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BOOK THREE: CHAPTER SEVEN

"Okay Ms. Singer, as today will be our final session, I would like to experiment with a creature that is more dangerous than any of the animals we've previously experimented with: the chimaera. I'd like for you to sit with your back to me, and pretend I'm not there. I will sneak up behind you and act as though I wish to attack you, and we will see what happens. Be prepared to ask him to stand down if he begins to attack."

Veronica nodded before sitting cross-legged in front of the chimaera that instantly laid beside her and nudged her leg, wanting to be pet. After a few minutes of calm, Veronica watched its eyes darting behind her, before it jumped up and launched itself at Kettleburn. Veronica immediately jumped up too and spun around, watching as it had Kettleburn's wooden leg clasped in the jaw of its lion head.

"Hey, hey big guy, that's enough. Come here."

Without any hesitation, the chimaera let go and ran back to her, nuzzling her leg affectionately.

"Brilliant! Despite you being unafraid of me, he trusted his instincts and protected you. Fascinating. Now, I'd like to see if he will trust your instincts. If I were to stand over there, minding my own business, but you put out the feeling of being afraid of me, will he attack?"

As they played out the scenario, Veronica focused all her energy on creating a sense of fear into the air. The chimaera felt it instantly and upon realizing who she was pretending to be afraid of, he jumped into action, but Veronica was quick to control the situation this time.

From the corner of her eye, Veronica saw movement coming from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and when she turned to look, she was surprised to see all types of animals lining the tree line, watching them. Among them, Veronica spotted a centaur peeking at them from behind a tree. She was beyond fascinated; she had only ever read about them in her school books. "Professor, I didn't know there were centaurs living in the Forbidden Forest."

Following her gaze, Kettleburn smiled. "Ay, the centaurs like to keep to themselves, but good old Firenze there, he's friendly with Hagrid and I."

"Can we go say hi?"

"Sure!"

As the three made their way over, Veronica dismissed the other animals and encouraged them to go back into the forest, but none of them wanted to. They wanted to be near her.

As they reached the centaur, Kettleburn made quick introductions. Veronica reached out to shake the centaur's hand, and he seemed surprised by this, but took her hand anyway. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Firenze."

"You have something odd about you, did you know that? Something that calls out to us creatures, to our spirit, and tells us to protect you."

"Yes, it's her aura." Kettleburn explained. "We were experimenting with it, which can explain why you felt it so strongly, but I'm surprised about how far it traveled. I didn't think it would be felt inside the forest. Tell me Firenze, were you all the way at your camp?"

"Yes, I was. All of us centaurs felt the pull, but I was the only one that listened to it. The other centaurs fought hard against it, and it stopped almost as soon as it started, so they ignored it. But I don't think they could have continued ignoring it if it had gone on much longer. The pull is very strong and overwhelming."

"Fascinating! This is better than I could have imagined. We get an inside look at your aura from an intelligent creature, Ms. Singer. That is what? Two miles into the heart of the forest, would you say Firenze?"

"Ay, at least. Last year, we felt an overwhelming sense of fear coming from the lake and an immense pull to stop whatever was causing it." Veronica's eyes widened as she knew exactly what he was talking about. "We had never felt it before, so the whole herd followed the feeling to the edge of the forest that meets the lake. There, we saw you." Firenze looked into Veronica's eyes, and he felt the fear he had caused just by mentioning the incident, so the rest went unspoken. "The giant squid took care of the situation, otherwise we were seconds away from interfering. Centaurs would usually never risk their own lives to save that of a human, but for you, they would. That is how strong your aura is. Use it wisely." And with that, the centaur turned and began walking back into the forest.

"Firenze!" Slowly, he turned to face her, waiting for her to speak. "Have you been feeling the pull all these weeks that we've been experimenting with it?"

"Ay."

"And have you been leaving your camp to check on me every time?"

With an almost indistinguishable nod, Firenze turned again and disappeared into the forest.