Guess who's back, back again?

Hello everyone, the Lonely Lorekeeper is here once more with another chapter of His Loyal Pet. I know this is a quick update, but that is because I've recently set up a new system for myself. Specifically, I've recently decided to write 1,000 words a day for each of my stories I'm writing right now. This means that—if I'm able to keep to this schedule, which is still questionable as it is writing 3,000 words a day, divided between three stories—I should be able to get new chapters out once a week from now on.

Also, because of this schedule, this story is coming out the same time as To Date a Metamorph's Chapter 12, and The Legends of Valeron: Into the Unknown's Chapter 2. TDaMM is here on Fanfiction, while TLoV is over on my Fictionpress account under the same name, and over on Wattpad. Go ahead and give them a read too—especially The Legends of Valeron, it is my passion project of the past five years and I'm so happy to finally be writing it at last!

Anyways, this chapter is the longest chapter I've ever written for damn near anything, so...enough jibber-jabber, and enjoy!

Chapter 7: Creatures

The second day back to Hogwarts began a fair bit calmer than the first day had. Harry didn't awake to his familiar trashing any more of his textbooks in an attempt to get him to take a different course, and he didn't have to try to convince Professor McGonagall to let him change his schedule. In fact, aside from Ron nearly having a panic attack as Crookshanks and Midnight both chased Scabbers around the common room—much to the amusement of Dean and Seamus—the morning of their second day was a surprisingly quiet affair.

At least, for the first half—the only real disturbance had been when Hagrid had ambled by their table with an invitation to visit him for lunch before they would go out for his first lesson of Care of Magical Creatures. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all eagerly accepted the half-giant's invitations, bringing a smile to Hagrid's thickly-bearded face, and the peace of the table settled back into place as they discussed their plans for the day.

That changed, however, during the back half of breakfast.

As Harry helped himself to a second helping of sausage and biscuits and attempted to ignore Ron's constant muttering of his and Hermione's cats being complete murder machines as he cradled Scabbers close to his chest, he got a strange feeling as though he was being watched. Frowning, he looked around, before noticing Professor Babbling up at the head table looking at him through her hexagonally-shaped glasses.

Harry stared back, and that seemed to be some trigger for the auburn-haired professor, as she quickly stood from the head table and, after excusing herself from the two professors to either side of her—Vector and Sinestra, the Arithmancy and Astronomy teachers, respectively—she began making her way around the head table in a hurried manner.

"That's odd," Harry wondered aloud, turning back to his biscuits and coating one in a strawberry jam. To either side of him, Ron and Hermione looked over at him in befuddlement.

"What's odd?" Hermione asked.

"Professor Babbling," Harry stated, gesturing with a nod of his head towards the front of the great hall. "She was watching me there for a bit—not like how Snape or Quirrell, or even how Lockhart would, but still…it was a bit odd…"

Ron frowned as well, and turned back to his plate of sausage and bacon before giving his friend a shrug. "It is a bit odd…wonder what she wanted…"

"I think we're about to find out," Hermione pointed out, gesturing to the end of Gryffindor table.

Harry and Ron turned to look where Hermione was pointing, instantly catching sight of the Ancient Runes professor walking briskly down the length of the great hall, alongside Gryffindor table, with Susan Bones following close behind. Harry sat a bit straighter in his seat as she approached—she had a troubled expression on her face, from what he could tell, and it made him a bit uneasy.

"Mr. Potter," Professor Babbling finally spoke, standing behind the trio of students, "I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time?"

Harry blinked and looked between the professor, Susan, and his friends to either side of him. Technically, he didn't have too much time to talk—Herbology was the first class of the day, so they would have to hurry off and grab the equipment they'd need for the class. Still, he had about a half hour before the class actually started, so…

"Uh, sure," Harry nodded, standing up from Gryffindor table.

Professor Babbling nodded curtly back to him. "Good, good—and don't worry about your next class, I'll send a message to your professor letting them know you've been momentarily excused."

With that, the auburn witch turned away and began briskly walking out of the great hall, gesturing for Harry and Susan to follow. Harry shared an anxious glance with the redhead beside him before he followed after her, ignoring the stares from the other students around them. Once out of the great hall, they began making their way towards a nearby set of stairs, and Harry quickly realized that they were heading up towards the Ancient Runes classroom.

Once inside the classroom, Professor Babbling hurried toward her desk, Harry and Susan following behind her a slower pace. "Do you have any idea what this is about?" Harry murmured to Susan, keeping his voice low.

Susan shook her head. "No—Professor Babbling didn't tell me anything other than to come follow her."

