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Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs shuffled outside Hagrid’s cabin. Hagrid was not waiting to impart his next Magical Creatures lesson, nor were there any large crates with intimidating growls emanating from within waiting outside his cabin. Insults about Hagrid’s competence rose with the puffs of their breath in the cold, but all chatter ceased when Hagrid appeared dishevelled at his door, with a comparatively small box under his arm.
He lurched unsteadily towards the students, prompting raised eyebrows and meaningful glances. But as he approached it became clear that Hagrid sported a freshly blackened eye and was jostled by the lurching of the box itself. Eyebrows raised to startled heights as the students could hear the imprecations upon Hagrid and all of his forebears coming from within the box.
Hagrid’s nervously wide smile revealed a missing tooth, "I’ve, ah, got a very special creature-," wincing as the opinions of the ‘creatures’ were shouted from within.
A Ravenclaw drawled, “I recall no creature in our texts, or any in the library for that matter, with the ability to speak in English.”
“Nae English, ye daft bigjob!,” was the least censorable riposte from within.
Hagrid opened the lid to the box only the barest crack, but it was enough to allow an occupant of the box to bite Hagrid’s massive thumb. The students stepped back as an impossible number of red-haired men no taller than six inches leapt cursing from the box and set to battering Hagrid’s ankles with their heads.
Luna Lovegood smiled vaguely. “They’re the Nac Mac Feegle. Their world is flat and flying through space on the back of four elephants standing on an enormous turtle.”
“Crivens! The hag w’ neeps in her ears!” Blue kilts swirled as the Feegles disappeared. Luna hummed into the stunned silence, ignoring her classmates’ stares.