Centaur



Hi! I was having trouble with my computer, so this did not get up loaded when Maria's copy did. This is only the first part of what will most likely be a very large fic. I hope you like it! Oh, and while you are at it,read mine and Maria's other stories!( well, other story for me!)

Now to end my pointless blabber, I'll blabber some more with this nessary part of mine and Maria's story, the disclaimer!

All characters you have heard of before are JKs, Astrid belongs to me, and The Girl belongs to Maria. I am not making any money off this, and the only things you'll get be sueing is a battered computer, and this months college tuition!

Oh, and COMMENT!!!!!!!! We want to hear what you have to say. Oh, and don't just tell us our grammar and spelling suck. We know, you don't have to tell us.
COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!

-Siti Marie




The Deranged Centaur Girl


It was a dark night, and not a star could be seen and through the dark forest ran a young women her baby clutched to her chest. The baby wailed as they ran stumbling but never stopping. Not far behind them you could hear approaching footsteps. "We're almost out of the forest, darling." The women whispered to her newborn daughter. The baby stopped crying as if realizing how vital it was to remain quiet. She tripped and fell; her baby lay not far from her. She tried and couldn't get up, she reached her hand and pulled the baby by the blankets and hid it not far from her behind a bush. The footsteps were now closer then ever...

It was morning in the forest and all was calm and peaceful, the birds chirped and leafs crackled under the centaurs hooves. He heard cooing and wandered towards the bush there lay a little baby girl. Not far from her lay her dead mother. *


***

thirteen years pass

***

"Shhhh! We'll get caught if you don't SHUT UP Goyle!" Draco Malfoy hisses at his "friend". The two, and another friend, Crabbe were sneaking into Madam Hooch's office to steal a very important ball. The Golden Snitch.

Crash!!! A quill holder smashed as it hit the ground.

"Crabbe!" Malfoy screamed, dispensing with all thought of secrecy as he planted his evidence and ran from the office with the Golden Snitch.

***

Harry Potter reached to his pocket for his wand, and was horrified to find, it wasn't there! He checked the other pockets, and then he got worried. "Guys? Have you seen my wand?"

Ron Weasley said," No, the last time I saw it was when Goyle crashed into you and Malfoy helped him up- wait a second! Why would he do that? Harry, I bet Malfoy snagged your wand!"

"Harry! Harry Potter!" a voice yelled from behind him. "Does THIS look familiar?" Professor Snape shoved Harry's wand under his nose.

"Hey!" Harry yelped.

"Alright Potter! Where is the Snitch! I know you stole it out of Madam Hooch's office and if it isn't in my hands at Potions class tomorrow I'll take so many points off your house that you will have to regain them to get up to zero!" Snape screamed into Harry's face.

"The Snitch? What are you talking about?" Harry stammered.

Snape just whirled and vanished into a doorway.

" Man! How am I supposed to get back a Snitch I don't have?" Harry moaned.

"Go tell Dumbledore! He'll believe you." Hermione suggested.

"That won't work. Dumbledore is off on family business." Harry mumbled.

"Go talk to Malfoy." Hermione stated calmly, as if she were talking about that nights dinner.

Ron and Harry just stared at her.

"What? Harry! Go do it." Hermione told him.

***

Malfoy practically danced around on the grounds outside the castle, he was getting some funny looks from some other Slytherins, but who cared at the moment? He was going to knock Gryfinndor out of the running for the House cup. As he stopped, he realized that Crabbe and Goyle were gone, probably lost or something considering their intelligence. In the corner of his eye he noticed Potter walking towards him and he just patted his pocket knowing that Potter couldn't do a thing.

"Where is it?!" Harry demanded.

"What?" said Malfoy in the most innocent voice he could manage.

"The Golden Snitch. I know you have it and seeing as though your 'friends' aren't here, I'm taking it back!" Potter yelled.

"Touchy, touchy! All right I've got it right here." Malfoy said in a tone that promoted a feeling of finger nails on a black board. He pulled the ever struggling Snitch out of his pocket.