Harry frowned, coming to a stop at the front desk and looked back to Professor Babbling as she busied about. He felt something brush up against him, and looked to see Midnight perching on the desk beside him, blinking up at him with her bright violet eyes. Harry sighed and gently scratched behind her ears, making the cat purr softly. The sound rushed over him, and it eased his tension, though only a bit.

Looking back to the professor, Harry furrowed his brow in confusion and his hand petting Midnight moved a bit slower as he thought. If it had just been him, he would've assumed this meeting was about his sudden addition to her class, and perhaps her attempting to find a better solution. But with Susan here, that possibility quickly fell away—there had to be some other reason for why she was wanting to meet with them…but what?

The answer came in the form of Professor Babbling turning around at her desk and slapping down a stack of parchments that Harry recognized as the assignments from class the day before. The professor hurriedly flicked through the stack of parchments before pulling free a familiar sheet and laying it out before Harry and Susan, looking up at the two of them with as composed an expression as she could hold.

"This is your paper from yesterday, correct?" the professor asked, gesturing to the paper before the two of them.

Harry glanced over it quickly, recognizing his handwriting straight away—he'd been the one writing their answers down. "Yeah, that's ours," he replied, looking back to Professor Babbling.

Professor Babbling nodded back to him, adjusting the hexagonal glasses on the bridge of her nose as she did. "Well, then, I have a question for the both of you about that last question—"

"Oh, did we get it wrong?" Susan asked, worry flashing across her face. "I remember us having a bit of trouble with it when we got to it…"

"No, quite the opposite, actually," Professor Babbling stated, looking at both of them with an incredulous gaze. "And that is what is so surprising! The array at the end was one of my own creation. The array is supposed to create a barrier that grows stronger the more spells are thrown against it. It's rather advanced, so I tack it on to the end of my first assignment just as a baseline to see how much the students understand, as well as to show them just how complex these arrays get. I wasn't expecting anyone to translate it so correctly, and—"

Professor Babbling smacked the parchment, her finger jabbing at the final question and making Harry and Susan jump slightly in surprise. "I certainly didn't expect it to be a pair of third year students who've only just begun to learn runeology! You two are quite the pair, apparently."

Harry blinked in surprise. Of all the things that he could be called away for, praise for how well he'd done on an assignment was not one he expected that often. He certainly wasn't expecting to have done so well in Runes of all things—certainly, the notes from his mysterious dream woman helped here and there, but compared to Transfiguration and Potions, that help had been far more subjective, as he'd still had to do a lot of thinking himself. So, for him to have gotten it right, as well as for it to have been so difficult, came as quite the shock.

Susan seemed rather stunned as well, though her face quickly pinked as she replied to Professor Babbling. "O-oh, thank you, Professor—but, actually, Harry was the one that really finally solved the array in the end. I got about half of it done but got a bit lost in the weeds after that."

Once more, Harry blinked in surprise—though, this time, at the red-haired girl beside him. Before he could say anything, though, Professor Babbling snapped her attention to him. "Is this true, Mr. Potter? You were the one who solved my array?"

Harry stared back at his professor, her silvery-blue eyes staring at him with a mixture of bewilderment, respect, and scrutinizing curiosity. Harry blushed a bit under the teacher's shrewd stare, before finally nodding. "Uh, yes, Professor—after me and Susan worked over it together, I was the one who managed to connect the dots on what it was supposed to do."

From behind her hexagonal shaped glasses, Professor Babbling's eyes gleamed. "Well, then," the professor stated, adjusting her glasses as she looked back at them, "it seems you are quite talented in the runic arts, Mr. Potter. You too, Ms. Bones—even to get the first half translated is no small task, and I'm sure the two of you worked well off of each other in figuring this out. Ten points to both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor for teamwork and cleverness."

The two students were stunned once more—though, their surprise quickly shifted to joy and pride as they beamed back at their professor. Professor Babbling beamed back at them as well, taking their assignment back and filing it with the rest of their class's.

"I'm very impressed by the two of you, especially you, Mr. Potter," Professor Babbling suddenly stated, making Harry perk up a bit in interest. "I must admit, I was surprised to hear you were changing your schedule and picking up my class, but to see what you've been able to accomplish is truly impressive. Whatever made you decide to change and pick up Ancient Runes?"

For a moment, Harry thought of simply replying with 'my cat told me to do it', but realized saying so would be incredibly foolish. Instead, Harry shrugged and replied, "It just felt like a good fit—besides, I was getting a bad feeling from Divination."

