Jasmine, Lisa, and Craig walked down to the Great Hall. Jasmine was dreading it, since what would happen to her if people found out? It wasn't like she was the one who caused it. It wasn't like she lost Ravenclaw one hundred and fifty points, but she also wanted a House to beat Slytherin.
When Jasmine noticed the hourglasses, she winced and looked away from the Gryffindor hourglass. It was heartbreaking to look at, especially because Slytherin was in the lead again. Jasmine really didn't want to wear that pink poodle skirt, but it looked like she was going to have to wear it.
As the days passed, word started to spread that Harry and a couple of first years lost the points. Suddenly, everyone started to turn on Harry, they pointed and insulted him. Jasmine tried to defend her brother as much as she can from the Slytherins who clapped, cheered, and whistled at Harry for putting them back in the lead. After all, she protected him and he protected her. That was how it was always going to be.
Craig did seem a little depressed that Hermione stopped answering questions in class to stop drawing attention to herself, since Craig didn't find it fun having a rivalry with Hermione if she didn't participate in class.
To cheer up Hermione and Harry, Jasmine made them origami butterflies. She even made Neville an origami frog, to cheer him up, which he seemed thankful for.
One week before exams, Jasmine, Ron, and Hermione were in the library one afternoon. Harry had left already. Jasmine was working on Charms homework while Hermione tested Ron on Astronomy. Harry burst in and told them that he heard Quirrell arguing with someone and said that he was going to do whatever it was.
"Snape's done it, then!" Ron exclaimed. "If Quirrell told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell—"
"There's still Fluffy, though," Hermione pointed out.
"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," Ron stated, looking at the bookshelves. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?"
Jasmine buried herself in the homework, tired of going round in circles with the Gryffindors. She wasn't going to change their minds on Snape and they weren't going to change hers.
"Go to Dumbledore," Hermione stated. "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 no proof," Harry stated. "Quirrell's to 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, Dumbledore'll 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 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."
Ron started, "If we just do a bit of poking around—"
"No," Harry interrupted. "We've done enough poking around."
"What, no defense for Snape?" Ron demanded of Jasmine.
"At this point, I don't give a damn anymore," Jasmine muttered.
The next day, Professor Flitwick passed a detention slip to Jasmine, before walking away.
"What does it say?" Craig asked as Jasmine unfolded it.
Jasmine read it out loud. "Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall. Professor M. McGonagall."
"I'm not sure what type of punishment Filch will give you," Craig said. "He made me polish the trophy room without magic." He grinned, "Jokes on him because my mom and dad had given me chores."
Lisa blinked, "But at eleven at night?"
Craig shrugged, "This school is weird."
"I think I prefer reorganizing Professor Flitwick's bookcases again," Jasmine said.
At eleven, Jasmine was surprised to see Hermione, Harry, Neville, and Malfoy at the entrance hall. She was wondering what type of punishment involved five first years.
"Follow me," Filch said, lighting a lantern. He led them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" He leered at them and Jasmine walked closer to Harry. "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…"
Jasmine tuned Filch out, preferring to look at the night sky. The moon was bright, but clouds kept drifting in front of it. They walked across the dark ground and Neville kept sniffling. Jasmine crossed her arms and shivered. She looked at the ground and thought, Why does it feel so cold tonight?
"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started," Hagrid said.
Jasmine felt slightly better knowing that it was Hagrid.
"I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, you two, it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken it you'll all come out in one piece," Filch stated.
Neville moaned and Malfoy stopped in his tracks to repeat, "The forest?" He didn't sound brave at the moment. "We can't go in there at night—there's all sorts of things in there—werewolves I heard."
Neville grabbed Harry's robe and made a choking sound that sounded like a sob. Jasmine was panicking. If werewolves were anything they're shown on Muggle media, then what were werewolves like? She had a horrible thought, what if there's snakes in there?
"That's your problem, isn't it?" Filch asked, with glee. "Should've thought about of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"
Hagrid, carrying the large crossbow and a quiver of crossbow bolts, walked towards them with Fang following. "Abou' time," he said, gruffly, "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione, Jasmine?"
"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," Filch said in a cold voice. "They're here to be punished, after all."
"That's why yer late, is it?" Hagrid asked. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."
Jasmine figured that listening to Filch's lectures was more of a punishment than going inside the Forbidden Forest.
"I'll be back at dawn for what's left of them." Filch said, nastily, and turned around to head back to the castle. His lantern was bobbing away in the darkness.
