed as he had to immediately duck from a silently shot spell.
"Thought you didn't want to hurt me?" he grinned at Pucey as he began lobbying his own spells towards the quickly moving pair.
"Just don't want you to mess up my pretty face," he said, sending something red towards Harry's knees.
Harry smiled as he had to duck, dodge, and return spells quickly to the competent pair. He decided he'd only challenge seventh years from now on, it was much more exciting to see spells flying towards him and having no idea what they would do.
This is the rush he hasn't been able to find lately.
He quickly figured out what the duo's strategy was- Pucey was sending out the offensive spells with Warrington was maintaining shields and dispelling Harry's curses when he could.
Which meant Warrington needed to be taken out first.
Attack Pucey quickly so that Warrington drops his own shield to protect him- then take out Warrington, he mentally planned.
Harry danced slightly closer to Pucey, offering himself as an easier target.
Pain. Cuts. Bruises. Harry ordered his magic.
He wasn't expecting Warrington's defense.
His vision was suddenly clouded by smoke and he felt himself stumble as the stone floor seemed to shake. Pucey took his opportunity to send something at Harry that caused him to yelp in surprise as he felt his forehead slice open.
Heal. Quick. Fuckin heal.
Harry had to step back quick in order to dodge more effectively while his magic healed his forehead.
He snarled towards the pair- still unable to see them.
"Hide and go seek is for first years," he said.
Clear the smoke. Quickly. Wind. Lots of wind.
The other boys were suddenly visible as Harry's frantically instructed magic went slightly haywire and caused a windstorm in the dome strong enough that Warrington fell backwards.
His wand. Now. Levitate him in place.
He caught Warrington's wand and tossed it behind him to focus on Pucey, who was now moving twice as fast as he had before.
"You're pretty clever," Pucey said, sending multiple spells at once. "Don't suppose you want to give up and be allies, do you?"
"You made me bleed," Harry said deadpan, dispelling the incoming curses quickly. "No chance."
He thought Warrington's trick of shaking the ground was an excellent one and decided to try something like it himself.
Blow up the ground behind him.
Pucey glanced behind him as the mild explosion caused stone debris to his his legs.
Harry quickly considered how pissed Flint would be if he took the fingers off their beater and frowned when he realized the answer would probably be 'very'.
He didn't really care to piss off Flint, but he liked flying and wanted to stay on the team with Draco.
Cut his leg, I guess, deep though.
Harry grinned with satisfaction as Pucey howled and dropped his wand as his left leg began bleeding freely.
"Winner- Potter!" Flint said quickly, popping the dome. "Stop, stop, you win Potter," he said as Harry made to move closer to Pucey. "I'm not replacing my team so you can prove you're the toughest guy in the room."
"Fair enough," Harry shrugged. "If Pucey and Warrington admit it."
He smiled innocently at the two boys as they both quickly agreed.
"Do you want to challenge their second?" Owens offered.
Harry looked curiously at Blaise for a moment.
"Don't you dare Potter, we are allies," Blaise hissed, sounding appropriately nervous in Harry's opinion.
"Nah, maybe next time," Harry laughed.
Dementors be damned, if Harry can feel this strong after a duel he'd find a way to take care of them as well.
***
Harry was still feeling pleased with himself when he sat down next to Susan at breakfast the next morning.
"You look happy," she said.
"You sound suspicious," Harry responded with a roll of his eyes.
"Guess he won his duel then?" Hermione asked Theo.
"The day Harry loses a duel I'll eat one of Goyle's socks," Theo said, rolling his eyes at Mione.
Harry hummed as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He had no intention of telling Theo, or anyone, that for a few panicky seconds last night he was afraid he was going to lose.
"New schedules," Luna said brightly, handing the parchments down the table.
"Why do you have our schedules?" Draco asked. "You're not a Slytherin... You're not even a third year!"
"Professor Snape just handed them to me," Luna shrugged easily. "I think he likes me the best."
Harry nearly choked on his toast at the look on Draco's face.
"Don't be ridiculous," Ron said with a smirk. "We all know Harry's his favorite."
"I'm his godson," Draco pouted.
"Maybe I'll ask to be his god daughter," Luna said innocently as she scooped up a bite of eggs. "I'm sure he'll say yes."
There were a lot of things to like about Luna Lovegood- and her wicked ability to take the mickey out of someone, without seeming to do more than make innocent remarks, was probably one of Harry's favorite things about her.
"You're the best Lue," he said as everyone laughed at Draco's gobsmacked expression.
