Black's Return {Jade Book 3}

Chapter 5

Our first Care of Magical Creatures lesson was...well, interesting.

Hermione and I knew what the lesson was going to be – meeting hippogriffs.

The lesson didn't start off too well. Nobody knew how to actually open our books – The Monster Book of Monsters was, as the title suggested, dangerous. Anja and I had bound our books tightly with Sellotape.

It was the best thing I could find, even if it was a Muggle invention.

Hagrid seemed discouraged by our being unable to open. He told us to stroke the spines and then went off to get the Magical Creatures – the hippogriffs.

"Ooooh!" Lavender exclaimed. Everyone turned to follow her gaze.

The hippogriffs had appeared out of the Forest. They were many different colours.

He explained that they were very proud creatures. I took my notebook out of my bag and started taking notes from the book.

Hagrid asked who would like to come forward and meet them.

I was a bit worried, to be honest. They didn't look particularly friendly. They did have talons and sharp beaks, after all.

Finally, Harry stepped forward – just as I plucked up the courage to step forward. Hagrid introduced him to Buckbeak, the hippogriff I had met the previous day. He bowed, as Hagrid had told us, and kept eye contact. Buckbeak regarded him coolly for a few seconds before sinking into a bow.

Everyone applauded, including me. Alex raised his eyebrows. "Those are some interesting creatures."

Anja nodded, grinning. "Definitely."

Harry's show wasn't over yet. He then rode Buckbeak around for a little while. He landed hard on the ground, and just from the expression on his face, I could tell it was uncomfortable.

Then the rest of us had our turns at meeting the hippogriffs.

I wanted to have a go at Buckbeak, because he'd met me before, but Draco, Crabbe and Goyle got there first.

I tried not to look too disappointed. If I told Blaise, Alex and Anja that I'd already met Buckbeak, they would ask all kind of questions that I wasn't allowed to answer.

So, instead, we found a different hippogriff.

I went first, the others all being a little anxious, and bowed to the bird. I kept eye contact and didn't blink – that last was incredibly difficult.

The bird sank into a bow and I slowly stepped forward and cautiously patted its beak.

Then I stepped back and Alex stepped forward, ready to have his turn.

As it happened, I glanced over to my right. Draco was patting Buckbeak's beak, looking disdainful.

Then he took away his hand and faced the bird.

All the signals in my brain were yelling, "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!"

"You're not dangerous at all, are you? Are you, you great ugly brute?"

"Never insult a hippogriff. It may just be the last thing you do," I remembered Hagrid saying.

Buckbeak reared up and slashed Draco's arm. Draco fell to the ground, clutching a huge bleeding gash on his arm.

Hagrid rushed over. He dismissed the class and took Draco up to the hospital wing.

Everyone broke out in argument as to whether it was Draco's fault, but I was just worried for Hagrid. If someone was severely injured in a new teacher's first class, then the teacher didn't have much of a chance.