Chapter 3
No particular Place to Go
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger were in the Gryffindor common room doing their homework and it was not going well. The three were in their fifth year at the Hogwarts School of Magic and Wizardry. Ron and Harry were doing their predictions for Divination and Hermoine was deep into Herbology.
"How does Trelawney expect us to do predictions without the crystal ball?" Ron groaned.
"The same way we always do it even if we have one; make something up. I can never see anything in that gadget anyway." Harry answered. "I've finished mine. I'm going to die again. She always likes that."
"Yeah?" Said Ron curiously. "How you going to kick the bucket this time?"
"I'm going to be shot, stabbed, beheaded, boiled in oil and drawn and quartered." Said Harry proudly.
"Ouch!" winced Fred Weasley who had just entered the room. "Geez, Harry, why do your divination reports have to be so boring? Couldn't you be just a touch more dramatic?"
"Take your tongue out of your cheek." Said Ron, " I like it."
"Say, Harry," said Fred changing the subject, "What do you hear from Sirius these days?" Ron's brothers, Fred and George thought it was the coolest thing in the world that Harry was related to a convicted murderer. They all knew, of course, that Sirius was innocent of the crime and was framed by Lord Voldemort's henchman, Peter Petigrew. Unfortunately, Petigrew had gotten away in their last meeting and had not been seen until Harry witnessed Voldemort's resurrection at the Tri-Wizard tournament. (See Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) Petigrew was the only one who could clear Sirius and until he could be found, Sirius would be a wanted man.
Nothing for the last few weeks." Harry replied. "To tell you the truth, I'm getting a little worried about him. I sent him a letter last week with a school owl. He doesn't want me using Hedwig too much because a great snowy owl attracts too much attention."
"Don't worry about him." Fred said. "Sirius is a smooth operator and he'll be fine. Even if he's caught, they won't hold him for long."
Hermoine looked up from her textbook, noticing Fred for the first time. "What would you know about being a smooth operator." She said with just a hint of tartness.
Ron threw his pencil across the room. "Nuts." He exclaimed. "I've had it with this. Let's go see Hagrid."
Harry and Hermoine looked up brightly. "Great idea." They chorused.
"A word of warning." Said Fred, "The fat Lady is taking a few days off and Sir Cadagon is filling in for her."
"Great." Said Ron unenthusiastically, "Thanks for the warning."
They made their way down the stone steps to the portal exiting the Gryffindor dormitory. As the painting swung out and they stepped through, they heard the voice of Sir Cadagon.
"Stand and fight, you scurvy dogs." He challenged. He was wearing full polished armor with his sword drawn and had his horse in battle gear as well.
"Oh shut up." All three said together.
"Sir Cadagon." Said Hermoine, "Are you expecting a war? I mean you look very nice but aren't you a bit, uumm, overdressed?"
"Prepare for the worst and hope for the best m'lady." The knight replied. "I shall be ever vigilant."
"Yeah, right." Ron snickered, "I'm sure the bad guys are quaking in their boots."
They walked through the great hall and down the stone steps exiting the castle. It was a beautiful early fall evening as they strolled past the Quidditch pitch and across the meadow to Hagrid's hut at the edge of the Enchanted Forest.
Hagrid was the Hogwarts groundskeeper as well as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. He had a habit on acquiring "pets" that most people would call terrifying monsters. In their first year, Hagrid had won a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon egg that he proceeded to hatch. When the baby dragon set his beard on fire, Hagrid reluctantly agreed to turn him over to Ron's brother Charlie Weasly. Charlie was a dragon specialist and took him to the dragon reserve in Romania. On the other hand, because of his fondness for magical creatures, Hagrid was on good terms with most inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest. These included, Centaurs, unicorns and an occasional Minatour, an unusual beast that had the body of a man and the head of a bull. Hagrid said that when going into the forest, one could not have too many friends.
"Oooohhh." Said Hermoine. "Look!"
She was pointing upwards. Harry and Ron looked in the direction she was pointing. High above them, they saw two large winged creatures playfully flying in circles and nipping at each other. One was jet black and the other gray.
"What are they?" Ron wondered aloud.
"They are pretty high up, but I think they are Winged Horses." Said Hermoine squinting at them. "The gray one would be a Granian and they are known for having great speed. He's just playing around because he could out fly the black one anytime he wanted to."
"Okay, Miss know-It-All." Ron retorted, "I suppose you know what the other one is too."
"Honestly, if you two would ever READ." Said Hermoine in exasperation, "It's all in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them. If it's what I think it is, that's a Thestral. A very rare breed of winged horse that has the power of invisibility."