Malfoy turned to Hagrid, "I'm not going in that forest." He sounded a little panicked and Jasmine noticed Harry seemed pleased to hear it and she rolled her eyes at Malfoy.
"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts." Hagrid told them, in a strangely strict tone. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."
Draco scoffed, "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 interrupted, "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 were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"
Jasmine was somewhat glad that Malfoy was finally getting told off and she noticed that Harry seemed a bit pleased.
Hagrid continued, "Right then. 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 lantern up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into thick black trees. "Look there, 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."
Jasmine frowned. Is this what Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick meant by walking around the castle at night is a dangerous thing to do these days? Wait. Why are they sending us in here if something's killing unicorns?
"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" Malfoy asked, sounding scared.
Jasmine looked over at Hermione and Neville, who were oddly silent.
"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang. An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions," Hagrid explained. "There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggering round since last night at least."
"I want Fang," Malfoy said looking at the boarhound.
"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," Hagrid told him. "So, me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way, an' Draco, Neville, Jasmine, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us find the unicorn, 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."
They forest was dark and eerily quiet. A little way into it, they reached a fork in the earth path. Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path, while Malfoy, Neville, Jasmine, and Fang took the right path. Malfoy grabbed hold of Fang's collar while Neville grabbed onto Jasmine's sleeve.
Jasmine held out her wand. "Lumos," she said, doing the wand movement that Quirrell taught them. At least the spell worked. Jasmine wasn't sure how long it took, but Draco started bragging about something, but she just tuned him out. She had a lot of practice with her aunt, uncle, and Dudley. She looked at the ground, trying to find any unicorn blood. She shined the light around, trying to spot a drop of unicorn blood, but she didn't find any.
It's not a bad night, Jasmine thought, to look for unicorn blood. The air was pleasant, everything seemed still; a little to still, now that she noticed it. She frowned and could've sworn she heard slithering somewhere in the trees.
Jasmine noticed that Neville had let go of her robe's sleeve and wasn't walking. She looked behind her to see that now it was just her, Neville, and Fang. She tightened her hold on her wand, angry all of a sudden.
"Malfoy! Where are you?" she shouted, sounding terrified. "Where are you, you bloody idiot?" She looked at Neville who was standing there terrified, and Fang was sitting on the ground beside Neville, panting. "Neville, did you see Malfoy walk off the path?"
Neville shook his head, "N-no J-Jasmine."
Jasmine groaned and shined her wand in the trees. "That's just great. We're stuck out here in the middle of the night, in the middle of a forest, and an idiot just wandered off the path despite being told not to." Neville was shaking and Jasmine walked back to him. She forced a smile. "Don't worry Neville. I won't let anyone get you if he was kidnapped."
Neville whimpered and nodded.
Jasmine grabbed Neville's arm and gave it a squeeze. She looked in the trees and considered sending up red sparks to alert the others that Malfoy disappeared. The other thought was that he wandered off the path for some reason.
A light breeze blew her hair back and she looked into the trees again. She had a feeling Malfoy was plotting something.
Neville screamed and Jasmine turned around, "Petrificus Totalus!" A white mist floated towards Malfoy, hitting him in the chest and he stiffened. He feel backwards to the ground and Jasmine noticed that the red sparks in the sky faded and she went to look at Neville. "Are you okay?"
Neville was trembling more than Professor Quirrell. "W-what did you to do him?"
"I did the Full Body-Bind Curse," Jasmine explained. "What did he do to you?" Fang sat next to Malfoy, panting, and leaving drool all over the Slytherin. Jasmine tried hard not to laugh at it.
"He grabbed me when your back was turned," Neville explained.
"Coward," Jasmine muttered and there was crashing through the trees. She turned her wand on the sound, ready to do the Full Body-Bind curse again, but saw that it was just Hagrid, holding out his cross-bow.
Hagrid looked at them and then noticed Malfoy on the ground. He looked at Neville and Jasmine, "Wha' happened?"
"That idiot tried to scare Neville." Jasmine explained, "When Neville screamed, I cursed Malfoy because I thought Malfoy was going to kidnap him, since Malfoy 'vanished' from the path when I was looking for unicorn blood."
Hagrid seemed amused, "Well, perform the counter-curse on him and let's get back to Hermione and Harry."
Jasmine was angered by the thought of Hagrid leaving the other two alone, although Hermione could protect Harry. She nodded and knelt by Malfoy. She whispered to him, "You're lucky you didn't try that on me. If you did, I would've been merciless. And this was me showing mercy." She performed the counter-curse on Malfoy, and went to stand by Hagrid. They started walking from where Hagrid crashed through.
