Chapter 37: The Forbidden Forest.

'I think that's north,' Severus said, pointing rather doubtfully in the direction where the trees grew thickest. 'I'm sure there's a charm or something that could help...'

Lily nodded. 'The Four-Point charm. A serious gap in our education, if we have to come here again, don't you think?' she grinned.

Severus didn't say anything. He seemed relieved that she was calm now, and even speaking about returning. She shook her head - it would take more than a couple of overgrown spiders to stop her. Though, she had to admit, it had been a tense moment, and she would treat the forest with more respect now that she knew what lurked there.

Something caught her attention then. In the opposite direction to where Severus had pointed, the trees appeared sharper, clearer, for the mist was not so dense. She moved slowly in that direction. It also appeared brighter there, and though she did not know why, exactly, she was drawn irresistibly towards the soft light.

Suddenly, a shaft of sunlight penetrated the surrounding gloom, and there, standing still in the dazzling light, was a beautiful doe.

Her large eyes were looking directly at her, and Lily held her breath. The beam of light glowed warmly on the doe's red back, and her beautiful head cast a sunlit shadow.

Lily felt as though she was in the presence of a forest spirit, and she knew the Doe was unafraid of her, just as surely as she knew that this was no ordinary forest creature. A deep happiness seemed to fill her as the large eyes, with their long lashes, continued to gaze serenely at her. The animal did not move, even when she felt Severus come up quietly behind her.

It seemed to Lily as though time stood still in those few seconds, but then the deer lifted up her delicate head, as though she had heard or smelt something, and turned towards the bright space behind her.

They followed her gaze – it seemed there was a clearing of some sort, beyond. The next second she had disappeared. They weren't quite sure how it happened, but one minute she was there, and the next she wasn't. Lily realised she had been holding her breath.

'Come on, let's go! She went that way!' she said, going towards the light.

Severus followed more reluctantly.

They emerged into a clearing roughly half the size of the Quidditch Pitch. It was a meadow, grass and flowers still wet with the early morning dew and the mist which was still heavy at the far end. They could not see any sign of the doe anywhere.

'Look – over there!'

Lily pointed at a movement in the grass, but it was only rabbits feeding in the middle of the sloping meadow. They were about to turn back when a slight movement caught Lily's eye. She turned her gaze to the far end of the meadow, hoping to see the doe again, but what she saw paralysed her with fear.

The heavy mist at the higher edge of the meadow was parting silently, swirling itself around large, spectral forms. She felt Severus stiffening beside her, and was aware that he, too, had seen – but what, exactly? Nothing but air, it seemed … there, but not there! However, she was sure that for a split second, huge bat-like wings had fanned their shape through the mist.

The hair on the back of her neck was prickling unpleasantly, and her heart was beating so fast, she was sure it could be heard in the eerie silence around them.

Her hand was still holding her wand, which now she pointed in the direction of the swirling mist, but she could see nothing there.

Then Severus grasped her hand and pulled her back. Glancing at him she was disconcerted to see how pale he was, eyes wide and fixed. With a look, he warned her to remain silent, and turned his eyes back towards the clearing. She followed his gaze and her heart almost stopped, for there, coming towards them from the misty edges of the meadow, were tracks – the tall grass was being parted swiftly by something invisible. Actually, about three or four such tracks had appeared, and whatever was making them was large and heavy, trampling the tall grass, though they could hear no sound.

'Back away, slowly,' Severus whispered in her ear.

She started moving backwards, but at that moment an unearthly shriek split the silence. Horrified, Lily watched as one of the rabbits that had been grazing made a strange convulsive leap into the air and then fell motionless in the tall grass.

A flurry of movement around the meadow revealed other rabbits scampering for cover. There was another shriek and another rabbit jerked convulsively through the air, as though being shaken by something invisible.

A strange, ugly sound drew their attention to where the first rabbit's corpse was being dismembered, flecks of blood spurting on the green grass, but they could not see who or what was doing it.

Lily felt ill and dizzy, and her feet seemed incapable of moving. She felt a hand on her arm, pulling her back. Hardly aware of what she was doing, her mind still full of the horrible sight of the invisible, stealthy killer, she stumbled after Severus, who was giving her anxious looks.

Once back in the dark shade of the trees however, she recovered slightly, and ran swiftly at his side, glancing every so often behind them, dreading to see the invisible tracks following them, now. They ran for what seemed like ages, eager to put as much distance as possible between them and the invisible killers, but finally Severus called a halt. Lily sat down panting on a fallen tree trunk.

'Now what in Merlin's name was that?' she asked, pulling her cloak around her, for she was still shaking, though not with cold. She could feel Severus's eyes on her.

'Whatever it was, was hunting rabbits, not us,' Severus said, in a voice of enforced calm. He was looking up, frowning and trying to determine which way was east, for the last remnants of mist had disappeared, and the sun was higher in the sky now.

