On Friday of the second week of school Rubeus Hagrid returned to Hogwarts.
The Gryffindors had their first Care of Magical Creatures class with Hagrid
and the Slytherin fifth-years that afternoon.
"Imagine what kind of awful things he's brought back with him!" wailed Hermione.
"Charlie tells me that the colonies of giants up north train some really horrific beasts," Ron said worriedly. "Just the kind that Hagrid loves."
"Hey, Gryffindors!" Hagrid shouted as they trudged forth. "Hey, over 'ere!"
"He's got the Slytherins all by the edge of the Forbidden Forest," Ron said, perplexed. "And I don't see any huge dangerous beasts. And nothing's even on fire! What's going on?"
"It's good to see all yer smilin' faces again," Hagrid greeeted the class once they had gathered round. "I've been away for so long! I missed the lot o' yeh while I was gone, and I missed teachin' yeh. But don't worry, we'll soon catch up the time we've lost!"
"Fantastic," Malfoy muttered.
"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron hissed angrily.
"Ron, pay attention!" whispered Hermione.
"Now," Hagrid was saying, "unfortunately I couldn't bring back the terrific beasts I met this summer."
"What a shame," Dean Thomas and Malfoy murmured at the same time.
"Beasts like. dragons, for example." Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. Hagrid had obviously visited Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback during the summer. "But I did get permission from 'eadmaster Dumbledore to let us explore the wil'life in the Forbidden Forest!" Hagrid said brightly. "Aren' we lucky?"
The class mumbled. All the students looked glum.
"C'mon!" Hagrid boomed happily. "Into the Forest!"
And in they trooped. They walked along the path for a while, with Hagrid talking cheerfully over his shoulder as he led them through the trees.
"We'll be walkin' through this edge o' the fores' only, for today, checkin' out the wil'life an' maybe meetin' with a centaur or two."
"But they'll attack us," whined Pansy Parkinson.
"We'll all be killed in these woods," predicted Malfoy. "There are werewolves and all sorts of dangerous monsters in the Forbidden Forest.
"You're worried about werewolves in plain daylight?" Hermione scoffed. "They only transform in the full moon, Malfoy. Maybe if you paid attention to lessons-"
"I'd turn into a know-it-all like you, Granger?" Malfoy finished scornfully.
"Why, you slimy-" Ron began, starting forward, but Hagrid quickly stepped between him and Malfoy.
"Come on then," Hagrid said loudly, and marched off in one direction.
The class walked through the woods, examining the magical creatures Hagrid pointed out along the way: tiny, crablike Chizpurfles, fat rude Jarveys, pink bristly Horklumps, ugly little gnomes. Then Parvati gave a cry and pointed.
"Hagrid, look! A fairy!"
Sure enough, when Harry followed her pointing finger, he spied a small, electric blue light. A little blue fairy flitted through a patch of wildflowers, darting from flower to flower.
"Can we catch it?" Dean asked eagerly.
Hagrid burst out laughing. "Catch a fairy? Yeh can try if yeh like, though I doubt you'll be quick enough. Twenty-five points to the house who can catch it - that is, withou' sabotagin' the other house," he added warningly.
All the students took off after the fairy, who nimbly skipped out of reach and was off like a shot. Despite their best physical efforts and some stunning displays of athletic prowess, the students could hardly keep up with the fairy. Crabbe chased it into a briar patch and lost sight of it while he paused to pull the thorns out of his cheek. Seamus darted after it but forgot to look where he was going and collided with a beech tree. Ron spearheaded a three-pronged attack, in which Seamus and Neville went after the fairy directly from behind, Ron and Hermione ran at it from one side, and Harry, Dean and Lavender went round a copse of trees to head the fairy off at the pass.
Harry could run quite fast for his slight build. He swiftly raced ahead of Lavender and Dean, and was almost upon the fairy when he heard Lavender scream, some distance behind him.
"Harry! Help, help!"
All thoughts of fairies and house points vanished from his mind as Harry turned back without hesitation to find Lavender and Dean.
They had stopped in a small clearing, and Harry immediately saw why. A huge, twelve-foot-long python had Dean cornered, backed up against a chestnut tree. Lavender was up in the lower branches of another tree, looking terrified. Summoning his courage, Harry boldly stepped forward.
"Hey, you there!" he hissed at the snake in Parseltongue. "Get away from him!"
The python turned its triangular head and looked at Harry, giving Dean a chance to climb up into the chestnut tree.
"I'm hungry," hissed the python. It began to slither towards Harry. "I need food."
