Chapter 8
The next morning, Harry joined Hermione and Ron on the path to their Care of Magical Creatures lesson. The brisk autumn air was cool, and the damp grass glistened underfoot as the trio made their way toward Hagrid’s cabin.
Harry adjusted his bag over his shoulder, glancing back at the castle. He spotted Jinx perched near the Ravenclaw table in the courtyard, animatedly arguing about something with Fred and George. He shook his head, amused. “I wonder how long she’ll last in all those classes she’s wrangled her way into.”
“Not long,” Hermione said primly, though her eyes betrayed a flicker of curiosity. “Magical Theory and Magical Engineering? Those are some of the most complex subjects offered. She’s going to overextend herself.”
“Yeah, well,” Ron muttered, “that’s her problem. Let’s just focus on surviving whatever Hagrid’s got planned.”
The small group of Gryffindors and Slytherins had already gathered near Hagrid’s pumpkin patch when they arrived. Malfoy stood to one side, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, his sneer firmly in place.
“Ah, there yeh are!” Hagrid called, emerging from behind his cabin. He looked pleased, his wild hair and beard illuminated by the morning sunlight. “We’ve got a real treat today, everyone. Follow me!”
He led the group to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where a collection of large, clawed footprints dotted the ground. A moment later, Hagrid whistled, and a group of magnificent creatures stepped into view.
They were hippogriffs, massive creatures with the front half of a giant eagle and the hindquarters of a powerful horse. Their feathers glinted in the light, and their intelligent eyes roved over the students.
“Now, these here are Hippogriffs,” Hagrid said proudly, gesturing to the creatures. “Beautiful, aren’t they? But yeh’ve got ter be careful. They’re proud, these. Yeh’ve gotta show proper respect.”
Hagrid went on to explain how to approach a Hippogriff, demonstrating with Buckbeak, a particularly majestic specimen with stormy gray feathers. He bowed deeply to the creature, who regarded him for a tense moment before dipping its beak in return.
“See? Easy as that!” Hagrid said, grinning. “Now, who wants ter go first?”
There was a long, awkward silence. Finally, Harry stepped forward, feeling the weight of everyone’s stares.
“Good lad, Harry!” Hagrid beamed. “Come on, give it a go.”
Harry followed Hagrid’s instructions carefully, bowing low to Buckbeak and waiting, heart pounding, as the creature studied him. After what felt like an eternity, Buckbeak returned the bow.
“Brilliant! Go on, give ‘im a pat,” Hagrid urged.
Tentatively, Harry reached out and stroked Buckbeak’s feathers. They were softer than he’d expected. Hagrid clapped his hands together, delighted.
“Now climb up on ‘is back, Harry. Go on!”
Harry hesitated but obeyed, climbing onto Buckbeak’s broad back. With a sudden leap and a powerful beat of its wings, Buckbeak took off into the sky. The wind whipped past Harry’s face as the ground fell away beneath him, and for a moment, he forgot all his worries.
When Buckbeak landed and Harry dismounted, the class erupted into scattered applause. Hagrid encouraged the others to try, though Malfoy seemed reluctant.
“Yeah, right,” Malfoy sneered. “Like I’m going to bow to some overgrown chicken.”
As Malfoy approached Buckbeak with an exaggerated sneer, the tension in the air was palpable. Harry watched nervously, remembering Hagrid’s explicit warning about showing proper respect.
“You’re not dangerous at all, are you, you stupid-” Malfoy began, reaching out a careless hand.
Before anyone could blink, a blur of dark blue and black streaked past. Jinx, seemingly out of nowhere, grabbed Malfoy by the back of his robes and yanked him out of Buckbeak’s reach. The hippogriff reared back with a piercing screech, wings flaring in alarm. The sudden movement sent Malfoy sprawling onto the grass with an indignant yelp.
“What the-?!” Malfoy spluttered, scrambling to his feet.
Jinx stood nonchalantly to the side, brushing imaginary dust off her Ravenclaw uniform. “You’re welcome,” she said smugly, smirking down at him.
