The Big Dipper

Dumbledore's Army

The following weekend, Adrian held a second round of tryouts, desperate to find a new beater, and not caring that there was practically two feet of snow on the ground. He had kicked both Crabbe and Goyle off the team and figured anyone would be better than them. Thankfully, a sixth year named Edmund Urquhart showed up, explaining he had missed the first tryouts because he was in the Hospital Wing. He was nearly as good as Marcellus, and Adrian was thrilled to add him to the team.

Ursula was positively thrilled to see Hagrid had returned, although not many students shared her sentiment. Fred and George roared with delight and sprinted up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables to wring Hagrid's enormous hand while Rue huffed and rolled her eyes. Hagrid looked distinctly worse for wear, his face a patchwork of fresh cuts and purple, green, and yellow bruises.

Nevertheless, Ursula was delighted to have him back, and headed down to Care of Magical Creatures after lunch on Monday with an added bounce in her step. She was, of course, concerned what Professor Umbridge would think of Hagrid, who did not present a reassuring sight, but that was a problem for the future.

She, the Weasley twins, and Rue struggled through the snow towards Hagrid, who stood waiting for them on the edge of the forest with what looked like half a dead cow slung over his shoulder.

"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..."

He led them into the dim, snowy forest, talking as he went.

"Yeh've been in here before, o' course," he said. "But I thought visiting the thestrals in their natural habitat was best."

"We're working with thestrals today, then?" said Ursula excitedly. Rue muttered something like Obviously under her breath, but Ursula paid her no mind.

"Thestrals are pretty rare, an' I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em," said Hagrid. "I got 'em to pull the carriages, yeh see."

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. Hagrid deposited his half a cow with a grunt on the ground, stepped back, and turned to face his class again. Fred and George looked curious, and Rue's arms were crossed apprehensively but she still looked interested. Ursula tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Gather roun', gather roun'," said Hagrid 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. Hagrid gave the shrieking cry again. A minute passed in which the class continued to peer into the trees, and then Ursula gasped as she saw one.

A pair of blank, white, shining eyes were 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. It looked around at the class for a few seconds, swishing its long black tail, then bowed its head and began to tear flesh from the dead cow with its pointed fangs.

"Er — why don't you call again?" said Fred to Hagrid, frowning.

"Don't need ter," said Hagrid. "How many of yeh can see 'em?" Ursula put her hand up. "Just Ursula? Anyone know why the rest of yeh can't seem 'em?"

"Thestrals can only be seen by people who've seen death," said Rue.

"Five points ter Ravenclaw," said Hagrid. "Since not everyone can see 'em, they get an unlucky reputation, see, but they're dead clever an' useful! Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here."