So, I've been getting asked about what happened to Hagrid and whether he is still at Hogwarts in this story. As such, I decided to write a chapter of a Care of Magical Creatures lesson to show him still at Hogwarts. There should be some chapters will class scenes anyway.
On Tuesday, October 11th, 1994, fourth year Gryffindors first class was Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid.
As Care of Magical Creatures was now compulsory, Harry, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Hermione, Parvati, and Lavender all walked down to the Sloping Lawns where Hagrid was waiting for them.
Hagrid was holding a cage that held eight birds. These birds came in four colors. Two of the birds were yellow, another two were orange, the next two were hot pink, and the final one was lime green.
"So," explained Hagrid, "Today yer going ter have a lesson that I gave the first year students last week. The creatures we are going to be handling today are gentle and easy to cope with and I thought this week I'd bring the older classes up to snuff on them. Harry, can yeh tell me what these birds are called?"
"Fwoopers," replied Harry immediately, "In fact, I now own a fwooper feather quill that Astoria got me for my birthday!"
"That is a very common use of fwooper feathers," explained Hagrid, "They are used as wand cores about once every tenth blue moon. But fwooper feather quills are as common as domestic housecats. Hermione, can yeh tell me why fwoopers are sold with Silencing Charms and why fwooper owners have ter reapply these Charms on a monthly basis?"
"While fwooper song is enjoyable, listening to too much of it can lead to insanity," answered Hermione confidently.
"That's right," confirmed Hagrid, "Now, at this nanosecond, There is a Silencing Charm placed upon the cage but not upon the fwoopers themselves. When the cage is upon, the birds will begin to sing."
"Let me guess," piped up Parvati, "Our task today will be to perform Silencing Charms on these fwoopers?"
"Yes," confirmed Hagrid, "Yeh'll each take one fwooper. Once I've opened the cage, yeh each need ter take a fwooper and put it in front of yeh."
Next nanosecond, Hagrid opened the cage, and everyone picked a fwooper. All eight fwoopers were loudly and happily singing away on this brisk fall day.
Harry picked first and took a yellow fwooper. Neville made his choice second and went for the lime green fwooper. After that Seamus and Dean snagged the two orange fwoopers. Then Hermione selected the remaining yellow fwooper. Parvati and Lavender both ended up with hot pink fwoopers as that was what was left.
"Wands at the ready!" instructed Hagrid.
Next nanosecond, Harry, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Hermione, Parvati, and Lavender all retrieved their wands from their right hand pockets with their right hands and held them in the prepared to use position.
"Yeh all know what ter do," grinned Hagrid.
Harry, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Hermione, Parvati, Lavender, and Hagrid all aimed their wands at their fwoopers and cried 'Silencio!"
Predictably, there was some variation in how successful the students were.
To no one's surprise, the best was Hermione, who had shut her fwooper up completely.
"Still the Brightest Witch of Year Age!" cooed Hagrid to Hermione.
Harry, meanwhile, was the next best in the class. His fwooper was now emitting only ten percent of its original volume.
"Harry," complimented Hagrid, "Yeh've gotten a lot better at magic this year!"
"That's because Ron's poor influence is no longer in my life. Ron had pushed me towards a combination of adventure, goofing off, and lazing around in my first two and two thirds' years at Hogwarts. With Ron out of my life and Hermione now my clear cut bestie, along with Ginny, I'm surrounded by better influences."
"I always thought yeh should be a great wizard," Hagrid reminded Harry, "Yer mom and dad were two of the best witches and wizards that Hogwarts ever knew. You come from good stock. Yeh actually seemed very interested in both magic and in learning when I first met yeh."
"I eagerly read through my schoolbooks in the month prior to coming to Hogwarts for the first time," explained Harry, "But when I got to Hogwarts, Ron steered me in the wrong direction. Fortunately, with my fake friendship with Ron by the by, I'm focusing more on learning again."
"It's great to see yeh more mature, Harry," praised Hagrid, "Sometimes cutting friendships is exactly what yeh need ter do if those friendships have become toxic."
Harry nodded vigorously.
To Hagrid's genuine shock, Neville was third best in the class.
Hagrid had assumed without even thinking about that Neville would be the worst in this class at this task. Neville had done alright with magical creatures before but had always struggled with a wand in his hand.
Neville's fwooper was now producing a mere twenty percent of its initial noise.
"Wow," Neville, said a clearly stunned sounding Hagrid, "That is indisputably the very best piece of wandwork I have ever seen from yeh!"
"That's because I actually have a wand that has chosen me now," said Neville matter of factly, "Using my dad's old wand wasn't doing me any favors no matter how sentimental gran was."
"That is why the secondhand wand ban is now in effect at Hogwarts," Hagrid reminded them.
Parvati and Lavender were mid. They had both halved their fwoopers volumes.
Seamus and Dean, meanwhile, had fwoopers in front of them that were as loud as ever.
"So," explained Hagrid in a businesslike voice, "The incantation alone is not enough. In order for Silencing Charms to work, you have to have a very strong yearning inside for the person, animal, or object in question to shut up. The stronger the desire, the better the result."
"If someone has a partially successful Silencing Charm?" inquired Parvati, "Would it be possible to reduce the noise level on the person, animal, or object in question further with another attempt?"
"Absolutely, Parvati," replied Hagrid.
"Is it common for people to need multiple steps when using Silencing Charms?" wondered Lavender.
"Very," answered Hagrid immediately, "Parvati and Lavender, you two both need to increase your desire and yearning. Seamus and Dean, you two both need to actually develop that desire and yearning. Everyone except Hermione please try again."
Harry, Neville, Parvati, Lavender, Seamus, and Dean raised their wand again and repeated "Silencio!"
This time, Harry and Neville quieted their fwoopers entirely.
Parvati and Lavender got their fwoopers down to fifteen percent each of the noise levels they had started out with.
Seamus and Dean had found the halfway point.
Without needing to be told, Parvati and Lavender performed the Silencing Charm a third time with the outcome being the complete absence of sound from their fwoopers after their third time though.
Seamus and Dean struggled a bit more. Their third attempt only reduced their fwoopers' amount of noise to forty percent of where they had begun. A fourth attempt got them down to twenty percent. A fifth try got them down to five percent. On the sixth try, they finally extinguished their fwoopers voices.
"Yeh were all able ter do it in the end, good job," smiled Hagrid.
"Lavender and I aren't really cut out for this sort of thing," acknowledged Parvati honestly, "We aren't very good concentrators."
"When yeh put yer minds ter it, you didn't have too much trouble. Needing three steps isn't so bad."
"No, "agreed Seamus, "Dean and I needed twice as many."
"We all succeeded in the end and that's what counts," said Neville calmly.
"Harry, Neville," cooed Hagrid, "I'm really proud of how much yeh've both improved."
Harry and Neville smiled at Hagrid.
"But as Hermione was the only one who successfully silenced his or her fwooper on his or her first attempt, she gets a prize."
Next nanosecond, Hagrid dug his left hand into his left hand pocket with his left hand and took out a set of plastic model fwoopers with one each in yellow, orange, lime green, and hot pink and tossed them to Hermione.
"Congratulations, Hermione," smiled Hagrid.
Hermione smiled down fondly at her prize.
The model fwoopers were very pretty.
It had been a very good lesson indeed.
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As this will be the last update to A Different Path before Thanksgiving, I would to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Happy Thanksgiving. Be safe everyone!
Much love from Arizona for all the support. Love you all-Michael. :) ❤️