You Get What You Deserve

“Ah,” said Hagrid, sounding worried. “Right – back away, now, Corey, easy does it –“

But then, to my enormous surprise, the Hippogriff suddenly bent his scaly knees, and sank into what wan an unmistakeable bow.

“Well done, Corey!” said Hagrid, ecstatic. “Right – yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!”

My insides fluttered. I moved slowly towards the Hippogriff and reached out towards him. I patted the beak several times, and the Hippogriff closed his eyes lazily, as though enjoying it. The class broke into applause, all except for Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who were looking deeply disappointed.

“Righ’ then, Corey,” said Hagrid, “I reckon he migh’ let yeh ride him!”

“Really?” I said excitedly.

“Yeh climb up there, jus’ behind the wing joint,” said Hagrid, “an’ mind yeh don’ pull any of his feathers out, he won’ like that...”

I put my foot on the top of Buckbeak’s wing and hoisted myself onto his back. Buckbeak stood up. I wasn’t sure where to hold on; everything in front of me was covered in feathers.
“Go on, then!” roared Hagrid, slapping the Hippogriff’s hindquarters.

Without warning, twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of me; I just had time to seize the Hippogriff around the neck before we was soaring upwards. It was nothing like a broomstick, but I wasn’t sure which I liked better.

The Hippogriff’s wings were beating uncomfortably on either side of me, catching me under my legs and making me feel like I was about to be thrown off; the glossy feathers slipped under my fingers and I didn’t dare get a stronger grip. I felt myself rocking backwards and forwards as the hindquarters of the Hippogriff rose and fell with his wing, but I felt safe and free on Buckbeak, something I hadn’t yet gotten on a broomstick.

Buckbeak flew over the trees of the forest, giving a little squawk. I felt the wind in my hair and clung on tighter to the Hippogriff as we gathered height. He took us towards the castle, and we flew in and out of the towers.

After a minute or so of this, he headed towards the lake, where he quickly dove towards the surface of the water. Buckbeak let his hind leg scratch the inky black water, which was moving quickly bellow us, just a few feet away.

Slowly, I lifted my arms up, spreading them out like wings, and feeling the total impact of the wind. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt. Adrenaline pumped threw my veins.

“Ha,” I said, to no one at all. “Woohooo!”

Out of nowhere, Buckbeak moved upwards again, and I clung onto his neck, but not as tightly as before. He started to fly back to the woods. I sighed in disappointment; I didn’t want to get off, not so soon. Down bellow, I heard a whistle. Buckbeak obediently slowed down, getting ready to land back in the paddock.

I leant back as the smooth neck lowered, feeling as though I was going to slip off over the beak; then I felt a heavy thud as the four ill-assorted feet hit the ground, and I just managed to hold on and push myself straight again.

“Good work, Corey,” roared Hagrid, as everyone except Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle cheered. “OK, who else wants a go?”

Emboldened by my success, the rest of the class climbed cautiously into the paddock. Hagrid untied the Hippogriffs one by one, and soon people were bowing nervously, all over the paddock. Neville ran repeatedly backwards from his, which didn’t seem to want to bend its knees. Ron, Hermione and Harry practised on the chestnut, while I watched.

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had taken over Buckbeak. He had bowed to Malfoy, who was now patting his beak, looking disdainful.

“This is very easy,” Malfoy drawled, loud enough for me to hear him. “I knew it must have been, if Samuels could do it... I bet you’re not dangerous at all, are you?” he said to the Hippogriff. “Are you, you ugly great brute?”

It happened in a flash of steely talons; Malfoy let out a high-pitched scream and next moment, Hagrid was wrestling Buckbeak back into his collar as he strained to get at Malfoy, who lay curled in the grass, blood blossoming over his robes.

“I’m dying!” Malfoy yelled, as the class panicked. “I’m dying, look at me! It’s killed me!”
“Yer not dyin’!” said Hagrid, who had gone very white. “Someone help me – gotta get him outta here –“
Hermione ran to open the gate while Hagrid lifted Malfoy easily. As they passed, I saw that there was a long, deep gash in Malfoy’s arm; blood splattered the grass and Hagrid ran with him, up the slope towards the castle.

Very shaken, the Care of Magical Creatures class followed at a walk. The Slytherins were all shouting about Hagrid.

“They should sack him straight away!” said Pansy Parkinson, who was in tears.
“It was Malfoy’s fault!” snapped Dean Thomas. Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles threateningly.

We all climbed the stone steps into the deserted Entrance Hall.

“I’m going to see if he’s OK!” said Pansy, and we all watched her run up the marble staircase. They Slytherins, still muttering about Hagrid, headed away in the direction of their dungeon common room; Harry, Ron, Hermione and I proceeded upstairs to Gryffindor Tower.

