HP • Legilimency | 𝐍. 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐅𝐎𝐘

𝐇𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐬

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Astria was quite pleased to leave the castle after lunch. Yesterday's rain had subsided; the sky was clear and a light grey, and the grass was springy and damp beneath their feet as they headed to their first Care of Magical Creatures class.

Hagrid was waiting for their class at the door of his cabin, where he stood in his mole-skin overcoat with Fang, the boarhound, at his heels, looking eager to get started. "Come on now, step lively!" he called as the class approached. "I've got a real treat for you today! Excellent lesson coming up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

For a dreadful moment, she thought Hagrid was going to lead them into the Forbidden Forest - judging by the expression on Draco's face, he thought so too - but instead, Hagrid skirted the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside some sort of paddock. There was nothing in it.

"Everyone gather round the fence here!" Hagrid called. "That's it... make sure you can all see... now, the first thing you'll want to do is open your books..."

"How?" Draco said slowly.

"Eh?" ─ Said Hagrid, looking confused. Astria was trying not to laugh and nudged him.

"How do we open our books?" Draco repeated. He pulled out his copy of "The Monster Book of Monsters," which they had both struggled to fasten shut with a belt.

Others took out their copies too; some, like Astria and Draco, snapped the book shut with the belt; others jammed them into tight bags or fastened them with binder clips and tied them up with string.

"Has anyone managed to open their books?" Hagrid asked, looking disheartened. The whole class shook their heads. "You've got to stroke 'em," he said, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look-"

He took Astria's copy and unfastened the belt that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and it shivered, then lay flat in his hand. "Oh, how silly we all were!" Pansy chimed in. "We should have just stroked them! Why didn't we guess!"

"I-I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly and embarrassed.

"They are funny, Hagrid. But perhaps next time, a note of instruction might be better," Astria supplied, much to the astonishment of many. Quite considerate.

Draco laughed. "It tried to bite my hand!" he exclaimed, mimicking the book snapping, and Hagrid seemed somewhat relieved.

"I think they're great," Harry lied to Hagrid, smiling encouragingly as he stepped closer. "They're like practice for the real magical creatures we'll be learning about ─ you need to know how to approach them differently, just like you need to stroke the book's spine."

They all smiled back at Hagrid, who grinned at the class once more. "Alright," he said, "you've got your books, now you need the Magical Creatures ─ wait here, and I'll go fetch 'em."

"Did the book try to bite you, Harry? I thought you'd be afraid with that ugly mug of yours," Draco taunted as soon as Hagrid turned away.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Ohhhh," Draco teased, swaggering over to Harry and getting right in his face. He adjusted Harry's robes and grinned.

"Feeling feisty, Potter?"

Harry turned redder than Gryffindor's colors. But before he could respond, Hagrid returned.

"AAAAAAH!" Lavender Brown suddenly screamed, pointing to the opposite side of the paddock. Trotting toward them were a dozen of the strangest creatures Astria had ever seen ─ they had bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads resembled giant eagles, with steel-gray feathers, beaks, and large, bright orange eyes. The claws on their front legs were about half a foot long and looked deadly.