The grounds of Hogwarts were alive with students lounging in the sun warmed grass or skipping rocks on the lake. Some older students had brought their first week's worth of homework outside with them and worked in clumps around the courtyard.
One such group set themselves up beside the fountain, using statues and the fountain's edge as writing surfaces.
"Anyone know how many different ways there are to correct a sleeping potion when the maker put the mandrake root in before the toad spawn?" Blaise Zabini asked.
A boy with shaggy black hair and sapphire blue eyes looked up from his own work.
"Seven. Do you need to know what they are?" he asked.
"No just the number thanks Cameron." Blaise answered.
Cameron Scott nodded and looked back down at his paper. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
"Oi Braxton." He said.
Beside him a tall sixth year boy with broad shoulders, large muscles, short, dirty blonde hair and deep hazel eyes looked up at him.
"Yeah?"
"Out of the following three seeds which one has the most uses in medical potion making?" Cameron asked. He was about to list the seeds when Braxton burst into laughter.
"Professor Sprout set that essay on the second day of school. That's almost a week. Why aren't you done yet?" Braxton asked.
Even though he was only a sixth year Braxton was with Cameron in the seventh year Herbology class.
"Just answer the question, please." Cameron answered.
Braxton reached into his bag and pulled out a neatly rolled sheet of parchment.
"Here just look at mine." He said.
Cameron took the parchment and thanked his friend.
"How are you doing on your potions essay Draco?" Blaise asked, eyeing his friend's paper hopefully. Draco rolled his eyes and slid his freshly completed assignment over. Blaise beamed.
"Thanks mate." He said as he grabbed the paper.
"You're all pathetic."
"Well excuse us for helping each other Ashton." Blaise snapped.
A sixth year girl named Ashton Jameson glared at him. She had long, deep brown hair, soft green eyes and a massive attitude unmatched by any other student in Hogwarts.
"It's only the beginning of the year. The work is easy enough for you to do alone." She said.
"So you're done with all your work then?" Draco asked.
Ashton nodded.
"Great then you can help me with Transfiguration." Draco pulled out a piece of parchment with several drawings on it that had all been scratched out.
"I can't figure out how to make a diagram of the transformation of a forest bird to a common rabbit."
Ashton huffed as she put her book in her bag and moved to sit beside Draco. She looked over his shoulder at his failed drawings.
"Well you skipped the third step in the transformation. You've got to change the bird's bone density before you even start with its legs or else the bones will collapse under the added weight." She explained.
"That makes sense. Thanks."
Ashton nodded and went back to her own spot beside a large statue of a frog holding a flower.
"I'm done!" Cameron said happily. He handed the herbology essay back to Braxton who carefully rolled it and set it in his bag before putting away his completed Charms work.
"Me too." Braxton said.
Blaise folded up Draco's potion's paper and set it beside the blonde's bag.
"I'm finished." He said.
Once their things were packed away the boys fell back into the grass. They put their hands behind their heads and looked up at the sky. The sun was just beginning its decent and the sky was already changing colors.
"Does this look right?" Draco asked holding up his paper for Ashton to see.
The girl studied the diagram for a moment.
"Just switch the feather conversion with adding the ears and you're done." She said.
Draco nodded and proceeded to do so.
Several minutes later he sighed exasperatedly.
"Finally!" he said. He shoved his things into his bag and flopped down beside Cameron.
"Everyone done?" Cameron asked.
He received three positive responses.
"What are we going to do before dinner?" Braxton asked.
"I was going to go visit Firenze. I haven't been in to visit him yet." Cameron said.
"You're going into the forest right now?" Blaise asked.
"Yeah." Cameron shifted in the grass so that he could see his friend. "Why not?"
"It's getting dark."
Cameron shrugged.
"I'll be out before it gets too bad."
"What is it about that place that's so interesting to you? Isn't it just a bunch of trees?" Ashton asked.
Cameron sat up.
"No way. There's this pond that Firenze and I usually meet at. It's a little smaller then the Black Lake but it's so clear you see the bottom even though it is really deep. Braxton, I know you'd find this place interesting. There are all these exotic plants we haven't even talked about in Herbology yet. Plus I like seeing all the creatures."
"Don't they get angry about you being in there? I know the centaurs weren't too pleased about having us in there in my first year." Draco said with a shudder.
