Growing up too fast

They were just about to enter the common room when Professor McGonagall walked up and said loudly, "Harry Potter! Is it true you missed class and spent the entire time in the Dark Forest? After the warning the Headmaster gave just last night."

All the students were looking at him like he was crazy. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all had their mouths open.

"Yes Professor, I'm sorry but I wanted to be alone."

"Alone is fine Mr. Potter but I dare say you are never alone in the Forest. That is a very dangerous place. You will come with me now," the Professor said sternly.

Harry turned looking at his friends and mouthed, "Sorry." He didn't have to act feeling bad, since hearing Professor McGonagall yell at him had made him feel that way.

They entered her office when she turned and said, "The headmaster seemed to find some humor in your little adventure into the forest and agreed to our plan. He seems to think that it is acceptable for you to enter the forest a few times to see the griffin and even mentioned accompanying you one time to see it for himself." McGonagall shook her head at the boy and said, "We will try some basic steps tonight and I would suggest trying to find the griffin tomorrow before the lesson if you can. It would help to have a few strands of its fur. There is a potion we could make that is similar to polyjuice potion that will get your body used to the form of the griffin. I'm not sure the creature will like having some hair pulled out, but it would help."

Thinking back to the size of the teeth on the griffin, Harry didn't like the idea of making it mad by pulling some hair out. He would see how things went.

During that lesson Harry had most of his hair cut off and was able to grow it back within thirty minutes. He had been able to grow his fingernails and get them back to their normal length. Both he and the professor were satisfied with this even though Harry wanted to be able to change right now.

Harry needed to see Professor Dumbledore before going to the common room. He approached the gargoyle statue and said, "Ton Tongue Toffee." Professor Dumbledore had obviously heard about Fred and George's invention.

Harry knocked and heard Professor Dumbledore call out, "Come in Harry, come in."

Dumbledore had an amazing office. There were so many interesting pictures and items around. "Hello Fawkes," Harry said as he passed the phoenix.

"Sit down Harry. So, tell me how you found out you could do wandless magic and tell me the story in your words of how you saved that girl. Arabella was very impressed with your wandless magic control. I'm actually very interested in seeing a demonstration since I have never actually met someone who could control it."

Harry told the professor how he had been angry and the book flew to him and the other strange things that happened before the truck. He then told the professor about seeing the truck and knowing there was no way it could stop. Then he just knew he had to stop the truck and just did it. He went on to describe the training Mrs. Figg had helped him with. He left out the time he used it during the Unspeakable test.

"How do you think it is that I'm able to do this sir?" Harry asked genuinely.

"This time Harry I don't even have a theory. This is a very rare gift. Maybe we all have it and it just hasn't been brought out. You've had some unique experiences and maybe they have helped push it to the surface. Whatever the reason, I think it is a very positive thing. I hope I didn't cause you any discomfort by asking you about the incident today? I assumed your friends already knew."

"It's actually a good thing you asked. Some feelings I was having got expressed and I think it was good for all of us. I just didn't want to be different this year. It would be nice to just be a normal student for a while. However, if you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have gone off to be alone and wouldn't have talked with Firenze. Then I wouldn't have talked to Aaragog, Bayne or seen the griffin. So you really did me a big favor by bringing it up."

"It's funny how things work sometimes isn't it. I would like to join you tomorrow when you go see the griffin again if you don't mind. I've never seen one in the wild and they are one of my most favorite creatures. I hear that you and Professor McGonagall have worked out a way for you to get training without arousing many suspicions. Quite fortunate you ignored my warnings about the forest wasn't it?" Professor Dumbledore said grinning.

"Sir, after I met Bayne and he gave me a necklace, Firenze said he would suggest I get comfortable with the forest. He said the better I knew the forest, the better the forest would know me. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

"Bayne came and talked to you did he?" It seemed the Headmaster was pondering this for a moment and then continued, "May I see the necklace Harry?" Harry handed the necklace to the professor who studied it for a minute. "Did they tell you what this was Harry?"

Harry shook his head no.

"It is the mark of the clan of centaurs who live in this forest. By giving you this, you have essentially become part of their clan. They consider you extended family now. Quite unusual." Dumbledore handed the necklace back to Harry. "Would before supper tomorrow be acceptable to go see the griffin?"

"That's fine sir."

