Bab 56: Holy Hippogriffs!
The next morning, every student received their schedules, and every student looked at theirs in confusion. Instead of the usual scattering of classes throughout the week, classes were laid out in an organized fashion. Rather than large and small blocks of classes, classes were lined up back-to-back.
Murmurs spread across the Great Hall as each one realized what their new schedule meant.
"As you have all noticed," Professor Dumbledore said, "the schedules are different this year than they have been in the past. Thanks to the diligent work of Professors McGonagall and Vector, the schedules were arranged in such a way that every student was able to be accommodated. There were some students with peculiar schedules this year, but all the issues raised by this have been sorted. Depending on how well these schedules turn out, we may continue to use them in the coming years."
Hermione looked at her schedule. It was packed with classes, but Wednesday was completely open except for a single entry at nine titled "Professor Vector's Office". Hermione didn't know why Professor Vector would want to see her every Wednesday for the rest of the year, but knew that she would soon find out, as the first of two weekly Arithmancy classes was on Tuesdays.
"We've got Potions this morning?!" gasped Ron. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"At least we've got Care for Magical Creatures right after that," Sally-Anne said.
"No classes on Wednesdays!" Ginny exclaimed.
"No more double Potions," Harry said.
"We'll drink to that," the Twins said, raising their glasses.
After surviving Potions that morning, the group walked out onto the lawn, with Rose leading their pack. Harry was on the lookout for Dementors, but the only ones he saw were off in the distance.
"Still can't believe those things are here," he muttered.
"They won't be for long," Neville said. "Rose will take care of them."
"What do you think class is going to be like?" Sally-Anne asked her friends, hoping to lighten the mood.
"I bet Hagrid will have amazing monsters for us to see," Harry said.
"If he mentions acromantulas, I'm leaving," Ron said.
"Aragog doesn't leave the Forbidden Forest," Rose said. "Don't worry."
"Who?" Ron asked.
"Mr. Hagrid's pet acromantula," Rose replied.
"Why does Hagrid have a pet acromantula?" Hermione asked.
"No reason," Rose said. "Actually, I don't know the reason. I guess he just wanted one."
"Who cares?" Harry said. "At least it gives us a break."
The group arrived to find Hagrid standing beside a small group of what almost could've been griffons. The back half of one looked like a horse, with powerful hind legs and beautiful tails, but the front half was that of an eagle. Large, powerful wings adorned each one, matching the wicked beaks and talons each had. There was a smooth transition from feathers to hair as one looked at the front half to the back half.
"Hippogriffs?" Ron asked.
"Very good, Ron!" Hagrid exclaimed. "Er, I guess I'm suppose ter call yeh 'Mr. Weasley' now. Anyway, thas good work doin' the readin's!"
"It wasn't bad once we found out the trick to the books," Rose said. "Thanks for giving us an animated book. It made studying more exciting."
"I still think there's an actual trick to the book other than punching it on the cover," Hermione said.
"Jus' stroke it on the spine," Hagrid said. "Calms it right down!"
"Told you," Hermione muttered.
"Yeah, that's just as much fun," Rose replied.
They waited a few more minutes for the rest of the class to arrive. They were less than happy to discover that the rest of the class involved Malfoy, whose wand had been returned to him earlier.
"Remember, Draco," Rose said cheerfully as he arrived. "We're all friends here."
Draco replied to this with a look of disgust.
"Now that we're all here," Hagrid said, looking down a class list. "I'm Professor Hagrid, but I respond jus' as well to jus' 'Hagrid'. Welcome ter Care for Magical Creatures. Our first lesson is on the care 'n' handling of Hippogriffs. These three 're Soarstreak, Buckbeak, an' Grayguard. No one approach them yet until I've told yeh the proper way ter do that."
Neville looked from their large professor to the three creatures that stood patiently on the ground.
You're kidding, right? Neville thought, eyeing the talons at the end of each one's forelegs. The talons alone looked like they would rip someone to shreds if they crossed a Hippogriff wrong.
"Now, Hippogriffs are very proud creatures," Hagrid continued. "So approach 'em slowly, otherwise it'll offend 'em. What yeh do is yeh walk slowly, then bow when yer about five feet in front of 'em. If one starts to get rowdy, that's how yeh know it's time to bow. Show yer respect, and wait fer 'em to show yeh theirs."