"Hannah told me about that," Susan suddenly spoke up, looking to Harry. "Hufflepuffs have Divination the same time as Gryffindors, and she said Professor Trelawney is pretty crazy—and a lot of her lesson just had to do with doom and gloom predictions, nothing really fun."

"Such is the sentiment many students end up having before the year is through," Professor Babbling replied with a nod, before turning back to Harry. "Well, whatever your reason was for joining our class, I think I agree in that it was a good fit—I expect many great things from you, Mr. Potter."

"You two should be proud—you're the only ones in your year so far to get that question right," she commented, smiling back at Harry and Susan. "If you either of you decided to pursue runecraft seriously, I have no doubt you could be incredibly gifted in the field. In fact, if you ever do decide to go a bit further into the art, you can always swing by my office—I'd be more than happy to help you bounce ideas and figure things out."

Nodding, she picked up the stack of papers and nodded back to the back of the classroom. "Now then, best be on your way—you've got a class to get to, I believe, yes?"

Harry nodded back to her. "Right—thanks, Professor Babbling."

With that, Harry and Susan turned and quickly walked out of the classroom, letting Professor Babbling get back to rearranging the classroom and likely get it ready for the students that would show up for their first class of the day. Speaking of—Harry checked a nearby clock and frowned. They were due down in the greenhouses fairly soon, they would have to run if they were going to get to Herbology in time.

"We should hurry," Susan suddenly stated, walking quite a fair bit brisker and looking back to him with a nod. "Don't want to be late, do we?"

Harry shook his head, falling into the same brisk step beside Susan. He then frowned as he looked over at her, ducking his head down a bit as he spoke up. "By the way, uh, Bones, thanks for speaking up back there. I mean, you didn't have to make it sound like I did so much—I really just came up with the last bit right at the end, but…"

Susan looked back to Harry, a surprised look in her eyes. "Why shouldn't I have said something, though? I mean, you were the one that solved it—and don't downplay what you contributed. I like to think myself fairly smart, but there were quite a few arrays there that would've stumped me if not for your brilliance. I only did what was fair."

Harry smiled back at her, before being cut off as she shot him a suddenly firm stare. "And you can just call me Susan, by the way—it's my name, after all."

Harry smiled again, this time a bit wider, and he nodded back to her. "Alright then, Susan—now then, should we move on to Herbology?"

"Oh, yes! Merlin, we're almost late, come on then!" the redhead exclaimed, taking Harry's hand in hers as she suddenly took off down the stairs, Harry hurrying on behind her, and Midnight quickly running after the both of them as they raced off down the corridors towards their next class.

Despite their haste, Harry and Susan ended up getting to the greenhouses after roll had been taken. Thankfully, Professor Sprout had already heard from Professor Babbling about their meeting, and so they'd been excused of their tardiness. With relieved smiles on their faces, the two parted and went to join their friends, where they were attempting to defang some of the vampiric vegetation Professor Sprout had prepared for them. Ron and Hermione were quick to ask Harry about his meeting, while Hannah lightly teased a blushing Susan.

By the time they had finished pulling the last of the fangs from their plant, Harry had finished discussing his meeting with Hermione and Ron. Hermione's eyes gleamed as he mentioned the assignment and how difficult the last array was supposed to be. She seemed even more excited for her own chance to take Ancient Runes now, eager to test her own mind against the professor's personal creation.

"Just don't be surprised if it takes you a bit, Hermione," Harry cautioned, as they began walking off to Charms. "It's really hard—even with Susan's help, those arrays took a while to figure out."

Hermione, however, just shrugged and shook her head. "Maybe for you, but I've read Ancient Runes Made Easy and Spellman's Syllabary several times over the summer—I'm fairly certain that I can figure the arrays out myself just fine!"

Harry sighed and shook his head, the effort to correct Hermione not worth it. She'd have her hubris checked once she actually got around to attempting the runic arrays herself—that is, whenever she managed to get around to it, as he was still a bit confused just how she was going to get to both Professor Babbling's class as well as Hagrid's after lunch.

Speaking of which, once Charms class ended, Harry led Ron and Hermione back out of the castle towards Hagrid's hut. Despite the excitement from the first half of the day—between Harry's meeting with Professor Babbling, Ron nearly getting bitten by a particularly nasty vine, and Seamus Finnegan once more nearly blowing up himself and his partner in an attempt to cast the newest charm spell Flitwick had taught them—Harry had still remembered Hagrid's offer for lunch and tea before they attended their first Care of Magical Creatures class.

Hagrid was more than happy to welcome them into his home, his black eyes shimmering within the darkness of his beard as he let them in. He paused a moment, though, as Harry walked in, Midnight weaving between the students' feet so that she could sit beside Harry.

