The Dragon's Child Bride

A/N Hey. Sorry it took so long. But it my defence, I came up with a ridiculously long chapter. So much so that I split it into two. I don't have time to post the other half right now, but I will by this evening or tomorrow. Anyhow, please review to tell me what you think. As always, feel free to email me any ideas or suggestions for the storyline or characters. Your imput is always appreciated. Thanks again to my darling beta. I hope you're feeling better!


CHAPTER 15: Day One, Part One.


She lay still on the bed watching the dawn’s first light creep into her room, casting patterns of light and shadow over her new surroundings. Laylani and Draco had been able to set up most of the things she had brought the night before, including her books and countless pictures. They were nearly done when Mari arrived.

Their session had passed relatively smoothly. Instead of their usual task of trying to understand and come to terms with what had happened in Laylani’s past, they talked about school; what did she expect to get out of it, what were her biggest worries, etc. All in all the session went well. It was a relief not to have to talk about her history for once with this woman. So much so that Laylani had forgotten to tell Mari what the hat had so casually told her. It wasn’t until the next morning while she lay in bed that she remembered.

‘Damn it.’ she thought. Laylani slowly sat up, abandoning the warm comfort of her soft bed and searched through the drawer of her nightstand to pull out her silver notebook and a pen. She jotted down a note to Mari about what the hat had told her and tore the page out to send later. She put away her notebook and leaned back against the headboard.

Today was the day. It could no longer be put off. Today she was going to be presented to all the gawking, whispering students of Hogwarts. Laylani took comfort in the fact that at least today was a Sunday, after breakfast she could retreat to her room and hide. She was almost glad she didn’t have housemates for a moment; her own place gave her a safe haven. The anxiety from the day before again resumed its place in her stomach. And it was only 7:30.

Draco was coming at nine to escort her to the Great Hall for breakfast. She had wanted him to come earlier just for some company but she couldn’t ask that of him. It was a Sunday for goodness sake; after everything that had gone on earlier in the weekend, he deserved as much sleep as he could get into him.

After a shower she toweled herself off and decided to let her hair dry naturally so it could curl. She put on a pair of jeans, a tank top and a red hoodie. She flipped through a couple of her schoolbooks, trying to fill up time until Draco came. Laylani checked the clock; it was barely 8:15. Damn.

She toyed with the idea of exploring the halls but dismissed it; she’d probably get lost. She sat for a few moments silently. God, she was bored. She picked up her book for Care of Magical Creatures. Idly, she turned to the section on Thestrals. Yes, the definition she’d spouted off yesterday had been on the nail. How could it not be?

She involuntarily thought back to when she’d been trained to do that. It had been awful. They would give her half a day with some random book that she was to memorize the facts from. The second half of the day was spent being ‘quizzed.’ She shuddered when her mind spoke that word. Being ‘quizzed’ meant standing in front of these robed men with their wands, some wearing their hoods some not, and being asked questions about the content of the book. If she failed to answer correctly, they would hurt her with a Cruciatus; the more she got wrong, the longer the exposure lasted. It had been the worst at the beginning. She’d been only six, barely able to read.

She laughed bitterly to herself. ‘That changed in a hurry.’ She’d been forced to read at a first year level by the age of 7. By the time she escaped, she was reading and performing well past seventh year level. She’d never understood why they had trained her, why they had beaten and tortured her into learning everything they’d given her. No one would explain. She knew it had something to do with being their ‘chosen one’ or ‘foreseen child.’ Well, if that was what it meant to be ‘chosen,’ someone else could have it…

Laylani forcefully pushed the thoughts out of head. They would only make her angry, and there was no point in stewing about what was done and over with. She heard the portrait open and there was Draco. She checked the clock. He was a half hour early.

“Good morning, Dragon. You’re early.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Nope, just an observation. I’m glad you’re here, love.” She smiled as he sat down next to her.

