December hit with a bang, bringing sharp winds and frosty grass and cold air. Every window in the castle was shut, and torches that burned but gave off no smoke had been lit in every hallway and classroom, though it didn't really help with the drafts. The Slytherin Common room was especially cold, and everyone gravitated towards the lit fireplace after curfew.
In Care of Magical Creatures, which was always outside and pretty close to the paddock where Beuxbaton's horses were kept, the fumes from the horse's whiskey wafted over the class, making everyone light headed.
"I'm not sure whether they hibernate or not," Hagrid said as everyone shivered. "Thought we'd just try an' see if they fancy a kip... we'll just settle them down in these boxes." Hagrid pointed to a bunch of big boxes at his feet, all lined with pillows and blankets.
The Skrewts had seemed to have found their preferred food— each other. There were only ten left, and they were each six feet long, four feet tall, and growing. Their thick armor had come in, their stingers and suckers dripped with either slime or venom, and their long scuttling legs stabbed into the dirt whenever they walked.
"We'll just lead them in here," Hagrid said, pointing to the boxes, "and put the lids on, and we'll see what happens."
Turns out the skrewts didn't hibernate. They also didn't take kindly to being shoved and nailed into pillow lined boxes by teenagers who would much rather be inside. Pretty soon, Hagrid was yelling to stay calm while the skrewts scuttled around the pumpkin patch that was now strewn with flaming crates.
Most of the class had fled into Hagrid's cabin, Vera and Freddie included, and was now watching through the windows as Annabeth, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lavender, Dean, and Seamus tried to help Hagrid round up the scorpions.
After some teamwork and a few traps, nine of the ten skrewts had been rounded up.
"Don't frighten him, now!" Hagrid shouted at Ron and Harry, who were using their wands to shoot sparks at the advancing skrewt. Their backs were to the wall of Hagrid's cabin, and the skrewt's stinger was up and arched over its back. "Just try and slip the rope around his sting, so he won' hurt any o' the others!"
"Yeah, we wouldn't want that!" Ron yelled, pointing his wand at the skrewt, which in turn hissed and advanced faster.
Annabeth did some quick calculations, factored in the angle of the stinger, and made her move. She dove, grabbing the stinger and forcing it to the side, and locked her arms around the skrewt's middle. The skrewt shrieked, let out a blast from its end that threw it forward a few feet, and started to buck. The stinger thrashed wildly from its place pinned under Annabeth's arm. Luckily, Annabeth had wrangled wild pegasi back at camp, and she stayed on.
"Don' hurt him, now!" Hagrid yelled as Annabeth tightened her hold on the bucking skrewt. "Jus' let him tire himself out!"
"Right," Annabeth muttered as the skrewt started to slow down and Hagrid approached with a rope.
"Well well well... this does look fun."
Rita Skeeter stood at the gate to the pumpkin patch, observing the chaos. She was wearing magenta robes and leaning on one of the posts, her crocodile skin bag over her shoulder.
Finally the skrewt calmed down, and Hagrid slipped the rope around its stinger. Annabeth rolled off and landed on the ground, letting out a breath.
"Who're you?" Hagrid asked Rita Skeeter, tightening the rope.
"Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter," Rita replied, grinning.
"Though Dumbledore said you weren't allowed inside the school anymore," Hagrid said, leading the skrewt over to its companions.
"What are these fascinating creatures called?" Rita asked, ignoring Hagrid's question and beaming wider.
"Blast ended skrewts."
"Really?" Rita said, suspiciously interested. "I've never heard of them before... where did they come from?"
Annabeth didn't know much about the wizarding world, but Triple G Ranch had a bad reputation among the demigod one. She had to assume it was the same here.
"They're very interesting, aren't they?" Hermione said, thinking along the same lines and glancing at Annabeth for a second. "Aren't they, Harry?"
"What? Oh yeah— ouch— interesting."
"Ah, you're here, Harry!" Rite exclaimed. "And Annabeth, too. So, Harry, you like Care of Magical Creatures, do you? one of your favorite lessons?"
"Yes," Harry said shortly.
"Lovely. Really lovely." Rita turned back to Hagrid. "Been teaching long?"
