Heron

“There he is, all pimped out.” Silas opened the door and sat, followed by Caspian and Terry. 

“Didn’t know they allowed third-years to wear the blazer uniform.” Terry remarked on Orion’s attire. 

“As long as it fits, I suppose.” Caspian was much more intrigued by the blue-stoned ring on Orion’s right hand. “Where did you get that?” 

“A friend gave it to me.” Orion said, looking at the ring. 

It was quite a shock to Orion when Kassandra had told him that there was absolutely nothing done to the ring. Now every time he looked at it, he was reminded of the still unfamiliar sensation he felt when Casimir grabbed his finger. 

“What do you think of the big news?” Silas said excitedly, “I believe he’ll be caught in two more weeks; Terry thinks it will only take one, but Caspian thinks it will take them a lot more.” 

“Provided he does get caught.” Orion said. 

“You don’t seriously think the Ministry would let an Azkaban escapee on the loose for that long, do you?!” Terry’s eyes widened in fear. 

“I told you he would agree. It’s been a month now since he escaped and even though they’re always giving out updates on how much effort they are putting in his capture, we all know it’s just for the public to be calm.” Caspian nodded to himself. 

The three other Ravenclaws looked at him slightly concerned. 

“You sound like my mother.” Silas was the first to say it. 

For the beginning of the ride to Hogwarts everything seemed relatively normal; the weather was a bit poor, and it only got worse once they made their way up north, with heavy rain emerging from the gray clouds, dimming the otherwise fabulous view of the Scottish Highlands. The Ravenclaw boys discussed what they did during the summer break with Terry and Silas having met up several times, the former indulging in a Quidditch practice. Caspian had gone to Ireland to visit some family and had planned on staying there until the end of break, but Sirius’s escape quickly made his parents pull him back to Harlow. Just as it seemed like for once they would go undisturbed, Draco Malfoy came swinging through the door, this time unaccompanied. Silas immediately got up to his feet, but it was a poor decision, as before anyone could say a word, the train came to a complete halt and he hit his head quite hard against the opposite wall. Thankfully, Orion managed to cushion his fall. 

“What’s going on?” Terry asked nervously, trying to peek through the window. 

Orion, after putting Silas back on his seat, also glanced out. The streaks of water on the window made it hard to see anything, but once it suddenly began turning to ice, he knew what was going on. 

“Malfoy, get back into your compartment.” he quickly ordered. 

“And why would I listen t-” 

“Dementors are boarding the train.” Orion cut him off, pushed him out, and locked the door. 

“Dementors?” Terry looked frightened. “They’re the Azkaban guards, right? What would they want on the train?” 

Just as Caspian was about to try and calm him down, the air became hard to breathe in, colder than any winter they had experienced. The surroundings slowly and steadily became darker and darker, until from the edge of the window emerged a hand or at least what looked like one – the fingers on it were thin and sharp like knives, the color – gray, with patches of deep brown – rotten and decayed flesh. To everyone’s relief the hooded figure that followed did not linger for long. None of the boys moved, not until a bright silver light emerged from a bit farther down. A moment later, the lights, which had turned off without anyone noticing, came back on. A tall man with faint scars all over his face was the first to appear in the corridor. He was incredibly pale and looked dead tired, his clothes only making his appearance even shabbier. 

“Who was that?” Terry was still scared. 

“Looked like a professor.” Silas was rubbing his forehead which had begun to bulge. 

“Most likely our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.” Caspian guessed, unlocking the door and peering out. He was surprised to see his head wasn’t the only one pocking out, looking up and down the narrow lane. “Do you think he got rid of the Azkaban guards?” 

“Probably.” Silas said through gritted teeth. “Could someone go and get me something from the trolley. The lady ought to have something to help with this.” 

Caspian and Terry both looked at each other, then at Orion. 

“Ori, could you do it?” Orion was just about to open his mouth to ask why, but Caspian quickly added, “Both of us are still scared.”  

