"Midnight, lock al the doors, and turn out the lights

Feels like the end of the world, this Sunday night…

The volume's down, blue lights are dancing around.

Somehow, I can't seem to find…the quiet inside…my mind…"

-John Mayer

The Godson

Harry stared and stared. He knew that the centaurs, though respectful creatures, were not the nicest of beasts. Praetoria still wasn't moving, and Magorian and Bane were still circling around her. Now that Harry was closer, he could see more and more, only fifty feet away. There were at least a dozen of them, just sitting there watching as two enormous centaurs were pacing around a crumpled figure in the center. Harry wanted to do something. He needed to help the centaur, and he had truly forgotten why. This was a poor, defenseless animal about to be attacked by ferocious executioners.

"Why all the waiting, Magorian?" A deep voice bellowed in the forest.

"The flame and fume must be given their time to act."

"But if the stars have said…"

"Silence!" Harry wasn't sure what was going on, but apparently Magorian was in control, and waiting. He strained his eyes to try to find the burning plants. He remembered his very short teachings on the subject, and wasn't sure what he was looking for, but at the very least, he could report back. "She will NOT die tonight!"

There was a kind of growl that came from the circle. It didn't sound like horses or humans, but it also didn't sound menacing, and the fact that Praetoria was apparently not in any danger right now, Harry's mind began to right itself. He remembered that he was deep in the Forbidden Forest a stone's throw away from creatures that would trample him without a second thought, and decided to leave. However, at that moment, someone else appeared and Harry's heart skipped a beat.

"You should not be here, Harry Potter." Underneath his Invisibility Cloak, he was confused. However, Firenze continued. "Your shoes leave very distinct impressions in the mud." The centaur pointed down, Harry could imagine what he meant, and he slowly turned on the spot to exit. Now whispering, he added, "On my back, perhaps?"

Harry took a little longer than he should have to think about this. Firenze had always been helpful, but not necessarily trustworthy. However, if he had wanted to turn Harry over to the centaurs, he would have done it by now, so Harry slowly got up onto his back, remembering the last time he had done this, and they silently exited the Forest. "How were you so quiet?"

"If you spend enough time anywhere, you learn the spots that make noise. I'm sure there is a certain tile or floorboard that you know of that creates more noise than others." Harry laughed, remembering the creaking stair step at Number 4. "I leave you here, Harry Potter, but I must warn you not to go looking for the herd again. We are all incredibly grateful for what you have done, but that does not change the fact that the centaurs are a guarded and proud race, still avoiding magic…"

"Ok." He really didn't care about tonight. He was sure he needed to talk to Praetoria, but she wasn't dying tonight, so there was really no harm done. As long as he could get to her before Magorian did, and maybe figure out what they were trying to divine in the forest…

All these thoughts brought him back to the common room…where he should have known what was coming.

"Where did you go?!" Hermione was incredulous as always as she and Ron both got to their feet, leaving Ginny on the couch.

"Is everything alright, mate?"

He turned to the third person, still sitting on the couch, who was saying nothing. He wished she would say something, anything. "Everything is fine. Why?" He had learned by now not to try and lie to his friends, but for some reason, it was the first thing that popped into his head.

"We looked out the window and there was this strange green smoke over the tops of the trees, so we sent a Patronus to Minerva to tell you about it." Harry knew what was coming. "She sent one back saying that you weren't in the office."

"Were you in the forest?" Ron and Hermione continued the back and forth, while Ginny remained silent.

"Yes, I was."

"What was that green smoke?" Hermione wanted to be educated, even when she was trying to make a point.

"I don't know, but the centaurs were trying to divine something about another centaur."

"What?" Ron's questions were a little more vague.

"Her name is Praetoria. Magorian and Bane were walking around her body while the other centaurs were standing in a circle around the three of them. Finally, Magorian said that they wouldn't kill her tonight."

"What? What night ARE they going to kill her?"

