Breakfast the next morning was nothing special. We found out, not only is Uncle Lupin teaching, so is Hagrid! Can't wait! Anyway, the owls came, dropping off last minute supplies or giving the 'goodluck, have fun, behave and be safe' letter that every kid gets.

I ate breakfast in peaceful silence beside Nat and Harry. Well I tried to, but I kept getting this irritating feeling that someone was glaring at me. "So, Ginny. Ready for year two?" I said, trying to start a conversation. I just want that dang feeling to go away. I'm already worried enough, there was a breakout in Azkaban. Hence the dementors. But they won't tell us who it was that escaped. Anyway, Ginny spoke up, looking as eager as I was to start a conversation.

"Yeah. I think this might be my year. Then again, it's only my second. But it still has to be better than last year! What about you? Third year, quidditch, Hogsmeade, and of course you have the guy every girl here wants!" She teased, wiggling her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes while the other girls laughed.

"Yeah. I think it'll be a good year. I can't wait for quidditch. What about you Harry?"

"As long as I don't end up with out any bones in my arm like lat year," he muttered. I, on the other hand, choked on my pumpkin juice. No one told me about this!

"What?!" I yelled, glaring at Harry. Everyone jumped in shock. Good. I told them I want to know everything that happened last year!

"Oh, well um, Lockhart did it. The first match. We just didn't want you to worry!" He muttered, not looking at me. I ground my teeth, but didn't say anything. Lockhart is such a twit! I got lucky, I didn't have to put up with him like at all. The first few weeks of school I spent in the hospital wing, the day I was released, I get to see my dad, then I get to stay with him, learning my lessons at home and helping get the house ready. I came back just in time. If anything had happened to Ginny I think I would have killed myself.

"Bloody hell Hermione! How are you supposed to be in two places at once?" Ron exclaimed, bringing my attention to that end of the table. Mione snatched, her schedule, red in the face. I noticed something around her neck, something she never had before. Probably has to do with that, but I don't really care. I just hope she doesn't push herself to hard.

"Don't be ridiculous Ronald. You can't. Don't worry about my schedule. Worry about yours!" She snapped, standing up. "Anyone coming with me?"

"Yeah, I will!" Nat stood up, grabbing her bag. I did too, together, we walked out of the hall, side by side. "What's first?"

"Um Magical Creatures thingy with Hagrid!" I said, checking the schedule I'd stuffed in my bag.

"To the woods!" She pointed her finger skywards and took off running down the stone steps. I took off too giggling. Once I made it all the way down, Malfoy stuck his foot out, successfully tripping me.

"Malfoy!" I yelled, watching the chicken run away. I sent the bat bogey hex his way, hitting him in the back of the head. Score!

"Gracie! Are you okay?" Harry and Ron came running towards me, helping me up. I looked down at my newly ripped robes. Not to mention the grass stains.

"Crud!" I groaned, wiping off what I could of the dirt. They scrunched their nose, giving me confused looks.

"What?"

"You know, crud. Like monkey crud!"

"That's gross Gracelyn!"

"That's kind of the point. It's gross, and if you step in it, your totally screwed. My robes are ripped and stained and we still have class with Snape later, therefore I am screwed! Hence the word, crud!"

"You are so weird!" Ron sniggered, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I laughed with him, nodding my head. He isn't wrong! When we got to class, Hagrid was standing near the edge of the forest.

"Alrigh', open your books to pa-"

Malfoy cut Hagrid off. "Open it? How are we supposed to open it?! The bloody thing would eat me!" Git. I don't think it's possible to hate someone more than I hate him!

"Well you stroke the spine o' course!" Hagrid chuckled, looking at each of us. I did as he said, listening to my book make a soft purring noise. Aw! It's kind of cute! Like a baby, it's all cute and stuff, unless you make it mad! They just want to be loved. I get it! It's a magical creature in its own place. If that is why Hagrid picked them out, well, I didn't know he could be that deep.

Or I just came up with that on the spot and Hagrid just picked a book.

"I'll be righ' back!" He smiled, walking into the woods. Mione and I worked on helping Neville opened his book, but Malfoy was messing with Harry. So I turned around to butt in. As usual.

When I turned around, Malfoy acted like there was a dementor. His face took on a look of shock and he pointed behind Harry. "D-dementor dementor!" All of Gryffindor spun around but me. They put they're goods up so that when Harry turned back around, there was a chorus of, "oooooossss!"

Harry pulled back his fist, like he was going to punch Draco. I know I wanted to. Ron held him back though. He couldn't hold back Natalyn. She lunged for Malfoy, clipping his jaw with her fist. Today isn't his day!

