Chapter Eleven

Forbidden Forest

Briar frowned as she watched Filch drag Harry and Hermione off to Minnie's office, knowing that was where they were heading from experience. She considered taking off the invisibility cloak and sharing the blame, but she figured there was no point in Gryffindor losing more points than it had too so quickly made her way up to Gryffindor tower annoyed at herself for not bringing the Marauder's map that her Uncle Moony gifted her with.

Briar tried to wait up for Harry and Hermione to come back and was surprised when a crying Neville was accompanying them.

"What happened?" Briar asked as soon as Neville stumbled off to bed. "you forgot our cloak and once I got down their Filch had already caught you" she added, holding up their cloak.

"He took us straight to McGonagall" Harry said sadly and Briar glanced at Hermione, but the girl was looking down at her hands giving the occasional sniffle "You know how Malfoy tried to rat us out about the Dragon?"

Briar nodded, not quite sure where her brother was going with that.

"Well, Neville overheard Malfoy saying he was going to catch us about the dragon so tried to warn us, but McGonagall caught him too. She obviously didn't believe we had a dragon so she thought that we had told them both as a joke. Now we all a have a detention and fifty points taken off of us" Harry continued.

"Fifty?" Briar gasped at the harshness, she and the twins had never lost that many points, at least not in one go.

"Each" Hermione finally spoke.

Briar's eyes widened in shock and she stared at them in horror. This would put Gryffindor in last place for the cup, they would never be able to catch up now. Briar's eyes narrowed when she realised that this was all Malfoy's fault, she was going to prank him into next week.

Briar barely slept that night, kept up by Hermione sobbing in her pillow for what seemed like hours. She knew Hermione hated getting in trouble and this was the worst trouble she had known anyone get into short of being expelled.

She briefly wondered what the rest of Gryffindor house was going to think when they found out who had lost all the points. She knew that it wasn't her brother and friends who had lost them, she would have been extremely angry.

At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, them and a couple of other stupid first years.

From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school next to Briar and the twins, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Briar had taken to hexing anyone who did that, but she could only get away with it so many times not wanting to lose Gryffindor any more points.

However, not wanting to lose points didn't overrule the need to hex the Slytherins, who clapped Harry whenever he walked past them, whistling and cheering "Thanks Potter, we owe you one"

The only person that wasn't out their last night that stood by her brother was Ron.

"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Briar, Fred and George have lost loads of points and people still like them" Ron said comfortingly.

"Well, of course they do" Briar smirked ruffling her hair.

Harry's lips twitched up in a small smile, but just as quickly it was gone.

"You've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go though, have you?" said Harry miserably.

Briar shared a glance with Ron before looking back at Harry, biting her lip.

"Well…no" Briar admitted.

"They'll still forget about it eventually though" Ron quickly added.

Harry seemed to be taking this whole situation extremely bad. He even told her that he swore to himself not to meddle in things, meaning they hadn't had a conversation about the Sorcerer's Stone in a while. Briar wasn't sure how long this new revelation would last however, trouble ran in a Potter's blood.

Her twin had even tried to resign from the Quidditch team. When Wood had told her she was bordering on hexing him. She wasn't allowed on the team, so at the moment she was going to be living vicariously through him. The only reason she had refrained from hexing him was when he told her that Quidditch just wasn't fun anymore because none of the team would speak to him and if they had to they would refer to him as 'the seeker'.

When Briar had heard this she had stormed up to the third year boys dorms and torn the twins a new one. She had managed to convince the two of them and Lee to be nicer to her twin, but it had taken a lot of convincing on her part. Despite losing so many points since they started Hogwarts they had never lost them on this scale and they wanted to win the house cup. According to them Gryffindor hadn't been winning as of late.

Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence. Briar was thankful for the girl not nagging her to study since exams were only a week away, but much to her surprise she found herself missing her friend, even her nagging.

"Okay, where is Orion located?" Hermione asked, testing her and Ron in Astronomy.

Briar was about to answer that is was also known as the hunter and was visible in the sky from November to February and is in the northern hemisphere, but it was at that moment when Harry entered the common room and rushed over to them.

Harry rushed into an explanation that he had heard Quirrell begging and giving in. Briar almost smiled when she realised that Harry had already done what he swore not to, but decided that now wasn't the time.

"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell…"

"Yes, but he didn't actually see Snivillus leave, so maybe…" Briar started, but the other three seemed to have taken to ignoring her when she tried to convince them it was Quirrell so she was interrupted by Hermione.

"There's still Fluffy, though?" said Hermione.

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid, Briar did" said Ron, "I bet there's a book somewhere in the library telling you how to get past a three-headed dog and Snape could have easily found it. So what do we do, Harry?"

Briar shared a glance with Ron, the light of adventure kindling again in both of their eyes, but Hermione answered Ron's question before Harry could.

