Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville entered the hall next morning to find everyone staring at Harry like he had grown a second head.
"Ignore them," Hermione said from behind Harry.
Harry dropped into a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to George Weasley
"New third-year course schedules," said George, passing them over.
"George, any idea why everyone is staring at me? Including the professors?" Harry asked.
"Uhh, do you remember what happened on the train yesterday? When me and Fred were in your compartment."
Harry frowned in confusion before groaning. "How did it get out so much that the Professors know it too?"
"Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were in the next compartment and they saw the whole thing. They didn't know that it was a Patronus, but the description is enough for everyone to figure it out," Fred said from beside George.
People were staring and gossiping.
Harry ignored them and helped himself to sausages and fried tomatoes.
Hermione was examining her new schedule. "Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today," she said happily
"Hermione," said Ron, frowning as he looked over her shoulder, "they've messed up your schedule. Look — they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time."
"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."
"But look," said Ron, laughing, "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And" — Ron leaned closer to the schedule, disbelieving — "look — underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in two classes at once?"
"Don't be silly," said Hermione shortly. "Of course I won't be in two classes at once."
"Well, then —"
"Pass the marmalade," said Hermione.
"But —"
"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my schedule's a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."
Just then, Hagrid entered the Great Hall. He was wearing his long moleskin overcoat and was absentmindedly swinging a dead polecat from one enormous hand
"All righ'?" he said eagerly, pausing on the way to the staff table. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five gettin' everythin' ready. . . . Hope it's okay. . . . Me, a teacher . . . hones'ly. . . ."
He grinned broadly at them and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the polecat.
"Wonder what he's been getting ready?" said Ron, a note of anxiety in his voice.
The hall was starting to empty as people headed off toward their first lesson. Ron checked his course schedule.
"Harry, why did you change your electives now?" He moaned.
"Well, I looked a bit into the subjects and found ancient runes and arithmancy interesting. So I changed to them. I'll attend classes for arithmancy and self study ancient runes."
"But those subjects are difficult. You haven't been yourself for sometime now Harry..."
Harry, Hermione and Neville tensed a bit, only enough for Fred and George to narrow their eyes in suspicion.
"Ron, we have something to tell you. Though we can't tell you now. How about after our classes are over?" Harry said.
"Ok? But we? Who all?"
"Me, Hermione, Neville and Luna from Ravenclaw."
"So she knows and I don't?" Ron exploded.
"We'll tell you. We are just not sure how to. But you will know before you go to sleep. That's a promise." And with that, Harry and Hermione left for Arithmancy while Neville and Ron for Divination.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
It was lunch time and Harry was a bit nervous about telling Ron. Fred and George were not going to stop till they found out either. Harry could barely eat lunch. The others were either discussing their classes or staring at Harry because of the Non-corporeal Patronus. He was very grateful for not having cast a corporeal one. Harry found that he had three corporeal forms. If he blocked out the Salazar side of him, it would be a stag. If he blocked the Harry side of him, it was a Basilisk. If he let both the sides of him merge, it was a chameleon. It would come in handy to hide his identity if ever needed. He was now experimenting with other factors too.
Harry was pleased to get out of the castle after lunch. Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as they set off for their first-ever Care of Magical Creatures class.
Harry walked beside his three friends in silence as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when he spotted three only-too familiar backs ahead of them that he realized they must be having these lessons with the Slytherins.
Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.
"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"
For one nasty moment, Harry thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest. Harry had had enough unpleasant experiences in there to last him a lifetime, well, two lifetimes. 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?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.
"Eh?" said Hagrid.
"How do we open our books?" Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. A few others had also had it bound shut. Those who didn't gave them funny looks.
"Stroke the spine Malfoy. Easy enough. See," Harry said, taking his book from his bag. The book tried to bite, but Harry ran a forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.
Malfoy shot Harry a glare before stroking the spine of his own book, which fell open. He grumbled and Hagrid turned to teach again.
