The students slowly gathered around the Ravenclaw girl who had cried out, all moving at once.
Their footsteps were light, as though afraid of disturbing the miracle unfolding before them.
Hagrid's enormous body was like a moving wall as he practically barged through the crowd and squeezed his way to the front.
His face, always so expressive, now bore an unprecedentedly complex expression, mingling utter shock with deep bewilderment.
He bent down, pressing his face almost against the cold crystal observation window, and his breath instantly fogged a small patch of glass.
He paid it no mind, wiping it haphazardly with his sleeve, his eyes as wide as two brass bells.
Inside the eggshell, those flowing golden patterns had come fully alive.
"Merlin's beard..."
A hushed mutter, almost a groan, rumbled from Hagrid's throat.
"Douglas... what he said was actually true..."
His voice carried clearly to everyone's ears in the silent Greenhouses.
"He said that as long as you follow the steps exactly, not one extra, not one missing..."
"It'll... grow into the right form all by itself."
Realizing that all the students were giving him strange looks, Hagrid abruptly cleared his throat, trying to regain control of the class.
He straightened his back, striving to look more like a learned professor than a zealous believer.
"Look," he said, pointing a thick finger at the perfect egg. "It's... very calm now."
"Professor Douglas's research notes mentioned that a Blast-Ended Skrewt like this is a tasty Blast-Ended Skrewt..."
He suddenly realized what he had said, and his cheeks instantly turned bright red.
"Ahem! I mean, the most formidable Blast-Ended Skrewt!"
He hurriedly corrected himself, then pointed at the cracked egg in the corner, which was still giving off a strong aroma, his tone instantly growing grave.
"But that one... it's very