Just before their lesson on Hippogriffs Draco starts mouthing off...
Hermione: I think they’re funny.
Malfoy: Oh, yeah. Terribly funny. Really witty. God this place has gone to the dogs. Wait until my father hears that Dumbledore’s got this oaf teaching classes.
Harry: Shut up, Malfoy.
Malfoy: Oooooo.
A Hippogriff is a magical creature that has the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle and the body, hind legs and tail of a horse. It is very similar to another mythical creature, the Griffin, with the horse rear replacing the lion rear. Hippogriffs have cruel, steel-coloured beaks and large, brilliantly orange eyes. The talons on their front legs are half a foot long and appear deadly.