After lunch, the third-year Gryffindor students left the castle in small groups, carrying their tightly bound copies of The Monster Book of Monsters, as they made their way to the location for their Care of Magical Creatures class.
The grass outside the castle, having been thoroughly drenched by yesterday's heavy rain, was now damp and soft. Overhead, the sky was a brilliant shade of blue, dotted with large, fluffy white clouds—perfect weather for an outdoor lesson.
"Fred and George told me that Wood is planning to hold Quidditch tryouts this weekend. I think I might give it a shot—what do you think, Harry? I mean, I know I'm not as good as you, but I'm not terrible either. Maybe I actually have a chance?"
As Ron excitedly discussed the upcoming Quidditch trials with Neville and a few others from their dormitory, a group of students clad in green-trimmed robes crossed paths with them. Instantly, both sides pulled the kind of expression one would make upon spotting something particularly foul.
By the time they arrived at Hagrid's hut, the two groups had naturally separated into distinct clusters, standing apart as though an invisible boundary divided them. Hagrid then led the class to an open clearing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Alright, I'm going to go fetch her. In the meantime, you lot can have a look through your textbooks," Hagrid instructed before striding off into the trees.
"You mean open these mad, biting books?" Malfoy sneered, raising his tightly bound Monster Book of Monsters with clear disdain. "Only an idiot would try that."
"You do know you just have to stroke the spine from top to bottom, right?" Hagrid shot Malfoy a look, as if he had just asked something as elementary as how to eat.
"Oh, of course. Stroke the books that are trying to bite our fingers off. Why didn't I think of that?" Malfoy said with a mocking drawl, watching the giant oaf disappear into the forest.
Once Hagrid was out of sight, Malfoy turned to Crabbe and Goyle, raising his voice, "Honestly, Hogwarts is going downhill fast if they're hiring lumpy oafs like that to teach us. If my father knew about this—"
"Then I'd just have to deal with your father along with you," Harry said flatly.
Malfoy shot Harry a wary look but didn't dare talk back.
At last, after everyone (including Neville) had successfully managed to open their books, Hagrid emerged from the Forbidden Forest, leading twelve strange creatures.
Each of these creatures stood roughly two meters tall, with the front half resembling a massive eagle and the back half resembling a horse. They looked like the unnatural offspring of the two species, inheriting the sharp, predatory nature of an eagle, complete with half-foot-long talons and piercing orange eyes.
Each beast had a long chain looped around its neck, the other end firmly gripped in Hagrid's massive hands. He jogged alongside them, shaking the chains slightly to keep them moving, before finally bringing them to a halt in front of the class, securing the chains to the fence.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid bellowed enthusiastically. "Aren't they beautiful?"
"Beautiful? More like they think we'd make a nice snack," Ron muttered, his face pale as he eyed the creatures warily.
Harry, however, could somewhat understand what Hagrid meant. The hippogriffs' sleek feathers did have an elegant sheen to them, and looking at them, he couldn't help but think of Laezel when they had first met—strange appearance, aggressive nature, an air of untouchable arrogance. The only difference was that, after months of adventure together, Harry had finally caught glimpses of the softer side hidden beneath Laezel's hardened exterior.
"Hippogriffs are classified as XXX-level dangerous carnivores and can only be tamed by properly trained wizards. Their diet consists of insects, birds, and small mammals such as ferrets. Occasionally, they will use their beaks to dig into the ground in search of worms. During breeding season, hippogriffs build nests on the ground and lay a single, large, fragile egg. The egg hatches within twenty-four hours, and newborn hippogriffs attempt flight within a week, though it takes several months before they can accompany their parents on long-distance journeys…"
Hermione, standing beside Harry and Ron, rattled off the information as if she had memorized an entire textbook on the subject.
"Where did you even come from?" Ron gaped at her as if she had materialized out of thin air.
"What are you talking about? I've been here the whole time," Hermione huffed, rolling her eyes. Then she held out her book, which was clamped shut with a large binder clip. "Harry, help me open this."
"You mean you've been here this whole time and still don't know how to open the book?" Ron looked at her in stunned disbelief.
"Alright," Hagrid clapped his massive hands together. "Now, if any of you want to step closer—"
But aside from Harry—and, with great hesitation, Ron and Hermione—none of the other students seemed eager to risk their lives by approaching the creatures.
"Good, good," Hagrid beamed at the three of them. "Now, there's one very important thing you all need to know about hippogriffs. They are incredibly proud creatures. If they feel insulted, they won't hesitate to restore their dignity in the most direct way possible—which usually means attacking the person who offended them. And trust me, you don't want to get slashed by those talons."
Most of the students listened intently—except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were whispering among themselves.
"When you approach a hippogriff, the first thing you need to do is show it respect. The easiest way to do that is to bow," Hagrid instructed loudly. "You bow, and if it bows back, you're good to go—feel free to touch it. But if it doesn't bow, well… my advice would be to run. Run as fast as you can. Now, who wants to go first?"
In response, every single student—including Hermione and Ron—instinctively took a step back.
Except for Harry.
He was already moving forward, slowly approaching the two-meter-tall, winged predators that were flaring their powerful wings and shaking their heads in irritation.
Behind him, a few Gryffindor students inhaled sharply. Lavender and Parvati murmured in hushed voices, "Oh no, Harry—think about what the tea leaves said!"
