Chapter 3: Talons and tea leaves.
Chelbell2016:
Hope you enjoy it.
Selena's POV:
When Harry, Ron, Hermione and I entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, the first thing we saw was Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be entertaining a large group of Slytherins with a very funny story. As they passed, Malfoy did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter.
"Ignore him," said Hermione, who was right behind Harry. "Just ignore him, it's not worth it..."
"Hey, Potter!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl with a face like a pug. "Potter! The dementors are coming, Black! Woooooooooo!"
Harry and I dropped into a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to George Weasley.
"New third-year course schedules," said George, passing then, over. "What's up with you, Harry, Selena?"
"Malfoy," said Ron, sitting down on George's other side and glaring over at the Slytherin table.
George looked up in time to see Malfoy pretending to faint with terror again.
"That little git," he said calmly. "He wasn't so cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came runing into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"
"Nearly wet himself," said Fred, with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy.
"Too much information Fred," I say stabbing at my breakfast.
"I wasn't too happy myself," said George. "They're horrible things, those dementors..."
"Sort of freeze your insides, don't they?" said Fred.
"You didn't pass out, though, did you?" said Harry in a low voice and I look up wanting to know the answer myself.
"Forget it, you two," said George bracingly. "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been, he came back all weak and shaking... They suck the happiness out of a place, dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there."
"Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," said Fred. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"
The only time Harry and Malfoy had faced each other in a Quidditch match, Malfoy had definitely come off worse. I am also on the team as a chaser.
Hermione was examining her new schedule.
" Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today," Hermione says happily and I see we both have Arithmancy first.
"Hermione," Ron said frowning as he looked over her shoulder. "Did most of your timetable. Block they've got you down for about 10 subjects a days. There isn't enough time."
"I managed. I've fixed it all professor McGonagall."
"But look," said ron laughing. "See this morning? 9 o'clock definition and underneath, 9 o'clock muggle studies and-" Ron leant closer to the timetable disbelieving. "Look underneath that arithmancy, 9 o'clock. I mean I know your good Hermione but no ones that good. How you supposed to be inthree classes at once?"
"Don't be silly," said Hermione shortly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."
"Well then-"
"Pass the marmalade," said Hermione.
"But-"
"Oh Ron what's it to you if my timetables bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I've told you I sorted it out with professor McGonagall."
After a short talk with Hagrid Hermione and I split off from the others. I have a feeling I know how she is getting to classes but I don't want to betray that secret.
We head to Arithmancy, I enjoy the lesson and cannot wait till our next lesson.
When we get to transfiguration I am shocked at how quiet everyone seems to be after divination.
I also notice that everyone keeps staring at Harry.
I'm the only one who listens as professor McGonagall tells us about Anamagi and I am the only one who claps when she suddenly turns into a cat. I notice that her cat form has the spectacle shapes around her eyes.
"Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, turning back into herself with a faint pop, and staring around at them all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class. Is miss Dumbledore the only one paying attention."
Everybody's heads turned toward Harry again, but nobody spoke. Then Hermione raised her hand. Even I'm curious now.
"Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and -"
"Ah, of course," said Professor McGonagall, suddenly frowning. "There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"
Everyone stared at her.
"Me," said Harry, finally.
"I see," said Professor McGonagall, fixing Harry with her beady eyes. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues -"
I smirk this is why I had not taken Divination.
Professor McGonagall broke off, and they saw that her nostrils had gone white. She went on, more calmly, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney -"
She stopped again, and then said, in a very matter-of-fact tone, "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."
Hermione laughed and so did I.
Not everyone was convinced, however. Ron still looked worried, and Lavender whispered, "But what about Neville's cup?"
I roll my eyes not worried in the least. Professor McGonagall was right. This was nothing to worry about. Anyway I am too excited for magical creatures. I hope Hagrid and my mum's first lesson goes really well.
When the Transfiguration class had finished, we joined the crowd thundering toward the Great Hall for lunch.
