Magnus was surprised when Hagrid led them into the daycare.
'They couldn't have placed their eggs in one of their houses' daycare, could they?'
He looked around at the other first-years, but from the looks on their faces, he could deduce that most were wondering the same thing. He decided it was unlikely. If that was the case, he would have heard something by now.
Then again, he hadn't seen any other door besides the four house entrances, and he had been a frequent visitor for almost a week now due to his Ravenclaw duties.
Hagrid waited for all the students to get into the daycare, then led them past all the house doors.
Magnus didn't know whether he was the only one feeling dumb… because they were now blindly following Hagrid when they could clearly see that only a solid wall lay ahead.
That thought, however, didn't seem to bother the rest, so they followed.
The hallway finally came to an end, and the half-giant now stood in front of it as if he could see something they couldn't.
Hagrid reached into his long coat and withdrew his umbrella, which he used to tap the wall.
Three times.
Suddenly, a blue dot appeared at the center of the wall and gradually spread outward. Within seconds, a glowing blue door had appeared on the wall.
Students began pushing each other, fighting to be the ones closest to the door. Maybe they thought they would enter the room in that order.
Magnus, however, didn't bother. He would be the last.
He couldn't tell why he was so certain, but he was. He had a feeling. They had picked the eggs in an order, so it only made sense that the same order would be used here.
Hagrid turned to face them.
Magnus could see that familiar smile—the one Hagrid reserved only for beasts and wild creatures—already lighting up his face.
"Now, I know yer lot are excited, but I need ter tell ya somethin'," Hagrid began. But really, he looked more excited than all of them combined.
Magnus had a sneaky suspicion why...
Maybe—just maybe—Hagrid had sneaked an egg or two together with those of the first-years. So, just like all of them, he too was anticipating a hatchling.
"Pokémon hatchlin's form a bond mostly with the first person they see," Hagrid paused, as if to let this sink into their minds.
"So when yer get in here, yer supposed ter stick to yer compartment. No movin' an' no bloody speakin' either. Just stay in yer compartment until yer Pokémon comes outta yer egg and bonds with ya."
Hagrid stared down at their questioning faces.
Someone had their hand up, and Magnus wasn't surprised to see it was Hermione.
"Yes… you. A question?" Hagrid boomed.
"Yes, sir… how do we know that the Pokémon has bonded with us?"
Most of the first-years were curious to hear the answer—Magnus could see that much. Hagrid had been quite vague about that, but that would be because there wasn't much to expect.
This wasn't Pokémon GO where progress could be displayed in the form of stars and numerical values… this was real life.
"Well… I said it, didn' I? They bond with the first person they see… and you'll be that person," he explained.
"These Pokémon grow stronger every second after leavin' the shell," he went on. "Once they've looked at ya fer a while, ya can try lettin' them climb on yer palms, maybe on yer shoulders. Just be careful not ter drop 'em."
He looked around at them once more before placing his umbrella aside and fetching a list from his pocket.
"When I call yer name, you'll walk on an' stand next to the compartment with the number I give ya. Don't touch the egg yet—just watch an' wait. Pansy Parkinson, stand at one."
The moment Magnus heard the Slytherin girl's name, his guess was confirmed—he would be the last, and the one with the longest time to brood.
With every name that Hagrid called, Magnus's heart grew more thunderous in excitement. He watched the crowd disappear, then the prefect brought in the few students who had lagged behind. Those whose names had already been called were given their numbers and went in, until it was just him and Hagrid outside the door.
"And… you… well, come with me," Hagrid said, holding the door open for him.
Inside, students were lined up in compartments that resembled a modern-world cyber café. Some of them were moving from one to the next, likely checking whether there was one that had already hatched.
"I said no movin'!" Hagrid roared, and the loitering students rushed back to their spots.
He seemed to momentarily forget that he hadn't given Magnus a number yet as he went around the slots.
Magnus didn't need one, though.
There were two remaining slots, so he directly headed to the last one.
There was a problem, though.
He stopped and stared at the huge egg in front of him.
This was not the egg he had picked.
He didn't even need to see the markings Professor McGonagall had embedded in it. It just wasn't.
This thing was thrice the size of any egg that had been in that basket.
"You… not that one," Hagrid said, taking huge steps toward him. "Step into that one." He pointed to the second-last compartment.
Magnus obliged.
He didn't need to think much about who the last egg belonged to.
His guess was right—Hagrid had included his own egg. And just by the looks of it, whatever that thing would hatch into would be a freaking mammoth.
That thought, however, disappeared fast from his head as he stepped into his slot.
He could faintly read his name on the egg, but he could also see something else.
It was faint, almost invisible, but he could swear it was a crack on the shell.
He wanted to touch it to confirm, but Hagrid chose that moment to roar his instructions right behind him, like he had read his mind.
"I said no touchin'!"
The voice was so sudden that Magnus jumped in shock.
Hagrid was already off doing his rounds.
Magnus could hear cries of awe and adoration from various students, and he would have broken the half-giant's instruction and taken a peek—had his egg not wobbled at that moment.
He quickly lowered his head, as if afraid it had been just his imagination.
The egg shook slightly again, and this time, it was followed by a cracking sound.
He watched as the line he had seen earlier spread across the egg.
It was hatching!
His excitement quickly morphed into impatience when the egg remained still for almost a minute. He felt like reaching out and helping the egg open up and let his hatchling out.
I mean, it would just be a gentle pressure—no harm would happen to his Pokémon, right?
The egg shook again, this time stronger than before. It was followed by an equally strong crack.
The shell split into two unequal parts, and a head poked out.
It was so sudden that Magnus, who had bent his head so close, found himself recoiling once again.
"Freaking hell," he exclaimed, one hand over his lips.
He knew it. He knew…
A pair of blue eyes stared up at him, and Magnus took a deep breath and lowered himself again.
He had to confirm it.
The tiny Pokémon put a pair of wet paws out of the shell and gently shook itself free.
Now he had a clear look.
The tiny creature was covered in gray fur but had a tuft of red fur on its head and legs.
It could easily be mistaken for a kitten—but not to Magnus.
"Its… I got a bloody Zorua!"