"Very well, Harry," Hagrid said, reaching out to unfasten a chain. "Let's see how you get along with Buckbeak."
A reluctant hippogriff was gently pulled from the group by Hagrid, who carefully removed the leather collar around its neck.
"Relax, Harry, relax," Hagrid murmured. "You and him need to look each other in the eye, and whatever you do, don't blink. Or at least... don't blink too much—"
Harry let out a loud cry.
Both Hagrid and Buckbeak froze.
Then they watched in stunned silence as Harry, still emitting hippogriff-like calls, slowly approached Buckbeak and placed a hand on its beak, gently stroking it.
Buckbeak, to everyone's astonishment, closed its eyes in apparent enjoyment.
"Er... wait a minute, Harry, you..." Hagrid scratched his head, looking utterly bewildered at the strangely harmonious interaction between boy and beast.
"Hagrid, does this mean I did it?" Harry looked up at him expectantly.
"Well, aye, you did it, but... Harry, I don't think anyone else is gonna be able to copy what you just did..." Hagrid said, looking somewhat conflicted before turning to Ron. "Ron, d'you think you'd be willing to step up and show everyone a more, er, conventional—"
"Er... Hagrid, I think Harry did a great job already. No need for me to go up, right?" Ron gulped, eyeing Buckbeak's towering frame uneasily.
"But... without a proper demonstration, if you lot run into trouble with a hippogriff, it could be dangerous..." Hagrid hesitated.
"I'll do it, Hagrid!" Hermione stepped forward, her gaze fixed firmly on Buckbeak.
"Good girl!" Hagrid clapped his hands in encouragement. "Now, just like I said—keep your eyes on Buckbeak, try not to blink too much..."
Noticing the unfamiliar gaze, Buckbeak's fierce eyes immediately locked onto Hermione.
Hagrid nodded at her. "Good, Hermione... good. Now, slowly... bow."
Hermione bowed deeply. Buckbeak stared at her for several long, nerve-wracking seconds while the Gryffindors collectively held their breath.
Then, the two-meter-tall beast suddenly bent its scaly front knees, lowering its upper body in a slow, deliberate bow.
"Well done, Hermione!" Hagrid cheered. "Now, go on—give him a pat! Right on the beak!"
Breathing heavily, Hermione extended her hand and gave Buckbeak's beak a few cautious pats. The hippogriff responded much as it had with Harry—lazily closing its eyes, clearly enjoying the attention.
Most of the Slytherins even applauded, though Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were notable exceptions. They looked rather disappointed.
"Brilliant, Harry, Hermione!" Hagrid folded his arms, beaming. "I reckon Buckbeak might even let you two take him for a ride."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. Even more surprising was the strange thrill she felt at the idea of soaring through the sky on Buckbeak's back.
Tentatively, she placed both hands on Buckbeak's back, but he was so tall that despite multiple attempts, she couldn't quite climb up. It wasn't until Hagrid gave her a hand that she finally managed to sit astride the creature. Yet, from the way she wobbled precariously, it was hard not to wonder if she'd topple off mid-flight.
Sharing the same concern, Harry exchanged a few quiet words with Buckbeak before turning to Hermione. "Hermione, do you want me to fly with you?"
"What do you mean, 'fly with me'? You say that like you're some kind of expert," Hermione huffed, rolling her eyes before scooting back and patting the empty space in front of her. "Well? Don't just stand there. I'm not about to fly on my own."
Harry swung himself up onto Buckbeak, and Hermione instinctively grabbed the back of his robes. Once Hagrid confirmed that Buckbeak showed no signs of irritation, he gave the beast's flank a firm pat.
With a powerful sweep of its twelve-foot wings, Buckbeak took off. The force of the takeoff pressed Harry and Hermione firmly against its back.
Under the watchful eyes of their classmates, Buckbeak soared into the sky.
Harry gripped Buckbeak's sides with his knees, feeling the powerful strokes of its wings beneath him. The wind rushed into his mouth and nose, and at some point, Hermione had shifted from clutching his robes to tightly wrapping her arms around his waist.
He heard her muttering under her breath, "Oh no... I don't like this... Oh, I really don't like this..."
They emerged from the clouds, gliding low over the lake before Buckbeak finally swooped back toward the ground, landing smoothly in front of their cheering classmates.
"Well done, Harry! Hermione!" Hagrid clapped enthusiastically. Once again, everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle burst into applause.
"Right then, who wants a go next?"
After witnessing the spectacle, the rest of the class—heartened by Harry and Hermione's success—cautiously stepped into the enclosure. Hagrid moved along, unfastening chains one by one, and soon, the paddock was filled with students nervously bowing to hippogriffs.
Neville was the third person after Harry and Hermione to successfully ride a hippogriff around the sky.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had chosen Buckbeak. The creature bowed to Malfoy, who patted its beak with a look of evident distaste.
"Oh, this is easy," Malfoy drawled, his voice loud enough for Harry to hear. "If Potter can do it, then obviously it's no challenge at all. I bet you're not even dangerous, are you?"
He sneered at Buckbeak, who had its eyes closed in lazy contentment. "You're not dangerous at all, are you, you ugly great brute?"
A flash of steel-gray talons.
Malfoy let out a piercing scream, clutching his face.
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