Chapter 21
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Students passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day, thought only a mistake could explain why the Gryffindor hour glass was now a hundred and fifty points fewer than it had been the night before. Apparently, McGonagall had retracted taking fifty points away for me being out of bed as well. I'm guessing that Snape had a conversation with her after I had left the both of them last night.
When what had happened circulated the school, it wasn't just the Gryffindors that were giving Harry, Hermione and Neville a hard time. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, after hoping that the Slytherins would lose the house cup for once.
Harry had even offered to resign from the Quidditch team, from which Oliver was astounded at the mere suggestion as a good way to get points back was winning at Quidditch. The team, even including Fred and George, refused to speak to him, and referred to him only as 'the seeker' when they either needed to talk to him or about him.
Harry seemed almost glad that exams were nearing, as it gave him something to take his thoughts off the house cup chase.
About a week before exams were set to start, Me, Hermione, Harry and Neville receive notes from McGonagall stating that we'll be meeting Filch in the entrance hall at eleven tonight for our detention. Looking to Draco, I notice that he's received one as well.
"I thought you were cleared," Fred states, looking over my shoulder at the parchment.
"Me too," I reply with a frown. "She's taken to simply avoiding speaking to me in class, which I can't say that I mind too much. This is probably just her way of getting back at me for yelling at her."
George nods in agreement after looking up at the head table. I follow his gaze and notice McGonagall looking at me intently. I nod in her direction, allowing her to know that I understand why I still got a detention, and to my surprise, she returns the gesture.
"It couldn't possibly be that easy to have gotten her off my back," I say to George in amazement. "If I had known that I would have yelled at her ages ago."
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At eleven o'clock, we say goodbye to Ron in the common room and make our way to the entrance hall where Draco and Filch were already standing. I give Draco a small reassuring smile and he smiles at me in return as Filch instructs us to follow him, lighting a lamp and leading us outside.
As Filch mutters about wishing he'd be allowed to use outdated, and incredibly painful punishments, I take time to gaze the stars. Star gazing is an old form of soothsaying magic that Remus likes to explore, and happened to get me into.
"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."
We all turn towards Hagrid's voice and Filch tells us that we'll be doing our detention with Hagrid in the forest.
"The forest?" Draco repeats, stopping dead in his tracks. "We can't go in there at night- there's all sorts of things in there- werewolves, I heard."
"That's your problem, isn't it?" Filch says, his voice incredibly gleeful. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"
"I'll be back at dawn," Filch says turning around towards the castle. "For what's left of them."
Draco turns towards Hagrid, declaring that he won't be going onto the forest. When Hagrid tells him that he doesn't have a choice and that his father can't help him out of it, he looks at Hagrid furiously.
I take a step backwards so I'm beside him and clasp his hand in my own. He squeezes it back and looks at me gratefully as Hagrid splits us up to search the forest for a badly injured Unicorn. He puts me with Draco, Neville, and his dog Fang, while taking Hermione and Harry himself.
Me, Draco and Neville take the right hand path in the first fork we hit in the path, having been told not to use out wands for lighting, we use the light of the moon to guide us, walking extremely slowly.
"What's that on the ground?" Neville asks quickly.
"Unicorn blood," I reply, bending down to examine the silver-blue blood. We continue walking down the path, finding only small patches of blood and no unicorn. Getting easily bored by the lack of excitement in our walk, Draco sneaks up behind Neville and grabs him. Panicking, Neville instantly sends up a spray of red sparks before I can stop him, signaling to Hagrid that we were in trouble.
"Great going," I mutter to Draco, as Hagrid's pounding footsteps come through the forest towards us.
Hagrid joins us and I quickly relay to him what had happened. He leads us back to Harry and Hermione, switching Neville and Harry in the groups and sending us back out.
I take Draco's hand once more, thins time to make sure that he leaves Harry alone. "Find anything exciting on your walk?" I ask.
"We ran into a few Centaurs," Harry replies. "Odd creatures, they are."
"You meet Bane?" I ask him
"Yeah," Harry says excitedly, turning towards me, and seemingly very surprised to see me and Draco holding hands. "You know him?" He asks, attempting to hide his initial reaction.
"I met him about a month after school started," I reply. "The centaurs have an old magic way of reading the stars and I went to the forest to see if they would actually hold a conversation with me. Bane was who I came across first. He was extremely hesitant to speak to me, but as I showed him proper respect, he was okay with it."
We walk for a while in silence until Harry holds his arm out to stop me and Draco. "Look," he mutters. I let go of Draco's hand in surprise, gazing at the dead unicorn. As Harry takes a step forward, I grab hold of his cloak, noticing a bush on the edge of the clearing suddenly move. A hooded figure crawls out of the bush. It approaches the unicorn and bends down to drink its blood.
Draco lets out a scream and bolts from where we were standing before Harry or I can stop him. The cloaked figure looks up and me and Harry, blood dripping from its face; neither Harry or I seem to be able to move.
Harry staggers backwards and falls to his knees suddenly and as I turn to him in concern a Centaur charges the cloaked figure, chasing it away and galloping back towards me and Harry.
"Are you all right?" the young, blonde haired Centaur asks Harry as he pulls him to his feet.
"Yes- thank you," Harry answers. "What was that?"
The handsome blue-eyed Centaur doesn't answer, his eyes lingering on Harry's forehead.
"Firenze," I state with a small bow towards the Centaur. "This is Harry Potter."
"It is nice to see you once more, Miss Black," Firenze states, returning the bow. "It is a most inopportune moment, however, as the forest is far from safe at this time. Especially for him," he states, gesturing towards Harry.
Firenze has Harry climb on his back as to get out of the forest as quick as possible. I refuse, stating that I will ruin beside them, as I understand what proud creatures Centaurs are.
Sure enough, Bane and another Centaur named Ronan soon join us, and Bane shouts at Firenze allowing himself to be used as a common mule nodding forest in my direction as a greeting. With little warning, after yelling at Bane over who Harry is, Firenze takes off towards the castle. I say a hurried goodbye to Bane and Ronan before chasing after the two of them, muttering Lumos as to not crash into any trees.
I catch up to Harry and Firenze as they had slowed down to a walk, clutching my side trying to catch my breath. We walk in silence until reaching a dense patch of trees and Firenze stops.
"Do either of you know what Unicorn blood is used for?"
I answer yes as Harry says no. Firenze gesture for me to continue.
"The blood of a unicorn can keep a person alive even when someone is even an inch away from death. But as a person has slain such a pure and defenseless creature to save yourself, you will live a half-life, cursed from the moment the blood touches your lips."
Harry stares at me. "Who would be that desperate?" Harry asks.
"Mr. Potter," Firenze says slowly. "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-"
"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting for their chance?"
Sudden understanding catches Harry and he gasps. "Do you mean," he croaks. "That was Vol-"
Hermione calling out for us, cuts Harry off from finishing his question. She is running towards us down the path with Hagrid following behind her.
"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmurs as Hagrid hurries past us to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."
Harry slides off Firenze's back and he wishes us good luck, stating that he hopes the planets are wrong. I make a small bow to him, which is returned before he gallops into the depths of the forest.
By the time we make it back to the Common Room, Ron is already asleep on the couch and Harry shakes him awake, retelling all that had happened in the forest.
As the sky begins to lighten, I excuse myself from the continuing conversation, and make my way upstairs.
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Hasta manana, amigos.