Chapter 25

Hello everyone, now I know that this update is very late, but I have been a very busy person with the Christmas season, work and much matters that needed attending to. Now then on with the new chapter.

Disclaimer: No, I do not own the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowlings does; only a select few characters are from my own creation.

Professor Lupin looked over at the Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall, seeing the two laugh at his comment. "I am going to need any information about that little spitfire, as much information from anyone here if possible," he stated thoughtfully

"That will not be a problem Remus." McGonagall replied with a warm laugh, "Ask any professor here, and they will be more than happy to tell you anything you need to know about Miss Potter. We've all lended a hand to help Severus between our classes to watch her."

"Interesting. So this whole time she was here at Hogwarts during the school terms." Lupin commented

"Oh you could say that we've all had a hand in raising her, however, she was placed in Severus's care. He was reluctant at first, but as you can see clearly there is a very close bond between them, and also with Harry now of course." Dumbledore spoke in detail with his eyes gleaming.

"Yes I had seen that, but with Severus...Oh bloody hell, it is as if the three has always been a family, not even I could deny it." Lupin exclaimed with a sigh before adding another comment "Perhaps I will start with our charms Professor since I keep hearing him call her his little minx"

"Very good start Remus and he will tell you why he calls her that" Dumbledore chuckled once more along with McGonagall blurting out a giggle.

Meanwhile Hally had just stepped off the landing leading to Lupins office finding her brother, Blaise, Hermione and Ron waiting on her on one side of the staircase while Cedric Diggory and Draco Malfoy stood to the side on the other side, staring at each other quietly.

"Oh for Merlins sake!" Hally blurted out "What is this? A staring contest to see who is going to blink first?"

"Actually," Harry commented with an evil grin on his face "Its the other way around. We kind of walked into those two having heated words over you Hal and we just couldn't resist on listening in on it. They had just noticed us here just a second before you came down."

Hally turned to give a quick glance at Cedric and Draco Malfoy "Arithmancy class is over and I for one am not about to be late for our next class big brother...let them battle it out, they both don't stand a chance with me anyway" Hally simply said as she joined her brother and their friends to head to the next class.

"I stand a much better chance than Diggory when it comes to you little Potter" Draco Malfoy replied with an evil grin on his face before adding in low key "After all, you are my betrothed, so that gives me a bigger chance at you"

Hally turned to walk away from the two boys "I am going to be sick" she exclaimed while rolling her eyes in annoyance over Draco Malfoy's remark.

"Malfoy, unless you want to answer to your father, may we suggest that you get to class unless you wish to be late." Harry stated with reason to the platinum-blonde boy as the group started walking away.

"Fine, I will for now," Draco replied with a smirk before he too headed the opposite from where they were going meeting up with his two goons Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

Great Hall Lunchtime

After five minutes of begging Harry and Hally both to sit beside him and Hermione at the Gryffindor table along with inviting Blaise to join them, Ron kept giving Harry weary glances.

"Ron, cheer up," Hermione told him, pushing a dish of stew towards him. "You heard what McGonagall said..."

Ron spooned stew onto his plate, picked up his fork, looked at both twins once more, but didn't start eating.

"Harry," Ron said, in a low serious voice, "You two haven't seen great black dog beside your dog Snuffles have you?"

Harry took a swift glance at his twin sister Hally seeing her stifle her giggling before answering Ron.

"Yeah we have," Harry said "We seen one when we went for that visit to see our Aunt Petunia"

Ron let his fork fall with a clatter.

"Probably a stray," Hermione stated calmly. Ron looked at Hermione as though she had gone mad.

"Hermione, if Harry and Hally has seen a Grim, that's-that's bad," He said "My-my Uncle Bilius saw one and -and he died twenty-four hours later!"

"Coincidence," said Hermione airily, pouring herself Pumpkin juice into her goblet.

"You don't what you're talking about!" Ron said, starting to get angry "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"

"There you have it then," Hermione replied in a superior tone. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death! And both Harry and Hally are still with us because they are not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, We'd better kick the bucket then!"

Hally erupted into a fit full giggles being heard by the two who were having the heated conversation.

