Magnus almost crashed into Fang as the dog suddenly emerged from the corner of the cabin, barking like it had met the devil.
The four skidded to an abrupt stop.
"What the hell?" George exclaimed, looking at Fang, who had his huge tail tucked between his legs.
Another groan alerted them that the yell had, in fact, not come from inside the cabin as Magnus had assumed. He turned to his three friends. "Pokéballs. Now."
They looked at him, then up at the castle doubtfully. Magnus knew that some dorms—like Gryffindor and Ravenclaw—had a commanding view of the grounds as well as Hagrid's cabin.
"There's no time for cover," he said. "Just be discreet."
Lee crouched and reached for the yellow ball in his pocket. His back was toward the castle, so even if someone was watching, they wouldn't see what he was doing.
"Accio Ruffy."
The tiny ball split in half, each piece seemingly joined by an invisible hinge. A gentle force immediately pulled Lee's Rockruff into the ball.
The twins followed Lee's example, and soon only Magnus's Zorua was left standing where he and Goj had been. The Pokémon looked around them with bulging blue eyes, clearly wondering where the others had gone.
"Up," Magnus called, and though they hadn't practiced much, the Zorua immediately leapt onto his shoulders.
"What the hell is wrong?" Fred began to ask—but they had already rounded the corner, and the question became unnecessary.
"Blimey!" the twins yelled as they jumped back in shock. Lee did the same. Only Magnus stood frozen, his mouth agape.
The gigantic Hagrid was stomping toward them while dragging something behind him with a twisted expression on his face.
Staring down at his feet, the bottom of his trouser was soaked in crimson. Blood was running down from just above the ankle.
"What in the name of sorcery is that?" Fred asked, pointing at the clear source of Hagrid's injury.
The Deino had sunk its jaws deep into Hagrid's foot, and from the look of it, it had no intention of letting go.
Hagrid cursed loudly, startled by their sudden appearance.
"What are yeh lot doin' here? Shouldn'..." he winced as the Deino twisted on its mark then almost seemed to forget immediately "shouldn't yeh be at breakfast?"
None of them answered.
That was the least of their concerns. They were all fixated on the writhing, snarling creature at Hagrid's feet.
The half-giant sighed seeing their questioning stares.
"I—I thought I'd take him for a mornin' stroll... in the... in the Forest," he muttered defensively.
The twins and Lee stared at him like he had lost his mind.
Magnus, however, wasn't concerned with that... he was certain that even Aragog the arachnid would probably flee at the sight of the Deino.
"Just at the edge!" Hagrid clarified hastily seeing the trio's accusing stares. "He's been gettin' restless. Scares Fang into sleepin' outside these days..."
Wise choice, Fang, Magnus thought. Perhaps Hagrid with his insistence on keeping the Deino should also consider vacating the hut and leaving it for the Pokémon...
"You sleep with that thing?" Fred asked in disbelief.
Hagrid looked wounded by the judgment. "He's not a thing—" he began but winced immediately as the Pokémon twisted, likely thanking him. The twins broke into evil grins.
"Oh he is such a good boy, ain't he?" George said mockingly.
"Yeah bro... I mean look, he is lovingly snogging Hagrid's foot," Fred added like they had forgotten that Hagrid was in fact a teacher.
The victim, however, didn't seem to mind them. "Just bit me by accident... didn't mean it..."
The Deino gave another vicious twist, making Hagrid gasp in pain.
"Tell 'em, Magnus," Hagrid grunted through clenched teeth. "He's a friendly little guy, ain't he?"
Magnus didn't move. He didn't even care to answer Hagrid's question.
"Hagrid... I told you—he's blind," Magnus said flatly, gesturing toward the leash on the Deino with open disapproval. "Why did you put a leash on him?"
Hagrid looked at him like the answer was obvious.
"Well, yeh said he couldn't see... so I figured I'd help him walk... y'know, lead him a bit—"
"Hagrid, I told you Deinos sense their surroundings. They stumble, sure—but that's how they feel the world. Leashing him... that's not helping—that's imprisoning him."
The half-giant's face fell. "When yeh put it that way, yeh make me feel like the devil."
"Maybe that's what he thinks you are," Magnus said quietly.
The three other boys had been following the conversation, completely flabbergasted.
"You knew about it?" George asked.
He was interrupted by another pained yelp from Hagrid as the Deino twisted again, jaws still locked on the target. Magnus noted that it looked like it was in some kind of pain itself.
"Can't yeh do somethin'? He won't listen to me—I've tried everythin'," Hagrid pleaded with beads of sweat on his brow.
Magnus stared at the creature, petrified at the thought of going near it. His mind raced through everything he knew about Deinos—how they reacted, what they feared, what they understood.
But nothing came to him.
"Maybe we should get a teacher..." Lee began, but the glare that Hagrid threw his way was enough to freeze the rest of the words in his throat.
"There will be no callin' no one," he boomed, a bit more stern than was necessary.
"Yeh should all head back or yeh will be late for classes... I have got this under control," he added, looking quite in pain. But he had a point—they had really overstretched their stolen time.
Now, even with the twins' tricks, he knew no food would be at any table in the Great Hall, and no elf would serve them at this time unless they planned to break into the kitchens in broad daylight.
Magnus made up his mind.
"You guys should head back," he said to his three friends, but from the adamant look the twins gave him he knew they weren't leaving.
"Kof kof!" George coughed suddenly, rubbing his throat like it had grown sore. "Don't think I can, mate... I think I'm getting down with Flobberwormstosis," he went on, looking at his brother whose grin grew mischievously wide.
He too began rubbing his throat like his twin. "You should head back, Lee... tell McGonagall we had to visit Madam Pomfrey," he said in a perfectly strained voice that had Magnus not heard him speak a short while ago, he might have thought he actually had the flu.
"Can't risk infecting the entire class with Flobberwormstosis."
Lee, who had looked uncertain, now looked defeated as his eyes ran over the twins.
"Like anyone would believe you," he said helplessly.
Fred did a mock-hurt face, "Course they do... don't you, Magnus?" he asked and went on even before Magnus could support Lee. "Besides, you are our best salesman—you can sell anything, so sell her this."
And with that, they propelled a reluctant Lee toward the castle.
Magnus turned to Hagrid.
"Please tell me you got some meat!"