'That's a comforting thought!' she retorted sarcastically 'Didn't you see those tracks? Whatever made them is huge! If it had to take a bite out of us, I think we'd be as badly off as that poor rabbit!'

'Gives a whole new meaning to the word 'Forbidden' Forest now, doesn't it?'

Lily knew he was trying to make light of what happened, to calm her down, for she was still shivering. It seemed to her as though as if something she had once thought so beautiful had suddenly grown fangs and claws, and turned savage.

'Well, at least we now know why it is 'Forbidden'. I think that is what must have spooked the doe…' she said, feeling slightly calmer as she remembered that beautiful creatures did, after all, exist alongside the monstrous ones they had just encountered in the forest.

'We definitely need to be better prepared for this Forest. We're even more completely lost now…'

He regretted his words the moment they were out of his mouth, for Lily's lips trembled, and she turned away from him, so he would not see her eyes filling with tears.

'What if we're expelled for this, Sev? I don't think a jaunt in the Forbidden Forest is going to earn us just a detention …especially if they have to come and rescue us. They're bound to find out we're missing.'

'No-one is going to find out, Lily. It's still early in the day, and we can find our way back.'

'Unless some invisible monster finds us first…' she mumbled, wiping her eyes on her cloak, still with her back to him. 'I wish we knew how to get out of here.'

She felt terrible, and knew that it was, perhaps, her fault in the first place that they were in such a predicament. She had badgered Severus often enough to go to the Forest, and that was probably why he had suggested going there, early that morning. If he was expelled, or, worse, if he got hurt, it would be all her fault!

Something made her look up at that moment. And there between the trees stood the doe again.

'Sev, look!' she whispered excitedly, her anguish forgotten.

But Severus had already glimpsed her.

The animal stood gazing at them boldly, only yards away. Then it turned and walked a few paces through the undergrowth, stopped, and turned back to look at them.

'I think it wants us to follow,' Lily said, in a hushed voice.

'What? Lily, it's just an animal…'

'No, look!'

The deer had once more made a few paces forward, stopped, and turned to look at them unblinkingly again. Lily stepped forward slowly towards the animal, but it did not flee.

'Come on, Sev. We've got to follow her – I know we do.'

Before he could ask her how she had come to that conclusion, Lily had set off after the doe, and he had no choice but to follow.

The graceful animal picked her way delicately through the undergrowth and between the tree trunks, pausing now and then to see if they were following, for all the world like some large, friendly dog.

They had been walking for about a quarter of an hour, when she gave a last look back at them, put on a burst of speed, and disappeared.

'Where'd she go?' asked Lily in dismay, looking around her.

'Lily, look!' the suppressed excitement in Severus's voice made her turn round. He was pointing at the forest floor, and she saw, clearly visible through the fallen leaves and pine needles, what was clearly a path.

'She led us to a path! We're saved!' Lily cried excitedly, jumping up and down, 'The Doe saved us!'

'I guess she did. We should go this way!'

She knew Severus was just as relieved as she was, though he tried to hide it. They started running pell-mell down the forest path, sure that it would take them to the water's edge or further on, where the lake ended near the castle lawns.

They were running so fast, that they did not see the vast, looming, shadow coming towards them round a bend in the path, until it was too late. They crashed right into the huge shape, and the speed of their momentum was such that they rebounded backwards, falling hard onto the forest floor.

Lily screamed, and Severus, sprawled on the ground, tried to struggle up to a sitting position, as he aimed his wand at the large shape. It was then that they realised it was Hagrid, the Gamekeeper.

Lily was too relieved to see someone from school to think about how bad it looked for them to be caught there.

'Oh, Hagrid! It's you!' she said, jumping back to her feet, 'I'm so happy to see you. We were lost, but we followed the deer and …and…' she faltered and stopped, realising that Hagrid was looking thunderous, and that they had just emerged from the deepest part of the Forbidden Forest.

Hagrid lunged suddenly at Lily, making her jump, and picked up something from her cloak. He held up, between his thumb and forefinger, a piece of the spider's web that must have remained stuck to her cloak.

'Yeh've bin runnin' aroun' the Forest, haven't yeh?' he roared. 'Don't yeh know yeh're not allowed in there? Don't yeh know it could be dangerous, if yeh wander off the forest path? This could mean detention fer both of yeh!'

Lily looked down at her feet, trembling in front of Hagrid's wrath, but Severus spoke defiantly:

''S not her fault –'t was entirely my idea to come here!'

Lily's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Hagrid did something unexpected – he gave a loud guffaw.