"I'm sorry, I just remembered a joke and lost myself there," Hally fibbed collecting herself swiftly and looking at the many platters of food

Ron turned back to Hermione mouthing wordlessly as she opened her bag, took out her new Arithmancy book, and propped it open against the juice jug.

"By the way how come you have Arithmancy class the same time as Hally does at the same time that you have Divination?" Ron enquired

"I don't know what your talking about Ron, Hermione was in Arithmancy class with me, I know this because I had to make Cedric move down a seat so she was able to sit beside me." Hally blurted out inconsistently while selecting what she wanted to eat.

"I think Divination seems very woolly," Hermione commented and making sure not to hurt Hally's feelings as well while searching for her page. "A lot of guess work to many people, if you ask me."

"There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!" said Ron hotly.

"And here we go" Hally whispered to her brother Harry with a grin on her face as the two along with Blaise watched the two argue with one another.

"You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry here that it was a sheep," Hermione replied coolly.

Hally went to intervene just then, "Ron, don't you dare..."

"Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being bad at something for a change!" Ron retorted heated

Ron had touched a nerve. Harry, Hally, and Blaise all watched as Hermione slammed her Arithmancy book down on the table so hard that bits of meat and carrots flew everywhere.

Hally shot Ron a death glare along with Blaise before they both gathered their things up. "Ron Weasley you had gone too far this time!" Hally hissed in anger

"I'll say he did," Blaise stated getting up with the other two girls

"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!" Hermione seethed

Hermione snatched up her bag, joined Blaise and Hally stalking away towards the Slytherin table.

"See you after lunch big brother...by the way Ron? I know Trelawney is somewhat of a seer, but even I know that those lessons are complete rubbish! See you later...much!" Hally spoke out, stalking away with the other two girls.

Ron frowned after the three girls before turning back to Harry.

"I will never understand girls and what was Hermione talking about?" Ron asked Harry "She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet."

Harry only shrugged his shoulders "Hal said she was there so if she was? Then there has to be some way for her to be in more than one place somehow." Harry could only reply before turning back and seeing the girls sit down at the Slytherin table.

After everything calmed down, both twins were pleased to get outside 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.

Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other. The twins walked beside them in silence as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the forbidden forest. It was only when they spotted three only too familiar backs ahead of them that they realized that they must be having these lessons with the Slytherins. Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. Both Harry and Hally was quite sure they knew what they were talking about.

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 nasty moment, Harry as well as Hally thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest; both twin had had enough unpleasant experiences in there to last them both a lifetime. 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 a 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 lengthy rope. Other people took theirs out too; some, like Harry and Hally, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.

"Hasn'-hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" Hagrid said, looking crestfallen.

The class class all shook their heads, all except for Hally, who stood by Harry grinning from ear to ear.

"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 quietly in his hand.

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

"I-I thougt they were funny." Hagrid stated uncertainly to Hermione.

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

"Shut up Malfoy" Harry told him quietly. Hagrid was looking downcasted and both Harry and Hally wanted Hagrid's first lesson to be a success.

Anger slowly rippled through Hally just then. "Malfoy, if you open that pie hole of yours one more time, then my house will witness what my brother, the rest of the Slytherins and myself seen what these books can really do to someones clothes...Meaning my book shredding them...AGAIN!" Hally practically shouted out her warning.

Draco Malfoy gave Hally a swift glare before looking back at Hagrid.

"Righ' then," Hagrid said, who seemed to have lost his thread, "So-so yeh've got yer books an'-an'-now yeh need the magical creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on..."

He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight.

"Gods, this place is going to the dogs," Malfoy commented loudly " That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him-"

"Shut up Malfoy" Harry spoke out once more

"Careful, Potter, there's a dementor behind you-"

"Ooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing toward the opposite side of the paddock.

Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry and Hally had ever seen, even Hally did not know what to make of them. 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 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't they?"

Harry could sort of see what Hagrid meant. Once you got over the first shock of seeing something that was half horse, half bird, you started to appreciate the hippogriffs' gleaming coats, changing smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black...which he noticed his twin sister inching closer to the inky black ones just by the color on its own. He quickly took a hold of Hally's robe keeping her from going further.

