Growing up too fast

The four arrived at the station and it seemed strange not seeing Hagrid when they got off the train. He must still be on special assignment. They made their way up to the castle and found some seats at the Gryffindor table to watch the sorting ceremony. Looking up at the staff table Harry saw a very familiar face setting next to Professor Snape. It was Mrs. Figg. She must be the new Defense of Dark Arts instructor. "Ron, that's Mrs. Figg next to Snape. She was the one who got me the training this summer."

"Great, we've got an inside track with another teacher," Ron said.

"Don't count on it," Harry explained, "She seemed like a very strict teacher. I don't think we'll be getting any breaks in her class. Snape doesn't seem quite so surly this year does he?"

It seemed there were fewer first year students this year. Harry wondered if it was because parents were afraid for their safety with Voldemort's return. After the sorting, Professor Dumbledore had a few announcements.

"Ah, another year. Our normal Care of Magical Creatures instructor Hagrid will be a bit delayed in returning to the school this year Professor Grubbly-Plank has graciously agreed to help us out for a while this year."

"I wonder how things are going with Hagrid," Harry asked, the worry sounding in the question.

His attention turned back to Professor Dumbledore who was continuing to talk, "Also, once again we are welcoming a new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. Please welcome Arabella Figg a former teacher and a highly respected Auror for the Ministry of Magic. I'm sure you will all benefit from having her among us." Harry got all the Gryffindors to clap loudly for her.

Professor Dumbledore continued, "Now a few announcements of a very serious nature. As all of you except for the first years know already Voldemort regained his power at the end of last term." Many people were glancing at Harry. "So, certain extra precautions are being taken this year. Curfews will be strictly, and I do mean strictly enforced. I hope those of you who seem to take curfews as suggestions instead of rules understand that they are rules which should not be broken this year." Harry and Ron kind of shrunk down in their seats. "Also, we have added some extra protection on the grounds this year so it is even more imperative that you do not stray too near the Dark Forest. Some of the security measures would be quite painful and perhaps even fatal. And finally, going against many recommendations, I am still allowing Hogsmeade visits, but they may be cancelled at any time for any reason I see fit. If that happens, please understand it is for your own best interests. Now, it's time to eat." Immediately all the tables were full of many types of food.

"I wonder what kind of security is in the forest this year?" Harry asked. "I'd like to see what they've come up with."

"Now Harry, you heard Professor Dumbledore," Hermione interjected in her 'prefect' voice. "We need to stay even further away from there this year. You know he was looking at you and Ron when he mentioned the curfews don't you."

Ron added, "Harry, do you hear something? You brought the cloak this year didn't you?"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed and then they proceeded to argue.

Harry looked at Ginny and laughed. She laughed with him for a moment and then added, "Please be careful this year Harry, for me."

Harry looked at her and her eyes seemed to be pleading with him. He knew she was just watching out for him. So he said, "Well, since you put it that way, how could I refuse? I'll be careful. Who knows, maybe I won't even see Madame Pomfrey this year."

Ginny laughed at this. "Oh right, what's the chance of that happening. Just try not to get taken to her in the first week, ok."

After eating they went up to the common room. Ginny headed over to talk with the other fourth years that she hadn't seen in a while. They remained with the fifth years hearing how each spent their summer. Harry told everyone he had another boring summer with the Dursley's. After a bit, they all went up to bed. Harry had a peaceful nights sleep and woke up ready to start the new term. "What do we have first Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Potions with Slytherin again," she said. "Don't let Snape get to you this year Harry."

"I don't think I will. I'll just ignore anything he says," Harry added.

They arrived on time. Ron and Hermione sat together and Harry sat at a table with Neville. The Slytherins came in closely followed by Snape who looked the same as he always did. "Now that you're in the fifth year, I won't need to be so nice to you. You will be expected to perform exceptionally at this level. I'm glad to see our Triwizard co-champion chose to continue his studies instead of going on a publicity tour." Harry just looked at Snape calmly and confidently. All Harry wanted to do was enough to get by in the class. He didn't see how potions were going to help him in the future. The rest of the class was hard and Snape had tried a couple more times to get a reaction from Harry but without success.

