Oh, don’t you worry about old Master Magnus, he’s not as frail as he looks. He just has to go carefully these days, now his eyes have clouded over.

Magic can’t fix everything, see. Time took his sight, and there’s not much that can be done to give it back. He doesn’t even want us to try; he said he’s had enough magic in his life, and now he wants to do things naturally.

The local kids love doting on him, and he seems quite content to be doted on, so I guess it’s an easy thing for him to accept. If he were a wild gryphon, or alone, he might feel differently.