Chapter 199: Forbidden Forest Assistant
"Come on, follow me quickly! They need to eat, and they'll be leaving soon—"
Hagrid strode into the Forbidden Forest. Sean followed the giant's footprints.
Soon, they reached the same densely wooded, twilight clearing they visited last time.
"Wait here for me." Hagrid settled Fang near Sean and plunged into the yew trees.
A moment later, the sharp cry of an eagle sounded nearby.
An animal trotted toward Sean. It was a strange creature.
It had the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse, but the front legs, wings, and head of an eagle. Its cruel beak was the colour of steel, and its large, bright eyes were orange.
The talons on its front legs were half a foot long. Just as Hagrid had described, it looked formidable.
Reassuringly, a thick leather collar encircled its neck, tethered to a long chain. Hagrid held the chain in his huge hands as he slowly approached Sean with the creature.
"Took me a fair bit of effort, Sean. Come on, by Merlin's beard—I know you're excited!" Hagrid enthusiastically rubbed his hands.
"Remember, Sean, I know you'll listen carefully, which is the best thing. What you need to know about Hippogriffs is that they are very proud. You must walk toward it and bow. If it bows back, you can touch it. If it doesn't, you must get away fast; those talons can hurt. Try it, Sean."
Sean had been waiting for this moment. He looked at the proud creature and stepped forward without hesitation.
"Good lad!" Hagrid said in a rough, loud voice, looking even more nervous than Sean. "Alright—meet its gaze, don't blink. If you blink too much, the Hippogriff won't trust you..."
Sean maintained eye contact with the Hippogriff. Hagrid, concerned, whispered, "Bow, Sean..."
Sean knew he was at the most crucial stage of taming a Hippogriff. As he slowly bowed, the Hippogriff, to Hagrid's utter amazement, bent its scaled front knees and executed a definite bow.
"Well done, Sean! You've tamed him! By the heavens! It took me a whole week!" Hagrid was ecstatic.
"Now—you can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"
[You have gained the affection of the Magical Beast Hippogriff (Buckbeak) to the Expert standard. Proficiency +50]
[Hippogriff Buckbeak: Slightly Friendly (20/300)]
[Progression: Possess three Slightly Friendly (Novice-level) Magical Beast companions to unlock the Novice Magical Beast Affinity Title.]
It looked like a success. Sean reached out and patted Buckbeak's beak.
The name was familiar to Sean. Buckbeak, a symbol of freedom and overcoming adversity. He would repel werewolves, drive off Professor Snape, and serve as transportation for the escaped Sirius Black. He was a loyal magical creature.
Forbidden Forest.
Buckbeak lazily closed his eyes, apparently enjoying the attention.
The dim forest was filled with the damp smell of earth. Sean tirelessly followed Hagrid through the dense woods.
They fed the Bowtruckles insects found around the trees, then fed raw meat to the Thestrals. Shortly after, they would return to Hagrid's hut to cook for Fang.
All the while, Sean's Panel chimed merrily:
[You have gained the affection of the Magical Beast Bowtruckle (Tila) to the Novice standard. Proficiency +3]
[You have gained the affection of the Magical Beast Thestral (Wuwu) to the Novice standard. Proficiency +3]
...
Affinity levels were climbing quickly, as Sean took over most of the feeding duties.
Hagrid, holding Fang, felt a surge of emotion. "I knew it, he just loves magical creatures... just like me..."
Gaining the trust of magical creatures was difficult, especially the more intelligent ones, where affinity levels often stagnated. Sean had prepared for a long haul.
Thanks to his [Title: Novice Magical Beast Affinity] ability, Sean could slightly understand the creatures' thoughts. For example, Groot, a larger Bowtruckle, was distressed because, as a big Bowtruckle, his peers expected him to move to a larger tree, but he preferred his small one.
Sean helped broker an exchange, and Groot's affinity level shot up to Slightly Friendly (Novice-level).
Life in the Forbidden Forest was fascinating. Sean simultaneously planned the alchemical rituals for his new magical creature biscuits and patrolled the grounds with the lion-like Hagrid. They handled raw meat, collected beetles, and kept watch over the forest. Hagrid began to believe Professor McGonagall had assigned him a small assistant.
An excellent assistant, too—one who was skilled at using magic to boost efficiency (like using Transfiguration to create five stone knives for handling raw meat), mature, and deeply fond of magical creatures.
One day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione came to the edge of the forest looking for Hagrid, only to find Sean riding a strange creature. Hagrid was running excitedly behind them.
"By Merlin! Buckbeak is staying! Sean, I'm so thrilled!"
Sean smiled faintly. With Buckbeak agreeing to stay, his Magical Creature Biscuit project was thoroughly secured.
"I thought Hagrid was the Gamekeeper? Has Hagrid been demoted to just Key Keeper?" Ron muttered. "I knew Sean was in the forest recently, but when did he take over?"
They spoke quietly, following Hagrid into the forest.
"What are you doing here, huh?" Hagrid saw their dangerous movement and shouted, startling them. "This is the Forbidden Forest! First-years aren't allowed to wander around! Harry! And you two! How dare you do this!"
The three students quickly retreated, giving Hagrid and Sean, who was soaring away on Buckbeak, strange looks.
"Ah—! You all saw that?" Hagrid realized what had happened and his big face flushed red.
"Yes, the first-years are wandering around," Harry quietly supplied.
"Oh, oh, oh—"
Hagrid's massive face turned redder.
"Hagrid, aren't you going with Sean?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"Ah, that... Oh my god! What am I doing! Sean, danger! Wait for me—"
Hagrid ran off, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione looking at each other in bewilderment.
(End of Chapter)
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you