The Thiskobert
"That was an awesome class. Did you see my button rise? It was great!" Hermione exclaimed with a huge grin.
"Yeah, good for you," said Ron sarcastically.
"You're just upset because your button blew up"
"I think you were concentrating too hard," Harry added. "What do we have tomorrow Ron?" Harry changed the subject before an argument started.
"Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, and History."
"I'm looking forward to Creatures. I want to know what Hagrid has this year." Harry said looking excited.
"You can't wait?!? Do you remember what kind of animals we've had to deal with for the past three years? I personally, do not want to know. I think I'd rather go to Potions again then have to be around those beasts." Hermione told them.
"You're crazy. The Geopoles weren't that bad." Ron said, a surprised look on his face.
"Oh Yeah! Maybe for you. They did not make a nursery out of your hair now did they? I think not."
"Well no, but they were better then most of the others. At least they were small. We didn't have to worry about being eaten or trampled."
The Geopoles were small frog/rodent creatures. They were a swampy brown colour when they were mature and neon yellow when they were babies. They were like chameleons; able to blend into any surrounding and even go invisible when they were threatened. Hermione really hated them. She hated them since she found one in her hair at lunch one day. It was already pretty bad but it got worse. When she went to the hospital wing after she had tried unsuccessfully to remove it herself. She learned from Hagrid that it had been there for almost a week and had laid eggs. Nobody could remove the eggs because they were invisible. Hermione had to wait until they hatched so they were visible. She had the eggs in her hair for almost three months. She never heard the end of it, especially from the Slytherins.
The three of them headed up to the Gryffindor common room to work on their homework before supper. It was the first day and already Snape had assigned an essay that had to be four scrolls in length and it was due by the next Monday. They wanted to do everything to keep on his good side so that they were not the next to be poisoned. The room was full of students talking excitedly about their first day. One of the major topics was DADA. Professor Fear seemed to have an unusual way of teaching all her classes, not just fifth year. She had told her first years off when they showed up to class with scrolls, books and quills. She told them she never wanted to see them again. She told them all they needed for her class were their wands and sharp minds (all the grades under fifth year were still learning to master their wands). She also informed them that all the tests in the class would be demonstration. She was turning out to be a students dream teacher.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron met up with Fred and George after homework and headed down to supper. Following behind them was Colin Creevey, with his ever-present camera, and his little brother Denis. They kept saying, "Hey Harry," "How's it goin' Harry," "Wait up Harry". Harry just smiled, gave them a small nod and kept going. When they arrived at the Great Hall they took their seats and started loading their plates. Half way through the meal the owls came with the post. Much to Harry's surprise Hedwig swooped down and dropped a letter for him.
"Thanks Hedwig," he told her and gave him some chicken off his plate.
"Whose it from?" asked Ron.
"Sirius," he replied. Sirius was Harry's godfather. He was convicted of killing Peter Pettigrew and a bunch of Muggles (non-magic people) just after Harry's parents were killed. He spent twelve years in the wizard prison Azkaban and escaped when Harry was in his third year. He was innocent and Harry and Hermione helped him escape with the help of a Hippogriff named Buckbeak. Sirius and Buckbeak were now in hiding. Where? Harry did not know. They wrote back and forth all the time. Sirius helped Harry through homework, girl trouble, trouble with the Dursley's, and other things that were much more important.
Dear Harry,
I hope you had a good first day. Buckbeak
and I have found a hiding place that is
near by so that they we can talk whenever
you need to. I want to hear all about your
first day. I'm looking forward to your owl.
Sirius
"What did he have to say?" asked Ron. Harry handed him the letter.
"I wonder how close he means," he said after reading it and handing it to Hermione.
"Close enough to give this letter to Hedwig. I wonder what would convince him to risk blowing his cover just for a simple letter like this," she said after handing the letter back to Harry.
"I don't know. I'll ask him when I write him back."
After supper they all headed upstairs to go to bed. When Harry arrived at his room he pulled up a chair at his desk and started to write Sirius back.
Hi Sirius,
I had a very interesting day. Snape poisoned a Slytherin!
He was in a wretched mood today. Trelawney told me I was
going to die again. We have a new DADA teacher. Her name
is Niobe Fear. She is teaching us how to do magic without our wands.
I didn't know you could do that. How close are you? And why did
you come to the school just to send me a hello letter?
I probably would have written you tonight anyway. Well
I'll talk to you again soon. Be careful!
Harry
P.S. Everyone says hi to both you and Buckbeak.
