Morris genuinely didn't understand what was happening or why these creatures were reacting to him this way.
But he could confirm one thing: he seemed to be very popular with the Thestrals.
When he reached out and stroked the neck of the lead Thestral, all the other Thestrals immediately crowded around him with affection. They pressed close, jostling for position, circling him. In their enthusiasm, they even pushed Hagrid aside.
"This... this is most unusual," Hagrid said, maintaining what was clearly a strained smile that looked increasingly forced with each passing moment.
"You seem very popular with the Thestrals. They've never, in all my years caring for them, shown this kind of immediate enthusiasm toward anyone. Not even toward me, and I've been feeding them and tending their injuries for decades."
Morris found himself completely surrounded by the Thestrals. He was somewhat at a loss for how to respond to this overwhelming display of affection.
He could clearly feel the intense emotions radiating from these mysterious creatures. It felt like recognition, like a reunion between long-separated family members who'd finally found each other again.
No, wait. That wasn't quite accurate.
The feeling was less like family and more like... like they regarded him as some kind of leader or authority figure they'd been instinctively waiting for.
But why would that be? What about him specifically was attracting these creatures with such powerful intensity?
Morris tentatively attempted to climb onto the back of the nearest Thestral, testing to see if his welcome extended to actually riding them.
Obviously, remarkably, the Thestral not only welcomed this somewhat impolite behavior but seemed delighted by it. The creature let out a happy, musical cry that echoed through the clearing.
Once Morris was securely seated on its back, gripping the spines of its neck, he steered the Thestral over to where Hagrid stood looking somewhat dejected.
"Hagrid, could you tell me more about these animals?" Morris asked with curiosity, patting the Thestral's neck. "I really don't know anything substantial about them beyond what I experienced last night."
"I can do that," Hagrid answered, though without much of his usual enthusiasm for discussing magical creatures.
"Thestrals are a very special and quite rare magical creature. They have one unique characteristic that sets them apart from almost any other magical being: only those who have witnessed death with their own eyes can see Thestrals."
He paused, then continued with more warmth creeping back into his tone despite his hurt feelings, "Because of this deeply unsettling trait, many wizards think Thestrals bring bad luck or are omens of death which is nonsense. They're actually very gentle and intelligent creatures. I think you've already experienced that gentleness firsthand, haven't you?"
Morris nodded thoughtfully, his fingers unconsciously continuing to stroke the Thestral's back.
Only those who have witnessed death can see Thestrals.
The words resonated in Morris's mind.
In other words, Thestrals were creatures deeply connected to death itself.
This might very well explain why the Thestrals were so strongly drawn to him, why they treated him with such acceptance.
They were kindred spirits, in a very real sense.
Though Morris was something of a novice at necromancy, he was nevertheless a practitioner of death magic. He had intimate, direct contact with death in ways most living people never would.
He'd created undead creatures with his own hands and magic. He'd pulled Tin-Tin and Sparkles back from death's grasp, binding them to a strange half-existence between life and true mortality.
Perhaps the Thestrals could sense that lingering aura of death magic clinging to him, marking him as someone who walked between worlds just as they did.
"Thestrals also have an absolutely excellent sense of direction," Hagrid continued his introduction. "Never get lost, these ones. That's why Hogwarts uses them to pull the carriages that take students from the station to the castle. They can find their way accurately in any weather conditions and they never waver from the correct path."
As if the Thestrals understood they were being discussed and wanted to demonstrate their capabilities, the creature beneath Morris suddenly spread its enormous bat-like wings and flapped them twice, causing the surrounding Thestrals to follow suit.
For a moment, the entire clearing was filled with the sound of dozens of powerful wings beating against air.
Hagrid watched this spectacular display with an expression of pure sourness crossing his usually cheerful face.
"They never let me ride them," he muttered, unable to keep the complaint entirely out of his voice. "Not once, in all these years."
"Maybe it's simply because they physically can't carry your weight," Morris said tactfully as he dismounted from the Thestral.
Hagrid looked down at his own massive body then glanced at the skeletal, lean Thestrals with their visible ribs and delicate-looking legs.
His expression softened considerably.
That actually... made quite a bit of sense.
"Right then," Hagrid said, clapping his hands together with a sound like thunder, gathering his spirits and determination. "Let's get down to the actual business we came here for, shall we? Morris, do you remember which Thestral carried you to the castle last night? Can you identify it from this group?"
Morris observed the herd of Thestrals carefully, studying each one.
"Um..." He stroked his chin thoughtfully and finally said with some difficulty, "That might be genuinely challenging, because honestly, they all look exactly the same to me. I can't tell them apart at all."
"How is that even possible?" Hagrid's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "Each one is clearly different if you just look properly! That one has a slightly longer neck, that one's wings are broader, that one has a small scar on its left flank..."
Morris spread his hands in a helpless gesture, acknowledging his failure.
To his eye, these black skeletal creatures all looked essentially identical. It was like trying to identify individual crows or distinguish between identical twins.
Moreover, there were dozens of Thestrals gathered here in response to the leader's call.
Trying to pick out one specific individual from so many similar-looking creatures, based on a brief nighttime flight when he'd been more focused on not falling than on memorizing distinguishing features—that was genuinely impossible for him.