"I don't remember you havin' a cat, Harry," the half-giant mumbled, moving aways into his hut and taking the kettle off of the stove. Fang, his massive boarhound, perked up a bit and looked over to Midnight, who eyed the dog back.

"I found her this summer," Harry replied, stroking his hand along the cat's back, making her mewl softly. "She seemed rather attached to me, so I decided to keep her." He paused, noticing Hagrid's slight unease, and raised an eyebrow. "You…don't mind, do you?"

"Mind?" Hagrid asked, before quickly shaking his head. "No, no, not much. I mean, I'm a bit allergic to cats, but yours seems fine enough that she can stay—just as long as she doesn't cause too much trouble, don't want Fang getting too excited now."

Hagrid glanced down at Fang at that moment and gave him a light tap on the side with his foot. At his master's words, the large boarhound dropped back down onto the floor with a low 'wuff', though his eyes remained looking back up at Midnight, his tail slowly wagging back and forth. Midnight, for her part, simply laid back down on the arm of the chair Harry was sat in and leaned into his touch.

"So," Hagrid spoke up, as he began passing out cups of tea and plates filled with freshly cooked lunch—roasted sausages, boiled cabbage and carrots, mashed potatoes, and his ever-infamous rockcakes— "how've your classes been so far?"

Instantly, the trio began describing the past few days with their larger friend, speaking of the classes they were taking and how they were taking to their new teachers. Harry mentioned how his cat had so very subtly let him know taking Divination would be a bad decision, which didn't at all sound odd to Hagrid in the slightest—he was used to dealing with creatures that were smarter than they appeared, after all—and Hermione mentioned how she was aiming to take every class she could over the year.

"I don't envy you, Hermione," Hagrid stated, shaking his head as he set down his plate of rockcakes. "Those classes are some tough stuff once you get into your third year, and taking all of them at once…Merlin's beard, I don't know how you're gonna manage it."

"I'll manage it just fine," Hermione stated once more, unaware of Harry and Ron sharing a doubtful gaze behind her.

"What about you, Hagrid?" Harry asked, looking back up at him as he set his own plate down, the rockcake ignored. "How've your first few days as professor of Care of Magical Creatures been?"

Hagrid seemed to light up as Harry asked that, and he sat up a bit taller in his seat as he replied. "Oh, it's been wonderful—so glad of Dumbledore for offering me the position, it's been my dream since I first started at Hogwarts when I was just a boy. Mind you, it's a bit hard, since I haven't had all my schoolin', but Dumbledore managed to get my records cleared after last year, so I'm catching up—I've even got a new wand!"

With that, the half-giant drew a long piece of wood that looked almost more like a staff than a wand—it was well over a foot long, thick around as an axe handle, and carved from a dark and clearly heavy wood. Harry, though, beamed up at Hagrid—after learning of how he'd been framed in his third year, Harry had felt so sad for his large friend. To know things were working out for the better, now, made him smile.

"It's really great—and, it's given me the excuse to really get up close and personal with some of the nicest of creatures you would've ever seen. Why, just last evening, I started the fifth year Ravenclaws and Slytherins off with learning about thestrals, and then led them out to the local herd…" Hagrid frowned a moment, then added, "Mind you, most of them couldn't see the herd at all, but they saw them eating the ferrets I threw them, so it was still a good lesson in the end."

Harry blinked at Hagrid's words, feeling a faint niggling along the back of his mind. He remembered back to the night they'd arrived at Hogwarts, of the creatures he'd seen driving the carriages towards the castle, and how no one else had seemed to notice them. He'd thought, then, to ask Hagrid about them, but he'd forgotten over the course of the few days. Now, though, it was back in his mind, and he looked back up at Hagrid with a questioning stare.

"Hagrid," Harry began, "what are thestrals?"

Hagrid looked up from where he had started pouring himself another cup of tea and stared back at Harry. "Ah, interested you a bit, did I, Harry? Well, you won't learn about them until you yourselves are fifth years, part of the course and all, but I suppose I could tell you a bit about them now. They're a breed of flying horse, y'see—though, you can't see them, not unless you've seen someone die."

The three Gryffindors fell silent at that, looking back up at Hagrid with shock. "Really?" Hermione asked, curiosity tinting her tone.

"Oh, yeah—it's part of why they're so disliked by modern wizards, they're seen as a death omen." Hagrid shrugged as he picked up his cup and moved back to his chair. "'Course, their appearance ain't helping them much—they're black as night, and gaunt as death, and they prefer fresh meat over any oats, wheat, or even brandy. Despite that, though, they really are harmless, and some of the nicest creatures you might ever see."