Unexpectedly, Orion stood up and got out. He was interested as to why dementors were here, but also wanted to learn a bit more about the professor. 

“Get out, they’re gone now. Get out!” Fred was pushing Draco Malfoy out of their compartment. 

Once he saw Orion, Draco tried to pretend he was calm and collected, but Orion wasn’t at all interested.  

“You sc-” Malfoy began, but the Ravenclaw boy walked past him, fully ignoring the weak attempts at a taunt.  

Orion had never really walked on the train. As he made his way towards the front, he felt the stares coming from every compartment he passed. Everybody was on edge and even more so were the people in the prefect only carriage. 

“Orion, what do you thi- it might still be dangerous to be out of the compartments, it’s best to go back.” Penelope spoke before Percy Weasley could say anything. Both of them were wearing a badge, one had ‘ Head Girl’ written on it, and the other - ‘ Bighead Boy’.   

Orion looked at his house’s prefect and she knew he’d noticed the badge, as she gave him a look that clearly meant to send the message ‘ Don’t say a word’ , most likely wanting to tease him for it. 

“Silas banged his head on the wall. I was going to see whether there was anything on the cart that might help.” 

“Banged his head? Oh, for God’s-, just get it over with quick.” Penelope said, checking behind Orion. 

“The professor said we’d be there in ten to twenty minutes.” said Percy, a note of urgency in his voice. 

“Who was he?” Orion looked at the both of them. 

“Errr, we, uhm...” Percy began, but seemed embarrassed about something. 

“We forgot to ask.” sighed Penelope, “Get his name will you, I’d also like to know.” 

As Orion was hopping to the last carriage, where the cart lady usually waited, he could barely see through all the rain a few faint specks of light, undoubtedly those of Hogwarts. But every time a lightning flashed and the sky turned from black to gray, there were at least fifty cloaks floating in the sky around the castle. Why had they sent dementors to Hogwarts? Were they expecting Black to go after somebody? Dumbledore? Harry Potter? Was he really as deranged as they made him out to be in the Daily Prophet? Surely not. 

Orion saw the professor speaking with the cart lady as well when he entered the carriage. He was buying himself all sorts of sweets – chocolate frogs, chocolate bars, chocolate... it was all chocolate. 

“Ah, a student!” exclaimed the elderly lady when she saw Orion. 

The tall man turned with a slight surprise, but his face quickly changed to a warm smile. 

“Ah, Mr. Hawthorne,” he said, immediately putting the boy on edge; how did he know his name? “Are you looking to get some sweets too? I must advise against it; in just a couple of minutes we’ll be at Hogwarts.” his voice was low and a bit hoarse. 

“No, professor...” Orion paused. 

“Lupin.” the man finished. 

“I’m here because a friend hit his head; I was hoping something from the cart would help.” Orion lied. He knew a spell to help Silas, but wanted to know about the dementors. 

“Hit his head, has he?” the lady started looking through the cart, “I reckon this might help.” she pulled a small candy in the shape of a pyramid. 

 “It will.” nodded Professor Lupin, taking the candy and in turn handing it over to Orion. “Now let’s go back, shall we? We ought to prepare ourselves.” he smiled. 

As the two of them went back past the compartment where Percy and Penelope were sitting, Orion leaned and whispered the name of the teacher. Despite his tired look the man was perceptive enough and noticed the quiet exchange. 

“I expect Professor Dumbledore will be kind enough to introduce me later. I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, after all.” he said, his voice now soft. 

Both Penelope and Percy got slightly embarrassed, but Orion still hadn’t gotten his question answered.  

“Professor, may I ask why there are dementors here?” he asked once they were out of earshot. 

The tall man turned surprised yet again. He looked at Orion with a bit of suspicion in his eyes. “There is a dangerous prisoner on the loose.” he said. 

“But why did they board the train?” the boy pressed. 

