The next day happened to be Lewis's turn for Care of Magical Creatures.
He was delighted to see that Hagrid was no longer depressed.
The giant had regained his usual energy and enthusiasm.
Using his booming voice, he gathered the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students together.
"Everyone over by the fence! Make sure you can all see me!" Hagrid called as he led the class to a clearing near the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Now then, first thing we need ter do—open yer textbooks!"
He gently stroked the spine of The Monster Book of Monsters.
The vicious-looking book immediately opened its mouth obediently.
The students copied him.
Soon every textbook in sight had settled down.
"Brilliant!" Hagrid exclaimed.
"You've all mastered the proper way ter open the book! I always thought it was a right interesting book."
The smooth beginning clearly restored much of Hagrid's confidence.
Still, many students kept sneaking glances toward the paddock in the distance.
The Hippogriff incident involving Malfoy had already spread throughout Hogwarts.
Hagrid cleared his throat loudly.
"Today, I'm introducing yeh all ter—Fairies!"
A tiny creature less than five inches tall climbed out of Hagrid's pocket and settled on the tip of one of his fingers.
It resembled a miniature human with delicate features.
Its wings were insect-like but far more colorful and beautiful.
Perched on Hagrid's enormous fingertip, it fluttered its wings gently and looked absolutely adorable.
The girls immediately fell in love.
"Fairies aren't very intelligent," Hagrid explained.
"They usually live in woodlands or forest clearings. They're very vain creatures and often let witches and wizards use 'em as decorations."
"In fact, around Christmas, many fairies volunteer ter decorate Christmas trees."
The little fairy spun gracefully in the air as Hagrid spoke.
"Catching fairies is actually pretty simple. Build a beautiful little treehouse and place it in the forest."
"They're so vain that if they think it looks nice enough, they'll move right in. Once they do, they become quite obedient."
Hagrid pointed toward the woods.
The girls immediately became excited.
Everyone wanted a fairy.
The students enthusiastically began constructing tiny treehouses.
Seeing everyone so engaged made Hagrid extremely happy.
He walked among the students with the fairy perched on his finger, proudly displaying it.
"Aren't they beautiful?"
The boys liked the fairies too.
But many of them were still more interested in the Hippogriffs.
Unfortunately, after Malfoy's accident, nobody dared approach such dangerous magical creatures.
Lewis finished his treehouse almost instantly.
Actually, he didn't even need to build it himself.
As a druid, all he had to do was wave a hand.
Branches and vines immediately twisted together into an elegant miniature castle.
When he entered the forest searching for fairies, the surrounding plants quickly revealed their location.
Fairies couldn't speak.
Instead, they communicated through high-pitched buzzing sounds.
A large gathering of fairies was therefore surprisingly noisy.
As Lewis followed the sound and approached, the entire swarm suddenly fell silent.
Then chaos erupted.
The natural aura of a druid was irresistible to them.
Lewis didn't even need to show them the castle.
They immediately rushed toward him, circling him while enthusiastically displaying their beauty.
Lewis then revealed the exquisite vine-and-branch castle he had crafted.
The fairies instantly understood.
A magnificent castle was available.
And it needed the most beautiful fairies to inhabit it.
A fierce beauty contest immediately broke out.
After an intense competition, seven victorious fairies proudly claimed their prize.
Their wings perfectly represented the seven colors of the rainbow.
Lewis returned triumphantly.
The other students looked at him with envy.
The girls immediately crowded around him, hoping he would let them admire the fairy castle.
After all, while fairies were adorable, they also possessed incredibly high standards.
Most student-made treehouses simply weren't attractive enough to entice them.
Lewis eventually approached Hagrid.
"Excellent, Lewis!" Hagrid applauded enthusiastically.
"You're the first ter complete the task."
"Ten points ter Ravenclaw!"
"Professor," Lewis said politely.
"Could I exchange that reward for something else?"
The title alone made Hagrid beam.
Among all his friends, even Harry usually called him Hagrid.
Lewis was the first student to consistently call him Professor.
And from a Ravenclaw prodigy, no less.
"What d'yeh want?" Hagrid asked warmly.
Judging by his expression, if Lewis requested a dragon, Hagrid would probably start looking for one immediately.
