As Eric sat outside the staffroom waiting, he mused on the fact that Mrs. Peal was as good as her word. They picked over every fact and detail until Eric could swear that he was there himself. He knew that he'd be nervous, but he had to bear up. Hagrid's fate depended on him.

Professor McGonagall popped her head out through the door. "Mister Sable, we're ready for you."

The staffroom was arranged in an arch, with Hagrid sitting squarely in the center. In attendance were most of the elder teachers, as well as Draco's father Lucius. A shelf had been put in where a number of burning firepans sat; a hovering head engulfed in flames floating over each one. This answered Eric's thought about how the school governors were convened so quickly.

Looking quite passive and relaxed, Professor Dumbledore called Eric forward. "You are here to answer questions and to present your opinions. Decorum is to be maintained, and civility is to be expected at all times. Is this understood."

Eric sought to calm his trembling chest. He focused on everything Mrs. Peal taught him that morning. Tightening his right hand into a fist at the base of his spine, he willed all his nervous trembling against itself there. Having settled the rest of his body, he straightened up proudly. "Thank you, sir, I understand. Please proceed."

"You are aware of the circumstances of yesterday?"

"Yes sir."

"You were, in fact, aware that Professor Hagrid was going to use hippogriffs in a presentation that morning?"

"Yes sir."

Lucius Malfoy was the next to speak. "You did not think it necessary to notify the headmaster that a class of third year students was going to be exposed to a pack of predators?"

Eric looked to Professor Dumbledore. "Do I have the governor's permission to speak at length?"

Professor Dumbledore smiled behind his beard. "By all means, take as much time as you need to express yourself clearly. However, you are to stay on the subject." Several of the governors nodded in agreement.

"Very good, sir. Firstly: the term for a collection of hippogriffs is a flock or a herd, never a pack. I state this only to show that I have familiarized myself with the behaviors of the creatures in question. To respond to the question at hand, Professor Hagrid requested my assistance in handling the herd that morning. He instructed me in the proper way to handle myself in the presence of these creatures. They posed no threat at all, and were quite manageable. To further make this point, when the professor took Mister Malfoy's son to the hospital ..."

Lucius Malfoy was quick to interrupt. "A student has been injured in the course of a class. The fact that he is my son has no bearing on this inquiry."

Eric smiled to himself. Mrs. Peal said that such an outburst would be a strike in his favor. "Just as you say, sir. To continue: as the professor's assistant, I returned the herd to the stables. Not one of them, not even the creature in question, demonstrated any sign of continuing irritability. They were all easy to handle, and responded to directions without hesitation or animosity."

Lucius, of course, was quite irritated at this. "So, how would you explain the fact that one of these beasts struck a student?"

Now came part two: preparing the trap. "The study of magic is a complicated thing. Because of the nature of what we are learning about, it is generally accepted that unfortunate circumstances can and will happen. The only way to minimize this risk is for all students to pay strict attention to the instructors so that they may be directed to proceed in a manner that is appropriate. Indeed, there are instructors that are noted for making their students face every consequence that may result through an inability to follow directions."

He looked to the side for a moment, then straightened up again. To his satisfaction, he noted that several of the governors caught his implication and had, for a moment, turned their attention to Professor Snape. The fact that such an instructor was the head of Slytherin House, the house which Draco Malfoy resided in, provided additional ammunition for his case.

Lucius was growing impatient. "That's an interesting opinion, but I don't see how it applies to this matter."

Eric could hear Mrs. Peal's words in his head: part three – spring the trap. "Several witnesses have indicated that Draco Malfoy was not paying attention while Professor Hagrid was explaining the proper way to approach and address these creatures. While this testimony may be disputed based on house rivalry, other facts cannot. First; I had received the professor's instructions and was capable of managing an entire herd on my own, and I too am merely a third-year student. Second; prior to the incident another student had already spent time with the subject creature during the class without previous introduction, and he sustained no injury nor was there any sign of trouble. Third; despite the high amount of excitement, the remainder of the herd remained calm and impassive through the whole incident. The whole herd, including the attacking creature, was easily lead back to the pens without complaint or problem.

"Taking these facts as evidence, the only reason why Draco Malfoy was injured was because he failed to follow directions that were given – directions which have repeatedly proven effective. The consequences for his actions or his inattentiveness are his own to accept, an established principle within this institution. He shall recover with no permanent injury, thanks primarily to the professor's quick actions in obtaining aid for him. All the other students are fine, and the herd has remained docile and easy to handle."

