"Come on, keep up! After they eat, they'll be ready to move."
Hagrid strode into the Forbidden Forest, and Sean followed right behind, stepping in his giant footprints.
Soon they reached that same dense, twilight-dark stretch of woods from last time.
"Wait here."
Hagrid set Fang down beside Sean, then plunged into a clump of purple pines.
A moment later, a sharp eagle cry rang out nearby.
An animal came trotting toward Sean.
It was one weird creature.
It had the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse, but the front legs, wings, and head of an eagle. Its cruel, steel-colored beak gleamed, and its bright orange eyes glowed. The talons on its front legs were half a foot long (just like Hagrid said, downright scary).
The comforting part? A thick leather collar circled its neck, attached to a long chain held in Hagrid's massive hands. He walked the beast slowly toward Sean.
"Took me a ton of work, Sean. Come on, Merlin's beard, I know you're pumped!"
Hagrid was rubbing his hands together like a kid on Christmas. "Listen close, Sean. I know you will, and that's the best part.
"First thing about hippogriffs: they're proud. You walk up, bow. If it bows back, you can pet it. If it doesn't, get outta there fast; those claws'll rip you open. Go on, give it a try."
Sean had been waiting for this. He locked eyes with the proud creature and stepped forward without hesitation.
"That's the spirit!"
Hagrid boomed, way more nervous than Sean. "Alright, hold its gaze. Don't blink. Blink too much and a hippogriff won't trust you—"
Sean stared into the hippogriff's eyes while Hagrid hovered, worried. "Bow, Sean—"
Sean knew this was the make-or-break moment.
As he slowly bowed…
To Hagrid's shock, the hippogriff instantly folded its scaly front knees in a clear, perfect bow.
"Blimey, Sean! You've done it! Took me a whole week!"
Hagrid whooped. "Go on, pet him! Pat his beak!"
[You've gained the trust of the magical creature Hippogriff (Buckbeak) at an expert level. Proficiency +50]
[Hippogriff – Buckbeak: Slightly Friendly (20/300)]
[Advancement: Befriend three magical creatures at "Moderately Friendly (Beginner)" to unlock the Beginner Magical Creatures title]
Looks like it worked. Sean reached out and stroked Buckbeak's beak.
The name was familiar.
Buckbeak: symbol of freedom and breaking free. Fought off werewolves, scared off Snape, even carried Sirius to escape Azkaban.
One loyal magical beast.
In the dim forest, Buckbeak lazily closed his eyes, clearly loving the beak scratches.
The air smelled of damp earth. Sean kept pace with Hagrid through the thick woods all afternoon.
They fed Bowtruckles woodlice and other bugs from around the trees, then tossed raw meat to the thestrals. Before long, they'd head back to Hagrid's hut to cook for Fang.
The whole way, Sean's system panel chimed happily:
[You've gained the trust of the magical creature Bowtruckle (Tila) at a beginner level. Proficiency +3]
[You've gained the trust of the magical creature Thestral (Wuwu) at a beginner level. Proficiency +3]
Affinity shot up fast; Sean handled most of the feeding.
Hagrid hugged Fang and got all sentimental. "Knew it. He loves magical creatures, just like me."
Earning their trust isn't easy, especially with smarter ones. Affinity can stall out. Sean was in it for the long haul.
Thanks to his [Title: Junior Magical Creature Affinity], he could faintly sense what some creatures were thinking.
Take Gugu, a big Bowtruckle. He loved a little sapling, but his tribe wanted him guarding a bigger tree. He was stressed.
Sean swapped the trees. Gugu's affinity skyrocketed to Moderately Friendly (Beginner).
Forest life was fun. Sean planned his famous new magical creature biscuit alchemy ritual while patrolling with lion-hearted Hagrid.
They handled raw meat, collected beetles, guarded the forest. Hagrid started thinking McGonagall had sent him a mini-assistant.
One who used Transfiguration to make five stone knives for meat prep, stayed cool under pressure, and loved magical creatures.
One day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione came looking for Hagrid at the forest edge. Instead, they saw Sean riding a weird creature, with Hagrid jogging excitedly behind.
"Merlin's pants! Buckbeak's staying! Sean, I'm losing it!"
Sean smiled. Buckbeak staying meant his creature biscuits were a go.
"Isn't the gamekeeper Hagrid?" Ron muttered. "Now he's just the key-keeper? When did Sean get promoted?"
They followed Hagrid into the forest without thinking.
"What d'you think you're doing, eh?"
Hagrid spotted them and roared. They jumped a foot. "This is the Forbidden Forest! First-years can't just wander in! Harry! And you two!"
The trio scrambled back out, staring at Hagrid and Sean flying off on Buckbeak.
"Ah! You all saw that?"
Hagrid realized a beat late, eyes wide.
"Yeah, first-years running wild—" Harry added quietly.
"Oh, oh, oh—"
Hagrid's face went red.
"Hagrid, aren't you going with Sean?" Hermione asked, worried.
"Oh, right, Merlin! What am I doing? Sean, wait up! Danger!"
Hagrid sprinted off.
Leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione staring at each other in the forest.