He was glad, too. He’d been up since the early morning hours, worrying over Laylani. Gods, he wanted to do everything he could to protect her, to make sure this day went well for her. He wanted to give her everything she desired but knew in the big scheme of things, he couldn’t give her anything. Draco Edmund Malfoy had finally come to the realization that money couldn’t buy everything, least of all happiness. She wanted to be happy. She wanted real friends. She wanted, no needed, to feel like there was a place for her in equal standing with other people, and none of that could he buy for her. He could only offer what he himself could give; to try and make her happy and to love her as best he could. And somehow he felt it wasn’t enough.

He’d been debating coming over early since he’d woken up. At home, he’d been able to see her the minute he woke up, sometimes even woke up next to her. That morning, Draco had paced around his room aimlessly straightening things and moving objects around. It felt wrong not to see her as soon as he could. He’d had this ridiculous notion that he missed her, which was absurd because she was only five minutes away. He berated himself for nearly an hour for being so weak as to so desperately want to see her. What would his father think?

‘Who cares?’ He’d been taken aback by that thought. The last eleven years of his life had been dictated by what his father would have thought, and suddenly it didn’t matter? No, that couldn’t be right; he wanted to impress his father, to have his father recognize him as a true Malfoy man. Didn’t he?

‘Who cares?’ had echoed in his mind again. Indeed, who did care what his father thought? His father didn’t have the most wonderful woman in the world as his fiancée. His father wasn’t about to be forced into sharing the woman he loved with everyone else that morning. So what the hell did it matter what his father might think? He’d left for her room soon after.

He brought his mind back to being with her; just enjoying her company while Laylani was still his and his alone. Draco ran his fingers through her soft hair. He smiled to himself.

“What?” she asked. He’d been staring and it was making her a little nervous.

“Your hair’s curled. It looks nice.” She blushed and thanked him for the compliment, pleased that he’d noticed even though she’d already forgotten. Over the next few minutes, Draco told her about everything she could possibly expect at breakfast, from house tables to the owl post; unlike muggle mail owls came every day, even on Sunday. She nodded to everything he said, trying to absorb it all so she wouldn’t seem like such an amateur in front of the other students.

“So, what happens after breakfast?” she asked in a small voice. Draco had never thought of that. What exactly was going to happen after breakfast?

“I could show you around the school if you like. Where you’re classes are, the owlery, the library.” Her face lit up when he mentioned the library and he shook his head with a chuckle. Draco could never understand her fervent love of books. He appreciated their knowledge and entertainment value, but he knew that those things hardly mattered to her. Laylani had once tried to explain it to him; how the content didn’t matter as long as she could get lost inside it, how the rest of the world would just fall away. He supposed he didn’t understand it because he’d never felt the need to hide. He’d been brought up with the world as his oyster and he could manipulate it anyway he wanted. He would never want to choose a book, with its own plot and views, over that. Still, the delight in her eyes filled him with excitement for her, and that was enough for him. He pressed a kiss on the tip of her nose.

“I guess that’s where we’ll be going first.” Her smile broadened and she nodded.

“Tell me about the library here.” She asked like a child asking to be told a favorite story.

He fumbled in his explanation. It wasn’t a question often asked of him, or anyone he supposed. “Well, it’s bigger than the library at the Manor, more books than you’ve seen in a lifetime, love. It’s got books in it that you’ll never see anyone else. And that’s not even including the Restricted Section.” Her eyes got even wider and she arched an eyebrow.

“Restricted Section, huh? Sounds kind of pervy; well, it would if it weren‘t a library.” Draco laughed.

“Actually that’s not too far from the truth. That section of the library is caged off from the rest of the library and the shelves block the view inside; you can’t be seen unless someone is actually in the room. It’s mostly used for some hands-on studying between students, if you know what I mean.” She bit her lip and grinned.

“Well then, you will most definitely have to take me there.” She winked and got up off the couch.

“We need to go now, Draco.” He checked the clock; she was right. It was quarter after nine already. Draco watched her stretch her arms upwards arching her back, pulling up her hoodie and shirt revealing a glimpse of her pale flesh. He came up behind her and slipped his arms around his waist, his warm hands on the exposed skin. He planted a kiss on the side of her neck.

