Courage

-69-

Book: Courage
Chapter 69
Word Count: 4305

At breakfast the next day, Layla was stunned to see someone sat at the staff table. Someone who hadn't been there all year. Hagrid.

Hagrid's reappearance was not greeted by enthusiasm from all students. Some, like Fred, George and Lee, roared with delight and sprinted up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables to wring Hagrid's enormous hand; others, like Parvati and Lavender, exchanged gloomy looks and shook their heads. Layla knew that many of them preferred Professor Grubbly-Plank's lessons, and the worst of it was that a very small, unbiased part of her knew that they had good reason: Grubbly-Plank's idea of an interesting class was not one where there was a risk that somebody might have their head ripped off.

Layla headed down to Hagrid's on Tuesday, wondering if Umbridge might have realised that Hagrid's return meant that she could finally inspect him as she had done with the other professors. Layla was worried, not only about what Hagrid might have decided to teach them, but also about how the rest of the class, particularly Draco and his cronies, would behave if Umbridge was watching them.

However, the High Inquisitor was nowhere to be seen as Layla and the rest of the class struggled through the snow towards Hagrid, who stood waiting for them on the edge of the Forest. He did not present a reassuring sight. It took Layla completely by surprise. Hagrid's left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple and black bruising, and the bruises were also tinged with green and yellow. He had a number of cuts on his face, and some seemed to be bleeding.

As though to complete the ominous picture, Hagrid was carrying what looked like half a dead cow over his shoulder.

"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to the approaching students, jerking his head back at the dark trees behind him. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark."

"What prefers the dark?" Layla heard Draco say sharply to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice. "What did he say prefers the dark — did you hear?"

Layla remembered the only other occasion on which Draco had entered the Forest before now; he had not been very brave then, either.

"Ready?" said Hagrid cheerfully, looking around at the class. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the Forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em."

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" said Draco, the panic in his voice even more pronounced. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

The Slytherins murmured in agreement and a few Gryffindors looked as though they thought Draco had a fair point, too.

"Course they're trained," said Hagrid, scowling and hoisting the dead cow a little higher on his shoulder.

"So what happened to your face, then?" demanded Draco.

"Mind yer own business!" said Hagrid, angrily. "Now, if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!"

He turned and strode straight into the Forest. Nobody seemed much disposed to follow. But eventually, everyone began heading into the Forest, too.

They walked for about ten minutes until they reached a place where the trees stood so closely together that it was as dark as twilight and there was no snow at all on the ground. With a grunt, Hagrid deposited his half a cow on the ground, stepped back and turned to face his class, most of whom were creeping from tree to tree towards him, peering around nervously as though expecting to be set upon at any moment.