"Ron, cheer up," said Hermione, pushing a dish of stew toward him. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said."
Ron spooned stew onto his plate and picked up his fork but didn't start.
"Harry," he said, in a low, serious voice, "You haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"
"Yeah, I have," said Harry. "I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'. "
Ron let his fork fall with a clatter. I shake my head at him. This is just stupid.
"Probably a stray," said Hermione calmly.
Ron looked at Hermione as though she had gone mad.
"Hermione's right," I say to him.
"Hermione, Selena if Harry's seen a Grim, that's - that's bad," he said. "My - my uncle Bilius saw one and - and he died twenty-four hours later!"
"Coincidence," said Hermione airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" said Ron, starting to get angry. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"
"There you are, then," said Hermione in a superior tone. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death! And Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better kick the bucket then!"
Ron mouthed wordlessly at Hermione, who opened her bag, took out her new Arithmancy book, and propped it open against the juice jug.
"I think Divination seems very woolly," she said, searching for her page. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."
"Why do you think I didn't take it?" I point out to my three best friends.
"There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!" said Ron hotly.
"You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep," said Hermione coolly.
"Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being bad at something for a change!"
He had touched a nerve. Hermione slammed her Arithmancy book down on the table so hard that bits of meat and carrot flew everywhere.
"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!"
She snatched up her bag and stalked away. I send a quick smile the boys way and then follow her. I can see there confused expressions.
"Hermione," I say and she slows down. "You know when Ron has his mind set on something he does not let go of it that easy. He will eventually forget all about it."
She nods and we head out to get some fresh air. At least this way we are close to Hagrid's place when we head down for his lesson.
I wonder what exciting creature we will be learning about today.
Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other. Harry and I walked beside them in silence as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when they spotted three only-too- familiar backs ahead of them that she realized they must be having these lessons with the Slytherins. Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. I was quite sure I knew what they were talking about.
Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boar-hound at his heels, looking impatient to start. Mum was at his side.
"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, I thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest; I had had had enough unpleasant experiences in there to last me a lifetime. 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 as mum smiled around at all of us. "That's it - make sure yeh can see - now, firs' thing ye'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. Other people took theirs out too; some, like Harry, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.
I pull mine out which I had wrapped a belt around to keep its jaws shut.
"Hasn' - hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.
The class all shook their heads.
"Ye've got ter stroke 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "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!" Malfoy sneered. "We should have stroked them! why didn't we guess!"
"I - I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione and I.
"Oh, tremendously funny!" said Malfoy. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"
"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Hagrid was looking downcast and Harry wanted Hagrid's first lesson to be a success.
"Mr. Malfoy," my mum says and Malfoy turns to her. "I suggest you remember that Professor Hagrid is to be treated with respect. That is unless of course you want Slytherin to loose out on points."
He does not say anything and I try not to laugh as Hagrid looks a little happier.
"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.
"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 repeated.
"Careful, Potter, there's a dementor behind you
"Oooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing toward the opposite side of the paddock.
Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry had ever seen. 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-coloured 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, and my mum who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures.
"Gee 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.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"
I could sort of see what Hagrid meant. Once you got over the first shock of seeing something that was, half horse, half bird, you started to appreciate the hippogriffs' 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, Ron, Hermione and I, however, approached the fence cautiously.
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know about' 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 I had a nasty feeling they were plotting how best to disrupt the lesson. This annoyed me.
"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 get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt.
"Right - who wants ter go first?"
Most of the class backed farther away in answer. Even Harry, Ron Hermione, and I had misgivings. The hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.
"No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look.
"I'll do it," said Harry.
"So will I," I say to them.
There was an intake of breath from behind him, and both Lavender and Parvati whispered, "Oooh, no, Harry, remember your tea leaves!"
Harry ignored them. Together we climbed over the paddock fence.
"Good man, Harry and Selena!" roared Hagrid. "Right then - let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak. Ana can you work with Selena and Ginger!"