"Well then I'll see you tomorrow. I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting year Harry."

Harry walked back to the common room where Ron, Ginny and Hermione were waiting.

"So, how much trouble are you in?" Ron asked.

"Well there were no Gryffindor points deducted so you can't yell at me Hermione. I have detention each evening for two weeks. I don't know what all I'm going to do but that's not so bad. I thought it would be worse."

"So, why did you go into the forest? Tell us all about it," Ron asked excitedly.

Harry told them about the centaur and then when he got to the part about meeting Aaragog, Ron was shaken.

"You actually got close to that thing again, after it was going to feed us to its children? I would have turned and ran right then," Ron exclaimed

"Aaragog then bit my arm and these black lines looked like a spider web went across my arm and then just disappeared." Harry pulled up his robe to show them there was no mark. "Aaragog said they wouldn't harm me or my friends so I guess all of you are safe in there as well".

"I don't care what he said; I'm not getting anywhere close to that monster again," Ron said.

Harry went on to tell them about the centaur and the griffin.

"Oh, there's a griffin in the forest right now?" Ginny asked. "They are amazing creatures. They're so beautiful. I'd like to see one."

"Ginny, no way. It's bad enough that Harry doesn't care about rules, but don't let him rub off on you," Hermione exclaimed.

"I know, I won't break any rules, but I'd love to see one," Ginny promised sounding disappointed.

The next day classes went by quickly. During the lunch break Harry had and idea and went to ask Professor Dumbledore a question. "Professor, I haven't told anyone about the animagus lessons, but I did tell Ron, Hermione and Ginny about going into the forest yesterday since they knew I had gotten into trouble. It seems that Ginny would really love to see a griffin. Do you think it would be all right if she came with us to see it? I haven't mentioned anything to her so if you don't think it's a good idea; she'll never know I asked."

Professor Dumbledore studied him for a minute and said, "I see no harm in it. I will have to ask her not to tell anyone else though. Do you think that will be a problem?"

"No sir, I'm sure she can be trusted. Thank you. I'll invite her and tell her that she can't tell anyone."

"She's quite an impressive young lady isn't she Harry?"

"Yes sir she sure is," Harry said as he was leaving. He continued to find Ginny before her next class began. He found her walking with her friends and ran over to her. "Ginny, can I speak to you for a minute?"

"Sure," She said and then told her friends she would catch up to them later.

"How would you like to see the griffin?" Harry asked her.

"Oh Harry, I'd love to but I promised Hermione I wouldn't break any rules," She responded with disappointment

"What if you could see it without breaking any rules? It would mean that you couldn't tell anyone about it, not even Ron or Hermione. Would you like to see it?"

"That would be great. I wouldn't tell anyone. How can I go into the forest without breaking the rules though?"

"I asked Professor Dumbledore if you could come with us tonight before supper. He said as long as you didn't tell anyone that it would be ok. If you're going with the Headmaster, you can't be breaking any rules."

"Oh Harry, Thank you." She gave him a big hug. "I'll meet you before diner then. Bye."

Having her hug him made Harry feel great. He was sure it would be safe with Professor Dumbledore with them. The rest of the day seemed to drag on since he was so excited about going into the forest. Harry didn't know if he was happier about seeing the griffin or being able to show it to Ginny. Either way, he was very excited. Immediately after the last class, he found Ginny in the common room and they got out without being noticed together and went to find Professor Dumbledore who was just coming out of his office.

"Ah Harry, Ms Weasley I see we're all ready. I think we should go out one of the side doors to avoid being seen. Harry, do you have a favorite?" he said with a chuckle.

As they walked along the lake, Professor Dumbledore and Ginny were talking about being able to see a griffin. Professor Dumbledore seemed as excited as Ginny. "This is where we need to go into the forest," Harry said.

"We'll just follow your lead Harry. We don't know our way around the forest since we try to follow the rules," Professor Dumbledore joked.

They walked along some narrow paths into the forest. Occasionally they would hear noises off to the side of the trail and catch glimpses of things moving just out of eyesight. Harry hoped they were things just watching out for them. Soon they came upon the clearing where the griffin was. "Let me go first since it has seen me before. Then if it seems calm come closer. Ok?"

"This is your tour Harry; we'll follow your lead," Professor Dumbledore calmly said.

