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Jolene (Jo) Zocchi P.O.V.

Chapter 4

"Alright then, follow me." I love Hagrid's voice. I love everything right now- I've been waiting for this for two weeks. Detention in the Dark Forest with Cas and the Weasleys. It's the first time the four of us have gotten to just hang out together since sorting.

The past two weeks getting myself used to Hogwarts have been great. Me, Cas, and the twins have some classes together. I started flying lessons- that has to be my favorite part of school. It's the first steps towards Quidditch, but apparently I have to wait until like third year before I can actually try out for the Gryffindor team.

George and Fred feel the same way as me- they both want to play Quidditch third year. In another life they would have been beaters together… Cas likes flying well enough, but she could never actually play Quidditch and she knows it. She's about as thin and breakable as a broomstick.

"So what are we actually doing here? I mean- I get this is detention and all, but what's the point? To scare us?" That's Cas-always the unintentional sass master. Actually, there's a pretty solid chance it is intentional. Hagrid gives her a look and signals for us all to stop walking. I haven't actually been paying much attention, but we're deep into the Dark Forest now. Hagrid tells us that he'll be splitting the four of us into pairs, and that it'll be our job to go look for some plant or another that he needs.

I stop paying attention and whisper to Cas about how I might try to be a beater third year. The twins are off shoving each other into trees, playful as ever. Their being in separate houses has apparently put a strain on the Weasley family as a whole, but the twins themselves seem relatively unchanged.

A hand falls on my shoulder- a big hand. Hagrid informs me and Cas that we'll be split up- me with George and Cas with Fred. I guess Hagrid thinks me and Fred are the trouble makers, after the boat incident, and that we should be kept apart from the people we seem closest to. That logic is absolutely fine by me. So Hagrid and the Slytherins go off, leaving me and George alone.

"TAG!" George punches my shoulder and run off. I'm stunned for a second, but quickly recover and start laughing as I chase him around. The woods keep getting darker and thicker and I can't see George anymore. I hear a tree branch snap and I run towards it- right into a giant, fuzzy-looking rock. I fall on my back and look up at what I hit.

"What is your purpose here, witch?"

It takes a second for me to register that no, a rock is not talking to me. Because it is not a rock that I ran into. It is a centaur. And I can tell by his angry gaze that he doesn't find my gaping stare amusing, or an appropriate apology.

"I-I'm so sorry, mister centaur- sir." He loosens up a bit at this, and he lets his guard down just enough to give me an amused stare, instead of a threatening one. He looks past me, and I twist my neck only to see another centaur. I jump up and brush myself off.

"Why is a witch here? What is your purpose?" the second asks me.

"Well, I'm here for dete-Hagrid. I'm here helping Hagrid. That's all." They look at each other, both amused in a way that scares me a little. I open my mouth to say something, anything to break the silence and get me away from them- when a battle cry rings out and George drops from a tree- right on to the first centaur's back.

I just stare, shocked, as the centaur tries to buck George off, but he has a solid grip around the torso. Both George and the centaur are screaming and yelling. And it looks fun. It looks very fun. Enough fun for me- in the midst of the chaos- to grab the second centaur's mane and hoist myself onto his back to a symphony of shrieks. My centaur tries to throw me, but my nails are dug deep into his...waist? I don't know exactly, I'm too busy focusing on hanging on for dear life. I can hear myself laughing like an idiot. Probably because I am an idiot, but hey, it's much more fun this way.

Finally both centaurs stop bucking and the four of us catch our breath. George is smiling at me- he's proud of both of us, but there's something else. Mischief. And then I understand his unspoken message.

"THREETWOONEGO!" he shouts, and we both try to kick our centaurs into running (technically, racing). They do not oblige. Instead, George's centaur approaches me and plucks me from my perch. His arms are strong enough that I can't wriggle out, as hard as I try. My centaur reciprocates the favor, wrangling George into his arms.

"Jo?! JO! What are you doing?" Cas and Fred and Hagrid come from out of nowhere, Cas staring aghast and Hagrid stammering apologies to the centaurs. We are taken from the Dark Forest and informed that George and I "are in big trouble". I don't actually believe Hagrid's threat, considering that we were already in detention. What else can they do?

Apparently nothing. George and I are to return to Hagrid's hut in a week's time for another detention. The two of us share a glance. Cas rolls her eyes at me, realizing that this is not a punishment. It's a playdate. I wink at her- I love playdates.