"Now Hally, careful! You always go a little nutter over black, gray or silver color...it's for yer safety" Hagrid spoke out as the class noticed Hally's reaction as well.

"So," Hagrid continued, rubbing his hands together and beaming "If yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer-"

No one seemed to want to. Harry, Hally, Ron, Blaise and Hermione, however approached the fence cautiously.

"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."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't listening, they were talking in an undertone and both Harry and Hally had a nasty feeling they were plotting how to disrupt the lesson.

"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't bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt."

"Right-who wants ter go first?"

Most of the class backed further away in answer, Even Harry, Hally, Blaise, Ron and Hermione had misgivings. The hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.

"No one?" Hagrid asked, with a pleading look.

"We'll do it," Harry blurted out along with Hally.

There was an intake of breath from behind them, and both Lavender and Parvati whispered, "Oooh no, Harry remember your tea leaves!"

Hally gave them a warning growl while Harry ignored them as they climbed over the paddock fence one at a time.

"Hal, remember what dad told you about that," Harry reminded his little twin sister.

"I'm trying to be good Harry, but it's getting so hard to ignore stupid comments like those." Hally reasoned just as they stopped before Hagrid

"Good work yeh two!" Roared Hagrid. "Right then-let's see how yeh's get on with Buckbeak."

He untied one of the chains, pulled the gray hippogriff away from its fellows, and slipped off its collar. The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath. Malfoy's eyes were narrowed maliciously.

"Easy now Harry, not too hasty Hally," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've both got eye contact, now try not ter blink yeh two...Hippogriffs don' trust yeh's if yeh's blink too much..."

Hally waited patiently while Harry's eyes immediately began to water, but he didn't shut them. Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head and was staring at the twins with his fierce orange eyes.

"That's it," Hagrid told them "That's it yeh two-now bow..."

Neither Harry nor Hally felt like exposing the back of their necks to Buckbeak, but they did as they were told. They gave a short bow and then looked up.

The hippogriff was still staring haughtily at them, it didn't move.

"Ah," Hagrid spoke, sounding worried, "Right-back away now yeh two, easy does it-"

But then to Harry's and Hally's enormous surprise, the hippogriff suddenly bent its scaly knees and sank into what was an unmistakable bow.

"Well done, Harry and Hally!" Hagrid boomed out ecstatic. "Right-yeh two can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"

Feeling that a better reward would have been to back away, Harry and Hally both slowly toward the hippogriff and reached out toward it. They patted the beak several times and the hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.

The class broke into applause, all except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were looking deeply disappointed.

"Righ' then yeh two," Hagrid spoke out once more "I reckon he might let yeh's ride him!"

Now this was more than Harry and Hally both had bargained for. They was used to broomstick, but wasn't sure a hippogriff would be the same.

"Yeh's climb up there one at a time. Jus' behind the wing joint," Hagrid instructed "An' mind yeh's don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that..."

Harry put his foot on the top of Buckbeak's wing and hoisted himself up onto its back before lending a hand to his twin sister by helping her climb up next behind him. Buckbeak stood up. Hally held onto Harry by his waist, however Harry wasn't sure where to hold onto; everything in front of him was covered with feathers.

"Go on then!" roared Hagrid, slapping the hippogriff's hind quarters.

Without warning, twelve foot wings flapped opened on either side of Harry and Hally both, Harry just had time to seize the hippogriff around the neck before they was soaring upward. It was nothing like a broomstick, and Harry found out which one he preferred: the hippogriff's wings beat uncomfortably on either side of him, catching him under his legs and making him feel that he was about to be thrown off; the glossy feathers slipped under his fingers and he now felt himself and his little sister rocking backward and forward as the hindquarters of the hippogriff rose and fell with its wings. Hally could only hold onto Harry with wide eyes.

Buckbeak flew them around the paddock and then headed back to the ground; this was the bit Harry and Hally both had been dreading; they leaned back as the smooth neck lowered, feeling they was going to slip off over the beak, then felt a heavy thud as the four ill-assorted feet hit the ground. Harry just managed to hold on and push himself straight again with Hally straightening up behind him.

