The next several months proved to be a struggle for Eric, more on an emotional level than a scholastic one. Hagrid returned with word that Buckbeak was to be executed. Suggestions of releasing him were to no avail. The threat of being sent to Azkaban was more than enough to hold most anyone back, especially with the dementors so close to remind people what resides there. As a result, Eric spent most of his off time with Hagrid putting Buckbeak through various exercises to keep him entertained.

Lenora began a smear campaign, telling everyone how poorly Eric treated her, how bad his manners were, and anything else she could come up with. At least, that's how it was through March. Her attitude softened through the next few months, and by Exams she had returned to popping up around almost every corner, telling Eric that it was all a misunderstanding and how special she thought he was.

Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup. Eric was disappointed that Ravenclaw didn't do better, but that was nothing new. Even with the team they fielded, they were no match for Slytherin's cheating or Gryffindor's aggressiveness.

His clairvoyance continued to improve. By Exams, he had reached the point where he could summon an image of anyone he knew fairly reliably. Professor Trelawney had moved on from simple mechanics to principles and ethics of clairvoyance, as well as beginning defenses from it.

The Twilight Circle began to break up as Exams grew close, with only a few die-hards staying together either to pursue personal projects or to prepare for their tests. Eric's circle continued to pursue Celtic and Gaelic spellcasting, which Eric was using for the core subject of his papers for History, Transformations and Enchantments.

Evelyn became his closest confidant. While the advise she gave was minimal, she listened carefully and was most sympathetic to his problems. When the weather improved, he made a point of wearing the crystal outdoors so that she could enjoy the world again.

As exams came to a finish, the day of Buckbeak's execution came closer and closer. Eric thought that he could handle it, but he couldn't. The hippogriff was simply too noble a creature to have come to this, and Eric decided to distance himself in the only direction he could – the Forbidden Forest.

He knew it was somewhat foolish, but he knew things Naomi didn't. As he made his way through the outskirts, he came across Hogwarts' thestral herd. One came from the herd and nuzzled his hand. Not having anything to feed her, he climbed a root to get a better angle in order to stroke her neck and muzzle. The creature responded most pleasantly, letting off a grateful rattling buzz.

Moving onward, he noted the thestral following him. "Go on, back to the herd with you." He gestured and gently encouraged, but the creature declined; it seemed rather taken with Eric. "Well, all right then; but don't get yourself hurt or Hagrid'll have my hide. He's got enough on his mind tonight." A howling wail pierced the quiet, which indicated that Hagrid did, indeed, have more than his shares of sorrows – and worked a little too hard to drown them.

As Hagrid's wails brought back thoughts of why he was hiding out, Eric got back to distracting himself. This, however, proved harder and harder as the evening moved on. This drew him deeper into the woods in search of something interesting. As he searched about, he heard another painful howling, but this one wasn't his guardian. This came from within the woods, near Fluffy's cave. Not wishing the wrath of Fluffy on his worst enemy, he worked his way over to the sound as quickly as he could. There he could make out the great beast barking and snarling at a bundle of bloody fur.

Eric knew he had to work quickly. "I'll sing a song – come sing along – I'll sing a song for two. The words will be wrong – the lines are too long – for you, and you, and you." Eric knew it wasn't very good, and there were a lot of made up words to keep the tempo going. It did the job, though, as Fluffy became disinterested in his prey, lumbering back to his cave and settling in.

Looking over to the fur that was being mauled, though, gave Eric a cold shiver. The beast was still alive, and was stealthily trying to limp it's way out of the clearing. Seeing it's form in it's entirety, Eric realized that he had just saved a werewolf. Planning the better part of valor, he put the thestral between the beast and himself. With luck, it could see the reptilian creature, and be heartily discouraged from attacking. A tense minute, however, demonstrated that the creature was in no mood to attack. Fluffy had injured it severely, and it was far more interested in rest and recovery.

Perhaps it was his earlier encounters, or just something about his nature, but Eric just couldn't leave the wolf hurt like that. He walked with it for a good distance, watching it carefully as it examined him. After a while, they came to another clearing; a small one with several hard-rooted alcoves. Seeing this, he looked over to the wolf and whistled. The creature stopped and growled, causing Eric to draw his wand in his left hand even as he motioned to steady the wolf with his right. Moving into the clearing, he slowly and cautiously worked several fallen branches into one of the alcoves, topping it with a pile of leaves. The work was slow and painful, doubly so as he was under constant threat from his traveling companion.

When completed, he backed away, casting an illumination spell that presented the padded bed. Looking to the wolf, he motioned to it. The creature moved to it, sniffing about uncertainly, taking several minutes to determine that it wasn't a trap. Once satisfied, though, it settled in to rest and lick it's wounds, padded, hidden, and reasonably well protected. Eric moved back to the thestral. Finding a climbing root, he drew himself onto it's shoulders and patted it, encouraging it back to the herd. The creature would find the fastest, safest path.

Returning to the border of the woods, he began working his way to the main castle. As he started to make his way back to the building, he found the school in an uproar. Buckbeak had escaped, Sirius Black had arrived and been captured, only to escape again, Snape was furious, and Hagrid was dancing a drunken jig in the courtyard. It was a wonder that the whole school wasn't looking through the windows at the chaos below.

For Eric, this was all a wonderful amount of cover. With it, he managed to make it all the way to the main staircase, and half way to the Ravenclaw dormitory before encountering anyone. When he did, it was merely Neville Longbottom, stirred up as much as many of the students, given all the commotion. "What's been going on?"

Eric felt it easiest to play dumb. "You got me. I've been out with the thestral herd for a better part of the evening. I didn't want to be around when they executed Buckbeak."

Neville was very sympathetic. "I know what you mean. Hey, you can see the thestrals, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, um, if you don't mind saying, who was it for you?"

"Who was what?"

Neville leaned closer and whispered. "Who did you see die?"