Disclaimer: I do not own Harry potter, as it is the property of JKR

Author's Note: Just something I thought I'd try because there are very few fics with Centaurs in them.

Just A Little Change

Wind whipped around the trees of the forest which lay in the grounds of the Wizarding school. A rush of air rippled through the forest on the cold October evening.

Bane trotted through the forest, looking this way and that for any signs of anyhting unusual - the foals from the school were often messing around and being foolish enough to enter the forbidding forest.

Then there were the many creatures which lurked in the bushes - unsavoury, and inferior to the herd of centaurs.

' Evening Bane,' a deep male voice interrupted.

The darkhaired centaur looked to his left swiftly,' Evening Firenze,' he said, with a curt nod.

The more friendly of the two allowed himself a small smile,' I see you are keeping watch on things around here - things are dark in the human world. How long before they turn the same for us? '

' But no human would intrude upon us,' Bane countered, sounding sure of himself.

' Sometimes humans aren't the greatest of our worries,' shrugged Firenze, shaking his hair, sending dark curls flying,' Tell me; what do you think of Mercury this evening? '

Bane allowed his gaze to wander up to the skies. He narrowed his brown orbs at what he saw, and frowned. ' Unusually bright,' was his reply,' Mercury is not usually so visible. '

' And Neptune? '

Bane continued to frown in disapproval at the skies,' Neptune is usually much further to the left. When Mercury and Neptune are out of place, it means bad things. '

Firenze shrugged,' Not quite. It means change. '

' Isn't that the same? '

Firenze provided no answer, only looking Bane up and down, before turning on his hoof and leaving.

Bane had soon forgotten the meeting, and went off a-wandering again. He stopped when he came to the clearing where some of the herd were gathered. Ronan, Magorian, and her.

Latibe was a new addition to the herd - having only being there a week - and quite frankly Bane wanted nothing to do with her. She was an outsider, and had no business in their forest. There were no other female centaurs in the forest - why should she be there, just because Ronan had felt pity for her?

' Still here? ' Bane asked her, rather rudely.

She rolled her blue eyes and looked up at him,' Still rude and oboxious? ' she asked.

Ronan laughed,' Now, now - there is no need for such arguments. We must live in harmony if we are to continue to live here as a herd.'

' We were discussing Neptune and Mercury,' Magorian informed Bane, looking up at the skies,' they are both odd tonight. '

Bane nodded,' Change is coming. I do not like change. '

' Change can be good,' Latibe said softly, her blonde hair whipping across her face in the wind.

' Change brings with it unfamiliar feelings, which can only lead to bad things,' Bane corrected her, tone serious.

' Are you always so pessimistic? ' the female asked him.

It was Ronan who laughed and said,' Always. '

Ronan and Magorian conducted the bulk of the conversation until they left, leaving Latibe and Bane alone.

Bane cleared his throat,' Have you any plans to move on? '

' No,' she replied cooly,' I quite like it around here. For the most part, people are friendly, and I feel rather safe. I think I will be sticking around here. '

' You do not belong here,' Bane told her.

She shrugged,' I'm sure I will get used to it. I have never belonged anywhere in particular. Never in my parents eyes, or my family's, or our herds. Or the next, or the next. Female Centaurs are treated as far inferior to males, as you well know. '

Bane raised one eyebrow,' You insinuate that I treat females as inferiors? '

Latibe did not answer.

' I do not think of you as inferior,' he mumbled.

' You have a strange way of treating me, that is for sure,' she replied, narrowing her eyes, which he noticed for the first time were a vivid blue in the moonlight.

' I am hostile because having a female around means the rest of us must protect. Protection is an important job, and one which carries a lot of responsibility.'

' I do not ask that you protect me,' she replied, wondering what was going through his mind,' only that you allow me to live in harmony with you all. I have never had much protection from those who I associate with, so it will make no difference.'

Bane narrowed his own eyes and tilted his head slightly to one side as she spoke. He saw the pain reflected in those vivid eyes, and couldn't help but ask himself what she had been through to make her so hardened.

' Never? ' he asked her,' but you are a female. You should not have been through things in your life without someone there to look out for you.'

' I suppose that's just the way things go,' Latibe answered, looking away from him.

Bane frowned and reached out one hand, thumb and forefinger under her chin and tilting her head up so that once more did she met his eyes.

' You have me now, little one,' he said.

And there was the change that Mercury and Neptune had forseen - the day that Bane became more tolerant and open.