“To make sure he hadn’t sneaked in here as well. If he managed to get out of Azkaban, hiding here would not be difficult for him.” Lupin smiled. 

Orion still wanted to know why the Ministry would assume he would attempt to get into Hogwarts, but the smile on the professor’s face had a note of ‘ Please don’t ask further’, so he didn’t. 

---  

This was the worst start of year by far.  Nobody got into the school dry; the ride from the station was also dreadful, as the road was muddy, and the carts kept bobbing up and down, giving everyone inside a headache. No one had it worse than the new first-years who, by tradition, had to ride boats with Hagrid in order to get to the school. Despite being given raincoats and umbrellas all of them were soaking wet when they entered the Hall, where Professor Flitwick dried them up with a quick charm. 

“Huh, isn’t it McGonagall who is in charge of the ceremony?” Terry looked at the back of the room, “Where is she by the way?” he said after noticing she wasn’t there. 

“She’s probably with Potter.” said Silas, his eyes following the group of first-years as they made their way between the tables. 

“Why?” Orion asked. 

“Oh, sorry, thought you would have heard – he supposedly fainted on the train; the dementor opened the door to their compartment.” explained Caspian. “However...” he noticed something at the Gryffindor table. 

“Can’t see Granger either.” a grin immediately appeared on Silas’s face, who had also noticed the other Gryffindor absentee. 

It wasn’t until just after the end of the sorting that Hermione and Harry entered the Hall, the former smiling happily, while the latter seemed embarrassed and irritated for some reason. 

Orion had become frankly tired of the same speech at the sorting feast: the headmaster always introduced a new DADA professor, though this time in addition Hagrid was appointed as teacher of Care for Magical Beasts, which the Gryffindors found to be a cause for celebration; he warned how forbidden it was to go into the Forbidden Forest; how Filch wasn’t a fan of corridor duels; and how on the second week after term begins there would be Quidditch try-outs.  

However, he was unusually dissatisfied to announce to the school that dementors would be stationed at every entrance to the grounds. He wore an expression only a few had seen before. 

Despite this, as soon as the food appeared, the traditional atmosphere did as well. Most students were quick to forget the horrifying guards of Azkaban and the feeling they had brought on the train. 

“Mr. Hawthorne, may I have a word?” Flitwick said after the feast, pulling Orion out of the Ravenclaw group. 

“Certainly, sir.” Orion followed the teacher into his office. 

“I've heard that two of you third-years have chosen to take on every subject this year. Quite ambitious!” 

Orion didn’t need to ask who the other was. 

“I must say, it reminds me of young Dorian's struggles when he tried the same. Mrs. Granger from Gryffindor is also attending all the lessons this year, and Professor McGonagall has been lending her support in her... own unique way. I don’t have much to offer, but I'd like you to have this.” he handed Orion a large and tattered book with many notes and pages coming out of it. “This is what’s known as the Field Guide, a rather peculiar book. I've often wondered why the Ministry doesn't keep more copies of it. It should help you keep track of all your lessons more effectively.” 

Orion flipped through the pages and was surprised to see a lot of them were either empty or mostly drawings and photos of certain objects. 

“Here, let me show you how it works.” said Flitwick when he saw the boy was puzzled. He picked up a different book from the pile he liked to stand on and began reading from it. As though he was writing it himself, every word that he spoke slowly began appearing on one of the blank pages. “There,” he smiled, “Of course, you can’t use this enchantment to cheat your assignments, but it will help you keep track of most classes, even if you are tired.” 

Orion didn’t need the book, he already knew every class perfectly, but thought it might come in useful for when he was reading something in the library or perhaps while listening to Aurendale.  

This year he would finally get to go into another trial. He had practiced over the summer and on one occasion Kassandra had almost caught him. He felt more than ready. 

---  

“Wow, this sucks.” said Caspian, looking at his timetable. “I knew we were going to get split into groups, but I was hoping we wouldn’t have DADA with Slytherin.” 

