Chapter 35:
They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.
"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself — I'm armed!"
And into the clearing came a mix of a man and a horse. A centaur. To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail.
Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped and Skylar chuckled slightly at their faces.
"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?"
He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.
"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"
"Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter, Skylar Rosenwald an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."
"We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.
"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"
"Quite." Skylar nodded.
"Erm —" Harry began
"A bit," said Hermione timidly.
"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."
"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt — you seen anythin'?"
Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward. Skylar glanced up at well, curiously. The centaur sighed again.
"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."
"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"
"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."
"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"
Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."
A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and -bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.
"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"
"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"
"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured — would yeh know anythin' about it?"
Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward.
"Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.
"What does that mean?" Skylar wondered, surprised they continued to answer the question with such an unhelpful phrase. Did Mars hold some symbol as to why there was something in the forest hurting unicorns?
"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."
Skylar, Harry and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, the two staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.
"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."
"It was more like Mars being bright was supposed to answer the question. If only we knew what that meant as they do." Skylar said
"Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.
"Oh, a fair few… Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs… they know things… jus' don' let on much."
"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry.
"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns — never heard anythin' like it before."
They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Skylar felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end, as if there was something behind her. She glanced back once or twice but neither time she saw anything through the darkness. She saw Harry doing the same as he thought they were being watched. She frowned at him unsurely.
They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.
"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!" Skylar's blood ran cold.
"Nick…" she whispered
"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"
They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.
"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione. Skylar bit her lip, worried.
"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville… it's our fault he's here in the first place." He looked at Skylar as she took a few breaths trying to calm down.
"Problem is," she began trying to distract herself. "If something happens to Draco his dad will get involved, and Lucius Malfoy is on the board of Governors for the school. You don't want to know what he does if something happens to his son." Skylar admitted. She was trying to peer through the darkness, trying to find what was happening, trying to see. Her heart pounding in worry and Hermione took her hand to try and comfort her.
"He better be alright." Skylar whispered.
The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual, picking up the wind and cracking twigs.
At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Nick, Draco, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming.
"Are you alright?" Skylar asked instantly, moving to her brother and looking at him, trying to see if he was alright.
"Fine." he muttered turning to Malfoy. "He spooked Neville." Skylar turned from Nick to Neville and then to Draco.
"Seriously?" she asked her voice getting harsher. "That's all?" Draco turned his gaze from her.
"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, Skylar an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang, Nick an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."
Skylar shared a look with Nick and he rolled his eyes.
"Want me to go instead?" she asked
"No don't worry." he muttered before he and Harry shared a look and they set off through the trees with Malfoy and Fang.
"Think they'll be alright?" Hermione asked
"I don't know." Skylar mumbled as Neville clung to Hermione's arm and they began to follow Hagrid again.
"I know we need to be punished but I think sending us into the forbidden forest were unicorns, of all things, are being slaughtered is a bit dangerous." Skylar whispered.
Neville whimpered.
"Why would McGonagall do it then?" Hermione whispered
"Because we disappointed her so much? I don't know. But this seems like something Snape might do." Skylar mumbled.
They watched the shining blood in the light of Hagrid's lamp, his Crossbow ready as they listened through the forest. Skylar glanced around here and there but there was only emptiness.
They walked for about another half an hour, mostly in silence. Neville clung to Hermione who allowed him too as she stuck close to Hagrid. Skylar moved after them, glancing around all the time as they all listened for unusual noises, for perhaps the slithering from earlier that had sounded. All the while she wondered what Nick, Harry and Draco were doing, had they found anything?
In that moment there was a sound that echoed through the trees, distant and yet nearer than expected. It was a cry, no a scream. Neville jumped about a mile into the air and Hermione was shaking as they look around the trees.
A moment later red sparks flew up into the air and with one frightened look Hermione and Skylar started running through the trees. Hagrid bundled off after them as barking was heard in the distance from Fang.
