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After breakfast, the two little troublemakers and I left the Great Hall, finally ready to begin our day of fun — which, for me, was a huge relief.
So, why was I so relieved?
Well, it was because I was finally getting away from the Slytherin table... and, by extension, the Slytherins themselves.
Even with Lily and Astoria keeping me company, and despite having sat at that table a few times before, this time I simply couldn't relax.
In fact, I spent the entire breakfast feeling uncomfortable.
I could feel dozens of eyes on me, staring as though I were some kind of exotic creature. And along with those stares came whispers and rude comments that they naively thought I wouldn't be able to hear.
It seemed my mere presence had awakened the nosy, curious, gossip-loving side of those snakes.
And if there was one thing I could say, it was that this was definitely not the most peaceful breakfast I'd ever had.
But anyway, putting that aside...
With our day of fun officially beginning, the girls led us straight out of the castle. And, like a good hostage, I simply followed them obediently, strolling calmly across the grounds.
Lily and Tori already seemed to have decided what we were going to do next, because they were leading us somewhere specific within Hogwarts.
Unable to hold back my curiosity, I turned to Astoria.
"So... where are we going?"
"It's a surprise." She replied with a mysterious smile.
Shaking my head, I smiled wryly.
"Whenever someone says that word, it's almost never a good thing."
"Well, this time it is," Lily said, an excited sparkle in her eyes.
Seeing how genuinely excited and expectant they both looked only made me even more curious.
'What are they up to?' I wondered, looking ahead again.
As we continued walking towards this mysterious destination, we passed Hagrid's hut before entering the peaceful part of the Forbidden Forest.
As we walked along the path, I gradually began to recognise the area around us.
And a few minutes later, when we passed a particularly familiar spot, I was able to confirm my suspicions.
The path we were following led straight to the magical creatures enclosure.
'Now I get why they're so excited.' I smiled faintly, glancing at the two girls.
Not wanting to spoil their surprise for me, I decided to stay quiet and let them continue leading the way.
After a few more minutes of walking, the three of us finally reached our destination.
"Ta-da! Here we are!" Lily announced, enthusiastically gesturing ahead.
In front of us lay a huge area protected by a magically enchanted low stone wall that surrounded almost the entire perimeter.
Inside it, the enclosure was divided into several smaller sections, separated by wooden fences, iron railings, or stone walls.
Each one had its own environment. There were cabins, greenhouses, shelters, and different habitats specially adapted to the needs of each creature.
Some were dry and desert-like, others were covered in snow, and there were even completely sealed sections that gave off a dangerous aura.
Obviously, the entire place existed to keep the magical creatures separated from one another while also providing each of them with a suitable environment to live in.
As I looked at everything before me, feeling the magic and emotions of those magical creatures, a strange sense of peace, familiarity, and contentment washed over me.
Being among these magnificent beings always made me feel free, as though I were also a part of nature, just like they were.
"Well, I have to say..." I turned to Lily and Tori with a small smile. "You really picked a great way to start the day."
Hearing that, both girls smiled in satisfaction.
"See? I told you he'd like it!" Lily turned to Astoria with a proud grin.
In response, she received an amused eye-roll from her younger friend.
Turning our attention back to our little outing, we began approaching the stone wall.
As soon as we got close enough, we could already spot several magical creatures scattered across the fields.
The first to catch our attention were the equine creatures, which occupied the most open part of the enclosure and roamed freely.
Among them were Thestrals, Unicorns, and Hippogriffs, the most common and also the most "friendly" magical creatures at Hogwarts.
The Thestrals wandered calmly in the distance, as serene and mysterious as ever.
Those winged, skeletal horses, strange and frightening as they might seem, always managed to capture my attention.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were the most fascinating and enigmatic beings I'd met since entering the wizarding world.
Taking my eyes off them for a moment, I discreetly glanced at the girls beside me.
I noticed that their eyes didn't even pass over the Thestrals, as though they weren't there at all, making it clear that they still couldn't see them.
In a way, that was a relief.
