Wilhemina Grubbly-Plank was more than a challenging person for Eric. First; she was a nice enough person, simple and no-nonsense. It was very hard not to like her, despite the fact that she was directly competing with Hagrid's position. Second; she was a far better teacher than Hagrid could hope to be. Everyone who had the opportunity to learn from the two of them knew that she presented material in a far more orderly manner, and in many ways far better, than Hagrid's hands-on approach.

However; despite her book learning, she didn't exactly have the skills she needed personally to take care of the various residents of Hogwarts. True: she knew exactly what she was supposed to do in each and every case, without fail. However, when the time came to feed the hippogriffs, they had a dreadful tendency to snap at her, since her nervousness around them was perceived as discourtesy.

Because of this, she was more than pleased when Eric arrived to assist her. Raised from a baby around Hagrid's fearless handling and love of the most astounding and dangerous of beasts, Eric quickly took to the tasks needed to get the school's stable of animals back to fit condition. The creatures recovered so quickly, in fact, that the professor gave him a qualified 'O' for the year. While this meant nothing in regards to his OWLs, it did remove one burden from his upcoming 'to do' list.

Along with his other responsibilities, Eric checked in on the two snidgets that Naomi brought to school last year. They appeared to be doing satisfactory, although he was concerned about predators. He needed to create a defense, something that would protect the snidgets. This, he decided, would be the grand project for this year – he'd create a snidget defender.

In the breaks between his projects and duties, Eric tried to keep on with combat practice. Without Sheena around, it was hard to practice properly. However, he was determined to make a good show of it, which is why every afternoon found him going through sword patters, regardless of the weather. Soon he could trace patterns with confidence, mindful of his defenses. He started practicing with different kinds of styles, in order to develop some potential and maybe a few surprises when Sheena returned.

Then there was corresponding with Naomi. She was very upset that he was sent away, but she did accept that it was for the best, at least to keep Mrs. Peal happy. They'd see each other soon enough, and each letter was wrapped with new things they could do. Some of these were projects, while others were simply ways to enjoy themselves without getting into more trouble. Her letters did suggest, however, that there was something amiss going on. They hinted that her father was dealing with the Ministry more and more, and it was getting harder for the residents of Knockturn Alley to go about their business.

She also was very concerned about articles being published in the Daily Prophet that were attacking Harry Potter. Eric had read them as well – several scathing articles that were clearly meant to discredit Harry, and often Professor Dumbledore as well. He had no idea why the Prophet would engage in a smear campaign unless someone was making them. The thought, however, that someone could give orders to the wizard's single source for reliable news was more than a little unnerving.

Once his life fell into a daily pattern, Eric decided to take in a night flight. It had been so long since he had taken the opportunity, his first maneuvers were a little shaky. It wasn't long, though, before he was back into familiar maneuvers, testing the limits of his ebony broom. With the clear sky and no other students in the area, there was no reason for him not to push the limits of both the maneuverability and the speed aspects of his design. He went zipping along the lake between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts before heading over to the Quidditch pitch to practice acceleration, deceleration, and tight turns using the goals for obstacles. It was such a release to simply enjoy flying that he had spent an hour in the air before realizing that he was being observed by another flier.

Not wishing to be identified, he started to zip about the castle, hoping to lose his pursuer. This proved impossible, as they seemed to have a unique gift for maneuvers. He finally chose to go out across the lake and open up, hoping to draw the other flier away from the school. This proved fruitless, as they simply pulled up by the bluff and waited.

This confirmed Eric's fear – whoever it was, they knew he was from Hogwarts. They probably knew who he was already. There was no sense in avoiding it, so he returned, choosing to land within the Quidditch pitch. The other flier drifted down across from him. In the bright moonlight he could make out that it was a woman. She was rather petite, and was wearing a flier's helmet with huge lenses, making her look suspiciously like an oversized insect.

"That was some pretty impressive flying!" She thrust out a hand to him. "Hi – I'm Adeline Hawkin."

Eric accepted the gesture hesitantly. "Seeker for the Wimbourne Wasps, and three time member of the England All-Stars."

She beamed a warm smile. "You've heard of me! Oh, it's so great to meet a fan. I have to admit that I'm quite an admirer of you, too."

Eric's eyes cocked slightly. "A fan of mine? I'm not exactly famous."

"You are Eric Sable, right? The boy who flew from London to the Quidditch World Cup? Who managed to find the site despite the Ministry of Magic's best obscurement charms – who managed the flight in less than three hours – who covered his tracks well enough not to be prosecuted?" At that she slung her arm about his waist, gently pounding his shoulder with her fist.

"Um, I am Eric Sable."

"I knew it!" Her voice carried the piercing notes of jubilation. "Hey – that's it, isn't it? That's the broom! It has to be with all that speed, yet you can still maneuver."

He decided that it wasn't worth the effort to hide any more. "It has an adjustable binding about the brush. The stirrups control the action – see? Pushing hard on them tightens the brush and focuses thrust, while letting up trades the speed for heightened agility."

She was clearly beside herself with glee. "How much would it take for you to make another one?"

"What?"

"How much for you to make another one? Every Quidditch team in the world league has one angle or another. There's no rule against a custom broom, since it takes such skill to control one. So; what'll it cost for you to make a special broom for me?"

Eric spent the next hour measuring her up and taking notes. It would be hard to get the supplies he'd need, but not impossible. He could go with an ebony shaft again, though the finished paint would have to match the black & yellow of the Wimbourne team. Though it would be a struggle, he promised to have the work done by Christmas, which would give her enough time to adjust to it's performance before the season started.

As she flew off, Eric couldn't help but think he'd gotten himself into yet another mess, when he was already far too overloaded. One day he'd find out what it was about him that couldn't resist a challenge.