"You said that about a three-headed dog, though, Hagrid," Hermione pointed out.

"Oh, but Fluffy really is harmless as long as he ain't guarding anything," Hagrid replied, shaking his head.

"And a giant Acromantula," Ron added, a bit pale even as he mentioned it.

At that, Hagrid drew in on himself a bit. "Oh, yeah…but Aragog was just little when I first raised him, he was completely harmless for a while until I had to release him back out into the forest. Aside from him, though…"

Harry, though, had been thinking hard about what Hagrid had been saying about the thestrals. "I've seen them," he suddenly spoke up, staring over at Hagrid. "I've seen thestrals before, on the carriage ride into the school. They were pulling the carriages."

Ron and Hermione both looked with confusion at Harry, but Hagrid nodded simply. "So you can see them too…it's surprising considering how young you were when it happened, but—" Harry frowned, knowing what Hagrid was referring to— "I suppose you can still see them just fine, anyway."

Hagrid looked at the trio again, his beard shifting from a somber frown to a wide smile. "But yeah, Hogwarts uses the local herd to drive the carriages going to and from Hogwarts. Once they've been tamed, they make great steeds—even with how withered they tend to look."

"Wait, so the horseless carriages aren't horseless after all?" Hermione asked, looking to Hagrid in surprise.

"'Course not, just like how the first year boats don't propel themselves through the water—it's the Giant Squid that helps ferry them along," Hagrid stated calmly, unaware of the even-more shocked expressions the three students were giving him. "But, neither of those are what you're going to be dealing with today—in fact, would you all like to see what I have planned for you?"

The half-giant's face had shifted into one of amusement and eagerness, and the three Gryffindors shared a look—either this was something very exciting, or very terrifying. Either way, they all looked back to Hagrid and nodded, setting the dishes from lunch down, grabbing their bags, and following the large man out of his home and over to where the Care of Magical Creatures class was going to take place.

As they walked, though, Harry's mind kept returning to Hagrid's words when he'd revealed he could see the thestrals. It was true that he remembered the bright flash of green from when Voldemort had tried to kill him as a baby…so perhaps he had seen his mother die just before then, and had managed to remember it somehow. If not, though, Harry could think of a few other instances where he'd watched someone die, and fairly recently, too.

When he'd turned Quirrell to ash with his touch, back in first year when he was thirteen, and just last year when he'd stabbed Riddle's diary and made Tom Riddle disappear. Of the two, Quirrell's death was definitely more likely to be the cause, but he couldn't help but wonder if destroying Tom's diary might've played a part as well. He might've just been a memory, but Riddle had also seemed so much more than that…

Either way, it left a sour feeling in Harry's gut.

Harry pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind as he and the others continued following Hagrid towards the site of the Care of Magical Creatures 'classroom'—which was really just a small clearing outside the forest with a few logs set up as benches—and began leading them a bit into the woods. Midnight kept close to Harry's side as they entered in, and Harry bent down to scratch at her ears affectionately. They both seemed a bit uneased by whatever Hagrid had in store for them.

Once they rounded the trunk of a truly massive spruce, though, Harry found himself breathless at what he saw. Spread out throughout the small part of the forest they'd stepped into was a gathering of large and majestic creatures with front halves of eagles and hindquarters of horses. The creatures—some silver-feathered with blue-grey hair, others golden with brown, and still more with copper and chestnut—wandered between the trees, laid pleasantly in the nearby shadows, and pranced about, flapping each other with their massive eagle-like wings.

"Hagrid!" Hermione exclaimed in wonder. "Those are hippogriffs!"

Hagrid beamed and held himself a bit taller. "Right you are, Hermione—Hogwarts has got a large herd of them that live not far from here, and I managed to convince a few to come for today's lesson." Beaming, he turned back to the three students and winked. "But, you'll learn all about that once class starts—can't be showing you three too much special attention, can I?"

The half-giant then stood a bit taller and looked back towards where they'd come. "Speaking of which, we should probably get back to the classroom now—the rest of the class should be here by now!"

Ron and Hermione both nodded and turned to hurry out of the glade. As Harry turned to follow, though, Hagrid's large hand suddenly reached out to rest on Harry's shoulder and hold him back a moment. "By the way, Harry, I was…well, I was wonderin' if you could do me a favor?" Hagrid asked, his gaze low and his expression sheepish.

Harry blinked up at his friend and nodded. "Uh, sure, Hagrid, what is it you need me to do?"

