Big Beast, Big Mistake

[Vernon Avery]

This really was quite the affair—Vernon wasn’t quite sure where his attentions were best directed!

Was it on the hippogriffs themselves? Beautiful creatures, they were, and while quite dignified and so not wholly…safe, the redhead was comforted by the knowledge that they were far more reasonable than dragons. He kept a respectful distance not out of fear, but out of necessity: it seemed everyone wanted a chance to meet one face-on, and he could hardly blame them. Outside of school, how many people (especially of the lower classes) had much cause to encounter the larger magical creatures of Britain?

Or was it the estate? Vernon seldom had any cause to venture into Wellingtonshire, but the Scamander’s home was large even by local standards—it had to be, to accommodate the small farm, after all. Seeing how the other half lived, even when given only limited glimpses at the more public areas, was intriguing, and Vernon doubted he was the only one to feel that way.

And of course, it might have been the guests present—everyone from street-sweepers to the Minister of Magic himself seemed to be in attendance for what was most certainly an unusual spectacle. Though not an unfocused man by nature, the wizard could not help but find himself rather stretched thin today.

That is, until he came to focus on a young woman* boldly approaching a hippogriff—but without any of the normal decorum one would expect. Whether cocky or oblivious, Vernon could not say, but he moved hastily through the small group that separated them in the hopes that he might intercept before she got herself into trouble.

* let’s say 16-25 and not an obvious street urchin xD

  

[Vivian Ganymede]

Vivian did not have much experience with hippogriffs, or really with magical creatures of any sort. She had an owl named Julia, and sometimes she went to the zoo in Irvingly, but she had never taken COMC and her general life did not involve beasts very frequently. She had much more experience with ghosts than anything else.

The hippogriffs were rather majestic, though. Viv had lost track of her various family members but cared little for that - she could take care of herself, really - and was sauntering towards one of the creatures with the intention of getting a better look. 

There was a vaguely familiar red-haired man approaching, and Viv turned to get a better look. Oh! It was from the strange incident with the arguably-high Mrs. Winthrop and the very loud Mr. Lytton; Vivian had not caught anyone else's name.

She raised her eyebrows at him, wordless. Her back was to the beast. 

  

[Vernon Avery]

Too far to do anything helpful, Vernon could only watch in horror and—he was ashamed to admit—the slightest degree of amusement as the hippogriff, having not been shown the deference its species demanded, reached out with its beak to grab the witch by the hair.