"Oh yes. Hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me," Filch ranted. "It's a pity they aren't still using the old punishments. You probably wouldn't be so quick to break the rules if you'd end up hanging by your thumbs from the ceiling for a day or two."

"Sounds like something my father does to people on his days off," Harry muttered under his breath.

Filch's shoulders stiffened. He didn't speak again until the silence was broken by a call of: "Is that you, Filch? Hurry up! I want ter get started!"

Harry scowled, as did Draco and Hermione. Ron looked relieved, but Filch snapped at him, "You think you'll be enjoying yourself with that great oaf? Think again - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

Neville looked one more stressful emotion away from tears. Draco bit his lip. His silver eyes widened. "We can't go into the forest!" he shouted, his voice going up several octaves until he practically sounded like a girl. "It's--"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Draco," Harry snapped. Draco looked livid, but Harry just continued, "It's just the bloody forest."

"Of course you wouldn't be afraid of the creatures in the forest," Filch spat. "Your father probably has some kind of hold over all of them."

Harry shrugged. "I wouldn't know about such things, Mr. Filch."

Hermione, Neville, and Weasley looked between Harry and Filch, puzzled expressions on their faces.

Their awkward staring contest was broken by Hagrid's arrival from the shadows. An enormous grey dog with hanging lips trailed behind him. As soon as it saw the children, though, it loped over to them. Neville grabbed onto Harry's sleeve and whimpered as the dog approached. Harry shook him off and reached down to run a hand over its smooth coat. "What's his name?" he asked.

"Fang," Hagrid said in a clipped tone.

Harry smiled down at Fang. "He's nicer than Sabine. Took me two years to get that mutt to warm up to me. This one does it in two minutes." Harry looked up and wrinkled his nose. "I like dogs. I should make my father get me a dog."

Hagrid made a barely audible growl. He opened his mouth to speak but Filch beat him to it. "I'll be back at dawn for what's left of them." Filch moved his eyes slightly in Harry's direction. "Now's not the time," he said while locking eyes with Hagrid. "Don't try anything. It'll just bring you more trouble."

Hagrid nodded jerkily and Filch walked away, leaving the children glancing amongst each other, their eyebrows raised. Harry snuck a suspicious glance at Hagrid. He had the feeling they were saying something about him.

"I thought you were suspended," Harry finally said, snottily. "Remember? For keeping that bloody dragon which could've killed us all?"

Hagrid balled his hands into fists at his side. "I can't teach for a while, Riddle—"

"You mean until the Board of Governors decides they won't fire you. If they decide not to."

Hagrid gritted his teeth. "But I'm still groundskeeper!!" he spat. "If Professor Dumbledore wants me to take yeh on a detention, I can bloody well do it!!"

"I'm not going into that forest," Draco cut in. "I'm bloody not."

"Yeh are if yeh want to stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid roared back.

"This isn't what a bloody detention is supposed to be," Draco snapped. "We should be copying lines or something, not risking our lives in the Forbidden Forest!! If my father knew about this--"

"Daddy isn't here, Draco," Harry interrupted. "Come on. You can't be afraid of a forest, can you? Do you see Neville begging not to go? No!"

Neville was currently hanging onto Harry's sleeve and whimpering like a maniac.

"So act like the Malfoy you are and go into the bloody forest!! Whining like a baby won't make Daddy proud, will it?"

Draco lowered his gaze muttering about hypocritical bastards.

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

The children followed Hagrid into the edge of the forest. He stopped by a puddle of silver liquid. "See that stuff shinin' on the ground? It's--"

"Unicorn blood," Harry provided.

"Thank yeh, Riddle," Hagrid snapped. "Yeh cannot talk withou' permission!"

"Sorry, sir." He didn't sound sorry at all. Hagrid glared at him for a few seconds before speaking, "As Riddle so rudely pointed out, it is unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there that's been hurt badly by summat. Second time this week," he huffed. "I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. Might have ter put it out of its misery."

