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Chapter 333: The Cancelled Care of Magical Creatures Class
Chapter 333: The Cancelled Care of Magical Creatures Class
The golden necklace...
Vold was not one to adorn himself with jewelry, even though he could afford all sorts of expensive gems and gold ornaments.
At the same time, Michael noticed that Hermione also seemed to be hiding something similar inside her school robes.
"Never mind," he muttered, interlacing his arms and resting his chin on them as he lay on the table. "If I leave, you'll be sitting here alone. That's too pitiful."
Vold smiled, reached into his bag, and placed a book on the table that was as thick as a brick.
"If you're bored, you can look at this."
"What is it?"
Michael sat up straight and flipped through the book with a disdainful expression. "An encyclopedia? It doesn't sound much different from 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'!"
But as soon as he opened the table of contents, his eyes were drawn in.
The book Vold gave to Michael was actually a children's version of an encyclopedia, a birthday gift from a friend of his father's a couple of years ago. It started with the Big Bang, galaxies, nebulae, and star systems, accompanied by colorful illustrations and concise explanations.
The latter part covered natural sciences, humanities, history, social changes, and technological development, each section written with captivating and eye-catching content.
Michael soon became engrossed in the book, forgetting about time and his previous thoughts of leaving.
Vold took advantage of this time to finish all the homework from the morning classes.
His backpack, which looked ordinary, was actually another form of a wardrobe space, expanded using the Seamless Expansion Charm to make the interior as spacious as the Great Hall. Vold had stuffed all his books inside.
The "backpack" was, in reality, a portable personal library.
When researching and writing papers, he only needed to reach into his bag and cast a silent Summoning Charm to retrieve the book he wanted.
As the bell rang for the end of class, Michael reluctantly closed the book and asked, "Can I borrow this book? I've only read a few pages."
"Wait a moment."
Vold tapped the cover of the book with his wand, duplicated it, and gave the original to Michael while he took the copy to find Professor Babaji.
Michael struggled to fit the hefty book into his already crowded backpack and saw Vold returning from the front of the classroom.
He raised an eyebrow, "You want Professor Babaji to change the textbook to this encyclopedia? I heard she's been using the same one for almost ten years."
"That's why a change is needed. One boring class is enough with History of Magic."
Vold said, "And there are many errors in the original textbook. The author doesn't have a deep understanding of Muggles, just as you said—it's passable as a joke book."
"Did Professor Babaji agree?" Michael asked.
Vold sighed, "I left the book after expressing my thoughts. I think after we're all gone, Professor Babaji might need to cry in secret for a while."
"Uh..." Michael paused for a moment before saying, "It's normal for Mirison and the others to leave right away. After all, marrying a werewolf is too outrageous."
"I remember you liked Remus," Vold said.
"Remus is Remus, and a werewolf is a werewolf."
Michael spoke objectively, "I know what most werewolves are like—crude, violent, savage, and filled with resentment towards wizards. I heard they used to attack children and women at night."
"Remus is an exception; he can't represent all werewolves. And if Remus had a daughter, do you think he'd want his daughter to marry a werewolf?"
Vold remained silent.
He thought of Will, the werewolf who had betrayed Remus' kindness, and Claire, who was strongly opposed to the idea of werewolves.
Even the werewolves themselves rarely accepted their own identity.
From this perspective, Professor Babaji's idea was indeed naively bizarre.
After finishing Muggle Studies, it was time for Care of Magical Creatures class.
This class had always been a popular elective, chosen by the vast majority of students, so during class hours, it was separated into two sections, just like the mandatory classes.
Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were paired together.
They walked along the slope towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, just barely making it in time for class, but there was no sign of the professor.
"Where did Professor Hagrid go?" Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff asked, "Did he forget the time?"
After waiting for a while, someone took the initiative to run and knock on Hagrid's hut, but there was no response.
"Did we remember the wrong classroom?"
He returned and said uncertainly.
"I heard some noise over there." Ryan pointed to the distance, "It sounds like something is calling out from there."
"Let's go and see." Anthony Goldstein made the decision, "Maybe Professor Hagrid is waiting for us over there!"
He was always at the center of the Ravenclaw students, known for his enthusiasm, generosity, and consideration for others. Upon hearing this, everyone followed him.
Vold had a vague idea of what was going on, but he didn't say anything and followed the group.
This place was very close to the Forbidden Forest, and many students who had never dared to venture into this area were both excited and nervous, unconsciously drawing closer together.
Soon, they all heard the calls that Ryan had mentioned, followed by gasps from some of them.
Twelve strange creatures were in an enclosure, with the bodies of horses, heads of eagles, and wings and front talons. Their fur was a colorful array, some were eating meat, some were resting on the ground, and two seemed to be playing.
The students' arrival startled these creatures, and those lying on the ground immediately stood up, eyeing each other cautiously from a distance, without approaching.
"Griffins!" Theo exclaimed, "Is this what Professor Hagrid prepared for the class?"
"So cool!" Michael cheered, "I didn't know there were such creatures in the Forbidden Forest!"
"So, where is the professor?"
Padma was a bit scared, clutching Michael's sleeve tightly, wanting to retreat, "Maybe we should leave... Let's go find Professor Hagrid first..."
"Don't be afraid, Padma." Michael comforted her, "Maybe the professor went to prepare food for them! We need to learn how to feed the griffins!"
Padma's face turned pale, and she screamed, "You want us to get close to them?!"
Before she could finish, a voice came from behind them, "What are you doing here?!"
Everyone turned around and saw Professor McGonagall striding towards them, her face filled with worry and urgency. She relaxed only when she saw that the students were at least twenty meters away from the griffins.
"We're preparing for class, Professor," Anthony Goldstein said, "But for some reason, Professor Hagrid hasn't arrived yet."
Professor McGonagall frowned, "Didn't anyone inform you? This class has been temporarily canceled!"
"Canceled? Why?" Anthony asked in surprise.
"Something happened..." Professor McGonagall said vaguely, "Anyway, for everyone's safety, don't come close to this place for now. Go back to the castle!"
The students hesitated, but under Professor McGonagall's stern gaze, they started walking towards the castle.
"How could it be canceled?" Michael said, "This is our first Care of Magical Creatures class."
"Look over there," Vold said, lifting his chin slightly.
Michael turned around and saw fresh bloodstains in the grass and on the enclosure's fence.
His face turned pale, "Is someone injured?"
"I guess so," Vold said, "The eagle's talons and beak can cause harm."
"Good thing we didn't go closer," Padma said, patting her chest in relief, "I hope it's not Hermione and the others who are injured."
Michael, however, was unhappy and incredulous, "Didn't Professor Hagrid take safety precautions? How could he mess up on the very first class?"
"Who knows?" Vold said, "Maybe someone else did something stupid. Anyway, we'll know once we get to the hospital wing."
"But..."
Michael turned around and locked eyes with one of the griffins.
"Maybe next time we come for class, we won't see them anymore... Maybe we won't see them ever again..."
(End of Chapter)
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