Care of Magical Creatures

Hermione P.O.V.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that those transfer students weren't from America. They speak with each other either in Greek or Latin, which one is a dead language. That's when I started doing my research turning to Greek and Roman instead of finding about their school.

"Harry. What do you know about ancient Greek pantheons?" I ask him as we walk to class.

"Not a lot. Just the basic," Harry says. "Why are you asking?"

"Our password means 'A blessing from Hecate' in Greek. The new transfer students knew it."

"'Mione I get that you're more spectacle after them finding out about Snuffles and going to Umbridge about it. But they're in the D.A. there's no way they would be something going on with them."

"But we'll never know if we don't talk to them about it."

"'Mione it's going to be ok."

Harry went off and I knew that it will be only a matter of time before those transfer students kick it and tell Umbridge. I will have to be the first person to get them to speak whether Harry helps me or not.

Third Person P.O.V.

It was the day after Hagrid arrive that the demigods had the chance to finally meet him. But the whole thing was messed up by Umbridge's inspection of his teaching.

Nico and Asteria were standing together since it seems like Thalia's influence was making her slightly more rash than before. Then Asteria notice Umbridge muttering, " 'has . . . to . . . resort . . . to . . . crude . . . sign . . . language . . .' "

"Well . . . anyway . . ." said Hagrid, turning back to the class and looking slightly flustered. "Erm . . . what was I sayin'?"

" 'Appears . . . to . . . have . . . poor . . . short . . . term . . . memory . . .' " muttered Umbridge, loudly enough for everyone to hear her.

Draco Malfoy looked as though Christmas had come a month early; Hermione, on the other hand, had turned scarlet with suppressed rage. Asteria looked like she was about to kill Umbridge with Nico holding firmly onto her arm.

"Oh yeah," said Hagrid, throwing an uneasy glance at Umbridge's clipboard, but plowing on valiantly. "Yeah, I was gonna tell yeh how come we got a herd. Yeah, so, we started off with a male an' five females. This one," he patted the first horse to have appeared, "name o' Tenebrus, he's my special favorite, firs' one born here in the forest —"

"Are you aware," Umbridge said loudly, interrupting him, "that the Ministry of Magic has classified thestrals as 'dangerous'?"

Harry's heart sank like a stone, but Hagrid merely chuckled.

"Thestrals aren' dangerous! All righ, they might take a bite outta you if yeh really annoy them —"

" 'Shows . . . signs . . . of . . . pleasure . . . at . . . idea . . . of . . . violence . . . ' " muttered Umbridge, scribbling on her clipboard again.

"Shows signs of bitchery while using her authority to dismiss others," Asteria mutters mockingly.

Nico chuckles and continues to look at the Thestrals. Thalia just nodded, as if she was nodding to what Hagrid said earlier, covering up her bright smile and enjoyment of Asteria's mockery of Umbridge.

"No — come on!" said Hagrid, looking a little anxious now. "I mean, a dog'll bite if yeh bait it, won' it — but thestrals have jus' got a bad reputation because o' the death thing — people used ter think they were bad omens, didn' they? Jus' didn' understand, did they?"

Umbridge did not answer; she finished writing her last note, then looked up at Hagrid and said, again very loudly and slowly, "Please continue teaching as usual. I am going to walk" — she mimed walking — Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were having silent fits of laughter — "among the students" — she pointed around at individual members of the class — "and ask them questions." She pointed at her mouth to indicate talking.

Hagrid stared at her, clearly at a complete loss to understand why she was acting as though he did not understand normal English. Hermione had tears of fury in her eyes now. Thalia was sparking with electricity as the demigods watched as Umbridge talked to Pansy before coming up to Nico.

"You can see the thestrals, Di Angelo, can you?" Umbridge said.

"Yes," Nico said nonchalantly.

"Whom did you see die?" she asked, her tone indifferent.

"I didn't see anyone die," he said keeping the same tone. "I bring death."

Umbridge said nothing before walking towards Neville. No one really heard Nico's conversation with Umbridge except the demigods and Hermione. Thalia and Asteria seem to be the only ones having a fit laughing quietly. Piper rolls her eyes at their childish behavior but was also holding a bright grin.

"You can see the thestrals, Longbottom, can you?" she said.

Neville nodded.

"Whom did you see die?" she asked, her tone indifferent.

"My . . . my grandad," said Neville.

"And what do you think of them?��� she said, waving her stubby hand at the horses, who by now had stripped a great deal of the carcass down to the bone. "Erm," said Neville nervously, with a glance at Hagrid. "Well, they're . . . er . . . okay. . . ."

" 'Students . . . are . . . too . . . intimidated . . . to . . . admit . . . they . . . are . . . frightened. . . .' " muttered Umbridge, making another note on her clipboard.

"No!" said Neville, looking upset, "no, I'm not scared of them — !"

"It's quite all right," said Umbridge, patting Neville on the shoulder with what she evidently intended to be an understanding smile, though it looked more like a leer to Harry.

"Well, Hagrid," she turned to look up at him again, speaking once more in that loud, slow voice, "I think I've got enough to be getting along with. . . . You will receive" — she mimed taking something from the air in front of her — "the results of your inspection" — she pointed at the clipboard — "in ten days' time." She held up ten stubby little fingers, then, her smile wider and more toadlike than ever before beneath her green hat, she bustled from their midst, leaving Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson in fits of laughter, Hermione actually shaking with fury, and Neville looking confused and upset.

Asteria nudges Thalia and says, "You shock her with lightning. I make her trip. No one will know."

"That I can do," Thalia says.

Thalia turns and sparks of electricity came from her hands and she hit Umbridge with it. Umbridge started getting electric shocks before Asteria made a rock appear and trip her. All the students were shocked and had nothing to say. But Hermione looks at Thalia and Asteria chattering with one another. They were talking about something earlier and she was going to find out why.