Chapter 120: Care of Magical Creatures
When they left the castle after lunch, the rain from the day before had stopped.
The sky was clear, and the grass beneath their feet was soft and damp. Jon walked with a group of Hufflepuffs toward their first Care of Magical Creatures class.
“I heard Hagrid’s a terrible teacher!” Eloise Midgen said worriedly. “A student got hurt in his class last year!”
“That’s why we’ve got to wear these things...” Steven Lucas muttered, glancing down at his dragon-hide coat with distaste, though he kept it wrapped tightly around him.
“Which house are we taking Care of Magical Creatures with?” Jon asked casually.
“Should be Slytherin,” Steven replied. “The morning class was Gryffindor and Ravenclaw together.”
“I see...”
They walked down the slope, Hagrid’s hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest now in sight.
...
Rubeus Hagrid stood waiting by the hut door.
He wore his moleskin coat with his hands shoved deep into the pockets, while a massive black hound prowled at his feet, looking fierce and intimidating.
Several students startled at the sight and instinctively kept their distance.
The Slytherins arrived soon after. Jon spotted Astoria laughing with her friend Selwyn. When she saw Jon, she blinked in surprise, a smile tugging at her lips.
Jon smiled back and gave her a small nod.
“Come on, hurry it up!” Hagrid bellowed once most of the students had gathered. “Got somethin’ good for yeh today—this’ll be a great lesson! Follow me!”
Hufflepuffs and Slytherins exchanged wary looks. Clearly, Hagrid’s reputation made them doubtful of his promise of “something good.”
Their path led straight toward the Forbidden Forest—
Jon deliberately hung back at the rear of the group, and Astoria fell into step beside him.
“Didn’t think you’d choose Care of Magical Creatures too!” Astoria said brightly.
“Yeah...” Jon nodded. “Wonder what kind of ‘good thing’ Professor Hagrid’s got planned for us?”
“My sister said last year it was a group of Hippogriffs... Honestly, they were pretty amazing!” Astoria said thoughtfully.
“Flying on them must’ve felt incredible...” Jon quickly added, “I mean—it probably does.”
Astoria giggled, covering her mouth.
...
A few minutes later, they reached the edge of a dense grove.
“Gather ‘round this fence!” Hagrid shouted. “Now, first thing yeh need t’do is open yer books. Jus’ stroke the spine gently, and they’ll settle down.”
He strode away as Jon carefully pulled out The Monster Book of Monsters, still bound shut with a cloth strap. He stroked the spine lightly—the book shivered, then opened and lay docile in his hands.
Astoria did the same with ease, but not everyone managed so well.
“Ahhh!” A Slytherin girl screamed.
She flung her book away, stumbled back a few steps, and clutched her hand nervously, clearly having nearly been bitten.
“Gotta be gentle!” Hagrid called back as he returned, carrying a heavy bamboo basket. “With books, same as with creatures!”
The girl turned away with a scowl.
Hagrid ignored her and dropped the basket heavily onto the ground.
“Now, have a look inside! Anyone know what these are?” he asked, grinning.
Several students leaned in, then recoiled at once with a collective gasp.
Jon stepped closer and peered into the basket. Inside, a mass of oval-shaped black insects writhed.
“These are woodlice, Professor Hagrid,” Jon said.
“Spot on!” Hagrid clapped Jon on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over. “Hold on—what’s yer name?”
“Hart. Jon Hart,” Jon replied.
Hagrid fumbled with his student list, flipped through twice, and finally found it. “Very good, Mr. Hart... Five points to Hufflepuff!”
“And does anyone know what woodlice are used for?” Hagrid asked again.
“They’re feed!” Astoria shot her hand up. “They’re used to feed Bowtruckle!”
“Excellent! And you are...?”
“Astoria Greengrass,” she said, turning and giving Jon a playful wink.
“Right—five points to Slytherin, Miss Greengrass!”
“Now, take a look over there in the trees...” Hagrid spread his arms wide.
The students followed his gesture and gasped. Hanging from the branches were tiny emerald-green creatures, no bigger than a hand, their twig-like bodies blending with bark and leaves.
Several girls squealed in delight.
...
Jon hadn’t expected today’s lesson to be about Bowtruckles.
These tiny magical creatures were certainly far less intimidating than Hippogriffs, Blast-Ended Skrewts, or Thestrals.
Even many of the Slytherins seemed intrigued.
Hagrid had them pair up and use the woodlice to feed the Bowtruckles, hoping to win their trust.
Jon and Astoria paired together and found a willow tree by the lake. They tossed aside their dragon-hide cloaks and sat side by side at its roots.
“Bowtruckles are shy,” Astoria said softly. “So when you feed them, you mustn’t scare them.”
Taking a few woodlice from Jon’s hand, she spread them near a hollow in the trunk and tapped lightly on the bark.
A few seconds later, a tiny creature crawled out, blinking timidly at her. It snatched one of the woodlice and darted back inside.
After several trips back and forth, the Bowtruckle finally emerged and perched on Astoria’s palm.
“Success!” Astoria said excitedly. “Come on, Jon—try stroking it!”
JJon gently laid his hand over hers, brushing his thumb along the little creature’s branch-like arms.
“It really likes you,” Astoria said happily.
“Of course. Remember our first meeting on the train...” Jon smiled.
“Yes, we talked about Magical Creatures... including Bowtruckles,” Astoria murmured, closing her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them again, her cheeks had flushed pink. She lowered her head slightly.
“Jon, I’m really glad I met you...”
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.