I'm not sure it's safe to go near those, Hermione thought. Like Hagrid… Professor Hagrid said, Hippogriffs were proud creatures and would attack a person if they looked at one wrong. A Hippogriff was no mountain troll, but they were still fearsome creatures. All the strength of a thoroughbred horse, and just as lethal as a bald eagle.
"Now, who wants to give it a try?" Hagrid asked them. "Any volunteers?"
All but one student couldn't get away from them fast enough. The students took a few steps away from them, leaving one girl with her hand in the air.
"Me!" Rose exclaimed. "Me!"
"Alright, Rose– er, Ms. Peta-Lorrum. Remember, approach them cautiously, then bow."
Rose looked at the three of them, then chose the one in the center. She approached the Hippogriff, cautiously, looking him straight in the eye. When she was exactly five feet away from him, and thus within his range of attack, Rose curtsied, bowing her head as she did.
"Salutations," she said in its tongue.
"Well, that's not something you see every day," the Hippogriff replied. "How does a Human come by our tongue?"
"A magic spell taught to me by the Guardians of the Green," Rose replied. "Defenders of the woodlands and all its inhabitants."
The Hippogriff bowed its head, and Rose arose to face it once again.
"Well done!" Hagrid exclaimed.
"What is your name, child?" the Hippogriff asked.
"Rose. Rose Peta-Lorrum."
"I am Buckbeak, Rose Peta-Lorrum, and I appreciate your respect."
"I give it willingly to those that have earned it," Rose said.
"Tell me, Rose Peta-Lorrum, have you ever seen the ground from high above?" Buckbeak asked.
"I have."
"Would you like to again?"
"Are you offering me a ride?"
"I am."
Rose grinned.
"I respectfully decline, but only because I've got a better idea."
Hermione didn't know what Rose was saying to the Hippogriff, but the length of their conversation was beginning to worry her.
"Oh?"
"How about a race?"
"You'd be at a disadvantage," Buckbeak said, flapping his wings. "I can fly."
Rose smirked.
"So can I."
With that, Rose began to change shape. Her skin turned white as snow, and her cloak folded into her body. A pair of wings sprouted from her back as she fell onto her hands, which quickly turned into hooves. A great white mane popped out of her growing neck, and within a few moments, where Rose once stood, there now stood a Pegasus.
"First one around the castle wins!" Rose exclaimed, and took off into the air.
Less than a second after Rose took off, the three Hippogriffs took off after her, leaving the class to stare at the spectacle.
"Hermione," Ron said.
"Yes, Ron?"
"What just happened?"
"I'm not sure," Hermione replied. "That's new on me, but if I had to guess, I'd say Rose just used shapechange to turn into a Pegasus and is now racing the Hippogriffs."
"Why?"
Hermione looked at Ron. "You need to ask?"
"Probably not," Ron replied.
Rose soared through the morning sky, the warm sun shining down on her face. It was a beautiful morning, with a perfect blue sky decorated with just a few white, puffy clouds. The cool air whipped her mane as she beat her wings, keeping just ahead of the Hippogriffs. She dived towards the Great Lake, grazing the water with her hooves.
When she was sure no one could see her, Rose changed back into her Human form. She removed her glove and felt the cool water against her fingertips. Then, Rose dove under the water, flying back out again after a moment. Rose laughed as she spun around in midair, creating tiny ripples in the lake as she flung drops of water onto its surface.
As Rose approached the castle, she changed form back into a Pegasus, ensuring that no one saw her flying, but instead a majestic, cloud-white winged horse.
Rose banked around the castle, catching a glimpse of bored students listening to one of the professors lecture. When they saw Rose, all eyes watched her as she and a small crowd of Hippogriffs flew past.
As she flew around the Astronomy Tower, Buckbeak flew past her. As a Pegasus, Rose had a flight speed of 20 feet per second, whereas a Hippogriff had a flight speed of around 17 feet per second. At least, that's how it worked in Rose's world.
She watched as the other two Hippogriffs slowly passed her, then realized that they would be better at flying than she; after all, they'd been flying their entire lives and Rose hadn't.
