Dragon Heartstrings

‘Have you gotten this?’ Scorpius said when he arrived at their table, holding up a scrap of parchment. 

‘Mmhmm,’ Rose replied, her mouth full of porridge. 

It was Friday morning, they were eating breakfast before her first Care of Magical Creatures class. The way their timetable was worked out had given them four hours of a subject each week. The two doubles for her Creatures class fell on the same day, giving her four consecutive hours of this subject. 

‘I can’t believe I have four hours of Runes,’ Roxanne complained, crossing her arms and dropping her head on the table. 

Rose read her piece of parchment again. 

Dear seventh year students, 

For our first Care of Magical Creatures class, please wear your own outdoor clothing (no robes), bring protective gloves and pack a lunch. 

We will gather at the door opposite the great hall at five past nine, 

Looking forward to meeting you all 

Professor Galdur

‘Weird,’ Sandy said after reading the note over Rose’s shoulder. 

Rose had found her note outside her dorm door that morning and had already changed into her clothes. She opted for her jeans and her usual boots. She threw on a grey hoodie and borrowed Frankie’s green fleece to wear over it. 

‘Why are you wearing shorts?’ Rose asked as Scorpius took his seat. He had on black shorts, his slytherin quidditch team jumper visible above the neckline of his jacket. 

‘Why are you wearing jeans?’ he countered, bending down to lace up what appeared to be his hiking boots. 

‘I like her opposition to robes,’ Frankie said thoughtfully, scanning the parchment, ‘maybe she’s muggleborn.’

‘Not with a last name like Galdur, maybe halfblood,’ said Louis.

‘Are we still allowed to say halfblood?’ Noah asked.

Rose and Scorpius met the rest of their Creatures class at the huge arched doorway at five past nine. The class was small, she looked around, there couldn't be more than fifteen people there.

‘Good morning,’ she heard someone say. She looked to the front of the group. A young woman stood there. Rose squinted. She had pale pink hair, tied up, but messily, so that curls fell out and danced around her face. She was wearing knee length green cargo shorts, and a matching jacket. She had on black gloves made of the same rough material as her black boots. She was short, quite short. Rose thought that she could probably pass for a student if she tried. 

‘My name is Belynda Galdur, I’ll be your Care of Magical Creatures professor this year, now it’s a bit busy here, let us begin our walk and we shall chat more once we’ve reached our destination,’ she promptly turned around and began walking down the path leading out of Hogwarts grounds. The class had no other option but to quickly follow suit, and walked down after her. 

‘Do you think we’ll ever stop?’ Scorpius asked Rose, tugging at his collar. 

‘I’ve stopped getting my hopes up,’ Rose huffed.

They had been walking for over half an hour. They were nearly beyond Hogsmeade village now. Rose had been sure that that was their destination, but Galdur just kept on walking, keeping up an impressively brisk pace as they made their way upwards to the woods at the back of the village. 

Finally, after what felt like another half an hour, Galdur stopped in the middle of a clearing in the woods. She gestured for them to gather around in a circle. 

‘Anyone tell us where we are? No hands just shout,’ Galdur said, resting her hands on her hips.

‘In between Hosgmaede and Upper Hogsfield,’ Rose called out. 

‘Well done. We are standing in Hogswood, a sparse wood separating the two villages and just on the very outskirts of the Forbidden Forest,’ Galdur pulled a woolly hat out of her bag and handed it to a shivering Jesse Danes from Hufflepuff. 

‘We’re quite a small class,’ Galdur continued, looking around at them all, ‘fourteen I’ve just counted, that’s good, means we’ll all get to know one another, learn to trust one another. I’m a big believer in trust, you need it when working with magical creatures,’ she waved her wand and three benches appeared, as well as a small wooden stool. ‘Please sit,’ she said, taking her own seat on the stool. 

Rose and Scorpius sat down on the bench with the two Ravenclaw girls. 

‘I’ve already told you my name is Belynda Galdur. I’d like to request that during class times you call me Lyn. Professor Galdur is a mouthful and simply too many syllables in case there is some urgent problem or incoming danger and you need to call me,’ she took a breath. Rose was impressed with how fast she was speaking.

‘Professor Galdur is fine outside of class,’ she continued, ‘but during, I will only answer to Lyn. Same goes for you, anyone whose name is longer than one syllable unfortunately you will get a nickname or your name will simply be shortened, any objections?’ 

Everyone shook their heads, giving eachother amused looks. 

‘Now you are probably wondering why we have walked nearly an hour to Hogs wood. We have been blessed with a four hour time slot for our classes, and I intend to make the most of each one. I’ve brought us up here to see a very interesting magical beast, they are native to Scotland, and I have gotten very reliable reports of sightings of one here. We are going to study and observe it today. Any ideas on what it is, call them out, tell me your name while you’re at it’ she leant forward, resting her elbows on her knees. 

‘A Selkie? And Andrew Lynch,’

‘Nice guess, close but not today. Thanks Drew, anyone else?’

