The Forgotten Twin

Chapter 6

"I hope we get to actually talking about doing Alchemy soon. How did you finish the essay and read the next chapter?" Draco asked.

Delilah shrugged.

"The idea just intrigues me." He sent her an exaggerated look. "Plus, I'm a fast reader," she added. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

They sat down just before the bell rang.

"Today we'll just do a review of the spells we've already learned. Today's will be engorgio and reducio."

Charms was positively boring. Delilah could see why it was a review, something about not doing magic for three months, but it was very dull.

Finally the bell rang and they hurried down to lunch. Luckily they would be going outside, which would be a nice wake-up call. They'd finally get some fresh air.

Care of Magical Creatures classes were by Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Delilah spotted three familiar heads and realized that they had these lessons with the Gryffindors.

Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang at his heels, looking impatient to start.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as they approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

Draco scoffed.

For a moment, Delilah thought Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest, which held many unpleasant creatures. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there.

"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?" Draco drawled.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Draco repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out too; some, like Delilah, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.

"Hasn' — hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.

"You just stroke the spine," Delilah answered and Hagrid brightened.

"That's right, yeh stroke 'em" said Hagrid, relieved. "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!" Draco sneered and Delilah elbowed him. Luckily he didn't finish that thought.

"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.

"Honestly, this place is going to the dogs," said Draco loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father will have a fit when I tell him —"

"Draco, shut it. You may not like Hagrid, but he's still a good person," Delilah told him. "I get you don't like him because of the detention in our first year, but that wasn't even too bad. Let it go. You still don't have to like him, but at least don't ruin the class for others who actually want to learn."