"WOW." Said Harry, "I've got to get one of those."
"They are also considered to be bad luck." Hermoine went on.
"That would be right up Hagrid's alley." Ron chortled.
They came to Hagrid's hut and knocked. At once came the fierce barking of Fang the Boarhound.
"Ah, knock it off ya big sissy." Came Hagrid's voice from inside the hut. "Yer not foolin' anybody." The door opened and Hagrid smiled broadly.
"Great ter see ya." He boomed, "Come in and have some tea." Fang sniffed each of them and when he was satisfied he lay down in front of the fire.
"Hagrid," Said Hermoine breathlessly, "Wait till you hear what we saw."
"Hold on." Said Hagrid pouring each of them a large cup of his special blend of tea. Giving each one a cup, he sat down and said "Now, what's up?"
"As we were coming over here, we saw this black winged horse flying."
"Oh", Hagrid interrupted, "That would be Midnight."
"Midnight?" Ron said. "I know I'm going to regret this question, but you know this animal?"
"'Course I know him." Hagrid snorted, "He's mine."
"He's what?" said Hermoine stunned. "Hagrid, do you know what that is?"
"Hermoine." Said Hagrid, "I'm not yer care o magical creatures teacher fer nothing. Sure I know what he is. He's a Threstral. The rarest breed of winged hose there is and he can turn invisible. Winged horses are funny beasts. They'll take orders from anyone, good or bad. So it's important to keep them in the right hands."
"How did you come by him?" Harry asked.
"Same way I come by lots o stuff." Said Hagrid, "Playing cards at the Three Broomsticks. This fellow the other night was so sure he had me that he bet this winged horse. I got him. Five aces to a royal flush. That'll teach him to play with wild cards."
"Did you beat him so bad that he threw the other one in too?" Ron asked casually.
"What other one? What are you talking about?" said Hagrid obviously confused.
"We saw two playing around in the sky as we were walking over here." Harry said. "A black one and a gray one. We thought they were together."
'A Granian?" chuckled Hagrid, "Now don't I just wish. Them beasts can fly like the wind. Ya want ter see Midnight? I reckon he's done playing by now."
They opened the back door of the hut and went out to the paddock. Hagrid stopped in his tracks, astonished. There were two beasts in the paddock. The black one was a beautiful winged horse. The other one was gray all right but it wasn't a horse.
It was Buckbeak.
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger were in the Gryffindor common room doing their homework and it was not going well. The three were in their fifth year at the Hogwarts School of Magic and Wizardry. Ron and Harry were doing their predictions for Divination and Hermoine was deep into Herbology.
"How does Trelawney expect us to do predictions without the crystal ball?" Ron groaned.
"The same way we always do it even if we have one; make something up. I can never see anything in that gadget anyway." Harry answered. "I've finished mine. I'm going to die again. She always likes that."
"Yeah?" Said Ron curiously. "How you going to kick the bucket this time?"
"I'm going to be shot, stabbed, beheaded, boiled in oil and drawn and quartered." Said Harry proudly.
"Ouch!" winced Fred Weasley who had just entered the room. "Geez, Harry, why do your divination reports have to be so boring? Couldn't you be just a touch more dramatic?"
"Take your tongue out of your cheek." Said Ron, " I like it."
"Say, Harry," said Fred changing the subject, "What do you hear from Sirius these days?" Ron's brothers, Fred and George thought it was the coolest thing in the world that Harry was related to a convicted murderer. They all knew, of course, that Sirius was innocent of the crime and was framed by Lord Voldemort's henchman, Peter Petigrew. Unfortunately, Petigrew had gotten away in their last meeting and had not been seen until Harry witnessed Voldemort's resurrection at the Tri-Wizard tournament. (See Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) Petigrew was the only one who could clear Sirius and until he could be found, Sirius would be a wanted man.
Nothing for the last few weeks." Harry replied. "To tell you the truth, I'm getting a little worried about him. I sent him a letter last week with a school owl. He doesn't want me using Hedwig too much because a great snowy owl attracts too much attention."
"Don't worry about him." Fred said. "Sirius is a smooth operator and he'll be fine. Even if he's caught, they won't hold him for long."
Hermoine looked up from her textbook, noticing Fred for the first time. "What would you know about being a smooth operator." She said with just a hint of tartness.
Ron threw his pencil across the room. "Nuts." He exclaimed. "I've had it with this. Let's go see Hagrid."
Harry and Hermoine looked up brightly. "Great idea." They chorused.
"A word of warning." Said Fred, "The fat Lady is taking a few days off and Sir Cadagon is filling in for her."
"Great." Said Ron unenthusiastically, "Thanks for the warning."