Jasmine kept her wand pointed on Malfoy, making sure that he didn't try anything again.
They finally made it back to where Hermione and Harry were at. Hermione went to check on Neville as Harry went to Jasmine. Harry asked, "Are you okay, Jazz?"
Jasmine nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine. Malfoy tried to scare Neville, so I performed the Full Body-Bind Curse on Malfoy." She grinned and noticed how Hermione wasn't pleased at that.
"We'll be lucky if we catch anythin' now, with the racket you three were makin'. Right, we're changing groups. Neville, you stay with me, Malfoy, and Hermione. Jasmine and Harry, take Fang. We've gotta get this thing done."
Jasmine nodded, and said, "Lumos." With that they set off towards the heart of the forest.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked.
Jasmine frowned, "You already asked me that."
"No, I meant being with Malfoy. Did he hurt you in some way?" Harry asked.
"No, I just tuned him out. Although he angered me when he went off the path and scared Neville," Jasmine stated. "I told him that if he did that to me, I would've been more merciless."
"Sorry about giving you detention," Harry said.
Jasmine shrugged, "Eh, not really a big deal."
"Sorry about Ron giving you a hard time about Snape. I tried talking to him about laying off the whole Snape thing, but it seems like his mind was made up and stuck on Snape," Harry explained.
"It's fine," Jasmine said. "At this point, I just stopped giving a damn. I won't change his mind and he won't change mine. I think we're both too stubborn over things like that." Harry sighed. "What are you sighing about?"
"Nothing," Harry started. "I just thought that since we were going to Hogwarts together, we wouldn't end up in this mess."
"What were you expecting?" Jasmine asked.
"I was expecting us to be together," Harry said. "Like we came into this world together, put up with the Dursleys together, and I expect for us to learn things together."
The trees seemed to get thicker. She wasn't sure how long they were walking and Harry grabbed her arm.
"Look, unicorn blood," Harry said, pointing at the splashes on the roots of trees.
Jasmine's heart hurt at the thought of the poor thing being in pain. They edge closer to a clearing and Harry pointed. "Look again."
There was something bright white gleaming on the ground. 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.
The poor thing, Jasmine thought, edging closer to the unicorn. Her heart hurt at the sight and a slithering sound made her stop. Oh, please tell me that it's not a snake.
Harry grabbed Jasmine's arm and pulled her backwards. A hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast.
The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side.
Jasmine screamed and Fang bolted. The creature got to its feet, blood dripping down its cloak, and slowly started moving towards the two.
Jasmine couldn't move; it felt like her legs were shaking and the lightning bolt scar on her upper arm got a very unpleasant tingly feeling. Harry staggered backward, into a tree. The creature made its way to Harry and Jasmine pointed her wand towards the creature. "P-P-Petri-Petri-Petrificus T-T-Total-Totalus," Jasmine stammered out. Her arm was shaking and unsurprisingly, the spell didn't work. The figure ignored her and continued to make its way to Harry who was doubled over in pain.
Jasmine found a rock and picked it up. She threw it at the figure, missed, but the rock hit a tree. The figure stopped and looked at Jasmine. It started making its way to her and Jasmine stepped backwards. She tripped and landed on her arse. She started crab-walking backwards.
"Hey, leave her alone!" Harry shouted, but he sounded like he was in pain. He dropped to his knees. The figure stopped and turned towards Harry, before making its way to him.
Jasmine grabbed her dropped wand and held it out, but something came galloping out of the woods, causing the figure to retreat into the woods. Jasmine held up her wand, "Lumos."
Light flared up and Jasmine noticed that it was a centaur. He had white-blond hair and a palomino body. He was helping Harry to his feet. The centaur asked, "Are you all right?"
"Yes—thank you—where's my sister?" Harry asked.
"Over here," Jasmine said. She stood up and walked up to Harry. She kept her distance, not wanting to end up in a situation where she got clobbered by centaurs for daring to talk to them.
"Are you all right, Miss Potter?" the centaur asked, looking at her.
Jasmine was surprised that the centaur knew her last name. Coming from how the students reacted to her name, she barely made it into history books and she nodded.
"You two better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time—especially for you two. Can you two ride? It will be quicker this way. My name is Firenze," he said. He lowered himself onto his front legs so they could climb onto his back.
Jasmine swallowed, "Isn't that against the rules of the centaur colony?"
"It's not safe in the forest for you two," Firenze stated. Harry grabbed Jasmine around her ribs and forced her up onto the centaur's back before getting on himself.