Harry slowly walked toward the griffin that raised its head and noticed Harry. It stood and walked straight at him. When the griffin was right in front of Harry it spread its wings and roared, just like yesterday. Harry felt the warmth and confidence flow through him. He reached out and stroked the head of the griffin that reacted with a deep purring sound. Harry noticed Professor Dumbledore approaching with Ginny right behind him. Professor Dumbledore seemed very calm and confident but Ginny seemed worried. The griffin noticed them, looked up at Harry and continued purring. Soon they were all three stroking the griffin. Professor Dumbledore was studying it carefully while Ginny was just stroking it affectionately. Then Professor Dumbledore spoke up, "This has been a real treat for me, but I suggest we get back before it gets dark. The forest isn't as safe after dark for most of us," he said looking at Harry.

Harry said, "Sir, maybe you and Ginny should go back a bit down the path. I need to get something for an experiment and it may not be happy when I do that. I'll catch up in just a minute."

"Be careful Harry," Ginny said as the two were walking away.

Harry knelt down, stroked the griffin and then talked to it. "I need to get some of your fur so I can learn to become like you. I'm sorry if this hurts you at all." The griffin looked up at Harry and licked his face. Harry reached down and plucked out a bit of fur and the griffin didn't react at all. "Thank you, I hope to come back and see you soon. Thanks for being nice to my friends."

Quickly Harry caught up with Ginny and Professor Dumbledore. It was starting to get dark as they were approaching the edge of the forest. The strange noises seemed to be getting closer and louder. Ginny was obviously getting a bit worried so Harry said, "Ginny. The things in the forest look and sound worse than they are. There are a lot of good things in here; nothing will happen if you're with us."

Professor Dumbledore added, "Actually Ginny, it seems that we are both safer having Harry with us. For some reason the forest creatures have taking a liking to him."

They were walking back into the castle when Professor Dumbledore said, "Thank you Harry, this was a special thing for me. Now, don't you have detention to do? Punishment for going into the forest I think?"

"Yes sir, I'm going right now," Harry said and then turned towards Professor McGonagall's office.

Professor Dumbledore turned to Ginny and said, "I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did Ms. Weasley. Keep an eye on Harry for me if you would. Make sure he spends time enjoying being a student, he'll grow up before he knows it. Goodnight."

This surprised Ginny, but she said, "I loved seeing the griffin sir. I'll watch out for Harry sir, he's almost part of the family."

"Ah yes, but I have the feeling that he doesn't want you to consider him part of the family," the old wizard added while walking away.

Ginny thought about what Professor Dumbledore had said. She didn't consider Harry a brother, but she thought he always saw her as a little sister.

Harry arrived in for animagus training. "I got the fur Professor".

"Good Harry, this should help a bit. Did you have any trouble going into the forest by yourself?"

"No professor, in fact Professor Dumbledore came with me. He really wanted to see the griffin."

Harry spent the first half of the lesson working on his hair, nails and fingers while Professor McGonagall was brewing the potion. She finished the potion and handed it to Harry. "Now, this will probably not taste very good Harry but it will help."

He quickly added, "It can't taste worse than polyjuice potion can it?" before he realized what he had said.

"How do you know what a polyjuice potion tastes like Mr. Potter? Never mind, I don't want to know. You could at least pretend to follow rules you know," she said but Harry thought he detected some amusement in her voice. "It will taste very close to polyjuice potion and the effects will be very similar. You will transform into a griffin for a very short time, maybe ten minutes. During that time try to extend the wings and get a sense for how the body feels by moving around. When you change back into yourself, try to remember, as much as you can about the time you were a griffin. This will make the training easier. You can take the potion for the next three days and that should give you a head start on the transformations."

Harry drank the liquid, which did taste like polyjuice potion and felt the same sickening sensation during the transformation. Within seconds he knew he had changed. All his senses were working so much better. He could smell the professor and knew where she was without looking. His eyesight was so much better. He walked around the room and felt like he had so much power in his legs. Concentrating, he extended the wings on his back and slowly moved them up and down. He thought about trying to fly but didn't think there would be enough room. The feeling was amazing, much better than turning into Crabb. After about fifteen minutes he turned back into himself and exclaimed, "That was amazing."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself Mr. Potter. You still have much work to do before you can perform that without the potion though. Now, concentrate on how your hands felt when they were changed and try to make them change without the potion."

