"How are you planning to hatch it?"
Fred raised his head and looked at Gerald.
"Thunderbird eggs have very demanding temperature and humidity requirements. I read about it in a book. They need a constant temperature of forty-three degrees and sixty percent humidity, plus electrical stimulation every seven days. Incubation takes about sixty to eighty days. And a Thunderbird chick's first meal after hatching has to be live prey, preferably a small magical creature."
Lee Jordan rose from his desk and gave Fred a suspicious look.
"Where did you learn all that? You never even do your History of Magic homework!"
Fred shrugged. "I had nothing to do last term, so I flipped through Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them again. Scamander's a genius. That book really is interesting. I only read it once, but somehow it all stuck."
Gerald nodded.
"I'm planning to ask Hagrid tomorrow. He's got plenty of experience raising magical creatures. I'll also need to find somewhere to keep it. The dormitory really won't do for a Thunderbird egg. Never mind controlling the temperature and humidity-even if it did hatch, the Fat Lady would probably pick up her frame and flee the first time the chick summoned a thunderstorm."
"Oh, wouldn't that be nice?" Fred grinned, but soon nodded. "Still, I think you're right to ask Hagrid."
They hadn't had much to do with Hagrid themselves, but they often heard their parents talk about him at home.
Whether he was reliable was another matter, but he was a good man, at least.
Gerald looked at Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and Kenneth. All four still wore traces of their earlier shock, but they were gradually returning to their usual cheerful banter.
Fred had already started discussing the potential uses of Thunderbird feathers in prank products with