***

After the exciting Defense Against the Dark Arts class, all that anyone could talk about was their new lesson, everyone boasting about how they had managed to face their worst fears, telling all about it to anyone who would listen.

Even during Charms, which usually consisted practical lessons and all the students enjoyed it, they were still too unfocused to listen to Professor Flitwick. It couldn't possibly live up to the Boggart.

     Although their second class of the day, right before Charms and after Defense Against the Dark Arts, managed to grab their interest once again and get the Boggart out of their heads for the time being. They had their first lesson of Care of Magical Creatures with Professor Kettleburn.

Professor Kettleburn was a middle-aged man with silver hair and a weirdly huge mustache over his thin lips. He was missing a hand, having an artificial one instead of it. Each time he returned from one of his journeys, he broke at least one part of his body or burnt half his face off.

      "Gather 'round, everyone!" He called out once the students showed up by the edge of the dark forest where he awaited them, near Hagrid's old hut. "Is that everyone? I've got a scar over my left eyes, but I'm pretty sure four boys are running toward us."

    Jenna turned around to look behind her just like everyone else, and sure enough, she saw James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, running down the green hills in the distant. They finally caught up with the rest of the class after a minute, completely out of breath. They always seemed to be late, but this time it seemed like something had actually happened.

     "Well, if that's everyone, better get going!" said Professor Kettleburn in a cheerful tone, walking off into the forest.

     The students shared worried looks, but followed him through the woods either way.

     "Isn't the forest supposed to be forbidden?" Lily whispered to Jenna, but she was barely listening. She could tell that something was wrong with James.

    She kept looking over at her brother's direction and his friends. Sirius looked to be in an extremely foul mood, Peter was pale and shaky, and James was deep in thoughts as though trying to come up with a plan.

     "I'll be right back," Jenna mumbled distractedly, before leaving her friends' side and walking toward James.

     "Where have you lot been?" Jenna whispered to James as soon as she reached him, walking side-by-side now.

     "We ran into Snivellus right after the Defense class," James grumbled, his eyebrows furrowed over his lopsided glasses. "Peter had gone to use the loo. When he took too long we went after him in the boys' bathroom to see what was wrong, but saw that Snape and Avery were using a jinx on him, dangling him in mid-air."

     "Can we not talk about that anymore?" Peter mumbled, going red in the face at the mere thought of the memory.

      "What happened then?" Jenna asked worriedly, not sure if she wanted the answer.

     "What do you think?" James scoffed. "We jinxed Avery and Snape to the point that they fell to the bathroom floor and dropped Peter. But Peeves then showed up out of nowhere and started yelling 'murder'. Professor McGonagall showed up and gave us all detention and sent those two idiots to hospital wing."

     "Please tell me they got detention too."

     "Of course they did."

     "Well, we're not just going to let them get away with this with just a detention," Sirius finally spoke, still looking furious. "We have to find a way to get back at those two brainless gits."

     "Don't you think that — that maybe its enough?" Remus put in unsurely. "You made it even by jinxing them afterward. If we do anything else now, then they'll try to get revenge. Then we'll have to get revenge again. And it goes on and on in a circle."

     "No. Absolutely not." Sirius shook his head firmly. "We have to teach them a good lesson for messing with one of us."

     "Exactly." James nodded with determination, before looking at Peter. "Anyway, what jinx did they use? Was it the Levitation Charm?"

     "What was the Levitation Charm again?" Peter questioned, looking confused.

      "We learnt it in our first year, Pete," said Remus softly. "Its incantation is Wingardium Leviosa."

     "No, that wasn't it." Peter scratched his head thoughtfully. "It was something in the lines of Levicorpse... Levicorups... something like that."

     "We'll have to find out what it is, so we can give Snivelly a taste of his own medicine," said Sirius with a sly grin, and James nodded eagerly in agreement.

     Jenna rolled her eyes at him before walking back to her own friends, still following Professor Kettleburn deeper into the forest.

     "Thank Merlin it's daylight," said Marlene, looking around her for any sign of danger. There were all sorts of rumors about the dark creatures that roamed these woods, but there was no sign of them now to the students' relief.

     "Here we are!" Professor Kettleburn called out loudly, coming to a stop.

     "What are we supposed to be looking at?" Jenna whispered to Lily.

      She wasn't the only one who looked confused, because every other student was gazing around as well, wondering what creature they were going to learn about today.

     "Maybe it's a Demiguise? They have the ability to turn themselves invisible," Alice whispered to them, looking curious just like everybody else.

     "Who knows what we're looking at here?" Professor Kettleburn asked, looking around at the confused students.

      "A Demiguise?" Alice spoke up. This was her first time to answer a question outside of the Herbology class, usually being too shy to speak.

     "No, but good guess," said Professor Kettleburn with a crooked smile. "What else?"

     "Thestrals?" a Slytherin boy answered.

"Another good guess, but still no," said the professor. "You're naming invisible creatures, but the creature that is now before you is not invisible at all."

"He's not talking about himself, is he?" Marlene whispered to Jenna, making her snort with laughter.

"No one?" Professor Kettleburn smiled. "Well, then why don't you walk closer toward the tree behind me, and take a better look, this time more carefully."

Hesitant at first, the students one by one took cautious steps toward the large Wiggentree tree behind him. Jenna took a closer look, and she almost let out a gasp when she realized that what she had thought were the tree's leaves, were actually tiny green creatures, dangling from the branches.

"These creatures are called Bowtruckles," Professor Kettleburn started to explain as everyone's eyes watched the little creatures in awe. "Mr. Lupin, could you please open your book to chapter two and read the first paragraph."

"How does he know Remus?" Lily asked her friends quietly, but they all shrugged.

Remus opened his book as asked and started reading through, "The Bowtruckle, which eats insects, is a peaceable and intensely shy creature but if the tree in which it lives is threatened, it has been known to leap down upon the woodcutter or tree-surgeon attempting to harm its home and gouge at their eyes with its long, sharp fingers. An offering of woodlice will placate the Bowtruckle long enough to let a witch or wizard remove wand-wood from its tree."

"Thank you, Mr. Lupin," Professor Kettleburn stopped him, walking closer toward the tree and raising his hand to gently pick up one of the creatures in exchange for a woodlice. "The Bowtruckles are very human-like creatures when it comes to their emotions. Often very sensitive and defensive. Usually living in groups. Very good at picking locks, because of the structure of their sharp hands. Now, come forth! Come on! Closer, don't be scared!"

     They all did as they were asked.

      "Now, using your wand and a simple Levitation Charm, take one of the woodlice I have gathered in this box for you and offer it to the Bowtruckle as a peace-offering. Then you may raise your hand underneath them, and if they find you trusting, they will sit on your palm. Really depends on their personality, so beware of the cranky ones."

With an excited chatter going all through the class, the students walked up toward the woodlice box underneath the tree and got to work.

     Professor Kettleburn had underestimated how moody and untrusting the Bowtruckle actually were. Some of them even stuck their tongues out rudely at the students before running away to another branch for more woodlice.

"Oh, look!" Alice gasped as one of the Bowtruckles hesitantly hopped down on her hand, sitting down on her palm as he looked up at her curiously. "I'll name you... Woody!"

"Alice, you can't just name him," said Lily. "You'll get attached."

But Alice only giggled. "Looks like he likes his new name, though."

"Looks like he likes you," said Jenna with a chuckle, looking at how the Bowtruckle was playing with Alice's fingers with his tiny green hands.