The snitch suddenly broke free. Potter tried to dive for it but Mayfoy was in his way staring dumbly at the retreating golden ball.

***

Harry ran after it, but without a broom it was useless. All he could do was watch as the Snitch vanished behind the trees of the Enchanted Forest.

For Harry knew with growing certainly, that he would have to go in after it. He decided to go now. When there was light to see by.

Just then Ginny ran up. "Harry! Dinner is in a few minutes! Come on!" Harry reluctantly let himself be dragged into the caslt, not wanting to drag Ginny into all this.

***

As Harry waited for Ron to fall asleep, he thought again on his decision to leave him and Hermione behind. It was pointless to get them involved too. He was probably only going to get himself expelled. He remembered his earlier talk with Hermione.

***

"Harry! let us help you! We are your friends. Do you think we will let you just get yourself expelled?" she had begged.

It had taken alit to make her agree not to tell Ron. Bur she hadn't said she wouldn't do anything herself.

***

Harry waited until Ron was soundly asleep in his four poster bed to slip out of the common room hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak and his broom clutched tightly in his hand. As he sneaked through the darkness he saw Hermione asleep in one of the cushy armchairs, probably waiting up to prevent him from going. He walked in the shadows through the still school. It was so quiet that he could hear himself breathing as he slipped out of the school and outside. The night was somber and windy as Harry ran into the forest. He got out his wand and whispered "Lumos."

The trees cast weird shadows as he proceeded deeper and deeper through the wild and eerie forest. He thought he saw a glimpse of gold far ahead and followed in that direction, the scenery became strangely familiar. He gasped when he saw millions of spiders all going in the same direction. He felt a sudden jolt of fear spreading through his body, even beneath his Invisibility Cloak the spiders could smell him. His heart beat even faster when he felt something on his back and the next second the cloak fell away. Panic-stricken he dropped his wand, he's heart jumped in his throat and he lay motionless surrounded by giant spiders.

Harry felt something warm on his skin and he squinted as rays of sunshine fell on his eyes. He opened them carefully afraid of what he might see. Everything was blurred but he established that it was morning and he was still in the forest and that someone was staring down at him.

He saw a pair of sapphire eyes upon a fair face and accompanied by ash blonde hair that's exactly how he saw the creature, one detail at a time. He's head hurt tremendously and everything was going in slow motion but the creature was a human female and to add to that devastatingly beautiful. Yet she looked like she lived in the forest her entire life; her face and hair dirty, her clothes were an amazing contraption made out of leafs and would hardly be called proper attire. The girl brushed away Harry's hair then like electrified she jumped back and disappeared through the thick set of trees. Harry lay there replaying the blurred image of the girl. Was she real or was he delirious? More importantly how did he escape from the spiders?

As the sun started to set Harry granted and slowly got to his knees. There before him lay a cup made out of leafs containing water and there beside it in hollow wooden bark was a thick white mixture. Harry touched the place where he's head was throbbing and on his fingers was blood and the mixture. Did the girl try to cure him? It was too much, he lifted himself onto his feet and slowly, stumbling along the way, he walked to the castle.

Just when he thought he might collapse again he wondered out of the forest and there before him lay Hogwarts. He groaned in disbelief when he saw Professor Snape waiting for him in the Great Hall. "Did you find the Snitch, Potter?" Snape asked a great smirk upon his face.

The Snitch! Harry completely forgot about it and now it was too late. "No, sir," he said meekly.

Snape couldn't contain his joy at actually finding something to suspend Harry for. "It's my displeasure to tell you that from further on you're here by suspended from Hogwarts until further notice. You may go and pack your bags."

Harry felt something inside his pocket, he reached in and pulled out the Golden Snitch and handed it to the now shacking hand of Snape. "Well, you won't be suspended but all of Gryffindor's points will be removed. Maybe you should head on to the Hospital Wing now you seem to be bleeding. And, oh yes, Potter, I'm very disappointed in you," Snape said shacking his long thin finger at Harry before vanishing to the dungeons.

