WILDEST DREAM ➛ʜ.ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡɪɴ ꜱɪꜱᴛᴇʀ

009.

After lunch we four made our way to the Care for magical creatures class which will be taken by Hagrid and I was hella excited for this.

He took us to the paddock and nothing was there.

"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 Malfoy.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Malfoy 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 Harry and me, had belted our book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.

"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!" Malfoy 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 ferret." I shouted.

"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.

"Careful, Potter, there's a dementor behind you."

"Oooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing toward the opposite side
of the paddock.

We saw the most mysterious yet magnificent creature. 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-colored beaks and large, brilliantly, orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking.

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.

"Gee up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood.

Everyone drew back slightly as
Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence.

"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful,
aren' they?

"It is." I sighed with a smile.

"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud,"
said Hagrid. "Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt.
Right -- who wants ter go first?"

Most of the class backed farther away in answer.

"No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look.

"I will!"
"I will."

I and Harry said together. We looked at eachothers chllanginly.

"Alright, you both come up."

We climbed over the paddock fence.
"let's see how yeh get
on with Buckbeak." Hagrid said.

"Easy now, you two," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink.... Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much...."

Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head and was staring at us with
one fierce orange eye.

"Tha's it," said Hagrid. "Tha's it...now, bow."

We gave a short bow and then looked up. The hippogriff was still staring haughtily at us. It didn't move.

"Ah," said Hagrid, sounding worried. "Right -- back away, now..
easy does it"

But then, to our enormous surprise, the hippogriff suddenly bent its
scaly front knees and sank into what was an unmistakable bow.

"Well done!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right -- yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"

Feeling that a better reward would have been to back away, We looked at eachother with a smile and moved
slowly toward the hippogriff and reached out toward it.

We patted the beak several times and the hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.

The class broke into applause.
"Righ' then," said Hagrid. "I reckon he might' let yeh ride him!"

"Oh yes."I exclaimed.

"Oh..uh, I don't think so." Harry said.

"Oh c'mon Harry. Don't be such a baby!" I slapped his arm.

"I'm- I am not being a baby." He said.

"Oh yeah right." I scoffed.

I put my foot on the top of Buckbeaks wing and hoisted myself onto
its back. Buckbeak stood up. Harry followed me.

"Go on, then'" roared Hagrid, slapping the hippogriffs hindquarters.

Without warning, twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of us,
It was nothing like a broomstick, it was different. But awesome.

But also quite uncomfortable and dangerous because we might slip out of him because of his long soft feathers.

"THIS IS AWESOME!" I shouted and laughed out.

"OH YEAH." Harry laughed.

We flew around the paddock screaming and laughing when we were back on the ground.

"Good work!" roared Hagrid as cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

"This is very easy," Draco drawled. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it.... I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"

It happened in a flash of steely talons; Draco let out a high pitched scream and next moment, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes.

"I'm dying!" Draco yelled as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"

I snorted but picked Draco up. "Stop it you little girl."

"Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Someone help me
-- gotta get him outta here --"

Hermione ran to hold open the gate as Hagrid lifted Draco easily, me beside them.

I saw how Draco has a light cut. "You are such a baby."

"I'm not a baby!"