Task: You're trying something new! This could be anything from a new food to a new sport but one of your pairing should be showing some nerves and discomfort.

Word Count: 1996

Prompt: (creature) Hippogriff

"Merlin, they are more hideous than I remembered."

"I think they're quite beautiful."

"Certainly, Granger, if your idea of beautiful is a 1 ton creature that looks like it wants to bite off all your limbs."

Hermione stepped to stand beside Blaise, craning her head to get a better look at the hippogriffs which were currently being led inside by some Ministry employees from the Magical Creature department. "Hippogriffs are relatively harmless if you don't aggravate them," she said matter-of-factly, peering at the procession of the great beasts near the Ministry back entrance.

The owner of the hippogriffs -or how indeed the hippogriffs had gotten ahold of a Portkey and transported from Russia to the fields of rural England, was yet to be discovered; the Ministry was still trying to secure a place to keep the hippogriffs, but for now, the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures department were awkwardly trying to deal with the creatures.

Blaise scoffed as they both eyed the hippogriffs. "In third year, one of that half giant's hippogriffs scratched me even though I was hardly looking at it."

"You have to look at them to make them trust you," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. "Was it really you who got scratched? I distinctly remember Malfoy with the scratch. Rolling on the floor and all that."

"Yeah, because he's a snarky one, Draco." Hermione could hear the subtle defensiveness creeping into Blaise's voice, as it tended to do when he spoke of his pureblood friends. She kept herself from turning around as Blaise said, slipping back to a satisfied tone, "But I bore with it. Evidently."

"Practically a hero," she muttered as she turned away from the hippogriffs. "I've got to get back soon." She frowned at him. "Weren't Aurors supposed to assemble half an hour ago? Harry always has to get back earlier than I do."

"Potter's in the alpha group," Blaise explained. "I'm in the newest recruits so our lunch breaks are a little longer."

"I see. Well, I think I'm going to -"

"Ms. Granger!"

Hermione turned her head and found an acquaintance of hers, Lavinia Patel, jogging from the Ministry back door to where she and Blaise stood in front of the lifts.

"Ms. Granger! Do you have a couple of minutes to spare?" Lavinia asked anxiously. She had a couple of hippogriff feathers in her brown hair, and she brushed them off impatiently.

"I have about… seven minutes," said Hermione. "Why?"

"Oh, perfect. Would you mind helping us out? A couple of our members are missing today. You can bring your friend," added Lavinia, blinking rapidly and turning pink at, no doubt, Blaise's unarming smile.

"Alright," Hermione said, glancing at Blaise, who only raised his eyebrows at her before walking towards the open doors across the hall.

"Oh, good. Do you know how to behave around hippogriffs, Ms. Granger? And, er, Mr….?"

"Zabini," Blaise supplied with another smile that made Lavinia stumble on her feet a little - and perhaps Hermione would have shaken her head at the younger employee if she herself didn't feel like stumbling every time he smiled at her…

"Yes, Mr. Zabini. Do you both know how to properly behave around these hippogriffs?"

"Hold still, meet their gaze without blinking, and never touch them until they allow you to," Hermione rattled off as they approached the doors and the hippogriffs came into sight.

There were more than Hermione thought: at least a dozen. They were roaming around on the little terrace of the Ministry gardens, obviously kept in by some type of wards. About six Ministry workers were slowly making their way back inside with submissive hippogriffs on their heels, but there still remained a handful of hippogriffs that were staring around rather menacingly.

"Hippogriffs are classified as Level 3 creatures," Lavinia said, "so be careful about them. If you're not comfortable with engaging with them, then we could just use some help keeping track of them and making sure they don't engage violently with each other. Use magic only if it's necessary. Thank you so much, both of you. Oh yikes, I've got to help him -"

Lavinia dashed away from them to aid a young man with his hippogriff which had just started making an ominous, rumbling growl. Hermione blinked after her and pushed up her robe sleeves. "Well, I suppose I'll take that one," she said, nodding at a hippogriff loitering near a tree. She pointed at another one using its claw to tear flowers out of the bushes. "The one over there doesn't look bad."

Blaise made a noncommittal noise in his throat and hurried after Hermione as she walked across the garden. "To be honest, Granger," he said, angling his face down so that his breath brushed her ear, "I really don't like hippogriffs."

Hermione turned to him (and almost immediately turned back upon discovering their faces inches were inches apart) and began, "But you agreed to help," when she saw the uneasy look on the Italian's face. "You really don't?"

"I've never liked them," shuddered Blaise. "Some incident when I was a kid. But I haven't seen one in so long, I thought it would be fine…" He trailed off and the expression on his face as he watched a nearby hippogriff filled in the rest of his sentence.

Hermione blinked. "Well," she pointed out, "we agreed to help, so we must. But haven't you done this before?"

"Never. I ditched class that day before the half-giant could make me."

"Hagrid," Hermione murmured, but waved her hand. "Alright, here, I'll guide you through it. It's not so bad."

"Says the one who supposedly rode on a dragon two years ago," she heard Blaise mutter, but he followed her until they reached the hippogriff at the tree, and complied when Hermione beckoned for him to stand in front of her.