As Rose flew through the air, for the first time since the Hogwarts Express was stopped by a Dementor the previous day, she felt happy. Rose felt free. She was Rose Peta-Lorrum, the Crimson Artificer of Arcrel, once again. She was the Mistress of Crafting, not some lunatic that was mad for worrying about her friends. Rose didn't feel bound by the rules of her current plane, but instead felt as if nothing could stop her.
Rose saw Buckbeak approaching her class, and her heart sank as she realized that her fun was almost over. She wanted that moment to never end. She never wanted to land, and just stay in the air forever, high above the problems of Hogwarts.
Alright, Rose thought. Now I understand why Harry likes flying so much.
As Rose thought about it more, Scarface had more problems than most people; he was targeted by dark wizards on a regular basis, harassed every day at Hogwarts, but unlike the rest of their friends, he had no family to whom he could return at the end of the term. Instead, Harry was forced to stay with his aunt and uncle, who would abuse him and make his life miserable.
<Ref, can you do me a favor?>
<Anything you require, Rose,> Reflectesalon replied.
<I need you to remind me to make something for Harry that lets him fly on his own.>
<I can, but wouldn't that draw more attention to him than he wants?> Reflectesalon asked.
Realizing how much Harry hated attention, Rose agreed.
<We've got to do something.>
Rose looked at Buckbeak, who was just inches ahead of her, then got an idea.
<I think I've got something. Thanks for your help, Ref.>
<Of course, Rose.>
As the ground rushed up to meet her, Rose changed back into her Human form. She tucked and rolled as she hit the ground a split-second after Buckbeak. Rose laughed as Soarstreak and Grayguard touched down behind her.
The rest of the class gave her their usual look of "Are you crazy?!"
"You did well, Human," Buckbeak said arrogantly. "If you practiced, you might stand a chance."
"Yeah, it's been a while since I've flown," Rose replied. "I've gotta do that more often."
Rose walked with the three Hippogriffs back to where Mr. Hagrid had them at the start of class, then glanced over at the confused professor.
If he won't say it, I will, Rose thought, turning to the rest of the class.
"Who's next?!"
Rose looked out at the class, realizing that none of them were going to volunteer.
Alright, I'll have to pick someone, Rose thought, appearing next to Harry.
"Come on," Rose said, taking Harry's arm. "Your turn, Scarface."
"I really don't want to," Harry replied, trying to free his arm from Rose's clutches.
"Yes, you do," Rose said, grinning. "You just don't know it yet. It's even better than flying on a broom. Trust me, they're a lot faster than that wooden stick of yours."
Harry thought about that for a moment, then looked at the Hippogriff to whom Rose was leading him. He had wicked looking talons, and that beak could probably kill Harry in seconds.
"It won't take nearly that long," Rose said.
On the other hand, Harry loved to fly. He loved soaring through the air, putting his problems, putting Sirius Black, the Dursleys, and Voldemort all behind him and being completely free. He was willing to try anything that might compare to flying on his broom.
"I guess I can–"
"Out of my way!" Malfoy snapped as he shoved them aside.
Harry nearly punched the obnoxious Slytherin. He had been so excited to try something new, something that could beat out Quidditch in terms of how much fun it was, but Draco Malfoy was once again there to make Harry's life more miserable than it already was. Malfoy didn't compare to the rest of Harry's problems, he was merely the icing Harry's cake of misery.
Harry started off to confront Malfoy, and Rose was willing to let him. It was about time the boy learned to fight his own battles. However, two of her friends thought differently.
<Rose, stop him!>
Rose didn't know what intrigued her more: the fact that Reflectesalon was lately giving her more orders than normal, or that Hermione and Reflectesalon harmonized so well together.
Rose grabbed Harry before he got himself into trouble.
"Let Buckbeak handle it," she muttered.
Unfortunately for Hermione, she wasn't referring to Harry, but Malfoy. Hermione turned to Ron and Sally-Anne.
"Be ready," she whispered, triggering the pearls to hide their conversation. "If Malfoy gets hurt, it'll be Buckbeak that gets punished for it."
Sally-Anne and Ron nodded, and Ron slowly drew his wand.