"They're used to me by now. They know I don't pose any threat to them. So how about it, are you finally going to come with me?" Cameron asked.
The response was immediate and final from all four of his friends.
"No."
Cameron shrugged.
"Alright, I'll see you at dinner then." He said as he stood.
"You don't have to go in there today; we can go fly around for a bit. Quidditch is going to start up soon." Draco said.
Cameron shook his head.
"I'll fly with you tomorrow or something." He said.
Without another word he left the courtyard.
Once he was deep enough inside the forest that he was sure he wasn't going to be seen by anyone Cameron stopped walking and closed his eyes. In his mind he pictured a large wolf with midnight black fur and sapphire blue eyes like his own. Cameron felt the change in his body as the picture became more prominent in his mind. Finally he opened his eyes and the entire forest had changed.
His weak human eyes had only been able to pick up a few trees in the distance and the almost unnoticeable spaces in between them but now as a wolf Cameron saw everything. The trails he'd been following since he'd met Firenze three years ago, stood out as obviously as the corridors in Hogwarts. Cameron sucked in a deep breath through his sensitive nose and picked up the scent of several creatures that had been through this area within the last few hours. The metallic scent of rain was light on the breeze although there were only a few clouds in the sky. Pine sap added its own bittersweet signature to the forest aroma.
Feeling extremely at ease and more at home then he had since returning to Hogwarts, Cameron set off at a steady trot through the winding maze that was the forest. He jumped fallen logs and zipped through tightly knit trees with ease. His journey took him deeper and deeper into the forest until the trees were packed so close together there were no longer any rainbows of light guiding his way. Still Cameron weaved through a hidden trail that Firenze had shown him months ago. Finally he broke through the maze into a vast clearing.
In the center of the clearing was a large pond, glittering in the direct sunlight due to the lack of branches blocking its rays. Cameron trotted over to its edge and looked down into its depths. The water was clear as crystal and showed every creature that lived in its depths. Cameron studied his wolf reflection, seeing his vivid blue eyes that were so obviously his own but the face that wasn't. Suddenly Cameron wasn't alone in his reflection. He closed his eyes and when he opened them his human face stared back at him from the water.
"Hello Firenze." He said, beaming up at the centaur.
"Welcome back Young Cub." Firenze smiled down at the teen. "The stars foretold your return."
Cameron nodded and took a deep breath, closing his eyes.
"I missed this place over the summer." He said.
"Your animal form has come along nicely." Firenze pointed out.
Cameron's eyes burst open in excitement.
"Yeah my dad worked with me on it and I finally got in June. It took most of July for me to figure out how to control it though." He said. His forehead wrinkled as he remembered his struggle.
Firenze nodded and folded his powerful legs under him, settling down beside the lake. Cameron sat cross legged beside the centaur.
"So have I missed anything in here since the last day of term last year?" he asked.
Firenze gazed off into the trees for a while. Used to his friend's long silences, Cameron glanced around the clearing, noting how much the bushes on one side had grown and how many more flower buds seemed to have appeared on it. He realized that the trees around the clearing formed an almost perfect circle even though the spacing between them varied.
"A new flower has blossomed." Firenze said finally.
"Really? Where?" Cameron asked excitedly.
The centaur stood and motioned for the teen to follow.
"It is not far." He said.
Cameron nodded and followed his friend around the edge of the lake to the opposite side where the bush he'd been studying stood. The centaur led the way straight down a narrow path before finally opening up slightly.
The space was only about four feet wide but it was completely filled with bright yellow flowers that bore small turquoise markings on its petals. The flower grew in small clumps that spread in every direction.
"Wow, what are they?" Cameron asked, trying to memorize the characteristics so he could tell Braxton about them later.
"The simple name for them is Time Flower. They are very rare, even in the Forest. Only between the summer solstice and spring equinox of every second year do they bloom." Firenze said.
"Why are they called Time Flowers?" Cameron questioned.
Firenze knelt slightly and gently ran his hand over the flowers making them tremble slightly. He took several seconds to examine the plants before answering.
"It is their purpose. When asked a question of time the flower will answer."
Cameron looked at the flower questioningly.
"Really? So if I just ask one what time it is it'll tell me?"