Skylar kept her eyes on where the sparks had come from before another set rose up closer towards them, they were moving.
Within the next moment voices sounded through the trees and Skylar noticed her brother's and Harry's instantly. Hermione, just behind her, noticed the same. They broke through the trees down the path to see both boys on the back of a palomino centaur, his eyes bright blue.
"Harry! Harry, are you all right?" Hermione called. Hagrid was puffing along behind her.
"I'm fine," said Harry. "The unicorns dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."
"Nick, what happened? Are you alright?" Nick was looking rather pale as he jumped down from the centaur's back and Skylar looked at him before turning to Harry.
"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."
Harry 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 shivering behind him.
"What happened?" Skylar asked instantly. She looked around as Neville had joined them.
"Where's Draco?" she questioned.
"He ran off." Harry confessed
"Screaming." Nick added.
Skylar looked around the trees before she heard a bark and then Hagrid came through the trees. He had Draco and Fang with him, the boy of which looked very pale, almost grey. He was looking around frantically. He looked at Skylar who looked him over, surprised by how scared he looked.
"Come on, yeh can go back now." Hagrid said and with a look at them all he and Fang began to lead the way through the trees.
Skylar didn't release Nick's hands and Hermione was rubbing Harry's arm comfortingly. Neville was sticking to Hagrid and Malfoy was making sure he wasn't falling behind. Skylar glanced at him close behind her.
"You alright?" she asked and he looked at her. He brought his sneer back, weakly, and scoffed but continued to glance around in worry.
Skylar didn't push as the trees began to thin out finally. Within a next few moments they would see the grounds of Hogwarts and finally the large castle came into view.
As it was before dawn, Filch wasn't back to collect them and so Hagrid walked them up to the castle and to the entrance hall. Draco vanished instantly towards the dungeons while the five Gryffindors thanked Hagrid and then proceeded for the seventh floor and the Gryffindor common room.
The common room was empty besides one person when they arrived. Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return.
"Harry, what happened?" Skylar asked again but the boy walked over to Ron as Neville left without a word for the dormitory. Ron shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake.
"It was him." Harry said
"What?" Hermione and Skylar asked as Ron rubbed his eyes.
"There was a person." Nick said "Drinking the unicorn's blood." Hermione and Skylar looked horrified and Ron's mouth dropped open. "That centaur, Firenze, he said it was You-Know-Who."
"What?" the two girls repeated.
"Voldemort, he's drinking unicorn blood before he gets the Elixir of life from the stone." Harry said.
"What stone?" Nick asked
"It's the thing Fluffy is guarding." Skylar told him "The thing Flamel owns."
"A stone?" Nick said
"A philosopher's stone. You know, turns metal into gold and produces the elixir of life." Skylar said and Nick looked surprised
"Yeah I guess a three headed dog wouldn't be extreme to protect something like that."
"Firenze said that drinking unicorn blood curses you. But if you drink the elixir it makes you whole again." Harry said "But we had it slightly wrong." he continued, pacing as he seemed unable to sit down. "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…"
Skylar and Nick shared a scared look. The idea of the darkest wizard of the age was hiding in the forest on the edge of the grounds of their school was terrifying.
"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them. This news had removed any sleepiness from his system.
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.
"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 seemed the only one able to speak from all of this, though she looked very frightened.
"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."
"Some fortune-telling is real, but I don't think it's something that can really be taught like they try here." Skylar said
"Bit of a joke subject really." Nick nodded
"Prophecies can be made dad said, but it doesn't mean they always come true, it all depends on certain acts." Skylar said. She looked at Harry. "Centaurs as Hagrid said though don't give straight answers, I wouldn't put much by their meaning. Who knows what Mars being bright means."
They were up the rest of the night, speaking over what had happened and interpreting centaurs beliefs. They didn't go to bed until the sky began to lighten, their throats sore from all the talking.
Skylar wasn't feeling much better or less worried even as she did lie down in her bed.