"Now wait until he sees you," she said, watching the hippogriff carefully. "When he looks at you, don't blink. It's a sign of aggression."

As if on cue, the hippogriff's head snapped up and met Blaise's gaze. She swore she heard the person who laughed at her fear of flying, who had already gained popularity in the Auror ranks for his ability to crack a joke at any time, whimper, and she reached out to put a hand on his arm.

"Don't move. Don't blink," she ordered.

"I really, really want to blink," he said out of the corner of his mouth. "Have I ever mentioned that I'm awful at not blinking? Granger, if someone sees me now, they'll think I'm crying -"

"You will be, if you keep talking and that annoys the hippogriff," Hermione huffed. "Now shush. I think he's almost ready."

As if on cue, the hippogriff suddenly took two rapid steps forward. She felt Blaise's arm tense up, and she squeezed reassuringly, whispering, "Any second now, he'll bow his head… Bow your head back. And don't blink!"

The hippogriff's feathers ruffled as it slowly nodded its head, eyes trained still on Blaise. Blaise hesitatingly dipped his head, keeping his eyes on the yellow ones of the hippogriff.

"Now step forward," commanded Hermione. "If he still doesn't trust you, he won't let you go any further."

"As in he'll claw me into skin and bones," she heard Blaise hiss under his breath even as he lifted a foot tentatively.

He set it down in front of him. Both Hermione and Blaise held their breaths, waiting for the hippogriff to respond. It didn't. Hermione gently pushed Blaise forward.

"Granger, I really have to blink," he said, voice strained as he took two more steps forward. Hermione stopped walking with him, not wanting to get too close to the hippogriff.

"It's only been a minute and a half."

"It's been twenty ages. It's been longer than the time it takes for you to realize it's lunch break every day. I really have to blink, Granger."

"Fine, fine!" She shook her head. "Just blink slowly."

Blaise's audible sigh of relief was followed by a sudden purr from the hippogriff as it bent its head down almost completely, just two feet away from Blaise. Hermione did not have to prompt Blaise this time; he reached out a shaky hand until it rested on the hippogriff's grayish feathers.

"Bravo." Hermione turned to see one of the Magical Creatures employees nodding at Blaise and the hippogriff. "This his first time?"

"Apparently so."

"Alright, I'll take it in from here. Oi, mate! Feel around his neck for a collar, and press the little knob there. It should click the collar closed. You got it?"

"Yes, I believe so," said Blaise.

"Okay. Start backing up towards us. Keep your hand on that collar."

One minute later, the Ministry employee had taken the hippogriff from Blaise and was leading it back in. There were only a couple of hippogriffs left in the garden, one of which Hermione brought in.

"Thanks for your help, Mr. Zabini, Ms. Granger," Lavinia said, shaking her hair out of her ponytail. "We've got it from here."

"It's not a problem," said Blaise. He was rather cheery now, perhaps because his third real encounter had evidently not ended up like his first and second. Hermione watched him charm the young witch for a little while longer before clearing her throat and excusing them - they had to get back to their respective departments now.

"First thing I'm going to tell Harvey is that the famous Hermione Granger made me cry," Blaise declared as they took a lift up to their shared floor.

Hermione glared at him. "Don't tell Harvey that." Harvey was one of the new recruits in Blaise's Auror division, and according to Blaise, he had collected at least 14 Chocolate Frog cards of Harry, 9 of Ron, and exactly 23 of Hermione.

"I'll tell him you saved my life by making me cry."

She narrowed her eyes at his lopsided grin, and shook her head. "It was only for barely two minutes!"

"I told you. My greatest flaw is that I am easily defeated at staring contests. See?"

He turned his gaze to her to prove his point, eyes unblinking. She was acutely aware that their hands were touching on the rail of the lift, and that she was blushing; Hermione began to turn away right as the lift shuddered to a stop - and she slipped, hand clamping around Blaise's as she fell to the floor.

The next thing she knew, she was lying in a very uncomfortable position on the floor of the elevator; Blaise had fallen down right on top of her and currently his arm was digging into her stomach.

"Zabini," she wheezed out. "Er, could you get off? Sorry -"

She cut herself off when Blaise lifted his head. She looked at his grin and realized that they were pressed up against each other on the floor of the elevator in a very uncompromising position.

Her face flamed up as Blaise rolled off of her and got to his feet, extending a hand. She took it just as the lift doors opened - and to her embarrassment, she saw that there were a couple of employees waiting, looking rather shocked by what they no doubt thought was a scandalous rendezvous.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said awkwardly to Blaise, slowly brushing off her robes before scrambling out of the lift doors and dashing away as fast as she could while clinging to her last shred of dignity

She didn't see the way that Blaise's easy grin melted off his face as he watched her speed-walk away, or the way his own cheeks were slightly flushed and his hair became messy from running his hand through it on the way to the Auror department.

And she didn't hear when he plopped down next to Harvey Lee in the Auror training room and sighed, "Mate, there's a slight problem. I think we may be more similar than I'd hoped."

Yay! So I know I revealed the whole Daphne thing like 3 chapters ago so you may have forgotten or been wondering about it - but the next chapter will be coming back to that! So yes it is important and yes it will be expanded on! See you in two weeks ;)