IWSC Writing School Round 7
Ninja, Mahoutokoro, Year 6
Technique: Clarity
Word Count: 988
"What are you on about, Charlie?" Bill insisted.
Charlie glanced down the hall. Satisfied that nobody was eavesdropping, he said, "Unicorns, Bill. Ghost unicorns."
Bill didn't say anything. Then he began to laugh.
"Stop laughing, Bill, I'm serious!"
Bill instantly sobered at the emotion in Charlie's voice.
"Sorry… er… okay, tell me again."
Charlie sighed. "Ghost unicorns, Bill. I heard the Fat Friar and a couple of the other ghosts talking about a herd of them in the Forest. They weren't sure if the rumors were true though, so I tracked down Nick and asked him if he knew anything about it, and he said he did!"
Bill quirked an eyebrow. "And?"
"And?" Charlie gaped. "And, now I'm here to get you, you idiot. I figured you'd want to talk to Nick together."
Bill hesitated. "Charlie, I don't know… I mean, ghost unicorns? You really think they could exist? And here, of all places?"
"Why not here!" Charlie exclaimed. "Think about it, Bill, it's perfect for them. It's a school full of magic, where hundreds of spells are cast every single day. It would be such a powerful place for them, and anyways, don't you remember what Professor Binns told us about all the instances of creatures that became ghosts? Most of them were evil, sure, but remember what he said about the first ever Phoenix? How he believed that it had become a ghost, and how he believes that that's part of why Phoenixes live so long? Because the first Phoenix is constantly imbuing them with power!"
Bill didn't say anything for a moment, so Charlie plowed on. "Bill, please come with me to see Nick? If you still don't care about this afterwards, then you can go back to your friends, and I won't bother you with it again."
"Alright, deal," Bill said. "Where is Nick then?"
Charlie grinned. "I left him near the Transfiguration classroom, come on!"
After their conversation with Nick, Bill felt truly excited. A quick look at his little brother told him that Charlie felt the same way.
Nick accompanied them down to the Forbidden Forest's edge. "I do so envy you two," he said glumly. "Going on adventures together, off to discover grand treasures in life."
Bill and Charlie exchanged a look.
"Err, thanks for your help, Nick," Bill said. "See you tomorrow, then?"
"Oh, of course," Nick continued. "What else have I to do?"
And with that, Nick turned his attention to the moon above and slowly glided back towards the castle.
Bill and Charlie glanced at each other, then lit their wands and intrepidly set off into the forest.
Nick had said that he fully believed the rumors of the ghostly horned steeds. The boys' interests had been piqued, and they quickly learned that it was thought to be the ghosts of a centuries-old unicorn herd, once raised by a Hogwarts gamekeeper, but that the herd had been slaughtered by savage werewolves. They'd become ghosts, but then had gone into hiding all the same. Only now were they reappearing.
As Bill and Charlie walked quietly through the forest, they stayed close together. Bill may have been excited, and his adrenaline may have been pumping furiously, but he still knew the Forest to be quite a dangerous place.
Their wands held aloft, Bill jumped slightly when his brother whispered, "What're you thinking?"
"That we should've brought some ghostly sugar cubes," Bill quipped.
Bill saw Charlie crack a grin out of the corner of his eye.
They had been walking in silence for about twenty minutes when they heard it. A sharp snap of twigs. The sound rattled in their ears, directly behind them.
They turned as one, stumbling backwards as they took in the sight of a terrific creature. It was stunning. Beautiful. A centaur. His coat was of a mottled brown, while his human features consisted of a beautiful head of chocolate-colored hair, and striking eyes that seemed to flash a deep green.
"You should not be here," he said. His voice was deep, and Bill felt it reverberate through his chest.
Neither boy spoke as they scrambled to their feet.
The centaur didn't look angry, but he did look fierce.
"We — we heard rumors," Charlie began hesitantly, taking a step forward.
Bill inhaled sharply at his brother's bravery. "Careful, Charlie," he hissed.
"Rumors about the unicorns," Charlie continued. "The ghost herd. We didn't want to hurt them in any way; we promise. We just wanted to see them."
The centaur eyed Charlie intensely. Bill swallowed. "We didn't mean to cross any boundaries," he began, stepping to his brother's side once more. "We should've been more careful, and we are sorry."
When Charlie didn't say anything, Bill sharply stepped on his brother's foot.
"Yes, yes, very sorry."
The centaur continued eyeing them for a moment, before speaking again. "Our borders are not marked. You could not have known where not to step. That is why I advise you, in future, to keep a careful distance away from the center of the forest, no matter the purpose."
Bill and Charlie nodded.
"Come, I will escort you to the border." The centaur turned, making no noise at all as he walked.
When they reached the edge of the forest, the centaur spoke again. "I do understand your fascination with the unicorns," he said deeply. "The Fantome Herd is something many humans wonder about, but rarely succeed in catching sight of. Some legends even say that humans will drive themselves mad, should they see even one hair of a fantome steed."
Bill and Charlie listened closely, only breathing deeply when the centaur had disappeared into the trees.
"Sorry, Charlie," Bill said as they crept back into the castle. "I know you really wanted to see the unicorns."
Charlie shrugged, but then he looked up, face bright with realization.
"What is it?"
Charlie grinned broadly. "Bill… we met a freaking centaur!"
AN: 'fantome' means 'ghost' in French