The Riddle Twins

Chapter 14

The days passed by and everyday the young Slytherins would go train in the Room of Requirement. Professor Umbridge continued her inspections, though it was getting quite annoying hearing her clear her throat every class. They had their next Magical Creatures class as to their surprise it was Hagrid who was going to teach the class. Hagrid's hair was matted with congealed blood, and his left eye hadbeen reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple-and-black bruises.There were many cuts on his face and hands, some of them still bleeding, and he was moving gingerly, which made Ares suspect broken ribs. Hagrid looked like he had been to hell and back. Ares and Athena looked at each other and then realized that they hadn't spoken to Hagrid all year, but wondered if he knew the truth about Dumbledore. They looked back at Hagrid and saw that his face wet with tears and it looked like he had been crying, probably because Dumbledore told him that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were dead. They saw Hagrid wipe his tears and put on a cheery expression but it looked like he was in pain. They also saw him carrying what looked like half a dead cow over his shoulder.

Draco too had noticed this and asked, "What do you think happened to Hagrid?" Ares and Athena had told Draco about all the good things Hagrid had done to them and Draco was glad that someone had treated them right, but again they all wondered if Hagrid really did know about what Dumbledore did. 

"We're not sure, but looking at the cuts on his face it looks like he had a bad fight with some creature of some sort." Athena said, worried. 

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

"What prefers the dark?" They heard Ron say sharply to Seamus and Dean, a trace of panic in his voice. "What did he sayprefers the dark — did you hear?" 

Ares remembered the time he entered the forest during his first year, when he had a close encounter with his father, whom he didn't know was his father at that time. Ares and Athena had thought about this over the year, since their father had come back they wanted to try contacting him as well as telling Professor Snape who they really were. 

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

Ares saw Ron mutter to Seamus "Lets hope its not like the Hippogriff" 

He turned and strode straight into the forest. Nobody seemedmuch disposed to follow. Ares glanced at Draco and Athena, whosighed but nodded, and the three of them set off after Hagrid, leadingthe rest of the class.  Ron looked very reluctant to go, which proved he was quite the coward when he didn't have Harry and Hermione.

They walked for about ten minutes until they reached a placewhere the trees stood so closely together that it was as dark as twilightand there was no snow on the ground at all. Hagrid deposited his halfa cow with a grunt on the ground, stepped back, and turned to facehis class again, most of whom were creeping toward him from tree totree, peering around nervously as though expecting to be set upon atany 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 likethe call of some monstrous bird. Nobody laughed; most of themlooked too scared to make a sound. 

Hagrid gave the shrieking cry again. A minute passed in which theclass continued to peer nervously over their shoulders and aroundtrees for a first glimpse of whatever it was that was coming. Draco nudged Ares and then pointed at the space between two yew trees.