Firenze smiled at the teen and led the way back towards the clearing.
"No Young Cub but the time has come for you to leave the forest. Night is falling and the Tirella have been extremely active as of late."
Cameron felt an involuntarily shutter streak down his back. The Tirella was a massive and incredibly dangerous creature of the forest. It had the body and bore the stripes of a white tiger but had the head and tail of an American Coyote and the teeth of the prehistoric Saber tooth tiger. The eyes of the Tirella were completely black with one pin prick of red for its pupil. They hunted in pairs and were most active in the dark but would attack during daylight if they were desperate enough.
"Alright Firenze, I'll be back soon."
"Of course."
Cameron nodded and once the pair reached the clearing he closed his eyes and waited to feel the new but somehow familiar feeling of his body transforming. Once the transformation was complete Cameron yipped happily and ran in a small circle, earning a smile from the centaur.
"Congratulations Young Cub."
Cameron yipped again and ran back through the trees. He stopped at the edge to transform back into a human before sprinting up to the castle. By the time he reached the entrance hall doors he was breathless but the walk to the Great Hall revived him. Cameron scoped out his friends and took his place beside Ashton and in front of Draco, Blaise, and Braxton.
"Welcome back mate." Braxton said shoveling more food onto his plate.
Cameron nodded and began pulling food towards him.
"Hello all."
"Hi Nia." Ashton said shifting closer to Cameron to make room for her friend. Nia Ells was a seventh year girl who transferred from America last year. She had short black hair that had a thick strand of bright green color down the middle of the right side. Her eyes were deep brown and her skin was light brown.
"Can you believe how much homework we've gotten already?" she said, pulling a plate of chicken towards her.
"Not you too Nia." Ashton groaned. "It's only the beginning of the year; the real work hasn't even started yet!"
"Ashton's mad because we were all helping each other with our homework." Cameron said.
Nia looked at Ashton with a raised eyebrow.
"They weren't helping, they were cheating."
Nia rolled her eyes.
"Except for the Ravenclaws there's probably a grand total of four people in this school who don't cheat at some point during the year and guess what?" she leaned in close to Ashton and pretended to whisper something in her ear but Nia spoke loud enough for the guys to listen in too.
"You're not one of them."
Draco, Blaise, and Cameron all burst into laughter while Ashton glared half heartedly at her friend.
"Don't look at me like that, you know it's true." Nia said before taking a big bite out of her chicken.
"Are you going out for Quidditch this year Nia?" Draco asked suddenly.
Nia shook her head.
"No, last year was fun but with Derrick gone and Thomas left in charge…" she trailed off but her friends knew where she was going.
"Yeah, I think that might be a big problem this year." Braxton said with a sideways glance at Cameron who'd taken to poking his food with his fork.
"No offense Braxton but I think your brother's going to end up doing more harm than good to the team. Have you seen those plays he's drawn up?" Draco said.
Braxton nodded solemnly.
"Yeah, I guess we'll have to see how try outs go. Maybe if we get a good enough team, the bad plays won't matter as much. Since I'm supposed to be co-captain I should get some say in what we do." He said, although he sounded a little doubtful.
"When are try outs anyway?" Cameron asked.
Braxton pulled his bag off the floor and into his lap.
"I have the schedule here somewhere." He said as he dug through the bag's contents. Finally he pulled out a folded piece of parchment and his wand. He made copies of the paper and handed them to Draco and Cameron, the only two besides Nia who'd played on the Slytherin quidditch team the previous year.
"Try outs are this Thursday at seven. Snape's already reserved the pitch for us." Braxton explained.
"Our first match is October the fourth?" Cameron asked.
Braxton nodded.
"It'll be the first match of the season." He said.
"That's not too far away. With Derrick gone and Nia not playing we will have to train another beater and a new keeper in less than three weeks." Draco said.
Cameron ran a hand through his hair.
"Merlin." He said before turning to Nia. "Are you sure you don't want to play?"
Nia laughed.
"I'm positive. Good luck though. I'll still be supporting you guys from the stands."
Draco rolled his eyes.
"Thanks a load Nia." He said.
"This is starting to depress me. How about we talk about something else?" Braxton suggested.
His friends laughed and they smoothly fell into conversations about the upcoming year.