‘Loch Ness? Max Rivers,’

‘Not in Hogswood, another day Max,’

A high pitched cry sounded in the air, followed by a splash of water. 

‘Was that a person?’

‘Sounds like someone fell!’

‘We should go help,’

‘A Kelpie!’ Rose said over the other students.

‘Bravo, five points. Name?’

‘Rose,’

‘Great short name. The few of ye who are very noble and very brave must be cautious when out in the woods, particularly near a body of water. Behind those trees is a lake and next to the lake we will see a very beautiful horse. Kelpies emit a cry that usually sounds like a person who is struggling in the water,’ Galdur motioned for them to stand up and waved her wand. The benches disappeared. 

‘Okay see that bush over there? Line up behind it,’ Galdur led them over to a high wall of leaves. 

‘Rose?’ Galdur called. ‘You first. A reward for guessing  correctly’. 

Rose cast Scorpius an uneasy look. Galdur ushered her to the front of the line. 

‘Now I’m going to ask the student behind you to place their hands on your shoulders, is that okay with you?’ Galdur paused, waiting for Rose to answer. 

‘This is to prevent Rose from running off when she gets sight of the Kelpie,’ she said after Rose nodded. ‘The Kelpie draws people in with its beauty. You may feel a sudden need or an urge to go closer. It is important for the rest of you to hold onto your fellow students tightly,’ Galdur explained to the group.  

Rose looked behind her and almost rolled her eyes. 

‘Of course,’ she sighed. 

‘It wasn’t exactly my choice,’ Scorpius muttered, placing his hands gingerly on her shoulders. She felt a strange tug on her stomach. 

‘Ready?’ Galdur turned to Rose, her hands on the leaves. 

Rose nodded, feeling a bit apprehensive. 

Galdur pushed the leaves apart. Rose leaned forward. Through a gap in the bush she could see a lake. The morning sun was still high, and it made the top of the lake glisten. At the edge of it, with its head bowed low, was a beautiful horse, with a glossy black mane. She watched it drink from the lake. She felt a pull, almost magnetic. She felt Scorpius tighten his grip on her shoulders. Galdur let go of the leaves, the horse went out of sight, and the pull faded. 

She stood off to the side, dazed, watching the queue shorten as each student got their turn to look. She got out her notebook and began scribbling down descriptions of the Kelpie. 

Galdur summoned the benches again and they all sat and took notes. 

‘Professor Galdur?’ Angus Kay asked after a while. 

‘Who?’ she replied not looking at him. 

‘Oh, sorry. Lyn?’ he said uncertainly.

‘Yes?’ she smiled at him. 

‘What happens to the Kelpie now? Will we leave it be?’

‘Great question Kay. A Kelpie residing this close to a village is dangerous. I have been asked to remove it. However, unnecessary harm to any magical creature goes against many laws and also my own morals,’ she told them sincerely. ‘Next week we shall come back here and deal with the Kelpie. I want a fourteen inch researched essay on ways to deter a Kelpie from somewhere. Twenty points for the most inventive. All solutions must be able to be conducted while bringing no harm to the creature or the person. Ready to go?’ 

The walk back felt shorter. Rose and Scorpius brought up the rear of the line, Galdur leading the way. 

‘She’s cool,’ Rose said grinning.

‘Yeah I’ll give her that. Bloody starving now though,’ Scorpius said grumpily. 

Rose reached into her bag and pulled out the makeshift lunch she had taken from breakfast. One rasher, a handful of grapes and a slice of untoasted bread. 

‘Anything interest you?’ she asked, snorting at the expression on his face. 

‘The grapes look the safest,’ he said, wrinkling his nose. 

‘It will tie you over till we reach the hall,’ Rose assured him. 

They were in the town square of Hogsmeade when Galdur stopped. She pulled out a watch from her pocket. 

‘It’s almost one. By the time we get back to school there will be slim pickings left. Go off and find a place for lunch and meet me back here at half past. Anyone need a galleon?’                                              

Five minutes later, Rose and Scorpius were seated upstairs in The Three Broomsticks. A pretty blonde barmaid took their order. She placed her hand on Scorpius’s shoulder and winked at him, not giving Rose so much as a second glance.

‘Fish and chips and a butterbeer please,’ Scorpius said, winking back at her. 

‘The same for me,’ Rose said irritably. 

They sat in silence for a few moments. 

‘Jealous?’ Scorpius smirked at her. 

‘As if,’ Rose scoffed. 

Scorpius leaned over to the table next to him and picked up the stack of newspapers someone had left there. 

‘Daily Prophet, Owl Post or Le Cri de la Gargouille?’ he asked, holding out the options.

Rose took the Prophet and began reading. 

‘Any good?’ Scorpius asked her after ten minutes. 

‘Mmm, same old really. I always feel they don’t properly tell half the news. You have to really comb through it to find the facts,’ Rose huffed. She glanced up and saw Scorpius reading the French newspaper. 

