"I'm not sure whether they hibernate," Hagrid told the shivering students out in the pumpkin patch during their first Care of Magical Creatures class in December. "But we might as well give it a try… see if they want to sleep. We'll tuck them into these boxes here..."
Only ten Blast-Ended Skrewts were left now. Clearly, their instinct to kill each other hadn't been entirely bred out. Each was now close to six feet long. With thick gray armor, powerful thrashing legs, tails that exploded and spat fire, along with spikes and suckers, Skrewts remained a nightmare for the class. The students stared listlessly at the large boxes Hagrid had dragged out, lined with pillows and soft blankets.
"We'll lead 'em in," Hagrid said. "Then close the lid and see what happens."
What happened was: the Skrewts didn't hibernate, and they most certainly did not like being stuffed into boxes lined with pillows and sealed shut. Very soon, Hagrid was shouting, "Don't panic, don't panic!" as the Skrewts rampaged through the pumpkin patch, sending pieces of smoldering box everywhere. Most of the students ran screaming into Hagrid's hut, slamming the door shut behind them. Fanny and Anne had already dashed inside earlier and were now peeking out from the window, watching the chaos unfold.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a handful of remaining Gryffindors stayed outside to help Hagrid. Working together, they eventually subdued and tied up nine of the Skrewts, but not without cost, they were left with burns and slashes all over. Only one Skrewt remained.
"Hey! Don't scare it!" Hagrid yelled as Harry and Ron fired sparks at the last Skrewt with their wands. The beast lunged menacingly, its back spines arching and quivering. "Tie up the spikes, it won't be able to hurt the others then!"
"Yeah, 'cause that's definitely our biggest concern right now!" Ron shouted sarcastically as he and Harry retreated against the wall of Hagrid's hut, still fending off the Skrewt with more sparks.
"Well, well, this certainly looks like fun."
Rita Skeeter leaned against the garden fence, observing the scene with interest. She was wrapped in a thick magenta robe with a violet fur-lined collar and carried a crocodile-skin handbag on her arm.
"Huh? I thought Dumbledore banned her from the school. How did she get in?" Fanny asked in confusion upon seeing Rita.
"No idea. But it seems like things are calming down outside, we should head out. I really can't take the smell in here anymore," Anne said, opening the back door.
The other students gradually followed them out of the hut.
As Anne and Fanny stepped outside, they heard Rita chatting cheerfully with Hagrid.
"Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet journalist," she said brightly.
"I thought Dumbledore said you weren't allowed back on school grounds," Hagrid said, frowning slightly as he rolled a flattened Skrewt off himself and began dragging it toward the others.
Rita seemed to ignore the comment entirely.
"What are these charming creatures called?" she asked, her smile growing even wider.
"Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hagrid replied gruffly.
"Really? I've never heard of them before… where did you get them?"
Anne immediately noticed Hagrid's face turn beet red. That couldn't be a good sign, he clearly hadn't acquired the Skrewts through any legal or official channel.
Hermione seemed to have the same thought. She quickly shouted toward Harry, "Harry! Aren't they fascinating? Don't you think so?"
"What?" Harry said, confused. Anne saw Hermione stomp hard on his foot. He stammered, "Oh, uh, yeah, very… fascinating."
Rita's attention snapped to Harry. "Ah, you're here too, Harry! So, you enjoy Care of Magical Creatures class, do you? Would you say it's your favorite subject?"
"Yes," Harry replied firmly. Hagrid beamed at him.
"Wonderful," Rita said. "Just wonderful. How long have you been teaching this class?" she asked Hagrid, though her gaze drifted over the other students, who didn't look particularly well.
Those who had stayed to help Hagrid were clearly injured, burned robes, scratched hands, and those who had hidden in the hut stood well away from the Skrewts, looking frightened.
"I've been teaching it for two years now!" Hagrid answered proudly.
Rita cast a quick glance at the hut window, where the heads of Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe were peeking out, clearly still thinking it was too dangerous to come out.
"Excellent… Would you be willing to do an interview? Share your magical creature knowledge with our readers? The Daily Prophet runs a special column on magical creatures every Wednesday, you've probably seen it. We could feature these... uh... Rumbletails?"
"Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hagrid corrected eagerly. "Uh, sure, why not?"
"Oh, Hagrid's going to regret this," Fanny whispered behind Anne.
Anne noticed Hermione and Harry's faces suddenly tense, as if they wanted to speak up, but Hagrid was already happily chatting with Rita and had scheduled an interview at the Three Broomsticks that weekend.
"I think you're right…" Anne murmured, just as the bell for the next class rang.
"Oh, thank Merlin. Let's go, Anne," Fanny whispered, hiding behind her.
Anne and Fanny followed the rush of students heading back toward the castle.
"Anne, how do you think Hagrid even got those Skrewts?" Fanny asked as they walked.
"Well, I'd say they were either illegally imported… or possibly a new species Hagrid cobbled together without even knowing how."
