Disclaimer: we: Gibby, Winsey, and Stan do not own any of these characters, they belong to JK Rowling. Nor do we own the interesting birds in our story, they are are based on birds form Persian myths.
Anyway please read, review, and enjoy!
Part Three: September Surprises
The next morning, Harry rolled out of bed groggily. He hadn't gotten hardly any sleep the night before, and he was not ready for the sun to be up. Eventually, though, he got dressed and walked with the others to King's Cross Station. They caught the Hogwarts Express just in time, and found a compartment to themselves. Fred and George couldn't sit still for long though, and soon they were off in other compartments, scaring
first years with stories of the evil professors. Hermione was engrossed in her schoolbooks, because, as she said, "you can never be too prepared." Harry and
Ginny were very tired, but Ron was wide-awake.
"Hey, Harry, I wonder who the new Defense Against
Dark Arts teacher will be." he mused. "I hope Snape gets lost on the way to Hogwarts...what's your favorite flavor of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans..." Ron continued babbling on about various subjects, until finally Hermione told him to shut up.
"Excuse me, Hermione, but maybe I don't have to listen to you!" Ron said, sticking his tongue out.
"Well, if you could just stop talking for two seconds, maybe you wouldn't have to! I swear, I think you talk just to hear your own voice!" Hermione complained. Ron, quite indignant, got up in a huff.
"Maybe I'll find Fred and George. They're certainly having more fun than I am," he snapped, storming out of the compartment. Hermione watched him go with a
look that was almost regretful, but then she shook her head and buried it deep within her books.
"So, Ginny, what classes do you have this year?" Harry asked, attempting to make conversation.
"Um," Ginny looked up and blushed deeply. "Well, I have the usual, of course...then I'm taking Divination this year. I hope it's not as terrible as everyone
says it is."
"Oh, it is. Professor Trelawney is crazy!" Harry said. Then there was an awkward silence. Ginny seemed intent upon examining every thread in the seat she was
sitting on, and Harry was looking out the window.
"Well, anyway..." Harry started, then stopped quickly. He didn't know what to say. How come he couldn't just talk to her? He shook his head in disgust with
himself. "I am really useless," he thought to himself.
Ginny, meanwhile, was doing some thinking herself. She was very confused. Harry Potter had kissed her, yet now there was nothing but silence between them. Was it her move now? What should she do? Since she couldn't answer those questions, she went back to examining the threads. Really, they were QUITE interesting.
Both seemed relieved when the Hogwarts Express finally came to a screeching halt. Ron, Fred, and George had returned to the compartment, and all were more than ready for the Great Feast.
The Great Feast and the first few days of school went by in a flash, and before they knew it Ron, Hermione, and Harry were on their way to the first Care of
Magical Creatures class.
"Hey, guys, lets hurry and get there early so we can
talk to Hagrid," Hermione said, walking quickly. "I wonder what kind of crazy creature Hagrid has this year!" Ron laughed. Harry laughed with him until Hermione shot them both a reproving look. Then Ron pulled a face, and Harry laughed again. Hermione
scowled back.
When they got to Hagrid's cabin, they didn't see him anywhere. They could, however, hear him.
"Come on, me pretty, settle down. The kids'll be here any minute!" Ron, Harry, and Hermione followed the sound of his voice until they finally found him in the
back. When they turned the corner, all three gasped in amazement.
"Oh my gosh! What the..." Ron's mouth formed a perfect 'O'.
"Hagrid!" was all that Hermione could muster, and Harry just stood speechless.
Before them they saw a huge bird, whose wingspan must have been 6 feet.
It's wings, though, were not made of feathers, but rather they were bedecked with jewels, mainly rubies, from top to bottom. The jewels glittered and flashed in the sun. These wings were stunning beyond description. The beak, instead of being the normal color, was white gold, and its ocean blue eyes sparkled as if the bird knew more than anyone
supposed. Hagrid, was just managing to put the bird back in its cage when they turned the corner. All along the edge of Hagrid's fence were huge cages housing the magnificent birds. Hermione was the first to regain her power of speech.