***

Albus Dumbledore flew a few times around the town where his sister Harriet had lived, where he thought she still did. HE dropped in front of her house an d walked up to the door.

DING DONG

"Hello?" A young man answered.

"I'm looking for a woman named Astrid Dumbledore. Does she live here?" Dumbledore asked, wondering if he was looking at his brother in law. No, it would have to be his nephew if they were related at all.

"Astrid? That is the name of the woman who used to live here. I think her last name was... cripes. I can't remember." he scratched his head, " Oh yeah, her name was Astrid Malfoy."

***
Harry ventured into the relatively clear Hospital Wing. "Goodness boy! What happened to you? Harry Harry! Oh great goodness he passed out. Must have lost too much blood. Got get him to bed." Madame Pomfrey preformed a simple weightlessness charm on Harry and transported him to bed.

Harry came around to see Hermione sitting on the edge of his bed. She had an I-told-you-so look on her face but Harry chose to ignore it. "Harry, thank goodness. When I heard you were in the Hospital Wing! Well I knew you didn't listen to me."

" Is everybody pissed at me?" Harry asked cautiously. " No, no. Mc Gonagall didn't let take away all the points," Hermione said in a reassuring voice.

"Good. Where's Ron?" Harry asked, looking around the Wing, still slightly dazed. "He's watching Ginny try out for the Quidditch team. Today is the day, you know. I'm meeting him there later," was Hermione's reply.

Harry eyed her curiously. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better Harry." She gave him a hug and got up from his bed. As she was living he noticed that she had put her hair up and was wearing something that looked suspiciously like make up, only it couldn't be 'cause Hermione never wears make up.

Harry shook his head. He couldn't believe he was missing the Quidditch tryouts. It would've been amusing watching Ginny fly a broom.

Speaking of Ginny, she was the next person to visit Harry. She had a looked ecstatic, and she had an amazing glow about her. Something that Harry had never noticed before. "Harry! You'll never guess what happened! The two of the best things happened to me today! First of all I made the Quidditch team! Secondly, I got a date!"

Harry was completely blown away by both things and felt a kind of jolt when he heard the second one. "Congrats! With whom?" He managed to say.

"With Seamus Finnigan. I'm so happy!" She twirled in circles, until dazed and set down on Harry's bed. It was one of those moments, the sun shone at a perfect angle the birds where chirping outside and the Singing Dandelions where being repotted in Herbeology. He saw Ginny at a whole different level, not as a little girl, but as a beautiful young woman. He gazed at her then he remembered that she was with Seamus now. He felt a new kind of pain, not the one he was feeling in his head but the one in he's heart. Suddenly Ginny got up, told Harry to get better and left the room.

***
After having stared dumbly at the man in the door, he shook his head violently and left. 'oh Fudge is going to hear about this one!' And with that Dumbledore took off for the Ministry of magic.

After pushing the old broom to it's limits he finally came to the Magic Ministry building, he tucked his broom under his arm and went inside.

He walked up to the main desk and demanded to see Fudge immediately. The secretary complied, not wanting to end up a toad and called Cornelious Fudge, Minister of Magic.

"Fudge! Why didn't you tell me! My own sister!" He roared, having found an outlet for his anguish and anger.

"Astrid? You mean her unusual marriage? Or the fact that she died thirteen years ago?" Fudge stammered.

" She died!? How!? Why was I not told any of this?" Dumbledore yelled.

" You weren't on the nicest terms with her before she died, so it was not deemed necessary that you know. Shall we go into my office?" Fudge asked, still a little uneasy about being with the maddest wizard in England.

They walked into Fudge's office and after being convinced to sit down, Dumbledore hit Fudge with a new barrage of questions.

"did they have any children? Is Draco Malfoy my nephew?" Dumbledore asked calming down. "How did she die?"

"Well, the major suspect at the time was Voldemort. But evidence showed that she ran for a quite large distance before being killed. Another suspect was Malfoy himself. As to the answer to your first question, they had twins. Draco, and a girl who didn't yet have a name. The girl disappeared around the same time her mother died. Many thought that Lucius killed the baby." Fudge answered.

"Where did she die?" he whispered, almost afraid of the answer.

"The Forbidden Forest." Fudge answered solemnly.
***
She too had had the moment. It was most un(yes or no?)fortunate for her to meet Fred and George on her way.

"We heard you got a date with Seamus. Way to go Ginny! Too bad for Potter, he finally started to come around," George said, as both of them did there best not to crack up at the expression Ginny's face.

"Really?" She asked holding her breath. "Yes, well it's too late now. Poor Potter," Fred replied and they sniggering once Ginny was out of earshot.

She ran back to the Hospital Wing and rashes in. "I know how you feel about me Harry and I feel the same way. I don't really like Seamus, it's you I like."

Harry stared at her, how could she have found out so quickly? He had just found out himself. Yet, he took her hand in to his and they sat there for awhile just staring into each other's eyes, until Madame Pomfrey shoed Ginny out. Only one thing diminuend his happiness, the blurred memory of the girl with the sapphire eyes.

***


As Dumbledore left the Ministry of Magic he thought about what to do next. The last bit of his family was gone.

Dumbledore decided to go talk to Lucius Malfoy. Right now. Oh, he hadn't been on the best of terms with his sister, but what had compelled her to marry Malfoy? Could it have been to spite him? He hoped not. Because then if the one who killed her was Malfoy, it was partly his fault.

Then with out warning he was in the wizarding village in Scotland where Malfoy lives. He didn't even bother to ring the door bell as he entered the mansion.

Dumbledore yelled as he entered the mansion," Malfoy! Get down here! This is Dumbledore and we are going to have a little talk about my sister!"

Malfoy walked, elegantly composed, down the stairs. As he reached the bottom he said calmly, with a voice dripping with remorse," You mean my dear late wife Astrid?What a shame she was killed with our baby girl. Near Hogwarts too I'm told."

" I also heard that you were a major suspect in the investigation! What ever compelled you to marry my younger sister? At school you hated each other!" Dumbledore shouted, the tone of his voice getting louder with every word until he was screaming in
Malfoy's face. " You not only married my sister without even telling me, But you also never told me that I had a niece and nephew, that I still have a nephew!"

" It was not deemed necessary that you know. In her opinion, you didn't exist. Now please, leave my home." Malfoy said and pointed to the door.

At that Dumbledore left, but not without becoming even more certain that Malfoy was the one who killed his sister. He now was sure of it.

And he'd prove it too.

***

Hours after everybody had gone to bed two voices could still be heard in the Gryffindor common room. "Hermione, you're the only person I could talk to about this. When I was in the forest last night I followed a glint of gold and then I came across the same giant spiders that we saw in the second year and I guess I was so terrified I passed out" Harry whispered cautiously looking around making sure nobody else was listening.

"What giant spiders? I don't remember coming across any giant spiders in the forest, during our second year here," Hermione interrupted.

"That's because this was when you were petrified and lying in the Hospital Wing," Harry replied getting slightly impatient.

"Oh" Hermione became thoughtful for a minute and then said, "continue."

"Well, when I came around I saw this beautiful girl but then she got startled and ran. I just can't get her out of my mind!" Harry finished, frustrated with himself.

"Harry, you must've hit your head hard and were delirious. I mean what would a girl be doing in the forest, Harry? My advice is to forget about this nonsense and focus on Ginny, she told me all about 'the moment'," Hermione grinned and yawned.

"ButI guess you're right. Goodnight, Herm," Harry replied sleepily as he slowly headed towards the boys dorm.

"Goodnight, Harry."

***

Harry removed his glasses and lay beneath the covers of his four posters, but he couldn't sleep. There was a rustling sound outside.

Harry got out of bed, put on his glasses and cautiously moved towards the window; he gazed down and saw the girl with the sapphire eyes staring back up at him. He pinched himself to make sure it wasn't a dream and it wasn't. The girl climbs the tree below the window, like she had done it a million times before and they were standing face to face.

In the back of the room Neville rolled on to his other side and when Harry brings his eyes back, she was gone. The wind blew through his hair and he looked at the wild forest hoping to catch a glimpse of her. He should've looked so far, because when he removed his glasses and lay back into his bed the girl was right below his window. And later when he was asleep, she climbed the tree once again and watched him sleep until the sunrise, when she disappeared into the forest.

***

Dumbledore flew up in the clouds, now that day had come it was dangerous to ride low to the ground. Finally, after what seemed years, though he knew that it had only been a few hours, the spires of Hogwarts came into view. Dumbledore turned from the bright sight of Hogwarts a and flew towards the Forbidden Forest, it was dark, as it always was, day or night.

HE touched ground and walked towards the forest, wondering what he expected to find after thirteen years. He decided top talk to Bane, the centaur. Maybe he had seen something in the stars that night thirteen years ago.

Dumbledore whispered, "Lumos," but he was so scatter brained at the moment and wondering what he was going to do that it turned out "lubarb." instead of a steady beam of light, be found himself holding a stalk of rhubarb.

After a hour of searching, Dumbledore found Bane. As always, the centaur knew that Dumbledore was there far before Dumbledore knew that Bane was there.

"Hello Albus. I'm sorry, but the question you have come to ask me cannot be answered. The answer is too old to be known." Bane said, "The stars have shown me that."

"You don't have an answer for me? Then I guess I'll have to look somewhere else. I will not let time stop me from finding out what happened!" Dumbledore proclaimed, but with a calmness he hadn't felt in quite a while, ah, Dumbledore is back.

After Dumbledore left, another centaur came up. "Why did you not tell him?" Firenze asked. "You lied." he accused.

"No Firenze. I simply said that the answer was too old to be known. And that she is. We have grown attached, she will not fit in anywhere else."

"Yes, but you tear up his heart and mind by not telling him. And it isn't fair to the other either." Firenze argued.

"I know. But the stars have made up their mind." Bane finished.

" Have the stars made up their mind? Or have you."

***

There was a knock at Dumbledore's office door.

"Come in." Dumbledore called

Professor Mc Gonnagal walked in, " So, how did your meeting with Astrid go?" she asked conversationally.

" Astrid is dead. Before she died she married Lucius Malfoy and had twins. Malfoy and a girl who was believed to have died with Astrid. I think Lucius killed her." Dumbledore said, calmly, voice not breaking. He had regained his composure after the episode with the centaurs.

Mc Gonnagal just stared at him and then she blinked and sighed. "Who told you?"

" Cornelious Fudge. He stammered the whole time." Dumbledore answered. " So, you knew too?" he stated, knowing the answer.

" Well, yes. They never caught the killer and there were no clues. But I suppose that won't stop you from looking. Are you going to tell Draco?" Mc Gonnagol said.

" Maybe. I can't stand the thought of a Slytherin in my family though. She was so sensible,and though we didn't talk very much, I didn't think of her as the kind of person who would marry Malfoy." Dumbledore answered steadily.

" You would not believe what happened the other day," said Professor Mc Gonnagal trying to change the subject. Draco stole the Snitch and found a way to pin it on Harry. He managed to get Snape into it and Snape was only too happy to try to expel Harry. He told him to return the Snitch or he'd take away all Gryfinndor's points, and more. Harry of course comes in the next day a hair from being suspended, with the Golden Snitch in his pocket not knowing it was there. I have no clue how he got it, but it is clear he didn't steal it in the first place."

" There is another point against my nephew, I don't suppose he was punished, Draco, I mean?" Dumbledore asked.

" Of course not. Well, I have a class in ten minutes, so I must be going. I'll see you at dinner." And with that Mc Gonnagal left the office.

I'm beginning to hope that Draco never finds out, the Ministry would accuse me of favoritism.

***