once again I quote: 'that's not a knife'

Hagrid knew instantly that something was very wrong, the manticore was deformed and insane, he leveled his crossbow and fired several shots at the beast, one glanced off it's hyde, the second lodged in it's shoulder and the last he had time for hit it in the face near the right eye, he tossed the crossbow aside and as the beast reared up to pounce he shifted his weight and caught the creature pivoted and slammed it hard into the ground but was forced back as the sharp claws lashed out at him, Hagrid knew he was strong but a manticore was too much for him alone, but he had to buy time.

Brice and Fleur looked at each other in shock, a manticore of all things? what was happening?

"Brice I think you should check on what is going on, you are smaller than me in bird form and less likely to be noticed," Fleur suggested,

Brice simply nodded and slipped into the classroom, he opened a window and after glancing at Mina and Harry who seemed to be drinking as fast as they could he changed and flew off.

Gilderoy Lockheart heard the announcement and quickly looked out the window but saw nothing he moved quickly to the other side and spotted the fight, he recognised the gamekeeper Hagrid from the information he had read and the fellow was doing well but Lockheart knew how deadly a manticore is and the gamekeeper would only slow the creature, he threw off his ordinary jacket and dashed out pulling his wand as he went.

Brice arrived just in time to see the manticore in question knock the gamekeeper off balance and it's tail lash out only to be stopped by a spell fired by some wizard who had exited the carriages.

Seeing an opportunity Rubeus grabbed the tail just behind the stinger and with all his might swung the axe and sliced the stinger clean off, but he didn't get time to savour his success as the manticore sunk it's teeth into his leg, he grabbed the head and pulled it off him when the monster was hit with a reducto knocking it over and allowing him to get some distance, his wound was healed as he and this new fellow focused on the now very angry Manticore.

Gilderoy rounded the carriage just in time to see the beast about to kill the gamekeeper and quickly loosed an impedimenta which slowed the strike long enough for the large man to grab the tail and remove the stinger, as he sprinted up he fired off a reducto which only knocked the manticore over he quickly threw a healing spell at his partner for this fight and focused on the monster.

Brice landed back in the room and told Harry, Mina and Fleur what was happening and how much trouble Hagrid and the wizard were in, Mina responded by gulping down the last of her potion, the stone she was stood on flashed then dimmed and Mina's eyes changed from deep green to gold, she began to grow in size as her fur changed to a deep gold as well, although from the base of her nose and down her belly it became snow white as did the tip of her tail and when she was done growing she was slightly smaller than a horse and before Brice could say anything she leaped out the window and out of sight followed by Brice still in bird form.

Lockheart landed hard launched into the air by and unexpected ram from the Manticore which had switched targets to him and then back to Hagrid who was now fighting for his life pinned down with teeth at his throat before the manticore was tackled off him, he and Lockheart looked on in surprise as a Wampas engaged the manticore in a fight teeth and claws flying in a brutal fight, allowing the two humans to catch their breath and quickly heal their injuries, Brice was hovering above unnoticed and watched as injuries listed by the med-e-specs vanished, but this caused him to remember that as he flew over a small patch of the forest to get here something flashed up, maybe someone had been there and been injured?

What greeted Brice was a stranger scene, on the floor out cold was that little twit Malfoy, and in his hand was a small book, the specs showed his injuries as partial possession, lifeforce loss, and strong compulsion charm, the second figure just showed Construct, the second figure was laughing and seemed to be giving instructions it took a moment for Brice to notice that every instruction the second figure a teen with black hari wearing a green set of robes with a snake motif, gave the manticore seemed to obey, he quickly flew back and told Harry.

Hagrdi looked grim "We need to get back in there, she's too young for this fight,"

Lockheart looked at him, "what do you mean? she's doing ok isn't she?"

shaking his head, "If she were older she could attack it's mind and win easily, but if they are young or inexperienced they can't use that ability too well, and she doesn't seem to be doing it at all, and she is losing, a manticore is more powerful in a straight out fight,"

Loackheart could now see what he meant the cat had take quite a number of injuries and only inflicted a few, he gripped his wand and they headed back into the fight as the sky above grew unnaturally thick with clouds and thunder rolled across the academy.

Harry picked up the little cup and lifted it managing to get the last few drops into his beak and swallowed, as soon as the stone crumbled he flew out the window.

Tom Riddle was satisfied, the fight was going well, his connection to the beast allowed him to keep it going and healing, although the wampas was unexpected all it had done was slow things down but now the beast was too injured to fight the oaf was badly hurt and stood between his pet and the beast and the blond clown was knocked out all he had to do was...

"You really should watch your possessions more carefully Tommy boy, paper really isn't the best material to store your ragged ass soul in," came a voice,

Tom whipped around Malfaoy's wand at the ready but before he could do anything a tremendous pain caused him to drop the wand.

Harry was in a hurry so he said his piece and poured acid on to the book he had removed from Malfoy and as the acid hissed and Tom screamed Harry hurried off.

Now free from control the manticore went for the easy meal and raced toward Lockheart but before it could reach him a large taloned foot landed on it crushing the creature and as Hagrid looked on with wonder a bolt of lightning struck the large avian traveled down it's body and deep fried the manticore killing to poor wretch, this was something Hagrid hadn't seen before, an actual thunderbird, how could it be here? wasn't it native to north america? was it owned by some rich eccentric? before he could process the thunderbird reached over him and gently picked up the wampas and then flapped it's massive wings taking off and flying away to Hagrids dismay.

While the academy was in pandemonium and Lockheart was taken with Hagrid to be treated for their injuries, Lockheart had some broken and fractured ribs, and a mild concussion, Hagrid was severely cut and bruised with one almost costing him his eye, Harry landed behind the academy and changed back, he quickly pulled several potions out of his pouch and began applying them to Mina's injuries as well as pouring a few down her throat including Skelly grow worry etched across his face until she stirred and groaned, once she was up and about a few minutes later they quickly headed to the dorms meeting up with Fleur and Brice and animatedly talking about what had just happened, when asked why she went Mina explained,

"I may be a student now but I have the skills and experience and it is my responsibility to use them, I knew I could help especially in my new form and so I helped," she explained, "as did you Brice," when he began to shake his head she pressed on, "good information saves lives and you saved quite a few today, had I not appeared Hagrid and his friend would have been killed, so that's two lives you have saved right there,"

"More than two Mina," Harry started, "What he came across in the forest was who had organised this, Tom Riddle, also known as Voldemort,"

Mina's eyes widened, "Really? how?"

Harry held up a ruined diary, "A soul jar, lucky for us it was something as fragile as paper, even being as foul a thing as he made it, a container like this cannot stand up to a little fluoroantimonic acid, this stuff is so destructive I keep it in a bottomless vial so the acid floats in the void rather than touch something,"

Mina eyed the small vial "and how much of that stuff is in there?" she asked slightly worried,

"Only a little," she relaxed, "just one or two gallons," Harry smirked before running away from the tirade he could see coming from Mina.