—ARES 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 they set off for their first ever Care of magical Creatures class.
Theo, Blaise, Pansy, and Daphne were with him. Ares walked in front of them in silence as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It was only when he spotted three only-too-familiar backs ahead of them that he realised they must be having these lessons with the Gryffindors.
Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood in his moleskin overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his 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!"
"Is he going to take us to the Forbidden Forest?" asked Draco in horror.
Ares thought of the same thing. However, Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves 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 open yer books -"
"How?" asked Draco coldly.
"Eh?" said Hagrid, looking at him.
"How do we open our books?" Draco repeated. He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a rope.
Other people took theirs out, too; some, like Ares, had belted their book shut; others had crammed them inside tights bags or clamped them together with bullclips.
"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 Granger's copy and ripped off the Spellotape 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!" Blaise sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess?"
"I...I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to the Gryffindors.
"Oh, tremendously funny!" said Draco. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"
"Shut up, Malfoy," aaid Harry quietly. Hagrid was looking downcast and Harry wanted Hagrid's first lesson to be a success.
Ares shook his head at the drama. He sided with Draco, though, and not because he was biased. What was Hagrid thinking, giving them these books?
"Oooooooh!" squealed Lavender Brown, pointing towards the opposite side of the paddock.
Trotting towards them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Ares had ever seen. They had the bodies, hind 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.
"Get 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 them and tethered the creatures to the fence.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"
"So," continued Hagrid, rubbing his hands together and beaming around, "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer.."
No one seemed to want to. Ares sneered and shook his head. He just wanted to be back in the common room and reading a book instead at this point.
Harry, Ron and Hermione, however, approached the fence cautiously.
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' Hippogriffs is they're proud," said Hagrid. "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do. 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' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed ter touch him. If he doesn' 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. The Hippogriffs were tossing their fierce heads and flexing their powerful wings; they didn't seem to like being tethered like this.
"No one?" said Hagrid, with a pleading look.
"I'll do it," said Harry as he stepped forward.
Harry climbed over the paddock fence. Ares stopped leaning onto the tree and stepped forward, but was stopped by Draco holding out a hand. The boy next to him looked at him as if he had grown two heads. "What are you doing?"
Ares glared at him. "Nothing," he mumbled and stepped back.
"Good man, Harry!" 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.
Draco's eyes were narrowed maliciously.
"Easy, now, Harry," said Hagrid quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink – Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much.."
Harry's eyes immediately began to water, but he didn't shut them. Buckbeak had turned his great, sharp head, and was staring at Harry with one fierce orange eye.
"Tha's it," said Hagrid. "Tha's it, Harry.. now, bow.."
Harry didn't feel much like exposing the back of his neck to Buckbeak, but he did as he was told. He gave a short bow and then looked up.
The Hippogriff was still staring haughtily at him. It didn't move.
"Ah," said Hagrid, sounding worried. "Right – back away, now, Harry, easy does it –"
But then, to Harry's— and everyone else's— enormous surprise, the Hippogriff suddenly bent his scaly front knees, and sank into what was an unmistakeable bow.
"Well done, Harry!" said Hagrid, ecstatic. "Right – yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"
Feeling that a better reward would have been to back away, Harry moved slowly towards the Hippogriff and reached out towards him. He patted the beak several times and the Hippogriff closed his eyes lazily, as though enjoying it.
The class all watched.
Ares cracked his neck and looked closely. He flinched when the hippogriff went closer to Harry.
This was going to be a long lesson.
YOU ARE READING
Ares Salazar Riddle| a hp fanfic
Fanfiction↳in which ares salazar riddle, the dark lord's son, has to choose between being the next dark lord or be with the boy he loves, who was supposed to be his enemy.
