It was just after lunch and the afternoon was beginning to think about drawing in for the day. With what little daylight that was remaining, Marcus had decided to make the most of it. His choice of lesson today for the N.E.W.T’s was to take them out into the forest much the same way he had his younger students that morning. Marcus trudged through the undergrowth, the fallen leaves and branches snapping and crunching underfoot. He had a soft smile on his lips, his hair was tousled and the backpack on his back held all of the goodies he needed to get the lesson really underway. He just hoped the students would be appreciative of his efforts.
Stepping over one of the larger roots jutting out from the ground, Marcus emerged from the greenery into the clearing he’d told the students they would find him in. Waiting there was the Hippogriff he’d been promised by the Centaurs. There were two of them either side the proud creature and Marcus was careful when putting his things down, so as not to alarm it. He opened out his arms and swept into a low bow, his eyes uplifted and fixed on the animal until he too bowed. Smiling, Marcus slowly rose and held his hand out. The Hippogriff sprang from between the Centaurs and nudged his hand with his head. Chuckling, Marcus rubbed his fingers across the feathers of the animal before turning his head and fixing his eyes on the mouth of the clearing.
Soon enough they’d arrive. He knew that they had most likely studied Hippogriffs before but it was a good way to test them before taking them in deeper. He also wanted the Centaurs to say their pieces. He just hoped they had enough time to get everything done. He wanted them to do at least a little bit of exploring.
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