He untied one of the chains, pulled the gray hippogriff away from its fellows, and slipped off its leather collar. Mum did the same with the chestnut one.
The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath. Malfoy's eyes were narrowed maliciously.
"Easy now, Selena," mum says quietly as we work a little away from Harry and Hagrid. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink... Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much..."
My eyes begin to water as I force them to stay open. Ginger sharply turned her head to stare gazingly at me.
"Now Selena you need to bow," my mum informs me.
Nervous but knowing my mother will not let anything happen to me. I bow as low as I can and then look up. After a second of gazing at me Ginger bends low into a bow.
"Well done Selena," my mum says. "Now she should let you pat her. If you slowly walk towards her."
I do as I am told and slowly approach. I pat her beak a few times.
"Now for the fun part," she says and I don't like her tone of voice. "Ginger will let you ride her now."
"Excuse me," I say but Hagrid is suddenly lifting me into his arms.
Before I know it I am on the back of the hippogriff.
"Whatever you do don't pull on her feathers," mum whispers.
I only have a second to grab her around the neck before Hagrid slaps her hind quarters and she takes off.
Without warning, twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of me. It was nothing like a broomstick, and I know which one I prefer; the hippogriff's wings beat uncomfortably on either side of me , catching him under his legs and making me feel like I was about to be thrown off; the glossy feathers slipped under my fingers and I didn't dare get a stronger grip; instead of the smooth action of my Nimbus Two Thousand, I now felt myself rocking backward and forward as the hindquarters of the hippogriff rose and fell with its wings.
Ginger flew me once around the paddock and I see that Harry is also flying at the same time as me. As we head back towards the ground I begin to panic. I leaned back and closed my eyes. But before I knew it I was back on the ground.
"Good work, Harry and Selena!" roared Hagrid as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle cheered. "Okay, who else wants a go?"
Emboldened by Harry's and my 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. Neville ran repeatedly backward from his, which didn't seem to want to bend its knees. Ron and Hermione practised on Ginger, while Harry and I watched.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful.
"This is very easy," Malfoy drawled, loud enough for Harry and I to, hear him. "I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it... I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" he said to the hippogriff. "Are you, you great ugly brute?"
It happened in a flash of steely talons; Malfoy let out a high-pitched scream and next moment, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as mum raced to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes.
"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled as the class panicked. "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!"
"Yer not dyin'!" said Hagrid, who had gone very white. "Someone help me - gotta get him outta here -"
Hermione ran to hold open the gate as Hagrid lifted Malfoy easily, mum ha taken a cloth and is now putting pressure on the wound As they passed, Harry and I saw that there was a long, deep gash on Malfoy's arm; blood splattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, up the slope toward the castle.
Very shaken, the Care of Magical Creatures class followed at a walk. The Slytherins were all shouting about Hagrid.
"They should fire him straight away!" said Pansy Parkinson, who was in tears.
"It was Malfoy's fault!" snapped Dean Thomas. Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles threateningly.
They all climbed the stone steps into the deserted entrance hall.
"I'm going to see if he's okay!" said Pansy, and they all watched her run up the marble staircase. The Slytherins, still muttering about Hagrid, headed away in the direction of their dungeon common room; Harry, Ron, Hermione and I proceeded upstairs to Gryffindor Tower.
"You think he'll be all right?" said Hermione nervously.
"Course he will. Madam Pomfrey can mend cuts in about a second," said Harry, who had had far worse injuries mended magically by the nurse.
"That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid's first class, though, wasn't it?" said Ron, looking worried. "Trust Malfoy to mess things up for him..."
They were among the first to reach the Great Hall at dinnertime, hoping to see Hagrid, but he wasn't there.
"They wouldn't fire him, would they?" said Hermione anxiously, not touching her steak-and- kidney pudding.
"They'd better not," said Ron, who wasn't eating either.
"Well, you can't say it wasn't an interesting first day back," said Ron gloomily.
