What was that?
I was on my way down and see Hagrid when a sudden movement near the edge of the forbidden forest caught my attention. I watched the trees and, after a moment, I heard the screech of, what sounded like, a giant bird. I ran towards the sound of the creature but slowed to a stop at the very edge of the forest: no pupil was allowed to go in there. Then I heard the screech again only this time it cut off with a gurgle. I couldn't leave it no matter what it was. I ran through the forest tripping over tree roots in my haste until I came to a small clearing and I saw what had been making the noise. A giant creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a horse lay on the ground covered in, what was unmistakably, blood and It was defiantly dead. I signed and went to turn away when I saw something small at the bottom of a nearby tree, nestled among the roots. I causally moved towards it. It wasn't until I was nearly on top of it that I realized that it was the same odd creature as the one lying dead a few feet away but it was clear that with was a baby. It was so small, new-born size, with dark brown feathers and a small pair of wings. It was lightly shivering with the cold.
Without thinking I removed my cloak and wrapped it around the sleeping creature but as I lifted it onto my chest its eyes opened and it fixed me with a piercing gaze: it eyes were the most beautiful colour blue I had ever seen. After a few seconds it let out a low chirp and rested its head on my chest and fell back to sleep.
I burst through Hagrid's front door, dripping wet from the rain that had started hammering down outside. Fang came bounding up to me fascinated by the creature fast asleep in my arms. Hagrid entered the room, a few moments after fang, carrying a tray with two mugs of tea.
"What took ya so long Maria? I was starting to worr…"
Hagrid fell silent as he stared at the baby creature in my arms. His eyes went wide and the tray he had been carrying clattered to the floor. The two mugs smashed and hot tea flew everywhere but Hagrid hardly seemed to notice.
"I found him…" I said in a small voice "…I couldn't just leave him there, all alone."
Hagrid seemed to come back to himself and he ushered me into a chair next to the fire.
"Alone? That can't be right a hippogriff would never…"
"A hippo-what?"
"A hippogriff, they're very proud magical creatures. It's not in there nature to just abandon their young…"
"But he wasn't abandoned! His mother was killed."
"Killed?! Not many things could kill a fully grown hippogriff." Hagrid mused.
I was about to tell Hagrid the whole story when a low chirp interrupted me. I looked down and was, once again, fixed with those ice blue eyes.
"He likes you…" Hagrid chuckled "...Hippogriffs don't usual let humans too near them."
"Why not?"
"It's like I told ya they're very proud creatures…" Hagrid stared at him for a moment then said "… I bet he's hungry."
Hagrid got up and walked into a kitchen like area. There was a lot of banging and clattering until finally Hagrid came back with what was apparently a large glass bottle filled with milk.
"Come on and I'll show ya how ta feed him."
"Have ya got a name for him?"
"Huh?" I dragged my eyes from the baby hippogriff trying to walk around the hut to Hagrid and admitted,
"I haven't really thought about it." I could feel my cheeks warming with embarrassment. Hagrid chuckled,
"Well he needs a name."
I thought for a moment trying to think of a good name but all I could think about was how I had found him in the Forbidden forest with only the moon and star light to see by….
"What about Star Light?" I asked Hagrid, he smiled and gestured to the hippogriff and said;
"Call him it and see if he comes." I stared at Hagrid for a moment, not entirely sure if he was being serious, before I turned to the baby hippogriff and called,
"Star Light." The hippogriff looked up at me and chirped but he didn't move. I called again,
"Star Light." This time he walked right up to me and sat down at my feet. I patted his head and muttered to him, "Good boy." He chirped again and rubbed his head agents my leg. Hagrid chuckled again and I looked up at him with a curious expression,
"He won't be too happy when ya leave." As if he could understand Hagrid's words Star Light ruffled his feathers and hissed at him.
"I'll come and visit every day." I promised Star Light as I lifted him onto my lap and hugged him tightly.
And so I did.