"I know," she grinned.
"Ooh, Theo! We have more classes in common now!" Hermione squealed excitedly, comparing her and Theo's schedules. "Look- now we have Charms, Arithmancy, Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures together!"
"I thought you were going to take Muggle Studies with me?" Neville asked Theo.
"No point," Theo shrugged. "Hermione can tutor me for the NEWT."
Harry glanced at Susan's schedule, more to distract himself from the gross soppy eyes Hermione and Theo were making at each other than anything else, but frowned at what he saw.
"You picked Arithmancy and Runes?"
"Sure did," Susan said brightly, clearly not seeing the flaw in that plan.
"But I took Divination and Creatures," Harry told her. "We were sitting side by side when we picked them."
"I know," Susan said. "That's why I picked Runes and Arithmancy."
"What the fuck," Harry hissed at her in Parseltongue so she wasn't too mad, even if her eye roll meant she had guessed accurately at his meaning. He didn't actually want to fight with Susan, but he couldn't help the twinge of betrayal he felt at her words either. Why would she purposefully pick classes just because Harry wouldn't be in them?
"Quit hissing at me, you idiot," she said. "It'll suck not having our extra classes together but I was thinking we need to make sure we know as much as possible for when you're Minister, right? And how can we do that if we took all the same classes? So you learn about creatures and prophecies, I'll learn about Arithmancy and Runes, you can teach me Muggle stuff, and together we'll have the combined knowledge of all five electives."
"Thats genius," Hermione breathed.
"That's terrifying," Draco corrected her.
"It's brill," Harry said, giving Susan an apologetic half-smile.
Susan stuck her nose in the air pompously, "I know," she said.
"We've got the same classes mate," Ron said with an easy smile. "Look- identical schedules."
The rest of the group, except Luna who was a year behind the rest of them, compared their schedules.
Almost all of them had chosen Care of Magical Creatures, with the exception of Neville, Blaise, and Susan. And only Harry, Ron, Neville, and Blaise had chosen Divination.
"It's a crock subject, everyone in Ravenclaw says so," Hermione said.
"Tell that to the prophecy in my trunk," Harry said.
Hermione still looked skeptical but Theo assured her they could self-study for that course as well.
The hall was starting to empty as people headed off toward their first lesson. Ron checked his course schedule.
"We'd better go, look, Divination's at the top of North Tower. It'll take us ten minutes to get there..."
They finished their breakfasts hastily, said good-bye to the rest of their friends, and walked back through the hall.
The journey through the castle to North Tower was a long one. Luckily, Harry knew a shortcut that he'd learned from following Snape around for private chats last year, and was able to lead them to the spiral staircase where Snape had mentioned Trewlaney's class was once before.
They climbed the last few steps and emerged onto a tiny landing, where most of the class was already assembled. There were no doors off this landing, but Ron nudged Harry and pointed at the ceiling, where there was a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it.
"'Sybill Trelawney, Divination teacher,'" Neville read. "How're we supposed to get up there?"
As though in answer to his question, the trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silvery ladder descended right at Harry's feet. Everyone got quiet.
"After you," said Blaise, smirking, so Harry climbed the ladder first.
He emerged into the strangest-looking classroom he had ever seen. In fact, it didn't look like a classroom at all, more like a cross between someone's attic and an old-fashioned tea shop. At least twenty small, circular tables were crammed inside it, all surrounded by chintz armchairs and fat little poufs. Everything was covered in gauzy scarves and there were about a million candles lit up across the room. It felt hotter than any other part of the castle did and the smell from the candles was overwhelming.
Harry thought it was the most ridiculous and uncomfortable classroom he'd ever been in.
Ron appeared at Harry's shoulder as the class assembled around them, all talking in whispers.
"Where is she?" Ron said.
A voice came suddenly out of the shadows, a soft, misty sort of voice.
"Welcome," it said. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last."
Professor Trelawney moved into the firelight, and they saw that she was very thin; her large glasses magnified her eyes to several times their natural size, and she was draped in a gauzy spangled shawl. Innumerable chains and beads hung around her spindly neck, and her arms and hands were encrusted with bangles and rings.
"Sit, my children, sit," she said, and they all climbed awkwardly into armchairs or sank onto poufs. Harry, Blaise, Neville, and Ron squeezed themselves around the same round table.
"Welcome to Divination," said Professor Trelawney, who had seated herself in a winged armchair in front of the fire. "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye."
