Care of Magical Creatures had been a popular elective ever since it became available in third year.
The class was not only interesting; it was also useful for finding work after graduation.
Students studied a range of magical creatures, learning how to raise and protect them and how to get along with them.
Wizards with a talent for it might become Magizoologists one day.
Their new professor, Rubeus Hagrid, was a loyal, decent man—someone Dumbledore would "trust with his life," and a friend of Harry's. But Will thought Hagrid fell short as a professor in many ways.
Hagrid knew a great deal about magical creatures, loved all kinds of them, and always seemed to get along with them. But he tended to overlook the dangers some of them posed. His idea of what was safe was clearly different from most people's.
For instance, the first creature he introduced in his very first Care of Magical Creatures lesson was a Hippogriff, rated XXX for danger.
"Whoa!"
Amid gasps of astonishment, more than a dozen creatures trotted toward them. They had the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but their forelegs, wings, and heads resembled eagles'.
Will activated Wizard Sight almost at once to examine the Hippogriffs' magical structures. He thought he could figure these creatures out fairly quickly—their structures were much simpler than a Phoenix's.
Their sharp, cruel beaks were the color of steel, and their large, bright eyes were orange. The eagle talons on their forelegs were half a foot long, a fearsome sight. A thick leather collar encircled each Hippogriff's neck, with a long chain attached.
Hagrid gathered all the chains in his huge hands and followed the Hippogriffs slowly into the enclosure.
"Come on, this way!" Hagrid roared, tugging the chains and urging the Hippogriffs toward the