"What if the thing that's been killing unicorns finds us instead?" Harry asked. His voice didn't have any fear in it, just curiosity. "It takes something awfully evil to harm a unicorn."

"Bet you'd know something abou' that," Hagrid muttered before addressing the whole group. "Nothing 'ill hurt yeh if you're with me or fang."

"I call Fang," Harry announced. Hagrid glared at him but continued, "Right now, we're gonna split into two groups an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've been staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I still want Fang," Harry said again.

Hagrid scowled and said, "Fine, but he's a bloody coward."

Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever. He looks mean. It should keep some of the monsters away."

"Riddle an' Neville an' Ron 'ill go one way an' Hermione an' Draco 'ill go the other."

Harry glanced at the overgrown underbrush and silently thanked Merlin that he'd worn boots that were made for outdoor activities.

Harry, Neville, and Weasley walked in silence. Fang had glued himself to Harry's side, almost as Neville had to Harry's arm. Harry himself was rather bored and had taken to fiddling with the pendant that hung around his neck. He wasn't sure why he'd decided to wear it, but he supposed it made an okay fashion accessory - in an ugly sort of way.

"C- could it be a w- werewolf k- k- killing the unicorns?" Neville stuttered out.

Harry glanced over at him. "It's not a full moon. They're all in their human form at the moment."

Neville breathed a loud sigh of relief. Harry wrinkled his nose at a puddle of silver blood and sidestepped it.

After several more minutes of dead silence, Harry suddenly skidded to a halt. Neville lost his balance and almost fell. Harry had to steady him.

"What do you think you're--" Weasley began loudly.

"Shut-up, you tactless oaf," Harry hissed. "Just listen."

"-It - It sounds like - like r- rustling," Neville squeaked out. He sounded rather like a mouse.

Harry narrowed his emerald eyes.

"Acromantulas, maybe?" Weasley whispered. "A Lethifold?"

Neville made an odd sobbing noise.

"Shut-up, Weasley," Harry snapped. "You're scaring him." He glanced back into the woods. The sound had stopped. Harry bit his lip and took a few steps forward, pulling Neville with him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Weasley spat. "Going towards the noise?"

Harry looked over his shoulder at him. "What? Afraid of some bushes rustling?"

The Gryffindor gritted his teeth but started walking. Harry smirked to himself - Weasley was so easy to get a rise out of - and maneuvered his way through the trees. The trunks were getting thicker and closer together.

Suddenly, Harry snapped out an arm to stop Neville from going any further.

"Do you see that?"

There was something bright gleaming in the moonlight. It could just be made out in between the tree trunks.

Harry and the others moved cautiously towards the glimmering object. The tree trunks eventually thinned out to form a clearing. The shimmering thing on the ground was now in full view.

Neville whimpered. Harry grimaced.

The unicorn was still more beautiful than any horse, be it magical or muggle, the Harry had ever seen, but he wagered that it would have been an even more impressive sight alive.

"It's - dead, then?"

Harry glared at Weasley in answer. Neville suddenly whimpered, drawing his attention back to the clearing. "What is it?"

Neville raised a shaky finger towards some bushes near the end of the clearing.

"There's nothing . . ." Harry's voice trailed off. He could do nothing but watch as the bushes shook and a hooded figure emerged, crawling across the ground towards the dead unicorn. It slowly lowered its head over a wound on the animal's motionless body and began to drink its blood.

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!"

Weasley let out a glass-shattering scream and bolted (along with Fang). Neville fainted.

Now, Harry Morfin Riddle was not a child who was frightened easily. With the darkest wizard who ever lived as his father, how could he be? He'd met vampires, werewolves and a various array of other dark creatures, spent the night in haunted, boggart ridden castles, and seen some down-right terrifying things.

But right now, watching a shadowy figure drink blood from a dead unicorn, Harry almost wished he could join Neville in the oblivion of unconsciousness. Almost.

The creature suddenly snapped its head up to look right at Harry. The boy forced himself from taking a step backwards. Its beady little eyes just screamed 'evil'.

