Fear of a Name

Chapter Eleven: Buckbeak

After a few minutes, I wandered over to Professor Hagrid's hut, where Care of Magical Creatures was to take place, carrying my adorable book with me. As I got there I saw two things that didn't improve my mood:
1. Malfoy
2. It seemed nobody had been able to open their books.
"C'mon, now, get a move on!" called Professor Hagrid from the doorway of his hut as everyone approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

We followed him to a paddock on the edge of the Forbidden Forest with nothing in.
"Everyone gather round the fence here!" he called. "That's it — make sure yeh can see. Now, the firs' thing yeh'll want to do is open yer books—"
"How?" said Draco Malfoy, holding his book, which had been bound together with a length of rope.
"Eh?" said Professor Hagrid.
"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated.
"Hasn' — hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" asked Hagrid, clearly crestfallen.
"I have, Sir," I said, smiling at him before turning to the rest of the class. "Isn't it obvious? You've got to stroke them!"

I took Hermione's book from her, ripped off the clear sticky strip that was holding it shut, and stroked it down its spine; the book shivered, then fell open and lay still in my hands.
"Oh, how silly we've all been! We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!" said Malfoy, sneering.
"I did, Malfoy, it really wasn't hard."
"Well, some of us have better things to do than sit in our rooms all day trying to get a book open, Riddle," he replied. "At least my parents don't—"
"SHUT UP!" I yelled, ignoring the fact everyone was staring at me.

"Aunt Bella will hear about this, Riddle," he said in a calm voice.
"See if I care," I retorted, biting my lip nervously.
"Oh, I think you will when—"
"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry quietly.
"Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his train of thought. "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 walked off into the forest and out of sight.

"How did you know to do that to open the book, Ivory?" Hermione asked incredulously as I passed her book back to her.
"Well, I was loc — um... home alone, and I didn't have anything to do, so I cast a silencing spell on it and just experimented until I found out how to do it," I said, hoping they hadn't noticed I'd almost told them about being locked in my room.
"I bet that was painful, you must've been attacked by it loads."
"Yeah, but I'm used to it," I muttered to myself.

"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—"
I didn't say anything this time, not wanting to get into any more trouble with my father than I already would be when I told him that I was put into Gryffindor, but I heard Harry say, "Shut up, Malfoy," again.
"Careful, Potter, there's a Dementor behind you—" said someone, obviously lying.
"Ooooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, a girl in my dormitory, pointing to the far side of the paddock.

We all looked — trotting towards us were a dozen creatures with the bodies, hind legs and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings and heads of giant eagles; and I knew in an instant that they were Hippogriffs.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, tethering them to the fence as everyone stepped back a few paces.

"Hagrid, Hippogriffs have a three X Ministry of Magic classification, and taming them should only be attempted by experts; it says so in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," I said worriedly, but Hagrid waved his hand at me.
"Nonsense!" he said dismissively, rubbing his hands together and beaming around. "So, if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer..."
No one seemed to want to. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I, however, approached the fence cautiously.

"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."
I could see that Malfoy and the two boys who always followed him around weren't listening, and I was sure that one of them was going to mess up when it came to their turn to come forward.

"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."

I could feel Hermione getting nervous beside me.

"Right — who wants ter go first?"
Most of the class backed farther away in answer, Ron, Hermione, and me included. The only person left was Harry, and Hagrid seemed to think he had stepped forwards rather than us stepping back.
"Good man, Harry!" said Hagrid as Harry looked behind him, frowning at us, before climbing over the fence and into the paddock. "Right then — let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."
He untied one of the chains, pulled the gray Hippogriff away from the others, and slipped off its leather collar.

"Easy now, Harry," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink... Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much... tha's it... tha's it, Harry... now, bow."
Harry gave a short bow, and then looked up at the Hippogriff as all the Gryffindors held our breath.
It didn't move.
"Ah," said Hagrid, sounding worried. "Right — back away, now, Harry, easy does it—"
But then, to my enormous relief, the Hippogriff suddenly bent its front knees and sank into what was unmistakably a bow.

"Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right — yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"
I watched nervously as Harry moved slowly toward the Hippogriff and reached out toward it. He patted the beak several times, and the Hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.
We all started to clap — all except for Malfoy, his two friends, and the pug faced girl, who were looking deeply disappointed.

"Righ' then, Harry," said Hagrid. "I reckon he migh' let yeh ride him! Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint," said Hagrid, "an' mind yeh don' pull any of his feathers out, he won' like that..."
Harry put his foot on the top of Buckbeak's wing and hoisted himself onto its back. Buckbeak stood up. I could tell that Harry wasn't sure where to hold on; everything in front of him was covered with feathers.
"Go on, then!" roared Hagrid, slapping the Hippogriff's hindquarters.

Without warning, twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of Harry, and suddenly he was soaring upward. Buckbeak flew him once around the paddock, and then headed back to the ground.
"Good work, Harry!" roared Hagrid as everyone except Malfoy and his friends cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

We all climbed cautiously over the fence and Hagrid untied the Hippogriffs one by one; soon people were bowing nervously all over the paddock. Ron, Hermione and I practiced on the chestnut coloured one, while Harry watched us.

Malfoy and his two friends had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak.
"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry to hear him. "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?"
I gasped — he had obviously insulted Buckbeak terribly. The next thing I knew, Malfoy let out a high pitched scream and Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood spilling onto his robes.

I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as I saw everyone start to panic. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"
"Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Someone help me — gotta get him outta here—"
Hermione and I ran to hold open the gate as Hagrid lifted Malfoy and ran with him up the slope toward the castle.