***
Transfiguration was good that day. Professor McGonagall told them that this term they would be learning how to transfigure other people into inanimate objects and then they would be learning to transfigure themselves as well. Everybody was excited and wanted to begin right away, but McGonagall would only do demonstrations for them. She turned herself into the tabby cat then taught them the charm they needed to use. Then she invited Professor Fear to the class. She had abilities that far-surpassed McGonagall's. She first transformed into a dog, then a mouse, a goldfish, and for her finally, a Hippogriff. She enjoyed a rousing applause from the class. Class ended with the students not wanting to leave but they were pushed out of the room anyway. They headed down to Magical Creatures.
On their way outside Harry asked Hermione, "how can she turn into so many things?"
"She is obviously an Animagus. It must have taken her many years to learn all that," she answered. "I thought you said there were only seven Animagus in the last century," Ron stated. "Yeah I did," she told him looking a bit annoyed for being questioned. "She was on the list." "What did they list as her animal? And the animal's markings?" asked Harry. "The animal was blank but under markings it said the animal would always be the same orange colour as her hair." They kept walking until they reached Hagrid's small shack that was on the edge of the Forbidden Forest talking about Animagus and the rules concerning them. When they saw Hagrid he was holding a large cattle prod. This was not a good sign. "What's that for Hagrid?" Harry asked him. "That herd of cows o'er there," he replied pointing to a large fenced in area on the other side of his shack. Inside was over a hundred cows. Way over. "I didn't know cows were magical," said Harry. "Their not," said Hermione. "Then why are they here?" "'Cause the Thiskobert needs 'em for food. Right now it's just a babe so it needs their milk. When it grows up I'll have to get many more cows to feed it." All the students present, both Slytherin and Gryffindor, had turned a sick, green colour. They thought to themselves ' What is so big that it needs so many cows to feed it?' They did not have to wonder very long. "Everybody follow me," Hagrid called over the voices of the students. They started walking very slowly behind Hagrid and his dog Fang. They walked in large groups, hoping that if they looked big enough the thing would not eat them. They followed Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest and up a very steep hill. At the top of the hill they reached a large fenced in area. There were many high trees within; some of them bent slightly due to the roof of the cage. Inside was one of the strangest creatures many of them had ever seen. It was the size of a full-grown buck moose (A/N: Really big for those of you who have never seen a moose). Its body was covered with soft cream coloured fur. It had the body and face of a small kitten. On its head were two small horns and there was a large blade type thing at the end of its tail. It had bright purple eyes. Its most interesting feature, though, were the huge, bat-like wings that came out of its back. They were covered with the same cream coloured fur as the rest of the animal and were so large the entire class could probably hide under them, including Hagrid. "This," Hagrid said pointing at the animal, "is a Thiskobert. She's about two weeks old now. Found 'er all alone out in this forest 'bout a week ago. Lucky thing too I wasn't sure what to teach you guys this year." He had a somewhat sheepish grin on his face. The class was highly amazed at the fact that this animal was only two weeks old. It was huge. 'I would hate to see her parents' Harry thought to himself. "For this year ya'll will be learnin' to care for the Thiskobert. Each of you will take turns groomin' and feedin' her," Hagrid told them. "I'm not getting in there with that thing!" Malfoy yelled. "There's no bloody way in hell. That big bastard will eat me!" "That's not true," Hagrid said looking a little downcast. "She's really friendly." "Then why don't you go in there," Malfoy challenged. "I will then." With that Hagrid unlocked the large gate and walked into the cage. The Thiskobert looked at him and yawned. "Here darlin'," Hagrid called holding out his hand. The Thiskobert slowly got up; looking more then a little bothered, and sauntered over towards Hagrid. When it got in front of him it sat down and licked Hagrid's hands and face. "I told ya she was friendly," Hagrid called to the class. "Come on in an' see her." The Gryffindors slowly walked into the cage followed at a distance by the Slytherins, who were hoping that if anyone were going to get eaten it would be Hagrid and the Gryffindors. The Thiskobert looked at them disinterestedly. The students creeped hesitantly towards her and started to pat her. She sat there quietly for awhile then opened her wings and flew into a nearby tree. Hagrid escorted the class out of the cage and back down the hill. "What's her name Hagrid?" Hermione asked Hagrid while they walked down the hill. "Um..... I dunno. Would ya like ta name 'er?" "Could I really?" Hermione was beaming feeling very privileged. "Why not." "Okay um..." Hermione deliberated for a little while then said "How about Chirico?" "Chirico? Yeah that sounds good." Hermione smiled and Hagrid addressed the rest of the class. "Class is dismissed. Tonight I want ya'll to research Thiskoberts tonight fer homework. Ya better do it to 'cause there is gonna be a quiz on 'em tomorrow." Groans echoed through the class and they all started back towards the school.
Tirzasnape: Thanx so much for r/r. So you really like it?!? That's awesome :). Thanx
again. Luv ya, Trek.