Draco walked straight up to the filthy creature in front of him.
If she can do it, so can I, he thought as he looked at the Hippogriff.
Draco approached it, completely forgetting to bow first. He reached his hand out to touch Buckbeak.
"You insult me!" Buckbeak shouted.
Buckbeak reared up, knocking the Slytherin onto the ground beneath the Hippogriff.
In the few seconds before he was shredded to ribbons by the beast's mighty talons, Draco began to wonder if he had made a horrible mistake.
"Accio Malfoy!"
"Seu Strada!"
Draco was ripped away from the beast as it fell onto a translucent disc that appeared between it and Draco. An invisible force pulled the Slytherin straight back towards none other than Weasley, who looked far too smug for someone with so little influence.
Rose and Harry watched as Buckbeak bounced off the disc, then dropped to the ground after it vanished. The Hippogriff quickly looked around for Malfoy, then charged at him after spotting him next to Ron.
Everything happened at once: Hagrid ran towards the creature, desperate to stop it before it got in trouble; Ron, Hermione, and Sally-Anne stood firm, hoping to do the same thing; the other students backed away from Malfoy, eager to remove themselves from the path of the charging Hippogriff.
Hermione looked to Rose for help, but it was clear from Rose's face that she had no intention of stopping Buckbeak. Hermione instead turned to Sally-Anne to ask her to help, only to find that the dirty-blonde girl was exhausted; but that didn't stop her from trying.
"Seu Strada!"
Another disc appeared in front of Buckbeak, but this one was less pronounced than the previous one. Sally-Anne's arm shook as she sustained it against the force of a charging Hippogriff.
The second Buckbeak collided with the disc, it shattered, dissipating before their eyes.
Hermione pulled out her wand as Buckbeak approached them, then pointed it at the ground.
"Sa Harna!"
The ground beneath Buckbeak sank in on itself, taking the Hippogriff with it. The creature thrashed against the force of the sand, but couldn't break free.
"Buckbeak!" Hagrid shouted as his pet sank into the ground.
Hermione stared at Buckbeak's feet, and the moment he was up to his knees in sand, she waved her wand again.
"Harna Solay!"
The sand hardened, causing Buckbeak to be stuck fast.
"It's alright, Buckbeak," Hermione said soothingly. "It's alright. He didn't mean to offend you. He's just an idiot."
"Why you–"
"Do you want her to save your life?" hissed Ron. "Yeah? Then shut it!"
Buckbeak continued to thrash, trying to free himself from the sand.
"It's alright," Rose said. "She's a friend, and she's right."
"You do not understand, Rose Peta-Lorrum!" Buckbeak declared, glaring at Rose. "That Human has insulted me! I must defend my honor!"
"Hermione thinks that's a bad idea. I don't know why, but whatever the reason, it's a good one."
"You want me to trust another Human?"
"I just want you to trust me."
Buckbeak looked from the Greasy Human, to the Bushy-Haired Human, to Rose Peta-Lorrum. Slowly, he ceased his thrashing in the sand.
"Alright. I will trust you, Rose Peta-Lorrum."
Rose waved Serendipity and soften the ground beneath Buckbeak, freeing the Hippogriff from its grasp.
"That thing's a monster!" Draco declared. "Once I tell my father about this–"
Rose cut him off by appearing right in front of his face. When she spoke, she emitted a pair of voices to accompany her own, making the girl sound nothing short of demonic.
"If your father learns one word of this, I'll tear out his entrails and feed them to you in your next meal!" she hissed.
As Draco looking into the blood-red goggles of the Gryffindor, for the second time that day, he wondered if he had made a mistake.
"You were informed not to dishonor them," Hermione added, "and you blatantly ignored that. This isn't Buckbeak's fault, it's yours!"
"If it hadn't been for us, Malfoy, you'd be dead right now!" Ron shouted.
"Thas enough!"
Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and looked at Hagrid, the source of the thunderous boom that echoed through the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Malfoy! Yer knew the rules! Ten points from Slytherin!"
"You overgrown oaf!" Malfoy snapped.
"Ten more!" Hagrid roared. "All of yer go back to the castle to talk with Professors McGonagall and Snape about this! The rest of yer can continue with the lesson!"