Harry focused hard but was only able to make his hands puff up to the size of paws without fur the first few times. After an hour or so he was able to make his hands and feet change into griffin paws.

"You're doing well Mr. Potter. You should be on track to complete the training within a month. Please work on changing your hands and feet until you can do it within seconds. And do make sure no one sees you practicing."

"Professor, I have a question in the interest of trying to follow rules. The centaur suggested that I become familiar with the forest. He didn't say why or anything but I got the feeling it was important. Do you have any suggestions on how I could spend some time in the forest, especially in the evenings?"

"I don't think going into the forest at night is a good idea at all Mr. Potter. However I will bring this up with the headmaster and let you know what is decided. You should go back to your common room now. I should think you have some homework to finish."

Harry quickly went back to the common room. Everyone looked at him when he came through since they thought he was in serious trouble. He went over to where Ron and Hermione were sitting. "Are you regretting going into the forest now Harry?" Hermione said.

"I don't regret going in, I regret getting caught," Harry snapped back. "Hermione, just think about everything you've learned because you bent a few rules with Ron and me. You've seen more things in this castle than most seventh years. It's too bad you'll be missing out if we find something really interesting this year." Harry turned and headed straight up to his room immediately feeling bad for being so snappy with his friend. He knew Hermione was just being herself and she probably did regret having to follow all the rules herself. Harry closed the curtains around his bed and spent a good deal of time transforming his hands into griffin paws. He really wished that he could share this with them since they had helped him with everything in the previous years.

The next day was their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Figg. They had this class with the Slytherins but Professor Figg would probably treat all the students the same so it wouldn't be as bad as potions where the Slytherins couldn't do anything wrong.

"Welcome class, I am Professor Figg. I haven't taught for quite some years but don't worry, I've been keeping involved in dealing with Dark Arts. It seems you've gone through quite a few professors in this class. I find it strange that the high turnover for this position started the year you all came to Hogwarts. Before that I think the instructors lasted quite some time. Could there be some connection?"

The Professor looked slyly around the room, not stopping when she saw Harry. He realized there would be no preferential treatment in here. "Even though you learned some quite useful things last year, that instructor was not really Professor Moody, it was an imposter using polyjuice potion to impersonate him." There were many whispers in the room. Harry and his friends new this already, but many of the students didn't. "Some of you were already aware of this and one of you was helpful in determining the truth and finding the real Professor Moody. I know this because the real Professor Moody is my brother.

We will continue some of the uncommon training you were getting. These are unusual times and I don't think we have the luxury to slowly expose you to some Dark Arts. I am certain that some of you in this class have a keen interest in the Dark Arts for your own personal reasons and some of you have been on the receiving end of it as well. We will work hard in here and I hope you will learn that for every bit of dark magic except one there is an effective response. The most powerful aspect of dark magic is fear. If you are consumed by fear of something, you've already lost."

Class passed very quickly and Harry was even more impressed with Professor Figg. She was very talented, but even stricter than he imagined.

Ginny had caught up to them on the way to the Great Hall for lunch when Harry noticed Cho walking by herself. "I should probably see what she wanted the other day before I ran off," Harry said and then headed over to see Cho.

Ginny was slowing down and trying to watch their meeting but Ron called, "Come on Ginny, let's go eat." She didn't want to be obvious so she caught up to Ron and Hermione.

"Cho!" Harry called. She stopped and waited for him. "I'm sorry about the other day; I was just in a bad mood and didn't want to talk about what happened over the summer. I shouldn't have left when you wanted to talk. Do you want to talk now?"

She studied him for a moment and said, "Yes, I think we should. Let's take a walk." They headed out the door and walked towards the Quidditch pitch. They had walked over half way before Cho started talking, "Harry, I want to tell you that I don't blame you for what happened to Cedric last year." Her voice cracked a bit when she was saying this. He knew it really bothered her. "I really miss him. He was my first real boyfriend and everything. I don't know if we would have continued being together or anything, but it was hard to deal with him being gone so suddenly. It's like there was no closure or anything."

"I feel like it was my fault Cho," Harry suddenly added. "Cedric and I had helped each other during the final task. I warned him right before a giant spider was going to attack him and then he helped me when the spider attacked. He said I should take the cup by myself but I insisted we take it together and get a tie for Hogwarts. He kept saying no, but I insisted. If I had just taken the cup by myself he would be alive today. I am to blame. Voldemort just wanted me and I caused Cedric to be in the way of him getting to me. They just killed him right in front of me. They didn't give him a chance or anything." Harry sat down and almost started to cry.