'Made a bet with yeh, didn' he?' he said to Lily. 'See if yeh're brave enough to enter the forest, eh? Well, yer not the firs' nor the las' to play sich tricks, lemme tell you! 'sides, the forest ain't so bad, really. On'y, its forbidden', an' dangerous fer second-years to enter alone. 'Twouldn't do fer one o' yeh to lead t'other into trouble, now, would it?' He turned to Severus. 'Yeh're in Slytherin, aren't yeh?' he said, looking at him with displeasure.

Severus nodded, scowling.

'Hagrid, I – I came to the forest because I always loved it… Severus didn't-'

'Love the forest, eh? Hmmm. Did yeh say yeh followed a deer?'

Lily launched into an enthusiastic account of how the deer had led them on to the right path.

'Well, some 'o them deer are special – silent forest spirits, they be, yes.'

Hagrid looked up through the canopy of trees. ''s getting; late, now. I want yer ter follow me back ter the castle. How yer two got into 't forest withou' bein' seen, is beyond me!'

Lily exchanged a quick look with Severus and hoped Hagrid wouldn't insist on finding out just exactly how they had managed to get into the forest. The gamekeeper made them walk in front of him along the forest path.

' 'S lucky I found yeh – though I must say yeh were on the right track… This path leads up to me cabin, withou' too many side-tracks. Yeh'll want to remember it in the future.'

Lily looked back at Hagrid doubtfully, but noted there was a twinkle in his beetle-black eyes. It was as if he knew they'd both be back in the forest again. Severus was looking intently at the ground and trees, and she knew that he was memorising the twisting pathway.

'Some of yeh'll be comin' to the forest again wi' Professor Kettleburn…' Hagrid said, as though in explanation, but the twinkle in his eye remained. He did not appear so terrifying now he had stopped shouting. 'Yeh're in Gryffindor, right?'

'Yes. I'm Lily Evans, and this is...'

'Glad ter find someone tha' 'preciates the forest …' Hagrid interrupted 'Most yer age are scared.'

Lily, emboldened by this, asked him the crucial question.

'Are we – are we going to get detention?'

'Nah. I won't tell on yeh. But I don' want ter see yeh in there again alone, alrigh?'

The trees were growing sparsely now, and soon they came out of the forest near the vegetable patch behind the Gamekeeper's hut. There, tethered to a fence and grazing on the new spring grass, was a young unicorn, pale gold in colour. Lily gave a gasp of surprise:

'Oooh, he's so beautiful!'

'Foun' him yesterday. Grazed his flank on a Whipthorn plant, see? He'll be right as rain in a day or two.'

'I thought they were white?

'Foals are golden. This one's almost full-grown. Turn silvery-white then. Yeh can go closer 'n touch him if yeh want to … Yeh, boy, stay back!'

Lily was so fascinated by the beautiful creature before her, that she did not notice Severus backing away and slipping along the fence towards the forest once more.

She petted the young unicorn, listening happily as Hagrid explained all about these magical creatures, and many others. She did not want to tell him about the invisible killers, or about the huge spiders, for fear he might get angry again. However, when Hagrid invited her for tea in his cabin, she realised that Severus was no longer there. She looked beyond the vegetable patch, but there was no sign of him.

Hagrid seemed to have forgotten entirely about her friend, as he urged her inside his cabin, enthusiastically describing how he had just acquired a three-headed puppy. She thought Severus might have gone back for the boat, and decided not to alert Hagrid to that fact, so she sat down at his table, and quietly accepted the proffered tea in a mug as big as a pitcher.

Some distance away from the cabin, Severus was making his way along the edge of the forest. He slid in and out of the sparsely growing trees on the edge of the forest, keeping the lake in view. He was feeling rather bitter at the way the Gamekeeper had jumped to conclusions about how he might have enticed Lily into the forest on a bet.

It had been, of course, at his suggestion that Lily had accompanied him to the forest, but Hagrid seemed to think that being a Slytherin was explanation enough. He hadn't even wanted him there… Lucius Malfoy's words came back to him forcefully: "… I certainly would not bother about any Gryffindor – they are very well taken care of…"

Severus growled in frustration. It was so unfair! He blasted a thorn bush out of his way in anger, then immediately regretted it. He must learn to control his anger or he'd have another bunch of whatever was lurking in the forest, after him!

Then his conscience gave a twinge – he had, after all, led Lily into a very dangerous place, and she could have been hurt. He privately resolved that before he would ever suggest such an excursion to Lily again, he must learn more about the Forest and its inhabitants, as well as some secure ways of finding the path that led to Hagrid's cabin.

It was more than an hour later that he finally found the boat in the undergrowth where they had hidden it earlier that morning. Thankfully, although the sun was high in the sky, there were still some patches of mist on the surface of the water, so when he took out the Fog Potion he had concocted recently – another helpful little potion he got from his Great-grandfather's book - he knew he would not be noticed, as with his wand he drew out the white vapour from the vial in his rucksack, and with a wave of his wand, sent it round to envelope the boat, before he glided over the water to the cavern's mouth.