With that, Harry, Hermione, Sally-Anne, Ron, Rose, and Draco all began the journey back to the castle.
"I can't believe this!" Draco whined. "Who is he to–"
"Draco, he's the one that tried to tell you how not to act," Sally-Anne panted. "But that doesn't matter now. It's over, and no one got hurt."
"Shut up, Mudblood!" Draco spat.
"She's just trying to help!" Harry snapped.
"You lot didn't help!" Draco said. "I've never been so humiliated in my life!"
"Really?" Ron asked. "That's the most humiliating thing that's ever happened to you? Not Rose taking your wand yesterday, or sticking you to the ceiling, or losing to her hundreds of times? No, this was humiliating. Being saved by us. That's clearly worse than anything else."
"It doesn't matter," Draco muttered. "I'll have that oaf sacked before he eats his breakfast tomorrow."
"What do you think is going to happen when we get to the castle?" Hermione asked. "You think we're going to go straight to Professors Snape and McGonagall and tell them what happened? There's still 20 minutes left before classes change, and it won't take us 10 to reach the castle."
"Professor McGonagall's with the second-year Ravenclaws and Slytherins right now," Rose mumbled.
"So we can't just stop by Professor McGonagall's office," Harry said. "I'll bet Professor Snape is with a class too."
"Then what was the point of sending us away?!" shouted Malfoy.
"To get you away from the Hippogriffs, and to separate us from the rest of the class," Sally-Anne said. "Leaving us there risks a fight breaking out that could anger the Hippogriffs and get someone seriously hurt. With us out here, it's five against one."
"And even you're not that thick," Ron added.
"What did you say, Weasley?" Malfoy snapped.
"What we can do when we reach the castle is find Professor Snape and tell him what happened," Hermione said. "The Dungeons are closer, so we'll start with him. After that, we'll go to Professor McGonagall on the first floor."
"I'm not going anywhere with any of you!" Draco snapped.
"We all go together, so we can tell the story that really happened," Hermione said.
"Only one of the Gryffindors should talk," offered Sally-Anne. "That way it's not five against one."
That was odd. Why were the Gryffindors diminishing their power? Draco would've thought they would want to outnumber him to reduce his story to hearsay.
"What?!" Ron exclaimed. "Why let him–"
"Because it's fair," Hermione said. "Sally-Anne's right. We'd want the Slytherins to do the same if we were in Malfoy's position."
"As if I would," Draco muttered.
"Exactly," Hermione said.
"Who speaks from us?" Harry asked. "What about Rose?"
Hermione glanced back to make sure that Rose was still with them. Sure enough, there was the crimson-haired girl, walking silently at the back of their group.
"No offence Rose, but you're not the best at negotiating with Professor Snape," Sally-Anne said.
Rose said nothing.
"I think Sally-Anne should do it," Harry said. "She's better at talking to people."
"Aw, how sweet, Potter," Draco sneered. "I guess if I had to pick between the mouse and the beaver, I'd pick the mouse for my girlfriend too."
"Alright," Hermione said. "Let's not nominate someone, fabricate a story that depicts Malfoy as a villain, and not give him a chance to tell his side to either professor."
"What?!" Draco shouted. "You won't–"
"Then shut it!" Ron snapped.
"I see she's got you trained, Weasley," Draco sneered. "That's the second time today you've done that."
"I agree with Harry," Hermione said. "Sally-Anne's the best choice."
"Thanks," Sally-Anne said, flattered by her friends' kindness. "Ron?"
"I'm not talking to Professor Snape if I don't have to," Ron said.
They reached the castle a few minutes later and started down towards the Dungeons.
"What are we planning on doing?" Harry asked. "We can't just knock on Snape's door if he's with a class."
"It's not like he does anything during class," Ron said. "He just walks around frightening everyone."
"No, he doesn't, Weasley," Draco snapped. "He makes sure we're doing the potion properly so we don't hurt ourselves. Not that I need anyone's help."
"Maybe with the Slytherins, but not with the Gryffindors," Sally-Anne said. "He leaves us to fend for ourselves."
"I thought you lot didn't need help," Draco said. "What with Granger boasting about how she's memorized textbooks, and Peta-Lorrum reciting random passages from some obscure reference. It's even rubbing off on Weasley, for Merlin's sake."