“At least we get Potions with Hufflepuff, so we’ll all be equally annihilated.” said Terry, placing a hand on Silas’s shoulder, “Please, guide us.” 

“I will.” Silas imitated the dramaticism. “I can’t imagine what Orion would have to do; he needs to be at several places at once to manage.” 

“Can’t believe they couldn’t make a better schedule; this is all over the place.” Terry kept looking at the sheet of paper. “Whoever made it definitely wasn’t a Ravenclaw.” 

The three didn’t have much time to worry as Snape’s first Potions lesson had begun much like it had the year before, with him being extraordinarily furious at something, and much like last year it seemed to be at the fact he hadn’t gotten the position he’d been so consistently denied. Thanks to Silas’s abilities, which he’d polished over the course of the summer break, the Ravenclaw trio weren’t as brutally belittled as the rest of the class.  

Even if they had, it wouldn’t have shattered them nearly as much as it would have before, since everyone was too excited for the following period when they would finally have a new subject. 

“Make no mistake,” began Professor Septima Vector, “though both subjects are designed to help one predict the future, Arithmancy and Divination are two completely different things.” 

The teacher reminded everyone of McGonagall in that she did not smile, and no matter who or when someone looked at her, her eyes always seemed to be observing them.  

“Does anyone know when the first numbering system came to be?” the teacher asked. 

Hermione’s hand immediately shot up. 

“Yes, Miss Granger?” 

“While there were many ways to track quantities before it, it is believed that the Babylonian system was the first of its kind.” 

“Correct,” she tapped the chalkboard with her wand and the numbers from one through sixty appeared along with their corresponding symbols in the numbering system, “Today we’ll be going over how the ancient witch Nabu'saratu used these numbers to predict major events in the past. I’ll give you two minutes to memorize the system for those who haven’t. You’ll find texts to analyze on page five.” she said, and a large portion of the room gasped in shock at the difficulty of the very first task. 

“Orion, little help, which one was this?” Silas whispered over, his finger pointing at one of the twenty numbers spread around the text. 

“Forty-nine.” Orion answered quickly, continuing to write on his own piece of parchment. 

It wasn’t a surprise that by the end of the class only a few managed to get past the halfway mark, with Hermione and Orion being the only ones who had finished everything. The homework assignment was even harder than the one in class; they had to write a parchment long essay on Nabu’saratu with only two books available in the library on the topic. 

“How did it go?” asked Caspian who had had a free period. 

“I shouldn’t have chosen them blindly.” sighed Silas. “Divination would probably have been better...” 

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Padma sat next to them. “My sister was incredibly impressed with Professor Trelawney, but I think she’s a bit of a... how do I say this – sham.” 

“I think you’re overreacting.” said Terry. “Sure, it’s a bit tough, but I found it fascinating that you can find out so much purely from numbers.” 

“Meanwhile, in Divination we have to ‘ open our inner eye’ and interpret tea leaves.” Padma said with as much theatrics as she could, making the whole table laugh. 

“Sounds fun.” 

“It would be, if it was just a hobby, but having to study this will be a nightmare.” 

“Wow, everyone’s unhappy. Hopefully, Runes and Care for Magical Creatures will be interesting” said Caspian who had yet to attend his new classes. 

“I have my doubts,” said Terry, “I know the gamekeeper has a lot of experience with beasts, having been in the Forbidden Forest so many times and all, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be able to teach properly.” 

“We won’t have to wait much; we have Care for Magical Creatures after Transfiguration.” 

--- 

“Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?” Professor McGonagall asked when she noticed the class wasn’t paying close attention and didn’t applaud her transformation. 

“I will.” said Harry. 

“I see,” she sighed, “Then you should know, Potter, that Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has 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-” she paused, “Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney... You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in.” 

The tension that had built between those who were in Divination when the prediction was made suddenly lifted and the class proceeded as usual, with McGonagall scolding Seamus again for nearly causing an explosion, even though the lesson was about Animagi and did not include any spellcasting. 