"Then what am I supposed to tell Professor McGonagall?" Hagrid asked in distress, running one hand through his wild hair in frustration.
"Just make up some plausible excuse," Morris suggested casually. "Tell her you had a general talk with the whole herd about safety. The truth is, yesterday was completely an accident. That Thestral was just indulging my curiosity and being friendly. It's really no big deal that requires special intervention."
"I suppose that's all I can do," Hagrid sighed heavily, his shoulders were slumping with resignation.
He was mainly worried about the possibility of Thestrals accidentally hurting a student through overenthusiastic friendliness.
If something truly serious happened, that would create enormous trouble for everyone involved.
He'd already learned that painful lesson once before, many years ago. That incident still haunted him.
But looking at how the Thestrals were behaving toward Morris right now—
The evidence before his eyes completely contradicted his worries. Look at these creatures! These usually shy, cautious beings that normally avoided human contact were practically ready to roll over and expose their bellies for Morris like keen dogs. How could there possibly be any intention of causing harm?
But still!
Hagrid's internal voice protested stubbornly.
He couldn't quite accept this situation!
These little fellows usually only let him get close!
The more Hagrid dwelt on it, the more irritated and hurt he became.
"Can we head back to the castle now?" Morris asked, noticing Hagrid's expression growing increasingly troubled.
"Yes, let's go," Hagrid said, waving his hand in agreement, eager to leave this scene of his hurt feelings.
Morris nodded and then, on impulse, turned to address the herd of Thestrals: "Now then, you're all dismissed! Back to whatever you were doing before!"
Something surprising happened in response to his casual command.
The Thestrals clearly understood Morris's words and intention. They responded immediately and in perfect unison, turning as one coordinated group retreated into the darker shadows of the Forbidden Forest with remarkable speed and coordination.
Within perhaps fifteen seconds, the entire clearing had emptied completely. The Thestrals vanished as if they'd never been there at all, leaving only the stirred leaf litter and a few black feathers drifting down from above as evidence of their presence.
The sudden silence was almost shocking after the noise and activity.
Hagrid stood frozen, staring at the now-empty clearing in complete stunned disbelief. His mouth hung slightly open.
That wasn't right. That couldn't be right.
He was their designated keeper, the one who fed and cared for them. So why in Merlin's name would the Thestrals obey Morris—a first-year student they'd just met with such instant and perfect obedience?
It made no sense.
Morris was also genuinely surprised by the response, though he recovered more quickly than Hagrid.
He'd only spoken casually on impulse, never seriously expecting the Thestrals would be so perfectly obedient to a verbal command. He certainly hadn't expected them to understand his specific meaning and execute it so precisely.
He turned to the still-dazed Hagrid and said gently, "Let's go, Hagrid. It's almost lunchtime. I'm getting quite hungry."
Only then did Hagrid seem to snap out of his shocked trance. He shook his massive head as if clearing water from his ears, then turned and began leading Morris back through the forest toward the castle.
All the way back along the path, Hagrid kept asking Morris variations of the same question: How did he manage to make the Thestrals so immediately obedient? Had he studied them before coming to Hogwarts? Did he have some special magical ability with animals?
Morris genuinely didn't want to hide anything from the friendly gamekeeper, but he was just as bewildered by the situation as Hagrid was. He had no useful explanations to give into why the Thestrals had responded to him so strongly.
Perhaps this was simply natural talent. He didn't fully understand it himself.
They continued walking, Fang trotting happily ahead of them, when they reached a fork in the forest path.
Hagrid suddenly stopped walking.
"What's wrong?" Morris asked immediately.
"Something's approaching," Hagrid answered in a low voice. He moved positioning Morris protectively behind his massive body and keeping his gaze fixed intensely on the path behind them.
The moment Morris processed this warning, before he could ask any follow-up questions, something came racing out of the dense forest with violent speed.
"Swish—!"
A sharp, whistling sound cut through the air.
A spear came flying from the shadows, spinning slightly as it traveled. The weapon grazed dangerously close to Hagrid's worn leather coat before embedding itself with tremendous force into the ground at Morris's feet.
"Who's there!?" Hagrid roared and immediately spread both of his arms wide, creating a physical barrier to shield Morris completely behind him.
Morris looked down at the spear. The wooden shaft was polished quite smooth, clearly well-maintained and carefully crafted. The spearhead which he could only see the base of, since most of it had sunk completely into the earth appeared to be made of bronze or similar metal.
The fact that the spear had penetrated so deeply into the forest soil clearly demonstrated that whoever wielded this weapon possessed tremendous physical strength.
Most likely not a wizard, Morris concluded. Wizards generally relied on wands and spells rather than throwin spears.
Hagrid seemed to realize something similar.
"I'm Hagrid!" he shouted toward the direction from which the spear had been thrown.
Rustling sounds came from the woods and a tall figure slowly emerged.
It was a half-human, half-horse creature with black body and hair, radiating a wild, untamed aura.
"Bane?" Hagrid sighed in relief. "Why did you attack us?"
The centaur called Bane paid no attention to Hagrid's questions tone. His dark eyes remained fixed with intensity on what was behind him.
"Hagrid!" His voice rang out like thunder. "Tell me, what is that behind you?"