Sirius's son

Eye of the snake

Hagrid's reappearance at the staff table at breakfast the next day was not greeted by enthusiasm from all students. Some, like Fred, George, and Lee roared with delight and sprinted up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables to wring Hagrid's enormous hand; others, like Parvati and Lavender, exchanged gloomy looks and shook their heads. Rigel knew that many of them preferred Professor Grubbly-Plank's lesson since there was a zero chance that somebody might be covered in boils, lose their arms or even die in the process.

It was with a certain amount of apprehension that Harry, Eliza, Rigel, Ron, and Hermione headed down to Hagrid's on Tuesday. Rigel thought that if Umbridge was here, the Slytherins will most likely behave but another darker thought was that they might take the opportunity to complain about Hagrid.

However, the High Inquisitor (Or as Eliza nicknamed her 'the pink toad bitch) was nowhere to be seen as they struggled through the snow toward Hagrid. The bruises that had been purple on Saturday night were now tinged with green and yellow and some of his cuts still seemed to be bleeding. He was carrying what looked like half a dead cow over his shoulder. 

"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to the approaching students, jerking his head back at the dark trees behind him. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark. . . ."

"What prefers the dark?" Rigel heard Malfoy say sharply to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice. "What did he say prefers the dark — did you hear?"

"Probably a ferret," Eliza whispered which made Rigel crack a smile. 

"Ready?" said Hagrid happily, looking around at the class. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em —" 

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" said Malfoy, the panic in his voice even more pronounced now. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

The Slytherins murmured agreement and a few Gryffindors looked as though they thought Malfoy had a fair point too.

"Of course, they're trained," Rigel scowled. "If you listen to Hagrid's instructions, then nothing would happen."

"So what happened to your face, then?" Malfoy demanded Hagrid. 

"Mind yer own business!" said Hagrid, angrily. "Now if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!" 

He turned and strode straight into the forest. Nobody seemed much disposed to follow.

They walked for about ten minutes until they reached a place where the trees stood so close together that it was as dark as twilight and there was no snow on the ground at all. Hagrid deposited his half a cow with a grunt on the ground stepped back and turned to face his class again, most of whom were creeping toward him from tree to tree, peering around nervously as though expecting to be set upon at any moment.

"Gather roun', gather roun'," said Hagrid encouragingly. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'ema call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me. . . ."

He turned, shook his shaggy head to get the hair out of his face, and gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees like the call of some monstrous bird. Nobody laughed; most of them looked too scared to make a sound.

Hagrid gave the shrieking cry again. A minute passed in which the class continued to peer nervously over their shoulders and around trees for a first glimpse of whatever it was that was coming. And then, as Hagrid shook his hair back for the third time and expanded his enormous chest, Rigel nudged Eliza and pointed into the black space between two gnarled yew trees.