While Ivan and the others whispered to each other, Hagrid excitedly taught the young wizards how to open the Monster Book.
Even Malfoy, who had a disgusted look on his face, flipped the pages of the successful book open, as Hagrid had explained everything in such detail that anyone who did not follow his instructions would think he was stupid.
Hagrid nodded his head in satisfaction, and his high-pitched voice echoed around the room.
"All right, now let's get back to class! You guys stay put, and I'll go get the creatures. I'm sure you'll like them!"
With that, Hagrid strode into the Forbidden Forest, leaving Fang to watch over them.
"I don't know what that oaf is bringing with him." Malfoy pursed his lips unhappily, then turned back to Harry. "I bet Potter is hoping it's not a Dementor… he'll be horrified!"
"Malfoy!" Furious, Harry tried to argue with Malfoy, but Hermione and Ron stopped him.
This was Hagrid's first lesson, and it would be best if they avoided a violent confrontation with Malfoy.
Soon, Hagrid was leading a dozen animals towards them.
These creatures were tall and strong, but strangely shaped, with the head and wings of an eagle, and the body of a horse, as if they were two creatures combined.
The Hippogriffs, however, appeared particularly helpless in the presence of Hagrid, who was taller and more powerful than them.
"C'mon, c'mon!" Hagrid yelled, gripping the end of the chain with his massive hands and swinging it, urging the beasts toward the barrier.
The group of young wizards took a few steps back and stared in horror at the hippogriffs.
Yvonne was also impressed by Hagrid's nerve to bring such a dangerous creature to their first lesson as a third year student.
Most importantly, these Hippogriffs did not seem to have been specially domesticated. From their unruly orange eyes, it could be seen that they were all wild!
Yvonne thought about Hagrid's pets and shook her head. Perhaps Hippogriffs were considered safe babies to Hagrid.
At least Hagrid didn't bring a three-headed dog along for their first lesson…
"Look! They're beautiful, aren't they?" said Hagrid, attaching a dozen hippogriffs to the fence and turning to look at the group. "I bet you've never seen one before. They're hippogriffs!"
"If you want to see better, you can come closer!" Hagrid said happily. He looked at the fearful crowd and patted his chest.
"Don't worry, Hippogriffs generally don't hurt people! I mean, not without losing their temper… so don't ever piss them off!"
Hearing Hagrid's words, the students became even more reluctant to approach the hippogriffs. They thought that the hippogriffs were just scary to look at, but it turned out that they could actually hurt people…
"Well, who wants to go first!" Hagrid said enthusiastically as he pulled over a hippogriff named Buckbeak.
However, no one was willing to move, and when there was an awkward silence, Harry summoned up the courage to step forward and help Hagrid.
Ivan, on the other hand, had little interest in these creatures, as Hippogriffs did not seem dangerous enough to him, nor did they have any special abilities, and were only rated XXX by the Ministry of Magic.
However, it was not an easy task for Harry to deal with such a large, strange-looking creature, as he followed Hagrid's instructions and locked eyes with the Hippogriff, gaining its trust step by step.
Finally, Harry dared to pat Hagrid on the head and ride him around in the air, despite Hagrid's repeated urging.
Harry's success undoubtedly motivated the other young wizards, and Hagrid, seeing that they were in high spirits, dragged a few more Hippogriffs over.
Soon, some of the more daring students in the paddock were mimicking Harry's cautious approach to the beasts.
Ivan and Hermione picked a red-brown Hippogriff, which was exceptionally beautiful, with its head held high and its red-brown hair shining in the sunlight.
Ivan took a few steps forward and was about to bow and make eye contact, but before he could do anything, the hippogriff approached him.
Hermione was so shocked that she thought he was going to attack them, but then the hippogriff moved closer and rubbed itself affectionately against Ivan.
Also surprising was Ivan.
He was ready to fight back. The protective ring was half-activated, and he only needed to hold it off for a moment before he could cut off the man's head with the Traceless Magic.
However, there was a risk of a chain reaction if they did so. Fortunately, things were not as bad as they seemed.
Seeing the large head within reach, Ivan had an idea and reached out to stroke its reddish-brown hair, and the hippogriff closed its eyes lazily, looking as if it was enjoying itself.
Hermione also curiously tried to get closer, mimicking Ivan in reaching out to stroke the hippogriff, which opened its orange eyes and stared at her, letting out a shrill cry.
Displeased with the red-brown creature's treatment of her, Hermione had no choice but to turn to Ivan and ask, "It seems to like you! How did you do it, Ivan?"
"How should I know…" Ivan shook his head. He suspected that it was because the affinity of unicorn blood was still in play. He had thought that it would disappear after fusing with snake blood…
'Right, Malfoy!'
Yvonne had a vague recollection of Malfoy angering a hippogriff and injuring it, and later causing trouble in order to have the creature executed.
Ivan, who did not want anything to get out of his control in the near future, immediately turned to look at Malfoy…