The entire class stared at her, mouths agape. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione were at a loss for words.
“Jinx?” Harry finally managed. “What... How did you even-?”
“I got bored,” she said with a shrug, gesturing vaguely toward the forest. “Thought I’d see what you lot were up to. Good thing I did, too, because Malfoy here clearly has no self-preservation instincts.”
“I didn’t need your help!” Malfoy snapped, his face red with a mixture of embarrassment and fury. “And what are you even doing here? This isn’t your lesson!”
“Yeah, well, someone had to save you from yourself,” Jinx replied, crossing her arms. “Honestly, you’re lucky I did. That ‘overgrown chicken’ would’ve made a snack out of you.”
Hagrid, who had been trying to calm Buckbeak down, finally managed to get the hippogriff to settle. He turned to Jinx, his massive hands on his hips. “What’re yeh doin’ here, Jinx? Yeh know yeh can’t just wander into other lessons!”
Jinx flashed Hagrid an innocent grin. “Just trying to help, Professor. You can’t really blame me for stopping a tragedy in the making, can you?”
Hagrid sighed, his face a mix of exasperation and fondness. “Jus’... try not to interfere again, eh? Buckbeak’s a proud creature, and yeh scared him half to death.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, though the mischievous twinkle in her eyes suggested otherwise.
As the class slowly recovered from the chaos, Ron leaned over to Harry. “You know, I think she’s even madder than we thought.”
“Yeah,” Harry agreed, watching as Jinx wandered off toward the edge of the paddock. “But she’s definitely not boring.”
Hermione shook her head, muttering something about how she didn’t understand how Jinx got away with anything. Meanwhile, Malfoy sulked silently, brushing grass off his robes and glaring daggers at Jinx’s retreating form.
At lunch, Harry, Ron, and Hermione found Jinx seated at the Gryffindor table again, casually munching on an apple as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The trio slid into seats across from her, their expressions a mix of confusion and curiosity.
“Okay, Jinx,” Ron said, leaning forward. “What were you doing at Care of Magical Creatures? You’re not even taking the class!”
Jinx shrugged, taking another bite of her apple before answering. “I was in the area.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “In the area? You yanked Malfoy out of the way before Buckbeak could take a swing at him. What were you really doing there?”
She paused, her golden eyes glinting mischievously. “Fine, if you must know,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I’ve been told that every year at least one teacher tries to kill you, Harry. So, naturally, I’ve been... observing. Just keeping an eye on things.”
“Observing?” Hermione echoed, her tone teetering between disbelief and indignation. “You’ve been stalking the professors?”
Jinx tilted her head as if considering the term. “Stalking sounds so aggressive. I prefer ‘monitoring for suspicious behavior.’ Besides,” she added, smirking, “I’ve only been watching the ones you have classes with during my free periods. I’m being efficient.”
Ron gawked at her. “You mean to tell me you’ve been spending your free time following Snape around?”
“Oh, no,” Jinx said, waving her hand dismissively. “Snape’s not trying to kill him. He’s too busy glaring at everyone like he’s swallowed a lemon. No, I’ve been focusing on the ones who are new this year. Higher turnover rate, more risk, you know?”
Hermione buried her face in her hands, groaning. “Jinx, that’s completely unnecessary! None of the teachers are trying to kill Harry!”
Jinx snorted. “You sure about that? Let’s review the evidence. Quirrell? Definitely tried to kill him. Lockhart? Almost killed everyone, including himself. And last year? Well, I wasn’t here, but I heard about that basilisk business.”
Harry opened his mouth to argue, but quickly shut it. She wasn’t exactly wrong.
“Still,” Jinx continued, leaning back with a grin, “I figured better safe than sorry. And look, I saved your ‘arch-nemesis’ today. That’s got to count for something.”
Harry couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Hermione looked ready to argue further, but Ron beat her to it, shaking his head.
“You’re mad, you know that?” Ron said, though he was grinning despite himself.
“Mad but effective,” Jinx replied, winking as she polished off her apple.