"Good work, yeh two!" Hagrid roared as everyone, except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

Emboldened by Harry and Hally's success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock. Neville ran repeatedly backward from his, which didn't seem to want to bend its knees. Ron, Hermione and Blaise practiced on the chestnut, while Harry and Hally watched.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful.

"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry and Hally to hear him. "I knew it must have been, if the Potters could do it...I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he added to the hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

It happened in a flash of steely talons, Malfoy let out a high-pitched scream and next moment, Hagrid wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes.

"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as the class panicked except for Harry...Hally, on the other hand was laughing in hysterics over the scene, knowing what Malfoy had actually done to get hurt.

"Wait Hagrid!" Hally cried out in between laughter. "Malfoy is just getting what is coming to him there! He slapped Buckbeak's beak and he was only defending himself!"

"Hal! Your not making it any better here!" Harry exclaimed through clinched teeth, although he knew that his little sister did have a point.

"Yer not dyin'!" Hagrid said, who had gone very white. "Someone help me-gotta get him outta here-"

Hermione ran to hold open the gate as Hagrid lifted Malfoy easily. As they passed, both twin saw that there was a long, deep gash on Malfoy's arm; blood splattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, up the slope toward the castle.

Harry looked at his twin sister "Malfoy is getting what he deserved Hal?" he enquired, watching Hally sway gently, her eyes were darkened a bit from anger over Draco Malfoy's mistreatment toward the hippogriff.

"I believe he was...If he is going to continue to act like that, then maybe something else needs to teach him a lesson." Hally simply said.

Very shaken, the Care of Magical Creatures class followed at a walk. A few of the Slytherins were all shouting about Hagrid.

"They should fire him straight away!" Said Pansy Parkinson, who was in tears for her long time friend.

"It was Malfoy's fault!" Dean Thomas snapped. Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles threateningly until they noticed Hally looking at them with glares.

"Don't even think about trying to hit one of my friends" Hally growled her warning, making them leave well enough alone.

They all climbed the stone steps into the deserted entrance hall.

"I'm going to see if he's okay!" Pansy replied, and they all watched her run up the marble staircase. The Slytherins, still muttering about the events that had transpired, headed in the direction of their dungeon common room; Harry, Hally, Ron, Hermione, and Blaise proceeded upstairs to Gryffindor Tower.

"D'you think he'll be alright?" said Hermione nervously.

"Course he will, Madam Pomfrey can mend cuts in about a second," Harry answered, who along with his twin had had far worse injuries mended magically by the nurse.

"He should consider himself lucky," Hally commented stiffly, "that it was just a small deep gash on his arm other than his most precious part he treasures so much"

"That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid's first class though, wasn't it?" Ron asked, looking worried "Trust Malfoy to mess things up for him..."?

"Malfoy didn't mess things up, but I don't like the small vision flashing inside my head over Buckbeak...It was too fuzzy to make out," Hally blurted out

"Yeah, I caught that one, know you Hal, you'll see it clearer next time." Harry assured Hally, after noticing his sister trying to figure out the image that she has seen.

They were the among the first to reach the Great Hall at dinnertime, hoping to see Hagrid, but he wasn't there.

"They wouldn't fire him, would they?" Hermione blurted her question out anxiously, not touching her steak and kidney pudding.

"They'd better not" Answered Ron, not eating anything either.

Both twins and Blaise looked over at the Slytherin table. A group including Crabbe, and Goyle was huddled together, deep in conversation. They was sure they were cooking up their own version of how Malfoy had been injured.

"Well, you can't say it wasn't an interesting first day back," said Ron, gloomily.

After dinner they went up the crowded Gryffindor Tower after saying their goodbyes to Blaise for the evening and tried to do the homework Professor McGonagall had given them, but all four of them kept breaking off and glancing out of the tower window.

"There's a light on in Hagrid's window," Harry spoke out suddenly. Ron looked at his watch.

"If we hurried, we could go down and see him. It's still quite early..."

"I don't know," Hermione intervened slowly and both twins noticed her glance at them.