'It's a shame they can't see them, but it's also a good thing... because it means they haven't witnessed death yet,' I thought.
Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the other creatures.
The Unicorns were resting near the trees, eating fruit while the younger ones played together.
They generally preferred living in the deeper parts of the Forbidden Forest, but I knew they occasionally came here to enjoy the luxury of being cared for by Hagrid or someone else.
The Hippogriffs, on the other hand, stayed a little farther away, far too proud to mingle.
They weren't doing anything in particular, simply resting peacefully.
Even so, their majesty and imposing presence were as unmistakable as ever.
"They're beautiful!" Astoria commented, completely mesmerised.
Her eyes sparkled with innocence and childlike excitement as she stared at those incredible beings.
She was still only in her second year, which meant she didn't take elective subjects like Care of Magical Creatures.
Because of that, she rarely had the chance to see or interact with these animals, which explained why she was so excited now.
"Yeah, they really are beautiful!" Lily nodded, equally captivated.
Even though she'd seen these creatures before, she still couldn't help being amazed by them.
She then let out a sigh.
"It's a shame we can only look at them," she said, sounding a little disappointed. "And we can't even see the ones inside the cabins and greenhouses."
Hearing that, I raised an eyebrow, only then remembering that the enclosure was off-limits to students unless it was during a lesson.
That rule had been put in place a long time ago to stop ill-intentioned students from hurting the magical creatures living there.
Some people might think that was an exaggeration. But it wasn't.
There had been incidents in the past where students had tried to steal materials or ingredients from those creatures... or even the creatures themselves.
It was precisely because of that that the professors had built this enormous enchanted stone wall... to keep anyone who wasn't authorised from entering.
Seeing the sadness and disappointment on the girls' faces, a mischievous smile spread across mine.
"Well, I think it'd be a shame if our visit ended like this," I said, catching their attention.
They turned to look at me, blinking in confusion, not understanding what I meant.
Without saying another word, I stepped forward.
Raising my hand, I gently placed it against the wall and let my magic flow.
In an instant, the protective and sealing magic surrounding the enclosure was temporarily deactivated, allowing the girls and me to enter.
I was one of the very few people in all of Hogwarts, besides the professors, who could enter the magical creatures enclosure whenever I wanted.
It was a privilege Professor McGonagall and Hagrid had granted me.
They knew how much I loved magical creatures, and they trusted me enough to allow me that freedom.
After I unlocked our way into the enclosure, the gate in front of us opened with a soft click.
With that, I turned back towards the two Slytherins.
"What are you waiting for?" I asked, my smile growing wider. "Come on!"
With those words, I stepped into the enclosure without the slightest hesitation, as though I owned the place.
Lily and Tori stared at me in surprise for a few seconds before looking at each other.
Then, at the same time, huge, excited smiles spread across both their faces.
Without a second thought, they immediately followed me.
The moment I stepped inside the enclosure, every creature there — especially the Hippogriffs, Unicorns, and Thestrals — seemed to sense it.
Almost at the same time, they all lifted their heads and looked towards us... or, more specifically, at me.
"Ah..." Lily blinked, taking a small step backwards. "They're... they're all looking at us?"
"I-I think so," Tori replied, hiding behind me.
"Don't worry. They're just curious about our presence," I reassured them.
"Are you sure?" Astoria asked uncertainly.
For some reason, she felt there was more to those gazes than simple curiosity.
Before I could answer, we heard the sound of approaching hoofbeats.
Looking ahead, we saw an imposing Hippogriff striding towards us.
Behind it came every other Hippogriff.
"Uh... Ethan?" little Greengrass tugged gently at the hem of my shirt, looking a little frightened.
Even Lily looked slightly nervous, instinctively clinging to my arm.
They had no idea what had attracted those creatures' attention, but they knew perfectly well how fierce and dangerous Hippogriffs could be.
And now, seeing several of them marching straight towards us, making the ground tremble beneath their feet while their razor-sharp talons glinted in the light, neither of them could help but feel nervous.
End.
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