Safe with You- Sondam Hogwarts AU

Chapter 3

HOLY DAMN ITS BEEN A LONG ASS TIME KDHDKDHJDDH
I'm preeetttttyyyy sure no one is reading this, but if you are,, uh. Sorry. I'm too unmotivated and insecure to post anything 😛😛 that's why my other fic hasn't been updated in forever either kdhdkdhdjd
See, I kinda just write the chapters and then leave them in my drafts and just??? Don't post them??? (This chapter and chapter 4 have been collecting dust for quite a while lol)
I always tell myself I'm gonna come back to them and make them better but uh. Yeah I don't know how 🧍‍♀️
Please literally don't even take this seriously anymore I've given up I don't care
Anyways after many months here ya go

          Gundham rambled about some of his favorite animals that he'd learned about in that class, and the experiences he'd had with it as he lead us out of the back of the castle and down a hill past a greenhouse, to a small cottage in a little meadow at the edge of the forest. The cottage was covered in vines and moss, and its bricks were chipped and its wood old and dirty, and the windows had thick layers of dirt over them. Despite its rundown look, the chimney was emitting a pleasant trail of smoke and there was a beautiful, flourishing garden just next to the cottage.
Gundham pointed at a large black dog that was sitting on the front steps to the cottage. "That's Fang, Hagrid's companion. He's a very powerful and mighty beast, but has a kind heart."
"Aw, he's cute! Is he just a normal dog, or magical?"
"Just a normal dog, but powerful nonetheless. He also gets along well with the Devas. They would make an exceptional team in battle." He said, smiling proudly at Fang.
"Wow!!"
          The rest of our classmates came down to the meadow in about 2 minutes, a lot of them also looking eager to meet a new animal. Gundham was pointing out multiple bird nests in the trees to me, and talking about some crazy experiences he had had with them, when a very tall man with long, curly brown hair and a scruffy beard came out of the cottage holding what looked like a blue cat.
"Good afternoon, everyone, welcome back ter Care of Magical Creatures! My name's Hagrid, as most of ya know! Yer probably wonderin' what I've got here," the tall man said, gesturing to the animal in his arms, "this right here is a kneazle! Now, can anyone tell me a bit about this lil' guy?" Gundham raised his hand. "Tanaka?"
"The kneazle is a magical beast that is closely related to, and resembles, a cat. They are very intelligent creatures, with an uncanny ability to detect distrustful people. They can also guide their owners home. They are wonderful companions to wizards." He said. It was clear that Gundham had incredible knowledge and love when it came to animals, and I found that quite sweet. He was so tough, yet had such a soft spot for animals. And it was fun listening to him info-dump about them, I had already learned so much from him!
          I raised my hand and spoke when Hagrid pointed to me. I also knew a bit about kneazles. "They are also independent and capable of guarding homes, and can sometimes be aggressive. They are native to Britain and have various different breeds."
"Very, good, both of ya!" Hagrid said. Gundham looked at me excitedly.
          "I'm impressed, you know quite a bit!" He said.
"Thank you, I read a lot in my free time."
          Hagrid walked down the front steps of the cottage and stood in front of the class, us forming a sort of 3/4-circle around him.
          "Class is real easy today, I'll just let this lil' guy roam around, and you lot can pet him! How's that sound?" He said. The class nodded and agreed, and Hagrid set down the kneazle. It closely resembled a cat- the differences being that it was larger and had very big ears, a poofy tail, and dark spots in its silvery blue fur. It walked around the circle of students, nuzzling its head against some of their ankles and hands. It eventually got to Gundham, who knelt down and stroked its back, and it gave his hand a friendly lick. (AN: I know how weird that sounded, shut up we've already established I can't write)
          "Here Sonia, pet it! It's very soft." He said, gesturing for me to kneel down next to him. I was just about to oblige when a pink haired Hufflepuff boy in a black beanie came skidding in front of me, blocking me from the kneazle and Gundham.
          "Stay back, beautiful, I'll protect you!! There's no knowing what that thing will try and do!!" He said, flailing his arms at his sides.
          "Um.. what? It's a kneazle. I will be fine. Do you want to pet it, or..?" I asked, very confused. Why was this random boy trying to 'protect' me from a cat?? And why did he address me as 'beautiful', that was... uh... strange.
          "Yeah, but can't they be aggressive sometimes?!"
          "I- it's ok. The worst that could happen is that it'll scratch someone, or something along those lines. And if something really does go wrong, Hagrid and Gundham are here, and they're very good with animals! So don't worry!"
          Gundham averted eye contact and covered his nose with his scarf, but still kept an eye on the Hufflepuff. The kneazle hissed at the boy and sat down grumpily in front of him, and he awkwardly sulked off. The class watched, equally as awkward. A few laughed.
          "Are you ok? He didn't make you uncomfortable, did he?" Gundham asked me.
          "Yes, I'm alright, thank you." I sat down in the grass and the kneazle came up and bumped its soft head against my hand. "Aw, hello!" I giggled and pet behind its ears, and watched as it walked over to the next person. "What a cute little thing!" I thought as I looked back over at Gundham. He was looking at me, a slight blush dusting his face. "Is something the matter?" I asked.
          "Wha- oh, heh- it's- it's nothing. I just.. see that you are a trustworthy person, seeing that the kneazle with its abilities trusted you. I already assumed you were trustworthy, of course, you're- you're very sweet- um- but uh- I- ugh-"
          "Aw, thank you! I trust you as well, but it is nice to have reassurance when you're netting someone new, huh?" I said.
          "Uh- mmhm." He covered almost his whole face now in his Gryffindor scarf, and I could've sworn I saw a small orange furry arm come out of it and give him a sympathetic pat on the cheek.
"Gosh, he's cute."