"We're allowed to walk across the grounds" Harry and Hally told her simultaneously. "Sirius Black hasn't got past the dementors yet now has he?"

'You've gotten better at lying with a straight face big brother' Hally thought to Harry.

Harry kept quiet, however fighting the urge to snigger. They put their things away and headed out of the portrait hole, glad to meet nobody on their way to the front door for once, as they was not sure they were supposed to be out.

The grass was still wet and looked almost black in the twilight. When they reached Hagrid's hut, they knocked, and a voice growled, "C'min."

Hagrid was sitting in his shirtsleeves at his scrubbed wooden table; his boarhound, Fang, had his head in his lap. One look told them that Hagrid had been drinking a lot; there was a pewter tankard almost as big as a bucket in front of him, and he seemed to be having difficulty getting them into focus.

"'Spect it's a record" He told them thickly, when he recognized them. "Don' reckon they've ever had a teacher who lasted on'y a day before."

"You haven't been fired, Hagrid!" gasped Hermione.

"Not yet," Hagrid answered miserably, taking a huge gulp of whatever was in the tankard. "But 's only a matter o' time, in't it, after Malfoy..."

"How is he?" Ron asked as they all sat down, "It wasn't serious was it?"

"Madam Pomfrey fixed him best she could," said Hagrid dully, "But he's sayin' it's still agony...covered in bandages...moanin'..."

"He's faking it," Harry exclaimed at once. "Madam Pomfrey can mend anything. She regrew half my and Hal's bones last year. Trust Malfoy to milk it for all it's worth."

"For once I would just like to tear that so called soulmate of mine apart!" Hally cried out before realizing what she had just said right in front of Hagrid.

"Soulmate? Malfoy is little Hally's soulmate?" Hagrid asked thickly "Oops" Hally muttered with a light blush on her cheeks.

"Doesn't matter. School gov'nors have been told, o' course...," Hagrid stated miserably. "They reckon I started too big. Shoulda left hippogriffs fer later... done flobberworms or summat...Jus' thought it'd make a good firs' lesson...'S all my fault..."

"It's all Malfoy's fault, Hagrid!" Hermione exclaimed earnestly.

"Malfoy deliberately slapped Buckbeak on his beak, Harry and I seen it first hand!" Hally spoke out

"We're witnesses," Harry stated "You told all of us that hippogriffs attack if you insult them. It's Malfoy's problem that he wasn't listening. We'll tell Dumbledore what really happening."

"Yeah, don't worry Hagrid, we'll back you up," Ron said.

Tears leaked out of the crinkled corners of Hagrid's beetle black eyes. He grabbed Harry, Hally and Ron and pulled them into a bone-breaking hug.

"I think you've had enough to drink, Hagrid," said Hermione firmly. She took the tankard from the table and went outside to empty it.

"Ar, maybe she's right," Hagrid commented, letting go of Harry, Hally, and Ron, who staggered away, rubbing their ribs. Hagrid heaved himself out of his chair and followed Hermione unsteadily outside.

They heard a loud splash. "What's he done?" Harry asked nervously as Hermione came back in with the empty tankard.

"Stuck his head in the water barrel," Hermione answered, putting the tankard away.

Hagrid came back, his long hair and beard sopping wet, wiping the water out of his eyes.

"That's better," he said, shaking his head like a dog, and drenching them all. "Listen, it was good of yeh ter come an' see me, I really-"

Hagrid stopped dead, staring at Harry and Hally both as though he'd only just realized they were there.

"WHAT D' YEH'S THINK YOU'RE DOIN' EH?" He roared at the two seeing them both leap two feet from the floor with wide eyes. " YEH'S NOT TO GO WANDERING AROUND AFTER DARK HARRY AN' HALLY! AN' YOU TWO! LETTIN' THEM!"

Hagrid strode over to where Harry and Hally were grabbing their arms and pulled them both to the door.

"C'mon!" Hagrid said angrily. "I'm takin yeh's all back up ter school, an' don' let me catch yeh's walkin' down ter see me after dark again. I'M not worth that!"

Author's notes: And that is all of chapter 25 everyone, see you in chapter 26 bye for now.