The kite flew higher, Lorcan ran faster and let out more string, the kite flew even higher. Lorcan stopped running and let out more string, and the wings of the kite spread to glide on the breeze -- until a stray gust of wind caught one of the wings just wrong and it crumpled, throwing the entire kite off balance and sending it plummeting to the side.
Lorcan called a warning and reeled in the string frantically, afraid the kite was going to crash into the lion at the side of the pitch. Just like school: eagle vs. lion, except that he was fairly sure that this lion wasn't technically a Gryffindor lion. But no matter what sort of lion it was, a direct hit would definitely be a dramatic failure, and he wasn't sure how well the lion could see from inside that costume.
The kite swerved at the last moment, and when it landed in a crumpled heap it was a fair distance from the lion -- maybe it hadn't been quite as close as it had looked. Lorcan called "sorry" to the lion anyway, and looked back to see if any of the kite club had witnessed what had happened. Some had been watching; they mostly grimaced in sympathy though one called out "Mind the lion." Lorcan shrugged to say I wasn't trying to do that, and started reeling in the rest of the string, moving toward the kite to keep from dragging it along the ground and maybe damaging it more.