“Told you she was a fraud,” Padma was arguing with her sister as the quite large group made its way towards Hagrid’s hut, “Even McGonagall isn’t fond of her.” 

“Let’s not forget she wasn’t fond of Lockhart either, but you were still in awe.” said Parvati. 

“That was different, Professor Trelawney has been here for much longer, so I trust McGonagall’s opinion much more.” 

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” Parvati teased. 

Hagrid looked unusually odd; though he was almost always brimming with friendliness, today he was fidgeting and looking around, near his hut, no doubt nervous for his first lesson as a teacher, though as soon as he spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione, he got into a better mood. 

“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!” he said with a loud voice and slightly nudged his boarhound, which was sleeping, to get up. 

The students followed the giant, some getting slightly startled at how close they were to the forest, though still curiously trying to see as far in as possible. 

“What do you think is past those bushes there?” Terry asked Caspian who didn’t seem as bothered by the eeriness of the forest. 

“Probably just more bushes... and vines.”  

“I’ve heard all kinds of beasts live there, some scarier than others.” 

“There might be a few bats for you to be scared of.” 

“I’m not scared of bats!” Terry slightly reddened. 

“Oh, bats are the kindest creatures yeh’ll find ‘round these parts.” Hagrid surprisingly turned, “Bugbears, trolls, some of them blue-tailed foxes also tend to stir quite a lot of trouble... it’s why Professor Dumbledore has forbidden entry, too dangerous for yeh’” 

“And it’s not for an incompetent wizard like him?” Draco said quietly, but making sure Harry could hear him. 

“Shut up, Malfoy.” said Harry. “I can still remember how scared you got last year.” 

“I got scared? Ha, at least I could still get away from that blood sucking creature, you immediately froze, probably fainted after that as well, just like on the train.” 

“There we are!” Hagrid’s voice ended their argument, though one felt more defeated than the other. 

Even though he said that, the group was quite confused as to where exactly this was. They were at a paddock, but there was nothing there. 

“Everyone gather 'round the fence here! That's it – make sure yeh can see. Now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books --" 

Everyone except Orion, looked perplexed. 

“How?” asked Malfoy with a sigh so deep he sounded like an underpaid worker who had been asked the dumbest question. 

“Eh?” Hagrid startled. 

“How do we open our books?” Malfoy lifted his copy of the ‘ Monster Book of Monsters’ which he had, much like everyone else present, bound with a rope. 

“Hasn' -- hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?” Hagrid said disappointed but also, once again – nervous. 

“He has, professor,” Caspian said, pointing to Orion, “he just told us how to open them ourselves.” 

“Why would you-” Orion got slightly irritated at Caspian for directing everyone’s attention towards him. Caspian had, of course, done this so he could indirectly get a one up on Draco. 

“You just have to stroke the spine.” explained Caspian to the others who were awaiting an answer. 

“Oh, how silly we've all been! We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!” Malfoy said mockingly. 

“Why would you have to guess when you could have just asked when you purchased the book?” Orion now got annoyed at Malfoy. 

“Well, because it wasn’t biting then, of course, and would it not be a silly question to ask how one should open a book?” 

“Not for you.” 

“Now, now,” Hagrid got between them, “ye’ve all gotten yer’ books open, now you need creatures. Right!” he walked without an explanation into the forest. 

“God, this place is going to the dogs.” Malfoy moaned “That oaf teaching classes...” 

“Yeah, and you getting accepted...” Caspian sniggered. 

“And what would you know, Stormcloak? Your family is centuries behind mine.” 

“Should I make you fly again like the pixie you are?” retorted Caspian. 

Draco was saved from embarrassment, as the whole class awed at what Hagrid had dragged along with him. If one was to look at the beasts next to Hagrid from behind, they could easily mistake them for a dozen horses, but from the front they looked much more intimidating. They had the heads and front legs of an eagle with large feathery wings on either side; their long and sharp talons pierced the ground with ease every step they took. With every gentle breeze their feathers flowed elegantly like silk. They were truly majestic... even though their attention was fully focused on Hagrid who was holding a large bucket of meat. 

