Miss Quinn

132 ~ Hagrid and the Thestrals

Hagrid's reappearance at the staff table at breakfast the Monday after the Quidditch Match 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. Emma 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.

It was with a certain amount of apprehension that Emma, Venus, Dean, and Seamus headed down to Hagrid's on Tuesday, heavily muffled against the cold. Emma 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 they struggled through the snow towards Hagrid, who stood waiting for them on the edge of the Forest. He did not present a reassuring sight; the bruises that covered his skin were tinged with green and yellow and some of his cuts seemed to be bleeding. Emma wasn't sure where Hagrid had been, or what he'd been doing, but he certainly hadn't been living in luxury. It seemed to Emma that he'd been attacked visciously by a multitude of creatures. 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?" Emma 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?"

Emma rolled her eyes and thought back to the first time Draco had entered the Forbidden Forest: back in first year, when they'd all been caught out of bed after hours. He had not been very brave then, either. He'd insisted on keeping Fang by his side, and had scampered off at the first sign of danger, screaming. The memory brought a smile to Emma's face.

"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?" asked 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 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. Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, who sighed but nodded, and the three of them set off after Hagrid, leading the rest of the class. Emma and her group of friends followed them, determined to prove to the other students that whatever Hagrid was going to show them wasn't going to kill them.

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.