"Hagrid, what are those? Where did you get them?" she
asked.
"Hi, Hermione, Harry, Ron. Nice ta see ya." He replied.
"Hi, Hagrid. Really, what are these things?" Ron asked, mouth still open.
"Well, I should wait till class starts...but these little beauties are Simurgs." He said, grinning widely.
"Simurgs?" questioned Harry. "What are Simurgs? I have never heard of those before."
"Wall, they were originally from Greece, but these here are from the mountains of eastern Europe. Thay're magical birds."
"Well, of course. This IS the care of MAGICAL creatures. But what do they do?" Hermione inquired.
"I'll tell ya all about it in class." Hagrid answered. "Right now, I gotta feed 'em before everybody gets here."
"We can help you," said Harry, as they watched Hagrid pick up an enormous bag of bird feed.
"Okay, but put a lot of food in thar bowls. They are just babies, and they need nutrients."
"Babies? They're only babies?" sputtered Ron.
"Yep."
"How is that possible?" he muttered, as he dumped a bunch of feed into a bowl. The bird looked up at him, and its eyes seemed to thank him. Soon the rest of the Gryffindors were there, as well as the Slytherins. Once again, they had to share this
class with them, and Harry dreaded it. Hagrid explained what the enormous birds were to the class, and everyone oohed and ahhed when he took oneout of the cage.
"These birds, thar wings have magical healing powers. They protect heroes, ya see." Hagrid mentioned.
"Oh, how convenient, seeing as we have a BIG hero amongst us!" sneered Draco Malfoy. "Harry, are you going to take one of these birds to protect you?" Crabbe, Goyle, and the rest of the Slytherins laughed. Harry just ignored them. He didn't want to get in
trouble so early in the year. But he knew he would get back at them. The question was, how?
After Care of Magical Creatures was over, Ron, Hermione, and Harry walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Ron and Harry were discussing the problem
of the Gryffindor Keeper for the Quidditch team.
"What are we going to do? The team needs to start practicing, especially if they have to train a new Keeper," commented Ron.
"Ron, why don't you try out for Keeper? You would be great, don't you think Hermione?" Harry asked, looking over at her.
"Sure, Ron! You've always wanted to be on the Quidditch team," she said.
"Nah, I'm no good. I'd really rather not," he answered, looking at the ground. Secretly, he wanted
desperately to be on the team and he was pleased, for some reason unbeknownst to him, Hermione thought he might have a chance. He had wanted to be on the team since he was a first year. But he knew he had no chance.
"Ron! Come on, you would be great...Aww, you know you want to.." Harry spoke convincingly, but Ron was still resisting when they got to the Common Room.
Ginny was inside, sitting on one of the couches studying. Ron snickered when he saw her, and looked at Harry amusedly.
"Hey, Harry, are you going to give Ginny a hello
kiss?" he laughed. Harry hit him on the arm and went up to his dorm rather quickly,
passing by Ginny with a muttered 'hi'. Ron and Hermione sat down with Ginny, and they all started talking about school. Ron mentioned that there had been a Quidditch match between Bulgaria and the United States the previous week.
"Did you watch it, Hermione? Looking for your precious Vicky?" Ron said slyly.
Hermione started to reply, but the answer was stuck in her throat. Ginny threw a warning glance at Ron, who ignored her.
"I noticed he didn't play yesterday. Why was that? Was he crying because you weren't there to cheer him on?" Ron goaded her.
"NO! Gosh, why can't you just SHUT UP RON!" Hermione practically screamed at him.
"Now, now, no need to be so touchy! Gee, what stirred YOUR pot?" Ron looked a bit surprised at her outburst.
"Well, you would be touchy too, Ron, if your friend had just d...." Ginny clapped her hand over her mouth and ran upstairs.
