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Chapter 564: Extra Lessons
Chapter 564: Extra Lessons
At Hogwarts, one couldn't truly call themselves a Hufflepuff without having pulled an all-nighter to finish assignments at least once.
Or so Kyle thought.
And so, to fit in better, he spent an entire night finishing his Potions homework, astonishing those around him as they spotted him among the group of students rushing to meet deadlines. Some even doubted their own memory, thinking the holidays might still be ongoing, and returned to their dormitories to sleep.
Of course, Kyle paid a price for this, including a three-day confinement.
"Mr. Brown, don't forget your confinement starts this Friday," Snape said, turning his head to glance intentionally at Kyle.
Though he knew Kyle had completed the assignment the night before, the content was flawless, and even after scrutinizing the parchment, Snape couldn't find any faults.
But, well... opportunities like this were rare.
"Why didn't you remind him yesterday was the last day of the holidays? Do you take pleasure in seeing your classmates punished?
"Five points from Hufflepuff!"
It was quite a reason, and Kyle couldn't deny he was impressed.
There had been so many students working through the night, with people constantly getting up to leave and new ones joining, how could he possibly know if they had actually finished their work?
He couldn't very well go around asking everyone, that would be absurd.
Thankfully, Kyle was used to Snape's behavior by now.
Besides, it was only five points, not a huge loss. In fact, in recent years, this was the least amount of points Snape had deducted from him.
...
After Potions class was Care of Magical Creatures, and this lesson was much friendlier.
Hagrid brought along a group of old friends, creatures he had been eager to introduce to the students on his first day as a professor, only to be stopped by Kyle.
"Hippogriffs," Hagrid announced to the class, "But remember, don't be fooled by their beautiful appearance. Hippogriffs are proud creatures, and you must never attempt to humiliate them..."
The students huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.
Kyle felt that apart from Hagrid, no one else would be fooled by the hippogriffs' appearance. Those dagger-like claws and beaks were hard to ignore and easily noticed.
However, for fifth-year students, this level of danger wasn't too difficult to accept, as hippogriffs were only classified as XXX magical creatures.
Hagrid then proceeded to give some instructions and demonstrate the correct way to approach a hippogriff, after which he let the students try it out themselves.
But he stopped Kyle.
"Come with me, over here," Hagrid said, leading Kyle to a gray hippogriff.
"His name's Buckbeak... a fine lad," Hagrid said, "Would you like to take him for a ride now?"
Kyle found this a little strange.
Hagrid was being extremely enthusiastic, but it wasn't his usual kind of enthusiasm. It was as if he had some other motive, making his tone and actions seem a bit forced.
"I know, it's definitely not a problem for you."
Seeing that Kyle hadn't responded, Hagrid continued, "But this time, it's different. Very different."
He glanced instinctively in the direction of the Beauxbatons carriage before lowering his voice and saying, "Hippogriffs are very intelligent creatures. They remember wizards who have shown them kindness, and they won't forget for years.
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Hagrid winked, "Well, that's all I can say... So, for this lesson, try riding Buckbeak around the field, or even a few laps. There's some food Buckbeak likes on that shelf over there, you can use it as a reward... Good luck.
"Mr. Dever, you should be more patient and not rush to touch them... Oh, yes, that's it, now you can," Connor whispered as Hagrid left.
"I think he wants me to get familiar with this Hippogriff." Kyle replied thoughtfully. "I guess it has something to do with the last task of the Triwizard Tournament."
Hagrid's eyes kept glancing towards the Beauxbatons carriage as he spoke, his expression tense as if worried about being noticed.
If it had something to do with Beauxbatons, it was most likely related to the Tournament... After all, ever since the Christmas ball, Hagrid hadn't spoken to Madame Maxime on his own initiative, nor had he tried to manage his hair with machine oil.
"So, the third task involves Hippogriffs?" Connor's eyes lit up at the prospect.
"It's probably not that simple." Kyle shook his head. "Think about it, the first task involved a Fire Dragon and an Ashwinder; they wouldn't end with a 3X magical creature... That would be too unreasonable. I reckon it's just part of the task."
"That's still enough." Connor said, "When it comes to the Goblet of Fire, every little advantage counts, right?"
"You're not wrong." Kyle nodded in agreement.
He bowed politely to the Hippogriff, whose name was Buckbeak.
Almost at the same time, the creature bent its front knee and then rubbed its large, feathered head against Kyle's arm.
"Oh, you remember me." Kyle rubbed its head; the feathers were a little stiff, not as fluffy as an owl's, but smooth nonetheless.
"You know it?" Connor asked, sensing that Kyle and Buckbeak seemed to have met before.
"Sort of, we've met before." Kyle climbed onto Buckbeak's back. "Hagrid's right, they are very intelligent."
The twelve-foot-long wings unfolded on either side of Kyle, and Buckbeak took to the air.
Although they were both flying, this felt very different from riding a Nimbus 2000.
Kyle didn't have to worry about which direction to fly in or when to turn; he only needed to pay attention to the wings on either side of Buckbeak's body to avoid being hit... It was exhilarating.
Soon, Buckbeak completed a lap around the field and returned to the ground.
To avoid being thrown off, Kyle seized the opportunity and jumped off just as Buckbeak was about to land.
"Well done, Kyle!" Hagrid shouted to the group. "Look, someone's already finished. Five points to Hufflepuff..."
"How was it?" Connor asked curiously as she walked over.
"Much more exciting than the Sea Serpent."
Kyle straightened his robe, which had been ruffled by the wind.
"I think it would be interesting to play Quidditch riding Hippogriffs, but I wonder if Professor Dumbledore would agree."
Connor shook her head as she imagined a dozen Hippogriffs flying around the Quidditch pitch.
"I don't know what the Headmaster is thinking, but Professor McGonagall certainly won't agree."
"That's true." Kyle sighed. "It's a shame, I think it would be worth trying."
(End of Chapter)
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