Future Nostalgia / Harry Potter Fanfic

Care of Magical Creature, Hagrid Edition

Hagrid's reappearance at the staff table at breakfast the next day was not greeted by enthusiasm from all students. Some, like Fred, George, Sienna, Charlotte, and Lee, roared with delight; others like Parvati and Lavender exchanged gloomy looks and shook their heads. Estella knew 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 Harry, Ron, Estella, and Hermione headed down to Hagrid's on Tuesday, heavily muffled against the cold. Estella was worried, not only about what Hagrid might have decided to teach them but also about how the rest of the class, particularly Malfoy 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 toward Hagrid, who stood waiting for them on the edge of the forest. He did not represent a reassuring sight; the bruises that had been purple on Saturday night were now tinged with green and yellow and some of his cuts still seem to be bleeding. Estella could not understand this; had Hagrid perhaps been attacked by some sort of creature whose venom prevented the wounds it inflicted from healing? 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 them. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark..."

"What prefers the dark?" Estella heard Malfoy say sharply to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice. "What did he say she prefers the dark-did you hear?"

Estella remembered the only occasion on which Malfoy had entered the forest before now was back in first year; he had not been very brave then either.

"Ready?" said Hagrid happily, 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 the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em-"

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" said Malfoy, the panic in his voice more pronounced now. "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 Malfoy 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 Malfoy.

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

He turned and strode straight into the forest. Nobody seemed much disposed to follow. Harry glanced at Ron, Hermione, and Estella, who sighed but nodded, and the four of them set off after Hagrid, leading the rest of the class.

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 on the ground at all. Hagrid deposited his half a cow with a grunt on the ground, stepped back, and turned to face his class again, most of whom were creeping toward him from tree to tree, peering around nervously as though expecting to be set upon at any moment.

"Gather around, gather around," said Hagrid encouragingly. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me..."