"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure"

"But we've got now proof!" said Harry "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor…who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, especially Bambi, Dumbledore will think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students that get thrown out the better, he'll think. And don't forget we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining"

Hermione looked convinced, but Briar and Ron didn't.

"If we just do a bit of poking around…" Briar said.

"No" said Harry flatly "we've done enough poking around"

Her twin pulled out a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons.

The next morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione and Neville. Much to her twin's surprise Briar also got one, she had gotten it for sticking Malfoy to the ceiling near the Great Hall in retaliation for getting her brother and friends in trouble.

They said the same as the notes she had gotten many times before:

Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.

Meet Mr Filch in the entrance hall.

Professor McGonagall.

At eleven o'clock that night, Briar said goodbye to Fred, George and Lee, so that she could go down to the entrance hall with Harry, Hermione and Neville. Filch was already there…and so was Malfoy. Briar had almost forgotten that Malfoy had gotten detention too with how much time she spent plotting her prank on him.

"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes... Hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... Hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days; I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well-oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

Briar rolled her eyes. She had heard that rant from Filch so often she could probably recount it word for word in her sleep.

They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Briar was the only one out of the group that was relaxed, she supposed it was because she knew what was coming. She actually found detention with Hagrid in the forest quite fun, she already spent a lot of time in there in her animagus form.

The half-moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut.

Then they heard a distant shout. "Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

Briar chuckled slightly when she saw Harry's relief, but Filch must have noticed too because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy…it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece "

At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.

"The forest?" the Slytherin repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night…there's all sorts of things in there…werewolves, I heard."

Neville clutched the sleeve of Briar's robe and made a choking noise.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

"Oh stop scaring them Filch" Briar said rolling her eyes "You're forgetting how many detentions I've had in the forest. And don't worry, there are no werewolves" Briar saw the other's look slightly comforted and could resist adding quietly "anymore" smiling at her own inside joke.

Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.

"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Briar, Hermione?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all"

"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh?' Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here"

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

Malfoy now turned to Hagrid. "I'm not going in that forest, he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've gotta pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff; it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this…"

"He'd tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or Yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on"

Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.

"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."

He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

Briar stiffened as she thought of the hooded figure that had stricken such fear inside a unicorn, but she quickly pushed the image from her mind, not wanting to admit to herself that it had actually scared her a hell of a lot too.

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me, Briar or Fang," said Hagrid and the other's turned to Briar in shock.

"What? I'm good with creatures and I'm in the forest all the time for detention" Briar said with a shrug.

Inwardly she was beaming with pride that the creatures in the forest liked her. Briar had introduced her to Aragog and often took her out to feed the Thestrals.

"An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in different directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, Briar an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now…that's it…an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh…so, be careful…let's go."

The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Briar, Neville, and Fang took the right. They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.

Fang was walking a few feet in front of them, while Neville was clutching Briar's sleeve fearfully and even Malfoy seemed to be standing closer to her than he should.

"You just wait until my father here about this, he'll have a word with the Governors about this" Malfoy sneered, looking about the forest with equal parts fear and distaste.

"Oh, shut up Malfoy, your father won't be able to do anything." Briar rolled her eyes.

"At least I have a father, Potter" Malfoy snapped.

The heat of Briar's glare could have set the forest on fire. Her hands were shaking with rage as she plunged her hand into her pocket to point her wand at Malfoy threateningly.

"Say that again, Malfoy" Briar growled, narrowing her hazel eyes angrily.

"What are you going to do?" Malfoy tried to laugh it off but he was glancing nervously down to her wand every other second.

"Oh I can do a lot, you're forgetting who my best friends are" Briar smirked cruelly.

Neville seemed to not want to be close to the fight so ran to catch up with fang. Briar and Malfoy glared at each other for a few more moments before Briar reluctantly pocketed her wand and the two of them caught up with Neville.

Malfoy however couldn't seem to go a few seconds without being a prat and seemed to feel the need to sneak up on Neville and grab him with a fake growl. Neville let out a terrible yelp and shot red sparks up into the sky.

"You stupid Prat!" Briar screeched pulling out her wad again and this time she wasn't bluffing.

Malfoy was now hanging upside down by his ankle with yellow hair. He should have known better than to mess with someone raised by a marauder 'Levicorpus' was one of the first spell her Uncle Moony taught her.

"Potter!" Malfoy roared furiously.

"Shhh" Briar hissed, "you're going to attract other creatures."

Almost the second she said that there was a rustling behind her and Neville let out another yelp as the two of them whirled around and Malfoy finally fell silent. There was a giant spider with eight hairy limbs and clicking pincers. It was one of Aragog's children.

Malfoy and Neville stiffened and paled at the sight.

That moment however Hagrid came out through the trees and the spider scarpered.

"Wha' happened to yer?!" Hagrid asked worriedly.

