Thanks to Harry and the other two, Avada's plan to go ask Hagrid for intel ahead of time was completely ruined. By the time he'd finished explaining the black-dog prophecy and helping them deal with The Monster Book of Monsters, class time was already fast approaching. When he hurried over to Hagrid's hut near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, quite a few students had already gathered there in small groups.
Hagrid isn't here?
Avada glanced at the tightly shut door of Hagrid's hut. Based on what he knew of Hagrid, he didn't seem like the type who would refuse to show up a second early—especially not on his very first day of teaching, when he needed to establish authority in the students' eyes. On top of that, Fang was lying obediently in front of the hut. If Hagrid were out on a normal patrol, there was no way he'd leave Fang behind…
"So… don't tell me he's prepared a whole pack of dangerous beasts again?"
Avada blinked in confusion. "Didn't Dumbledore say Hagrid only became a professor after 'passing a series of tests'? Didn't those tests include how to prevent classroom accidents?!"
"Hey, what're you spacing out about?"
A classmate beside him poked him.
"Oh, nothing."
Only then did Avada realize he'd been staring at Hagrid's hut a little too intently. "I was just thinking—last year Professor Kettleburn said the new professor might lack experience at the start, so safety could be a bit lower than in his class…"
"Oh, that?"
A Gryffindor upperclassman beside him picked up the conversation. "If by 'low safety' you mean getting bitten by The Monster Book of Monsters, then sure. But if you're worried he can't control whatever creature he brings and might cause a classroom accident—come on, just look at him!"
"I'd bet even a dragon would get pinned down barehanded if it stood in front of him! And don't forget—he's got his wand back now!"
"…Alright, fair point."
Avada cut the topic short, the corner of his eye twitching, while silently hoping Hagrid would bring something normal—even if it was just one of the gentler XXXX-class creatures.
Finally, about five minutes later, Hagrid's massive silhouette slowly emerged from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Beside him was a much slimmer figure—well, it probably couldn't really be called "slim," but standing next to Hagrid made anything look small…
"Hey, kids!"
They could hear Hagrid's booming, cheerful voice from far away. He didn't even wait to get closer before calling out. "Welcome! Welcome to my class! I've brought along some really exciting creatures today—hope you'll all enjoy learning about 'em…"
As he spoke, he half-ran over in a few big strides, leading the creature along. Only then did Avada and the others get a clear look at it.
It had the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse, but its forelegs, wings, and head were those of an eagle. Its cruel, hooked beak gleamed with a metallic sheen, and above it were a pair of bright, orange-yellow eyes. A thick leather collar encircled its neck, attached to a long chain that Hagrid gripped firmly in his hand…
Right. A Hippogriff.
Well, at least Lucius Malfoy had already been thoroughly dealt with by Dumbledore. Hopefully his son would behave himself a little better this time…
"Anyone know what this is?"
Hagrid pointed at the creature and looked around eagerly. Several hands went up. He happily pointed to one at random and got a perfectly correct answer.
"It's a Hippogriff! A hybrid species, danger rating XXXX, Professor!"
"Very good—three points to Gryffindor… uh, maybe five? How do the other professors usually score you?"
"We usually just give a hundred points, Professor!"
A Gryffindor old hand immediately shouted, triggering a wave of laughter and mock curses.
"Hahaha… alright, alright, we'll go with the higher number—five points it is."
Hagrid laughed along, clearly enjoying the atmosphere. "That's right, this is a Hippogriff. His name's Buckbeak, and he'll be today's model. Besides him, I've got a whole group of Hippogriffs living in the Forbidden Forest—but don't go near 'em. If you don't know how to interact with 'em properly, it's easy to make 'em angry."
"Now then, let's officially begin today's lesson. Please open your textbooks to page two hundred and ten… oh, good. Looks like everyone's already figured out how to get along with the book."
"Excellent. Remember how you felt when you were experimenting with that book—thinking hard, trying to make it behave. If you keep that mindset when learning how to interact with living creatures, you'll be able to make friends with any of them…"
"Huh?"
The students looked at one another, utterly baffled.
Was Professor Hagrid's "method of making friends" referring to stabbing the book with a wand?
"I think Professor Hagrid means the original method—stroking the spine…"
Avada nearly choked on his own saliva when he heard that. He hadn't forgotten who had spread that simple, brutal solution in the first place…
So Hagrid had actually chosen this book for a reason?Was this really something Hagrid could come up with?!
If Avada weren't certain Hagrid hadn't been hit by the Imperius Curse—and that there was nothing abnormal about his mental state—he would've gone straight to Dumbledore…
Fortunately, Hagrid was too focused on teaching to notice anything strange about the monster books, and continued happily.
"Some of you might be wondering why we're starting from page two hundred instead of the beginning. Well, y'see, this book wasn't really written for beginners—the order of creatures in it is a bit… random. But the structure of a Hippogriff is just too classic, which is why I chose it for our first lesson…"
"There's an interesting bit of history about Hippogriffs. In the past, Hippogriffs—and a whole bunch of their relatives, like griffins—were once classified as ordinary animals rather than magical creatures."
"Makes sense, really. They don't have obvious magical abilities like bird-serpents or phoenixes, and they don't have specialized magic like Erumpents either. Funny thing is, their magical properties were actually discovered by Muggles."
"Muggles discovered magic?"
The students' curiosity was instantly piqued.
"That's right. Ancient Muggles noticed something strange when studying these creatures," Hagrid explained with a grin.
"According to their calculations, a creature like this shouldn't be able to fly at all—too heavy, wings too small, not nearly enough power. In fact, if a Hippogriff flies over your head, you'll barely even feel the wind…"
"Coincidentally, there was a wizard among those Muggle scholars at the time. When he heard about it, he got very interested and started researching it himself. In the end, he discovered that Hippogriffs are a very primitive type of magical creature—one whose wings developed the earliest magical structural traits, allowing them to fly."
"And so, after the Statute of Secrecy came into effect, they were officially classified as magical creatures and hidden from Muggle society. Still, since they coexisted with Muggles for a time in history, you'll often find traces of winged, four-legged birds like them in Muggle legends all over the world…"
"And it's precisely because of this primitive structure that the magic in their bodies is the easiest to understand—and the most suitable for beginners to study. That's why, as a key topic for fourth year, interpreting the magical spectrum of creatures, the Hippogriff makes the perfect introductory model…"
Watching Hagrid speak confidently up front—methodical, knowledgeable, even throwing in the occasional joke to liven things up—Avada blankly rubbed his eyes.
…This was Hagrid???
(End of Chapter)