Unexpectedly, a large figure jumped into sight. This time Harry did take a few steps backward to avoid being rammed into. The hooded little monster quickly scurried off into the woods.

"Are you all right?"

Harry forced his attention away from the spot where the figure had disappeared back to the creature in front of him.

"Yeah," he said slowly. His eyes took in the large centaur. "I'm fine, thank you. What - what was that thing?"

"You are the Riddle boy," the centaur said with a slight growl.

Harry nodded. "I guess the word gets around?"

"The centaurs knew of you before you came to Hogwarts."

"Good for them, then," said Harry, too absorbed in checking on Neville to really answer.

"You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time."

"I'm not afraid of the bloody forest," Harry muttered back.

"Firenze!!" a voice bellowed. Another centaur came thundering into the clearing. "What are you doing?" His eyes flicked to Harry. "You saved the Riddle boy? Are you mad?!"

"He is the only one who can--"

"Any spawn of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named deserves to die! He will be the next dark lord!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. Would he be the next dark lord? Aunt Bellatrix always said he would, but he wasn't too sure he wanted to be one. A dark wizard, yes - that was a given - but . . .

"Let the dark wizards kill each other," the centaur spat. "Then they will spend less time killing the innocent."

"Hey," Harry snapped, "I'm not a dark wizard - or a dark lord - yet!"

"You--"

"I know you understand why the unicorns are being killed, Bane," Firenze shouted. "But I think you have trouble accepting what the consequences will be in the end! I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, even with the Dark Lord's son alongside me if I must!" Firenze looked down at Harry. "Can you ride? It will be quicker that way."

Harry glanced at him. "I've ridden horses before. I assume it's not too different. But can we take Neville?"

Firenze nodded and lowered himself onto his front legs. Harry dragged Neville over to him and threw the boy over his back before climbing on himself. The horse-man trotted away, leaving Bane - who was now shouting something about how disgraceful it was for Firenze to let Harry and Neville sit on his back - behind them.

Harry was tempted to ask about the creature again but decided it was useless - centaurs were usually vague.

"Harry Riddle, do you know what unicorn blood is used for? I am sure your father has books on the subject."

Harry had to think for a minute but the answer came to him. "Unicorn blood will keep you alive no matter how close to death you are, but it has more cons than pros. It's a heinous crime to kill something as perfect and pure as a unicorn to save yourself, so from the moment you drink it you live a type of half-life. You're . . . cursed."

"Correct," Firenze replied. "And--"

"Personally," continued Harry as if the centaur hadn't spoken, "I would never be that desperate. I'd rather just die. I really don't know why anyone would willingly do something that." He paused. "I suppose my father would - that man would do anything to stay alive - but he was rather depraved to start with--"

"It is a desperate thing to do," Firenze interrupted. "But not if all you need to do is stay alive until you can drink something else, something that could bring you back to full strength and power - something that will mean you will never die. Mr. Riddle, do you know that what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Sorcerer's Stone," Harry answered cautiously. "So obviously someone wants to be immortal . . . But who?"

"Someone has been clinging to life for almost fifty years, waiting for their chance to return--"

"Harry! Oh my God! Are you okay?!"

Hermione and Draco were rushing towards him; Weasley trailed behind them. Hagrid and Fang brought up the rear.

"This is where I will leave you. You are safe now."

Harry heaved Neville onto the ground and then gracefully dismounted. "Thanks for the whole saving my life thing," he muttered.

"You are welcome. Good luck, Harry Riddle. The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."

He turned around and cantered back into the forest.

Author's Note: I've finally posted this chapter!!! I was planning on posting it right after the chapter where Harry's on easter break, but I ended up adding like, three chapters in between.

I can't believe that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is finally coming out tonight at midnight. I'm going to a party where we're gonna count down the minutes until it comes out. I hope my favorite character, Severus Snape, doesn't die!! I love him!

Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing!!! Let's all keep our fingers crossed that the Deathly Hallows has a happy ending!!!

-Anna