Hagrid's Surprise

Harry was spending his detention helping Hagrid. "Take these ferrets to Nellie-Beak, Harry, on'y don' ferget ter bow first!"

Harry nodded, turning a corner behind Hagrid's hut -- to find a hippogriff!

"Buckbeak?" he asked softly.

"Nah, it's his sister Nellie-Beak!" Hagrid's voice trailed round the corner. "Bow, Harry, don' ferget!"

Harry bowed; the hippogriff bowed back, and Harry brought her the plate of dead ferrets, which she began scarfing down eagerly.

After a few more chores, Harry went back to collect Nellie-Beak's plate. To his astonishment, Firenze the centaur was in the pen with Nellie-Beak, and he was mounting her with closed-eyed intensity! Harry backed away silently, a bit unnerved by the screaming-eagle noises Nellie-Beak was making.

Harry scampered into the cabin, looking a bit white. "Hagrid! It's -- Firenze, with Nellie-Beak!"

Hagrid jumped up suddenly, cursing under his breath, and took his crossbow and arrows down from the back of the door. "Jus' in case o' trouble," he muttered. He stepped outside, with Harry dogging his heels.

"'Lo there, Firenze!" said Hagrid. "I'd sergest you dismount, an' head back up ter the castle!"

"But Hagrid," said Firenze, panting, "You told me that Bane, new Sheriff of the centaurs, has decreed that for want of enough females in the herd, centaurs should take to consorting with hippogriffs; and if I were feeling randy, to find myself one!"

"Aye, true enough!" said Hagrid. "But nobody said yer should dare ter make time with the Sheriff's gal!"

Firenze's eyes grew wide. He dismounted, bowed low, said "G'night, miss!" and ran for the castle. (He'd been living there teaching divination, since banishment by the herd.)

"Hagrid!" Harry asked, a bit ashen. "Do I want to know what the colts would look like?"

"Prob'ly not, Harry," said Hagrid, shaking his head. "An' ter tell yer the truth, I hadn't the heart ter tell Firenze he'd picked an ugly one!"

-End-