"Nothing" Briar said glaring at Malfoy, who was still upside down with yellow hair "that prat decided it would be funny to sneak up on Neville, who panicked and set up the sparks"

Hagrid made her let Malfoy down and turn his hair back the right colour, but Briar could tell he though the prat deserved it from how angry he looked. When they returned to Harry and Hermione, Hagrid was fuming.

"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups…Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Briar, Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry and Briar, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' you can stop him from panickin' we've gotta get this done."

Briar set off again but this time with Harry, Malfoy and Fang. She couldn't help but feel annoyed that she was stuck with the Slytherin again.

"How does he expect us to stay in this forest, there was a giant spider" Malfoy sneered.

Briar rolled her eyes "It was just one of Aragog's children, they wouldn't have eaten you with me here"

"Eaten me?" Malfoy asked in shock.

"I thought that was why you were panicking" Briar said in a faux innocent voice "Did you not know thy eat people? Oops my bad" Briar said, but knew she didn't sound sorry at all as Malfoy looked through the trees even more nervous than before.

Briar smirked, she found scaring him was perfect revenge.

They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Briar thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Briar could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.

"Look…" Harry murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy and Briar.

Briar followed Harry's eyes to see something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer. It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Briar felt rather saddened that something so beautiful and pure had been killed so brutally. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.

Briar and Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made them freeze where they stood. Briar had heard that sound before. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered...Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Briar's breathing quickened, she had almost managed to convince herself that she made the creature up, but now it was right in front of her again. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.

"AAAAAAAAAARGH!" Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted and so did Fang.

The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Briar Harry…unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward them. Briar was frozen in fear for a moment before she snapped herself out of it and began to drag her brother back, trying to get him away from the horrid teacher.

However, they didn't get that far. Briar hard only managed to get them back a few step before Harry let out a shout of pain and dropped to his knees, dragging her down with him. Harry was clutching at his scar with his free hand and Briar pulled on the one clasped in hers and managed to shuffle the two of them backwards.

Briar's head snapped up when she heard hooves behind them, galloping, and something jumped clean over the two Potters, charging at the figure. Harry let out another yelp of pain and Harry gripped her twin's arm worriedly.

When she and Harry finally looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over them, he looked fairly young; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.

"Are you all right?" said the centaur, as Briar staggered upright pulling Harry to his feet.

"Yes…thank you…what was that?" Harry asked.

The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry and Briar, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead.

"You are the Potter boy," he said to Harry. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time…especially for you. Can you two ride? It will be quicker this way. My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Briar and Harry could clamber onto his back.

There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Two more centaurs, Ronan and Bane, came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty. However, Briar recognized those two, she had met them before with Hagrid and didn't particularly care for them.

"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have humans on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"

"Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better."

Well, what am I? A flobberworm? Briar thought with a roll of her hazel eyes.

"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"

Ronan pawed the ground nervously.

"I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice.

Bane kicked his back legs in anger. "For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"

Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Briar had to grab onto Harry's waist tightly to stay on.

"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."

And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could as Briar held onto him in turn, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them. Briar didn't have a clue what was going on.

"Why's Bane so angry?" Harry asked.

"What was that thing you saved us from, anyway?" Briar added.

Firenze slowed to a walk, warned them both to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer either question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Briar thought Firenze didn't want to talk to them anymore.

They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped. "Harry and Briar Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"

"No," said Harry, startled by the odd question.

"We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions." Briar continued for her twin.

"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenceless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

Briar shared a horrified glance with Harry.

"But who'd be that desperate?" Briar wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, deaths better, isn't it?"

"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else…something that will bring you back to full strength and power…something that will mean you can never die. Mr Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course…the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who…" Harry said.

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"

Briar and Harry seemed to come to the same conclusion simultaneously as they shared a glance filled with horror and fear. Voldemort. Her Uncle Moony had told him of his suspicions of him not really being gone when she was nine and was too curious for her own good.

"Harry! Briar! Are you two all right?" Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.

"We're fine," said Harry, answering for the both of them. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."

"This is where I leave you, " Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."

Harry and Briar slid off his back.

"Good luck, Harry Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry and Briar shivering behind him.

Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry and Briar began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest.

Harry couldn't seem to sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking. Her twins worry seemed to be seeping into her and Briar found herself more worried because of it. Was this because they were twins or did she just know him well? Briar suspected the former.

"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort...And Voldemort's waiting in the forest... And all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich..."

"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.

Harry wasn't listening.

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious... He was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen...They must show that Voldemort's coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me... I suppose that's written in the stars as well."

"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.

"Oh honestly Ron, get over it" Briar said rolling her eyes.

"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off... Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy. "

Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort. "Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. Briar's dreams were filled with his a pale face and evil red eyes and green light and her mother's ruby red hair spilling across the floor.