"What? If my friend had what? What is she talking about Hermione?" Ron asked, looking confused.
"RON!" screamed Hermione exasperatingly. Then she suddenly grew quiet. Hermione took a deep and shuddering breath "Victor...he, he died. He was at Quidditch practice this summer and one of the Beaters accidentally hit a Bludger really hard at his head. He was in a coma and then..." her voice trailed off as tears streamed down her cheek
"Oh." was all Ron said. His ears turned red from embarrassment. "Gosh, I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't know. I just thought Vicky...I mean Victor...was, well, I
don't know. But I'm really sorry." Hermione didn't answer, but just ran upstairs wiping her eyes.
Ron sat there in the common room feeling as though some one had dropped stones into his stomach. Suddenly Fred and George walked in.
"Well, there he is now!" exclaimed Fred.
"The new Gryffindor Keeper!" George added.
"What?" Ron got up excitedly, Hermione forgotten. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, we were talking to the other members of the team," Fred started.
"...and McGonagall..."said George.
"...and they all thought you would be a great Keeper!" Fred finished. "Practice starts tomorrow. Be there."
Fred and George ran upstairs to tell Harry about practice, leaving Ron to dance a little jig on the carpet. He could hardly believe his ears. Gryffindor
Keeper! Wow!
Upstairs, Hermione was thinking about Victor...and Ron. Much as Ron annoyed her, he had been really sweet when he apologized. She knew she shouldn't be crying over
Victor, but his death had just been so unexpected. And his funeral had been so awful, his whole family grieving. Who would have though that Victor Krum, Victor Krum, could day in a Quidditch practice?
Harry was thinking about Ginny. He wished things would just go back to normal. No really he wanted for else Ginny tell him what he should do. He was so confused. Plus, those creatures of Hagrid's were weighing on his mind. He was sure that there was something more to them than Hagrid had said...
A/N~ sorry if you guys like Krum, but we feel he's evil and we just didn't want him to ruin things that will be happening later. Please review this and part 4 should be up soon.
Thanx and have a great day!
Anyway please read, review, and enjoy!
Part Three: September Surprises
The next morning, Harry rolled out of bed groggily. He hadn't gotten hardly any sleep the night before, and he was not ready for the sun to be up. Eventually, though, he got dressed and walked with the others to King's Cross Station. They caught the Hogwarts Express just in time, and found a compartment to themselves. Fred and George couldn't sit still for long though, and soon they were off in other compartments, scaring
first years with stories of the evil professors. Hermione was engrossed in her schoolbooks, because, as she said, "you can never be too prepared." Harry and
Ginny were very tired, but Ron was wide-awake.
"Hey, Harry, I wonder who the new Defense Against
Dark Arts teacher will be." he mused. "I hope Snape gets lost on the way to Hogwarts...what's your favorite flavor of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans..." Ron continued babbling on about various subjects, until finally Hermione told him to shut up.
"Excuse me, Hermione, but maybe I don't have to listen to you!" Ron said, sticking his tongue out.
"Well, if you could just stop talking for two seconds, maybe you wouldn't have to! I swear, I think you talk just to hear your own voice!" Hermione complained. Ron, quite indignant, got up in a huff.
"Maybe I'll find Fred and George. They're certainly having more fun than I am," he snapped, storming out of the compartment. Hermione watched him go with a
look that was almost regretful, but then she shook her head and buried it deep within her books.
"So, Ginny, what classes do you have this year?" Harry asked, attempting to make conversation.
"Um," Ginny looked up and blushed deeply. "Well, I have the usual, of course...then I'm taking Divination this year. I hope it's not as terrible as everyone
says it is."
"Oh, it is. Professor Trelawney is crazy!" Harry said. Then there was an awkward silence. Ginny seemed intent upon examining every thread in the seat she was
sitting on, and Harry was looking out the window.
