Chapter 7: The Centaur's Tale

Harry's head was a whirl, No! Not again! Does anyone see a pattern here?! I don't get a break, do I? I refuse, I completely refuse, I'm not doing it! Then why am I about to do it, go on the nine-millionth wild goose chase since I found out that I was a wizard.

"You won't be doing this alone," a soft voice brought Harry back to Earth.

"What?" Harry blinked.

"I said, 'you won't be doing this alone,'"Sirius said in an uncharacteristic voice, it was so gentle, so caring, that at that moment Harry would have done anything his godfather asked.

"You'll help me?" Harry eyes went wide.

"If you me want to,"Sirius got an approving nod from Dumbledore.

"Okay," Harry said in a slightly happier voice.

"Good," Dumbledore said somewhere in the background. "I believe that only your mother's centaur friend knows the Eye's legend in its entirety, so normally I'd provide you with a guide for the Forbidden Forest, but I think your godfather will make do, don't you agree Sirius?" Sirius nodded, and winked at Harry. "Now, the centaur your mother speaks of happen to be the daughter of the Great Stargazer, and . . ."

"Her name is Sandia," Sirius said in an impatient manner. "Professor, she knows me, I think we can handle this one."

"Impulsive as ever, all right Mr. Black, you may need this though, Harry, it is a sliver of what your parents believed was the Eye." Dumbledore handed Harry a golden chain, with a small gold medal on it, and embedded in the medal was an emerald, and within it was an even smaller diamond, and told him to put it on. Harry carefully slipped it over his head, and the chain melted into his neck leaving only the emerald, and embedded diamond visible. "That will show you your path to the Eye, itself, be careful, and good luck." He shook hands with the adventurers, before they left on their quest.

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Padfoot scampered across a thicket, sniffing the ground, Left, right, left, right? Harry?

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Harry panted, entering the thicket. They were deep in the forest by now, following Sirius's nose, and Harry was dead tired. It felt like someone had attacked lead weights to his legs.

You okay? Sirius cocked a pointed ear that had flopped over.

"Yeah, I'm right behind you. "

Good because it's only a few more paces to the . . .er . . . Sirius sniffed the ground again. Left! Sirius shot off into the darkness, Harry raced after him.

Dumbledore was right about one thing, Harry thought as he ran. Sirius does know the forest like the back of his hand er . . . paw. Sirius had stopped in a beautiful enclosed glade, the kind of glade only mentioned in fairy tales. Flowers of every kind bloomed here, and there, vibrant green grass covered it. A clear, cool, waterfall trickled down into a spring was at the far left, a smooth rock stuck out of ground, and a canopy of lush leaves that sunlight filtered through kept it all hidden from all except those who knew exactly where it was.

YO, SANDIA! Sirius barked.

Harry cupped his hands over his mouth, and yelled, "SANDIA!"

S-S-S-SANDY!

"Sandia!"

Sandia, daughter of the Great Stargazer Chiron, it's your favorite Grim!

"Sandia! Do you think she moved? Or took a trip, or died? Or just doesn't want anything to do with me?" Harry asked.

Not a chance, would you move if you lived here, or take a trip? And as for dying, I don't think so, and trust me Sandia does want something to do with you, Sirius shot him a stern look, while slapping his tail against the ground, (Harry counted) five times, four times, three times, what sounded like thunder was coming toward them, two times, closer, once, then like a piercing thunder-clap a something broke through a wall of vines that made Harry's breath catch in his chest.

A centaur. The most beautiful centaur or any creature Harry had ever seen. She stood at about 15 ½ hands horse wise with a glistening, fiery, red, chestnut coat. Human wise she was thin, and shapely, with a soft, pretty face, big almond, shaped green eyes, and long, red hair. Around her hips, she wore a golden chain, a sign of great birth, on her upper half she wore what looked like a bikini top made of vines, and green shells, and around a silver chain on her neck, she wore a star. A little bit of a real, true, star. "Long time, no see Padfoot," she said in a pleasant, friendly voice.

Same here, Sand, Sirius blushed so red that it was visible through his dark fur.

"Who's the hunk, Pads?" Sandia giggled.

You don't remember Harry?

