Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
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Chapter 45: The Invisible Beasts
Leaving the castle through its west wing and going beyond the Clock Tower Courtyard and the wooden bridge that followed, they walked toward one of the most mysterious locations in Hogwarts: the Sundial Garden.
"That rock formation always freaks me out. What are we even doing here?" Peter looked around.
The other students were also there, and much like Peter, they were confused as to why their Care of Magical Creatures professor had moved the class here for today.
"Hmm…today the class is in a much more open place than usual. What do you think? A big beast?" Sirius suggested.
"That's one of the possibilities…" James commented.
"And what's the other one?" Peter asked.
James pointed toward the Gamekeeper's hut. Just behind it was the immense Forbidden Black Forest. That forest could easily be called the most dangerous location in Hogwarts, or at least, for those who were not aware of the Chamber of Secrets and the colossal basilisk sleeping inside.
"The Forbidden Forest…you think the professor is bringing some creature from there to show us?" Sirius concluded.
"Acromantulas?!" Peter exclaimed.
"He already showed us those things," Sirius responded.
"No, it's not acromantulas. But it's still something dangerous none the less," James said, glancing in the direction where the professor was coming from.
Professor Silvanus was walking with his arms extended, as if he was dragging something along.
"What is he doing?" Peter asked. He couldn't see whatever the professor was holding onto.
"You think he's fooling around?" Sirius wondered. "He's not going to tell us that he brought some invisible creature to show us, is he?"
Before James could answer, the professor began calling for them to approach.
"Gather around, children! Today, I have something very special to show you."
Once they were close enough, the professor told them to stop.
"Okay, stay there and don't get any closer unless I tell you to. These creatures can be nasty if you anger them."
"What is he talking about?"
James observed his classmates with curiosity and wondered if any of them had the misfortune of seeing the two thestrals standing at the professor's sides.
"James, do you know something that we don't?" Sirius noticed that he was the only one who didn't seem lost.
"You mean, as usual?" Peter quipped.
"I do, actually," James answered.
"So, is there really something there?" Sirius demanded to know.
"An invisible beast?!" Peter exclaimed.
James looked at their professor attentively. "You're already familiar with these."
"Now…before we begin, I have to ask," the professor said. "Does anyone see the creatures at my side?"
He waited for a good minute, but no one said anything. Instead, they just glanced at each other with confusion.
"James?" Sirius was sure that his friend could see them but decided to keep quiet.
He would understand why very soon.
"I see…no one? That's good, I suppose," the professor said with a grin. "The name of these creatures is thestrals. Anyone familiar with that name?"
One Gryffindor girl raised her hand. "They're those creepy death horses, right? They can only be seen by those who have experienced death, or something like that."
"Those who have seen someone die, actually. And thestrals are very intelligent creatures, so calling them creepy is not a good idea when they're so close to you," the professor explained.
The student who had just spoken made a worried expression and took a few steps back.
"Can they attack us?" Peter asked.
"They won't, as long as you don't provoke them. I mean, you've already been closer than this to thestrals every year since your second one, and you're completely fine," he added.
"Every year since the second one? What does he mean?" Sirius asked.
"The carriages…they're the ones pulling them. First-years take the boats," James said.
"Wait, I thought they were just magical," Peter said.
"Thestrals are pulling those carriages?!" Sirius couldn't believe it, but he knew that James wasn't one to make things up on the fly.
"Mister Potter is correct. Have five points to Gryffindor," Professor Silvanus said, staring at James with interest. "Are you sure you don't see them? Because right now…you were looking at them."
"You can see them?" Peter asked without thinking.
Sirius just glanced at him, wondering who the person he had seen die was.
"Who knows?" James shrugged. He didn't want to elaborate on that one since he couldn't really explain it.
As James Potter, he had seen no one die as of yet. However, as Harry Potter, he had seen plenty of death during his younger years.
It appeared that the ability to perceive thestrals was something that transcended reincarnations, or whatever it was that he had gone through.
"Sorry about that, Mister Potter. You don't need to answer that," the professor said, mistaking James' reaction for someone trying to hide some past trauma.
"Now, why don't I tell you a bit about these fantastic beasts? They're actually surrounded by misconceptions because of their association with death. But in reality…whoa, hold on!"
Something seemed to happen then. The students couldn't see the thestrals, but they saw the way Professor Silvanus appeared to be pulled by an invisible force.
James, however, was capable of seeing what was happening. Something seemed to have triggered a reaction in the two thestrals, and they had begun to fight against their restraints while the professor did his best to keep them in check.
James noted that they were staring toward the students, more specifically, the small group of Slytherins.
"Shit! Come back here!" Silvanus shouted at the thestral that had just gotten loose from its restraints and charged with fury at the students.
'No…it's going directly for Bella,' James realized.
Without hesitating for a moment, he jumped into action.
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