𝗟𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘| hjp

4

THE next day, Celeste was in the second class of the day; Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. In Celeste's opinion, Hagrid was not someone who could teach. She wasn't trying to be rude in any way, but what would a big oaf like him know about teaching?

Okay. Maybe she was being rude.

But her friends definitely agreed.

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.

"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?" said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Eh?" said Hagrid in confusion.

"How do we open our books?" Draco repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a lenght of rope. Other people took theirs out, too; some, like Celeste, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tights bags or clamped them together with bullclips.

"Hasn' - hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.

The class all 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!" Draco sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess?"

"I...I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione.

"Oh, tremendously funny!" continued Draco, sharing an unbelievable look with Celeste, both of them simultaneously rolling their eyes. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry quietly, Hagrid was looking downcast and Harry wanted Hagrid's first lesson to be a success.

"What did you say?" Draco said, taking a step forward towards the boy.

"I said—" Harry gritted his teeth and also took a step forward "—shut up, Malfoy."

"I'll shut you up, Potter." Celeste seethed, taking out her wand.

Draco stopped her by putting a hand on her arm, his glare never leaving Harry's face.

"Leave them alone, Harry." Hermione grabbed Harry's arm and made him turn around, shooting the two Slytherins a glare.

"Yes, listen to the mudblood, Potter." Draco smirked, earning multiple gasps from the Gryffindors.

Celeste elbowed him discreetly, shaking her head at him. She did not agree with the term whatsoever. Celeste did not care about blood status, but she was a pureblood. Somehow, Sirius had fallen in love with a pureblood sometime during his rebellion phase. It was ironic, really.