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It didn't take long before the Hippogriffs reached us.
However, the savage attack the two girls had been expecting never came.
Instead, the oversized eagle-horses simply stopped in front of us.
They stood there with their heads held high, calmly staring at us.
Blinking repeatedly, the girls beside me looked completely confused.
"W-what are they—"
Before Lily could finish speaking, an even more astonishing scene unfolded.
In a single movement, every Hippogriff dropped to one knee, lowering their heads before me with humble respect.
"Oh..." Astoria's mouth fell open as she stared at the scene in complete shock.
"This... this is exactly like what happened during that lesson," Lily commented in surprise.
Those words snapped Tori out of her daze for a moment, making her immediately turn to her friend.
"Wait... this has happened before?!"
"Yeah." Lily nodded slowly.
Without taking her eyes off the Hippogriffs, she began to explain.
"During our first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Hagrid brought a few Hippogriffs for us to study. He explained that we had to bow to them first, and that we could only touch them if they returned the bow."
"But when Ethan showed up, he didn't even have time to do anything. Every single Hippogriff bowed to him first... exactly like they're doing now."
Hearing that, the little blonde witch looked even more shocked.
She looked back at the Hippogriffs.
Then at me.
Then at the Hippogriffs again.
And in the end, her gaze settled on me.
Seeing the surprise, admiration, and curiosity written all over her face, I smiled.
"Well... what can I say? They like me." I shrugged.
My cheeky answer didn't sound arrogant or even like a joke to either of the girls.
In fact, after hearing it, they simply nodded slowly, as though that explanation made perfect sense.
'Heh... looks like they're finally starting to realise just how amazing I am,' I thought, thoroughly pleased.
The Hippogriffs in front of us remained bowed with their heads lowered, showing no sign that they were about to move.
I immediately realised they were waiting for my permission — or perhaps some kind of acknowledgement — before standing back up.
Understanding that, I didn't keep them waiting for long. Under Lily and Tori's nervous gazes, I took a few steps forward.
With calm, steady steps, I walked towards the Hippogriffs. Through my Empathy, I could feel them growing excited by my approach.
Seeing me walk towards those huge, intimidating creatures, the girls instinctively reached out to stop me, concern written all over their faces.
However, when they noticed my relaxed, almost cheerful expression, along with the Hippogriffs' completely docile demeanour, they held themselves back.
At that moment, the only thing they could do was pray that nothing happened to me.
Once I reached the largest Hippogriff, the one who had led the others over to us, a warm, amused smile appeared on my face as I recognised him.
"It's been a while, Buckbeak," I greeted him.
Buckbeak lifted his head to look at me, letting out a soft screech, apparently greeting me back.
Without waiting for me to bow in return, he leaned his head towards me and rubbed it against my arm as though asking to be petted.
"Yeah, yeah. I missed you too," I laughed, giving his head a few gentle pats.
Stepping back slightly, I smiled at him as I felt the happiness of the animal who'd been one of the stars of the third book.
"So, big guy, how've you been?" I asked, running my hand along the side of his neck. "Has Hagrid been feeding you well?"
"Scree!" he let out a soft cry.
Through the connection created by my Beast Talk, I understood that he was saying yes.
Buckbeak then paused before letting out another screech, lightly tapping one hoof against the ground.
As strange as it looked, his gestures carried a certain tone of complaint.
As soon as Buckbeak finished "speaking", he looked at me expectantly, as though waiting for my response.
"..."
"..."
"Let me see if I've got this straight..." I began, giving the eagle-horse hybrid a funny look.
"You're tired of eating ferrets... and you want me to ask Hagrid to prepare different kinds of rodents for you?"
"Scree!" Buckbeak nodded enthusiastically.
"...Okay," I said slowly, feeling my lips twitch. "I'll see what I can do."
After that, I looked towards the other Hippogriffs, who had somehow gathered even closer around me, surrounding us.
"What about you lot? Got any requests or demands as well?" I asked jokingly.
What I hadn't expected was for them to answer immediately.
Those creatures, known for being proud and indifferent, began crying out, stomping their hooves and flapping their wings in an incredibly expressive way.
