Disclaimers: See the first chapter.
Snippets From the Potterverse
Chapter 54 - Thestrals Run Amok
Hagrid had a problem.
The thestrals were behaving rather strangely.
All of a sudden, they were doing strange things. Hagrid began finding things like elf hats and faerie wings lying around the Forbidden Forest, marked with the distinctive bite marks of the thestrals. More than once, he had seen one of the thestrals fly head-on into a tree, shake itself off, and then continue on its way as if nothing had happened.
But strangest of all, they seemed to be entering the castle to mingle with the students.
(Mingle, or I'll mangle.)
Hagrid just couldn't figure it out.
Wha' d'yeh think would'a caused em to start actin' so strangely? he asked Fang one morning.
Fang merely thumped his tail on the floor and rolled over. Hagrid got to his feet and shrugged on his moleskin overcoat. Suppose I'd better go an' feed em, anyway.
But when he entered the Forbidden Forest and called the thestrals, none came. Hagrid called for at least twenty minutes, but nothing showed up. With a depressed sigh, Hagrid trudged up to the castle for breakfast.
He received a surprise when he entered the Great Hall. Thestrals were scattered throughout the Hall, eating people food! The main concentration seemed to be at the Gryffindor table, so Hagrid headed over there. He could see Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville feeding the thestrals their bacon.
Oi! What are all the thestrals doin' in here? Hagrid asked them.
Harry replied. They were already here when we came down.They aren't supposed to be eatin' people food!But they seem to like it, Ron said, holding his bacon up in midair. It disappeared almost instantly. It's fun feeding them, even though I can't see them.
Hagrid sighed. But it's gettin' a bit crowded in here.
To prove his point, a kid walking by smacked head-on into a thestral, and stopped, looking around in confusion to see what he had walked into. He backed away slowly, tripped over another thestral, and fell hard on his butt. Today's just not my day!!Face it, Hagrid, if you had a choice between bacon or dead cow carcasses, what would you choose? Hermione asked sensibly.
Hagrid said. Then he went to eat his breakfast.
