Y/N's POV

Right after Divination, we had Transfiguration with McGonagall and she was shocked at how quiet our class was. She was talking about Anamagi and had just turned into a tabby cat and back. There was no applause, which was a first, instead there was silence.

"Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, staring around at us all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."

Everybody's heads turned toward me again, but nobody spoke. Then Hermione raised her hand.

"Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and-"

"Ah, of course," said Professor McGonagall, suddenly frowning, "there is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"

Everyone stared at her.

"Me," I said, finally.

"I see," said Professor McGonagall, looking at me with her beady eyes, "then you should know, L/N, that Sybill 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 favourite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues-" Professor McGonagall broke off. Then she went on, more calmly, "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..."

She stopped again, and then said, in a very matter-of-fact tone. "You look in excellent health to me, L/N, 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."

Hermione laughed. I felt a bit better. Not everyone was convinced though.

When the Transfiguration class had finished, we joined the crowd rushing toward the Great Hall for lunch.

Right after lunch, we had Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid and I was both nervous and excited for Hagrid's lesson.

I was pleased to get out of the castle after lunch. Yesterday's rain had cleared, the sky was a clear, pale grey. Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other, they had an argument about Divination at lunch. Me and Harry walked beside them in silence as we went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when I spotted three familiar backs ahead of us that I realised we must be having these lessons with the Slytherins.

Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang 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 moment, I thought that Hagrid was going to lead us into the forest. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, we found ourselves 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 the cold 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 length of rope. Other people took theirs out too, some, like mine, 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?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.

We all shook our heads.

"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 quiet in his hand.

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

"I-I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione.

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

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry quietly.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his enthusiasm a bit, "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 us into the forest and out of sight.

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

"Shut up, Malfoy," I said.

"Careful, L/N, there's a Dementor behind you-"

Minutes later Hagrid arrived with our first magical creature, Hippogriffs.

"So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer..."

No one seemed to want to. Me, Harry, Ron, 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."

I could see that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't listening, I had a nasty feeling they were plotting how best 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' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt."

"Right, who wants ter go first?"

Most of the class backed farther away in answer.

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

"I'll do it," I said.

There was a gasp from behind me, and both Lavender and Parvati whispered. "Oooh, no, Y/N, remember your tea leaves!"

I ignored them and climbed over the paddock fence.

"Good man, Y/N!" roared Hagrid. "Right then, let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."

Hagrid released a grey Hippogriff and I cautiously approached it, making eye contact, then bowing.  At first the Hippogriff didn't bow back and then Hagrid told me to back away slowly, but as I did. It bowed.

"Well done, Y/N!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right, yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"

I moved slowly towards Buckbeak and patted its beak.

The class broke into applause, all except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

"Righ' then, Y/N," said Hagrid, "I reckon he migh' let yeh ride him!"

This was more than I had bargained for. I was used to a broomstick, but I wasn't sure a Hippogriff would be quite the same.

"Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint," said Hagrid, "an' mind yeh don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that..."

Seconds later I was off, when I came back, Malfoy was desperate to prove that he was as good as me.

Malfoy approached Buckbeak cockily. "This is very easy," he drawled, loud enough for me to, hear him, "I knew it must have been, if L/N could do it...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 next moment, Hagrid was 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. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"

"Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, 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, I saw that there was a long, deep gash on Malfoy's arm, blood splattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, toward the castle. 

"This isn't good for Hagrid." I muttered. "Not good at all."