"Righ' then," said Hagrid, "so yeh've got yer books 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.
"God, this place is going to the dogs," said Malfoy loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him —"
"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry snapped.
Before Malfoy could retort, he was interrupted.
"Oooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing toward the opposite side of the paddock.
Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry knew only too well. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel colored beaks and large, brilliantly orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures.
"Get up, there!" he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures toward the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached them and tethered the creatures to the fence.
"So who knows what they are?" He asked to the class.
"Hippogriffs," Harry, Hermione and Neville chorused. Hagrid beamed at them and gave them five points each before turning back to everyone else. Ron glanced at them unsurely.
"So Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"
Harry could see what Hagrid meant. The hippogriffs' had gleaming coats, changing smoothly from feather to hair, each of them a different color: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black.
"So," said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer —"
No one seemed to want to. Harry and Neville, to everyone shock and surprise about the latter, approached the fence casually.
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle weren't listening; they were talking in an undertone and Harry had a nasty feeling they were plotting how best to disrupt the lesson.
"Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move," Hagrid continued. "It's polite, see? Yeh walk toward him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' bow, then getaway from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt. Right — who wants ter go first?"
Most of the class backed farther away in answer. Harry and Neville climbed over the paddock fence.
"Good men, Harry and Neville!" roared Hagrid. "Right then — let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak. Harry, you go first."
He untied one of the chains, pulled the gray hippogriff away from its fellows, and slipped off its leather collar. The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath. Malfoy's eyes were narrowed maliciously.
"Easy, now, Harry," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink. . . . Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much. . . ."
Harry had handled these majestic beasts so many times with Godric, he felt a pull towards them. Harry's stared into Buckbeak's eyes. Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head and was staring at Harry with one fierce orange eye. He then bowed to the creature without breaking the eye contact. The hippogriff was still staring haughtily at him. Then the hippogriff suddenly bent its scaly front knees and sank into what was an unmistakable bow.
"Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right — yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"
Harry moved toward the hippogriff and reached out toward it. He patted the beak several times and the hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.
The class broke into applause, all except for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were looking deeply disappointed.
"Righ' then, Harry. Now why don't you try it Neville?"
Everyone expected Neville to back down out or shiver in fear but he did a better job at convincing buckbeak than Harry had. He had always been better at befriending hippogriffs and griffins.
"Alrigh'. Why don' yeh both ride him?" Hagrid asked cheerfully.
Harry and Neville gave each other a nod and a smile. They were having nostalgia. They used to do this so often in the past, it was as natural as blinking to them. A second nature of sorts. Harry put his foot on the top of Buckbeak's wing and hoisted himself onto its back first and gave Neville a hand up. Harry held onto the beast while Neville held onto Harry.
"Go on, then!" roared Hagrid, slapping the hippogriff's hindquarters. Twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of the male founders. They held on tight as they soared upward. It was nothing like a broomstick, but it was fun even more than one. The hippogriff flew around the paddock with two boys cheering him on. They flew over the Black lake where the founders no longer held on the anything and were enjoying it too much. They decided to do it more often.
They headed back towards the class and landed. The two boys got down and patted the hippogriff in appreciation before joining the rest of the class.
"Good work, Harry, Neville! Ten points to Gryffindor" roared Hagrid as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"
Emboldened by Harry and Neville's success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock. Ron and Hermione practiced on the chestnut one which was pretty.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful. Harry realized what he was about to do and immediately went towards him.
"Do not do or say anything to insult the hippogriff Malfoy. Didn't you hear what Hagrid said? They are proud creatures. Insult one and that might be the last thing you do."
Malfoy looked at him disdainfully but kept his mouth shut because he didn't have a death wish.
Hagrid's first class was successful.
~Heya everyone. It's a happy happy day for me, so I published a chapter. Hope you all like my chapters. And before I forget, THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO MUCH FOR 3.1K VIEWS!!! I will post again before the weekends are over. Enjoy!
Signing off~