"That's Harry? I would have never guessed, he's so handsome, last time I saw him, he was only a foal. You look a lot like your father, but with Lily's eyes, but I'm sure you hear enough of that. You must have girls falling at your feet," Sandia smiled, as her eyes looked Harry up, and down, resting on the scar briefly.

"Er . . . thank you," Harry, who was now the same shade of red as his godfather was.

"Good thing, he didn't take after you, Sirius, he's too polite for that," Sandia, and Sirius were apparently very close, because of the good-natured teasing.

I have temporarily gone deaf, and did not hear that!

"He couldn't have gotten permanent laryngitis, could he?" She whispered to Harry.

Sirius leaped over to them, seeing Harry's skin pale distinctly, thinking he might faint, but just as suddenly Harry's skin darkened to its normal slightly tanned color. Sandy, we have a little domestic problem.

"Sirius, your last little domestic problem was getting out of Azkaban," Sandia became very serious, her eyes falling on the emerald embedded in her late friend's son's chest. "It has to do with the Eye, doesn't it?"

"Yes, we need to know the legend, Sandia," Harry said.

"Of course," Sandia leaped onto the rock, and stomped her hoof on it, ghostly green light surrounded the glade. "This is for your ears only, if the Dark Lord heard this he'd have a field day, or worse. So listen up, and be prepared to be amazed, because not even the Hogwarts founders could have thought of something like this!" Darkness engulfed them, all but two little streams of light that illuminated Harry, Sirius, and Sandia. "That's better."

Sometime this century, Sandy, Sirius drummed his claws on the rock.

In a sage like voice Sandia began, "Many years ago, before the Hogwarts four, in the time of Merlin, King Arthur, himself, requested Merlin to make a talisman that was more powerful then any other of the day. But Merlin took it one step further, he created a weapon that was so powerful, that even he did not know the true extent of its power. Merlin warned Arthur not to meddle with it, but he did not listen.

Arthur sent three knights of the Round Table, three brothers to be exact, on a quest, much like the one you are on now, known at the First Crusade to obtain the Holy Grail.

The Cup Christ used during the Last Supper, the Cup that the held the wine that He transformed into His blood. The very same Cup that caught His blood at the Crucifixion. The Cup rumored to give eternal life to all those that drink from it. Unfortunately the Cup was lost right after the Crucifixion, and stayed lost for a thousand years.

Until those same three knights recovered it. Now one hundred, and fifty years after uncovering the Grail, they all went their separate ways. One stayed at the Canyon of the Crescent Moon to protect the Grail because he was the original one that found it, and the other two went off into the went off into the desert, to return to France and one made it.

Remember the brother that returned to France? Well, before dying of extreme old age, he entrusted his tale to a Franciscan friar, and in that tale he included a piece of information that many, even the friar, dismissed it as a old dying man's lunacy, he told of a talisman, a talisman shaped like a giant, glowing, green, emerald, and diamond encrusted, eye! That could cure any disease from the flu to the Black Plague, heal any wound, see into the future, reawakening the recently dead, and worst, but most powerful of all, kill the holder's enemy. The most important part of the Eye is the green diamond in the center that serves as the Eye's pupil for it is the core of the Eye's magic, the magic that can restore life or take it from you.

The knight also entrusted the friar with one more thing then his tale, he entrusted the friar with the Emerald Eye itself! From the moment the Eye touched the friar's fingertips he became a wizard, the most powerful wizard in existent, more powerful then Merlin. This man was no longer a lonely Franciscan friar, but now had become the Guardian of the Emerald Eye!

No one knows where the friar went after that, he seemed to disappear along with the Eye, but before he did he prophesied that a thousand years in the future a tyrant would rise up, and kill all that stood in his path, he would be known as the Flight of Death, and many would fear even to utter his name. But at the height of the Flight of Death's power, he would be defeated, not by an army, or a heroic man, or even a killer beast, but by a child no more then a fifteen months of age, known as the Boy Who Lived. The people would live in twelve years of peace, before the Flight of Death would rise up again by using the blood of his vanquisher in the process. As the Boy Who Lived nears the marking of his fifteenth year, he, and his rightful guardian, will embark on a quest to find the Eye, before the Boy Who Lives fifteenth birthday, and if they fail upon the stroke of midnight on the Boy's birthday the Boy will die." Sandia dropped her sage like manner, and the images that had been projected from the base of the rock onto the vine wall during the tale faded.