"Snape says it's because she's a drunk," Harry muttered to his friends who chuckled quietly.
Professor Trelawney rearranged her shawl and continued, "So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field...
"Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future," Trelawney went on, her enormous, gleaming eyes moving from face to face.
"It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy," she said suddenly to Neville, who almost toppled off his pouf. "Is your grandmother well?"
"His name is Neville, not boy," Harry scowled at the Professor, interrupting Neville's stammered reply.
Trelawney moved her gaze from Neville to Harry and gave what he considered to be a rather dramatic gasp.
"You child, you have darkness in you," she said in a hoarse whisper that was loud enough to silence the rest of the room. "Yes I sense many difficult times for you."
"That'll sure be a change," Harry said in a bored voice.
Ron and Blaise were both laughing loudly now, but Neville looked at Harry with wide eyes.
Trelawney gave Harry a sharp look before she continued. "We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry. By the way, my dear," she shot suddenly at Parvati Patil, "beware a red-haired man."
Parvati gave a startled look at Ron, who was right behind her, and edged her chair away from him. Harry hissed at her and smirked when Ron grinned over at him for it.
"In the second term," the Professor went on, "we shall progress to the crystal ball. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice. And before Easter, one of our number will leave us."
A very tense silence followed this pronouncement, but Professor Trelawney seemed unaware of it. Harry thought she was doing a decent job at convincing the other students that she could see the future. Snape said she was a fraud and a drunk, but Harry figured Snape of all people would have a little bit more belief in the subject.
"Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it," Trewlawney said, raising a silver teapot. "Then sit down and drink, drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future. I shall move among you, helping and instructing. Oh, and dear" — she caught Neville by the arm as he made to stand up — "after you've broken your first cup, would you be so kind as to select one of the blue-patterned ones? I'm rather attached to the pink."
Sure enough, Neville had no sooner reached the shelf of teacups when there was a tinkle of breaking china. Professor Trelawney swept over to him holding a dustpan and brush and Harry rolled his eyes and fixed the teacup from where he was sitting.
"Oh," Trelawney looked surprised at the teacup that was now back in one piece. "Yes that sometimes can happen with magic teacups. Here you go," she gave Neville back the pink cup and he made his way to their table with a bemused smile.
Harry partnered with Ron, while Blaise and Neville partnered up. He drank the overly spiced tea quickly and swapped cups with Ron.
"Right," said Ron as they both opened their books at pages five and six. "What can you see in mine?"
"A load of soggy tea dregs," Harry snorted.
"Broaden your minds, my dears, and allow your eyes to see past the mundane!" Professor Trelawney cried through the gloom.
"Right, you've got a crooked sort of cross..." Harry consulted Unfogging the Future. "That means you're going to have 'trials and suffering' or it's a sun which means 'great happiness'. So you're either going to suffer or you're going to be happy."
"Well no pressure on which one it is," said Ron, and the four of them had to stifle their laughs as Trelawney gazed in their direction.
"My turn..." Ron peered into Harry's teacup, his forehead wrinkled with effort. "There's a blob a bit like a bowler hat," he said. "Guess you will work for the Ministry of Magic..."
He turned the teacup the other way up.
"There's a thing here," he said, "that looks like an animal... yeah, if that was its head... it looks like a hippo... no, a sheep..."
Professor Trelawney whirled around as Harry and Blaise let out snorts of laughter.
"Let me see that, my dear," she said reprovingly to Ron, sweeping over and snatching Harry's cup from him. Everyone went quiet to watch. Professor Trelawney was staring into the teacup, rotating it counterclockwise.
"The falcon... my dear, you have a deadly enemy."
"Ooh, really?" Harry said, faking as much enthusiasm as he could. "D'you think it's someone who tried to kill me before?"
"It could be," Trelawney said seriously, Harry's sarcasm going right over her head.
She lowered her huge eyes to Harry's cup again and continued to turn it
"The club... an attack. Dear, dear, this is not a happy cup..."
"Wow, that is surprising," said Blaise with a wink towards Harry.
Everyone was staring, transfixed, at Trelawney, who gave the cup a final turn, gasped, and then screamed.
There was another tinkle of breaking china; Neville had smashed his second cup. Harry figured he wouldn't fix this one since it was Trelawney's fault this time.
Trelawney sank into a vacant armchair, her glittering hand at her heart and her eyes closed.
"My dear boy... my poor, dear boy... no... it is kinder not to say... no... don't ask me..."