“D’you think he’ll be all right?” said Hermione nervously.

“’Course he will, Madam Pomfrey can mend cuts in about a second,” I said, carelessly. “He deserved it anyway.”

“That was a really bad thing to happen in Hagrid’s first class, though, wasn’t it?” said Ron, looking worried. “Trust Malfoy to mess things up for him...”

We were among the first to reach the Great Hall at dinnertime, hoping to see Hagrid, but he wasn’t there.

“They wouldn’t sack him, would they?” said Hermione anxiously, not touching her steak-and-kidney pudding.

“They’d better not,” said Ron, who wasn’t eating either.

I was watching the Slytherin table. A large group including Crabbe and Goyle were huddled together, deep in conversation. I was sure they were cooking up their own version of how Malfoy had got injured.

“Well, you can’t say it wasn’t an interesting first day back,” I said.

We went up to the crowded Gryffindor common room after dinner and tried to do the homework McGonagall had set us, but all four of us kept breaking off and glancing out of the tower window.

“There’s a light on in Hagrid’s window,” I noted suddenly.

Ron looked at his watch.

“If we hurried, we could go down and see him, it’s still quite early...”

“I don’t know,” Hermione said slowly, glancing at Harry.

“I’m allowed to walk across the grounds,” he said pointedly. “Sirius Black hasn’t got past the Dementors here, has he?”

So we put our things away and headed out of the portrait hole, glad not to meet anybody on our way to the front doors, as we weren’t entirely sure we were supposed to be out. The grass was still wet and looked almost black in the twilight. When we reached Hagrid’s hut, we knocked, and a voice growled, “C’min.”

Hagrid was sittingin his shirt-sleeves at his scrubbed wooden tabe; his boarhound, Fang, had his head on Hagrid’s lap. One look told us that Hagrid had been drinking a lot; there was a pewter tankard almost as big as a bucket in front of his, and he seemed to be having difficulty in getting us into focus.

“’spect it’s a record,” he said thickly, when he recognised us. “Don’ reckon they’ve ever had a teacher who on’y lasted a day before.”

“You haven’t been sacked, Hagrid!” gasped Hermione.

“Not yet,” said Hagrid miserably, taking a huge gulp of whatever was in the tankard. “But ‘s only a matter o’ time, i’nt it, after Malfoy...”

“How is he?” said Ron, as we all sat down. “It wasn’t serious, was it?”

“Madam Pomfrey fixed him best she could,” said Hagrid dully, “but he’s sayin’ it’s still agony... covered in bandages... moanin’...”

“He’s faking it,” I said at once. “Madam Pomfrey can mend anything. She regrew half my bones last year. Trust Malfoy to milk it for all it’s worth.”

“School gov’nors have bin told, o’ course,” said Hagrid miserably. “They reckon I started too big. Shoulda left Hippogriffs fer later... done Flobberworms or summat... jus’ thought it’d make a good firs’ lesson... ‘s all my fault...”

“It’s all Malfoy’s fault, Hagrid!” said Hermione earnestly.

“We’re witnesses,” I said. “You said Hippogriffs attack if you insult them. It’s Malfoy’s problem he wasn’t listening. We’ll tell Dumbledore what really happened.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, Hagrid, we’ll back you up,” said Ron.

Tears leaked out of the crinkled corners of Hagrid’s beetle-black eyes. He grabbed Ron and I into a bone-breaking hug.

“I think you’ve had enough to drink, Hagrid,” said Hermione firmly. She took the tankard from the table and went outside to empty it.

“Ar, maybe she’s right,” said Hagrid, letting go of Ron and I, and we both staggered away, rubbing our ribs. Hagrid heaved himself out of his chair and followed Hermione unsteadily outside. We heard a loud splash.

“What’s he done?” said Harry nervously, as Hermione came back in with the empty tankard.
“Stuck his head in the water barrel,” said Hermione, putting the tankard away. Hagrid came back, his long hair and beard sopping wet, wiping the water out of his eyes.

“Tha’s better,” he said, shaking his head like a dog and drenching us all. “Listen, it was good of yeh ter come an’ see me, I really –“

Hagrid stopped dead, staring at Harry as though he’d only just realised he was there.

“WHAT D’YEH THINK YOU’RE DOIN’, EH?” he roared, so suddenly that we jumped a foot in the air. “YEH’RE NOT TO GO WANDERIN’ AROUND AFTER DARK, HARRY! AN’ YOU THREE! LETTIN’ HIM!”

Hagrid strode over to Harry, grabbed his arm and pulled him to the door.

“C’mon!” Hagrid said angrily. “I’m takin’ yet all back up ter school, an’ don’ let me catch yeh walkin’ down ter see me after dark again. I’m not worth that!”