The Princess of Light

Chapter 5.14 (Detentions with Dolores)

Hermione's hand shot into the air. Behind her back, Draco did a buck-toothed imitation of her jumping up and down in eagerness to answer a question. Pansy Parkinson gave a shriek of laughter that turned almost at once in a scream, as the twigs on the table leapt into the air and revealed themselves to be what looked like tiny pixie-ish creatures made of wood, each with knobbly brown arms and legs, two twiglike fingers at the end of each hand and a funny flat, barklike face in which a pair of beetle-brown eyes glittered.

"Oooooh!" Said Parvati and Lavender.

"Kindly keep your voices down, girls!" Said Professor Grubbly-Plank sharply, scattering a handful of what looked like brown rice among the stick-creatures, who immediately fell upon the food. "So - anyone know the names of these creatures? Miss Granger?"

"Bowtruckles," said Hermione. "They're tree-guardians, usually live in wand-trees."

"Five points for Gryffindor." Said Professor Grubbly-Plank. "Yes, these are Bowtruckles, and as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?"

"Woodlice," said Hermione promptly, which explained why what Aurora had taken to be grains of brown rice were moving. "But fairy eggs if they can get them."

"Good girl, another five points. So, whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree in which a Bowtruckle lodges, it is wise to have a gift of woodlice to distract or placate it. They may not look dangerous, but if angered they will try to gouge at human eyes with their fingers, which, as you can see, are very sharp and not at all desirable near the eyeballs. So if you'd like to gather closer, take a few woodlice and a Bowtruckle - I have enough here for one between four - you can study them more closely. I want a sketch from each of you with all body-parts labelled by the end of the lesson."

The class surged forwards around the trestle table. Hermione had already picked one Bowtruckle and was now sitting with it on the grass, trying to persuade it to sit still long enough for her to draw it. Ron joined her but Aurora couldn't see where Harry had wandered of to.

She eventually found him next to Grubbly-Plank while Draco was discretely saying something to him, that clearly angered yet scared him.

"What is it?" Hermione whispered, as Harry approached them.

"Malfoy said that maybe Hagrid is badly injured."

"He said that?" Ron frowned. "Since when is Draco so concerned with Hagrid's safety?"

"He isn't. But I think he knows something. His father is a Death Eater after all. Maybe he has some information about Hagrid that the Order doesn't."

"It's possible." Said Hermione quietly, "Did he say anything else?"

"Something about messing with stuff that's too big for him."

"Dumbledore would know if something had happened to Hagrid." Said Aurora. "It's just playing into Draco's hands to look worried. It tells him we don't know exactly what's going on. We've just got to ignore him."

Hermione handed Harry the Bowtruckle and said, "Hold it for a moment, just so I can draw its face..."

"Yes," came Draco's clear drawl from the group nearest them. "Father was talking to the Minister just a couple of days ago, you know, and it sounds as though the Ministry's really determined to crack down on sub-standard teaching in this place. So even if that overgrown moron does show up again, he'll probably be sent packing straightaway."

"OUCH!" Harry had gripped the Bowtruckle so hard it had almost snapped, and it had just taken a great retaliatory swipe at his hand with its sharp fingers, leaving two long deep cuts there.