Born From Madness (Harry Potter Fanfic)

78

"Hippogriffs! Aren't they beautiful?" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. The Hippogriffs galloped like a dozen horses towards the fence, squeaking and screeching like birds. Their beady eyes were looking at them. Hermione could feel some of them took longer glances at her before shifting their focus onto someone else. 

"So, if you want to come a bit nearer--" Hagrid said rubbing his hand together in excitement, but no one else seemed to want to. Harry, Ron and Hermione, however, approached the fence. Hermione was too determined to understand this gift she had with animals and she was going to learn it no matter what. 

"Now first thing you gotta know about hippogriffs is, they are proud. Easily offended they are. Don't ever insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing you do." 

Malfoy and his goons weren't listening and were talking to each other without any regard of paying attention. Hermione had a bad feeling about it as she listened to Hagrid giving the instructions of how to walk up to a Hippogriff, properly. 

"Right-- who wants to go first?" Hagrid suddenly asked. The whole class seemed to make their way backwards trying to avoid being chosen. Hermione gulped as she saw Hagrid's face had a pleading look in it. 

"I'll do it." she and Harry said in while she and he began climbed over the paddock fence. 

"Well done, Harry and Hermione. Harry you get on with Buckbeak and Hermione you can go with Stardust." Hagrid while bringing two hippogriffs, one gray and the other a chestnut, in front of them. Hermione held her breath as they kept their distance with the hippogriffs. Buckbeak and Stardust kept their eyes glued on the two of them, gazing them up and down in a sort of inspecting manner. 

"Now  bow your heads," Hagrid told them. Hermione slowly lowered herself as much as possible like Harry while she kept watch at Stardust. Buckbeak didn't move but Stardust took a few steps forwards towards Hermione that she felt she needed to back up until to her surprise Stardust bent a front knee and sank into an unmistakable bow. After a minute Buckbeak did the same thing to Harry. 

"Well done you two," Hagrid cheered, "Right-- you two can touch them now! Pat their beaks, go on." 

Even though Hermione really wanted to back away, she slowly walking forward and reached out towards it along with Harry. They patted their beaks several times before the hippogriffs closed their eyes lazily like they were enjoying it. Stardust even brushed its head against Hermione's forehead. 

"Right then... I reck they'll let you ride them now," 

"What?" Harry asked while Hagrid picked him up and set him on Buckbeak before helping Hermione onto Stardust's back. 

"Hold on now-- and don't pull any of their feathers out, they won't like that..." Hagrid warned them before hitting the hippogriffs' hindquarters. Without warning the two hippogriffs flapped their wings opened before making a run for it then shooting up into the sky. Hermione clung to Stardust's neck as she watched as they soared around Hogwarts' ground. They soon were flying over the Black Lake where Harry spread his arms out and shrieked with excitement. They soon went back soaring upwards then found themselves going back into the paddock. 

Just as Hermione and Harry climbed down from their Hippogriffs, the entire class proceeded to make their way towards the paddock while Hagrid began to untie the rest of the hippogriffs. Harry and Hermione stood back and watched as everyone dealt with their hippogriffs. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle took over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful. 

"I bet your'e not dangerous at all, are you, you great ugly brute?" Malfoy blurted out. It happened so fast. One moment Malfoy was standing then the next he was flung to the ground, clinging his arm as Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak away from Malfoy. Hermione scurried over to the scene. 

"I'm dying! I'm dying--" Malfoy whined as the whole class was panicking. 

"Oh shut up, Malfoy! You are not! You just got a bloody scratch! Get up and stop being a baby for once in your worthless little life!" Hermione shouted at him as she proceeded to move towards Hagrid to see if she could help. 

"Hermione! Get back before you're hurt!" Hagrid pleaded with her. Hermione ignored him as she kept her focus on the upset Buckbeak. 

"Easy Buckbeak, easy boy!" Hermione in a soothing voice, her arms outstretch in front of her. Buckbeak soon began easing up as it stood calmly, staring down at her, its head turning here and there. Once Buckbeak was settled, Hagrid turned to lift Malfoy off the ground and rushed out of there towards the castle. The class proceeded after him as the Slytherin were shouting about Hagrid. 

"They should fire him straight away!" Pansy Parkinson blurted out, angrily. 

"It was Malfoy's fault!" snapped Dean Thomas while they climbed the stone steps to the entrance hall. 

"I'm going to see if he's okay," Pansy said in a prissy dramatic voice. 

"Oh for crying out loud! He's a big baby, Pansy, whining over nothing! He's fine! It was just a scratch!" Hermione shouted as Pansy shot up the stairs. She was feeling fury running through her blood streams when it became ice cold when the whispering voice came back:

"Say it... Hermione... Say the words... say it and you will be free... Say it..." 

"What?" she blurted out. 

"What?" Harry asked. 

"Didn't you two hear that?" 

"Oh no! Please, oh pretty please! I'm begging you! Don't tell me you're hearing another basilisk again!" Ron pleaded to them. 

"Ron, if it's a basilisk, I would hear the voice. But I'm not." Harry pointed out, which caused Ron's eyes to widen. 

"Wait... if it's not a snake, than what could Hermione be hearing?" Ron asked, confused. And Hermione wondered what it could be as well while they hurried down to the Great Hall to their feast.