Annabeth Chase the Triwizard Champion

Chapter Eighteen

December hit with a bang, bringing sharp winds and frosty grass and cold air. Every window in the castle was shut, and torches that burned but gave off no smoke had been lit in every hallway and classroom, though it didn't really help with the drafts. The Slytherin Common room was especially cold, and everyone gravitated towards the lit fireplace after curfew.

In Care of Magical Creatures, which was always outside and pretty close to the paddock where Beuxbaton's horses were kept, the fumes from the horse's whiskey wafted over the class, making everyone light headed.

"I'm not sure whether they hibernate or not," Hagrid said as everyone shivered. "Thought we'd just try an' see if they fancy a kip... we'll just settle them down in these boxes." Hagrid pointed to a bunch of big boxes at his feet, all lined with pillows and blankets.

The Skrewts had seemed to have found their preferred food— each other. There were only ten left, and they were each six feet long, four feet tall, and growing. Their thick armor had come in, their stingers and suckers dripped with either slime or venom, and their long scuttling legs stabbed into the dirt whenever they walked.

"We'll just lead them in here," Hagrid said, pointing to the boxes, "and put the lids on, and we'll see what happens."

Turns out the skrewts didn't hibernate. They also didn't take kindly to being shoved and nailed into pillow lined boxes by teenagers who would much rather be inside. Pretty soon, Hagrid was yelling to stay calm while the skrewts scuttled around the pumpkin patch that was now strewn with flaming crates.

Most of the class had fled into Hagrid's cabin, Vera and Freddie included, and was now watching through the windows as Annabeth, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lavender, Dean, and Seamus tried to help Hagrid round up the scorpions.

After some teamwork and a few traps, nine of the ten skrewts had been rounded up.

"Don't frighten him, now!" Hagrid shouted at Ron and Harry, who were using their wands to shoot sparks at the advancing skrewt. Their backs were to the wall of Hagrid's cabin, and the skrewt's stinger was up and arched over its back. "Just try and slip the rope around his sting, so he won' hurt any o' the others!"

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that!" Ron yelled, pointing his wand at the skrewt, which in turn hissed and advanced faster.

Annabeth did some quick calculations, factored in the angle of the stinger, and made her move. She dove, grabbing the stinger and forcing it to the side, and locked her arms around the skrewt's middle. The skrewt shrieked, let out a blast from its end that threw it forward a few feet, and started to buck. The stinger thrashed wildly from its place pinned under Annabeth's arm. Luckily, Annabeth had wrangled wild pegasi back at camp, and she stayed on.

"Don' hurt him, now!" Hagrid yelled as Annabeth tightened her hold on the bucking skrewt. "Jus' let him tire himself out!"

"Right," Annabeth muttered as the skrewt started to slow down and Hagrid approached with a rope.

"Well well well... this does look fun."

Rita Skeeter stood at the gate to the pumpkin patch, observing the chaos. She was wearing magenta robes and leaning on one of the posts, her crocodile skin bag over her shoulder.

Finally the skrewt calmed down, and Hagrid slipped the rope around its stinger. Annabeth rolled off and landed on the ground, letting out a breath.

"Who're you?" Hagrid asked Rita Skeeter, tightening the rope.

"Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter," Rita replied, grinning.

"Though Dumbledore said you weren't allowed inside the school anymore," Hagrid said, leading the skrewt over to its companions.