"This one's male," Hagrid said, holding the Blast-Ended Skrewt up before the students as though displaying a treasure. "Its sting is poisonous. If you get stung, treat it with dittany straight away, or you'll swell up like a troll attacked by a swarm of bees. But don't worry too much. It only uses its sting when it's extremely frightened or angry."
Right on cue, the Blast-Ended Skrewt spurted a shower of sparks onto Hagrid's beard, singeing a few hairs. Hagrid brushed the sparks out without a care, beaming all the while.
"As for the females," he continued, putting the male Blast-Ended Skrewt back into the crate and fishing out another with a slightly different shape, "they have suckers on their bellies—see those? Those ring-shaped bits. They use them to suck blood for nourishment."
The female Blast-Ended Skrewt did indeed have several rings of dark red suckers on its grayish-white belly. Like the tentacles of a tiny octopus, they slowly contracted and expanded.
Hagrid looked expectantly at the students. "Right, pair up. Each pair gets one. Be careful, but there's no need to be too scared."
"Your main jobs are to feed them, observe their growth, and record how much they eat."
He pushed forward a great heap of slippery frog livers, ant eggs, and slender green snakes.
The students stood where they were. Nobody moved.
Hagrid's smile gradually stiffened, and he turned to Harry for help.
Harry swallowed with difficulty, remembering all the help Hagrid had given him over the past three years.
"We... ahem." Harry cleared his throat. "We'll go first."
He walked toward the wooden crate, with Ron trailing behind as though heading for the gallows.
"That's the spirit!" Hagrid perked up again.
Of course, this renewed enthusiasm of his would make the students miserable for most of