"Where do we begin looking?" Harry asked.

"I would try . . ." A whooshing noise sounded outside the enclosed glade, followed by a crackling. "What was that?"

I'll check it out, Sirius was about to disappear into the forest once again, but Sandia leapt off the rock, cutting him off.

"And what if you get hurt? I don't think so," Sandia snapped. "I'll handle this, you get Harry back to Hogwarts in one piece."

"I can take care of myself, you know, I'm not a baby!" Harry also snapped.

"I know you aren't, Harry, but this is something that only a centaur can do, now, get out of here, quickly!" Sandia raced off into the darkness. Sirius looked like he was about to follow her, but stopped himself.

Dark centaurs are shooting black-fire arrows, stay behind me, keep your head down, and don't stop running, if you fall, let me know, And with that Sirius took off at a breakneck speed toward Hogwarts.

Jumping tree logs, dodging branches, tripping over rocks, but not falling, flesh being scratched, and cut by branches that couldn't be dodged, trying not to be hit by a arrow, or burned by one, and trying to keep up with Padfoot was not the easiest thing in the world. A sharp yelp, made Harry's heart stop. "Sirius?"

I'm fine, grazed my shoulder, he heard Sirius telepath, before he jumped a log, and was out of sight. Harry leapt after him, a stitch was growing in his chest, the chest that already felt as though a dagger had been stabbed in it. They were deeper in the forest, then either of them imagined. A flaming-arrow tip whizzed past, the flames singed Harry's shoulder badly, but he kept running.

Then the trees, the sound of flying arrows, the crackling of burning leaves, stopped. Hogwarts!

They more or less collapsed onto the grass, gasping for breath.

We should get up to the hospital wing, Sirius struggled to his feet, only to lay down again. And that, Harry, is why the Forbidden Forest is forbidden.

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"Mr. Black, Mr. Potter, do you two think it's conceivable for you, two, not to get hurt?" Madam Pomfrey huffed. "Potter, in case you were wondering, you have broken the record for most visits to this wing before fifth year!"

"I'm honored," Harry said, sarcastically. In response Madam Pomfrey added an extra amount of Sulfur's Singed Skin Soother to Harry's shoulder making it sting like crazy.

"And as for you, Mr. Black, how does it feel to have your record broken?" Pomfrey asked Sirius, who was in human form. She had treated him for injures once before, so she was not afraid of him.

"I don't mind," Sirius winked at Harry. "Just keep that Sulfur's yada- yada-yada stuff away from me."

"Then how about Bunsen Burner's Burned Skin Reliever?"

"I'll take Sulfur's instead!" Everyone knew that Bunsen's worked faster, but it made you feel as if your whole body was on fire for three seconds so it was only used for 3rd degree burns or worse.

After Madam Pomfrey left saying that she had to unpack some supplies, and not to get hurt yet again.

"If you were wondering, that does happen often," Sirius said after a few moments of silence.

"Huh?"

"The Dark centaurs attacking, don't ask me why because I have no idea," He sighed lying back down on the cot. "But we still have no idea where to start looking, though, we need help."

"Sandy did help us, we now know what we are up against, and why Voldemort wants the Eye, and . . ."

"No, that's what I meant, we need a different kind of help."

"What kind?"

"Loony, loopy, Lupin help."

Remus makes his debut in the next chapter! Jumps for joy!

Sirius: Moony's joining us? And why are you jumping for joy?

Whisperer: Yep, Moony joins our motley crew, and he adds a little sanity to my life!

Sirius: You don't like me any more? *pouts*

Whisperer: I still like you, you know that! Feel like doing the disclaimer?

Sirius: I should get payed for this, The Unicorn Whisperer owns: The Eye, Sandia, Sulfur's yada-yada-yada, Bunsen's yada-yada-yada, and anything you don't recognize . She does not own: Harry, Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, any Hogwarts/HP related stuff, and she wishes she owned me, but J. K. Rowling does! Part of the legend is taken from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, ( She's an Indiana Jones lover!) so she only owns part of it, Steven Spielberg owns the rest.

Whisperer: Thanks to all reviewers!