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[Professor Haverleigh]

Every once in a while, he needed a nice fly on a weekend. The poor creature was getting old. Gwyneth sighed. This retired griffin from the Ministry's research facility had been tamed long ago. It was a shame, Gwyneth thought. This particular griffin, in its youth, would have been a fierce one in the wild, where it was meant to be. Instead, poor Lochlan had been taken as a cub and grew up in a tame environment for witches and wizards to study, back when the law did not care that what the researchers learned was based on observing the animal in a cage.

Years had passed since then, the law now in favor of natural environments, or the simulation of it. Lochlan had been taken to Hogwarts before Gwyneth had become a professor, but she felt nothing but sympathy for him. Even in his old age, Lochlan was a noble creature. He had taken a liking to her the moment she laid eyes on him. Perhaps that was because she had a large steak just for him in her hands at the time.

Lochlan landed near her and stretched. The clouds were threatening, but neither Gwyneth or Lochlan paid them any attention. It was November. Naturally the skies would dull and the weather would turn chilly. Gwyneth watched as the aging griffin sat beside her, begging for some attention. The beast acted like an old dog rather than a powerful, majestic creature. This made Gwyneth laugh as she rubbed his beak and stroked the feathers about his head. His lion-like tail curled with delight and he moved himself closer to her.

Suddenly, Lochlan stopped begging and jerked his eagle-like head up. Someone was coming.

[Daniella Cruz]

Genevieve had merely been trying to avoid homework when she wandered out into the grounds. The girl stuck her hands deep inside her cloak looking up glumly at the sky. It was gray and overcast, winter was truly coming. There wouldn't be any more afternoons of lazing on the ground watching clouds, no now she would be stuck inside unless she wanted to slog through the snow, which was often more work than Genevieve cared to do when she could more easily sit inside somewhere warm.

For now though, cold hadn't quite driven her inside. She was wandering aimlessly, when she saw the speck in the sky. She looked up, expecting an owl, but it was far too big. She squinted, trying to get a better look at whatever it was. When it flapped away and landed she followed. After checking to make sure no one was watching she even quickened her pace. It could be something that liked to eat little second years, but she didn't think of that. Rather she wanted to know what kind of animal it was, maybe it was something interesting.

When she saw the animal on the ground with a person, a professor no less, she slowed to her normal amble. "Professor Haverleigh?" she asked stopping quite a bit away. The animal was big and she didn't want to scare him or her. "What is he?" Well she got right to the point at any rate. She had read books, but they didn't have nearly enough pictures for her taste and the descriptions often seemed like some kind of mental person had written then.

[Professor Haverleigh]

Lochlan stared at the little girl that just appeared. Gwyneth smiled. It was Genevieve Bloch, a very capable, if only secretively, young witch. The girl looked positively puzzled-not surprising when a Muggleborn is faced with a creature with an eagle front body and a lion's back body. Though today was not a school day, Gwyneth knew that her reluctant student had stumbled upon an impromptu lesson.

"Hello, Ms. Bloch," she said with a bright smile. "This is a griffin. His name is Lochlan." The griffin nodded his head towards Genevieve in greeting. "You can come pet him, if you wish. He's very tame."


Gwyneth wondered if Genevieve would take the offer. She wouldn't be learning about griffins for another two or three years in class, but a little preluded experience never hurt. Normally, Gwyneth used feeding and caring for the more dangerous animals as a punishment to misbehaving students, but sometimes Gwyneth liked to give special privileges to those who wanted to work with any of the creatures.

As he watched, Lochlan looked back and forth in between the two humans. Though he did not understand what was said, he could figure out that the conversation was about him. He had lived long enough to understand a few of the gestures used. The older one, the one that gave him special treats and allowed him  more freedom than most owners he had in the past. The younger one was interesting though. Lochlan had seen his share of children in the last few years and had lost a few of his greying, golden feathers due to them. However, this one seemed more mature than those others, even for as young as she was. In truth, he did not care as long as she would feed him treats like the older female.

[Daniella Cruz]

A griffin. She supposed it was like Gryffindor, he did look part lion like her house's symbol. How they got a stupid lion out of this creature, well Godric Gryffindor really must have been a moron. The griffin was beautiful in a noble sort of way. He wasn't cute or fluffy, but there was just something about them. And they got a lion. Something was wrong with that picture.

When invited she stepped closer slowly. This time it wasn't trying to look lazy, only common sense. She had learned early on with her father's horses that you never ran at an animal and one like this that looked very must like a predator, you might as well dance naked towards it covered in spices with a sign saying 'Eat me now'.

"Hello Lochlan," she said patting his shoulder. He was softer than she would have expected. She looked to Professor Haverleigh. "Why do you have him out here?" She hadn't even known there were animals like him on the grounds. Mayhap she'd have to poke around some more and see what other creatures she could find.

[Professor Wulfram N. Hart]

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