You Get What You Deserve

I was pleased to get out of the castle after lunch. Yesterday’s rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale grey and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as we set off for our first ever Care of Magical Creatures class.

Ron and Hermione weren’t speaking to each other. Harry and I walked beside them in silence as we went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid’s hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when I spotted three only-too-familiar backs ahead of us that I realised we must be having these lessons with the Slytherins. Malfoy was talking animatedly to Crabbe and Goyle, who were chortling. I was quite sure I knew what they were talking about.
Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at this heels, looking impatient to start.

“C’mon, now, get a move on!” he called, as the class approached. “Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin’ up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!”

For one nasty moment, I thought that Hagrid was going to lead us into the Forest. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, we found ourselves outside a kind of paddock. There was nothing in there.

“Everyone gather round the fence here!” he called. “That’s it – make sure yeh can see. Now, firs’ thing yeh’ll want ter do is opn yer books –“

“How? Said the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

“Eh?” said Hagrid.

“How do we open our books?” Malfoy repeated. He took out his copy of ‘The Monster Book of Monsters’, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Other people took theirs out, too; some had belted theirs shut; others had crammed them inside tight bags or clamped them together with bull clips.

“Hasn’ – hasn’ anyone bin able ter open their books?” said Hagrid, looking crestfallen.
The class all shook their heads.

“Yeh’ve got ter stroke ‘em,” said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. “Look...”

He took my copy and ripped off the rope that bound it. The book tried to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant forefinger down its spine, and the book shivered, and then fell open and lay quiet in his hand.

“Oh, how silly we’ve all been!” Malfoy sneered. “We should have stroked them! Why didn’t we guess!”

“I... I thought they were funny,” Hagrid said uncertainly to me.

“Oh, tremendously funny!” said Malfoy. “Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!”

“Shut up, Malfoy,” I hissed, and his eyes grew wide. Hagrid was looking downcast, and I wanted Hagrid’s first lesson to be a success.

“Righ’ then,” said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread, “so... so yeh’ve got yer books an’ ... an’... now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I’ll go an’ get ‘em. Hang on...”

He strode away from us into the Forest and out of sight.

“God, this place is going to the dogs,” said Malfoy loudly, obviously regaining his confidence. “That oaf teaching classes, my father’ll have a fit when I tell him –“

“Shut up, Malfoy,” Harry repeated me.

“Careful, Potter, there’s a Dementor behind you –“

“Oooooooh!” squealed Lavender Brown, pointing towards the opposite side of the paddock.
Trotting towards us were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures I had ever seen. They had the bodies, hand legs and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings and heads of what seemed to be giant eagles, with cruel, steel-coloured beaks and large, brilliantly orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly-looking. Each of the beasts had a thick leather collar around its neck, which was attached to a long chain, and the ends of all of these were held in the vast hands of Hagrid, who came jogging into the paddock behind the creatures.

“Gee up, there!” he roared, shaking the chains and urging the creatures towards the fence where the class stood. Everyone drew back slightly as Hagrid reached us and tethered the creatures to the fence.

“Hippogriffs!” Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. “Beau’iful, aren’ they?”

I could see what Hagrid meant. Once you had got over the first shock of seeing something that was half-horse, half-bird, you started to appreciate the Hippogriffs’ gleaming coats colour; stormy grey, bronze, a pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black.

“So,” said Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, “if yeh wan’ ter come a bit nearer...”

No one seemed to want to. I quickly stood forward, wanting to get a closer look at the creatures. Harry, Hermione and Ron, however, approached the fence more cautiously.

“Now, firs’ thing yeh gotta know abou’ Hippogiffs is they’re proud,” said Hagrid. “Easliy offended, Hippogriffs are. Don’t never insult one, ‘cause it might be the last thing yeh do.”

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle weren’t listening; they were talking in an undertone and I had a nasty feeling they were plotting how best to disrupt the lesson.

“Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs’ move,” Hagrid continued. “It’s polite, see? Yeh walk towards him, and yeh bow, an’ wait. If he bows back, yeh’re allowed ter touch him. If he doesn’t bow, then get away from him sharpish, ‘cause those talons hurt. Right – who wants ter go first?”

Most of the class backed further away in answer; even Harry, Hermione and Ron had misgivings. The Hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn’t seem to like being tethered like this. They still someone managed to look beautiful though.

“I’ll do it,” I said.

There was an intake of breath from behind me. I ignored it, and climbed over the fence, into the paddock.

“Good lass, Corey!” roared Hagrid. “Right then – let’s see how yeh get on with Buckbeak.”
He untied one of the chains, pulled the grey Hippogriff away from his fellows and slipped off his leather collar. The class on the other side of the paddock seemed to be holding its breath. Malfoy’s eyes were narrowed maliciously.

“Easy, now, Corey,” said Hagrid quietly. “Yeh’ve got eye contact, now try not ter blink – Hippogriffs don’ trust yeh if yeh blink too much...”

My eyes immediately began to water, but Ii didn’t shut them. Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head, and was staring at me with one fierce orange eye.

“Tha’s it,” said Hagrid. “Tha’s it, Corey... now, bow...”

I did as I was told, making a short bow, and then looking up. The Hippogriff was still staring haughtily at me. It didn’t move.