It wasn't until Harry entered care of Magical Creatures that afternoon that his feelings lifted. Hagrid was standing outside his cabin, beaming around at the class (which Harry unpleasantly realized they still shared with Slytherin), carrying a very large armful of blankets and mis-matched combs.
"Unicorns!" Hagrid announced, dumping his armload down into a crate nearby. "Dumbledore was up o'er in Ireland this pas' summer, an' he came across a group o' illegal Unicorn poachers. He rescued quite o' bit o' their babies, mind ya, but he just couldn' save the lot. The foals he brought back are still too young to go out inta the wild just yet, so he figured we could raise 'em a bit here until they are. Yer the on'y group that'll be carin' for 'em; Dumbledore doesn' want em associatin' with too many differen' people, see. So yer each gonna be assigned a unicorn to look after, and you best not go wrong in their carin for, mind. So follow me."
Hagrid turned and led the class around to the back of his cabin, where he usually grew pumpkins and cared for roosters. Now, however, all the pumpkins and roosters were gone; instead stood a group of about twenty bright golden unicorn foals, huddled together in a group in the corner of the paddock. Harry could hear Hermione whisper something excitedly into Rons ear behind him. He tried to focus instead on the unicorn foal closest to him.
"Now, Dumbledore's already informed me that you've already learned a bit abou' unicorns from a Professor Grubbly-Plank back in yer second year. But now you will actually be carin' for 'em yerselves. Ev'ryone into the paddock," he commanded, and the class began to clamber over the rough wooden fence. "Watch the fence, now, I still need ter add a gate..."
Lavender and Parvati were talking quietly behind him, pointing at the various unicorns. Harry suddenly heard the words "Ron and Hermione" in their conversation, and turned around.
"Yeah," Parvati was saying, "Ron definately doesn't deserve her. She's so pretty--wish I looked like her." Harry's heart raised a bit--Parvati didn't think Ron deserved Hermione. Good, he thought savagely, before reprimanding himself at his faltering loyalty to Ron.
"Now, yer each goin' to wander aroun' the pen, like, and then choose the unicorn that seems ter suit you best. Some o' them are males, some are females--the males have the beginnings o' horns on their forheads, you can feel the bump if you run yer hand down their face. Females horns won't grow in til a bit later. Alright, then, lets get started."
Harry began to walk around the paddock, looking at all the different foals. Should he choose a male or a female? he thought. He already had one female pet, after all, Hedwig; maybe a male would be the best choice. He was wandering around the pen, surveying possible unicorns, when something caught his eye. It was a foal, but somehow it seemed to be shining brighter than the others. He looked around. No one else seemed to have noticed the foals particularily shiny coat. Harry edged over to it through all the other unicorns (whose heads reached Harry's mid-thigh) and crouched down next to the especially shiny foal. He reached out a tentative hand and waited for the unicorn to make the first movement toward him. The foal eagerly butted its nose out into the palm of Harry's hand, and Harry felt a warm sensation spread throughout him as though he had just taken a big swallow of butterbeer. He ran his hand up the unicorns small head and felt a tiny, hardly distinguishable bump on the unicorns forhead. So it was a male, he thought.
Standing up, Harry waved Hagrid over. "I've found mine," he said, smiling for the first time in days.
"Unicorns!" Hagrid announced, dumping his armload down into a crate nearby. "Dumbledore was up o'er in Ireland this pas' summer, an' he came across a group o' illegal Unicorn poachers. He rescued quite o' bit o' their babies, mind ya, but he just couldn' save the lot. The foals he brought back are still too young to go out inta the wild just yet, so he figured we could raise 'em a bit here until they are. Yer the on'y group that'll be carin' for 'em; Dumbledore doesn' want em associatin' with too many differen' people, see. So yer each gonna be assigned a unicorn to look after, and you best not go wrong in their carin for, mind. So follow me."
Hagrid turned and led the class around to the back of his cabin, where he usually grew pumpkins and cared for roosters. Now, however, all the pumpkins and roosters were gone; instead stood a group of about twenty bright golden unicorn foals, huddled together in a group in the corner of the paddock. Harry could hear Hermione whisper something excitedly into Rons ear behind him. He tried to focus instead on the unicorn foal closest to him.
"Now, Dumbledore's already informed me that you've already learned a bit abou' unicorns from a Professor Grubbly-Plank back in yer second year. But now you will actually be carin' for 'em yerselves. Ev'ryone into the paddock," he commanded, and the class began to clamber over the rough wooden fence. "Watch the fence, now, I still need ter add a gate..."
Lavender and Parvati were talking quietly behind him, pointing at the various unicorns. Harry suddenly heard the words "Ron and Hermione" in their conversation, and turned around.
"Yeah," Parvati was saying, "Ron definately doesn't deserve her. She's so pretty--wish I looked like her." Harry's heart raised a bit--Parvati didn't think Ron deserved Hermione. Good, he thought savagely, before reprimanding himself at his faltering loyalty to Ron.
"Now, yer each goin' to wander aroun' the pen, like, and then choose the unicorn that seems ter suit you best. Some o' them are males, some are females--the males have the beginnings o' horns on their forheads, you can feel the bump if you run yer hand down their face. Females horns won't grow in til a bit later. Alright, then, lets get started."
Harry began to walk around the paddock, looking at all the different foals. Should he choose a male or a female? he thought. He already had one female pet, after all, Hedwig; maybe a male would be the best choice. He was wandering around the pen, surveying possible unicorns, when something caught his eye. It was a foal, but somehow it seemed to be shining brighter than the others. He looked around. No one else seemed to have noticed the foals particularily shiny coat. Harry edged over to it through all the other unicorns (whose heads reached Harry's mid-thigh) and crouched down next to the especially shiny foal. He reached out a tentative hand and waited for the unicorn to make the first movement toward him. The foal eagerly butted its nose out into the palm of Harry's hand, and Harry felt a warm sensation spread throughout him as though he had just taken a big swallow of butterbeer. He ran his hand up the unicorns small head and felt a tiny, hardly distinguishable bump on the unicorns forhead. So it was a male, he thought.
Standing up, Harry waved Hagrid over. "I've found mine," he said, smiling for the first time in days.