Harry felt panic rising in him. "Not me."
The snake made a peculiar hissing, spitting sound-a laugh? "I wouldn't eat a Parselmouth," it hissed, stopping a few feet away from Harry. "I couldn't. It goes against my nature. Snakes live to serve Parselmouths. You, you are our kin."
Harry wasn't sure how he felt about snakes trying to serve him, but he didn't say anything about it. "There are lots of Jarveys in the woods," he said. "But please don't eat any students."
The python looked round, and Harry suddenly became uncomfortably conscious of the rest of the class and Hagrid, gathered around the clearing, hiding behind trees. "Not even a little one?" the python asked, gazing at Neville.
"No! What are you doing in the Forbidden Forest anyway? There aren't usually snakes here."
"I am not native to these parts," admitted the python. "But I was summoned. Thousands of snakes were called to this wood by a Parselmouth like yourself."
Harry felt sick. He knew of only one other Parselmouth in the world. "What is the name of the other?"
"Lord Voldemort," the python hissed reverently, confirming Harry's guess. "Our Lord and master."
"You can't obey him," pleaded Harry. "What's he telling you?"
"He wants to kill the boy called Harry Potter," proclaimed the python. "He resides in the castle. Do you know who he is?"
Harry felt weak. "I'm Harry Potter."
The python was startled. "You? You are Harry Potter? A Gryffindor Parselmouth?"
"Are you going to kill me?" Harry asked.
"No! I can't. I am gravely sorry... We did not know you were a Parselmouth. Are you going to kill me?"
"What? No!" Harry was astonished. "Why would I do that?"
"Lord Voldemort would do it," the python said in puzzlement. "I confess that I am unused to lenience in a master. Lord Voldemort eliminates any servants who fail him."
Harry shuddered. "I'm not like him!" This statement came out a little stronger than he had intended.
The python appeared sympathetic. "I will warn my serpent kin. Rarely have two Parselmouths existed at once. Two master- which to obey? At times like these it is best for us to remove ourselves from either of your services. We will not risk discord amongst ourselves. But you must beware! For Lord Voldemort is not so compassionate towards beings similar to him- like you. He will send more of his servants to kill you. Good- bye, Parselmouth. Your life is spared-for the moment."
"Thank you," croaked Harry, weak with relief, and the python slithered away. The clearing was silent.
"Imagine what kind of awful things he's brought back with him!" wailed Hermione.
"Charlie tells me that the colonies of giants up north train some really horrific beasts," Ron said worriedly. "Just the kind that Hagrid loves."
"Hey, Gryffindors!" Hagrid shouted as they trudged forth. "Hey, over 'ere!"
"He's got the Slytherins all by the edge of the Forbidden Forest," Ron said, perplexed. "And I don't see any huge dangerous beasts. And nothing's even on fire! What's going on?"
"It's good to see all yer smilin' faces again," Hagrid greeeted the class once they had gathered round. "I've been away for so long! I missed the lot o' yeh while I was gone, and I missed teachin' yeh. But don't worry, we'll soon catch up the time we've lost!"
"Fantastic," Malfoy muttered.
"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron hissed angrily.
"Ron, pay attention!" whispered Hermione.
"Now," Hagrid was saying, "unfortunately I couldn't bring back the terrific beasts I met this summer."
"What a shame," Dean Thomas and Malfoy murmured at the same time.
"Beasts like. dragons, for example." Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. Hagrid had obviously visited Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback during the summer. "But I did get permission from 'eadmaster Dumbledore to let us explore the wil'life in the Forbidden Forest!" Hagrid said brightly. "Aren' we lucky?"
The class mumbled. All the students looked glum.
"C'mon!" Hagrid boomed happily. "Into the Forest!"
And in they trooped. They walked along the path for a while, with Hagrid talking cheerfully over his shoulder as he led them through the trees.
"We'll be walkin' through this edge o' the fores' only, for today, checkin' out the wil'life an' maybe meetin' with a centaur or two."
"But they'll attack us," whined Pansy Parkinson.
"We'll all be killed in these woods," predicted Malfoy. "There are werewolves and all sorts of dangerous monsters in the Forbidden Forest.
"You're worried about werewolves in plain daylight?" Hermione scoffed. "They only transform in the full moon, Malfoy. Maybe if you paid attention to lessons-"
"I'd turn into a know-it-all like you, Granger?" Malfoy finished scornfully.
"Why, you slimy-" Ron began, starting forward, but Hagrid quickly stepped between him and Malfoy.
