The Manticore
"Today we are going ter be doing Manticore's." Hagrid told his class. "Now these Manticore's tar said ter be the parent of the blast-ended skrewts we studied a couple years ago. Manticore's use der scorpion-like tail spiked with poisoned darts, ter strike der prey tat a distance up ter one hundred feet. Manticore's tar able ter eat der whole victim, bones, clothes an' all. From de spanning distance between each ear tar t'ree rows of razor-sharp teeth. But don' fret, little Bandit won't do nuttin ter yer guys. I just ask dat yer don' make any sudden movements." Harry, Ron, and Hermione all shot devastated looks to each other. They knew what kind of animals Hagrid was interested in, and from the description of this creature, they didn't really want to see what it looked like. Hagrid left to go into the forest and as he returned Harry noticed that a reddish-hairy creature, with a body of a lion, and a human face appeared. Harry also caught sight of the tail that this Manticore had that Hagrid had described. The Manticore gave a scream and Harry noticed that it had a melodious voice.
"Com'mon now Bandit, tis only me friends." Hagrid struggled to get the animal closer to his class. Each step that Hagrid took toward them, they took back. Then the creature's tail started to burn with red furry and Hagrid started to yell,
"Now don' yer be doin' dat!" toward the animal he calls Bandit.
"Uh… Hagrid, maybe you should let Bandit back in the forest, I mean he doesn't look too happy." Hermione tried to reason.
"NONSENSE! Bandit is really happy ter see ya guys, aren't ya Bandit? Yes you are, yes you are!"
"The big of is trying to kill us. He's a wackjob." Malfoy whispered to his gang. They all laughed and Harry shot back a dirty look to him.
"Oh shutup Potter, why don't you go ruin another greenhouse."
"Why don't you reveal what lies underneath your shirt?"
"Do you mean the thing we all like to call an arm?"
"Come on Malfoy you know there's something else which resides on your arm."
"Like what would there be Potter?"
"Maybe a tattoo of a skull with a snake going through it?" Harry pushed at Malfoy.
"Harry, back down…" Hermione warningly whispered.
"Oh great Potter, you got your girlfriend to come and stick up for you again, and if I were you I'd listen to her. You have no idea what type of things I choose not to do to you, but if you tick me off enough I might just—"
"Now yer see, Bandit is trying ter be friendly." Said Hagrid as the creature started to sniff out Neville.
"Hagrid maybe Bandit is just sniffing out Neville." Hermione tried to tell Hagrid.
"Ha-Hagrid, his teeth are scaring me, Hagrid." Neville moaned trying to remain as still as possible.
"Now don' make any sudden movements Neville, let it sniff ya out. See it likes ya!" Hagrid said as the creature started to now lick Neville's arm with its long tongue.
"Hagrid… Hagrid it's tasting me!" Neville shouted.
"Hagrid I think you better get that thing out of here, we all see what it looks like, so we got the idea, but now I think it's about time that Bandit go back to his home." Hermione reasoned.
"Alrigh' but I don' understand why ya guys tar so afraid of it. Com'mon Bandit." The creature now started to growl and showed all of his teeth in the process of doing so. Hagrid then yanked Bandit away from Neville, which was the wrong thing to do because it started going crazy. Bandit started to jump around in circles and kept attempting to bite Hagrid. Hagrid grabbed the creature around its mouth so it couldn't move. Then Bandit's tail started to light up fiery red again as Hagrid shook the creature around from it's mouth as he clicked his tongue against the side of his mouth. To everyone's surprise, Bandit slowly fell into a deep sleep.
"Sry bout dat. Well dat is how ter calm ol' Bandit down. Well its bout time ter goes back inside, so I'll see ya next week. Write six inches bout wha' ya guys learned bout me Manicore. Alrigh' bye."
"Hagrid," Harry ran up to the half-giant.
"Harry I'm surry, but I best be bringing Bandit back inter the forest before he decides ter wake up again, if ya know what I mean."
"Yeah, sure. See ya round then."
"Bye Harry, Ron, and Hermione."
"Bye Hagrid." Ron replied.
"Hagrid, I can't stand how we can't see each other anymore. I miss being able to come to your little house and having tea, we can't do that anymore. And now we don't even get to talk in your class to you." Hermione complained.
"Oh, Hermione, I miss yer guys too, so does GRAWP, he keeps askin' for Hermy, but I says, I says 'Oh GRAWP she can' be visitin' us no more,' but he don' stop wantin' ya. I's think dat once ol' You-Know-Who is gone, then we will be able ter talk like ol' times again. But yer best be goin' now, don' want ter make matters worse do we?"
"No…" Hermione mumbled back.
"Alrigh' bye then." As Hagrid said that, Harry noticed a little tear stream down from his eyes and into his bushy beard. Hagrid then turned around as he threw Bandit over his shoulder to bring it back into the forest.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at the school and then the forest and then at each other.
"Oh but Harry, it would be so dangerous, and we can't risk your safety." Hermione wined.
"Don't you miss GRAWP? And don't you want to spend more time with Hagrid? What's one more time going into the forest?" Harry fought back.
"Well maybe that's why Dumbledore doesn't want us to hang out with Hagrid anymore, he doesn't want us to help him with his animals. He doesn't want us to go into the forest. And besides Harry, since Voldemort can see through your eyes and read your thoughts, we can't go in there. He will know and send his closest death eaters to come and get you."
"Hermione I know how to keep him from reading my thoughts." Harry lied, for he could not completely do so, "And speaking of death eaters, what about Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyal?"
"Yeah I know, when they all clutched their arm at the same time you were feeling Voldemort's power through your scar… I don't believe that's just coincidence, and how they clutched the part of their arm that holds the other death eaters' mark. Harry what happened to you when you clutched your scar?" Hermione wondered.
"I heard Voldemort's voice, he did it purposely, I felt him kill someone, I don't know who, and he told me that he wanted me to feel what death felt like, and he was gone. I really felt the death, and the kill."
"Freaky…" Ron muttered, "Harry, why did the greenhouse react to your presence like that?"
"I don't know."
"Hermione?" Ron asked her.
"I don't know either."
"Well I can't think about anything personal yet, so I haven't been able to think of what happened and why. He doesn't want Voldemort to see the effect he's having on my life, or to read my thoughts for they could be a key to some plan he has to kill me." Harry told them.
"Well I guess we shouldn't go in the forest…" Said Ron disappointed.
"Of course we can't Ron! No matter how much we miss GRAWP or Hagrid, we should follow Dumbledore and not do anything stupid like we normally do. Come on, we should be getting back inside. Professor Moody isn't going to be too happy if we're late. I think if we all get the Patronous Spell down today we are going to start something new tomorrow.
Author's note: ok I know that this is the shortest chappie since like chappie one, but I'm kinda punished from the internet so I don't know when the next time I can update is but since I can now I wanted to make sure I got one on there, next chappie is def Quidditch Tryouts and Harry's first charm class. I will be giving a floppy disk to Dom to put on his website if it comes to that Hehe but I will have him post it on this one also. Thanx for the review Manikana, or something like that, Hehe, sorry I'm kinda bad with names, as u can see that Occlumency is spelt a million different ways and so is McGonagall. Hehe sorry about that but I think I got it straight now. The good thing about my punishment is now my chappies, after this one of course, are going to be probably a lot longer cause I'm not going to be constantly allowed on so u know, and then I'll be able to update like 5 at a time too, maybe not 5, but u know what I mean. So stick around and complain to me in Reviews, I get it I know I'm an idiot.