"That was an awesome class. Did you see my button rise? It was great!" Hermione exclaimed with a huge grin.
"Yeah, good for you," said Ron sarcastically.
"You're just upset because your button blew up"
"I think you were concentrating too hard," Harry added. "What do we have tomorrow Ron?" Harry changed the subject before an argument started.
"Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, and History."
"I'm looking forward to Creatures. I want to know what Hagrid has this year." Harry said looking excited.
"You can't wait?!? Do you remember what kind of animals we've had to deal with for the past three years? I personally, do not want to know. I think I'd rather go to Potions again then have to be around those beasts." Hermione told them.
"You're crazy. The Geopoles weren't that bad." Ron said, a surprised look on his face.
"Oh Yeah! Maybe for you. They did not make a nursery out of your hair now did they? I think not."
"Well no, but they were better then most of the others. At least they were small. We didn't have to worry about being eaten or trampled."
The Geopoles were small frog/rodent creatures. They were a swampy brown colour when they were mature and neon yellow when they were babies. They were like chameleons; able to blend into any surrounding and even go invisible when they were threatened. Hermione really hated them. She hated them since she found one in her hair at lunch one day. It was already pretty bad but it got worse. When she went to the hospital wing after she had tried unsuccessfully to remove it herself. She learned from Hagrid that it had been there for almost a week and had laid eggs. Nobody could remove the eggs because they were invisible. Hermione had to wait until they hatched so they were visible. She had the eggs in her hair for almost three months. She never heard the end of it, especially from the Slytherins.
The three of them headed up to the Gryffindor common room to work on their homework before supper. It was the first day and already Snape had assigned an essay that had to be four scrolls in length and it was due by the next Monday. They wanted to do everything to keep on his good side so that they were not the next to be poisoned. The room was full of students talking excitedly about their first day. One of the major topics was DADA. Professor Fear seemed to have an unusual way of teaching all her classes, not just fifth year. She had told her first years off when they showed up to class with scrolls, books and quills. She told them she never wanted to see them again. She told them all they needed for her class were their wands and sharp minds (all the grades under fifth year were still learning to master their wands). She also informed them that all the tests in the class would be demonstration. She was turning out to be a students dream teacher.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron met up with Fred and George after homework and headed down to supper. Following behind them was Colin Creevey, with his ever-present camera, and his little brother Denis. They kept saying, "Hey Harry," "How's it goin' Harry," "Wait up Harry". Harry just smiled, gave them a small nod and kept going. When they arrived at the Great Hall they took their seats and started loading their plates. Half way through the meal the owls came with the post. Much to Harry's surprise Hedwig swooped down and dropped a letter for him.
"Thanks Hedwig," he told her and gave him some chicken off his plate.
"Whose it from?" asked Ron.
"Sirius," he replied. Sirius was Harry's godfather. He was convicted of killing Peter Pettigrew and a bunch of Muggles (non-magic people) just after Harry's parents were killed. He spent twelve years in the wizard prison Azkaban and escaped when Harry was in his third year. He was innocent and Harry and Hermione helped him escape with the help of a Hippogriff named Buckbeak. Sirius and Buckbeak were now in hiding. Where? Harry did not know. They wrote back and forth all the time. Sirius helped Harry through homework, girl trouble, trouble with the Dursley's, and other things that were much more important.
Dear Harry,
I hope you had a good first day. Buckbeak
and I have found a hiding place that is
near by so that they we can talk whenever
you need to. I want to hear all about your
first day. I'm looking forward to your owl.
Sirius
"What did he have to say?" asked Ron. Harry handed him the letter.
"I wonder how close he means," he said after reading it and handing it to Hermione.
"Close enough to give this letter to Hedwig. I wonder what would convince him to risk blowing his cover just for a simple letter like this," she said after handing the letter back to Harry.
"I don't know. I'll ask him when I write him back."
After supper they all headed upstairs to go to bed. When Harry arrived at his room he pulled up a chair at his desk and started to write Sirius back.
Hi Sirius,
I had a very interesting day. Snape poisoned a Slytherin!
He was in a wretched mood today. Trelawney told me I was
going to die again. We have a new DADA teacher. Her name
is Niobe Fear. She is teaching us how to do magic without our wands.
I didn't know you could do that. How close are you? And why did
you come to the school just to send me a hello letter?
I probably would have written you tonight anyway. Well
I'll talk to you again soon. Be careful!
Harry
P.S. Everyone says hi to both you and Buckbeak.
