*Next week I may not update because of midterms so... yeah. Sorry.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter (nor - eventually - Transformers), I just like using the characters to cure my boredom. This applies to every following chapter and any quotes you can recognize from the Harry Potter books or movie (though I've tried to paraphrase.)
"Speaking"
*twin speak*
Chapter 4 : The Magic Forest
Harry was right about the twins attempting to find out what it was that would cause a 'most painful death.' The very next day, in between classes, the two had tried to open the door (locked by a spell) only for Filch to creep by and haul them to his office. The next three times, they got away.
The fifth time they attempted to break in, they waited until after curfew before going out and taking the aptly named Marauders' Map with them to avoid Hogwarts patrols. When asked why they didn't do this the first time, Fred pointed out that by getting caught, they lulled the professors into a sense of security so when they did get in, the blame shifted off them because they would continue 'failing' to get in. It had worked a few times before in their previous two years so they were only known as mildly and unsuccessfully mischievous (they learned it was safer to avoid their mother's howlers after "accidentally" setting off a firecracker in Percival's bed.)
Aside from that, Harry was certain he had enough evidence to prove thrice over that Hogwarts was, in fact, not the best place to learn magic.
First off, the History of Magic Teacher was a ghost of all things. A droning voice reciting a textbook word for word and a class syllabus that likely hadn't changed for generations were not keys to having a successful class. If he had to guess, over half the year would either barely pass or fail altogether.
Then there was the "cursed" Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Having the memory of 8 stutters per sentence for over an hour was almost painful. Didn't wizards have some sort of therapy for speech disorders?
Of course, the worst of all ended up being at the end of the week in the one class where explosions were a norm. Not that he hated the loud bursts of sound; Fred and especially George's tinkering with technology had desensitized him to the point that he could stay calm after nearly being flattened by a falling wall (though the two had very nearly dragged him to a hospital after that particular incident.)
"Potter! Are you listening to me?"
"Yes, Professor. But - "
"10 points for talking back! Tell me, what potion would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Harry stared flatly at the greasy-haired, glaring professor. "Draught of Living Death which we don't learn until 3rd year, sir."
The man's mouth snapped shut from where he had likely planned to correct him. "Don't give me any cheek, Potter. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
2nd year. "In the stomach of a goat; used as an antitoxin against poisons such as arsenic."
"What is the difference between wolfsbane and monkshood?"
3rd year again. "Nothing, unless you count their names which there are quite a few of, including aconite."
Instead of turning red or purple like Vernon did when angry, the potions professor seemed to lose his color altogether. A moment passed where green eyes met black. Just as abruptly, it was gone and Snape returned his attention to the room.
"Well? Are none of you writing this down?!"
The rest of the class passed with death glares and one melted cauldron courtesy of a brown haired hufflepuff girl.
A Cerberus.
Out of all the things to keep locked up in a children's boarding school, Albus too many names Dumbledore decided on a three-headed, 20 foot tall hell hound.
Sure, when he went through the week long scheme to get into the forbidden corridor, he and George were both expecting something big, but a man-eating beast locked in a classroom with a basic unlocking charm that any 2nd or even a determined 1st year could undue? If that wasn't suspicious, he didn't know what was.
And Cerberus' were highly sought after guards for important artifacts, one of which there was, apparently, in the school if the large trap door under its paw was any indication. Considering the mysterious theft at Gringotts not long before the start of term and Hagrid coincidentally taking Harry to the same vault the day before... Yeah, that's not suspiciousor anything.
But, of course, Harry and George listened, acknowledged, and then promptly went off to find a way to pet the giant puppy. This led them to eating rock cakes in Hagrid's hut, listening to how long it took to find a young cerberus and how Fluffy was such a cute little pup... Fluffy?
"You named a cerberus Fluffy?"
The wild beard twitched, beady black eyes sparkling with happiness. "Yea, 'e's such a sweet 'art. Ah! Now, before ye' say anythin', cerberus' actually 'ave very sof' coats of fur. More n' any animal ah've known."
"Can we pet him?" Harry interrupted, green eyes nearly glowing at the chance of touching a living 'legend.' And before Fred could object, Hagrid was beaming at his kindred spirit and standing up.
"O' course! Fluffy'll love company; 'e don' like being by hisself all day. Uh, just don' tell th' Professors 'bout it, yea?"
"Our lips are sealed!" *Come one, come all, to the Magical Petting Zoo!*
*Shut up, George*
It only took a few minutes to reach the 3rd corridor; one quick alohamora from Hagrid's umbrella and they were standing in front of... Fluffy, who wasn't growling and actually looked rather excited at seeing his "mummy." Then Hagrid started humming a Weird Sisters song.
Even George looked a bit confused, though Harry seemed content with watching the large canine slobber. "Uh, Hagrid. Why are you humming? Has the song been stuck in your head?"