Rita looked around, her eyes traveling to each of the students who had stayed out to help, all of whom were nursing small wounds. She looked at the window to Hagrid's cabin, where most of the class was hiding.
"This is only me second year," Hagrid said.
"Lovely... I don't suppose you'd like to give an interview, would you? Share some of your experience on magical creatures? The Prophet does a zoological column every Wednesday, as I'm sure you know. We could feature these... bang ended skrewts."
"Blast-Ended skrewts," Hagrid said excitedly. "Er— yeah, why not?"
Annabeth didn't like this. Hagrid was a good teacher, even if his tastes were a little dangerous, and RIta Skeeter was clearly up to something. She watched as he made plans to meet Rita in the village until the bell rang and the kids in Hagrid's cabin bolted.
"Well, goodbye, Harry!" Rita called as everyone set off. "Until Friday, then, Hagrid!"
Somehow Annabeth ended up walking next to Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
"She'll twist everything she says," Harry said quietly.
"Just as long as he didn't import those skrewts illegally," Hermione said, twisting her sleeves anxiously. "Would you know anything about it, Annabeth?"
"It wouldn't be legal," Annabeth said. "Triple G Ranch is known in the American Wizarding world to breed monsters and sell to dark wizards. The only reason it's still running is that no one knows where it is."
"But you found it, didn't you?" Hermione said anxiously. "You were there."
Annabeth shook her head. "It doesn't work like that. It's only been found through a magical underground maze. We weren't supposed to be there. We weren't even looking for it."
"Couldn't you use a map?" Harry asked.
"No. Did you miss the word magical? It changes. The walls move. There are only two ways to safely navigate it. One was destroyed, and the other is extremely rare. And the maze is collapsed now, anyway. Only the owner and his farmhand can get to it now."
"Well, Hagrid's been in loads of trouble before," Ron said, though he sounded like he was grasping at straws. "Worst that can happen is Hagrid'll have to get rid of the skrewts. Sorry, did I say worst? I meant best."
Harry and Hermione laughed. Annabeth smiled, but she wasn't sure what 'get rid of' would pass at Hogwarts. Annabeth wouldn't be surprised if it just meant emptying them into the forbidden forest.
***
Divination was interesting, to say the least. But honestly, when wasn't it? Annabeth knew enough about fortune telling to know that most of the class was nonsense. Trelawny definitely had a bit of a gift, but not much, and she played it up way too much. Annabeth wanted to introduce Trelawney to Rachel Dare. That would be funny.
For the past few weeks they had been doing star charts and dream diaries (which Annabeth had been lying in). Currently the class was listening to Trelawny lament the different ways Saturn could ruin your life. Annabeth hated to say it, but she didn't disagree.
"I would think," Trelawny snapped at a certain duo who wouldn't stop sniggering, "that some of us might be a little less frivolous had they seen what I had seen during my crystal gazing last night. As I sat here, absorbed in my needlework, the urge to consult the orb overpowered me. I arose, I settled myself before it, and I gazed into its crystalline depths... and what do you think looked back at me?"
Annabeth raised an eyebrow, smirking. Rachel would have a field day.
"Death, my dears. Yes... it comes, every closer, it circles overhead like a vulture, ever lower... every lower over the castle."
She pointed at Harry, who yawned.
Obviously, Annabeth believed in prophecies, because it would be crazy not to. But this was playing it up too much. Annabeth knew that prophecies and fortune telling always had dark subjects, but Trelawny talked about nothing but death and none of the double meanings Annabeth knew were a part of real prophecies. Nope, this was just death, plain and simple.
Trelawny looked more than annoyed, but she moved on.
***
"Potter! Weasley! Will you pay attention?!"
Annabeth looked up from her notebook. McGonagall was glaring towards the back of the classroom, where Harry and Ron were pretend sword fighting with a rubber chicken and a tin parrot. The boys looked up, blinking.
It was the end of class. The guinea fowl they were turning into guinea pigs (which sounded seriously complicated for a fourth year class) were safely in their cage, the homework was on the board, and everyone was packing up.