"Well, y'see," Hagrid started, nodding back to the hippogriffs behind him, "I was thinkin' I could have you be a volunteer for the first part of the lesson—I can't tell you what it is yet, don't want to give away the surprise of it all," Hagrid added swiftly, "but I was wonderin' if you could do it, since you've got more experience handlin' magical creatures already than most of your classmates."

Harry blinked once more—there was no denying that he had more experience than his classmates, just thinking of the giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest or the Basilisk that was now harvested for parts by the Gringotts goblins was enough to prove that—but he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious at how Hagrid was phrasing it. He wouldn't have to fight one of the hippogriffs, would he?

"Sure, Hagrid," Harry finally replied, after a moment's hesitation, "I'll be your volunteer."

Hagrid's black eyes shimmered with joy from within his bushy beard, and he lightly clapped Harry affectionately on the shoulder. "Thank you, Harry, thank you…now, come on—it's time we got back with the others."

Nodding, Harry finally followed Hagrid out of the forest and back to the small clearing for the class. Already, the rest of the students were already there, and to Harry's utter disappointment he could see that Malfoy and his crew were lingering towards the back. On the flip side, though, Harry also saw Daphne and her friends sitting quite aways separate from Malfoy, and when she noticed him, Daphne gave Harry a faint smile and a small nod, which he quickly returned.

As he was walking to join his friends, though—who had sat beside Neville, Seamus, and Dean—Harry found himself brought up short by the sight of another person in their group. Standing off to the side, wearing her bright red auror robes and with her hair a wild shock of pink, was Tonks. The auror looked up as Harry walked out into the clearing and gave him a wide smile and a wave.

"Wotcher, Brighteyes! Nice to see you again."

Harry shook his head slightly, though a smile slipped onto his face at the nickname she called him. Even after knowing who he was, she was sticking to what she'd decided to call him while at the platform. "Nice to see you too, Tonks," Harry replied, looking over to her as he moved to join his friends. "What are you doing here?"

"Part of my assignment while here—since Black and Lestrange are on the loose, us aurors are expected to stay close to any classes that might be out in the open," Tonks explained, before jabbing her thumb back towards the woods. "That goes double for Care, since you're all so close to where the Dementors are set up."

A nervous look passed through some of the students, but Hagrid quickly spoke up. "Now, you lot won't have to worry anything about that today! No one knows these woods like I do—'slong as you stick with me and Auror Tonks here, you'll be fine!" Grinning, Hagrid clapped his hands together. "Now then, welcome to Care of Magical Creatures—all you get your books out, and let's start the lecture."

Another worried look waved over the group, though this one clearly less morbidly worried than the first. "And how exactly are we supposed to read these?" Malfoy suddenly asked, holding his own copy of Monster Book of Monsters in front of him, where it was snarling and squirming against the leather belt he'd wrapped around it.

"Oh, right," Hagrid replied, turning back to Malfoy with a nod, "suppose I should tell you that—just gotta stroke it down the spine, calms 'em down just fine so you can read." He looked up over the crowd and spoke in a slightly more serious voice, "And that's the first lesson you lot gotta know about dealing with creatures—if you treat 'em right, and with the care and respect they deserve, you'll find they're a lot more friendly lot than most others think."

Harry blinked, before a broad smile spread across his face. Leave Hagrid to find a clever way to teach something so important by just choosing which book to teach out of for his class. Turning his attention down to the wriggling book in his hands, he did as Hagrid suggested and heard a faint purring-sigh rise from the cover. The book had stopped trying to fight him, and once he'd removed the belt he'd wrapped around it, the book fell open in his lap.

He noted, with some amusement, that the mystery woman had not managed to get her notes into this textbook.

"Now then," Hagrid stated, clapping his hands together once more, "here in Care of Magical Creatures, you lot will be learnin' how to handle and care for magical creatures. A lot of the creatures I'll be showing you lot over the next five years will be very unique and powerful, and each require a certain level of respect to be given them. If you listen to my instructions, and don't do anything daft, you'll come out of this class with a deeper respect for all magical creatures and all your limbs still attached."

The half-giant's eyes were narrowed on Malfoy as he said this, who seemed to no longer be paying any attention, instead muttering with Crabbe and Goyle towards the back of the class. Tonks, who had been watching, walked over and lightly cuffed the young Slytherin on the back of the head, before pointing his attention back to the front of the class.

Harry snickered softly at the sight, and from behind the three Slytherins, Tonks smiled back and gave him a small wink in reply. Midnight, laying in Harry's lap, seemed to perk up slightly, and her eyes narrowed on Tonks.