***
Transfiguration was good that day. Professor McGonagall told them that this term they would be learning how to transfigure other people into inanimate objects and then they would be learning to transfigure themselves as well. Everybody was excited and wanted to begin right away, but McGonagall would only do demonstrations for them. She turned herself into the tabby cat then taught them the charm they needed to use. Then she invited Professor Fear to the class. She had abilities that far-surpassed McGonagall's. She first transformed into a dog, then a mouse, a goldfish, and for her finally, a Hippogriff. She enjoyed a rousing applause from the class. Class ended with the students not wanting to leave but they were pushed out of the room anyway. They headed down to Magical Creatures.
On their way outside Harry asked Hermione, "how can she turn into so many things?"
"She is obviously an Animagus. It must have taken her many years to learn all that," she answered. "I thought you said there were only seven Animagus in the last century," Ron stated. "Yeah I did," she told him looking a bit annoyed for being questioned. "She was on the list." "What did they list as her animal? And the animal's markings?" asked Harry. "The animal was blank but under markings it said the animal would always be the same orange colour as her hair." They kept walking until they reached Hagrid's small shack that was on the edge of the Forbidden Forest talking about Animagus and the rules concerning them. When they saw Hagrid he was holding a large cattle prod. This was not a good sign. "What's that for Hagrid?" Harry asked him. "That herd of cows o'er there," he replied pointing to a large fenced in area on the other side of his shack. Inside was over a hundred cows. Way over. "I didn't know cows were magical," said Harry. "Their not," said Hermione. "Then why are they here?" "'Cause the Thiskobert needs 'em for food. Right now it's just a babe so it needs their milk. When it grows up I'll have to get many more cows to feed it." All the students present, both Slytherin and Gryffindor, had turned a sick, green colour. They thought to themselves ' What is so big that it needs so many cows to feed it?' They did not have to wonder very long. "Everybody follow me," Hagrid called over the voices of the students. They started walking very slowly behind Hagrid and his dog Fang. They walked in large groups, hoping that if they looked big enough the thing would not eat them. They followed Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest and up a very steep hill. At the top of the hill they reached a large fenced in area. There were many high trees within; some of them bent slightly due to the roof of the cage. Inside was one of the strangest creatures many of them had ever seen. It was the size of a full-grown buck moose (A/N: Really big for those of you who have never seen a moose). Its body was covered with soft cream coloured fur. It had the body and face of a small kitten. On its head were two small horns and there was a large blade type thing at the end of its tail. It had bright purple eyes. Its most interesting feature, though, were the huge, bat-like wings that came out of its back. They were covered with the same cream coloured fur as the rest of the animal and were so large the entire class could probably hide under them, including Hagrid. "This," Hagrid said pointing at the animal, "is a Thiskobert. She's about two weeks old now. Found 'er all alone out in this forest 'bout a week ago. Lucky thing too I wasn't sure what to teach you guys this year." He had a somewhat sheepish grin on his face. The class was highly amazed at the fact that this animal was only two weeks old. It was huge. 'I would hate to see her parents' Harry thought to himself. "For this year ya'll will be learnin' to care for the Thiskobert. Each of you will take turns groomin' and feedin' her," Hagrid told them. "I'm not getting in there with that thing!" Malfoy yelled. "There's no bloody way in hell. That big bastard will eat me!" "That's not true," Hagrid said looking a little downcast. "She's really friendly." "Then why don't you go in there," Malfoy challenged. "I will then." With that Hagrid unlocked the large gate and walked into the cage. The Thiskobert looked at him and yawned. "Here darlin'," Hagrid called holding out his hand. The Thiskobert slowly got up; looking more then a little bothered, and sauntered over towards Hagrid. When it got in front of him it sat down and licked Hagrid's hands and face. "I told ya she was friendly," Hagrid called to the class. "Come on in an' see her." The Gryffindors slowly walked into the cage followed at a distance by the Slytherins, who were hoping that if anyone were going to get eaten it would be Hagrid and the Gryffindors. The Thiskobert looked at them disinterestedly. The students creeped hesitantly towards her and started to pat her. She sat there quietly for awhile then opened her wings and flew into a nearby tree. Hagrid escorted the class out of the cage and back down the hill. "What's her name Hagrid?" Hermione asked Hagrid while they walked down the hill. "Um..... I dunno. Would ya like ta name 'er?" "Could I really?" Hermione was beaming feeling very privileged. "Why not." "Okay um..." Hermione deliberated for a little while then said "How about Chirico?" "Chirico? Yeah that sounds good." Hermione smiled and Hagrid addressed the rest of the class. "Class is dismissed. Tonight I want ya'll to research Thiskoberts tonight fer homework. Ya better do it to 'cause there is gonna be a quiz on 'em tomorrow." Groans echoed through the class and they all started back towards the school.
Tirzasnape: Thanx so much for r/r. So you really like it?!? That's awesome :). Thanx
again. Luv ya, Trek.