"Come on then," Hagrid said loudly, and marched off in one direction.
The class walked through the woods, examining the magical creatures Hagrid pointed out along the way: tiny, crablike Chizpurfles, fat rude Jarveys, pink bristly Horklumps, ugly little gnomes. Then Parvati gave a cry and pointed.
"Hagrid, look! A fairy!"
Sure enough, when Harry followed her pointing finger, he spied a small, electric blue light. A little blue fairy flitted through a patch of wildflowers, darting from flower to flower.
"Can we catch it?" Dean asked eagerly.
Hagrid burst out laughing. "Catch a fairy? Yeh can try if yeh like, though I doubt you'll be quick enough. Twenty-five points to the house who can catch it - that is, withou' sabotagin' the other house," he added warningly.
All the students took off after the fairy, who nimbly skipped out of reach and was off like a shot. Despite their best physical efforts and some stunning displays of athletic prowess, the students could hardly keep up with the fairy. Crabbe chased it into a briar patch and lost sight of it while he paused to pull the thorns out of his cheek. Seamus darted after it but forgot to look where he was going and collided with a beech tree. Ron spearheaded a three-pronged attack, in which Seamus and Neville went after the fairy directly from behind, Ron and Hermione ran at it from one side, and Harry, Dean and Lavender went round a copse of trees to head the fairy off at the pass.
Harry could run quite fast for his slight build. He swiftly raced ahead of Lavender and Dean, and was almost upon the fairy when he heard Lavender scream, some distance behind him.
"Harry! Help, help!"
All thoughts of fairies and house points vanished from his mind as Harry turned back without hesitation to find Lavender and Dean.
They had stopped in a small clearing, and Harry immediately saw why. A huge, twelve-foot-long python had Dean cornered, backed up against a chestnut tree. Lavender was up in the lower branches of another tree, looking terrified. Summoning his courage, Harry boldly stepped forward.
"Hey, you there!" he hissed at the snake in Parseltongue. "Get away from him!"
The python turned its triangular head and looked at Harry, giving Dean a chance to climb up into the chestnut tree.
"I'm hungry," hissed the python. It began to slither towards Harry. "I need food."
Harry felt panic rising in him. "Not me."
The snake made a peculiar hissing, spitting sound-a laugh? "I wouldn't eat a Parselmouth," it hissed, stopping a few feet away from Harry. "I couldn't. It goes against my nature. Snakes live to serve Parselmouths. You, you are our kin."
Harry wasn't sure how he felt about snakes trying to serve him, but he didn't say anything about it. "There are lots of Jarveys in the woods," he said. "But please don't eat any students."
The python looked round, and Harry suddenly became uncomfortably conscious of the rest of the class and Hagrid, gathered around the clearing, hiding behind trees. "Not even a little one?" the python asked, gazing at Neville.
"No! What are you doing in the Forbidden Forest anyway? There aren't usually snakes here."
"I am not native to these parts," admitted the python. "But I was summoned. Thousands of snakes were called to this wood by a Parselmouth like yourself."
Harry felt sick. He knew of only one other Parselmouth in the world. "What is the name of the other?"
"Lord Voldemort," the python hissed reverently, confirming Harry's guess. "Our Lord and master."
"You can't obey him," pleaded Harry. "What's he telling you?"
"He wants to kill the boy called Harry Potter," proclaimed the python. "He resides in the castle. Do you know who he is?"
Harry felt weak. "I'm Harry Potter."
The python was startled. "You? You are Harry Potter? A Gryffindor Parselmouth?"
"Are you going to kill me?" Harry asked.
"No! I can't. I am gravely sorry... We did not know you were a Parselmouth. Are you going to kill me?"
"What? No!" Harry was astonished. "Why would I do that?"
"Lord Voldemort would do it," the python said in puzzlement. "I confess that I am unused to lenience in a master. Lord Voldemort eliminates any servants who fail him."
Harry shuddered. "I'm not like him!" This statement came out a little stronger than he had intended.
The python appeared sympathetic. "I will warn my serpent kin. Rarely have two Parselmouths existed at once. Two master- which to obey? At times like these it is best for us to remove ourselves from either of your services. We will not risk discord amongst ourselves. But you must beware! For Lord Voldemort is not so compassionate towards beings similar to him- like you. He will send more of his servants to kill you. Good- bye, Parselmouth. Your life is spared-for the moment."
"Thank you," croaked Harry, weak with relief, and the python slithered away. The clearing was silent.
