They met up with Hermione on the train and had an uneventful train ride to school. Almost to Hogwarts Harry saw a Hippogriff following the train. Harry showed it to Ron and Hermione and they thought it was strange. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Dinning Hall it seem brighter than last year. Harry looked around happy to be home, without the weight that the Dark Lord would come charging in to kill them all. Something caught Harry's eye a large black dog sneaking out of the Dinning Hall. Harry told Ron and Hermione and the three of them followed the dog.

"Harry!" Hermione called "what if it isn't Black!"

Harry Stopped and looked around, then Ron and Hermione stopped next to him. Harry had found his God-Father Black his 3rd year at school and had lost him this 5th year when the Dark Lord had tricked Harry into thinking that he had trapped Black. Harry didn't want to think that the dog wasn't Black even though it couldn't be. Harry started to run again followed by his friends. After turning a sharp corner Harry ran into something really big. Harry fell back but Ron caught him before he cracked his head open on the hard ground. Harry looked up to see his friend and favorite teacher Rubeus Hagrid.

"Hey Hagrid" Hermione said as she approached.

Then at once all three friends noticed a green hippogriff hanging over Hagrid's shoulder. Hagrid noticed them eyeing the creature and said, "Well I was on me way up for the feast and I found this poor Hippogriff laying outside. Poor thing musta come from far off. I'm takin' her to the Hospital wing to get Madam Pomfrey to help me make her well again."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione saw how skinny and under the weather the Hippogriff looked so they said bye to Hagrid and went back to the dinning Hall. The three of them peeked in to see everyone eating so they sneaked in and joined their house table. After the food disappeared everyone headed to the Common room. This year was going to be hard for Harry because it was his last year, and his Aunt and Uncle where very clear that they weren't going to let Harry stay with them anymore. Harry figured he was better off. Maybe Fred and George would let him work at their joke shop since he did help them get it going. And it was good to know that if this entire plan fell through he would at less be able to stay at The Borrow until he found a place of his own. Classes where much harder than the years before, but with Hermione helping Harry and Ron out it wasn't as hard as it could have been. After their classes were done Harry, Ron, and Hermione went down to Hagrid's hut to visit. Once they got there, they saw the Hippogriff lying by the front door. It's feathers where brighter and well groomed but it was still on the skinny side. The door of the hut open and Hagrid came out.

He placed a bucket of something in from of the Hippogriff and turns towards Harry and his friends, "Well Hello Harry, Ron, Hermione, I beta you all came to see how the Hippogriff I found was doing. I say she is looking better but she's not eating the food I bring her." Hagrid said sadly.

Hermione got a little closer to the Hippogriff and said, "She looks a lot different than Buckbeak, doesn't she?"

Hagrid was about to say something when Ron said, "Well Buckbeak was a Roman Hippogriff, and this is a South American Hippogriff. You can tell because of the Tropical coloration of the feathers."

Everyone but Harry was shock about how Ron knew this then Hagrid asked, "What else can ya tell me about this Hippogriff, Ron?"

Ron realized in saying more would give away the gift he got for Hermione. Ron replied, "That's all I remember reading it in a book, um, in the Library, yes in the Library." Ron wasn't very good at hiding stuff.

Hermione was about to ask another question when the Hippogriff got up and started to walk towards Ron and Harry. It then bowed to them, Harry Hermione and Hagrid where baffled by this, but then Ron bowed and the Hippogriff raise its head and walked towards Ron.

Hagrid stated, "This Hippogriff is very different from Buckbeak."

Harry, Ron, Hermione spend the rest of the day with Hagrid and the Strange Hippogriff, with Ron slipping fact about the South American Hippogriff every now and again. Once darkness started to fall the Hippogriff walked with them to the castle, once they where at the covered bridge it turn and headed back to Hagrid's hut. Once they where back in the common room Hermione tried to find out how Ron knew more about Hippogriff than she did. Every time she would ask all Ron would say was, "I read it in a book somewhere" It was clear that Hermione wasn't going to take that answer and spent the rest of the month asking about it. Somehow Ron and Hermione got out of taking Potion their last year at school, unfortunately Harry didn't. Harry wasn't quite sure how he even got into Potions, since Professor Snape hated Harry and was always pointing to Harry if something went wrong or came up missing. But after dragging through classes Harry, Ron, and Hermione would go to Hagrid's hut, to have tea and to help take care of the Hippogriff, which they named, Maya. Besides the visits with Hagrid, Harry was also looking forward to Quidditch; He was the Seeker for the Gryffindor team and had been all 7 years at school. Harry wasn't looking forward to his first game though, Gryffindor VS. Slytherin. The Slytherin's where a nasty bunch, always trying to put hexes on the Gryffindor team, they would always try it in the dungeons because their Head of House, Professor Snape, would always turn a blind eye on what the Slytherin's did. Harry knew he was in trouble when a 7th year Slytherin named Draco Malfoy, and his two bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle came up to him after Potion class. Harry was at the top of the stairs that lead to the dungeons where Snape has his Potion class.

When Draco said, "Well look what we have here, looks like Potter still has Potions."

The three Slytherin boys started laughing. Harry knew better than to mess with Draco all alone and so close to Snape's class, but Harry didn't care at the moment, "Oh, Shut it Draco, or are you still mad that I put your no-good father away."

Draco stopped laughing, Harry knew he hit a soft spot. Draco did something Harry wasn't expecting, he charged Harry, and pushed him down the Stairs. Harry fell down the stairs, for the first time in his life he was scared, he also saw his life flash before his eyes. He knew once he hit the bottom it would be over.