"Well, anyway..." Harry started, then stopped quickly. He didn't know what to say. How come he couldn't just talk to her? He shook his head in disgust with
himself. "I am really useless," he thought to himself.
Ginny, meanwhile, was doing some thinking herself. She was very confused. Harry Potter had kissed her, yet now there was nothing but silence between them. Was it her move now? What should she do? Since she couldn't answer those questions, she went back to examining the threads. Really, they were QUITE interesting.
Both seemed relieved when the Hogwarts Express finally came to a screeching halt. Ron, Fred, and George had returned to the compartment, and all were more than ready for the Great Feast.
The Great Feast and the first few days of school went by in a flash, and before they knew it Ron, Hermione, and Harry were on their way to the first Care of
Magical Creatures class.
"Hey, guys, lets hurry and get there early so we can
talk to Hagrid," Hermione said, walking quickly. "I wonder what kind of crazy creature Hagrid has this year!" Ron laughed. Harry laughed with him until Hermione shot them both a reproving look. Then Ron pulled a face, and Harry laughed again. Hermione
scowled back.
When they got to Hagrid's cabin, they didn't see him anywhere. They could, however, hear him.
"Come on, me pretty, settle down. The kids'll be here any minute!" Ron, Harry, and Hermione followed the sound of his voice until they finally found him in the
back. When they turned the corner, all three gasped in amazement.
"Oh my gosh! What the..." Ron's mouth formed a perfect 'O'.
"Hagrid!" was all that Hermione could muster, and Harry just stood speechless.
Before them they saw a huge bird, whose wingspan must have been 6 feet.
It's wings, though, were not made of feathers, but rather they were bedecked with jewels, mainly rubies, from top to bottom. The jewels glittered and flashed in the sun. These wings were stunning beyond description. The beak, instead of being the normal color, was white gold, and its ocean blue eyes sparkled as if the bird knew more than anyone
supposed. Hagrid, was just managing to put the bird back in its cage when they turned the corner. All along the edge of Hagrid's fence were huge cages housing the magnificent birds. Hermione was the first to regain her power of speech.
"Hagrid, what are those? Where did you get them?" she
asked.
"Hi, Hermione, Harry, Ron. Nice ta see ya." He replied.
"Hi, Hagrid. Really, what are these things?" Ron asked, mouth still open.
"Well, I should wait till class starts...but these little beauties are Simurgs." He said, grinning widely.
"Simurgs?" questioned Harry. "What are Simurgs? I have never heard of those before."
"Wall, they were originally from Greece, but these here are from the mountains of eastern Europe. Thay're magical birds."
"Well, of course. This IS the care of MAGICAL creatures. But what do they do?" Hermione inquired.
"I'll tell ya all about it in class." Hagrid answered. "Right now, I gotta feed 'em before everybody gets here."
"We can help you," said Harry, as they watched Hagrid pick up an enormous bag of bird feed.
"Okay, but put a lot of food in thar bowls. They are just babies, and they need nutrients."
"Babies? They're only babies?" sputtered Ron.
"Yep."
"How is that possible?" he muttered, as he dumped a bunch of feed into a bowl. The bird looked up at him, and its eyes seemed to thank him. Soon the rest of the Gryffindors were there, as well as the Slytherins. Once again, they had to share this
class with them, and Harry dreaded it. Hagrid explained what the enormous birds were to the class, and everyone oohed and ahhed when he took oneout of the cage.
"These birds, thar wings have magical healing powers. They protect heroes, ya see." Hagrid mentioned.
"Oh, how convenient, seeing as we have a BIG hero amongst us!" sneered Draco Malfoy. "Harry, are you going to take one of these birds to protect you?" Crabbe, Goyle, and the rest of the Slytherins laughed. Harry just ignored them. He didn't want to get in
trouble so early in the year. But he knew he would get back at them. The question was, how?
After Care of Magical Creatures was over, Ron, Hermione, and Harry walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Ron and Harry were discussing the problem
of the Gryffindor Keeper for the Quidditch team.