"Draco, in the two years I've known you, that's the first time you sounded like a person," Sally-Anne said.
Ron snickered, but Sally-Anne elbowed him.
"What?!"
"I'm serious," Sally-Anne said. "I don't mean that as an insult, but you're always boasting about how much better you are than everyone else, but that was the first time you sounded genuinely upset about something. Even though you didn't name me in that, I'm sorry that it bothers you so much."
"Nice try," Draco scoffed, "but pretending to be nice to me isn't going to stop me from telling Professor Snape about what happened."
"And you always assume people are out to get the upper hand on you, but we're not," Sally-Anne added. "We're just kids that want to be left alone."
Draco narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe the Gryffindor for a second, but there was something about the way she was talking. Whatever trick she was using, Draco had to learn it; she almost had him convinced that she cared.
Sure enough, when they reached Professor Snape's classroom, they found him with a class, but it sounded like they were wrapping up. When he saw the group standing outside, he quickly made his way over towards them.
"What?" he asked irritably.
"Professor Hagrid told us to come find you," Sally-Anne said. "We had an incident with the Hippogriffs. We're going to Professor McGonagall next."
"Why go to me?" Professor Snape asked.
"Because it also involved Draco, and it wouldn't be fair to just go to our head of house and not his," Sally-Anne replied.
Professor Snape looked at each of them in turn.
"You six are skipping lunch today," he said. "Instead, you will be meeting with McGonagall and I. You are dismissed."
Without another word, Professor Snape turned around and closed his classroom door.
"He forgot to tell us where to meet," Harry said.
"Who cares?" Draco said as he began to walk away.
"We will, when we've got no idea where we're going," Hermione muttered.
"We'll be fine," Ron said dismissively.
"Professor McGonagall will handle it," Sally-Anne said. "She'll make sure we get where we need to be."
"What if she doesn't?" Harry asked.
"We'll be fine," Sally-Anne said, smiling at him.
The others agreed, and together they continued on their way to Charms. On the way, Hermione dropped back to talk to Rose.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked. "I'm not sure I've ever seen you be this quiet."
"I'm fine," Rose said dismissively.
"You were gonna let Buckbeak rip Malfoy to shreds," Hermione replied.
"He left you for dead, and poisoned Sally-Anne," Rose said. "For once, I thought it might be good for him to realize that his actions had consequences."
"You threatened to feed him his father's entrails," Hermione shot back. "And you transformed in front of the class. What's wrong?"
"I'm fine," Rose snapped.
Hermione kept walking, trying to think of what to do. If Rose continued like she was, someone was going to get hurt.
There must be something I can do, Hermione thought. Maybe Professor McGonagall will know what to do.
"Welcome to the Study of Ancient Runes," Professor Babbling opened Ancient Runes later that day. "The basic foundation of runic magic is that certain structures can shape magical energy in a similar way to your wands. Once a structure is charged, it can hold energy. The stronger the structure, the stronger and more durable the effect it creates."
Bathsheda looked over her class. She was glad to see Sally-Anne there, although she was accompanied by two of her friends.
Bathsheda knew about Hermione Granger from Septima's boasting about how amazing her prodigy was, and knew all about Rose Peta-Lorrum from Albus's required readings on and Severus's constant complaints about her. It didn't surprise her that the former would be taking Ancient Runes; after all it was closely related to Arithmancy.
"Contrary to the name of the course, we don't just study 'ancient' runes, but runes in general. In this class we will look at a variety of runes and runic applications. Many runes are derived from the runic alphabet, for which the subject was named, but additional runes have been developed outside of this, including circular runes, named for their distinctly circular shape, and polar runes, named for polar functions of mathematics."
Seeing one or two concerned faces, Bathsheda added, "Before anyone panics, don't worry; I'll leave the Arithmancy to Professor Vector. There is some overlap between the two subjects when it comes to Arithmantically derived runes, but I won't be delving into them much until the sixth year of this class. Just like with Transfiguration or Charms, I won't delve into how the magic is derived, just how it works. The difference is that our building blocks will be runes, not verbal words or wand movements."