"Natalyn! I don't want to have to give you a detention!" He warned, narrowing his eyes. She nodded, standing up and brushing off her robes. He nodded in response, but a smile soon appeared on his face. "Alrigh'. Does anyone know what a Hippogriff is?" Uhhh nooooo. "Okay then!" He clapped his hands together nervously. "E'ryone meet, Buckbeak!" Out came a bird horse thingy. It was kind of cute. And scary.

Mione raised her hand. "Hagrid, what is it?"

"Well it's a hippogriff, o' course! Hippogriffs are very proud creatures. You never want to insult a hippogriff, because if you do, well, we'll get to that later! So, who wants to meet him?" Everyone, including me and Nat, took a step back. Except Harry. "Good man Harry! Come on!" Harry paled.

"Harry!" I hissed, stepping forward to grab his arm. "You don't have to! I'll do it!"

"Are you insane? I'll do it! Your not getting hurt!" He whispered, turning around to look at me.

"I'll be fine!"

"And Gracie! Well I suppose there's room for both of yeah!" Hagrid beamed at the two of us. "Alrigh'y, step forward. Come on now, that it!" We exchanged a look, taking each others hand. No chickening out now Gracelyn Paige! "Now bow. That's it! Nice and low!"

We bowed, still holding hands. The bird thing stared at us, but he bowed. Hagrid clapped, along with everyone else. I smiled, glad that I had done it. We got to pet him. He was actually more cute than scary! "I think he may let you ride him now!"

"What?" Harry and I spun around, staring at Hagrid. Ride him?!

"It's alrigh'! Hop on!" He picked Harry up like you would a three year old, and of course I was pulled with him seeing as instead of letting go, he tightened his grip on my hand. "Get ou' o' here now!" He slapped Buckbeak on the rump, the bird/horse reared on its hind legs, then took off, jumping in the air and spreading a set of huge wings. Harry clung to his neck, and I clung to Harry.

After a minute, I got kind of brave. I let go and sat up straight, looking around. We were really high, and the castle looked beautiful. "This is brilliant!" I yelled, letting my voice travel across the grounds. This is so cool! Harry laughed, sitting up in front of me.

He looked out over the grounds, spreading his arms like he had wings of his own. "WAHOO!" He yelled, the wind whipped my hair back, making me giggle. I placed my arms put like Harry did, letting the peace surround me. Harry looked over his shoulder, peaking at me. I watched a smile grow on his face, but I didn't ask why. It's obvious, this is so much fun!

'Or maybe he's smiling because of you ya twit!'

Where did that voice come from? It's sarcastic. And sounds like me when I'm angry. Oh no. It's a conscious! I've heard of those! Fred and George said they'd fired theirs, and I'm not really sure if they were kidding or not. Why am I talking to myself? Why would he be smiling at me?

'Maybe because your his girlfriend and your not exactly ugly you dunderhead!'

Hurtful! Whatever. I hugged Harry's back, smiling at him. The water splashed against my legs while Buckbeak's feet skimmed the water surface.

"Having fun?" He laughed, placing a hand over mine. I nodded, not really wanting to say anything. We landed a few minutes later, Hagrid and the class clapped loudly, but Natalyn sent me a wink instead. We dismounted, though I didn't really want to.

"Well done guys! Well done! Who else wants to try?" Draco pushed his way through the crowd.

"Yes. See? Not dangerous at all! You great ugly brute!" Uh oh.... Buckbeak reared up again, but this time he slashed Draco across the arm, knocking him onto his backside. The Slytherins screamed bloody murder, especially Pansy.

"Buckbeak! Buckbeak!" Hagrid pulled out a ferret, throwing it side ways. "Away with ya, ya silly creature!" He looked at Malfoy in a panic.

"Hagrid! You have to take him to the hospital! You're the teacher!" Mione shrieked, running forward. You could tell she's scared, her voice shot up at least three octaves.

Hagrid picked Malfoy up quickly. "Oh! I'm dying! They'll have to chop it!" Malfoy whined, clutching his arm.

"Dramatic!" I sang, rocking back and forth on my heels. The Gryffindor's found it funny anyway.

"My father'll here about this! Just wait! I'll get you and your bloody chicken!"

"Oh quit whining Malfoy! Madam Pomfrey will have you fixed in minutes!" Natalyn snapped, glaring at him. Dang. How many people can Malfoy tick off?

"Class dismissed!" Hagrid bellowed, walking back towards the castle. Well, there's the start of my oh so brilliant day!

