The students had finished their lunch and were heading towards their first Care for Magical Creatures class. Ron, Lavender and Harry were walking in front of Y/N and Hermione, talking to them in general conversation. When they stopped getting responses, Lavender turned and chuckled, noticing they were no longer there.

"Where did they go?" Ron asked puzzled. Harry and Lavender shrugged their shoulders.

—~—

Ancient Runes was very enjoyable. The affectionate couple cuddled up together, in the back of the class, as they learned about the Runes of ancient Scandinavia. They had left quickly at the end of the lesson and plotted their way across the school perfectly.

—~—

Ron was flabbergasted. There was Y/N and Hermione hugging, and kissing, outside Hagrid's hut. How was this possible?

"Oi? You were behind us? How did you get here first?" he yelled.

"You are rather slow, Weasley. And you don't take in your surroundings very well." Y/N chuckled causing Ron to scowl and Hermione to elbow her boyfriend in the ribs.

The rest of the class arrived over the next five minutes and Hagrid appeared with a giant smile, taking the group to a clearing near the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"I've got a real treat for you, wait here" he said excitedly.

The group stood, the butterflies raising in Y/N's stomach before an enormous smile grew on his face.

Hagrid emerged from the thick forest with a beautiful and regal Hippogriff behind him. Y/N hadn't seen the creature for over twelve months and couldn't hold in his excitement.

"Bucky!" he exclaimed happily, jumping the fence easily and jogging over to Buckbeak, giving the Hippogriff a tight hug around his neck. Buckbeak squawked excitedly and nuzzled his beak into Y/N's neck.

Hagrid chuckled loudly as Y/N stroked the Hippogriff lovingly:

"Right, Y/N. Just for that you can demonstrate to the class how to approach a Hippogriff. Carefully"

Y/N chuckled, his head resting against Buckbeak's before he stood back and turned to the other students, calling out:

"Ms Granger, would you care to assist me?"

Hermione giggled and nodded. She had met Buckbeak in first year and the Hippogriff took an instant shine to her, whispering to Y/N that her 'feathers' were breathtaking.

Y/N smiled as he addressed the rest of the student body:

"So Hermione will approach the hippogriff slowly, maintaining eye contact. She will attempt to not blink too much as it will make the Hippogriff think you can't be trusted."

Hermione walked up to Buckbeak and stood about six feet in front of him smiling. Buckbeak cocked his head and looked at her. Y/N heard him whisper:

I know you girl, you are Y/N's mate. Why are you doing the meeting ritual?

Y/N whispered back:

None of the other children have met a Hippogriff as magnificent as you, Bucky. We want to show them how to respectfully greet you.

Buckbeak nodded to Y/N before looking back at Hermione.

"Hermione will now bow to Buckbeak and he will hopefully bow back. If he didn't you would need to walk backwards slowly and not break eye contact until the Hippogriff does."

Hermione bowed deeply smiling at Buckbeak and Buckbeak returned the bow. Y/N smiled as Hagrid said loudly "well done" leading the students in applause. Draco and his group, to no one's surprise, didn't clap.

Y/N said with a large smile:

"Now Hermione can ride him."

"What?" she gasped, shooting a look of horror at her boyfriend. He chuckled back:

"I'm coming too 'Mione, just hold on tight."

She sighed in relief and nodded. Y/N mounted the back of Buckbeak in one swift motion and held out a hand, easily pulling Hermione up as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's waist.

Y/N called out loudly "YAR!!!" and Buckbeak took off running before taking to the sky.

Hermione held tight as Buckbeak flew around the castle before flying to the black lake, skimming his talons along the waters edge.

Her boyfriend sat up as high as he could and extended his arms out wide:

"Whoohoo... whooo... Yeah!" he yelled, echoing around the grounds, as a rush of adrenaline coarsed through his body. Hermione, slightly relaxing at the safety she felt with her boyfriend, chuckled at his bravado.

"Does anything scare you love?" she asked, her head, chest and lower body firm against Y/N and squeezing him tightly. Y/N chuckled and answered:

"Just the thought of not being able to protect you babe. Nothing else"

Hermione smiled at her boyfriend's words before an exciting and daring idea crossed her mind. She kept her right hand tight against Y/N's abdomen, but her left hand descended, and rubbed:

"Exciting up here isn't it?" Hermione asked in a sultry tone.

"B-babe?" Y/N stammered in shock. Hermione giggled as Buckbeak circled the clearing and landed. Y/N jumped down first before taking a hold of Hermione's waist and lowering her to the floor.

