4 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.pdf by Alan

Author:Alan [Alan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-10-20T00:36:21.747000+00:00

from the trough in the comer of their paddock was enough to make the entire Care

of Magical Creatures class light-headed. This was unhelpful, as they were still

tending the horrible skrewts and needed their wits about them.

"I'm not sure whether they hibernate or not," Hagrid told the shivering class in the

windy pumpkin patch next lesson. "Thought we'd jus' try an see if they fancied a

kip . . . we'll jus' settle 'em down in these boxes. . . ."

There were now only ten skrewts left; apparently their desire to kill one another

had not been exercised out of them. Each of them was now approaching six feet in

length. Their thick gray armor; their powerful, scuttling legs; their fire-blasting

ends; their stings and their suckers, combined to make the skrewts the most

repulsive things Harry had ever seen. The class looked dispiritedly at the

enormous boxes Hagrid had brought out, all lined with pillows and fluffy blankets.

"We'll jus' lead 'em in here," Hagrid said, "an' put the lids on, and we'll see what

happens."

But the skrewts, it transpired, did not hibernate, and did not appreciate being

forced into pillow-lined boxes and nailed in. Hagrid was soon yelling, "Don panic,

now, don' panic!" while the skrewts rampaged around the pumpkin patch, now

strewn with the smoldering wreckage of the boxes. Most of the class - Malfoy,

Crabbe, and Goyle in the lead - had fled into Hagrid's cabin through the back door

and barricaded themselves in; Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, were among

those who remained outside trying to help Hagrid. Together they managed to

restrain and tie up nine of the skrewts, though at the cost of numerous burns and

cuts; finally, only one skrewt was left.

"Don' frighten him, now!" Hagrid shouted as Ron and Harry used their wands to

shoot jets of fiery sparks at the skrewt, which was advancing menacingly on them,

its sting arched, quivering, over its back. "Jus' try an slip the rope 'round his sting,

so he won hurt any o' the others!"

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that!" Ron shouted angrily as he and Harry backed into

the wall of Hagrid's cabin, still holding the skrewt off with their sparks.

"Well, well, well. . . this does look like fun."

Rita Skeeter was leaning on Hagrid's garden fence, looking in at the mayhem. She

was wearing a thick magenta cloak with a furry purple collar today, and her

crocodile-skin handbag was over her arm.

Hagrid launched himself forward on top of the skrewt that was cornering Harry

and Ron and flattened it; a blast of fire shot out of its end, withering the pumpkin

plants nearby.

239

"Who're you?" Hagrid asked Rita Skeeter as he slipped a loop of rope around the

skrewt's sting and tightened it.

"Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter," Rita replied, beaming at him. Her gold

teeth glinted.

"Thought Dumbledore said you weren' allowed inside the school anymore," said

Hagrid, frowning slightly as he got off the slightly squashed skrewt and started

tugging it over to its fellows.

Rita acted as though she hadn't heard what Hagrid had said.

"What are these fascinating creatures called?" she asked, beaming still more

widely.

"Blast-Ended Skrewts," grunted Hagrid.

"Really?" said Rita, apparently full of lively interest.

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