“Alright, but after breakfast we’re paying a visit to the library.” She agreed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry, Ron, and Ginny arrived at the Great Hall no later than nine that morning. It was fuller than they had ever seen it at breakfast on a weekend. Although the three of them tried to convince themselves they had a pressing reason to be early for breakfast on a Sunday, it was obvious why they and most of the student population was there so early: Laylani. Her name had been on everyone’s lips since the delivery of yesterday’s Daily Prophet. Sure, most of them had seen her before at the Yule Ball, but this was different. Now that she was the Slytherin Prince’s child bride and not just some random groupie, she was infinitely more interesting.

The three friends sat at Gryffindor table surrounded by the buzzing gossip, yet all of them remained silent. Ginny was pleased, no longer feeling threatened by the girl. She knew how the tradition worked, the girl had no choice but to marry Malfoy and Harry couldn’t possibly keep pining for her then. Ron felt sorry for Laylani. He’d heard of this type of marriage before; his father brought it up every now and again at the dinner table, saying how the Ministry ought to ban the practice, that it was outdated and removed freedom of choice. He’d never thought much about it until now, but he had to agree. Any practice that would force that sweet girl to marry the Ferret King had to be wrong.

As for Harry, he was positively livid. Laylani couldn’t possibly want to marry that bastard. She was too sweet, too innocent to want to have anything to do with any of the Malfoys. No, she must be being forced into this by that fucking family and their goddamn tradition. He didn’t know what he would do, but he would not let that arrogant fuck Malfoy marry her against her will. He would rescue her, somehow.

A hush fell over the room. The door to the Great Hall swung open revealing a confident-looking Draco holding hands with his bride-to-be. They walked across the silent room until they were in front of the High table where Professor Dumbledore stood waiting for them.

“Good morning, everyone. As you may already know, we have a new student with us this semester. I would like to introduce Ms. Stanners, our newest seventh year. She has been sorted as a Morphose. For those of you unaware of what that implies, I suggest you check through ‘Hogwarts: A History’ under founding. I trust that you will all do your best to make her feel at home with us.” He turned to them. “You may sit down.” She followed Draco’s lead to and sat down at the Slytherin table. Breakfast appeared on the table and only then was there sound. The students began filling their plates with food and alternated between talking amongst themselves and staring at the couple.

Laylani had no appetite. She simply couldn’t eat with people watching her. Draco seemed undaunted by all of this; he had grown up in the public eye. He loaded up his place with eggs, bacon, sausages and toast. He was already halfway through his plate when he noticed her plate was bare.

“Eat something, love.”

“I can’t.” she whispered. “It’s just too weird with them watching me.” He sighed and put down his fork.

“Laylani, things are going to be like this for a while at Hogwarts. After that, we’re going to be getting married and then everyone will be watching and taking pictures. So you’re either going to starve to death or have to get over it.” She was surprised by the insensitivity of his words but nonetheless he was right; she was being ridiculous. People were going to keep staring whether she ate or not, and she did not want to face that morning on an empty stomach. She nodded and filled her plate with eggs, sausage and pancakes. Draco smiled with relief and went back to his food.

Near the end of the meal, the first screech of the owls was heard and then the room was full of them. Laylani looked up, noticing for the first time the charmed ceiling, it was beautiful. It showed a cloudy sky with silver light filtering through the gaps. The Malfoys black eagle-owl swooped down, landing in front of her with a note, probably from Narcissa. She was just about to read it when a horned owl that dropped off a dozen roses, narrowly missing her plate.

She’d assumed the roses were from Draco and was just about to thank him when she saw the look on his face. He was staring at the flowers with a clenched jaw and angry eyes.

Who had the audacity to send his fiancée flowers?

‘Okay,’ she thought ‘roses aren’t from Draco.’ She tentatively reached over to the note that accompanied the roses, wondering who else would bother to send her flowers today, or any day for that matter. She opened the card.

***

Dearest Laylani,

Congratulations on the engagement! Both you and Draco have my best wishes. I’ll be sure to steal another suit before the wedding, so save me a dance.