They all had Care of Magical Creatures next so they were walking near the castle entrance when Harry saw Cho Chang coming towards them. Harry kind of panicked and didn't know what to expect. "Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?" Cho asked.

"Uh, sure Cho," Harry replied and they started to move away from Ron and Hermione when they heard Professor Dumbledore speak.

"Harry, a moment please." Harry turned to see Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall standing near them. "Am I correct in assuming that you were responsible for stopping that delivery truck and saving a young Muggle girl's life this summer?" Professor Dumbledore was looking at him with those twinkling eyes.

Harry saw Cho, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and her friends looking at him confused. Harry quietly said, "Yes sir."

Harry could tell this didn't surprise the Headmaster, but did seem to shock Professor McGonagall. "How did you manage to get your wand out so quick, and how did you manage to keep any of those Muggles from seeing you using it? Also, wasn't your wand supposed to be locked in your trunk over the summer?" Harry couldn't quite make out the expression on Professor Dumbledore's face.

"I didn't have my wand with me sir," Harry said as if he was going to be in trouble.

"Now Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall added sharply, "do you mean for us to believe that you stopped a speeding truck without a wand?" Her expression was of doubt, but Professor Dumbledore's eyes were still twinkling.

"Yes Professor. That is exactly what I am saying," Harry said confidently. He hadn't wanted to let his friends know about this new talent.

His friends were just staring at him in disbelief. Professor McGonagall started to ask something else but Professor Dumbledore spoke up, "That would explain why the Ministry could find no wand signature when they investigated. I would very much like to hear the details about this when you have time. Say before you turn in tonight? Professor Figg has already given me her account. I'm sure the young girl's parents are grateful the truck was stopped, no matter how it happened."

"And Mr. Potter, please stop by my office a few minutes before class this afternoon," Professor McGonagall said still sounding like she didn't quite believe him.

"Yes Professors," Harry said sadly. He thought he was in trouble on the first day of classes. He watched the teachers walk away, and then turned to see his friends still staring at him.

"Harry, why didn't you tell us about this?" Hermione demanded. "How did you stop that truck if you didn't have your wand?"

"Once again you're a Hero Harry," Ron said "Don't you ever get tired of it," his friend added smiling, but Harry could see the look in Ron's eyes, a questioning look.

Harry hung his head and turned, trying to get away.

"Harry, where are you going? Why won't you tell us what happened? You saved a girl's life," Hermione pleaded

Harry turned and saw his friends were coming after him. Harry said with obvious sadness, "Just once I wanted to have a normal school year. I'm tired of everyone thinking I'm either a freak, or dangerous." Harry looked at Cho during this last part. "I really wanted to be just Harry, a normal student for once. I'm going flying; I'll see you all later," He said sounding dejected

"Harry, how can you go flying? You don't have your broom," Ron asked sounding confused.

Just then they heard a rushing sound and Harry's Firebolt flew to a stop next to Harry. Harry looked at them with pain in his eyes, and flew off over the lake.

Ron asked seriously, "How did he do that? He didn't pull out his wand."

Ginny almost looked like she could cry she felt so bad for Harry. Hermione ran off saying, "I'll see you in class; I'm going to stop by the library first."

Well, it was out in the open Harry thought. He was just hovering over the lake. He knew that he shouldn't have reacted like this. His friends would understand, they had when they learned he was a Parselmouth, which is considered a sign of a dark wizard. He just didn't want to start the year this way. He decided to skim off the Care of Magical Creatures class and accept some punishment. He landed on the side of the lake near the Dark Forest. After sitting alone for about a few minutes he heard a sound behind him and stood up. It was Firenze the centaur who saved him from Voldemort in his first year. "Harry Potter, it is good to see you. You are so rarely alone; it is difficult to have the opportunity to talk."

