𝐢. 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 ; harry j. potter ( UNEDITED )

015. "free your mind and keep your thoughts on me"

"I'm not sure whether they hibernate or not," Hagrid told the shivering class in the windy pumpkin patch. "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 they had ever seen.

The class looked dispiritedly at the enormous boxes Hagrid had brought out, all lined with pillows and fluffy blankets.

"I'm s-s-so t-tempted t-t-to steal one of those b-blankets..." stuttered Lucia, shivering as she detached herself from Harry for a moment.

Harry smiled wearily at her before he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, bringing her close to him for more warmth. He was incredibly worried. Perhaps her tolerance toward the cold wasn't as good as he thought...

"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 didn't 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, and Lucia, however, were among those who remained outside trying to help Hagrid. Together they managed to restrain and tie up nine of the skrewts, though at the cost of numerous burns and cuts; finally, only one skrewt was left.

"Don' frighten him, now!" Hagrid shouted as Ron and Harry used their wands to shoot jets of fiery sparks at the skrewt, which was advancing menacingly on them, its sting arched, quivering, over its back. "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.

"H-H-Here, here, M-Mr. Skrewt," Lucia called for it though chattering teeth, trying to have it advancing towards her instead of Harry and Ron. She crouched down, forgetting all about the cold as she clasped her hands together, attempting to gain its attention. Which it kind of did... "Come to Lulu, cara mia..."

The skrewt stared at her for a moment before slowly it made its way toward her, cautious. Lucia couldn't think straight, for all she could think of was the warmth of a fire when suddenly, Ron's voice broke her away from her daze, yelling, "Bloody hell!" The skrewt hissed and began advancing on him and Harry once again.

"Ron!" Lucia snarled.

"Don't look at me like that!" Ron argued, pointing his wand at the skrewt again.

"This... This wouldn't have happened if you just shut — up!"

"Guys —"

"Stay out of this, Harry!" said Lucia and Ron together scathingly at Harry, who gaped at them. He barely said anything...

They then snapped their heads back at each other when the skrewt once again hissed.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Skrewt," Lucia said apologetically to the skrewt before she turned back to Ron. "Ron, it's your turn to apologise to him."

"I'm not saying sorry to a bloody ugly skrewt," said Ron. "Forget it."

"Ron," started Lucia. "I said sorry to the skrewt, so you should say sorry to the skrewt too." The skrewt hissed menacingly.