Your mugging and murdering ally,

Adrian Pucey

***

She chuckled and showed Draco the card. His face relaxed and he smiled, glad that Laylani had made a friend and that no one was trying to move in on his girl. She began to read the letter from Narcissa. It was longwinded and overly descriptive, but Laylani appreciated it anyway. It was nice to be loved, even if it was over-zealously.

In general, the letter said everything Narcissa had told her yesterday: to behave like a Malfoy lady, not to get in any trouble, to have fun, tell them where she was sorted and that they loved her and missed her. Laylani smiled and slipped the letter into her pocket.

Breakfast ended and the students rose around her to leave, including Draco. She followed suit, grabbing his hand so as not to lose him in the mob. Several of the guys from the Slytherin table shouted their congratulations to Draco, while most of the females from all four of the House tables gave Laylani murderous looks. ‘Great.’ she thought. ‘Making friends already.’ Then from out in the crowd, she saw a flash of red hair she couldn’t help but recognize. She looked to Draco; he was still absorbed in his friends’ running commentary about ‘the old ball and chain.’ She easily slipped away undetected. Laylani finally caught up with him at the large oak doors.

“Ron!” she called. He turned around to face her and a lopsided grin spread over his face. He motioned to her to meet him outside in the hall as stopping would lead to him being trampled by the other students. She nodded and he went out the door. She looked to see what was going on with Draco. He was still surrounded by his friends but had just noticed her absence. She quickly ran back to his side.

“Draco, I’ll be waiting in the hall when you’re done, okay?” He smiled and she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before she ran off again out of the Great Hall. She met up with Ron, along with Harry and Ginny just left of the doorway.

“It’s good to see you again. Why didn’t you tell us you were going to be a student this semester?” She beamed.

“It was kind of a secret. Draco only found out at the Yule Ball.” Harry’s eyes darkened at the mention of Malfoy’s name.

“So you’re really marrying him?” he said harshly. Ron elbowed Harry in the ribs. Her smile disappeared, to be replaced with a look of frightened nervousness. She was still uncomfortable around angry men. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and dropped her gaze.

“Well, yeah. I am.” she spoke in a timid voice. Harry read her actions as unhappiness and unwillingness, which only strengthened his resolve to play the hero and rescue her from her tragic fate. Maybe carry her off into the sunset…into his bedroom… He forcibly pushed that thought out of his head, at least for now.

‘Rescue first, ravish after.’ he thought. Ginny ignored the awkwardness and acted as if nothing had happened.

“So tell me all about your wedding plans! I want to know every detail.” Laylani perked up a bit and tried to ignore Harry’s glowering.

“Well, we don’t really have too many plans, yet. Narcissa told me that we won’t worry about it until at least the end of February, you know, to give me time to adjust to school before I have to worry about something else. We’re getting married in a field on the Malfoy’s property. Apparently it’s tradition, which that family just loves. But that’s not important; it’s a beautiful spot with a trellis and everything.”

“Sounds lovely! Do you have a dress picked out yet?” Laylani shook her head. She hadn’t even thought about it.

“Would you like to look at some later? I have a whole stack of bridal magazines in my room.” Laylani nodded. Ron gave his sister an incredulous look.

“Gin, just what the hell-”

“Oh, Ron calm down. I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon, I just like the dresses.” Ron nodded but didn’t seem to accept her explanation, and he was right not to. Ginny had begun collecting bridal magazines not long after she’d first laid eyes on Harry Potter. She wasn’t obsessive with them nor had any big elaborate fantasies, but every once in awhile she’d flip through them, picking out what dresses she would use if they did get married. Harry was just about to spit out another nasty comment when Draco appeared at behind Laylani, wrapping his arms protectively around her waist.

“Are you almost done, love? I was hoping to show you the library this morning.” The subtle lust that adorned his features was not lost on her. She rolled her eyes.

“You know, they say patience is a virtue.” Draco noticed Potter’s jealous reaction to the banter between them and knew he was being presented with a great chance to shove his engagement in the Boy Wonder’s face and stomp on his pathetic crush. He smirked.

“And when have I ever been virtuous?” he growled, letting his breath rush over her neck and his hand slip under the hem of her shirt, causing her to giggle and shiver. Harry was just about to intervene when Hermione’s voice echoed down the hallway from where she stood near a staircase.