*******************************************

The end didn't go so well either. Hermione scared the crap out of me every time we entered a class, popping up out of no where. Transfiguration wasn't bad. Neither was a history of magic. Potions was as awful to be expected, but Snape wasn't so hard on me. He did deck ten points from Harry though. For being late. Even though I was with him. That made me mad. But anyway.

Professor Trelawney's class was weird! The first lesson and she expected us to be able to read tea leaves! But eh. I don't think Mione likes this class much. When we looked into each others cups, everyone got something different, and Ron does NOT have the 'seeing eye'.

I got a happy sign when Nat read it. I prefer that one. Trelawney predicted loss and sadness. Not going to lie, that really freaked me out when Harry got the grim. I couldn't help but to think about loosing him. When he caught my eye, I knew he was thinking the same thing.

Lupin's class was by far the worst! We got to work on boggarts! It was really fun. At first. I wasn't sure what mine was going to turn into though. There's only three things I can think of that scare me, storms, loosing my friends and family, and Voldemort returning. I'm not scared of him, just the things he could do. He could make my second fear come true.

This may have been the worst day I've ever had. Even worse than when I was taken into the chamber.

Do you want to know what happens? Eh, I'll tell you anyway!

*******************************************

I was sitting beside Harry, laughing and giggling, putting my book on the desk. Everyone was doing pretty much the same thing. It was normal. Ron screamed from across the room, just like this morning. "Bloody hell Hermione! Where'd you come from?"

Lupin walked in. "You won't need your books!" Everyone cheered, smiling at him. My uncle, a favorite teacher! Dad will find this hilarious! "Alright class! Who can tell me what a boggart is?" Nat and I exchanged a smirk, while Harry glared at the two of us. "Natalyn, Gracelyn, I assume you know?" We nodded.

"A boggart is a creature that takes the form of whatever the person in front of it fears the most!" We chorused, giggling. He nodded, giving us a small smile.

"Good. Now who can tell us what a boggart looks like?"

"No one knows sir!" Dean answered, staring at the wardrobe in front of us.

"Very good. Twenty points for Gryffindor!" We all 'yessed' quietly. Sadly, this was another class with the Slytherins, and of course they had to act like prats about it.

So he told us how to get rid of them yada yada. You want to get to the fun part, right? Well here we go. Neville's boggart turned into Snape, who Neville turned into Mrs. Snape. He put the professor in his grandmother's clothes. It was priceless!

Ron made a giant spider wear roller skates. Mione turned a failed test into a paper airplane, Natalyn turned a ghost into a sheet. (Didn't know she was scared of ghosts!!!) Harry had a little more trouble, his shifted. A dementor, then me, the same image from that morning at Grimmauld Place. But he waited, and when it was a dementor, he and Uncle Lupin got rid of it together.

Here's where it was my turn. Let me tell you, I was extremely embarrassed. I couldn't even get rid of it! It was horrible! I ran. I'll tell you where to later. Okay. Here goes nothing.

My boggart, was all my worst fears put together. It was a sort of scene, like you'd see in a horror movie. The kind that gives you nightmares. There was a storm, and Voldemort stood there, over all the people I loved. Who were laying dead, eyes still open. Lilly and James were there too, breaking my heart farther. Why did this have to be my fear?

The tears pricked my eyes while I froze. I couldn't do it. Everyone stopped talking. It was like they weren't even breathing. They all stared as Voldemort laughed mercilessly. After a minute, Uncle Lupin jumped in front of me, getting rid of the boggart. It's all my fault no one else got a turn, it's all my fault the whole room looked deathly afraid. It's my own fault I'm being stared at.

Everyone in the room was staring at me. Everyone one. I started breathing heavy, and backing away, towards the exit. Uncle Lupin stepped forward. "Gracie?" I shook my head, hanging it low, letting the tears drip. I spun on my heel and ran out of the room.

Remember how I told you where I ran later? Here it is! The shrieking shack. I know all the stories about Dad and James and the rat coming here to help Uncle Lupin through his transformation. I know where the tunnel was, so the first thing that came to mind was to head to it. I left the castle, tears streaming down my cheeks.

Once I was safely inside, I shifted into my wolf, running up to the top floor of the shack. I sat there howling in pain. I howled for hours I think. Not sure. But it felt like it.

Let me tell you this. Never say, 'how can it get any worse?'.

I did. And the next thing you know, footsteps on the stairs. Busted! I shifted back, hopped on the bed, and let the tears roll, waiting for my punishment.