"It's ok, Hermione. I got the feeling that this wouldn't happen right away. I mean, between the stars, the flame, the fume, and the inherent disagreement between them, they won't make a decision for awhile."

"Maybe they know Praetoria is one of the Daughters?" Ginny finally spoke.

Ron and Hermione got silent. This was strange to Harry because that's the only thing he was thinking about since he returned from the forest. What were the odds that Firenze would know he was in there? Two centaurs would be deciding the fate of another? "I think they do." Harry's gaze didn't move from Ginny's eyes. He just wanted to figure out what she was thinking, and he wanted her to see the truth, and at least an apology, in his own eyes.

They continued looking at each other even as Hermione said, "Ron, let's go." Apparently, she knew they needed to be alone.

"Say something." Harry just wanted to know what she wanted to know. He wanted her to ask him a question so he could answer. He knew this wasn't the right way to go about things, but he didn't know how to apologize. "Please."

"Listen, I know why you did what you did. That doesn't mean it was the right thing to do, and it doesn't mean that I'm happy about it. But I understand, Harry."

"By myself, but not alone…"

"That second part means that you talk to me." She beckoned him to join her on the couch, and he obliged, taking her hand into his and intertwining their fingers. "If you let me inside about these things, of course, I'm going to want to help you. I'm gonna wanna," she paused searching for a word. She was looking off to the side, half-smiling, half-angry that she couldn't find the word, "fix every problem you have, y'know? You would tell me what's wrong, and I would try to fix it."

"Yeah."

"But that's not what I will do. I will talk things out with you, support decisions you make, and be here if anything goes wrong."

"I know."

"BUT you have to talk to me before any of that other stuff can happen."

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. You've been handed a terrible burden. However, as I grow, I start remembering things that I would have done differently. If you had revealed yourself outside the forest before you went to Voldemort, I would have stopped you."

"Gin…" Harry didn't want her to cry.

"But now, I just want you to know that you can tell me what you have to do, and I will kiss you, hold you, and tell you how I will be right there for you no matter what."

"I love you." They sat there on the couch, like they always did, just wrapped up together, giving each other random kisses which always felt like the first one of the night. Just before they were about to get up from the couch and go to bed on the last night of March, Ginny responded.

"I love you, too."

Harry kissed her one last time before going to his dorm where Cedrella was waiting for him as always. "Hey, Ced."

"Harry, I have a note from the summer family, we must get to St. Mungo's as soon as possible."

"Why?"

"Teddy Lupin is not well."

Harry instantly got back out of bed and grabbed his wand. For a second, he wanted to hit himself. He had just had a conversation about not running off into things by himself, but should he really bother Ginny with this? In the end, he couldn't do this to her. He sent her a Patronus, hoping that no one in the girls' dormitory would freak out. Luckily, less than a minute later, after Harry had gathered his things into his robes, Ginny was outside on the staircase landing. He gave her a quick explanation. "It's ok, Harry. This is your family." She smiled. "Take care of Teddy." She kissed him goodbye, again.

After a run outside of the grounds, and a rapid apparation, Harry quickly followed a few other wizards inside of St. Mungo's. "Teddy Lupin?" He yelled at the witch working at the desk.

"Can't you read the – Harry Potter?"

"Yes, what room is Ted Lupin in?"

"Um," she scrambled in some paper, "4th Floor. Dai Llewellyn ward."

"Animal attack?"

"They don't know…"

So Harry rushed up to the elevator and got out on the fourth floor, ran down the hallway to the room where his Godson was being kept, and saw a few people there he knew and many he didn't. "There he is!"

"Potter! It's Potter!"

"The Prophet wants to know what has happened Potter, and you better be able to explain it. An attack on a defenseless child, and now another attack here at the hospital with signs of yet another attack from your own school." Rita Skeeter, the ever-present beetle, knew more than Harry did. "Well, Potter? What do you have to say about all of this?"

"Er…"