The Snake| Draco Malfoy

~Year 3~ Hippogriffs

I was pleased to get out of the castle after lunch. Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale grey and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as we set off for our first ever Care of Magical Creatures class. I walked down to Hagrid's hut with Lucille and Astoria and met up with the rest of the Slytherins. It was only when I spotted three familiar people coming down the hill to us. That I realized we must be having these lessons with the Gryffindors. Draco was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. Probably talking about Harry fainting again. Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called, as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!" For a horrible moment, I thought that Hagrid was going to lead us into the Forest. I had had enough unpleasant experiences in there to last me a lifetime. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, we found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there. I was confused. Where were the creatures?

"Everyone gather round the fence here!" he called. "That's it – make sure yeh can see. Now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books –"

"How?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco.

"Eh?"said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Draco repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out, too; some, like me, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with bullclips.

"Hasn' – hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen. The class all shook their heads.

"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look ..." He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Draco sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess"

"I ... I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione. 'Oh, tremendously funny!' said Malfoy. 'Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Hagrid was looking downcast.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread, "so ... so yeh've got yer books an' ... an' ... now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on ..." He strode away from them into the Forest and out of sight.

"God, this place is going to the dogs,"said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him –"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry repeated. Draco's eyes widen in fear, Draco steps back, points. I knew what was going to happen and I wasn't missing out on the fun.

"D-Dementor dementor!" Cried Draco. Harry turned around with the rest of the Gryffindors in fear and turned back angry. Me Draco and his goodie pulled out hoods over our head and made ooh ooh sounds while using our hands to act like some sort of weird ghost. Laughter erupts and Garry reddens in embarrassment and anger.

"Gee up, there!" Hatred says grinning once he returned. "Beau'iful, isn' he?"

"Hagrid what exactly is that?" Ron asked aloud. Trotting towards them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures I had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind legs and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-coloured beaks and large, brilliantly orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly-looking. I knew what these were they were hippogriffs. I had read all about them in fantastic beast and where to find them. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures.