okay just started a new party and.. apperantly my druid ,wizards and clerics can put first lvl spells in second lvl spell slots?? un meta magiced.. hmmmm?? is this a bug err feature related to poor codeing of the meta magic functions? also.. regarding animal companion.. for druid it promises better stronger faster companions for druids after lvl 4 so IF i take a animal companion at 1st lvl or something .. CaN I still get the new improved model at 5th lvl? or can i if my old one dies??
You're always able put a lower level spell into a higher level slot, if you want to. It doesn't affect the spell, just lets you use more of some spells, if you've got higher slots.