"To start you lot off," Hagrid continued, "we will be workin' with some of the most honorable and incredible creatures we have here at the school. Everyone, turn to page—ah, I believe it's fifty-two, ain't it?"

Immediately, the small clearing was filled with the sounds of pages flipping as everyone turned to the page Hagrid had suggested. Drawn out on the page was the image of a large creature with an eagle front half and a horse back half—the very same creatures that Harry, Hermione, and Ron had seen just a few moments ago back in the forest. Scrawled across the top of the page was the heading that read, "Hippogriffs—half-horse-half-eagle creatures, immensely proud and extremely dangerous."

"That's right!" Hagrid announced proudly. "Today, on your first day, you'll all be meetin' some of the hippogriffs from our local herd and learnin' how to care for 'em. But before you can go meet 'em, you lot gotta learn about 'em first. We'll start with you, Hermione, and go around reading from the book for a bit, how's that?"

And so, for the next half hour, the class read through the textbook description of the hippogriff and how to care for them. Occasionally, Hagrid would interject with some of his own personal knowledge from dealing with the Hogwarts herd, saying such things as "now, the book says they're omnivores, but I've only ever seen 'em go after ferrets, foxes, and badgers here, y'see" and "gotta be careful when groomin' them, see, since the feathers and the hair need different care."

Once the group had finished reading the last of the description, Hagrid nodded and beamed at the students. "Very good, very good—of course, there's only so much you can learn from books. The rest, you gotta experience for yourself." Grinning, the half-giant stood and nodded back towards the forest. "Come along, now, time for you to see the real lesson for today."

With that, Hagrid led the third-year class back down the path he'd led Harry, Hermione, and Ron down just a moment earlier. Within minutes, there was a shocked gasp that rose from crowd as the saw the hippogriffs meandering about the glade, a few looking up in their direction as they did. Harry moved quickly through the group so that he was standing close to Hagrid, ready to be called on.

"Right, now," Hagrid stated, looking back to the class. "Today, you lot will be learning how to approach hippogriffs. Now, like the book taught you, hippogriffs are fiercely proud creatures—so, when approaching hippogriffs, you've gotta bow to them, and wait for them to bow to you. You've gotta be respectful when you approach them, and never even think of insultin' one. It could very well be the last thing you do."

A dreadful silence fell over the group at that, and a few students exchanged nervous glances. "But, you don't need to worry about that—and, to prove it, I've asked Harry here to volunteer as the first of you to approach one of these beauties. Alright, Harry?"

Harry nodded, striding through the crowd and leaving Midnight with Hermione and Ron, both of whom looked at him with a bit of worry. Distantly, he heard Malfoy laugh and murmur something to his friends, but he ignored him, and instead merely looked back up at Hagrid with a smile. Hagrid smiled back down at him, before turning and walking over to lead one of the hippogriffs closer—a large and handsome creature with silvery feathers and an almost white-grey hindquarters.

"This here is Buckbeak, Harry," Hagrid stated, taking a step back. "Go on now, go on."

Harry stared at the handsome creature, which stared back at him with fierce, intimidating golden eyes. His eyes drifted down to the six-inch talons on Buckbeak's forelegs, and remembered Hagrid's words of caution. Swallowing hard to steady his nerves, Harry slowly stepped a bit closer, until they were just within two yards from each other, and then he bowed lowly, his eyes still on the massive bird-like creature.

For a moment, Buckbeak did nothing other than stare piercingly back at him. Hagrid shuffled awkwardly to the side, looking between Harry and Buckbeak nervously, and behind Harry, he could hear the murmurs of worry from his classmates. Swallowing hard again, Harry made to step back, but immediately froze as the silver hippogriff stamped at the ground fiercely a few times, let out a short shriek, and then slowly began to lower his head to the ground, his eyes still locked on Harry's, though the piercing fierceness was now gone.

A wave of relief escaped Harry, and he grinned as he stood back up, a roar of cheers rising from behind him. Off to the side, Hagrid clapped his hands thunderously. "Well done, Harry, well done—you can go and pet him now, why, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd let you ride him now, too!"

Harry stepped forward and rested his hand against Buckbeak's beak, the silver hippogriff seeming to nuzzle his outstretched palm affectionately. Harry beamed, and then looked to Hagrid in surprise. "Ride him? What do you mean?"

"Before broomsticks were a popular, hippogriffs were the preferred form of travel for wizards—'swhy they're such a well-bred species," Hagrid clarified, his eyes twinkling as he walked up to Harry's side, "And I think you'll quite enjoy the experience yourself."

