Chapter 3 – Of Unicorns
A/N - // \\ denotes start and end of flashback sequence. Disclaimers etc in Chapter 1.
The herd of unicorns galloped on through the Forbidden Forrest – instinctively they knew this was an area they had to be free of rapidly.
Too many of their own kind had fallen during the dark days here. While some degree of peace had returned affording wizards, witches and magical creatures some degree of safety, heightened vigilance was still the order of the day.
A distressed whinny and the shattering of bones from the back of the herd only served to spur the other creatures on. There was no time to rescue the fallen - for death would be the only salvation for this gentle creature.
Shadows began to swirl through the trees of the forest and a blanket of evil unrolled itself even closer to Hogwarts.
Gandalf paced around the guest room behind Dumbledore's office still trying to work out how he had been spared by Balrog. The principal had sent to Madam Malkin for fresh robes for the visiting wizard. While feeling more like his old self than he had since the fellowship had left Rivendell, Gandalf was still restless and needed to be amongst nature.
Picking up his staff, he began to negotiate the horrid stairwells that seemed to change direction at will. There had to be some more greenery, other than that garden, around here somewhere.
In the Gryffindor common room, Harry continued to massage his forehead, no longer sure if it was his scar, the arithmancy homework or the 20-inch potions parchment he still had to compose that was giving him the headache.
"Aaaarrrrgh!" Harry's head hit the antique desk, his moan startling Ron and scattering the wizard chess pieces from the board.
"Harry, you all right? I think you need to get out of here for a while. Go for a walk and have some tea with Hagrid," Ron urged.
~*~*~*~
The wounded unicorn wasn't sure what its' last moments would entail but the kindness of this touch was a surprise when compared to the start of this nightmare, this pain.
The herd, his family was long gone from this place of evil and had hopefully found some peace.
The beast knew the stranger was meaning to help, even using his own brand of magic to try and heal the wounds inflicted by this darkest form of evil. Soon there would be a release from this prison that had no bars.
~*~*~*~
The Hogwarts' grounds had impressed Gandalf in their neatness and in some ways reminded him of the order and peace of Rivendell. Yet it was this forest he found himself in that brought real feelings of homesickness to the fore.
A pair of hooves poking out from behind one of the trees behind a hut had caught his attention. Whatever had attacked his unicorn was as deadly as any orc or Black Rider on Middle Earth, he thought.
There was little he could do for this creature except chant a couple of simple spells to hopefully relieve its suffering and bring the end quickly. A gentle death would be the kindest magic of all.
Leaning over the unicorn's bloodied neck; Gandalf whispered an elvish poem, normally reserved for fallen warriors to bring their soul peace in its final hour.
The elderly wizard did not hear the footsteps of another intruder to the forest fall on the leaves.
~*~*~*~
Ron had been right. Getting out of the common room and heading for tea with Hagrid was just what he needed, Harry thought.
Opening the door of the cottage, Harry saw all was in order but the groundskeeper was not at home. Going back to his room and still not written potions parchment was not really at option at the moment. His headache wasn't as bad now and he could probably afford to take an afternoon off before his seventh year final exams started in six weeks time.
Adjusting his eyes to the dappled light in the forest, Harry started to wander drawing peace from the ancient trees. He knew the unicorn herds had only recently returned to grazing on the edges of the forest that backed onto the Hogwart's grounds.
The late afternoon sunshine bounced off something shiny in the forest causing Harry to squint as he tried to make out what it was bringing so much light to a place of darkness. Moving closer, he could see puddles of unicorn blood and wondered if the wounded beast had sought sanctuary to be healed or had been taken by one of the predators that lurked even deeper in the forest.
Harry thought back to Firenze the centaur's words the first time he entered the Forbidden Forest.
// "That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn….only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price." //
The young wizard shuddered at the thought of a renewed evil this close to the only place he called home.
He had taken less than a dozen steps before he found the wounded, bleeding unicorn with a wizard muttering something in what seemed like a foreign language. This was not right, not right at all.
Who was this strange wizard leaning over the bleeding neck of a unicorn?
Reaching into the pocket of his cargo pants, Harry felt for his ever-present wand. Professor Flitwick had occasionally mentioned that, when dueling, the best form of defence was often attack. The last person Harry had seen this close to a bleeding unicorn was Voldemort. Surely he wouldn't be so idiotic to be this close to Hogwarts?
Harry raised his wand.
"Ava . . .aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgh!"