Lucius' face was a brilliant scarlet. Snape seemed quite uncomfortable in his chair, as if he was sitting on an anthill. The remainder of the instructors seemed to be masking smiles, while the governors seemed to be settling on Eric's words. Professor Dumbledore looked about. "Are there any other questions?" Lucius was clearly not interested in speaking further, and everyone else appeared satisfied with the presentation. "Thank you, Eric. You are dismissed."

Ducking his way out of the building, he made his way to an open field, broken in half by a small stream. Making his way to a deeper section of the stream, he released his braid and dunked his head completely in the water. The refreshing shock was just what he needed, though when he rose he found that his hair had soaked up about ten pounds of water. It took a rather determined swing of his head to propel the soggy mass onto his back.

Tired and worn out, he dropped face first onto the field, deciding to let the water dry off his back and seep out of his hair as much as possible before heading back into the school. Although the wind was cool, the sun was warm on his hair and back, and lying deep in the field provided cover against any breezes.

He had dozed off, losing all track of time when a hooded figure drifted to him. "Professor Flitwick sent me to find you." Naomi's deadpan monotone had yet to lose it's peculiar charm.

Eric drew himself up and began to gather his hair into it's usual tail. "What's the verdict?"

"There won't be any immediate action. The governors all agreed that there was no evidence that suggested the need for a swift response, but they want the matter investigated thoroughly. This will probably drag on for months."

Eric finished tying back his hair. "With luck I won't have to be involved further."

"Hagrid was very grateful for everything you said. He'll be waiting for a chance to pay you back."

"With my luck, that'll mean my own pet chimera. Anything else?"

"Yes. Professor Flitwick wishes you to know that he considers you a credit to Ravenclaw House, and the Headmaster wishes to see you at once."

Eric drew in a deep sigh. Although he wasn't traditionally troubled by the idea of seeing Professor Dumbledore, the incident in the staffroom had him worried. Furthermore, he didn't like the fact that coming before the headmaster was becoming a trend. Each time he did so marked some important event in his life. He was growing to dislike important events.

Turning to the school, he made his way past the main hall to the stone gargoyle that vigilantly watched the entryway to the Headmaster's office. Although he didn't know the password, he did know that he was expected, so when he arrived to find nothing happening, he stared the ugly statue straight in the eye. "Well?"

Perhaps more astonishing than watching the statue move and a staircase upward form was the fact that the inquiry actually worked. Eric knew one thing for sure – there was a lot more to Hogwarts than he was aware of. As he made his way up the stairs, he could see at the top that the headmaster was at his desk, filling out paperwork. "Ah, you're here. Come in, please!"

As Eric found a reasonably comfortable seat, Dumbledore turned to him. "First, I would like to commend you on your comments at the inquiry. While it will most likely be months before this matter is settled, I believe that your efforts will go a long way towards maintaining Hagrid's position.

"Second, I have the unfortunate task of informing you that I am suspending you from the position of teacher's assistant. I have a number of reasons for this. A rather unpleasant argument occurred in the staffroom recently as the instructors sought to divide up your time. I told them quite frankly that if they couldn't agree to share resources, then I would have no choice but to remove the source of the problem.

"Also, I am concerned that your duties will distract from your studies. You are, after all, a third-year student, and there's more to learn in classes than simply the principles of magic."

Eric was stunned. "Sir, I've barely begun. Let me show you that I can handle the challenge."

"That is not an option. You see; in the process of presenting your arguments, you embarrassed an instructor and one of the school's governors. While I agree that the points you made were critical, your approach lacked a certain amount of tact; not that it would have mattered. Regardless, the results are that Hagrid will be able to keep his position, but I will have to make a few concessions to Professor Snape and Lucius Malfoy in order to eventually secure their co-operation. For better or worse, the first of those concessions is that you are taken off the staff."

Eric was completely crestfallen. "I see."

"I suggest that you take heart in the fact that you have not lost your place at Hogwarts. Your manners were excellent, and in the end you will have saved Hagrid his job without being expelled in the process. That's quite an accomplishment."

Eric nodded and turned to leave. Dumbledore may have been right, but at the moment he honestly felt that he lost more than he gained that day.