As was common for her class, about half of her students were from Ravenclaw, a handful were from Slytherin and Hufflepuff, but there were three times as many Gryffindors that year than the last, for a grand total of three Gryffindors.
Bathsheda was one of the professors who hated the houses because they didn't encourage students to pursue their dreams, but instead to cave to expectations. Thus, even though at least half the Ravenclaws didn't want to be there, they felt they had to because it was required of them. With a few exceptions, Gryffindors didn't want to be labeled as "clever", so they opted for the "easy" classes such as Care for Magical Creatures or Divination, even if they wanted to take Ancient Runes.
"Applications of runes involve runic circles, which alter the nature of magic within them, and linked runes. A linked rune has one or more mate, which will be altered when one of the others is altered. Does anyone know the most famous use of a linked rune? I'll give you a hint: It's more of a pictograph than a rune."
Everyone looked around, apparently wondering if someone else knew the answer. Finally, a single hand was raised.
"Ms. Peta-Lorrum?"
"The dark mark," she replied. "Used by Vol–"
"Very good," Bathsheda said, cutting off the girl who was known to throw around the name of the most vile being to live like it was nothing. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named used it to summon his followers, each of whom have it imprinted on their person. This brings me to another topic: powering runes. All runes are powered from the structure into which they're engraved; the stronger the structure, the more power the rune will have, and the longer it will last. This includes runes tattooed onto a person's flesh."
Bathsheda glanced at Sally-Anne as she said this. The third-year was pale and sickly, meaning she had come down with the flu since breakfast, or had done something about which Bathsheda had specifically warned her.
"We will not be learning all of this in one year," Bathsheda said. "We will delve into each of these topics, learning the history of runes and their various applications. There will be a lot of studying and reading, but my class isn't nearly as difficult as many people claim it to be, and my door is always open if any of you require extra help. We're quite lucky this year to have an entire day each week set aside for just that."
After class, Professor Babbling asked to see the girls before they left.
"Professor, I don't mean to be rude, but Professor McGonagall's expecting us," Hermione said.
"I only need a moment, Ms. Granger," she said, turning to Sally-Anne. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Sally-Anne replied.
"You overused the rune, didn't you?"
"I'm sorry, Ma'am."
"Sally-Anne, I'm not mad, simply concerned," Professor Babbling replied.
"She used it to fend off a full-grown Hippogriff before it could kill Butterhead," Rose said.
Bathsheda blinked as she attempted to understand the girl's words.
"She means Draco Malfoy," Hermione said.
"The boy who left you girls for dead against a mountain troll and tried to poison Sally-Anne?"
"That's exactly what I said," Rose said.
"I'm sure I don't need to remind you–" Professor Babbling began.
"The rune is powered by myself or any magical spell it absorbs," Sally-Anne said, "so using it against a non-magical source means the energy comes out of me."
"Very good," Professor Babbling said.
"Why can't it absorb kinetic energy?" Hermione asked.
"I'm sorry?" Professor Babbling asked. "I'm not familiar with that term."
"Kinetic energy is the energy of motion," Hermione explained. "Couldn't the rune be modified to absorb that as well?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Professor Babbling replied. "You'd want to talk with Professor Vector about that, Ms. Granger. Although, even if it can, I no longer possess the notes on the subject. I can direct you to the published work on the subject of the Shield Rune, but that may only help so much."
"Who has the notes?" Hermione asked.
"Pandora Kapisa," Professor Babbling replied.
"Luna's mum," Rose said, glaring at Professor Babbling.
"That's right," Bathsheda said, eyeing the crimson-haired girl. "So I don't think it's right to bother them about it."
"No, it's not," Rose said.
Hermione glanced down and spotted the most common sign of Rose's anger: her clenched fists.
"Rose, no one's talking about asking Luna about it," Hermione said. "I was just wondering, not asking if we could actually do it."
Bathsheda looked up and saw Minerva watching them from outside the door.
"I believe you girls are being summoned," she said. "Sally-Anne, please get some rest. Ms. Granger, I would encourage you to look into this; even if it may not be possible, it's still a good idea."
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said.
The girls joined Professor McGonagall, who was accompanied by Ron and Harry.
"Professor–" Hermione began.