With my Beast Talk expanded among them, I could understand almost everything they were trying to tell me.
And out of everything they were "saying", what I heard the most were requests for different kinds of food... and better-quality meals.
"Seriously?" I gave them a dry look. "Out of everything you could ask for, all you can think about is a more luxurious and varied menu?"
In response, the Hippogriffs simply let out a few soft cries, as if saying, "Yes. What else would we ask for?"
"Sigh... You lot are such gluttons," I said, shaking my head in amusement.
While I chatted and joked around with the flock of Hippogriffs, Lily, who had been watching the whole thing, slowly walked over to Astoria.
"Hey..." she called quietly. "Is it just me, or is Ethan... talking to them?" she asked, pulling a slightly strange face.
Briefly taking her eyes off me and the Hippogriffs, Tori turned to her friend and looked at her with a blank expression.
"Out of everything he's ever done... do you really think this is the weirdest?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Okay, you've got a point."
After saying that, Lily looked forward again, deciding to simply accept the bizarre the situation
She seemed to have realised that anything absurd that happened to me — or involved me — was just another normal day in my life... and in the lives of everyone around me.
'They do know I can hear everything they're saying, right?' I wondered, breaking into a sweat.
Not wanting the two girls to keep questioning just how abnormal I was, I decided to redirect their attention to something much more interesting.
With that, I turned towards them before clearing my throat.
"Ahem... since we're here to have fun, would either of you young ladies like to pet them?" I asked, giving Buckbeak's flank a gentle pat.
The offer completely caught the two Slytherins off guard.
"W-We... we can?" Tori asked, sounding both nervous and hopeful.
"Of course!" I nodded with a confident smile.
"Soo... who wants to go first?"
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
Tori and Lily exchanged a glance, and I could clearly see the hesitation on their eyes.
But alongside it was a spark of anticipation and the desire to finally touch those magnificent creatures.
In the end, Lily was the one who gathered her courage and raised her little hand.
"Good." I looked at her approvingly before gesturing for her to come over.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she gave a small nod.
A determined look appeared on her face.
Then, with slow but steady steps, she walked over to Buckbeak and me.
As soon as she stopped in front of us, her eyes were immediately drawn to the creature beside me.
The little girl had to tilt her head back just to look Buckbeak in the eye, only now realising just how huge and imposing he really was.
'Uh... he's so much bigger up close...' she thought, feeling intimidated.
That simple realisation brought all her fear and nervousness rushing back at full force.
Noticing that, I stepped closer and gently took her hand.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, nothing's going to happen to you," I promised with a reassuring smile.
Looking at me, she found nothing but confidence and certainty in my eyes.
Somehow, she knew I was telling the truth. That as long as I was there, I'd never let anything happen to her.
Besides, she remembered that not even a dragon had been much of a threat to me. Compared to that... what was a mere Hippogriff?
That simple thought made part of her fear melt away, replaced by courage.
Relaxing her shoulders, she smiled again, this time with a much more confident sparkle in her eyes.
"I'm ready," she said.
I nodded.
"Alright..."
Still holding her hand, I gave it a small encouraging squeeze before letting go and taking a step back.
Now Astoria stood face-to-face with Buckbeak.
The two of them remained perfectly still, looking at each other as they waited for my next instruction.
"Okay... now hold out your hand," I began to guide her.
Following my instructions, Tori slowly held out her hand, stopping just a few centimetres away from Buckbeak.
The Hippogriff remained still, curiously observing the little hand in front of him.
Had it been anyone else, he probably would've already torn it apart with his talons. But he would never dare do that to one of my friends.
After looking at Astoria for a few seconds, Buckbeak turned towards me and tilted his head slightly, as though asking what he should do next.
Seeing that, I simply gave him a calm nod.
That alone was enough for the Hippogriff to understand my intentions.
Turning back to Tori, Buckbeak gazed into her bright eyes.
There, he found nothing but innocence, joy, nervousness, courage... and anticipation.
Then, letting out a soft snort, he slowly lowered his head until it rested against the little witch's hand.
That was his way of telling her she'd been accepted.
And with that, he allowed the little Slytherin to pet him as well.
End.
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