After lunch, as they left the castle, it was clear that the drizzle that had persisted since the day before had finally stopped.
Though the rain had ceased, the sky remained a pale shade of gray, and the grass underfoot was soft and damp.
That afternoon marked Draco and the others' first class of the day—Care of Magical Creatures.
Most of the young wizards were visibly excited and eager.
Because of the Dementors, they had rarely been allowed to leave the castle, so any chance to go outdoors made Care of Magical Creatures one of the most anticipated classes.
Even with Slytherins joining them, the restless Gryffindor students could hardly contain their excitement...
Pansy, who had recently been busy training Goyle and Crabbe, was, as usual, walking beside Draco.
Though the training sessions had taken up much of her time—leaving her fewer moments to stay by Draco's side—it didn't mean she had ignored his recent behavior.
In fact, not long after Ginny Weasley had spoken to Draco, word of it had already reached Pansy's ears.
But that wasn't what truly concerned her. Pansy didn't for a second believe Draco would fall for a witch from the Weasley family, especially given how strained relations between their families were.
What did bother her, however, was how Draco had become increasingly secretive lately...
"I heard you haven't been spending time in the common room recently. Where have you been?"
"Well, I've had a few things to confirm."
"Confirm? Another thing you can't tell me?"
"Not really. You've heard of the Room of Requirement, right?"
"You mean... that magic room that can grant any wish?"
Draco's lips twitched slightly at her phrasing. "You seem to have a rather big misunderstanding about it, but yes, we're talking about the same place."
Seeing Pansy's sudden spark of interest, Draco felt the need to correct her misconception.
"It's not quite as magical as you think. It can grant what's in your heart, yes, but only within limits."
"Limits?"
Pansy's face fell slightly, though it was unclear what exactly disappointed her.
Just as she'd mentioned, Draco's recent absence from the Slytherin common room was mainly because he'd spent most of his time studying the Room of Requirement.
He was particularly intrigued by how it worked—and just how far its magic could go.
From simple rooms piled high with sweets, to mountains of Galleons that vanished when he tried to take them out, to an exact replica of his bedroom at Malfoy Manor, and even a fireplace that worked with Floo Powder—Draco had tried everything he could think of.
In that sense, the Room of Requirement truly did grant a wizard's desires.
But it wasn't without limits.
When Draco tried opening the room while thinking about finding Voldemort, what appeared instead was a room cluttered with useless junk. At first, he thought he had opened the wrong door.
That was why Draco insisted the room had restrictions—and more outlandish wishes, like wanting to see a dragon inside, were clearly impossible.
Even so, its usefulness and wonder couldn't be denied.
After studying it alongside Astoria, Draco had to admit the Room of Requirement was extraordinary—or rather, that the wizard who created it possessed terrifying magical power.
That was what intrigued Draco most. He wanted to know who had created the Room of Requirement and, more than that, to uncover the principle behind its magic.
After all, the knowledge needed to create something like that was beyond imagination…
…
Care of Magical Creatures, simply put, was a class designed to teach young wizards about magical beasts—creatures they would rarely encounter otherwise.
Don't underestimate its importance. Ever since Newt Scamander, the renowned expert on magical creatures, appeared, wizards had begun to take this subject far more seriously.
The course had long been taught by Professor Kettleburn, but due to certain circumstances this year, Hagrid had taken over as the new professor.
From Draco's point of view, there was a clear reason behind Hagrid's appointment. In his eyes, it was the school's way of compensating him.
If last year's Chamber of Secrets incident hadn't proven Hagrid's innocence—showing that he wasn't the one who opened the chamber and unleashed the monster—Draco doubted this position would ever have gone to someone with no teaching experience.
"Let's hope nothing goes wrong."
"Hm? Did you say something, Draco?"
"No, just a bit worried."
Draco glanced at the tightly bound copies of The Monster Book of Monsters in everyone's hands.
To be honest, even he had no desire to open it.
The moment you untied the rope, the book would try to bite your hand off.
Calling it a book was generous—it was more like a mad dog with a book cover.
When all the students had finally gathered, Hagrid appeared from behind his hut. From a distance, his massive frame was unmistakable, clad in a mole-skin coat, with the energetic Fang trotting faithfully by his side.
But his disheveled appearance and half-giant stature left many of the younger students speechless, especially those unfamiliar with him.
The Slytherins, in particular, made no effort to hide their disdainful looks. Draco, however, could only shrug helplessly. He had no intention of defending Hagrid—it had been Hagrid's choice to take this on.
Meanwhile, Harry Potter glared furiously at the Slytherins, completely ignoring the equally disdainful expressions coming from his fellow Gryffindors.
Just as Draco expected, Hagrid didn't seem to notice the students' stares. Whether he truly didn't care, or was simply too nervous to realize it, was unclear.
"Everyone, come over here. That's it. Stand where you can see. Now, the first thing you need to do is open your books."
"..."
"..."
An awkward silence.
Uneasy glances.
It looked like Hagrid's first class as a professor wasn't going to be an easy one...