The large man broke from his song, his eyebrows hidden by his hair. "Oh, I didn' say? Fluffy jus' loves music. 'Few notes and 'e calms right down. Ah, come on, 'Arry. Hold out yer hand n' let 'im sniff it. Yea, like that." And then Harry was alternately petting the three heads, with George quickly following. Hagrid had to nudge Fred a bit (if 5 feet was 'a bit'), but soon the three were happily acquainted with the school cerberus, the right most head taking a liking to having Harry scratch his ear.
Eventually, Harry offhandedly asked the question Fred had had in mind, if a bit more sympathetic. "Why is Fluffy cooped up in such a small room anyway? Can he exercise like this?"
Hagrid seemed to shrink in on himself, eyes drifting to the happily panting canine and how its heads nearly touched the ceiling. His inner debate was visible on his face before something won out.
"P... Professor Dumbledore needs 'im here is all. 'S only for the year. After 'at I'm bringin' him out with me to a reserve so 'e can run all 'e wants. No more bein' all cramped like, right, Fluffy? I said I'm sorry to yeh. Ain't no harm'll come to 'im, Dumbledore promised 'at, he did."
The trio stayed quiet, absently petting the giant pup's coat as they let the games keeper have a moment to pull himself together.
*Something in need of being guarded for just one year?*
*Theories later, comfort now.*
After a few months at Hogwarts, Harry had adapted the attitude of going with the flow. That didn't mean he was a mindless sheep, of course; he just decided not to panic when something went wrong (Fluffy didn't count since he really was a sweetheart as long as you hummed a few bars.) And Professor Snape was a lot less irritating when you made a game out of his reactions: 5 points if you cause him to glare at you, 10 if you can get house points taken for either talking or staring, 20 if you can make him pale, and 25 if you can somehow make him look stupid. Harry had won 50 points in that first class.
History of Magic became an experiment on whether a ghost could lose their temper. Asking "why" tended to get the closest thing to anger he had seen: 20 points if you can get a frown!
Then there was All Hallows Eve, modernly known as Halloween. Dressing up and eating candy was not a wizarding tradition so he couldn't go around in costume, oh no. Wizards prefered having trolls breaking into the school grounds. Poor fellow must have gotten quite lost to pass through the school's unbreakable wards.
For the twins, Halloween was also known as D-Day, the D standing for Dursley. Despite agreeing to stay quiet about his, ah, homelife, the two older boys had made a tradition of scaring Harry's relatives into being more... gracious in their treatment. He hadn't needed to stay locked in the cupboard after that first incident and had dreamed of purple cars and beachballs in trees while sleeping in the old toy room.
Hagrid turned out to be a very informative friend, if a bit oblivious. Fluffy was just the start; and he really did appreciate being allowed to visit the large canine. A little coaxing and expressing interest even vaguely had quickly led to conversations on magical creatures and the Forbidden Forest (with capitals.) As rumors told, there was a colony of centaurs, half-man/ half-horse people, that have lived there for generations. A patriarchal colony of giant car and house-sized spiders called Acromantula lived there as well, descending from Hagrid's old pet Aragog. And Unicorns. A herd of pure white, beautiful unicorns that Hagrid said came out to graze during the new moon. He needed to go in there.
So here he was; holiday break, 11 days before Christmas and having a stare down with Fred. Unlike Harry's 'go with the flow' and George's 'may as well have fun', Fred had taken on the attitude of an incredulous parent. Regardless of how hilarious it was to watch Fred sputter at the idea of dropping by to say 'hello' to an angry troll, Harry really wanted to go see the forest and Fred and George had gone and explored it in their first year.
"Yes, but we went in barely past the edge and we didn't intend to have a conversation with man eating creatures!"
"Centaurs don't eat humans."
"No, they don't. That doesn't mean they'll be right enthused to speak with you since, I don't know, wizards have been stealing their territory for the past 300 years!"
"But Hagrid said this one called Firenze is friendly and he's even interested in speaking with a wizard. I could ask all sorts of questions - "
" - Hagrid also mentioned Aragog. Are you going to try and have a chat with him too?"
"Maybe." It wasn't said with any conviction, but Harry's doeful green eyes did wonders on Fred's resolve. George noticed immediately and sidled up to him.
"Come on, Freddie. 'S not like he'll be all by his lonesome, us experienced wand users will be there. We can even use your paranoia as a warning for danger."
Fred rolled his eyes, ruefully shaking his head. "I know I'm going to regret this."
Midnight saturday, with a promise to be back inside by dawn, the three found themselves wandering into the forest with only the moon as their guide. Fred took lead of the exploration team, having Harry walk between him and George.
The Forbidden Forest was one of the largest magical forests in Europe in both size and the number of magical creatures living there. Most of the trees were hundreds of years old with some even rumored to be Dryads, tree nymphs. And they were tall, some reaching almost 15 meters high. Though beautiful, it was also frightening; the moonlight barely leaking through the branches, shadows splayed across one another, and the wind whispering around them.
Harry loved it.
