how it feels to be alive {tom riddle}

thirty-six: lord

LORD

The broad figure of Professor Hagrid could be seen emerging from his hut, heading towards a clearing where some students were already waiting for class.

"Ev'ryone gather round. I've got a real treat fer yeh today." Hagrid called, gesturing to the barrels set up across the grass.

Rubeus Hagrid was as tall as ever, wearing a dark brown fur coat. His hair was just as shaggy, and beard just as untamed. But his face showed lines of age, with grey hairs streaking through his once fully chocolate brown hair.

The students gathered around the open barrels, Lucia choosing to stay aside Victoire due to her lack of other friends in the class.

"Who can tell me wha' yeh think these are?" Hagrid asked the class, looking around at the faces for responses.

Inside the barrel were large, semi-transparent eggs submerged in water. There was a pearly sheen on the outside of them, but if you looked closely you could see a small sea-horse looking creature growing.

"Are they Hippocampi, Professor?" A Ravenclaw boy suggested after raising his hand.

"They are indeed, well done. Five points ter Ravenclaw." Hagrid responded cheerily, "A Hippocampus is a large water beast originating from Greece. These are jus eggs o' course, but a grown Hippocampus has the forequarters o' a horse an' the tail an' hindquarters o' a giant fish."

The class looked closer inside the barrels, and the developing shape of the creatures could be seen.

"Today we're goin' ter be assessing the progress o' the tadfoals, comparing 'em ter growth charts ter make sure they're all looking nice an' healthy." Hagrid explained, "Get inter house groups around each o' the barrels, an' turn ter page for'y-seven o' the textbook fer the growth chart."

Lucia sighed in disappointment, so much for standing next to Victoire. She walked around to where a couple of other Ravenclaws had already gathered around one of the barrels.

Some of them were already chattering, and Lucia opened her copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to find the page on Hippocampi.

The beginnings of a red or blue pigment on the skin and scales could already be seen through the eggs, with the beginnings of hooves developing in the forequarters. Thin red veins could be seen surrounding the egg, pumping blood around the sleeping tadfoal.

"They look like they are around 4 months along according to the chart." The Ravenclaw boy who'd answered Hagrid's question before raised to the small group.

"The hoof development is more in line with 5 months I'd say though." Lucia added, looking at the specific descriptions of each stage.

"Tha' would be righ' Lucia, well done." Hagrid said approvingly from behind them.

The Ravenclaw boy gave her a cold look, but returned to looking at the chart.

"Now we jus need ter change the water, as it would usually refresh itself in the wild." Hagrid instructed, "Because Hippocampi live in the sea, we'll have ter use salt water. Does ev'ryone remember the spell fer tha'?"

The class nodded in response, and moved to siphon the old water out with a charm, then replenish it with a variation of Augamenti. This took a while, considering there was a bit of a build up of gunk down the bottom or the barrels. But finally the barrels were clean and the eggs were returned to their place.

***

Lucia walked into the Great Hall for lunch. She was rather early, and there weren't many students already sitting down.