"I'd like to get closer to Buckbeak."
This was something Lewis had carefully considered.
He still didn't think Hippogriffs belonged in an introductory class.
But the damage had already been done.
Now the best solution was to demonstrate that Hippogriffs weren't inherently dangerous and that Malfoy's injury had been entirely his own fault.
"Well..." Hagrid hesitated.
"Don't worry, Professor."
"I can protect myself."
"Even Chimeras and Basilisks couldn't do much to me."
"Fair point..." Hagrid admitted.
"All right then. But be careful."
Lewis's requests were difficult to refuse.
Under Hagrid's guidance, they headed toward the paddock.
Many students abandoned their fairy hunts and followed behind.
"Beautiful, isn't he?" Hagrid said proudly.
Lewis noticed the difference immediately.
The way Hagrid praised Buckbeak was completely different from how he spoke about fairies.
He genuinely loved Hippogriffs.
To Hagrid, the more dangerous a creature was, the more beautiful it became.
Buckbeak truly was magnificent.
The creature possessed the body, hindquarters, and tail of a horse.
Its forelegs, wings, and head belonged to an eagle.
Its steel-colored beak looked razor-sharp.
Its bright orange eyes gleamed intelligently.
The talons on its front legs were nearly six inches long and looked terrifyingly lethal.
A thick leather collar circled its neck, attached to a heavy chain anchored inside the enclosure.
Despite its majestic appearance, Buckbeak was completely alone.
The empty paddock somehow made the proud creature seem lonely.
Hagrid tossed a fresh fish into the enclosure.
Buckbeak snapped it out of the air with practiced ease and devoured it happily.
"There used ter be loads of 'em here," Hagrid said quietly.
"But yeh were right."
"After what happened with Malfoy, I sent the others back into the Forbidden Forest."
"Only Buckbeak refused ter leave."
Thinking nobody noticed, Hagrid quickly wiped his eyes.
"He really is beautiful," Lewis agreed.
Many students nodded.
Once they overcame the initial shock of seeing a half-eagle, half-horse creature, they couldn't help admiring the glossy sheen of Buckbeak's feathers and coat.
"Professor, may I get closer?" Lewis asked.
With so many students watching, he felt it was time for a proper demonstration.
"Lewis..." Hagrid began nervously.
But Lewis had already stepped forward.
At the same time, he quietly released a trace of druidic aura.
Buckbeak immediately noticed.
The Hippogriff raised its head and stared at him curiously.
Then it began walking toward him.
"Buckbeak, this is my friend!" Hagrid hurriedly called, worried the creature might react aggressively.
The students outside the enclosure held their breath.
Then something completely unexpected happened.
Buckbeak bent its front legs and performed a flawless bow.
It was an unmistakable gesture of respect.
In their first meeting, it seemed Buckbeak was the one trying to earn Lewis's approval.
"Oh, Merlin..." Hagrid gasped.
"He really likes yeh!"
Never before had he seen Buckbeak behave so proactively.
Of course, he had also never met a druid before.
Lewis returned the gesture with an elegant bow of his own.
Buckbeak became visibly delighted.
To the Hippogriff, Lewis's response represented acceptance.
Before Hagrid could even remove the chain, Buckbeak trotted enthusiastically toward Lewis.
Its massive head pressed affectionately against Lewis's chest.
"Easy there, good boy."
Lewis gently stroked its head.
"He really likes you," Hagrid said emotionally while removing the collar and chain.
The watching students erupted into cheers.
"Lewis did it!"
"I knew he could tame that monster!"
"He's the guy who defeated a Chimera!"
"Didn't the newspaper say he helped slay a dragon this summer?"
"If Harry Potter could ride Buckbeak, there's no way Lewis would fail!"
"Looks like Malfoy really was asking for it!"
"I want to try too!"
Lewis's successful interaction instantly transformed public opinion.
The students' views of Buckbeak—and yesterday's accident—underwent a complete reversal.
Perhaps Hippogriffs weren't dangerous monsters after all.
Perhaps the problem had simply been Draco Malfoy.
If you want to read 60 chapters ahead of the public release, head over to: Patreon.com/RedString