"Hi Firenze," Harry said. "What are you doing out here?"

"Would you like to take a walk Harry? There are some who would like to meet you and maybe we could talk."

"Uh ..Sure." Harry thought this was very strange. Centaurs normally stayed to themselves and didn't speak to humans much. Who would want to meet me; he thought. Harry felt safe with Firenze so he walked into the forest with him.

"Do you remember what I said to you the first time we met Harry? I said the signs in the stars didn't look good but hoped we were reading them wrong. It turns out that we did read them wrong. This doesn't happen very often and it changed some of my kind's attitudes towards giving guidance to humans. The signs are very confusing now with a few possible paths. Only one of the paths seems to have an outcome that is positive to the creatures in the forest." They had walked quite far in the forest when Harry heard a familiar clicking.

"Aragog!" Harry exclaimed pulling out his wand. "Why did you bring me here?"

"You have nothing to fear Harry," Firenze said. "Aragog has wanted to say something to you for a couple years now."

The giant spider came closer and behind him Harry could see many quite large spiders milling about. "Harry, Friend of Hagrid. I would like to thank you for slaying what we fear most." Harry was stunned. The spider that had tried to eat Ron and him was now thanking him. The spider spoke again. "If my children had succeeded in killing you the creature would still be alive and we would be living in fear. We should have treated a friend of Hagrid better. Please accept my apology and the assurance that you and your friends will have our help if you need it in the forest."

Harry couldn't believe this. "It's ok Aragog," Harry said. "Everything worked out after all. Hagrid got released from Azkaban after the basilisk was killed."

Aragog stepped right up to Harry and said, "Please accept the mark of my family. You will be marked as a friend of my kind and have our protection. Hold out your arm if you would accept this from me."

Harry was very nervous but held out his arm. Aragog brought his pincers down and lightly bit his arm. It hurt quite a lot. Dark black marks almost like a web formed on his arm and then disappeared along with the pain. Aragog said, "Goodbye Harry, friend of Hagrid. Good life to you." And then the spiders quickly disappeared into the forest.

Harry stared at his arm and couldn't see any mark. He turned to Firenze and asked, "What was that all about?"

Firenze said, "Harry, not all creatures who are natural enemies of you are truly evil. History has given creatures reasons to behave certain ways. Try to judge each creature individually if you can. There is something else I'd like you to see. A few days ago a creature came into the forest. A very rare creature not seen in these parts in many years. The creature seems to be looking for something and doesn't appear to want to leave."

Harry asked, "Wouldn't it be better to get Hagrid? He knows about all kinds of creatures."

"I would have shown this to Hagrid if he had been around. I am worried about Hagrid." They walked to a clearing and Harry jumped back when he saw a lion there. A bright gold lion.

"It's a lion!" Harry exclaimed. "Is it safe for me to be here."

"It is not a lion Harry. Notice the wings."

Looking closely Harry saw large wings folded into the fur so they were almost invisible. "What is it?" he asked.

"It is a griffin Harry. Very rare regal creatures, quite powerful. They have no magical abilities but are almost impossible to kill. Try to approach it."

This didn't seem like a good idea to Harry but he did want to get a closer look. It was a magnificent looking animal. The closer Harry got, he actually felt calmer and almost comforted. The griffin looked up at Harry and then stood up facing him. This made Harry stop moving forward and wonder if he had gone too far. The griffin spread its magnificent wings and gave a loud roar. Instead of being afraid, the sound filled Harry with warmth and confidence, kind of like the song of the phoenix but yet different. The creature walked around Harry then paused looking up into his eyes. It almost seemed like it wanted something from Harry but he had no idea what.

Just then Firenze said, "Come Harry, there is one more who wishes to speak with you before you get back to the castle."

Harry didn't want to leave the griffin but turned and followed the Centaur. "What do you think it is doing here?"