"Please wait until we've got everyone together, Ms. Granger," Professor McGonagall said.
The group walked up to the seventh floor, then straight to Professor Dumbledore's office, where they found the man himself, along with Draco and Professor Snape, waiting for them.
"I hear there was an incident this morning during class," Professor Dumbledore said. "As it involves two houses that are often at each other's throats, I've been asked to mediate." He tossed a coin in the air, catching it in his hand. "Mr. Malfoy, why don't you tell your end of the story first?"
"We were in class, and I was doing everything that man told us to do, and–"
"That man being Professor Hagrid?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"Yes," Draco replied. "I approached one of those creatures, just like I was told to do, then it attacked me out of nowhere! It knocked me to the ground and tried to kill me!"
"What a frightening tale," Professor Dumbledore said. "How did you escape?"
"What?"
"If it tried to kill you, why aren't you dead?" Professor McGonagall elaborated.
Draco paused. He didn't actually know the answer to that.
"Ms. Perks, why don't you tell us?" Professor Dumbledore asked. "What happened after Mr. Malfoy was so wrongly attacked by Buckbeak?"
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances. They had both picked up on it, even if the others hadn't. If Professor Dumbledore knew the name of the Hippogriff that attacked Malfoy, then he must've been told by someone else.
Hermione mouthed the words "Hagrid told him" to Harry.
"Ron summoned him, and I threw a shield up to stop Buckbeak from hurting him," Sally-Anne said. "Then after Buckbeak charged, I threw up another shield, and when that failed, Hermione turned the ground to quicksand to stop him."
"Sa harna?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Yes, Professor," Hermione said.
If you were any other student, Granger, I'd wonder why you know that spell, Minerva thought.
"After Hermione stopped the sand, Rose talked to Buckbeak and calmed him down," Sally-Anne finished.
"That seems like a lot of trouble to go through to help someone that doesn't like you," Professor Snape said.
"It doesn't matter," Sally-Anne said. "A person's a person."
"That's a very mature perspective, Ms. Perks," Professor Dumbledore said. "I see no incident here. Professor Hagrid already informed me that Mr. Malfoy was deducted points for his actions. In his professional opinion, the boy didn't handle Buckbeak properly, and as a result, was nearly killed."
"But–" Draco began, but was silenced by glares from Professors McGonagall and Snape.
"I'm sure the Ministry will agree with me on this," Professor Dumbledore continued. "Professor Hagrid has been proven capable of handling dangerous creatures, and was certified by the Ministry in this regard over the summer. Now, I think we can all use some lunch. I, for one, am rather hungry, and I hear there's custard for dessert."
As everyone shuffled out of his office, Albus asked, "Ms. Peta-Lorrum, would you mind staying for just a moment?"
Rose stopped walking and turned around. After everyone else had left, the Headmaster addressed her.
"First, thank you for the idea to have Professor Hagrid's record expunged."
"What?"
"Your story about your brother being imprisoned got me to thinking about Professor Hagrid. With the Basilisk coming to light, I told the Ministry that it must've been controlled by Parseltongue, and, as Professor Hagrid is a half-giant, there's no way he'd be given the gift. Therefore, his arrest was stricken from the record, the case was sealed, and his freedom was restored."
"And my story did that how?"
"Your brother must've had his record expunged before taking over Episti, correct?"
"Not really," Rose said. "There wasn't time."
"And yet they allowed a convicted criminal to take over?"
"They don't care," Rose replied.
"Nevertheless, thank you," Professor Dumbledore said.
"Sure."
"One more question: Why didn't you stop the incident today entirely?"
"I wanted to see Butterhead get what he deserved," Rose said.
"Ms. Peta-Lorrum, I have always said that you wouldn't harm a student, something you've promised me wouldn't happen."
"I didn't hurt him," Rose said. "I just didn't stop harm from coming to him."
"Rose–"
"I listened to you," Rose said. "I followed all of your rules, but then you put my friends directly in harm's way. I trusted you, Professor; I still trust you. I'm sure you're working on a plan to get all this sorted out, but until then, your students… my friends are suffering. If you're half the headmaster I think you are, you'd already have this sorted."
Without waiting for a reply, Rose turned around and left Professor Dumbledore's office.
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