"C'mon, now, Buckbeak!" Hagrid called behind him to the stubborn hippogriff, who was currently digging his hoofs into the hard, still frozen earth that laid just beneath the thin layer of early spring mud, unwilling to venture on board the purple triple decker that idled on edge of Hogsmeade. The giant sighed and reached into his many-pocketed coat. "Here," he called to the bus attendant as he tossed him a deceased rodent.

The attendant, thinking it a small piece of luggage, caught it. Upon seeing what he now held in his hand he let out a disgusted shriek, immediately holding the animal out as far from his body as possible. "OI! Wotcher thinkin' 'ere, mate, throwin' carcasses 'round!"

"Good boy, Buckbeak!" Hagrid ignored the man. Buckbeak had spotted the treat and had ceased his obstinate refusal to budge. He moved towards the bus, placing one leg on the platform and straining his neck towards the morsel. Hagrid turned towards the frightened young man, who whimpered noisily as the half horse, half bird creature inclined its head towards his hand. "Move back, now, so's as he'll follow yer." Immediately the man began to bolt towards the other end of the bus. Buckbeak followed, overturning chairs and upsetting passengers as he rushed towards his prize.

Hagrid boarded after his beloved pet and casually withdrew thirty sickles from his pouch, handing them to the driver. With equal ease the driver took the money, and, turning a seemingly deaf ear to the shrieks of his passengers and attendant, began to chat with the giant. "School have any trouble finding a substitute for ya while yer in London, Hagrid?"

"Help! Beast'll bit me arm off!"

"Not too much, Ern. Old teacher was more than willing to step in for a few days, but dementors and all put him off a bit."

"OI! A little help back here!"

"Understandable. I was a bit uncomfortable just coming so far as Hogsmeade."

"Do ya not see me 'bout to get eaten!"

"Dumbledore's none too happy 'bout 'em neither. Not too fond of 'em meself, for that matter. Why just last month—"

"HELP!"

Hagrid turned towards the boy, who was now sobbing in fear as he held the dead animal aloft, just out of the reach of the hippogriff, and shouted. "Just throw 'im the ferret and be done with it!" He did as he was told and rushed up the two flights of stairs, along with the majority of the passengers on the lower floor, to cower and rock on the topmost floor of the bus.

"Sorry, about him Hagrid. Usual boy, Stan, he's pretty good with whatever steps onto the bus, but he's been out sick for about a week now. This replacement they've sent in, why even the slightest hag throws him into a fit!"

Hagrid nodded and started towards the back of the bus where Buckbeak had happily taken up residence on the floor, tearing apart his meal with a combination of his hard, strong beak and razor sharp talons. "Don' know why he was so scaird of ya, Buckbeak," the giant said as he took a seat beside his feathered friend. Finished with his snack, the uncommon breed stretched with a yawn, showing off the blood covered, serrated interior of his mouth and screeching a deep indentation into the bus floor beneath his talons before nuzzling his head against Hagrid's leg. "Cuddly as a kitten, you are!"

And so that was chapter one. Just a short introduction to what lies ahead. Let me know what you think! Happy Tuesday!