Chapter 28: Getting a Salamander for Free
On their way to the Hospital Wing, the two of them vented their frustrations about Snape, which improved their mood.
When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, Neville was the only one there; even Seamus, who had brought him there, was nowhere to be seen.
"Neville, are you all right?"
"Oh, it's you. Madam Pomfrey has already treated me, and I should be discharged around noon." Neville felt warmth in his heart, surprised that someone had come to visit him.
After briefly asking about Madam Pomfrey's treatment, the two prepared to leave.
"You should get some rest. You can copy my Potions notes, and of course, you can have mine too." Hermione comforted Neville, who seemed a little dejected because he had missed Potions and was now going to miss Care of Magical Creatures as well.
"Indeed, you can try it yourself after you recover from your injury. As for the materials, ask if they can buy them somewhere. There's always a way."
"Thank you." Neville's eyes were a little red with emotion.
After leaving the Hospital Wing, Hermione rushed to her last class of the week (Care of Magical Creatures).
"Go to your class. I'll just go to the library to borrow a book. You can tell me about the course when we have lunch. It's a shame I can only attend this afternoon." Ethan had been looking forward to this course for a long time.
"Okay, see you at noon." Hermione hurried off.
Ethan glanced back at the ward. "Poor Neville. Such an interesting course, and he can only copy other people's notes after class. Poor thing."
He shook his head as he walked toward the library.
Besides the materials he needed for his Charms homework, he also wanted to understand the underlying principles of what had happened to him last night and whether it could be reproduced.
Perhaps because the relationship between emotions and magic is quite complex and profound, there weren't many related books in the general section of the library. There was only one, "What is the Connection Between Emotions and Magic?", which suited his purpose best.
He quickly flipped through a few pages, then sighed helplessly. "It's better than nothing, but it's too simplistic!"
With no better options available, he had no choice but to borrow the book.
The afternoon Care of Magical Creatures class was on the third floor of the castle. He didn't dare be late, so after lunch with Hermione, he grabbed three books and headed to the classroom.
Although Hermione had already shared some information with him, she'd deliberately held back just enough to keep him curious, saying only that it would be very interesting.
This only made him more eager to see what kinds of antics Professor Kettleburn, with his extraordinary passion for magical creatures, would come up with.
In truth, neither Kettleburn nor Hagrid, the two Care of Magical Creatures professors at Hogwarts, were particularly normal.
One of them had illegally kept dangerous creatures like Acromantulas while in school, and the other was practically covered in self-inflicted injuries.
A thought suddenly struck him: Wait, could it be that Kettleburn had taught Hagrid?
He tried to recall information about the professor, but found nothing useful. There were too few mentions of him in the records.
Still, curiosity had already taken root in his heart, and he planned to ask the professor directly if he got the chance.
The tapping of a cane against the stone floor echoed down the corridor, putting the Slytherins in high spirits. They waited quietly for the professor to enter.
Professor Kettleburn limped into the classroom, leaning on a cane, with a bulging cloth bag slung across his shoulder.
"Very good, first years. Today is our first lesson on magical creatures. Let me start by introducing you to the classification system used by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the British Ministry of Magic."
"Magical creatures are divided into five categories, from X to XXXXX."
"They are Class X: boring creatures like the Flobberworm and the Horklump."
"Above that are Class XX: harmless or tameable creatures, such as common Garden Gnomes and Augureys."
"Next is Class XXX: magical creatures that are dangerous and can only be handled by capable wizards, such as Salamanders and Kneazles."
"Then we have Class XXXX: more dangerous species that only wizards with specialized knowledge and expertise can handle. For example, the Phoenix and the Unicorn are two very famous magical creatures at this level."
"Wow!" the Slytherins below exclaimed in surprise. They hadn't expected that the two magical creatures used for wand cores would actually be rated Class XXXX.
"Quiet! Quiet!" Professor Kettleburn continued. "Next is the final category: Class XXXXX. These magical creatures are extremely dangerous. They cannot be tamed or subdued, and are known to have killed wizards. Remember, killed, not harmed!"
"So if you encounter a Class XXXXX magical creature in the wild, don't hesitate to shout for help, or better yet, hide immediately and pray they haven't spotted you."
"Dragons are the most famous Class XXXXX magical creatures, so you can see just how dangerous creatures of that classification truly are."
A hush fell over the class. They couldn't imagine how terrified they would be if they encountered a Dragon in the wild.
Professor Kettleburn was quite pleased with this reaction; only in this way could they truly realize how dangerous the magical creatures of the wizarding world were.
Of course, for him personally, danger was danger, but he still had to get close to them.
Of course, there's no need to worry too much. Although I lost my arm and half a leg while taming magical creatures, as long as you follow my instructions and don't do anything dangerous, you'll be fine.
But when the professor said those words, the girls began to tremble. None of them wanted to imagine life without limbs.
Unaware that his words had caused such distress, the professor set aside his cane and pulled a glass bottle from his bag. Inside was a bright white lizard.
"Look, a Salamander! A Level XXXX magical creature, though they're not particularly dangerous. Today we'll be learning about Salamanders."
"Everyone, look closely. Those of you in the back who can't see, come forward. This is one of the few I managed to save. They can only survive up to six hours after being removed from the flame."
Despite their earlier worry about losing limbs, the girls' gloom evaporated at the sight of such an adorable little creature.
They ignored the fact that it was a Level XXXX creature and rushed to the front for a better look.
The boys were eager too, but too shy to push past the girls.
Kettleburn nodded in satisfaction. "All right, everyone, back to your seats. This Salamander will be given as a reward to whoever performs best today."
After hearing the professor's words, everyone grew excited and listened with unprecedented enthusiasm, eagerly answering questions.
However, in the end, the Salamander went to Ethan, who came well-prepared.
He had studied the textbook in advance and heard Hermione mention that the lesson would cover Salamanders. Since he already knew the creature from the book, he wasn't frantic like the Slytherins cramming at the last minute.
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