Cho sat down next to him so close that they were touching. They were both crying, Harry a little but Cho was crying hard. "You know Cedric really admired you Harry. He said you were always played fair and that meant a lot to him. I know his parents really appreciate you getting his body back, I couldn't imagine how much worse it would have been if they didn't have a body."

Harry composed himself and said, "I'm not going to let anything like that happen again Cho."

"Don't be crazy Harry. What could you do? It's You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters, there isn't anything you could do." After a few minutes she said, "You know that if you had asked me to the ball before Cedric I would have gone with you. I thought you had already asked someone else."

"Thanks Cho. I hadn't asked anyone else; I was just being a stupid git. I really appreciate you telling me all of this. I didn't know how I was going to face you this year. I kept having dreams about you being very angry at me."

"I was never angry at you Harry. I've always known what kind of person you are and that you would never do anything to hurt anyone. Talking has helped a lot. Maybe we should get back up to the castle." They slowly walked back, not talking but both feeling better. Harry noticed Ron, Hermione and Ginny sitting at the entrance waiting for him. Before they got to them, Cho grabbed his hand and said, "Thanks again Harry. Maybe we could go into Hogsmeade together sometime. I feel safe around you." She squeezed his hand and went off to find her friends.

Harry stood there watching for a minute then heard Ron yell, "So, what was that all about?"

Harry felt astonished. "She just talked about Cedric and that she didn't blame me. Then she cried a bit. Just then she asked me to go with her to Hogsmeade, says she feels safe with me. I get her boyfriend killed and she feels safe with me. I'll never understand women."

"You did NOT get Cedric killed Harry, we've been through this!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I know, I really didn't mean it."

"I can't believe you Harry. You've got the prettiest sixth year girl asking you out already. You've got to tell me your secret," Ron said.

Hermione glared at Ron and said, "You've got a lot to learn Ronald Weasley. I'm going to class."

Ginny added, "I'm going as well." And they both stormed off.

"What did I say?" Ron gasped. Harry didn't know what set them off either.

Ron and Harry headed to Divination with Professor Trelawney. He hated this class even more than potions. Every year the teacher had predicted Harry's dramatic death.

"Welcome back students. This year we will begin with some gazing. Please give a reading to your partner and then we will interpret your predictions."

Harry decided to gaze for Ron first but couldn't make out anything. He just made something up. "It looks like you're riding a broom Ron. Any you're holding the Quidditch cup. I say you've made the team and we've won the cup."

"Wicked," Ron said. Ok, now my turn. Ron gazed into the crystal ball but instead of seeing a smoky haze like he had every other time he saw a black tangle of lines with no shape he could make out. "Harry, this is strange. Normally I can't see anything except haze but all I see now is a bunch of black lines." Professor Trelawney came over when she heard this.

"Obviously you're not concentrating enough Mr. Weasley. Let me have a look." She stared into the ball for a few minutes.

"How am I going to die this year Professor?" Harry asked jokingly.

"I don't know my boy. I've never seen anything like this. Something is obscuring the visions. Give me your hands." She took Harry's hands into hers for a few minutes and then said. "I feel nothing. It's like you're dead already." Most of the class gasped but then Ron spoke up.

"Well then Harry, it looks like you don't need to be very careful this year. If you're already dead not much else can hurt you."

Trelawney turned and glared at Ron and then said, "Class is dismissed for the day, this is most unusual."

"Now I'm actually worried," Harry joked "Every other year she's said I was going to die and it never happened and now she said I'm not going to die which means I'll probably be a goner for sure."

They headed back to the common room and played Exploding Snap until Hermione came in with Ginny. Instead of coming over, they went to the other side of the room. "I guess they're trying to tell us something," Ron said. "Probably better this way, we don't want to say something and have Hermione take points from us."

Harry knew Ron would rather have Hermione around and Harry felt the same way. He was also feeling bad that Ginny was avoiding him as well. He didn't understand this. But he had more important things to think about. When everyone was heading to the Great Hall for supper, Harry had to head towards Professor McGonagall's office so they would think he was starting his detention. Ron didn't want to beg Hermione to sit with him so he tagged along with Fred and George who cut him some slack since they knew what it was like to have friends in detention and the strange ways girls behaved.

