The second period in the morning was the Care of Magical Creatures. After finishing their Herbology, Vincent and Hermione came out of the greenhouse and could see two figures, one tall and one short, standing outside the castle in the distance.
They were all wearing Beauxbatons school uniforms; the tallest one covered her face with a scarf, while the shortest one was Gabrielle, the only one in the delegation who was not yet 17.
Vincent waved to the Delacour sisters, signaling them to come over.
"Would your Professor Hagrid dislike having people audit his classes?"
"Believe me, he doesn't dislike you guys, no matter who he doesn't like."
After saying that, Vincent and Hermione looked at each other mysteriously, leaving the Delacour sisters puzzled.
"There shouldn't be any students at the cabin yet. Let's go over there and say hello."
The four of them walked towards the Forbidden Forest.
The appearance of the Blast-Ended Skrewt made the students lose their enthusiasm for the Care of Magical Creatures, and they arrived at Hagrid's Hut even before Harry and Ron.
Hagrid was inside the house, clumsily untying the bandages wrapped around his hands.
Upon noticing the arrival of the four, he broke into a big smile, got up, and went outside.
"Vincent, Hermione, you're up so early today?"
"Oh—" He recognized the school uniforms the Delacour sisters were wearing, and hurriedly hid his hands behind his back. "You brought friends with you? Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
Vincent immediately understood his little scheme. "Professor Hagrid, these two are Beauxbatons' students, Phoebe Delacour and Gabrielle Delacour."
Hagrid paused slightly when he heard Phoebe's name, and he also saw Vincent winking at him repeatedly.
What does it mean to address him so formally as Professor Hagrid? Also, what does the blinking mean?
Hermione reluctantly stepped forward and explained her purpose, "Professor Hagrid, they are very interested in the Blast-Ended Skrewt and would like to audit the later Care of Magical Creatures. Is that alright?"
"Of course." Hagrid spread his hands happily. "The Blast-Ended Skrewt are growing very well lately. You'll be surprised by their size now."
The crops are growing well? Vincent and Hermione immediately had a bad feeling.
They glanced back at the Delacour sisters, who seemed even more interested, and could only pray that nothing unexpected would happen in class later.
After exchanging brief greetings, the four of them waited patiently outside the house.
A few minutes later, the students arrived one after another.
"Old Vincent!" James jogged over and pulled Vincent aside. "What are they doing here? Are you planning to build a harem?"
Vincent rolled his eyes. "Don't talk nonsense. They're just here to listen in."
"Eavesdropping?" James looked horrified. "You know how destructive those things are. What if you scare my goddess?"
"Actually, they are very interested in the Blast-Ended Skrewt."
James was dumbfounded, "No way... my goddess has such a heavy taste..."
Vincent waved his hand in front of his eyes, but when he didn't react, he ignored him.
The shattering of dreams is indeed a huge blow.
When James regained consciousness, all the students from Gryffindor and Slytherin had arrived.
The boys naturally stared curiously at Phoebe, whose face was completely covered by a scarf.
To be honest, it doesn't really matter whether she covers her face or not; her long silver hair tied up with a hairpin has already given her away.
When class started, Hagrid, dressed in a suit and tie, walked out of the hut, and the students' expressions were just as horrified as James' earlier.
"Good morning, everyone!" Hagrid's hair and beard were also clearly well-groomed.
"As you can see, two students from Beauxbatons have come to audit today's class. I hope you can be more friendly."
"Tch—" Draco said with a sour face, "Hey you, stop hiding, I know you're Champion of Beauxbatons."
Vincent turned his head and looked over with a smile.
It's only been one night and it's already gotten arrogant again. This little golden retriever really has a personality that needs to be disciplined.
Draco ignored his gaze, raising his chin high. "Feeling guilty, huh? Hiding your face—"
"Malfoy!" Hagrid roared, striding over and looking down at him. "I told you, I expect you to be more friendly!"
Draco was a little stunned by the shout, and his gaze fell on the bulging sleeves of the suit jacket.
What's wrong with this Big Dummy today? How dare he treat him like this?
"Malfoy! Did you hear me?!"
"A wise man submits to circumstances," Draco said with a disgruntled "hmm."
Vincent and Hermione both gave Hagrid a thumbs up.
Hagrid then realized what the blink had been implying.
However, you can tell from his suit that he is not completely ignorant; he is just a little slow-witted.
If you make a good impression on the students at Beauxbatons, they'll tell Madame Maxime when they get back, and her opinion of you will skyrocket.
Hagrid smiled and apologized to the Delacour sisters, then turned to the students.
"Alright, everyone, please wait here for me."
Not long after, he brought a large stack of wooden crates from the shack next to the cabin, each crate containing a huge Blast-Ended Skrewt.
A series of crackling sounds came from inside, Delacour sisters curiously craned their necks, trying to see what the Blast-Ended Skrewt actually looked like.
Each of them is three feet long, with a thick, shiny, grayish-white armor-like shell, and looks somewhere between a giant scorpion and an elongated crab.
It is indeed as unique as Vincent said, and it really does propel itself forward.
Gabrielle's big eyes Winky. "Sister, they're ugly-cute, so adorable!"
"Yes." Although she couldn't see the expression on Phoebe's face, her eyes didn't show any disgust; in fact, they seemed to show a little excitement.
Hagrid placed the boxes on the ground one by one. "After observing them for some time, I have finally discovered why the Blast-Ended Skrewt kill each other."
He opened his suit jacket and took out a large bundle of rope. "Because they have too much energy, to solve this problem, you need to tie them up with ropes and take them for a walk."
"Oh no—" The students wailed in despair.
"You want me to take this thing for a walk?" Draco stared at one of the boxes with disgust. "Where exactly are we supposed to tie the rope? To its spikes? Its tail? Or its suckers?"
"Tie it in the middle," Hagrid said, demonstrating. "Well—I'm afraid you'll need to wear your Dragonhide Gloves as an extra precaution."
He pressed down hard on a Blast-Ended Skrewt about the size of his palm with his right hand, and tied it firmly with a rope he had prepared beforehand with his left hand.
"See? Isn't it simple?"
Apart from Vincent and Hermione, who were full of confidence in themselves, and the Delacour sisters, who were full of expectation, the rest of the students looked as if the sky had fallen and they were in despair.