"What are we going to do? The team needs to start practicing, especially if they have to train a new Keeper," commented Ron.
"Ron, why don't you try out for Keeper? You would be great, don't you think Hermione?" Harry asked, looking over at her.
"Sure, Ron! You've always wanted to be on the Quidditch team," she said.
"Nah, I'm no good. I'd really rather not," he answered, looking at the ground. Secretly, he wanted
desperately to be on the team and he was pleased, for some reason unbeknownst to him, Hermione thought he might have a chance. He had wanted to be on the team since he was a first year. But he knew he had no chance.
"Ron! Come on, you would be great...Aww, you know you want to.." Harry spoke convincingly, but Ron was still resisting when they got to the Common Room.
Ginny was inside, sitting on one of the couches studying. Ron snickered when he saw her, and looked at Harry amusedly.
"Hey, Harry, are you going to give Ginny a hello
kiss?" he laughed. Harry hit him on the arm and went up to his dorm rather quickly,
passing by Ginny with a muttered 'hi'. Ron and Hermione sat down with Ginny, and they all started talking about school. Ron mentioned that there had been a Quidditch match between Bulgaria and the United States the previous week.
"Did you watch it, Hermione? Looking for your precious Vicky?" Ron said slyly.
Hermione started to reply, but the answer was stuck in her throat. Ginny threw a warning glance at Ron, who ignored her.
"I noticed he didn't play yesterday. Why was that? Was he crying because you weren't there to cheer him on?" Ron goaded her.
"NO! Gosh, why can't you just SHUT UP RON!" Hermione practically screamed at him.
"Now, now, no need to be so touchy! Gee, what stirred YOUR pot?" Ron looked a bit surprised at her outburst.
"Well, you would be touchy too, Ron, if your friend had just d...." Ginny clapped her hand over her mouth and ran upstairs.
"What? If my friend had what? What is she talking about Hermione?" Ron asked, looking confused.
"RON!" screamed Hermione exasperatingly. Then she suddenly grew quiet. Hermione took a deep and shuddering breath "Victor...he, he died. He was at Quidditch practice this summer and one of the Beaters accidentally hit a Bludger really hard at his head. He was in a coma and then..." her voice trailed off as tears streamed down her cheek
"Oh." was all Ron said. His ears turned red from embarrassment. "Gosh, I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't know. I just thought Vicky...I mean Victor...was, well, I
don't know. But I'm really sorry." Hermione didn't answer, but just ran upstairs wiping her eyes.
Ron sat there in the common room feeling as though some one had dropped stones into his stomach. Suddenly Fred and George walked in.
"Well, there he is now!" exclaimed Fred.
"The new Gryffindor Keeper!" George added.
"What?" Ron got up excitedly, Hermione forgotten. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, we were talking to the other members of the team," Fred started.
"...and McGonagall..."said George.
"...and they all thought you would be a great Keeper!" Fred finished. "Practice starts tomorrow. Be there."
Fred and George ran upstairs to tell Harry about practice, leaving Ron to dance a little jig on the carpet. He could hardly believe his ears. Gryffindor
Keeper! Wow!
Upstairs, Hermione was thinking about Victor...and Ron. Much as Ron annoyed her, he had been really sweet when he apologized. She knew she shouldn't be crying over
Victor, but his death had just been so unexpected. And his funeral had been so awful, his whole family grieving. Who would have though that Victor Krum, Victor Krum, could day in a Quidditch practice?
Harry was thinking about Ginny. He wished things would just go back to normal. No really he wanted for else Ginny tell him what he should do. He was so confused. Plus, those creatures of Hagrid's were weighing on his mind. He was sure that there was something more to them than Hagrid had said...
A/N~ sorry if you guys like Krum, but we feel he's evil and we just didn't want him to ruin things that will be happening later. Please review this and part 4 should be up soon.
Thanx and have a great day!