"What is it, Professor?" said Neville at once. Everyone had got to their feet, and slowly they crowded around Harry's table, pressing close to Trelawney's chair to get a good look at Harry's cup.
"Back up," Harry hissed, effectively causing everyone aside from his friends to take two steps backwards.
"My dear," Trelawney's huge eyes opened dramatically, "you have the Grim."
"The what?" said Harry.
He felt his face heat up in embarrassment as he seemed to be one of the only people who didn't understand. The rest of the class, aside from Dean Thomas, a Gryffindor, all had their mouths open in shock.
"The Grim, my dear, the Grim!" cried the Professor, who looked insulted that Harry hadn't understood. "The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen — the worst omen — of death!"
Harry blinked slowly at her while his classmates started whispering amongst themselves.
"Me dying or me causing someone else to die?" he asked.
Trelawney looked startled at his question and the whispering students went silent.
"You, my dear."
"Do you know when?"
The Professor glanced at the other students, who now looked as confused as she did.
"Soon. The Grim's presence means you will die soon," she said.
"Like before Christmas or after?" Harry asked. "Because I've got a lot to do in that case so it'd be brill if you had a timeline...?"
Ron started laughing, which set off Blaise and Neville.
"I think we'll finish up here for today..." Trelawney said, giving Harry a look of dislike. "Yes... pack away your things."
"Mate- you're mad," Ron chuckled as they left the classroom. "'I've got a lot to do'."
"'I need a timeline,'" Blaise incorrectly quoted him. "She was not happy."
"Aren't you worried at all?" Neville asked.
"Nope," Harry shrugged. "I'll ask Luna during lunch what the nargles say about it. They haven't been wrong yet. And Luna would have warned me if I was getting ready to die."
When the rest of their morning classes ended Harry stopped Susan from sitting in her regular spot beside him at lunch.
"I need Luna," he explained with an apologetic grimace. "It's important."
"Fine," Susan said easily, taking Luna's spot instead.
Luna glided up to their table and sat down beside Harry, as if she already knew that she was supposed to.
"Hello," she said.
"Lue can you ask the nargles if I'm going to die soon?" Harry said immediately, causing the rest of the group, aside from Blaise, Neville, and Ron, to look up quickly. "Trelawney says I am but she wouldn't tell me when."
Luna scrunched up her nose and turned her head slightly, probably to better hear the nargles.
"Not today," Luna said seriously.
Harry grinned at that.
"What about tomorrow?" he asked.
"I'll let you know tomorrow night," she said.
Which Harry figured was a 'Luna-ism' (as Cissa would call it) for "I don't know".
"Why did Professor Trelawney say you're going to die?" Theo asked.
"He had a dog in his tea dregs," said Blaise.
"It was not a dog- it was a Grim!" Ron said hotly. "Harry- you said you found a dog this summer, right? It wasn't a great black dog, was it?"
Harry looked across Luna to Susan who grimaced at him.
"Yeah it was," he said. "Starving too."
"My — my uncle Bilius saw one and — and he died twenty-four hours later!" Ron said, paling rapidly beneath his freckles. "It's a sign Harry!"
"It's nonsense," Hermione said. "Divination is a load of guesswork and even then you don't always find the actual answers."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" said Ron, starting to get angry. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"
"Don't yell at her," Theo said, his normally soft eyes getting hard. "She's allowed her opinion just as you are yours."
"But- but Harry could die!" Ron cried.
"I'm not going to die," Harry said. "Trewlawney just wanted to be dramatic for the first class."
The looks that Neville, Ron, and surprisingly enough, Draco, were giving him told him they thought Trelawney was being more than just overtly dramatic.
Harry was pleased to get out of the castle after lunch. Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as they set off for their first-ever Care of Magical Creatures class.
Harry, Draco, and Ron were discussing the upcoming Quidditch training while Hermione and Theo were walking hand in hand and talking rapidly about Arithmancy.
The Professor, Hagrid, was waiting in front of his hut on the edge of the grounds with a large brown dog situated at his feet. As Harry and his friends gathered around with the rest of the class the dog picked its head up and growled lightly at him.
"Quit it Fang," Hagrid frowned. "Sorry 'bout that Harry, Fang here's usually a good judge 'o character."
'Fang' still looked suspiciously at Harry who hissed quietly at him. He took Creatures for a chance to be outside and away from writing constant essays- he didn't really like animals much altogether. They never seemed to like him and the feeling was mostly mutual. He made an exception for Sevvie, who was perfect and useful, and had a bit of a soft spot for anything that looked like it was suffering, animal or not.
"Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up!" Hagrid yelled. "Everyone here? Right, follow me!"
For one moment, Harry thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest; Harry hadn't been in there before but he thought it might be fun to discover why it's forbidden. 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-"
Hagrid beamed at them all.
"Now yeh need creatures! Be just a mo'."
"He's an idiot," Draco groaned beside him.
"I bet he doesn't assign much homework though," Harry grinned.
Trotting toward them were 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, brilliantly orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures.
"Gee up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"
Harry glanced at Draco, who was gazing at the Hippogriffs in a similar way to how Theo looked at Hermione, and snorted. If Harry had taken the class solely just to avoid writing out lengthy homework, Draco would have taken it even if it required daily essays.
"So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer —"
No one except Draco seemed to want to. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Theo reluctantly stepped forward after Draco quickly had.
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."
"Sounds like Harry," Ron muttered to Draco.
"What?" Draco shook his head and looked at Ron.
"He said don't ever insult them or they might kill you; I said it sounds like Harry," Ron repeated. "You're such a swot for animals mate."
Draco punched Ron on the arm before quickly turning his attention back to the Hippogriffs.
"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? 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 sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt.
"Right — who wants ter go first?"
Most of the class backed farther away in answer. Even Draco looked like he suddenly had misgivings about the animals. The hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.
"No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look. When nobody answered, the large man looked around the students before (of fucking course) landing on Harry.
"We'll just let Harry show us!" he boomed with a broad smile.
Harry honestly had no idea what he's ever done to make Hagrid think they're friends. Maybe Hagrid thought Harry unwittingly clearing his name as the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets meant they were friends or something? As if Harry would be friends with someone who kisses Dumbledore's arse as much as he clearly does.
At any rate, as much as he didn't want to, Harry couldn't step back now. He'd rather be mauled by a Hippogriff than look weak in front of all these students.
"Alright then," he said simply, clenching his fists to hide his discomfort.
There was an intake of breath from behind him, and both Lavender and Parvati whispered, "Oooh, no, Harry, remember your tea leaves!"
Harry hissed at them, irritated by their reminder. He climbed over the paddock fence and stepped closer to Hagrid- though far enough away in case he needed to get out quick.
"Good man, Harry!" roared Hagrid. "Right then — let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."
He untied one of the chains, pulled the gray hippogriff away from its fellows, and slipped off its leather collar. The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath. Draco's eyes were narrowed with what Harry assumed was jealousy.
Should have volunteered then.
"Easy, now, Harry," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink... Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much..."
Harry's eyes immediately began to water, but he didn't shut them. Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head and was staring at Harry with one fierce orange eye.
"Tha's it," said Hagrid. "Tha's it, Harry... now, bow..."
Harry wasn't going to bow. He didn't do it to other Wixen, he wouldn't do it to a damn bird. He jerked his chin downwards quickly, the most of a bow that the hippogriff would get from him.
The hippogriff reared up on its back legs and let out a screech.
"Ah," said Hagrid, sounding worried. "Right — back away, now, Harry, easy does it —"
Harry scrambled backwards as quickly as his pride would let him.
"Okay, who else wants a go?" Hagrid nervously asked the wide eyed class.
The rest of the class, led by Hermione and Theo, slowly started climbing cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock. Hermione and Ron were practicing on a chestnut one while Harry stood back and watched Draco and Theo work with Buckbeack.
"You're not so scary, are you?" Draco was crooning, patting the large beak fondly. "You just don't like Harry because he's scary, isn't that right?"
"Piss off," Harry called across the paddock, where he was remaining as far from the creatures as he could while technically still being in class.
"It's okay Buckbeak, Harry scares us too," Draco laughed.
It happened in a flash of steely talons; Draco let out a high-pitched scream and next moment, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Draco, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes. Harry ran quickly to his side, elbowing people out of his way.
"I'm dying!" Draco yelled as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"
"Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Someone help me — gotta get him outta here —"
Hagrid bent down, as if to lift Draco up, and Harry scowled at him.
"Are you a wizard or not?"
He bent down beside Draco and carefully rolled his sleeve back.
"You're not dying, quit whining, you're embarrassing yourself. You sound weak," he hissed quietly to Draco so no one else could hear him.
Harry saw that there was a long, deep gash on Draco's arm; blood splattered the grass around where he was laying.
"Want me to fix it?" Harry asked, hesitating with his hand over Draco's arm.
