Born From Madness (Harry Potter Fanfic)

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A/n: This chapter contains some graphic things. You have been warned. 

The three of them were nervous as they travelled through to Hagrid's hut. They weren't sure what he had planned, but feared it would be something Umbridge wouldn't approve of. They were at the edge of the forest where Hagrid was. He had thrown a dead cow at the edge of the forest. 

"Gather round, gather round." Hagrid called out, "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell of the meat but I'm going to give them a call anyway, cause the'll like to know its me..." 

He turned to face the forest before making an odd shrieking cry, which echoed throughout the trees. No one laughed; and most of them looked too scared to make a sound. Hagrid made another cry. A minute or two had passed when a pair of blank, white shimmering eyes locked onto Hermione. Soon a skeletal body of a great, black winged horse emerged and galloped over to the meat and began to feast. 

Most of the class were looking confused exact for Neville, Harry, Jordan, and a stringy Slytherin boy standing behind Goyle. 

"Oh, and here comes another!" Hagrid said, pointing over to another horse walking out from the forest, "Now.. put your hands up, who can see them?" 

Hermione, Harry, Jordan, Neville and the Slytherin boy shot their hands up. 

"Excuse me?" Malfoy cut in, "But what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?" 

"Thestrals," Hagrid explained to them, "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of them in here. Now who knows--" 

"But they're really, really unlucky!" Parvati interrupted. 

"That's straight up bullshit." Jordan shot at her, "a whole herd of thestrals live in the woods outside my house, and nothing bad  has happened to us because of them. It's purely superstition." 

"That's correct, Jordan. Ten points for Slytherin. But-- er-- please watch your language, next time." Hagrid advised her before moving on, "this lot is used to pull the school carriages unless Dumbledore's taking a long journey and doesn't want to apparate-- oh! Here's another pair." 

Hermione watched as the pair walked over towards her. One lightly brushed itself against Hermione's shoulder as it sniffed at her clothes. 

"Right, now who can tell me why some of you can see them and the rest of you can't?" Hagrid asked. Hermione raised her hand, "Yes, Hermione." 

"The only people who can see thestrals are people who have seen... death." 

"That's exactly right, ten pointed to Gryffindor. Now, thestrals--" 

"Hem, hem." 

Hermione turned to find Umbridge walked down towards them. 

"You received the note I send to your cabin this morning?" Umbridge said, using that loud, slow voice she used earlier with Hagrid, "Telling you I would be inspecting your lesson?" 

"Oh yeah," Hagrid said, brightly, "Glad you found the place all right. Well, as you can see-- or, I dunno-- can you see? We're doing thestrals today--" 

"I'm sorry?" Umbridge asked, "what did you say?" 

"THESTRALS!" Jordan suddenly blurted out as loudly as she could, causing almost everyone to burst out laughing, "Big, winged, bony black horses!" 

Umbridge shot Jordan a dirty look as she scribbled something down, probably a detention or something. 

"Thank you, Jordan. Erm-- what was I saying," Hagrid asked while Umbridge wrote something down about Hagrid having short term memory, "Oh yeah, I was gonna tell you how come we got a herd. So we started off with his male right here, Tenebrus, he's a special favorite of mine--"