The Son of Lord Voldemort

Chapter 84

Harrison was glad to be getting out of the castle after lunch. History of Magic had been entertaining but he wanted to get fresh air. Although he wasn't looking forward to an entire period with the oaf Hagrid and the Gryffindors. Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot. They walked down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The wind blew gently against Harrison's face as he listened to Draco and Blaise snipe jokingly at each other.

Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with a giant boar hound at his heels, looking impatient to start. "C'mon, now, get a move on!" Hagrid called as the class 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, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there. Neville looked at Harrison as though asking him what they were supposed to be looking at, Harrison shook his head. He couldn't see any creature magical or otherwise. "Everyone gather 'round the fence here!" Hagrid called. "That's it — make sure yeh can see — now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books —"

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Draco drawled. Several of the Slytherins chuckled as Ron, Dean and Seamus glared at them.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" Draco asked slowly as though Hagrid was slow. Harrison had to stop himself from laughing at the look of outrage on Ron's face.

Harrison took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a black leather belt. Other people took theirs out too; some had done what he did and had belted their books shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with binder clips.

"Hasn' — hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen. Most of the class 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 Parvarti'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. Harrison rolled his eyes, he had asked his father as soon as he got the book. He had assumed Draco and the rest of his friends would've done the same.

"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Draco sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess!" Blaise choked on a snort and Harrison shot him an amused look.

"I — I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly.

"Funny?" Tracey repeated incredulously.

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

"Shut up Malfoy," Ron snapped.

Draco sneered, looking at Ron with disgust. "Why don't you make me weasel?"

Ron turned red but Dean grabbed his arm. "Not in Hagrid's class." Harrison heard Dean whisper to Ron who quickly turned away.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread, "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.