“Hippogriffs!” the giant proclaimed loudly. “Beau'iful, aren’t they?” he tossed some treats into the air and a few of the hippogriffs stood on their hind legs, spreading their wings widely to balance and catch them from the air. 

“Meh, they’re not that impressive, a bit ugly even, if you ask me.” Malfoy said to Crabbe and Goyle who, even though were impressed by them, nodded in agreement. 

“Like you’re one to talk.” Ron turned. 

“Ha! If I looked like you, Weasley, I’d bury my head in the ground.” 

“Because you looking like a pile of smashed rotten apples is much better.” 

“Ahem!” Hagrid wanted to attract the class’s attention back to the creatures he was so fond of. “Come a bit nearer,” he said while looking at the hippogriffs to make sure they behaved “who wan’s to ‘ave a go first?” 

Most of the class did the opposite, taking a step back not wanting to get close to the sharp claws. 

“Ah, good man, Harry!” Hagrid finally turned.  

Harry had been awestruck by the creatures and hadn’t realized he was a few feet in front of the rest of the class. He quickly turned back and after noticing everyone was looking expectantly at him, including Hagrid, with a large gulp he approached the hippogriffs. 

“No, Harry, remember your tea leaves!” whispered Lavender and Parvati who looked quite worried. 

Orion looked at them confused. 

“Divination class.” explained Padma with a sigh. 

“Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud,” Hagrid placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder to stop him from going nearer. 

“Right...” it looked like Hagrid was trying to find a good hippogriff to give to Harry as a partner. “Right, les’see how yeh get on with Buckbeak.” he untied the only gray one who was ever so slightly larger than the rest. He motioned with his hand for Harry to follow him and at a certain point waved in a way to tell him to stay where he was. “Good hippogriff...” he told the creature which had twitched towards Harry. 

Orion noticed that at that same moment Hermione had grabbed Ron’s hand in panic, as he was standing next to her. He didn’t know why he’d noticed. 

“Easy now, Harry,” Hagrid was focused on Buckbeak, “Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink, hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much... Tha’s it, keep calm, take a step back, now bow slowly, but don’ take yer eyes off ‘im” 

Harry lowered his head, maintaining eye contact as instructed. 

“Lower, ‘arry, lower, deep bow.” 

Harry now had bowed so low he had to strain his neck in order to see the hippogriff. It took two minutes before the hippogriff also bowed but when it did, the air finally eased up and everyone felt their whole body relax. 

“There we are, good.” Hagrid threw a few treats for Buckbeak. “Yeh can touch ‘im now. Come on now.” he added when he saw Harry would have rather joined the rest of the class. 

“Yeah...” Harry hesitantly placed his hand on the beast’s beak. 

“Yeh kno’.... I reckon he will let yeh ride ‘im.” 

“Wh-whaAAAAA-” Harry tried to remain on his feet, but the giant had already lifted him and placed him onto the creature’s back. “Hagrid, I’m not sure-” 

“Right there, just behind the wing joint,” Hagrid wasn’t listening at all. “... and don’ pull any of ‘is feathers, they don’ like that, I can tell yeh.” 

And with a slap on the back leg, the hippogriff spread its wing, began galloping towards the group of students, who in turn started running away, and just as it was about to crash into Hannah Abbott, it took off. 

“Hagrid!” Hermione shouted, “It’s too dangerous, get him down immediately!” 

Hagrid didn’t look like he had considered the possibility of Harry being in danger. 

“Oh...” he said, looking up at the hippogriff that was soaring two hundred feet above. “I, er, I... Harry’s a good flyer.” 

“THAT’S NOT A BROOM!” Hermione demanded. 

