We all climbed cautiously over the fence, and Professor Hagrid untied the Hippogriffs one by one; soon, people were bowing nervously all over the paddock. Ron, Hermione, and I practiced on the chestnut coloured one, while Harry watched us.

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

"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry to hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it... I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said 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 then Professor Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass. I froze, my heartrate speeding up as I saw the blood spilling onto Malfoy's robes.

I'm dying!" he yelled, as everyone started to panic. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"

"Yer not dyin'!" Professor Hagrid said, going very pale. "Someone help me - gotta get him outta here-"

Hermione ran to hold the gate open, while Professor Hagrid lifted Malfoy easily. As they passed, I saw that there was a long, deep gash in Malfoy's arm; blood splattered the grass, and Professor Hagrid ran with him, up the slope and towards the castle.

Anxious thoughts began to invade my mind. Would he be alright? He was horrible, but he still didn't deserve to get hurt like that - and I'd seen far too many people die because of injuries like that... even had many inflicted on me myself...

A flash of a memory came to me with this thought, and next moment, it was as though I'd been transported back to the past. I was seven years old, lying on the floor of my 'room' at Malfoy Manor, terrified sobs making my breath hitch as Mother stood over me.

"Weak," she hissed, as her dagger slid smoothly over my face, drawing rivers of crimson blood from beneath my broken skin. "Pathetic."

I whimpered quietly, my tears mingling with the blood as I bit back a scream.

"Mother... please..."

"Emotions are a weakness, girl!" she yelled, and I flinched backwards, my heart pounding. "You do not show weakness - EVER. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mother," I whispered, wincing as the tremor in my voice gave away my continued fear. And when she pulled me roughly to my feet and came at me with the dagger again, I couldn't help but give a terrified, "No... please - PLEASE-"

She drove the dagger into my arm this time, cutting deeper and deeper, her face alight with a terrifying mix of anger and sadistic mirth. A horrible burning pain ripped through me, and I fought to get away, my screams and pleading mixing into a mess of noise... the pain built until it was unbearable... a dark fog settled around everything, making it all seem distorted and otherworldly... but still the pain went on.

"Do you think she's alright?"

The voice was far away, like it was coming to me from the end of a very long tunnel. And soon, this voice was joined by others, each of them breaking through the darkness, making my body feel numb to the pain I was sure it was still going through.

"What's happening to her?"

"She just doesn't like Draco being the centre of attention!"

"Oh, shove off, Parkinson."

"Someone should get a professor-"

"No, wait, she's back..."

Daylight suddenly streamed into my vision, and slowly, very slowly, Mother and my 'room' seemed to melt away. Adrenaline still coursing through me, I took a shaky breath, allowing my senses to catch up with what I was now seeing - I was curled up in the grass on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, with most of the Care of Magical Creatures class crowded around me. Harry, Ron, and Hermione seemed to be trying to keep them away, but it clearly wasn't working.

"Ivory..." Hermione said, looking anxiously at me. "Are you ok? What happened?"

I just looked up at her, my whole body trembling, and slowly shook my head, because I didn't know what had happened. All I knew was that I was still terrified, as though Mother was going to reappear and continue my punishment at any moment - and, as I forced myself to my feet, I also became aware of an exhaustion so powerful, I felt like I might fall asleep there and then.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled softly, my eyes darting around for my bag. "I'm alright... I just - I don't know what happened..."

Seemingly realising what I was looking for, Harry went and got my bag, passing it to me with a look of understanding in his eyes.

"Let's go back up to the castle," he said, nodding his head in that direction.

The four of us started to make our way up, with the rest of the class following close behind. Some were talking about me, not troubling to lower their voices as they discussed all the things that could be wrong with me, and others were still focused on the Buckbeak incident, and whether or not Professor Hagrid was to blame. But I barely noticed the argument that broke out over what had happened to Malfoy, or Hermione's constant worried glances towards me. In fact, it was taking all my energy to simply keep on walking, my heart still pounding in my chest.

"Ivory? Did you hear what I just said?"

I gave a slight flinch as the question registered in my mind, looking quickly to the source of the voice - Hermione, I soon realised. Then, slowly, I shook my head, mumbling another apology as I did so.

"Don't worry about it," she said, giving me another worried look. "I said we should take you to the hospital wing. Collapsing like that could be a symptom of something really bad, and you really should let Madam Pomfrey make sure you're alright."

A spark of panic lit up inside me as I thought of what could happen if I went to someone else for help. Quite apart from anything else, Madam Pomfrey would probably make me eat something, and I couldn't risk going against another of Father's orders if I wanted to have even the slightest chance of surviving the punishment that Sunday was sure to bring.

"I'd rather go back to the dorm, if that's ok," I said softly.

"Oh, but-" Hermione started to protest, but I quickly cut her off.

"I'll be fine," I assured her. "I just need to sleep, that's all."