OotP - Chapter Twenty-One - The Eye of the Snake
At least a new chapter.
Hermione is worried about Hagrid's class, and tries to help him, but he keeps saying it will be OK. The other students are not very happy about his arrival.
He leads the students into the Forbidden Forest and introduces Thestrals. Harry is relieved, because, despite Luna also seeing them, he wasn't sure he was not hallucinating.
"A great wave of relief broke over Harry. Here at last was proof that he had not imagined these creatures, that they were real: Hagrid knew about them too."
Hagrid explains that they are very clever and useful. And Hermione says that only people who have seen death can see those animals. Only two other boys see Thestrals: Neville, who saw his grandfather die, and a stringy Slytherin boy (that JKR confirmed later was T. Nott) and the students are astonished to see the disappearing of the carcasses Hagrid used to attract the Thestrals.
Hagrid explains that they are very clever and useful. And Hermione says that only people who have seen death can see those animals.
Umbridge arrives with her clipboard and tries to make Hagrid nervous, interrupting him, asking if the students can understand what he says, writing bad things about him. She doesn't see the animals.
Hermione is really furious with Umbridge and she thinks it is a very good lesson after all.
December comes and the Weasleys invite Harry to The Burrow, but he is concerned about Sirius.
When he arrives to the last DA meeting before Christmas break, the Room of Requirement is decorated for Christmas with mistletoe and baubles with his face and the legend : "HAVE A VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS". Luna arrives and Harry jumps out from under the mistletoe. Luna thinks it is good because they can be infested with Nargles.
Angelina tell him that he have been replaced by Ginny in the team and that she is good, though not as good as him, but the new beaters are terrible. Harry is a bit uncomfortable.
He doesn't teach anything new, they just practice what they had already learned. Harry is proud that they seem to have really improved, particularly Neville, and says that they can even try Patronuses after the break.
After the class, Cho comes near and praises his teaching abilities, and then begins to talk about Cedric. Ron and Hermione go and Harry and Cho are the only people in the room, under the mistletoe, she says she really likes him and comes so near that "He could have counted the freckles on her nose" (and I wouldn't be able to estimate the number of fanfics in which Harry is counting freckles after this image).
*Cut*
Ron asks Harry why it took him so long to go back to the Gryffindor Tower, but one part of Harry doesn't want to tell what happened. Hermione is straightforward: "Did she corner you after the meeting? [...] Did you kiss?"
He tells his friends that she was crying and Ron asks if he is such a bad kisser. Hermione explains Cho's feelings and asks about Harry's reaction, like if she was an instructor of love life (I think this scene is very funny - the embarrassment of Harry, the excitement and clueless way of being of Ron, and Hermione's businesslike way of explaining emotions). The scene finishes with Ron finding out that the long parchment Hermione is writing is a letter to Krum and becomes impatient and disgruntled.
Harry goes to bed still thinking of Cho and how girls' brains work. His dream of Cho suddenly changes and he is a giant snake preparing to attack a man sitting in front of a door. He wants to bite the man, Arthur Weasley. He bites him and tastes the blood.
Ron wakes him. He is covered with sweat, has a blinding ache in his forehead and he vomits. But he manages to tell Ron his dad had been attacked. Ron thinks it's just a dream, but Prof. McGonagall comes and she believes him and takes him to the Headmaster.
Hermione is worried about Hagrid's class, and tries to help him, but he keeps saying it will be OK. The other students are not very happy about his arrival.
He leads the students into the Forbidden Forest and introduces Thestrals. Harry is relieved, because, despite Luna also seeing them, he wasn't sure he was not hallucinating.
"A great wave of relief broke over Harry. Here at last was proof that he had not imagined these creatures, that they were real: Hagrid knew about them too."
Hagrid explains that they are very clever and useful. And Hermione says that only people who have seen death can see those animals. Only two other boys see Thestrals: Neville, who saw his grandfather die, and a stringy Slytherin boy (that JKR confirmed later was T. Nott) and the students are astonished to see the disappearing of the carcasses Hagrid used to attract the Thestrals.
Hagrid explains that they are very clever and useful. And Hermione says that only people who have seen death can see those animals.
Umbridge arrives with her clipboard and tries to make Hagrid nervous, interrupting him, asking if the students can understand what he says, writing bad things about him. She doesn't see the animals.
Hermione is really furious with Umbridge and she thinks it is a very good lesson after all.
December comes and the Weasleys invite Harry to The Burrow, but he is concerned about Sirius.
When he arrives to the last DA meeting before Christmas break, the Room of Requirement is decorated for Christmas with mistletoe and baubles with his face and the legend : "HAVE A VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS". Luna arrives and Harry jumps out from under the mistletoe. Luna thinks it is good because they can be infested with Nargles.
Angelina tell him that he have been replaced by Ginny in the team and that she is good, though not as good as him, but the new beaters are terrible. Harry is a bit uncomfortable.
He doesn't teach anything new, they just practice what they had already learned. Harry is proud that they seem to have really improved, particularly Neville, and says that they can even try Patronuses after the break.
After the class, Cho comes near and praises his teaching abilities, and then begins to talk about Cedric. Ron and Hermione go and Harry and Cho are the only people in the room, under the mistletoe, she says she really likes him and comes so near that "He could have counted the freckles on her nose" (and I wouldn't be able to estimate the number of fanfics in which Harry is counting freckles after this image).
*Cut*
Ron asks Harry why it took him so long to go back to the Gryffindor Tower, but one part of Harry doesn't want to tell what happened. Hermione is straightforward: "Did she corner you after the meeting? [...] Did you kiss?"
He tells his friends that she was crying and Ron asks if he is such a bad kisser. Hermione explains Cho's feelings and asks about Harry's reaction, like if she was an instructor of love life (I think this scene is very funny - the embarrassment of Harry, the excitement and clueless way of being of Ron, and Hermione's businesslike way of explaining emotions). The scene finishes with Ron finding out that the long parchment Hermione is writing is a letter to Krum and becomes impatient and disgruntled.
Harry goes to bed still thinking of Cho and how girls' brains work. His dream of Cho suddenly changes and he is a giant snake preparing to attack a man sitting in front of a door. He wants to bite the man, Arthur Weasley. He bites him and tastes the blood.
Ron wakes him. He is covered with sweat, has a blinding ache in his forehead and he vomits. But he manages to tell Ron his dad had been attacked. Ron thinks it's just a dream, but Prof. McGonagall comes and she believes him and takes him to the Headmaster.