‘You speak French?’ Rose asked, surprised.

‘My mum’s grandmother is French. I used to spend summers there before I came to Hogwarts,’ he explained. 

‘How didn’t I know this?’ 

‘Don’t think I’ve mentioned it,’ he replied, not taking his eyes off the paper.

‘Does Louis know?’ she asked.

‘Nope,’ Scorpius said, smiling.

‘Well, how is France?’ she flipped to the opposite side of the Prophet. 

‘Dangerous by the sounds of it,’ 

‘Dangerous?’

‘Some creatures are missing from labs apparently. Sýrubats?’

‘I’ve never heard of them,’

‘They’re mutations,’

‘Hand it over I wanna read,’ she held out her hand. 

‘It’s in french? I’ll translate,’ he waved her hand away. He scanned the article again. ‘Okay Sýrubats are magical creatures, mutations of bats, their skin is coated with a type of acid or poison and they react to moisture in the air’.

‘Sounds complicated,’ Rose’s brow furrowed.

‘So the rain that falls in the same area that bat has flown….’ he turned the page slowly.

‘The suspense is killing me,’ she rapped her fingers on the table.

‘The rain becomes acidic, burns people, damages plants, buildings, the cars muggles have,’

‘Wow,’ Rose sat back. 

‘I know,’

‘What are they telling muggles?’

‘Something to do with the environment I think,’ he shrugged. 

‘And what are they doing to stop it?’

‘I’m not sure,’

‘Why not?’

‘I didn’t read that far,’

‘Well get on it,’

‘Why don’t you just learn french?’

‘But then what use would I have for you?’

Scorpius scowled at her. Despite this, he started reading the paper again. 

‘So what’s the French Ministry saying?’

‘What?’

‘Weather reports?’

‘Enough,’

‘Ooo how are the Paris quidditch team doing?’

‘How do I make this stop?’ he groaned.

‘Two fish and chips?’ the barmaid had returned, two plates in her hand. 

‘A welcome intervention,’ Scorpius said pointedly.

She bumped Scorpius’s arm with her hip as she leant down. ‘Ooops,’ she giggled, handing the plate to Scorpius and dropping Rose’s down roughly in the middle of the table. 

Rose had to force herself not to roll her eyes. 

After their lunch, they headed towards the town square to meet the others. 

‘Ooh look!’ Rose exclaimed. They had passed a large board. It was covered with flyers and bits of parchment. Rose took a step closer. The local pubs advertising gigs and games, shops looking for someone to work weekends, tutors offering their services. She unpinned one of the posters. 

‘Trad night on autumn equinox,’ she read, turning over the parchment in her hands. 

Scorpius leaned in to get a better look. 

‘We should go,’ he said. 

‘We?’ she faltered. We?Did he mean just the two of them?

‘All of us,’ he said quickly. 

Oh, she thought. 

‘Of course,’ she nodded, keeping her face turned to the flyer so he couldn’t see her blush.

‘It’s Sandy’s birthday the day after, so we can make it a celebration,’ she said, smirking. Sandy hated dancing, especially in public, and especially to trad music. 

Rose folded it and tucked it away in her pocket. 

                                                                         * 

It was dinner time before Rose had a chance to talk to the girls. 

‘I love her,’ Frankie said in awe after Rose had recounted her Creatures lesson. 

‘I’m jealous. I had to explain Runes to Louis and Noah for four hours,’ Roxanne grumbled. 

‘Tell us more about your date,’ Sandy said slyly.

‘It wasn’t a date,’ Rose rolled her eyes.

‘I saw him ogling you during Potions,’ Sandy folded her arms behind her head, lying back on their cushions.

‘He was not,’ Rose scoffed. 

‘Oh he definitely was,’ Frankie put in, tearing away half of her sheet of Potions homework.  

‘He was very distracted, he had to borrow some of our Ginkgo sap after he dropped his,’ Sandy added, letting Roxanne play with her hair. 

Their potions class hadn’t been comfortable. Slughorn had them working on Regrowth powder for the Herbology greenhouses. The potions needed to be heated to a high level, to evaporate the moisture and leave them with a plum coloured, grain like material. It was used to spread dead plants to give them another spring of life. As a result, the room felt like a steam room. Rose’s hair had gone even more curly from the humidity, and she’d had to take off her jumper and roll her sleeves up and undo the two top buttons on her shirt. They all had. 

‘Pretty sure he was staring at Maisie Claflin in front of us,’ Rose said, shrugging. Truth was, she hadn't even noticed he’d dropped the Ginkgo sap, she’d been putting her energy into not looking at his arms.

Sandy and Frankie shared a look but said nothing. 

Rose crawled into bed that night exhausted. Their first week back had been draining, she tried to push away thoughts of the mountain of homework that awaited her. She’d have to find a good studying spot this year. Most of the library would be occupied, she hated trying to work surrounded by other people. It had started to rain again. Rose closed her eyes and let the steady rattle of the wind against the windows whistle her to sleep.