New Friends Open Finished

Hogwarts was just so... big. So much bigger than anything Mac was used to. The library alone had to be about ten times bigger than his family's little farmhouse.

To say that it took the breath out of him would be an understatement. His footfalls echoed through the room as he looked up, his eyes wide and starstruck. There were more books here than he'd ever seen in his life, and certainly more than he could ever read in his lifetime. Where could he even begin?

He found his way to the nonfiction section, where he parsed through the shelves with a gleeful grin. A book on magical creatures? Count him in! He grabbed it off the shelf, tucking it underneath his arm. A book about divination? Sounds interesting! The second book joined the other, and soon Mac had a large stack of books that he had to hug close to his chest. He could hardly even see over them- though that wasn't exactly surprising, given how short the boy was.

As he hurried through the aisles, he bumped head first into another student in the library, causing all of the books to go crashing to the wooden floor with a loud THUD. "O-Oh!" He stammered as he quickly bent over to pick them up, his hands shaking as he hurriedly scooped them up in his arms. "I'm so sorry," he whispered quietly, trying his best not to be any more disruptive than he already was. "Are you okay?" He looked the girl over to make sure he hadn't hurt her. She looked around his age; most likely another first year, like himself. "I'm sorry," he repeated again as he stood up.

Maggie was browsing the isles of the Hogwarts library, looking for something that would interest her. A book on dragons caught her eye, and she was just about to reach for it when— THUD.

“O-Oh!" A boy stammered as he quickly bent over to pick his books up, his hands shaking as he hurriedly scooped them up in his arms. "I'm so sorry," he whispered quietly, trying his best not to be any more disruptive than he already was. "Are you okay?" The boy looked her over, his gaze analytic despite his shaking hands. "I'm sorry," he repeated again as he stood up.

Maggie laughed, “It’s all good!” She grinned at the boy. He had dark hair, and a blue and bronze tie hung around his neck. A book he was carrying caught her eye. “Is that a book on magical creatures?” Maggie asked, excitement lacing her voice. She had picked up one of the course books that interested her over the summer, one about magical beasts. It had instantly fascinated her, especially the dragons. “Do you know anything about them? Magical creatures, I mean.” Maggie asked, hopeful that he knew something about them. He seemed like a nice boy, though a bit nervous, but Maggie was sure that she could bring the confidence out of him if they got to know each other. She hoped they could be friends, and while she was interested in Magical beasts, she partly asked the questions as a means of conversation. The boy himself seemed nice enough, though he didn’t really seem like someone Maggie would’ve gotten along with in the first place— he was somewhat panicky, for the lack of a better word.

Willow had been quietly studying dragons, thinking about something far away, in ravenclaw tower. She could feel the warm fire crackling behind her, and she sighed happily. She had loved the smell of books since she was young. THUD! A book fell..? She suddenly sat bolt upright. A a girl was speaking. Imma see what they're doing. She stood up and left her book on the floor. She remembered the page being about a specific dragon. The page had read nicely, although she couldn't pinpoint what breed it was. She remembered what the page had said:
'Its nose is large and has two wide, pointy nostrils and there's a small crystal growth on its chin. Several rows of large teeth poke out from the side of its mouth and give a preview of the terror hiding inside.

A short neck runs down from its head and into a slender body. The top is covered in warped scales and rows of armor plating runs down its spine.
Its bottom is covered in smooth skin and is colored darker than the rest of its body. Two huge limbs carry its body and allow the creature to stand arrogantly and towering. Each limb has 3 digits, each of which end in massive nails seemingly made of bone.

Graceful wings grow starting from just above its shoulders and end all the way down at its pelvis. The wings are somewhat triangular, a specialized layer of skin is all that's visible inside and sharp, spiky scales cover the top of each visible bone.

Its long tail ends in a hammer-like growth and is covered in the same warped scales as its body.'
She walked over and peered around a bookcase. "H- hello..?" She saw a young brunette girl, probably a first year, and a young boy she recognised from ravenclaw, he was a first year too. "Mooooooorning..?" She giggled , she sounded like an idiot. "What's going on? I heard stuff fall."

As the girl laughed, a smile painting her features, Mac let out a soft sigh of relief. Good- she wasn't upset with him. He hadn't made many friends since he came to Hogwarts, so the last thing he needed to do was go around and butt heads with all the other students. Imagine being an outcast at a school for wizards and witches. It wouldn't get much sadder than that.

She was a Gryffindor- or at least, that's what Mac had assumed, by the color of her tie, which was a dazzling crimson red striped with lines of gold. He hadn't gotten the chance to talk to many of the students from the other houses; or any of the students, for that matter. Even in his own house, he tended to keep to himself. She seemed like an easygoing person, not to mention very forgiving, given the fact that he'd just barreled into her at full speed. Maybe they could be friends.

His eyes lit up at the mention of magical creatures. They fluttered down to the book in his hands, then back to the girl in front of him. "Not as much as I'd like to," he said as he returned her grin with one of his own. "I still have a lot to learn, but... I've been reading up on basilisks lately. Did you know a basilisk can kill you just by looking at you? Even if you don't look at them, they can still bite you, and the venom can bring you down within minutes. Looking at them indirectly can cause paralysis, which-"

Dial it back, Mac. You're rambling. He stammered a little as he shook his head. "Um, my name is Mac, by the way." His first instinct was to hold his hand for her to shake, but they were occupied with the books clutched close to his chest. Awkwardly, he sat them down on the ground, before offering up his left hand. "It's nice to meet you."

His head turned at the sound of another student. He recognized her as another Ravenclaw, but they'd never spoken. Her white hair made her stand out quite a bit. "Sorry about that," Mac said quietly, his voice laced with guilt. "I, uh, dropped my books. It was an accident."