“Stop worrying so much.” Ron tried to intervene, “Look.” he pointed towards the sky where not only was Harry still on the Buckbeak, but his hands could also be seen stretched out like its wings. “Seems to be enjoying himself.” 

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. Hagrid looked relieved she accepted everything and mumbled something, as he went towards the remaining hippogriffs, spreading them out and preparing them for the next part of the lesson. Soon after, Harry landed back at the paddock legs shaking, his hair even messier than usual and a wide grin attached to his face.  

“Well done, ‘arry.” Hagrid said happily as most of the group also joined him in cheering. “Now, who else wan’s to try?” 

This time the students seemed to be much more encouraged to try and approach the creatures, though some were too hasty and had to be reminded by Hagrid to approach them nice and slow. 

“Hmph.” exhaled Malfoy loudly, “If Potter can do it, I bet a troll can too. Not as dangerous, are you, you big ugly bir-” he got pulled back by his robes, but just in time as a giant talon almost cut him severely. 

“True, a troll might be able to read... or even better listen to simple instructions.” said Silas, who took the opportunity to pull Malfoy a little harder and onto the ground.  

“Easy, easy, Thalissa...” Hagrid tried to calm down the hippogriff. “You alright, Malfoy?” he finally turned to the boy who was now swatting leaves from his clothes. 

“That thing could’ve killed me!” said the Slytherin. 

“Damn, you’re right, shouldn’t have intervened.” Silas slapped his forehead sarcastically. 

“Shut up, Night-” 

“No fighting, the two of you.” Hagrid said confidently. 

“My father will he-” 

“Indeed ‘e will.” Hagrid shockingly interrupted, “when I tell ‘im yeh weren’ paying attention while I was e’splaining how dangerous it is ter not handle hippogriffs with respect.” 

Everyone was at a loss for words. Not even McGonagall spoke in such a manner to Draco, thought he was not nearly as much of a nuisance in her classes. Moreso, it was the fact that it was Hagrid who was taking such a stance against the Malfoy. It took a moment for even Draco himself to realize what was going on. 

“Whatever.” he said, picking his bag up, “This class is meaningless, anyway.” and with that he stormed away. 

Crabbe and Goyle didn’t seem like they wanted to drop Care for Magical Beasts, but followed him nonetheless. 

It was quiet for a few very long seconds, before Hagrid turned towards Harry. 

“I shoul’n’t have said that.” 

“No, no, no, you did perfect, Hagrid, trust me.” Harry tried to calm him down. He looked extremely satisfied. 

The class went on smoothly, more smoothly than any other class had, with the Slytherin trio not being there to antagonize their Gryffindor counterpart. 

--- 

“Can you believe that?” 

“He really said that to him?” 

“Yes!” 

“He might get in trouble.” 

“He will, saying that to Malfoy...” 

It was only the Slytherins who were against the gamekeeper, although even amongst them were some who enjoyed watching Malfoy being put in his place.  

“Hehe, not ter worry.” Hagrid said, pouring his frequent visitors tea, “Dumbledore gave me bit of a talk, but even ‘e agreed with what I said.” 

“Did you really write a letter to the Malfoys?” asked Ron, picking up his cup at the very top, so to not get his fingers burnt. 

“No, Dumbledore said he’d take care of that. Heh, you know me, can’t really write well, can I?” laughed Hagrid. 

“I’m a bit concerned.” Hermione said. 

“Why?” asked both Ron and Harry. 

“Well.... Buckbeak was really close to slashing Malfoy...” 

“So?” 

“I don’t know...” 

“You’re worrying for nothing. Silas managed to save the worm.” said Ron. 

“Wish he hadn’t.” joked Harry. 

“Oh, no, no.” said Hagrid, “Dumbledore was quite relieved there wasn’ any injuries, said it coulda cost me the position, or even worse. Also said I shoul’n’t show many more dangerous critters, y’know, to avoid any of yeh gettin’ hurt...” Hagrid said, looking out the window, his eyes widening. “YOU! WHY-! YOU!” he shouted so suddenly Ron’s tea came out of his nose. “YOU’RE NOT TO LEAVE GROUNDS AFTER DARK, HARRY! C’mon, I’m takin’ yeh back to the castle.” 