Harry snuck out and headed down to see the griffin. The griffin seemed slightly agitated today but Harry couldn't see anything wrong. He stroked it and was really trying to study the creature but it kept pacing around him. It stopped in front of him and just looked up into Harry's eyes. It seemed to be trying to get Harry to do something. Harry decided to try and transform. He got down on his hands and knees and concentrated on the griffin. In just a few seconds, he had actually transformed the front half of his body into a griffin. It must have been a strange sight, the back half was Harry's normal body and legs but the front half was all griffin. The real griffin looked back into Harry's griffin face and gave a loud roar. This made Harry feel even better than when he was in his normal form. He held the form for a few minutes and then changed back slightly worn out. The griffin then went and laid down looking peaceful again. Harry gave a last stroke to the griffin and headed back out of the forest. He heard a noise behind him and was startled to see Firenze coming up to him.

"I see you are learning other unexpected talents Mr. Potter. Do you intend to take my suggestion about the forest?"

"I've asked for permission to come at night but haven't heard if they will let me or not," Harry replied.

"Precious time escapes, don't delay much longer." The centaur turned and walked away.

Harry didn't really want to break any rules. Given the choice he would rather follow them. Arriving for his transfiguration lesson Professor McGonagall had the potion for him to drink. "This is the last time you will have the potion Harry. Try to feel every part of your body after the change. Go on and drink it now."

Harry drank the potion and changed. He could feel the power of the griffin. Everything was so clear and focused. He could make out small spiders on the ceiling and almost any movement caught his eye. Trying to focus on every inch of his new body, he extended the wings and whipped the tail back and forth. He stretched out extending the sharp claws. He thought of how he felt when he was with the real griffin then turned towards Professor McGonagall and roared. He could tell it was much louder than he had expected and the Professor stepped back quite a few steps. Just then the potion wore off and he was back in his own body. The timing couldn't have been better; quite a few students came running into the office exclaiming, "Professor are you alright? It sounded like a lion in here." The students all looked very worried.

Professor McGonagall stumbled with her words for a second and then recovered, sounding very firm and confident again. "We're just fine thank you. Mr. Potter here just opened a magical book about animals without realizing what the results would be. I dare say he won't make that mistake again. Could you leave him to his detention now please?" The students left, but they didn't seem to totally believe her. Most students didn't trust Harry very much. Strange things always happened around him.

"Mr. Potter, what did you do that for? It shook the entire room."

"Sorry Professor. When the real griffin does that it makes me feel really confident and warm, I wanted to see what would happen if I did it."

"Yes, I see. You say that when the griffin roars at you that it actually gives you a comforting, pleasant feeling? To be truthful, I felt a bit afraid."

"Oh yes professor. I feel like I could do almost anything when it roars at me. When I was down there earlier, I was able to transform the front half of my body into a griffin. The real griffin looked at me and roared which felt great."

"We haven't worked on changing anything other than your hands and feet Mr. Potter. Did you really change half of your body? Could you demonstrate please?"

Harry focused on how he had felt after drinking the potion and pictured the griffin in his mind. Within a few seconds he had transformed into a full griffin without a tail or wings though. It didn't feel quite as draining as when he partially transformed.

"Very good Harry. I think spending time with the real griffin has given you quite an edge. You do know that you had no wings or tail don't you?"

"Yes professor. Maybe I wasn't focusing on all parts of the griffin enough. When I see it tomorrow I will really study those parts. When will I need to register with the Ministry of Magic professor?"

"About that, even though it is required that any animagus register, both the headmaster and myself feel that in your particular case it may not be the wisest thing to do. We will fill out all the forms and keep them here in case you are ever found out. That way you won't get into any trouble with the Ministry."

"So, it's ok to break the rules in certain instances?" Harry smirked

"It is ok for the headmaster to adjust certain rules in the interest of student safety Mr. Potter."

"Did he say anything about allowing me to go into the forest professor? The centaur told me precious time is slipping by."

"Hagrid will return before too much longer and since he is always looking for a reason to go traipsing through the forest, he can accompany you. I dare say he would be most pleased if you were to discover some new dangerous creature living in there. Let's see the transformation a couple more times before we stop tonight."