She quickly kissed him, briefly and passionately, before pulling away and saying ecstatically: "that was so exciting wasn't it babe!"

Y/N nodded and smiled, still focused on what Hermione had just done. Hagrid led the class in another round of applause for the pair of them. Neither Y/N or Hagrid noticed Draco lurching forward until it was too late.

—~—

Draco sauntered over to the Hippogriff, saying arrogantly:

"If L/N and... her... can do it it can't be that hard. You're not scary at all are you? You ugly brute!"

Y/N yelled "No!" and ran over but it was too late. He heard Buckbeak roar:

How dare you!

The Hippogriff reared up and slashed Draco's arm with one of his large talons. Draco fell to the floor screaming, in Y/N's opinion, like a bitch.

Y/N quickly leapt in front of Buckbeak, protecting Draco from further harm, and stared the Hippogriff down, saying firmly:

"Whoa Buckbeak whoa!"

Buckbeak roared in a whisper:

How dare he! How dare he!

Hagrid picked up Draco as Y/N said firmly again:

"Buckbeak!!!" and whispered:

I don't care about that maggot, but his father is influential and vindictive. It's you I worry for buddy.

Buckbeak returned to four feet and turned, though still squawking angrily.

"Class dismissed. Y/N return Buckbeak to the Creature Reserve please". Hagrid called out rushing towards the hospital wing with a bleeding Draco in his arms, who was muttering and crying:

"He's killed me. He's killed me."

"On it" Y/N called out, taking Buckbeak's reigns in his hand and placing his head against the Hippogriff's. It worked to calm the giant beast, Y/N taking Hermione's hand in his the other one, the three walking towards the Creature Reserve as the rest of the class headed towards the castle.

—~—

After returning Buckbeak the two lovers went to the library. They already had five assignments so they sat down to finish as much as possible. They knew taking as many classes as they were they needed to keep on top of assignments as much as possible.

Y/N knocked off his first protection matrix for Arithmancy as did Hermione. They then completed their first Ancient Runes assignment, which was a 3ft scroll on the earliest meanings of the sacred Nordic Runes.

As they both finished at around the same time and it was ticking over 5pm they headed down to dinner and entered the Great Hall, walking passed Draco who was wearing a sling.

"Really milking it isn't he the prick" Y/N said coldly, glaring at the blonde.

"It's his dad I'm worried about" Hermione added. "I don't think we've heard the end of this."

—~—

Halfway through dinner Na-Hath flew into the hall and perched on Y/N's shoulder causing much commotion in the Great Hall at the sight of the magnificent Phoenix.

As Y/N reached up to stroke his beloved bird the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall approached him and his friends.

"You have a Phoenix now, Y/N?" Albus asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes sir, meet Na-Hath" Y/N said with a smile. Albus smiled and nodded at the Phoenix.

"It's lovely to meet you Na-Hath. I have no doubt you and Fawkes will be tremendous friends, but I digress. I wonder, Y/N, if you could please meet Professor McGonagall at her office at half past six tonight? I have a specialist coming to see you."

Y/N was surprised, asking:

"Like Sam Winchester?"

"No" the headmaster chuckled. "Ms. Bradbury is a magical therapist from St.Mungo's."

Y/N immediately spat the pumpkin juice he was having a sip from in Ron's face, completely unintentionally. Y/N exploded:

"Therapist? Like a shrink? No way. No fucking way. Why the fuck would I need to see her?"

Y/N wasn't taking it well.

"Language L/N!" McGonagall scolded, before continuing in a much softer tone: "You were submitted to appalling and traumatic abuse over the summer. We feel-"

"You think I'm weak? You think I can't take it?" Y/N roared, fury in his voice as Hermione quickly wrapped her arms round him and gripped him tight, desperately trying to calm her boyfriend down.

Albus continued in his usual warm and calming voice:

"No, not at all, Y/N. But I'll make you a deal. You see Ms Bradbury once a week and I won't make you cover up the Phoenix on your neck or the reaper on your hand."

The headmaster smirked, knowing he had Y/N in check.

"Damn it. Fine. But 'Mione comes too, as long as you don't mind love" Y/N asked, turning to face Hermione midway through his sentence.

"Of course not" Hermione smiled at Y/N, stroking his cheek lovingly.

"However, I would ask you to refrain from marking Ms. Granger's neck in future, Mr L/N" McGonagall said glaring at the large hickey on Hermione's neck she had only just noticed.

"I don't make promises I can't keep, Professor" Y/N smirked as Dumbledore chuckled and dragged an irate McGonagall away.