---  

“Right then, glad to see so many new faces. Not a lot of students choose this subject.” said professor Bathseda Babbling, “Not only is it a hard one, but its modern-day practicality is not very broad. That is not to say it is not useful. Oh no, on the contrary, it is quite a sought-after skill at the Ministry, especially in the Education department. This year, we will mainly focus on trying to memorize the basics of the many alphabets and the syntax of some of the languages. I do not expect you to memorize absolutely everything, of course, very few know all of the hundred and fifty-seven discovered and solved tongues, so I will allow some notes to be used when taking your exams.” 

Though the teacher had made it sound difficult, once they began going over some of the material, most of it made sense and it was not too difficult to follow, though the longer the message of the rune was, the more time it took for the students to decipher it. Despite Orion having read through Rosana Amorim’s Spellman’s Syllabary, he found that even the most complex symbols were covered in the beginning chapters of Callister’s books. 

“For homework I want you to come up with a rune symbol for anything that comes to mind. However, it must not be under fifteen strokes long. You’re dismissed.” said professor Babbling at the end of class. 

“Ori, mind lending us that book we gave you on Christmas.” asked Caspian, with Terry and Silas also looking forward to Orion’s answer. 

“Sure, but I don’t think it will help you a lot, it’s quite complicated.” 

“Oh, well.... either way, surely it will help at least a little.” said Terry. 

“Here.” Orion pulled out the book from his bag. 

“You’re carrying that with you everywhere?” asked Silas. 

“Yes.” Orion’s bag, which he had placed an Extension Charm onto, held more books than Caspian, Silas and Terry combined had ever read. 

“Huh... where did Granger go?” Silas looked around confused. 

“What do you mean?” Caspian also joined in turning his head, searching for Hermione. 

“I could swear she was just here... whatever, I must be imagining things.” 

Orion looked at this year’s timetable, Muggle Studies had just finished parallel with Ancient Runes. He knew Hermione and he had both signed up for every subject, having been told by Flitwick himself, but he wondered how exactly Professor McGonagall was “helping in her own unique way.” 

“You go on without me.” he told the rest. “I will take a detour.” 

As he was walking through the castle, mixing in with the lively crowds, he spotted Penelope scolding the Weasley twins. 

“Honestly, you two, do you not realize how much danger you are putting yourselves in consuming those things? Give me that!” she snatched something resembling a candy from one of the twins’ hands.  

“Oh, please, Penelope, you are starting to remind us of old Perce.” 

Penelope’s cheeks slightly reddened at the remark. 

“I’m confiscating these.” 

“Have a heart.” said the twins, though Orion noticed they weren’t entirely concerned with their treats being taken away, most likely having already stashed a large portion somewhere safe. 

“Ah, Orion, I have to speak with you about something.” said Penelope when she noticed the white-haired boy. 

“Can it wait?” he was quite eager to finish his detour. 

“I’m afraid Flitwick has asked me to give you my notes for Muggle Studies and Divination, since he said you’ll most likely go to Runes and Arithmancy instead.” 

“So, that’s a yes. We can discuss it in the common room.” 

“Sure, I guess.” the prefect looked puzzled as to why Orion was in such a hurry. 

Unfortunately for Orion, by the time he’d arrived at the Muggle Studies classroom, there was nobody there but Professor Sikander. 

“Oh, you must be the Ravenclaw boy.” he said, twirling his thin moustache. “Not to worry, Professor Flitwick has already made me aware of your situation. As long as you submit your homework on time, I will not require you to be present in class. For this week you have to write a short essay on how Muggle housing differs from ours. Feel free to submit it any way you like.” 

“Certainly, professor.” the boy gave a slight bow. 

Something wasn’t adding up.