Bab 33: A ferret?
It had become December quickly enough. Today was Saturday, meaning that in another week it would be time to leave Hogwarts. The grounds were blanketed in a thick layer of pristine snow that crunched satisfyingly beneath my feet as I made my way down to Hagrid's cabin.
Ever since I'd discovered he took care of the camp grounds and the beasts in the Forbidden Forest, I'd taken to visiting him regularly, eager to learn about the fascinating beasts he cared for.
"Felix!" Hagrid's voice boomed across the grounds as I approached his cabin, his breath visible in the crisp winter air. "Right on time. Got summat special ter show yeh today."
I grinned, quickening my pace through the snow. "Please tell me it's not another Blast-Ended Skrewt. I can still smell singed hair from last time."
Hagrid chuckled, his massive beard shaking like a bush in a strong wind. "Nah, though they're misunderstood creatures, they are. Today we're lookin' at some more... elegant beasts."
He led me around his cabin toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where the snow-covered ground gave way to dark earth beneath the ancient trees. As we walked, I could sense different magical signatures emanating from the forest - some familiar, others completely foreign. The magical energy pulsed and swirled like an invisible tide, growing stronger as we approached our destination.
Then I saw them - skeletal black horses with dragon-like wings, their leathery skin stretched tight over their bones like dark parchment. Their white, pupilless eyes looking straight at me sending a shiver down my spine. Steam rose from their nostrils in the cold air, creating an eerily beautiful effect against their dark forms.
"Thestrals," I breathed, stepping closer. I had only glimpsed them briefly when we'd first arrived at Hogwarts when they were pulling the carriages, visible to me only because of that haunting vision where I'd experienced death through Louise's eyes.
"Yeh can see 'em?" Hagrid asked, surprised but gentle. "Most folks can't, unless they've seen..."
"Death," I finished quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, I can see them."
"Can I touch one?" I asked, already reaching out, drawn by both curiosity and that strange, beautiful magic.
"Course! They're gentle creatures, despite their appearance. Dead clever too. This one's called Tenebrus - he's the first one born in the forest," Hagrid said proudly, watching as I made contact.
I ran my hand along Tenebrus's neck, marveling at the strange texture of his skin and the prominent bones beneath. Its magic was unlike anything I'd encountered before - cold but not unpleasant, they seemed to personify the idiom, the sweet and cold release of death.
It flowed through their skeletal structure, from skull to ribs to femur, cycling endlessly like a magic circuit. Just like the Stairwell Gargoyle's own magic and other sentient objects which was weird to say the least.. I noticed how some of the magic seemed to pool in his tail hair, creating a reservoir of power which was probably why their cores were made from their tail hairs.
"The way their magic works is incredible," I mused aloud, tracing the path of a particularly strong magical current. "It's like their whole skeletal structure is integrated with their magical core. I wonder how their organs function with such a unique biological structure..."
"Careful there," Hagrid warned, though his eyes twinkled with amusement. "No dissectin' the Thestrals."
"I wouldn't!" I protested, though I couldn't help but wonder about the intricate mechanics of their wing joints. "I'm just curious about their biology. Like how their magic compensates for their bone density - they should be too heavy to fly with such thick skeletal structure, but their magic must create some sort of gravitational effect..."
Hagrid tossed chunks of raw meat into the air, which the Thestrals caught with surprising and ripped apart in an instant, yet even with that brutal display all it did was make me more excited about them, I continued to pass my hand along their leathery skin.
"How many are there in the herd?" I asked, counting the visible ones in the clearing.
"Bout a dozen now," Hagrid replied, reaching out to pat Tenebrus's flank. "They're the ones that pull the school carriages, as you probably already know. Most students think they're self-moving, but it's these clever fellows doing all the work, seriously underappreciated these little fellas are."
Little fellas, I thought. Then I looked back at Hagrid I mean compared to him I guess they were kind of little.
As we discussed the Thestrals' unique abilities, another creature emerged from the forest - a hippogriff with stormy grey feathers and fierce orange eyes that seemed to glow in the winter light.
"Ah, Buckbeak!" Hagrid beamed. "Come to join us, have yeh?"
"I prefer the Thestrals," I mused, scratching Tenebrus's neck while the hippogriff looked distinctly offended. "There are plenty of magical creatures that are fusions of others, but these beauties..." I leaned closer to Tenebrus's ear, whispering. "Why can only people who've seen death see you? Are you actually envoys of death herself?"
The Thestral merely whickered softly in response. "How I wish I could talk with you."
He neighed again in response, when I felt Hagrid's hand on my shoulder (and head and other shoulder the dude was fucking gigantic).
"Wanna go for a fly?" Hagrid offered, gesturing to Tenebrus's back. "Not many people get the chance."
"No, thank you," I replied quickly, suppressing a shudder. Flying creatures and brooms might be different, and I did have my "I Cast Fly" spell as backup, but some risks weren't worth taking.
We spent the next hour discussing various magical creatures and their unique characteristics. We walked across the edge of the forest the pack of Thestrals follwoing behind us, in fact I even through them a piece of raw meat myself which they tore up quickly enough which also made me feel a giddy feeling in my chest.
As we talked, something caught my eye - a long, furry tail protruding from a freshly dug hole near the forest's edge, twitching slightly in the snow.
"What's that?" I asked, already moving toward it, curiosity overwhelming caution.
"Wait, that might be a-" Hagrid started, but I had already grabbed the tail and pulled, my other hand ready for any necessary defensive spells.
WHOOSH!
A creature about twice the size of a normal ferret shot out of the hole, twisting in my grip until we were face to face. It had dark fur dusted with snow, sharp teeth, and surprisingly intelligent eyes that fixed on mine with an almost human expression of indignation.
"Dumbass, don't grab my tail!" it snapped in perfect English, its voice carrying a hint of a cockney accent.
I nearly dropped it in shock, but as the creature spoke, I felt its magic connect with mine like a bolt of lightning. It was as if an invisible cord had suddenly pulled taut between us, a magical tether forming instantly and irrevocably.
"A Jarvey," Hagrid said, appearing at my side and brushing snow from his massive coat. "Bit like an overgrown ferret, but they can talk. Don't understand human speech though, mostly just spout insults."
I barely heard him, too focused on the strange connection I could feel forming, there in the back of my head I could feel the book opening slowly as the connection formed. The Jarvey's eyes met mine, and I knew it, no, he could feel it too.
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