“Malfoy! What the hell are you waiting for? We’re about to start.” Draco’s face went from anger to confusion to annoyance. He turned around and yelled back.

“Start what?”

“The meeting!”

“What meeting?” he yelled

“Oh, for God’s sake Draco! Just go down the hall and talk to her like a civilized human being.” scolded Laylani. He rolled his eyes and sauntered over, meeting Hermione halfway down the hall. She spoke a few words to him and he swore loudly with language Laylani was sure weren’t allowed within school walls. He dropped his head in resignation and sighed. He walked back dejectedly and looked to Laylani sheepishly.

“Ah, love, I…I - There’s a little snag in our plan. Um, it seems I have a meeting this morning that I forgot about. It’s really important, been planned for weeks now and, and it’s going to last through the morning and probably through lunch, too.” Laylani’s face fell. “I’m sorry, pet.”

“Oh… That’s okay. You can show me around some other time…” she tried to fight back the disappointment she knew was showing on her face.

“We could show you around!” said Ginny eagerly. After the first eleven years of only her brothers, Ginny was always quick to latch on to a girlfriend. And now that this girl wasn’t menacing her chances with Harry, Ginny found she liked her. “After all, we’ve nothing planned for the morning anyway, except for maybe some exploding snap and we can do that any time.”

A sly grin spread over Harry’s face. “Yeah, that’s a lovely idea Gin.” He turned to Laylani. “How’d you like it if *I* took you to see the library?” Draco shot him a deadly glare and wrapped his arms around Laylani’s hips again, his grip possessively tight.

“That would be nice.” she said quietly, adjusting herself in Draco’s arms, his grasp slightly uncomfortable. He noticed her discomfort right away and immediately loosened it. “I’d love to go explore with you guys.” She turned her attentions back to Draco.

“Are you still going to come over after Quidditch practice?” He grinned.

“Wild hippogriffs couldn’t keep me away. I’ll be there by five.” She nodded and he made an elaborate show of kissing her goodbye. Potter may be able to spend time with her today, but he wasn’t able to do that.

Draco didn’t like the idea of her going with them; he would really rather she spent the morning alone then with Potter and his comrades. But he knew that going outside, even if it was in their company, would be good for her. He decided he would have a talk with her about appropriate socializing later, but for now he would let it slide.

He heard Hermione clear her throat behind them and he reluctantly let Laylani go. She was a little flushed in what he found was a very sexy way. He was hypnotized by the sway of her hips as she walked away. Gods, how was he going to make it through the day without seeing her?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The four of them stopped back at her room first to pick up a coat. She let them in and they stood waiting in her living room while she rushed into the back room to get her coat. Ginny looked around her, surprised that there were pictures hanging on the walls. Not the regular school paintings but actual pictures that Laylani must’ve brought with her. She recognized some of the faces in them. She could easily pick out Laylani even in group settings, she had such distinctive features. She found several photos of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy but they didn’t look like themselves, at least not how she had known them. They looked a lot less ominous and a lot more affectionate.

And Draco, Merlin! she wouldn’t have recognized him in a million years if the caption underneath the photo hadn’t told her. The picture was of him and Laylani up in a tree smiling at each other. He was holding his hand in hers and she was blushing. The photo moved and Draco leaned in and placed an innocent kiss to Laylani’s cheek. As she scrutinized the photo, she wondered exactly why she hadn’t recognized him before. He had all the same features he possessed now. The white-blond hair, the pale skin, the lean frame. What was so different? Then it hit her like a ton of bricks: he looked happy. He was smiling, really and truly smiling. Not smirking but giving this little girl an honest and loving smile, and she was returning it. Draco Malfoy had once been a happy child. Somewhere along the line, something had turned him into the miserable prat they’d all come to know and loathe.

Her eyes drifted, coming to settle on one large picture of a couple that looked familiar but she knew she didn’t know them. Had never laid eyes on them in her life. So why was it like déjà vu?

Laylani reappeared in the archway, coat in hand.

“Sorry it took so long. Still doing a little unpacking.”

