𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸, harry potter

˗ˋ 96

CHAPTER NINETY SIX
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-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH HAGRID LEADS 
THEM INTO THE WOODS

. . .

When it came to Care of Magical Creatures on Tuesday, Aviana was not surprised to see Hagrid waiting for them. He had reappeared at the staff table in the Great Hall Monday morning, much to the disdain of Malfoy who could talk about nothing else all day, but also because Harry had told her he had come back as he walked her back to the Slytherin common room after she had eaten the rest of her ratatouille, and the brief, secretive and entirely abysmal reasoning behind his absence. Even to Umbridge, no detail was given.

Wrapped up tight in an extra jumper and her new coat, Aviana walked alongside Pansy, several feet in front of Draco, Blaise and the rest of them, shivering in the cold of the snow. It had fallen suddenly over the past two nights, and drowned the castle and the areas surrounding it in a thick covering of white, only a reminder of how remote they were within the Scottish Highlands.

She had expected to see Umbridge, and it had significantly soured her mood as she trudged down, only to find there was no pink pea coat in sight - which was a little odd, as from what Harry explained to her it seemed that the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts would be raring to diminish Hagrid and his teaching into nothing. 

Instead, Hagrid waited alone for his fifth year class on the edge of the forest, and Aviana found herself taken aback by his appearance; he was covered in cuts and bruises - was it from the secret mission the Order had obviously sent him on (and how they expected that to be kept a secret from anyone with any knowledge on the gatherings, she didn't know), or if it was related to the next animal they were supposed to study.

"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to the approaching students, jerking his head back at the dark trees behind him. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark..." 

"What prefers the dark?" Behind Aviana, she heard Draco say sharply to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice. "What did he say prefers the dark - did you hear?" He cleared his throat, and pushed forward quicker in the snow. "Aviana, what creatures prefer the dark?" 

Pansy, hanging onto Aviana's arm to provide the both of them some stability as they trudged down the trodden path, looked up at her, nudging her gently to prompt some kind of answer. 

Aviana said nothing, nor did she roll her eyes, and simply detached herself from Pansy and walked onwards without a word, falling into step behind Harry, Ron and Hermione. 

Hagrid led them deeper into the forest, not so deep that they lost the light from the gaps amongst the trees at the very edge, but deep enough for the world around them to dim significantly, and Aviana felt a slight edge of unease.

"Ready?" Hagrid said happily, looking around at the class as they came to a stop in a small gap in the never-ending trees. "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 probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em —"

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" Malfoy asked, the panic in his voice even 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. Aviana rolled her eyes. Seemingly none of them could recognise a good opportunity when it was right in front of their noses.

 "'Course they're trained," Hagrid scowled and hoisting the dead cow a little higher on his shoulder. Aviana wrinkled her nose as the sight. 

"So what happened to your face, then?" Malfoy demanded, making furtive glances towards Aviana, as though waiting for her to shut him up with some sarcastic response.

 "Mind yer own business!" Hagrid replied, angrily. "Now if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!" He turned and strode further into the forest. Nobody seemed much disposed to follow, but Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, who sighed but nodded, and the three of them setoff after Hagrid, Aviana close behind and 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, instead a carpet of brown pine needles and moss-covered rocks. Hagrid deposited his half a cow with a grunt on the ground, stepped back, and turned to face his class again, most of which were creeping from tree to tree, peering around nervously as though they were expecting something to jump out at them and attack. 

"Gather roun', gather roun'," Hagrid beckoned 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..."He turned, shook his shaggy head to get the hair out of his face, and gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees like the call of some monstrous bird, everyone jumping out of their skins at the absurd noise. There was an uneasy silence between them all, and Hagrid called out again. 

A minute passed, and nothing appeared, and despite Aviana's patient waiting, even she was beginning to lack in her usual confidence. Then, just as Hagrid was about give another cry, there was a rustling and her eyes shot towards what initially looked like a space of the utmost black between two yew trees. But there, a pair of blank, white shining eyes were slowly growing larger through the gloom and a moment later the dragonish face, neck, and then skeletal body of a great, black, winged horse emerged from the darkness. 

Aviana stared at it, as it took one long, hard look at the class before deeming them harmless, bowing it's great head down to the carcass and beginning to rip meat from it. But, as she glanced around, confusion began to grow. It seemed, aside from Harry, who was looking at Ron expectantly, pointing at the creature as it ate. 

Aviana glanced by at where her friends stood. Theo was watching the creature, looking quite disgusted - he had seen his mother die, a long while ago - but the rest of them seemed just as confused as Ron. It appeared to only be herself, Harry, Theo and Neville who could see them, watching the creature quite carefully.  

"Oh, an' here comes another one!" Hagrid said proudly, as a second black horse appeared out of the dark trees, fold edits leathery wings closer to its body, and dipped its head to gorge on the meat. "Now... put yer hands up, who can see 'em?" Harry raised his hand. Hagrid nodded at him. "Yeah... yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," he said seriously. "An' you too, Neville, eh? An' Aviana too-" 

"Excuse me," Malfoy asked in a sneering voice, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?" 

For answer, Hagrid pointed at the cow carcass on the ground. The whole class stared at it for a few seconds, then several people gasped and Parvati squealed. It was easy to understand why: Bits of flesh stripping themselves away from the bones and vanishing into thin air had to look very odd indeed. 

"What's doing it?" Parvati demanded in a terrified voice, retreating behind the nearest tree. "What's eating it?" 

"Thestrals," Hagrid said, proudly. "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows..."

"Oh." Aviana breathed out.

She was not comforted by that fact. 

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