They made their way down the stone steps to the portal exiting the Gryffindor dormitory. As the painting swung out and they stepped through, they heard the voice of Sir Cadagon.
"Stand and fight, you scurvy dogs." He challenged. He was wearing full polished armor with his sword drawn and had his horse in battle gear as well.
"Oh shut up." All three said together.
"Sir Cadagon." Said Hermoine, "Are you expecting a war? I mean you look very nice but aren't you a bit, uumm, overdressed?"
"Prepare for the worst and hope for the best m'lady." The knight replied. "I shall be ever vigilant."
"Yeah, right." Ron snickered, "I'm sure the bad guys are quaking in their boots."
They walked through the great hall and down the stone steps exiting the castle. It was a beautiful early fall evening as they strolled past the Quidditch pitch and across the meadow to Hagrid's hut at the edge of the Enchanted Forest.
Hagrid was the Hogwarts groundskeeper as well as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. He had a habit on acquiring "pets" that most people would call terrifying monsters. In their first year, Hagrid had won a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon egg that he proceeded to hatch. When the baby dragon set his beard on fire, Hagrid reluctantly agreed to turn him over to Ron's brother Charlie Weasly. Charlie was a dragon specialist and took him to the dragon reserve in Romania. On the other hand, because of his fondness for magical creatures, Hagrid was on good terms with most inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest. These included, Centaurs, unicorns and an occasional Minatour, an unusual beast that had the body of a man and the head of a bull. Hagrid said that when going into the forest, one could not have too many friends.
"Oooohhh." Said Hermoine. "Look!"
She was pointing upwards. Harry and Ron looked in the direction she was pointing. High above them, they saw two large winged creatures playfully flying in circles and nipping at each other. One was jet black and the other gray.
"What are they?" Ron wondered aloud.
"They are pretty high up, but I think they are Winged Horses." Said Hermoine squinting at them. "The gray one would be a Granian and they are known for having great speed. He's just playing around because he could out fly the black one anytime he wanted to."
"Okay, Miss know-It-All." Ron retorted, "I suppose you know what the other one is too."
"Honestly, if you two would ever READ." Said Hermoine in exasperation, "It's all in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them. If it's what I think it is, that's a Thestral. A very rare breed of winged horse that has the power of invisibility."
"WOW." Said Harry, "I've got to get one of those."
"They are also considered to be bad luck." Hermoine went on.
"That would be right up Hagrid's alley." Ron chortled.
They came to Hagrid's hut and knocked. At once came the fierce barking of Fang the Boarhound.
"Ah, knock it off ya big sissy." Came Hagrid's voice from inside the hut. "Yer not foolin' anybody." The door opened and Hagrid smiled broadly.
"Great ter see ya." He boomed, "Come in and have some tea." Fang sniffed each of them and when he was satisfied he lay down in front of the fire.
"Hagrid," Said Hermoine breathlessly, "Wait till you hear what we saw."
"Hold on." Said Hagrid pouring each of them a large cup of his special blend of tea. Giving each one a cup, he sat down and said "Now, what's up?"
"As we were coming over here, we saw this black winged horse flying."
"Oh", Hagrid interrupted, "That would be Midnight."
"Midnight?" Ron said. "I know I'm going to regret this question, but you know this animal?"
"'Course I know him." Hagrid snorted, "He's mine."
"He's what?" said Hermoine stunned. "Hagrid, do you know what that is?"
"Hermoine." Said Hagrid, "I'm not yer care o magical creatures teacher fer nothing. Sure I know what he is. He's a Threstral. The rarest breed of winged hose there is and he can turn invisible. Winged horses are funny beasts. They'll take orders from anyone, good or bad. So it's important to keep them in the right hands."
"How did you come by him?" Harry asked.
"Same way I come by lots o stuff." Said Hagrid, "Playing cards at the Three Broomsticks. This fellow the other night was so sure he had me that he bet this winged horse. I got him. Five aces to a royal flush. That'll teach him to play with wild cards."
"Did you beat him so bad that he threw the other one in too?" Ron asked casually.
"What other one? What are you talking about?" said Hagrid obviously confused.
"We saw two playing around in the sky as we were walking over here." Harry said. "A black one and a gray one. We thought they were together."
'A Granian?" chuckled Hagrid, "Now don't I just wish. Them beasts can fly like the wind. Ya want ter see Midnight? I reckon he's done playing by now."
They opened the back door of the hut and went out to the paddock. Hagrid stopped in his tracks, astonished. There were two beasts in the paddock. The black one was a beautiful winged horse. The other one was gray all right but it wasn't a horse.
It was Buckbeak.