"Not that Potter and Weasley have been kind enough to act their age," McGonagall said as the head of Harry's rubber chicken dropped to the floor. "I have something to say to you all.
"The Yule Ball is approaching— a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open only to fourth years and above, although you may invite a younger student if you wish."
Two girls giggled, nudging each other.
"Dress robes will be worn," McGonagall continued, "and the ball will start at eight o'clock on Christmas eve, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. Now then— the Yule Ball is of course a chance for us all to — er— let our hair down. But that does NOT mean that we will be relaxing the standards of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students. I will be most severely displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in any way."
"So we're off the hook, then?" Vera said happily as the bell rang. Fortunately, everyone had just gotten up, and with the chattering of excited students and the scrape of chairs against the floor, McGonagall didn't hear.
"Potter, Chase— a word, if you please."
"Have fun," Vera said. She and Freddie went ahead, leaving Annabeth to approach McGonagall's desk. Harry joined her, looking gloomy.
"Potter, Chase, the champions and their partners—"
"What partners?" Harry said.
"Your partners for the Yule Ball, Potter," McGonagall repeated. "Your dance partners."
"Dance partners?" Harry's face went red. "I don't dance."
"Is this required?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes. and yes you do, Potter. That's what I'm telling you. Traditionally, the champions and their partners open the ball."
"I'm not dancing," Harry said.
"It is traditional," McGonagall said sternly. "You both are Hogwarts champions, and you will do what is expected of you as a representative of the school. So make sure you get yourself a partner, Potter, Chase."
"But— i don't—"
"You heard me, Potter."
Looking dejected and on the verge of panic, Harry left. Annabeth stayed behind, hoping to ask a few questions.
"About these dance partners," Annabeth said. "What if, in theory, a champion is not able to find a partner in time for the ball? What would happen?"
"You will find a partner, Chase," McGonagall said. "You should have no trouble, given your popularity."
"I wouldn't call it that," Annabeth said. "But that's not an answer."
"Your head of house would find someone for you to dance with. Is that enough of an answer, Miss Chase?"
"It is." Annabeth shifted her weight. "And what if I were to get a partner, but he lives across the ocean?"
"He would need to be physically here, Miss Chase." McGonagall was clearly getting irritated.
"Is there a way to get him physically here?"
"That would have to be arranged with your previous headmaster, Miss Chase."
"Right. Thank you."
Annabeth left with a very irritated McGonagall sitting at her desk. Freddie and Vera were waiting for her outside the classroom.
"What did she want from you?" Freddie asked.
"The champions are supposed to open the dance with their partners," Annabeth replied.
"Oh my god, partners," Freddie said, groaning. "Romance is so overrated."
"I wonder who I should ask," Vera said dramatically. "Who do i know?"
As if on cue, Daisy came barreling down the hallway and slammed into Vera, sending both girls crashing into Freddie, who crashed into Annabeth, who stumbled back a few steps and then fell, taking everyone down with her.
Daisy burst out laughing, which set everyone else off, turning them into a pile of snortling girls on the floor. People walking by stared, but that only made them laugh harder.
"Ok, seriously," Daisy said, wiping tears from her eyes, "did they tell you about the ball?"
"Yes!" Vera said. "Who do you think I should ask?"
"Oh, Draco Malfoy for sure." Daisy pushed hair out of her face. "You two have so much chemistry."
Vera gagged. "That's the grossest thing I've heard all week."
"Well, then you'll have to find an alternative."
"Ok," Vera said. "Will you be my alternative?"
"Wow, what an amazing offer." Daisy set her chin in her hand. "I'll have to think about that." Vera snorted, to which Daisy replied: "Of course, you idiot."
Vera let out a dramatic breath of relief. "Thank god that went well. I've been crushing on you for years."
"Really?" Daisy said happily, taking Vera's face in her hands. "I never knew."
"Aaaaaaand that's that," Freddie said, getting up along with Annabeth. "Should we go to dinner?"
"Yeah, don't wait up," Vera said.
Daisy laughed, kissed Vera on the nose, and got up, pulling Vera with her.
"Come on," she said. "Maybe they'll have chicken cutlets tonight."