"What was that?" Harry asked.
There was more galloping from the other side of the clearing and two more centaurs came bursting through the trees.
"Firenze!" the black-haired and –bodied centaur thundered. "What are you doing? You have humans on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"
"Do you realize who they are, Bane? This is the Potter twins. The quicker they leave the forest, the better," Firenze said.
"What have you told them?" Bane growled, "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?"
Jasmine wondered how it was possible to tell the future by planet movements. After all, the reason the planets move is because of the sun's gravity making the planets orbit it, so there really was no way to tell the future from them. Then again, she shouldn't talk considering she was trying out ovomancy. She still didn't like the fact that the eggs were saying that her and Harry's lives were in danger.
The 'dangerous thing to do these days' came to mind and she frowned. She wondered, is this thing that's killing unicorns the dangerous thing that the professors were talking about?
The red-haired and bearded man, with the chestnut body pawed the ground, in an almost nervous manner. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he had a gloomy sort of voice.
Bane kicked the back legs of red-haired centaur, "For the best, Ronan? What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with that has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"
Jasmine considered getting off on Firenze's back and finding her own way back, but Firenze suddenly reared onto his hind legs in anger. Jasmine had to grab onto Firenze's shoulders to hold on, while Harry grabbed onto Jasmine's waist.
"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. Jasmine refused to look back at the poor unicorn, because she was sure she might cry at the sight of the poor creature. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret?"
Jasmine wondered what the planets were supposed to say. If the planets didn't let Bane and Ronan in on this secret, why did it let Firenze in on the secret?
Firenze continued, "I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must." With that Firenze turned around, with Jasmine and Harry clutching on as best as they could, they were off.
Jasmine was feeling horrible at the thought of Firenze leaving the centaur colony like that. She wasn't sure what was going to happen to Ronan since it seemed like he sided with Firenze.
"Why's Bane so angry?" Harry asked.
Jasmine nearly groaned, "Harry. Haven't you paid attention in History of Magic and actually read A History of Magic? The centaurs and humans don't really get along."
"What was that you saved us from, anyway?" Harry asked, ignoring Jasmine.
"Harry and Jasmine Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" Firenze asked.
Jasmine was thinking of the answer when Harry said, "No. We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions?"
"They also use unicorn hair for the wands," Jasmine stated.
"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn. 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," Firenze explained.
Jasmine shivered at the thought, and thought of the dead unicorn. She wondered who could do such a horrible thing. "What is that terrible price and why is it a monstrous thing to do?"
Firenze explained, "You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."
"Who'd be that desperate? If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?" Harry asked.
"It is," Firenze stated. "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 died, Mr and Miss Potter. Do you both know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"
Before Jasmine could say anything, Harry shouted, "The Philosopher's Stone! Of course—the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who—"
"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?" Firenze asked.
Jasmine shivered, remembering what Hagrid had told them on her birthday. But it couldn't have been You-Know-Who crawling on the ground, since he was dead after he tried to kill Harry. However, if it was You-Know-Who who somehow came back to life—
Harry managed to choke out, "Do you mean that was Vol—"
"Harry! Jasmine! Are you both all right?" Hermione shouted, running toward them on the path, with Hagrid behind her, puffing. Neville, Draco, and Fang were trudging behind them.
"We're fine," Harry started. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid. It's in that clearing back there."
Hagrid ran off to check on the unicorn as both Potters slid off of Firenze's back. "This is where I leave you both. You both are safe now."
Jasmine held back from saying that she didn't feel safe after Hagrid ran off with his crossbow and bolts. But she had a wand and she highly doubted whatever that thing was, it wasn't going to attack two witches and three wizards.
"Good luck Harry and Jasmine Potter," Firenze said. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." He cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Jasmine and Harry shivering behind him.
Jasmine looked at Harry, "Are you okay? After happened earlier in the clearing? You looked like your scar was hurting you."
"I don't know what that was," Harry said. "Are you okay? You fell down."
"I'm fine," Jasmine said.
Harry grinned. "Good, I can't lose my sister. Who else is going to be the constant thorn in my side?"
Jasmine looked at Hermione and motioned with her head, "There's Hermione. I hear that she's a thorn in your side, too."
"It's not the same," Harry stated. "I need a bushy red-head who asks me questions that I don't have the answer to. I need a bushy red-head who laughs at my jokes about Dudley." Jasmine couldn't help but laugh at that.
A/N: Well, here's Chapter 14. Just three more chapters and their first year is done.