They went up to the crowded Gryffindor common room after dinner and tried to do the homework Professor McGonagall had given them, but all three of them kept breaking off and glancing Out of the tower window.
"There's a light on in Hagrid's window," Harry said suddenly.
Ron looked at his watch.
"If we hurried, we could go down and see him. It's still quite early..."
I don't know," Hermione said slowly, and I saw her glance at Harry.
"I'm allowed to walk across the grounds, " he said Pointedly. "Sirius Black hasn't got past the dementors yet, has he?"
So they put their things away and headed out of the portrait hole, glad to meet nobody on their way to the front doors, as they weren't entirely sure they were supposed to be out.
The grass was still wet and looked almost black in the twilight. When they reached Hagrid's hut, they knocked, and a voice growled, "C'min."
Hagrid was sitting in his shirtsleeves at his scrubbed wooden table; his boar-hound, Fang, had his head in Hagrid's lap. One look told them that Hagrid had been drinking a lot; there was a pewter tankard almost as big as a bucket in front of him, and he seemed to be having difficulty getting them into focus.
"'Spect it's a record," he said thickly, when he recognised them. "Don' reckon they've ever had a teacher who lasted on'y a day before. Ana is back in her quarters. Bet they'll make her full time now."
"You haven't been fired, Hagrid!" gasped Hermione and I at the same time.
"Not yet," said Hagrid miserably, taking a huge gulp of whatever was in the tankard. "But's only a matter o' time, i' n't it, after Malfoy..."
"How is he?" said Ron as they all sat down. "It wasn't serious, was it?"
"Madam Pomfrey fixed him best she could," said Hagrid dully, "but he's sayin' it's still agony... covered in bandages... moanin'..
"He's faking it, " said Harry at once. "Madam Pomfrey can mend anything. She regrew half mine and Selena's bones last year. Trust Malfoy to milk it for all it's worth."
"School gov'nors have bin told, o' course," said Hagrid miserably. "They reckon I started too big. Shoulda left hippogriffs fer later... done flobberworms or summat... Jus' thought itdmake a good firs' lessons all my fault..."
"It's all Malfoy's fault, Hagrid!" said Hermione earnestly.
"We're witnesses," said Harry. "You said hippogriffs attack if you insult them. It's Malfoy's problem that he wasn't listening. We'll tell Dumbledore what really happened."
"Yeah, don't worry, Hagrid, we'll back you up," said Ron.
Tears leaked out of the crinkled corners of Hagrid's beetle-black eyes. He grabbed both Harry and Ron and pulled them into a bone-breaking hug.
"I think you've had enough to drink, Hagrid," said Hermione firmly. She took the tankard from the table and went outside to empty it.
"At, maybe she's right," said Hagrid, letting go of Harry and Ron, who both staggered away, rubbing their ribs. Hagrid heaved himself out of his chair and followed Hermione unsteadily outside. They heard a loud splash.
"What's he done?" said Harry nervously as Hermione came back in with the empty tankard.
"Stuck his head in the water barrel," said Hermione, putting the tankard away.
Hagrid came back, his long hair and beard sopping wet, wiping the water out of his eyes.
"That's better," he said, shaking his head like a dog and drenching them all. "Listen, it was good of yeh ter come an' see me, I really -
Hagrid stopped dead, staring at Harry as though he'd only just realized he was there. Then his eyes widened as he spotted me.
"WHAT D'YEH THINK YOU'RE DOIN', EH?" he roared, so suddenly that they jumped a foot in the air. "YEH'RE NOT TO GO WANDERIN' AROUND AFTER DARK, HARRY OR YOU SELENA! AN, YOU TWO! LETTIN' THEM!"
Hagrid strode over to Harry, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to the door. He motioned for me to follow.
"Come on!" Hagrid said angrily. "I'm takin' yer all back up ter school, an' don' let me catch yeh walkin' down ter see me after dark again. I'm not worth that! And Selena Dumbledore be lucky I don't tell your mother."
Chelbell2016:
Please review.