Firenze insisted on journeying with Astor at least as far as the outskirts of the forbidden forest. As they travelled together, a vista of Hogwarts Castle came into view from their position high on the slopes of the forest. They stood together and marvelled at the architectural beauty of the ancient castle, Firenze looked with anger at the place he had once been able to call his home before his banishment, and Astor, as he looked at the castle had the ominous feeling that his journey was at an end, that his third visit to Hogwarts would be his last. As they reached the bottom of the hill and journeyed to the edge of the forest into a clearing, Firenze and Astor said their goodbyes to each other. They had lived, trained, and shared a fire together in the forest for over a month, and it was not without some heaviness of the heart that Firenze let Astor journey forward into the castle, knowing that he, in all likelihood, would never see his short-time protege again.