"Seeing how it behaved when you were near confirmed my thoughts. I think it has something to do with you Harry. I don't understand what. Ah, here is the son of the leader of my clan."

"Harry Potter. My name is Bayne, son of Guidon chief of the centaurs. I met you one time before. I scolded Firenze for helping you with a problem. I didn't see that he should help you in the stars. I'm afraid the stars were read wrong. Firenze made the correct choice that day and the stars have become brighter since then. We are being tested with another choice Harry. If we choose wisely the forest has a chance to remain a haven for us. If we choose poorly we will be forced to flee this area. I am acting on the council of my father and Firenze. They both chose the same option. This is why Firenze came to you today and showed you the creature that came to the forest. This creature is surely a sign but its meaning is unclear. I wanted to see you again for myself and present you with a gift from my father. This is only the third time in history we have given this to a human. Both other times were in times of great struggles and were the correct thing to do." Bayne approached and placed a necklace around Harry's neck. The small medallion looked like a Centaur fighting off a small planet.

"Thank you," Harry said. "But why are you giving this to me?"

"This will help you in the forest. You are a friend of the centaurs and will have some protections when we are near. Firenze will walk you out now. Take care, Harry Potter."

Harry followed Firenze in silence and upon reaching the edge of the forest Harry said, "Thanks for showing me all of this Firenze. It has been a very interesting walk."

"You're welcome Harry Potter. I would like to suggest that you get comfortable with the forest. The better you know the forest the better the forest will know you. Goodbye Harry. I'm sure we will speak again."

"Firenze," Harry called after him. "Do you think I'll be able to see the griffin again."

Harry could no longer see the centaur but heard, "I'm sure you will see it again".

Harry grabbed his Firebolt and headed back to the castle. He had missed all of Care of Magical Creatures and also lunch. He dispatched his Firebolt back to his room and went directly to Professor McGonagall's office ready to find out what she had wanted.

Knocking he said, "Professor, its Harry".

"Come in Mr. Potter and shut the door please."

She had said 'Mr. Potter' which didn't sound good.

Professor McGonagall looked at him for a moment and then said, "Professor Figg has told me some interesting news about you Harry." His mind was racing but he couldn't think of what she would have said that he would be in trouble for. "Is it true that you can consistently make your hair grow when it is cut?"

"What?" He wasn't expecting this at all. "I guess so. When my Aunt would cut my hair in the evening it would always grow back before the next morning. I would be so angry that she was cutting my hair and just wished it would grow back."

"You can stop looking so worried Harry, you aren't in trouble," she added with a slight smile. "Would you be willing to do a little test right now?"

"I guess so," Harry said reluctantly.

Professor McGonagall stepped up and cut a big chunk of hair off of his head. "Hey. Now the Slytherins will have even more to make fun of me about."

"Harry. I want you to concentrate very hard on making your hair go back the way it was before I cut any. Focus on your hair and concentrate hard."

Harry didn't know what she was doing but he did want his hair back so he really focused on his hair and on how he wanted it to look. He wanted the hole she just cut to be filled back in. After a minute, he couldn't feel anything happen when Professor McGonagall said, "Thank you Harry that will do."

"I'm sorry Professor; I just don't know what to do."

"That's quite all right Harry. I guess you should see how you look before you hear it from the others." She conjured a mirror and handed it to him. When he tried to find the spot she cut, he couldn't. It was exactly like normal.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"You grew your hair back Harry. Just like Professor Figg said you could. I've spoken to the headmaster about this and he feels it may be valuable to you if we teach you something extra. I'm not sure I completely agree but he has his reasons. Starting tomorrow Harry we will begin Animagus training. You seem to have the knack that may make it easier for you to learn."

"Really? I can become and Animagus? Will it take a year like it did for my dad and Sirius?"

Professor McGonagall flinched at Sirius' name; she didn't totally believe he was innocent. "You may be able to become an Animagus, it's not for sure. You seem to have and edge but I can't guarantee that it will work. Also, it took them a year because they were doing it secretly without any help. It could take as little as a month with proper training and discipline."