“Laylani, who are these two?” asked Ginny pointing to the picture. Laylani took a step closer to see the picture more clearly and her smile faltered a little.

“They’re my parents.”

“You’re parents?” So that’s where she’d recognized them. Yes, Laylani had many of both of their features.

“Well, yes. I didn’t just spring up full grown from the earth.” she said with a dry laugh.

“Then why are you living with the Malfoys?” asked Harry accusingly. She turned and looked at him with empty eyes and he regretted asking.

“Because my parents are dead, Harry. My father was murdered the night I went away, and not long after that my mother killed herself. That’s why. Satisfied?”

Harry could barely stutter out an apology. He was surprised to see such an emotional, caring girl talking so coldly about the gruesome deaths of her parents. He had hundreds of questions for her, where had she been? Why had she disappeared? How had she come back? He started to ask when she quickly interrupted him much to Ron and Ginny’s relief.

“Look, it’s just a lot of depressing stuff that happened over a decade ago. I don’t really want to talk about it. Besides, we’ve got some exploring to do!” She smiled brightly and made for the door, ending all conversations.

“Could you show me the grounds first?” she asked. Harry nodded dumbly and they left the main entrance of Hogwarts. First, they took her to the lake and told her of the giant squid, assuring her it wasn‘t dangerous, just slimy. Although her eyes widened, she laughed.

“I suppose it’s a good thing I can’t swim.” They walked languidly across the open field in front of the castle, pointing out various paths to her. One that lead to the greenhouses where her Herbology classes would be held, one that lead into the gardens, one that lead to the Quidditch pitch, and the one that lead to the Forbidden Forest.

“I take it I don’t go in there, right?” The three look to each other and smiled conspiratorially.

“Well, you aren’t supposed to. Especially not alone.”

“Why not?”

“There’s a lot of things in there. Things that can hurt you.”

“Darling, a lot of things can hurt you, including any person you know. You’ll have to be a bit more specific.” Harry noticed the gloomy undertones of what she said. Had someone hurt her? Were they still? He didn’t need to guess who it would be.

Ron continued in place of Harry’s silence. “Centaurs, vampires, and a giant for starters. You might go into the outlying land once or twice for Care of Magical Creatures class, but other than that you should avoid it.” She nodded and made a mental note to steer clear of the area whenever possible. She noticed a small hut on the edge of the woods with smoke pouring out of the chimney.

“Who lives there?” she asked.

“Oh, that’s Hagrid’s house. He teaches Care of Magical Creatures. He’s great, you’ll love him. Would you like to go meet him now?” She shook her head.

“No, I’m sure he’s much too busy; we shouldn’t bother him…”

“Nonsense!” cried Ginny. “He’d love to meet you.”

So it was agreed upon, though with no real consensus. The four of them moved towards his house, which was not as small as she’d imagined. It was not a big area by any stretch of the imagination, but it was alarmingly tall. Ron knocked on the door, hard. It was received with a fierce grumbling and a loud and intimidating barking. Laylani stepped back into Harry’s tall frame. He blushed and placed a comforting hand on the small of her back, much to Ginny’s annoyance. How could he possibly still carry a torch for her when she was marrying Malfoy?

The door swung open to reveal the biggest man Laylani had ever seen in her life. He had to be at least nine feet tall. This enormous man was accompanied by an equally enormous dog. Her eyes widened and she took another step back, falling off the stoop onto her back in the snow.

“Hallo kids, who’ve ya got ‘ere, eh?” The hulking man leaned down and pulled Laylani up onto her feet with one light tug. He looked at her questioningly. She began to stammer.

“I-I-I…uh, I’m…I…” Luckily Ron cut in.

“Hagrid, this is Laylani, she’s new here.” He smiled to her warmly.

“Ah, so you’re the new girl I’ve ‘eard so much about. Well, it’s a pleasure tah meet ya, miss.”

“Please,” Laylani said softly, “call me Laylani, not miss.”

“As ya like. Would ya four like to join us? Fang and I were just about to have some tea.”

