𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙴𝚃𝙰𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙿𝙷

5 - FIVE - 5

     HARRY WAS PLEASED to get out of the castle after lunch. Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as they set off for their first-ever Care of Magical Creatures class. 

Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other. Harry and (Y/N) walked in between them in an awkward silence as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. 

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 areal treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

"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.

"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!"

"It's not like you understand what real humor is like either way, Malfoy." (Y/N) muttered. 

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry quietly

"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 will have a fit when I tell him —" 

"Oh, please, Malfoy, I bet your father has a fit every time he runs out of hair gel. We'll all survive." (Y/N) said, clearly annoyed. 

"What did you just say about--"

"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. 

Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry 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-colored beaks and large, brilliantly orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. 

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

"So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yehwan' ter come a bit nearer —"