Meeting Of Swords and Wands

Chapter 27: Interviews with Elves

“I’m not sure whether they hibernate or not,” Hagrid told the shivering class in the windy pumpkin patch  during the first lesson of December.  “Thought we’d jus’ try an’ see if they fancied a kip. We’ll jus’ settle ’em down in these boxes.”

There were now only ten skrewts left; apparently their desire to kill one another had not been exercised out of them. Each of them was now approaching six feet in length. Their thick gray armor; their powerful, scuttling legs; their fire-blasting ends; their stings and their suckers, combined to make the skrewts the most repulsive things Harry had ever seen. The class looked dispiritedly at the enormous boxes Hagrid had brought out, all lined with pillows
and fluffy blankets.

“We’ll jus’ lead ’em in here,” Hagrid said, “an’ put the lids on, and we’ll see what happens.” But the skrewts, it transpired, did not hibernate, and did not appreciate being forced into pillow-lined boxes and nailed in. Hagrid was soon yelling, “Don’ panic, now, don’ panic!” while the skrewts
rampaged around the pumpkin patch, now strewn with the smoldering wreckage of the boxes. Most of the class — Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle in the lead — had fled into Hagrid’s cabin through the back door and barricaded themselves in; Harry, Ron, Hermione, Nico and Percy, however, were among the few brave students who remained outside trying to help Hagrid. Together they managed to restrain and tie up eight of the Skrewts, though at the cost of numerous burns and cuts; finally,
only three Skrewts were left. Harry and Ron were battling one. Not battling so much as holding it off with fiery sparks from their wands while the irritated Skrewt advanced on them with its stinger poised.

“Don’ frighten him, now!” Hagrid shouted as he wrestled a Skrewt to a tree to tie it up. “Jus’ try an’ slip the rope ’round his sting, so he won’ hurt any o’ the others!”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want that!” Ron shouted angrily as he and Harry backed into the wall of Hagrid’s cabin, still holding the skrewt off with their sparks. They looked over to Nico, Percy, and Hermione to see if help would arrive. But, they had their troubles with Hermione using her magic to stave off the Skrewt while Nico and Percy tugged at the tail using some rope, pulling the Skrewt towards its own tree.

“Well, well, well. This does look like fun.” Rita Skeeter was leaning on Hagrid’s garden fence, looking in at
the mayhem. She was wearing a thick magenta cloak with a furry purple collar today, and her crocodile-skin handbag was over her arm.

Harry looked back at the advancing Skrewt, but suddenly Percy roped the Skrewt by its stinger and began to pull at it. In retaliation, the monster shot a blast of fire out of its end, withering the pumpkin plants nearby and leaving Percy's face blackened from the smoke and his eyebrows singed.

“Who’re you?” Hagrid asked Rita Skeeter as he ran up to the battle and began dragging the now very angry Skrewt to a tree.

“Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter,” Rita replied, beaming at him. Her gold teeth glinted in what little sunlight the grey skies allowed.

“Thought Dumbledore said you weren’ allowed inside the school anymore,” said Hagrid, frowning slightly as he started tying the monster to its cool-off tree.

Rita acted as though she hadn’t heard what Hagrid had said.

“What are these fascinating creatures called?” she asked, beaming still more widely.

“Blast-Ended Skrewts,” grunted Hagrid.

“Really?” said Rita, apparently full of lively interest. “I’ve never heard of them before. Where do they come from?”

Harry noticed a dull red flush rising up out of Hagrid’s wild black beard, and his heart sank. Where had Hagrid got the skrewts from? Hermione, who seemed to be thinking along these lines, said quickly, “They’re very interesting, aren’t they? Aren’t they, Harry?”