They nodded eagerly, except for Laylani who just followed them into the hut. She made a conscious effort not to stare at the enormous man. He prattled on about people she didn’t know, some Norbert and Fluffy. Odd names, but she’d heard worse. He seemed pleasant enough though, and by the time he’d served the tea in bowl-sized cups, she was quite relaxed. Hagrid sat down with them around the table and they began to talk about the holidays and what they had to look forward to in the coming semester.

“I was thinking of bringin’ out a chupacabra for the seventh years next class. Managed to borrow it from Beauxbatons.” He sighed sadly, mentioning the school of his former love. It broke his heart when Olympe stopped seeing him nearly eight months ago.

“Hagrid, don’t you think that’s a little dangerous?” asked Harry cautiously.

“No, not dangerous at all, unless you’re a goat.” chirped Laylani, quite out of the blue. Hagrid stared at her curiously.

“That’s right, isn’t it?” she said meekly, not meeting his eyes.

“Well, yes it is, but how’d ya know? Seventh years aren’t taught chupacabras anywhere else, far’s I know.” She kept her eyes on her giant serving of tea.

“I-I was taught privately.” Hagrid’s amiable nature returned almost instantly, pleased to know that no other teacher had bested him yet. He took pride in his doing his job well as he’d been expelled early on, and he always tried to give the students of Hogwarts something more then just what the Ministry required.

“What else have you learned about them, eh? Go on, don’t be shy.” She couldn’t help it as another embarrassing recitation spewed forth.

“Chupacabra: Literally means ‘goat sucker’ in Spanish. Is found worldwide, but mainly problematic in South and Central America. It feeds on small animals such as goats, sheep, and dogs by sucking out the blood with two thick protruding fangs. Varies in height from three-foot-two to four feet” Her face became increasingly redder as she prattled on, unable to stop herself. Hagrid had asked, and she was trained to answer as best she could. “Although the chupacabra has the ability to change pigmentation, it’s natural color is dark gray. It‘s a biped, three claws at the end of the limbs, with spines running over the length of it’s back which in certain cases gives it capacity for minimal flight.” She finished and took a sip of her mammoth cup of tea, honestly considering trying to drown herself in it. Hagrid grinned broadly, delighted to have a student that was so knowledgeable about magical creatures.

“That’s right impressive. I’d say Hermione’s got some competition, eh?” He laughed and elbowed Harry in the ribs. Laylani smiled shyly, pleased that no one made a big deal out of it like yesterday. The conversation continued on about what Hagrid planned to show the class about the creature and where he intended to go from there with their studies. They stayed there for another half hour, just enjoying each other’s company and talking about miscellaneous things. It was nearly time for lunch by the time they left.

“G’bye, kids. ‘Twas a pleasure to meet you, Laylani. I’m looking forward to havin’ yeh in my class.”

“Not as much as I’m looking forward to being there!” she called and waved goodbye. She had really liked Hagrid. He was fierce looking but had somehow managed to maintain a sense of childlike innocence. She didn’t know why, but Laylani found it endearing. They walked up the slope of the ground and into the school and were just about to enter the school when Laylani remembered the note for Mari.

“I need to go to the Owlery.” she blurted. “It’s really important.” The three looked at her and then back to the door. It was lunchtime and they were starving. The boys made puppy dog eyes at Ginny, hoping she would take the hint and take Laylani herself. Ginny rolled her eyes and sighed.

“I’ll take you.” she said reluctantly. The boys grinned and hurried through the doorway inside before Ginny had a chance to change her mind.

“Men.” she muttered. Ginny led Laylani inside the building, taking a left down the first hall. The farther they went down the corridor, the colder it became. The red-headed girl pushed at the wooden door, opening to a tower with at least a hundred owls resting on the rafters. Laylani stood blankly, turning to Ginny in hopes of finding some guidance. Ginny smiled.

“You’ll need to use a school owl.” As if hearing it was needed, a plain brown owl flew down off the beam and onto the windowsill closest to them. Ginny held out her hand and Laylani cautiously passed her the note, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t ask what it was about. It seemed luck was on her side that day. Ginny simply attached the not to the owl’s leg, and it took off out the window.

“Now,” said Ginny, “We eat.”