"You mean Professor Griffith?" Mac had been wanting to meet the man since he first saw the Stables out on the Grounds... though the atmosphere wasn't exactly welcoming. He remembered himself standing on the doorstep, trembling hands reaching to pull the string, only to chicken out at the last second. He took one last glimpse at the sign before retreating back to the castle.

"If you have no business here, I don't want you here."

Mac, of course, really didn't have any business at the Stables, other than his own childlike fascination with the creatures that were inside. Griffith was clearly a busy man and the last thing he needed was some first year sticking his nose where it didn't belong. Still, his curiosity ate away at him. If Maggie was planning on going there, for whatever reason, Mac wanted to tag along.

"Have you met him before?" Mac asked her, his blue eyes wide with interest. "I've never even seen him around the castle. It's like he never leaves his office. Not that I blame him; if I had his job, I'd never want to leave, either. I have so many questions I want to ask him... I wonder what kind of animals he has in there. Do you think he has any hippogriffs? Oh my God, Maggie! Just imagine seeing a hippogriff in person!" The volume of his voice has been rising steadily since he started talking. He's practically yelling by the time he's done with his last sentence. As an abrasive 'shh' came from another part of the library, Mac hung his head, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. When he spoke up again, his voice was quiet and gentle. "U-Um... yes. I would love to go on an adventure."

“Um, yes, I would love to go on an adventure.”

That was all Maggie needed. A triumphant grin spread across her face as she finally found the Ravenclaw boy’s weak spot: his own never-ending curiousity. She couldn’t help but feel proud, like she’d broken the boy out of his shell.
“So,” she thought, a smirk on her face, “how badly do you want to see a Hippogriff, Mac?” She hoped that he got the underlying question: what are you willing to do to see a Hippogriff? Maggie grinned as an idea formed in her head. All she needed was a proper distraction. She remembered a stunt she’d pulled last year, at her Muggle school, that was pretty similar to this one...

“Okay, is everyone ready?” Maggie asked in a hushed voice, holding her walkie talkie close to her mouth. A chorus of “yeahs” buzzed through the machine, and Maggie prayed that this would work. The plan was simple: she’d paid her friend, Jack, to let his bunny loose on the playground. To eliminate the risk of the kids and teachers going back into the classrooms, where she’d be stealing the answers to the test, she locked all the doors from the inside. She’d copy down the answers, unlock the door, do a little bit of acting, and she was home free. Sure, she got suspended for it after the security camera footage exposed her, but, it technically worked.

When Maggie told Mac about this, he...

... was clearly skeptical.

Still, he hung on her every word, somehow both terrified and enthralled by her story. Mac had always been a good kid... _{or maybe just boring, in hindsight.} He rarely got into trouble and when he did, it was always mundane things like nabbing the last can of soda or forgetting to do his chores on time. Obviously, she wouldn't have told him that story if it wasn't relevant. It was clear that she was plotting something similar. The last thing he wanted was to get himself knee-deep into trouble this early in his enrollment.

Still, he was torn. It felt like there was an angel one of his shoulders telling him to walk away, while there was a little devil named Maggie on the other, promising him the chance of seeing a Hippogriff... or a whole stable of them... maybe even a Snallygaster or a Phoenix. His heart jumped at the thought.

She said the security cameras were the only reason she got caught. Hogwarts didn't have security cameras; in fact, they didn't have electronics at all. If they were careful enough, they could get in and out without anyone even knowing they were there.

Oh, feck it. He'd bite. "What are you planning, Maggie?" he asked with a smile, clearly curious, but not quite willing to commit without hearing her plan in full.

“What are you planning, Maggie?”

Maggie grinned triumphantly. What wasn’t she planning was the real question here. “Well, we’re gonna need a crew... I have a feeling you know who I’m talking about,” she winked at him, a smirk on her face, “All we need is a proper distraction and boom, we’re in. Hell, if we have enough time we can even take one for a ride.” she laughed in excitement, “In and out, it’ll be like we were never even there.” Who knows? Maybe the CoMC Professor will have dragons in his stables. That would get her really excited. This would be the perfect stunt to start off the year with, one to make their presence known. Wait until her brothers hear about this one. They probably wouldn’t even believe her! The plan itself really was foolproof, too. All she needed was a good actor with the ability to keep a secret. Mac knew tons about everything, so she was sure that he’d be able to handle a Hippogriff, right? They’re just really big birds with an even bigger appetite. And even bigger claws. Maggie shook her head. She wasn’t even there yet, she couldn’t start wimping out now! Plus, she was actually excited to see the thing, and how would she be able to handle a dragon if she couldn’t take care of a dumb Hippogriff?

Mac could handle a Hippogriff, right? It's not like they were wild or anything. These creatures were tamed by an experienced, trained wizard. As long as they were careful, nothing would go wrong. Besides, he already knew a good bit about their diet and behavior, and he had a good bit of experience with animals on his little farm. Chickens and sheep weren't so different from magical beasts, when you got right down to it. A Hippogriff was sort of like a rooster; territorial, proud, covered in feathers. They were just... much larger.. and much angrier... and very, very carnivorous.

But that shouldn't matter, should it? They were just going for a wee peep. It's not like they were going to waltz right up to it and try to pet it or anything. Maybe he was young and stupid, but he wasn't that young and stupid. Mac just... wanted to see one. Admire it from a respectable distance. Maybe feed it a piece of meat or something.

He was more scared of the staff than the Hippogriffs. They'd likely put him to work in the Owlery or something, scrubbing away at the bird droppings coating the floor. He cleaned up after enough birds back at home, thank you very much.

"We'd need a really good distraction, wouldn't we?" Mac said with a slight frown. "Like I said, Professor Griffith is a real homebody. He never leaves that office."