Brighter Than the Sun

Chapter Five

Next, we went to Care of Magical Creatures, which Hagrid was supposed to teach.

Ron and Hermione weren't speaking to each other. Harry and I walked on either side of them in silence as we went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

I noticed the green Slytherin robes and sighed. Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. I was pretty sure I knew what they were talking about. Talk about killing a joke.

Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, looking impatient to start.

"C'mon, now, get a move on!" he called as we approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, we found ourselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there.

"Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" he called. "That's it — make sure yeh can see — now,firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books —"

"How?" Draco Malfoy asked.

"What?"

"How do we open our books?"

"Hasn'-- hasn' anyone figured out how to open their books?" Hagrid asked, looking crestfallen.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em," said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look —"

He took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Spellotape that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy exclaimed sarcastically. "We were supposed to stroke them! Why didn't we guess?"

"I... I thought they were funny," Hagrid says.

"Oh, tremendously funny!" said Malfoy. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"

"Shut up, Malfoy," I said. "I think you're overreacting. The books aren't as bad as you're making them out to be. They're actually pretty cool."

"Well, you're also American," Malfoy muttered. I turned to him, scowling, as everyone gasped.

"Do you have a problem against Americans?" I asked angrily. "Because I'd be happy to solve it for you."

Malfoy and his cronies laughed since I was a head shorter than the blonde jerk.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid, clearly not wanting a fight during his first class, "so — so yeh've got yer books an'... an'... now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on..."

He strode away from them into the forest and out of sight.

As I watched him, I felt a shove from behind. I whipped around to face Malfoy, who was smirking, his hands still extended from having pushed me.

"Going to solve some problems, are you?" He sneered.

"Bring it. I've fought things that are uglier than you." I growled.

He advanced toward me and Hermione shrieked, but I held out my leg and tripped Malfoy. Using his momentum, I flipped him over my shoulder and onto the ground. Next, Crabbe barreled toward me, but I tripped him up too, and he landed on top of Malfoy. Then Goyle followed. I swear, they never learn. All I had to do was step out of the way and he tripped over his own feet, landing on top of the other two.