Draco just nodded silently at him. He was biting his lip in what Harry assumed was an effort to not cry.
Heal his arm. Fix the cut. Heal him.
Harry concentrated as hard as he could on an image of Draco's arm once again being healed and unblemished.
Draco let out a shaky breath as Harry's Magic sealed the cut up, only leaving behind a very faint white scar to show it had ever been there.
"Good job Harry!" Hagrid suddenly roared amidst the scattered applause of their classmates. "10 points to Slytherin!"
Harry helped Draco to his feet and glared hatefully after Hagrid.
"Why'd he attack Draco, huh? Can't you control him??"
"It was Malfoy's fault," Dean Thomas defended Hagrid. "He insulted Buckbeak!"
"How's that?" Ron demanded, coming to stand on the other side of Draco.
"He implied Buckbeak was scared of Potter. Buckbeak was probably insulted that anyone thought Potter could be scary," Finnigan sneered.
"Are you implying I'm not scary?" Harry said, taking a step closer to Finnigan and reaching for his knife slowly. "Because I can fix that."
Finnigan scrambled backwards and fell on the ground, causing Harry's friends to roar with laughter at his red face.
"That's enough," Hagrid said gruffly. "Malfoy shouldn't'a said it and no fighting in me class."
Harry looked incredulously at the giant man.
"You're blaming Draco because you couldn't control your pet?"
"Class is over," Hagrid said loudly, blatantly ignoring Harry. "Dismissed. Go on now."
Harry turned on his heel and stormed off towards the castle, fuming over the 'Professor's' incompetency.
Draco is his and Hagrid let him get hurt because he's an idiot.
And Dumbledore hired him.
"Draco didn't even really insult the stupid bird!" he ranted to his friends. "Hagrid's an idiot!"
"I thought the Hippogriffs were really interesting," Hermione said hesitantly. "And Draco's okay, right? So it's not a big deal, is it?"
"Of course it's a big deal!" Harry spat. "Dumbledore shouldn't just hire people he likes if they aren't qualified for the position!"
"Charlie, my brother, says he's a dab at Creatures," Ron said. "Suppose that's why Dumbledore hired him."
"A dab at creatures? He was going to let Draco bleed right there on the damn ground because he can't control a Hippogriff!"
"But Draco's fine," Ron said, ignoring Harry's heated tone. "So all's well that ends well, right?"
Harry was about to tell Ron that no not 'all's well that ends well' when Draco jabbed him with his elbow.
"Now who's being embarrassing?" he whispered, his cheeks pink. "I don't need you to defend me."
"Then heal your fuckin' self next time," Harry said.
"I will!"
Harry and Draco stopped in front of the entrance to Hogwarts and were glaring angrily at each other.
"Let me get this right," Theo said. "Harry's mad at Draco because Draco got hurt and Draco is now mad that Harry healed him?"
"Yes!" Draco yelled just as Harry said "No!"
"Shut up," they both said to Theo, unintentionally and simultaneously.
Harry blinked at Draco a few times before Draco let out a small chuckle.
"Okay I probably won't heal myself next time, I was dying you know. Thank you."
"You weren't dying," Harry rolled his eyes. "I've bled harder than that when I was seven," he bragged. "And I'm still alive."
"Thats- that's not good Harry," Hermione said.
Harry flushed when he saw his friends were all staring at him now.
"I was fine," he said. "Healed it up didn't I?"
Nobody looked very convinced by that argument so Harry decided that he'd just keep his accomplishments to himself from now on.
"Whatever," he scowled. "Hagrid's still incompetent, Dumbledore's an idiot, and I'm telling Draco's Dad he got attacked by a fuckin giant horse-bird during class."
Draco spent the rest of the day trying to convince Harry not to tell his father about it.
"He'll just freak out," Draco said for about the fiftieth time during dinner that night.
"You can't use logic on Harry," Susan said with a mischievous grin. "You have to barter with him."
Harry perked up at that, now interested in what Draco would have to trade.
"I'll give you ten galleons," Draco said.
"Nope."
"I'll buy you all the chocolate you can eat when we go to Hogsmeade."
"No thanks, I've got money, don't I?"
Draco hesitated before finally offering, "I'll owe you a favor."
"Deal," Harry said quickly. "No murder, nothing that'll get you expelled, but other than that it's no questions asked. And I'm still telling Snape. Hagrid can't bring dangerous animals to class if he can't control them."
Draco didn't look very happy but Harry happily added his cousin to the ever growing list of people who owed him a favor.