*Note: Yes I'm going somewhere with this story. It won't be the average dark hit it and quit it. I've formed some ideas and hopefully will whip up something interesting and finish this off.

Lavender's vision came to again and the first thing she heard was the whimpering of a large dog. Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Oh thank Merlin..." It was Hagrid's voice. She was in Hagrid's hut. As her nerves awoke and her senses returned to her body, she soon figured out that she was on a large bed. She slowly sat up and saw Hagrid return to her side with a pan filled with water and a rag. He patted it on her legs where there was still blood. She guessed he cleaned her off when she was still out. But how did she get here? Did Hagrid know what happened?

"Ya had me scared to death, girl. What on earth were ya doin' out in the forest?! You coulda been fresh meat for any creature out there!" He tried not to yell too loud, but was clearly distressed. Lavender didn't really know where to start..

"Did..did you find me?"

"No. A good centaur dropped ya off. I had been grinding up some pork meat and getting it ready for the class tomorrow when there was a knock on my door. I opened it and there stood a large centaur with your body draped over his back. He says he heard screaming in the forest and went to investigate. Then found ya knocked out. Glad 'e did the right thing..." A centaur? Certainly it wasn't..no it couldn't have been. Did the other centaur abandon her and another find her?

"And ye still haven't answered my question. What the boggart were ya doin' in the damned forest? I need an explanation for the head master.." Lavender nearly jumped.

"The head master knows?!"

"No, not yet. But he's about to. And please, answer me.." Lavender didn't want to confess that she had taken a potion illegally and ran into the woods..

"I..I was just taken an evening walk is all. I think I was charmed." Hagrid didn't look up at her. He kept wringing out the rag he had used on her and washing the pan.

"Ya took a walk? In your gown?" Lavender looked at herself. She had her robe on, yet it was a bit torn, along with her gown. Even with her robe, it would be highly inappropriate to take a walk. She was stumped.

"Ya don't have to lie to me, Lavender, I'm just trying to help." Well now he knew well she was hiding something but she still didn't want to explain just yet.

"I'm afraid I'll get into a lot of trouble..even if I tell you.." She heard Hagrid chuckle after this.

"If there's one thing ya must know about me, it's that ya can tell me anything. I assure ya I've known many secrets that students would tell me, many being highly against the rules, but I will say, I have never reported any of them. But I DID help them.." Hagrid had a point. He was very kind and trusting..

"I took a potion that my friend brewed for me..to make me..happy I guess. And..things just went wrong."

"Did ya have permission?" Hagrid asked.

"No. Even Snape caught me before I could take the first bottle." For a second, Lavender thought she saw Hagrid shutter a bit when she mentioned Snape.

"But I had another that I took. I was in the bathroom that's abandoned..and it worked but..it worked too much. It's like I was under some strong charm or drug.." Snape's words of warning echoed in Lavender's mind as if to mock her, but she ignored them.

"How strong was it? Ya couldn't snap out of it?" Hagrid asked.

"Noo...I broke and climbed through one of the windows. I even cut myself on it and didn't feel a thing until everything wore off.."

"Well that explains the blood.." Hagrid mumbled.

"Yes..it does." Lavender answered. Though the crimson on her inner thighs were from a different reason, but Hagrid didn't need to know. Hagrid stayed quiet and it made the girl paranoid.

"You aren't going to tell the head master, are you?! Please don't!" Hagrid remained calm despite the panic in Lavender as she begged him not to say a word.

"I won't. But..ya have to come up with some sort of explanation. It's too strange for a student to have been found in the forest nearly beaten up." He was right and Lavender knew this.

"We...I can say that I was charmed is all." She thought of a plan, preparing herself as Hagrid sent an owl of emergency to the castle.

"Ya can say whatever ya think of, my dear. But ya have to think fast. Dumbledore and the nurse will be here in seconds to get ya. But..I have to know..you're okay are ya? Please, no one threatened or touched ya in the forest? It was all just a clumsy mistake..and close call?" Hagrid turned to look at Lavender with strong concern.

"I'm fine, Hagrid. I just made a stupid mistake. Nothing out there touched me." Hagrid nodded in understanding and cleaned around the door, preparing for more company.

"One more thing, Hagrid..what did the centaur look like? The one that brought me here?" Hagrid took a moment to reply, having to think back.

"Eh..like I said, he was a nice chunk of horse flesh. A unique color too. Haven't seen one like that in ages. He had a dark grey coat with a black stripe going down 'is back. But he DID look very concerned for ya. He told me to get ya taken care of immediately." As soon as Hagrid finished these words, there was an aggressive knock on the door and before Hagrid could open it all the way, Pomfrey bursted in, calling to Lavender. Dumbledore calmly walked in.

"Good heavens, dear! Are you alright?! What happened?" She inspected the wounds on Lavender and almost became hysteric.

"Miss Brown, tell me what happened to you! Who did this to you?!"

"I...I was ..." Before Lavender could tell her story, Dumbledore lifted his hand to silence.

"Pomfrey, dear, we need to get the child to care. Let her rest for now. Then she can tell us her story." He gave a warm smile to Lavender, clearly knowing that the girl wasn't in danger and didn't need coddling. Lavender sat up to follow the adults, still stunned and speechless about the centaur bringing her here and actually being concerned for her..