"Honestly… I don't like Rita Skeeter, but if she somehow gets those Skrewts taken away, I won't complain."
"I completely agree with you, Fanny," Anne said seriously.
After dinner, Anne and Fanny parted ways at the Great Hall entrance. Fanny headed back to the Slytherin common room, while Anne made her way toward the greenhouses.
She was stopped in the courtyard by Hermione.
"Anne? Are you busy tonight? Want to go to the kitchens?" Hermione asked breathlessly.
"Tonight? Sure! You mean right now?"
"No, not yet, I just came from the library. I need to stop by my dorm first. I forgot something…"
"Wait, hold on." Anne grabbed Hermione's arm. "You just came from the library? You didn't eat dinner? And what exactly do you need to grab?"
"I'm not hungry. I need to get gloves and scarves, for the house-elves!"
"Stop right there." Anne made a big X motion in front of her chest with her hands.
Hermione stared, puzzled.
"Hermione, don't bring those. If you do, we'll be kicked out of the kitchens in less than ten minutes."
"Why?" Hermione asked, confused.
Anne frowned. How was she supposed to explain how sensitive and emotionally fragile house-elves could be?
"Is this your first time meeting them?" Anne asked.
"No, I met one at the Quidditch World Cup. Her name was Winky, poor Winky, she was dismissed over some unfair accusation, "
"Wait, Winky?" Anne suddenly regretted agreeing to take Hermione to the kitchens.
"You know her? Oh, then you must know what happened at the Cup. You also must understand how Mr. Crouch unjustly fired her. It was a huge blow to house-elf dignity, "
"All right, all right. Hermione, I get it, SPEW is important. But since you're not bringing anything, I'll take you to the kitchens. Just one condition: tonight, we observe. I'll find one or two elves you can talk to, but let me take the lead, okay?"
"Why?" Hermione asked again.
"Because… house-elves are incredibly sensitive creatures. If you start off saying things that clash with their worldview, they'll shut down. You've got to ease into it, right?"
A strange light flickered in Hermione's eyes as she looked at Anne.
Anne panicked, thinking Hermione doubted her. "Hey, I promise I'm not backing out or refusing to help. I said I would, and I will. But it's complicated in the kitchens. It's been extra complicated lately…"
"I believe you, Anne. I'll follow your lead."
"…Huh?" Anne had been preparing for more convincing, but Hermione's agreement caught her off guard. Still, that was good. Anne turned and started toward the kitchens. "All right, let's go."
Anne led Hermione down a flight of stone steps, not into a dark, eerie passage like the one leading to Snape's dungeon, but a wide, brightly lit corridor decorated with cheerful paintings of food.
"This place feels different from where you and Fanny invited me to eat before," Hermione said, glancing around.
"You know Hogwarts, it changes. And it's a lot different here on a Monday night compared to a weekend morning. Look, this is the storage room we used last time. Still looks the same."
Hermione nodded at the still-rickety door.
"We're here." Anne stopped in front of a large painting of a bowl of fruit. "This is the entrance. If you ever need to come again, just do this, tickle the pear."
Anne scratched the pear in the picture. It giggled, squirmed, and then transformed into a large green door handle.
"See? That's the trick," Anne said as she pressed down the handle and pushed open the door. "Welcome to the Hogwarts kitchens."
Hermione stepped inside eagerly. Anne followed and shut the door behind them.
The room was massive, with high ceilings and walls stacked with gleaming copper pots and cauldrons. In the back stood a huge brick fireplace. The four long tables that mirrored those in the Great Hall were empty. About a hundred house-elves moved busily about, all wearing uniforms, simple tea-towels bearing the Hogwarts crest.
"Ah! It's Reeve, she's here!" cried a tiny voice.
A group of elves rushed over. A dozen or so surrounded Anne, but when they noticed Hermione, they suddenly became more formal, smiling politely and bowing.
Hermione looked as though she wanted to stop them, but Anne grabbed her hand and whispered, "Let them be. If you want to free them, you first have to understand them. And to understand them, they need to accept you. If you reject their kindness right away, they'll never open up."
Hermione's ears flushed bright red, but Anne didn't notice, she had already pulled back.
The elves seemed more relaxed now. They began chatting.
"Is Reeve bringing a new recipe?"
"Who's that next to Reeve?"
"Need a stove like last time? Six-Six, get the fire going!"
"What ingredients do we need?"
"Quiet down, please," Anne said, and the kitchen instantly fell silent.
"Thank you. Let me introduce my friend, Hermione Granger from Gryffindor. She'll be visiting often, so treat her the same way you treat me. No need for formality."
The elves stared at Hermione with their wide, round eyes.
"No new recipes today," Anne continued. "We're just here for a visit. You can all return to work. But Gigi, Six-Six, could you help my friend get something to eat? She missed dinner. And Goo-Goo, could you fetch Dobby for me? Thanks a lot!"
The elves broke into smiles. Some hurried off cheerfully, and one bolted across the room at incredible speed. The others scattered, chatting as they returned to work.
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