Before Harry could state otherwise, the half-giant professor had hoisted Harry up and placed him upon Buckbeak's back. Harry was careful to grip onto Buckbeak's back feathers for support, a bit worried he might hurt the magnificent creature in the process, but all Buckbeak did was let out another short shriek in reply. Then, once they were both settled and ready, Hagrid smacked the hippogriff's rear and shouted out a loud 'get on with ya!'

And just like that, the large horse-eagle hybrid began galloping off down the glade, with Harry hanging on tight for dear life. In a sudden instant, enormous ten-foot-long wings shot out from Buckbeak's sides, and with a few good strong flaps, the two of them were quickly rising up into the air. Higher and higher they soared, and Harry found himself leaning closer and closer into the hippogriff, shock and fear and awe rushing through him all at once.

Riding a hippogriff was a lot different from riding a broom. A broom, he had far more control and could move far quicker. Riding Buckbeak, however, felt wild and powerful, with far less control. He felt shaky, hanging onto the large bird's back, and yet he couldn't deny the feeling of elation that surged through him as they soared over the trees of the Forbidden Forest, feeling the wind whip across his face and hear Buckbeak's thrilled trill roll over him. It truly was a feeling like none other.

When they finally landed in a slightly rough gallop that left Harry a bit jarred, the class let out another cheer, and Harry beamed over at them. Hagrid beamed as well and walked over to help Harry off the large creature's back. "Well done indeed, Harry!" Hagrid stated, clapping him on his shoulder, and then turning to the rest of the class. "Now, then, who's next?"

And with that, emboldened by Harry's example, the rest of the class began walking into the glade and splitting off into small groups to try and approach the hippogriffs. Hermione, Ron, and Neville waved to Harry as they walked together towards a copper-feathered hippogriff, and Daphne, Tracey, and Blaise nodded to him as they walked together towards a handsome golden-feathered-chestnut-haired one across from them.

"Not bad for a first lesson, aye?" Hagrid asked Harry in a low voice, smiling down at him as they watched the class getting into the lesson. Harry grinned, and made to reply, but his attention was suddenly drawn back to Buckbeak, and the third years—the three Slytherin third years—that were working with him now.

"Oh come on then, you stupid bird!" Malfoy drawled, frowning over at Buckbeak. "Bow already, you did it for Potter, why won't you do it for—"

Harry wasn't sure exactly what made him do it, but one moment he was standing beside Hagrid, watching the groups, and the next he was suddenly lunging across the glade, shoving Malfoy out of the way. Buckbeak suddenly reared up, shrieking in fury, his six-inch talons flashing in the dappled sunlight of the glade. There were several shocked screams, and what sounded like a cat yowling in fright. Harry, meanwhile, stared in shock, throwing an arm across his chest in the hope of protecting himself.

It turned out it was unneeded, relief flooding through him as several ropes suddenly shot out from over his shoulder and bound up Buckbeak, making the large creature drop to the ground with a surprised squawk.

Malfoy, who was still on the ground and looking a bit more pale than usual, shouted out, "Did you see that?! It nearly tried to kill me!"

"Only because you were daft enough to insult it, you ferret-faced flobberworm!" Tonks suddenly shouted, marching up to Malfoy with an almost murderous expression on her face, her hair an angry crimson. "Your professor specifically told you to be respectful to the creatures in this class, and what do you do? You go and insult the large, predatory, murderbird on steroids! What did you expect?"

Harry, meanwhile, had been helped back up to his feet by Hagrid, and together they walked over to Buckbeak. The hippogriff looked up at them, and, seeing they were friendly faces, let the both of them help him out of the bindings that Tonks had shot out at him, eventually helping the large bird-horse hybrid back up onto its feet, where it stamped the ground and shrieked loudly once more.

The groups around them were all at a standstill, the hippogriffs staring as well.

Hagrid, however, turned to Malfoy, his expression thunderous. "If Harry hadn't had been here to push you out of the way, Malfoy, or if Tonks here hadn't been here to keep Buckbeak from attacking, I don't know if you'd be here still. Fifteen points from Slytherin for failing to listen to instructions and reckless endangerment of other students. Now get out of here, before you do something else daft!"

Malfoy shot Hagrid and Harry a mean scowl, but after a moment merely backed off and walked out of the glade, Crabbe and Goyle close behind him. As the trio walked off, the groups around the glade returned their attention to their hippogriffs, the moment almost forgotten.

Sighing, Tonks slowly meandered over to Harry's side. At the same time, Harry felt something brush up against his pant leg, and looked down to see Midnight nuzzling affectionately against him. Tonks shook her head, shooting him a tired smile, her wand spinning in her hand before slipping back into its holster.

"Well…that certainly could've been worse."