He knew that he would remember every single moment of every day for the rest of his life. He had come to terms with the fact that both good and bad memories were stuck with him. So he mapped the shadows and the ghosts of light, the sound of dirt and leaves beneath his feet, the eager eyes of George, and the protective posture of Fred. If he must remember all of the bad, he wanted to recall even more of the good.
"Quiet!"
The three froze, Fred's hand lifted as his eyes scanned the surrounding trees. A quiet thump thump thump was steadily growing closer and closer...
"What are you doing in these woods so late in the night, Foalings?" The words were spoken softly and slowly as the owner of the deep bass voice stepped out of the shrubbery.
It was a Centaur, a fairly young one at that. Piercing blue eyes gazed down at the three huddled children as he trotted from out of the shadows. His hair was long and ghostly blonde, the coat of his lower half just a few shades darker. There was no threat or urgency in his movements, just a quiet curiosity beneath a serene patience. He moved no closer when Fred subtly shielded his brothers with his own bulk(which wasn't much.)
"You have no reason to fear me. I will not harm a child, be it centaur or human."
A silence, not awkward but not comfortable, settled over the four as they studied eachother. Shifting a bit, Harry stepped forward, a small smile tugging on his lips as he tried to contain himself.
"Hullo. My name's Harry... I've never met a centaur before." Even as he watched the man tilt his head, Harry could feel the exasperated smile on George's face.
"The Potter child... and two moons." The centaur paused as if listening before turning around with a nod of his head. "You should not be out alone. I will take you back to the castle."
"What's your name?" There was no pause this time and the children jogged to catch up with the man.
"I am called Firenze." Harry smiled.
"So you know Hagrid, then. Can I ask you something?"
A vague smile appeared on the calm face. "I believe you just did so."
Fred stared. "Did you just make a joke?" George grinned, hands on his hips.
"What? Didja think he wouldn't have a sense of humor?"
"George."
Harry gave Firenze a lazy shrug as the twins bickered. "They get like that. Anyway, I read that your people were very in-tune with magic. Is that why you can predict things? I read it was called stargazing, but the book was written by a wizard, so I doubt it was very accurate."
"She whispers."
Harry blinked. "She?"
But Firenze did not answer. Harry waited as they walked closer to the castle, Fred and George coming to stand on either side of him. It was just as the towers could be seen through the branches that the centaur spoke once again.
"The advantage of having two faces is that one may look upon where they have been and where they will be. But you cannot change where you have been, and you will not always know where you will be. However..." Firenze stopped just before the forest's end, blue eyes looking up into the cloudless sky. At the stars. "Many doors will open when it is time for them to do so."
"Firenze!"
The three students dropped to the ground, easily hidden by the shrubbery. Peering out through the leaves, they let out a relieved breath.
In all his clumsy, sincere glory was Hagrid. The half giant had a crossbow clutched in his large palm, taking deep breaths to regain the air he had lost from running.
Firenze nodded to him. "Hagrid."
"S good t' see ya. Ah, things've been actin' a might strange lately, ain't they? Don' s'pose ya seen anythin' odd 'round the forest?" Beady black eyes glanced suspiciously into the shadowed wood.
Harry raised a brow when that same vague smile graced the centaur's lips, blonde head lifted skyward once more. "Mars is bright tonight."
Hagrid appeared exhausted by the answer. "As I've 'eard." Shaking his shaggy head, Hagrid turned back to where he came from. "If ya do see somethin' odd, tell me, yea? G'night, Firenze."
A moment passed as the gameskeeper left their sight and the students stood up, Firenze already turning into the forest.
"Do not go into the forest alone anymore. It is not safe for you here."
"Do you know what Hagrid meant by 'strange'?" The man paused, but did not look back, did not see the three pairs of eyes scrutinizing him.
"You will know. Soon. It will not matter if I were to tell you now. You will not be harmed."
And he was gone.
George screwed up his face and shrugged, twirling to the two equally confused preteens with a grin. "Well! That was informative."
Author's Notes(long today)
No, I didn't forget Hermione. I made a few hints, but to say it bluntly, there are no more muggleborns under age 12. In my head, Magic/Fate has to choose to give her gift to muggleborns at around age 2 or 3. Though she is killing off the wizards, that doesn't mean she wants to destroy life, so she stopped distributing her gift and only let those with magical parents to continue to have magical children due to their genetics.
Also, with Draco's use of the Alohamora spell; the slow siphoning of magical power from witches and wizards (which I briefly glanced over in chapter 1) causes them to be weaker, so purebloods counteract it by teaching their children earlier and more extensively so as not to appear weak.
*PS For the Fluffy moment, I once read a crack-y fic whose name I can't remember and hadn't been updated in a while. The plot was that on the train ride to school, Harry prevented Draco and Ron's name calling by talking about how muggle celebrities became insane. In the two purebloods' logic Harry was raised by muggles and was famous in the wizarding world, therefore, he would become insane if he found out about his fame. Anyway, Harry ends up treating Fluffy like a pet at one point and tries to train him with Hagrid's permission and I thought it was funny, so: Ta Da!
If you are the author, tell me and I will give credit.
