"You'd better keep your voice down. If it hears you, it can rip you open with one swipe of its claws, and then your intestines will spill out, and no one will be there to save you," Olivia said coldly.
Pansy's face paled.
"To harm a single hair on my head? These monsters must all die—my father will have the Ministry of Magic deal with them all!"
Her tone clearly lacked confidence.
" Pansy, don't talk nonsense! They can understand you!"
Hermione warned her, but it was too late.
The Hippogriff closest to the fence raised its head, its eyes fixed on Pansy, its beak slightly open, and let out a threatening neigh.
Pansy felt a chill run down her spine when the Hippogriff stared at her intently.
Her arrogance vanished instantly, her face turning from pale to deathly white. She took a step back abruptly, nearly bumping into the classmate behind her.
"... What are you looking at!" Pansy's confidence vanished, and she dared not utter another harsh word.
"Why did you have to be so cheeky? Now look what you've done, you've ruined your whole lesson," Draco said.
Pansy was both scared and aggrieved, biting her lip and not daring to utter a sound.
Hagrid was completely oblivious to the little incident with Pansy; he was currently as excited as a child who had received a new toy, shaking the chain in his hand vigorously and shouting, "Hurry up, over there!"
A dozen Hippogriff followed him toward the fence with steady steps.
Even though they were still quite far away, the students all took a half step back, afraid that those Winky claws might brush against them.
Hagrid deftly fastened the chain to the iron ring of the fence, patted the neck of one of the gray behemoths, and proudly turned around.
" Hippogriff!" Hagrid waved his hand vigorously at the class, his voice booming so loud it made everyone's ears ring. "Isn't it beautiful?"
As the sunlight slanted down, everyone could finally see the beauty of their fur, the seamless transition between the hairs.
Each one has a unique coat color: some are a deep gray like a storm, some are a bronze color with a metallic sheen, some have pink spots, some are a reddish-brown as clear as amber, and some are pure black as ink.
Gleaming with a dull gleam in the sunlight, the young wizards gazed at them, their fear gradually replaced by admiration.
"Alright, remember all the key points!" Hagrid began his explanation, "First of all, they are extremely sensitive!"
"Never laugh at or insult them, not even in a whisper. They understand. If you offend them, they'll get angry and I won't be able to stop them!"
"Secondly, it's about the right way to interact!" Hagrid stretched out his huge hand and demonstrated by bending down.
"You must bow first, slowly and sincerely. Then wait in place until they bow back to you before you can approach, touch, or even... ride them!"
Just as Hagrid was speaking at length,
Draco and Hermione stood at the front of the crowd, having already quietly started their "private chat."
"Don't take what that blonde girl said to heart," Draco mentally apologized for Pansy.
"She's just being silly. Everyone likes you and thinks you're very elegant." Hermione also conveyed goodwill to the Hippogriff.
The gray behemoth chained in the very center suddenly raised its head, its eyes locking precisely onto Draco and Hermione.
It tilted its eagle head and let out a low hiss. In their minds, a slightly arrogant yet gentle voice rang out. "Can you understand the language of the wind?"
The other Hippogriff also turned their heads, their previously tense bodies relaxing slightly. One of the reddish-brown females even nodded slightly to Hermione.
"Finally," Hagrid's eyes were filled with longing, "Don't underestimate their wings; they fly incredibly fast, covering a thousand miles a day with ease, making them among the finest flying mounts!"
Hagrid had barely finished speaking when Draco's voice rang out, " Hagrid, may I come closer?"
The whole class fell silent instantly.
" Draco, don't you dare! They were just glaring at me!" Pansy shouted urgently.
Draco didn't even turn his head, his tone unusually calm. "Don't worry, I've already discussed it with them."
"What nonsense are you talking about? When did you discuss this with them?!" Pansy looked utterly bewildered.
Neville whispered firmly from behind, "I trust Draco; he won't do anything reckless."
Although the other students were intimidated, they admired Draco; he was incredibly brave to be the first to step forward.
Hagrid was taken aback. These Hippogriff were the first time he had brought them out to class today, and Draco hadn't even gotten close to them. How could they have planned this together?
But he had always believed in Draco's affinity for animals, and after a moment of stunned silence, he broke into a big smile and nodded vigorously.
"Of course, Draco! But remember, bow first, and make sure to wait for it to return the bow!"
"You're all crazy! You're all crazy!" Pansy yelled.
Draco and Hermione exchanged a glance, neither offering any further explanation, and strode towards the enclosure.
The next scene made everyone's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.
Without waiting for anyone to remind them, and without slowly bowing and waiting for a long time, they walked to the fence, climbed over, and reached out their hands to the Hippogriff.
Hagrid was completely terrified.
His entire face tensed, his huge hand shot forward, his throat bulged, and he roared urgently:
"Wait--!! You can't just do it directly--!!"
Before he could even finish his sentence, his heart stopped in terror.
The whole class was too scared to make a sound, and Pansy covered her eyes, unable to bear watching the bloody scene that was about to unfold.
But the next second, the entire audience was completely stunned.
Instead of attacking, Buckbeak lowered its eagle head slightly and affectionately rubbed against Draco's palm.
Several Hippogriff nearby also came over, allowing Hermione to gently stroke their feathers and manes.
As docile as a tamed Pegasus.
The ferocious beast that had just been menacing now appeared extremely docile beside the two.
The students outside were completely dumbfounded.
"... They really planned this in advance?!"
"What kind of freakish affinity is this?!"
Pansy stood frozen in place, unable to utter a single word.
Hagrid stood frozen in place, not recovering for a full three seconds.
His large hand, which was about to rush over to save the person, hung in mid-air. In the end, he could only awkwardly scratch his messy sideburns and mutter to himself:
"What... what's going on here? Could it be... could it be that having high charisma really means you can do whatever you want?"
The students outside the fence were already in an uproar.
Neville gripped Hannah's arm tightly, his face, which had been pale with fright, now flushed red, his heart still pounding.
"That was so exciting... I almost thought something terrible was going to happen, but... it went so smoothly!"
Olivia crossed her arms and calmly watched the harmonious scene unfold.
"That was to be expected. Draco never plays by the rules; he always manages to do something surprising."
"What's most remarkable is that even Hermione joined in his craziness this time." Parvati's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"It seems they really did discuss this with the Hippogriff beforehand, otherwise Hermione would never have acted so recklessly."
"You actually believed their outrageous claims... it might just be a coincidence!" Pansy remained unconvinced.
"A coincidence?" Padma gestured for her to look at the paddock. "Then how do you explain this? Buckbeak is wary of strangers approaching, but now he's actively nuzzling Draco's hand."
Faced with the undeniable evidence on the field, Pansy was ultimately speechless.