"A month! I'll do whatever you tell me to professor."

"There are a couple things you must agree to. First you cannot tell anyone, and I do mean anyone Mr. Potter. Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley are not to be told yet. Also, you must choose an animal to become. It cannot be a magical creature and I would suggest you think hard about this. Choosing an animal that is not a good match for you wouldn't be much use. It seems that choosing an animal to become is kind of like choosing a wand where the wand does the actual choosing. When you think of the correct animal, you should just know. We cannot proceed until you have chosen an animal since that will determine the techniques we use. Please inform me when you have made your choice."

Harry spoke up quickly, "I already know which animal! I just saw one and it gave me such a warm feeling, almost like a phoenix's song. I want to be a griffin!"

"A griffin? How could you have seen one of those? They are very rare and I've never heard of anyone seeing one in many years."

"There's one in the forest right now professor. A centaur took me to see it earlier today." As soon as this left his mouth Harry knew it meant trouble.

"You went it the forest Mr. Potter? After what Professor Dumbledore said just last night. And you went off alone with a centaur! Do you have any regard at all for rules?"

"You're right professor, I know it. But yes I went into the forest with Firenze. He said I was to go see some creatures. First I went to see the giant spider Aragog that tried to kill Ron and me in our second year. Then he showed me the griffin. He said it arrived a few days ago and seemed to be searching for something. It walked up to me, spread its wings and roared. It gave me such a warm and comforting feeling when it roared. I didn't want to leave. Then we went to see Bayne the son of the clan chief who wanted to meet me. Firenze was with me the entire time, I wasn't in any danger."

"You don't think going up to giant spiders and something that could rip your head off is being in danger? But ignoring that for the moment, if you are sure about your choice, we could start tonight. Do you have any suggestions on how we could conduct your training without Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley being obviously suspicious?"

"Well, since I'm probably going to get some punishment for going into the forest, you could punish me in front of them. It won't surprise them much that I'm in trouble already."

"You're probably right about that. Ok, I will give you detention for two weeks. That should give us a good idea how much time we will need. Do you think you could see the griffin again?"

"That would mean I have to go into the forest again Professor. But Firenze said he was sure I would see the griffin again."

"The question is how to get you in the forest again. I would suggest Hagrid but he won't be back for a few weeks yet. Do you have any suggestions?"

"I can go by myself. Both Aragog and the centaurs said they would protect me if I got into any trouble."

"Giant spiders and centaurs are your protectors now? Do you realize that you have more friends that are creatures people fear than you have normal friends? I will inform the headmaster of this information and see if he approves. I'll let you know the details this evening. One other question if you don't mind. Were you being totally honest about that truck incident?"

"Yes Professor, I really stopped it and I really didn't have my wand. It surprised me as much as anyone, that's for sure."

"Very well then, take a seat, the rest of the students should be coming in soon."

Sure enough within a few minutes the other Gryffindors came into the class. Ron and Hermione sat on either side of him.

"Harry, we're sorry about questioning you so much earlier. It's just an amazing story that we wanted to know the details. You know we don't think you're a freak don't you?" Hermione said looking genuinely sorry.

Ron quickly added, "We may think you're a git, but not a freak."

Harry smiled at Ron's version of apologizing. "I know you guys wouldn't think badly of me, I handled that the wrong way, I'm sorry. I should have told you from the beginning. I'm just tired of everything happening to me, can you understand that?"

"Well let some things happen to me for once, I could use some attention," Ron said chuckling. "You will tell us everything later won't you?"

"Ron, we don't need to know everything," Hermione added

"I want to tell you. I hated keeping anything from you two," Harry said. Hermione hugged him quickly.

Ron rolled his eyes at her and said, "Mental".

Harry was glad neither of them asked about his talk with Professor McGonagall.

The remaining classes went quickly and they met Ginny before supper and all ate together talking about their first day of classes.