Chapter Seven

The Star-crossed Destiny

The centaur of Hogwarts smiled softly as he began his third week of classes teaching grooming techniques, having pairs of students brushing down the Pegasi, Slumber Sheep, Hippogriffs, Griffon cubs, and Badgimera cubs while he lectured them on other class material. Corey and Taylor brushed down Babe, Severus' huge black winged horse who stood nearly twenty hands high. Babe was tossing his head restlessly from being woken up in the middle of his morning nap.

"Now, does anyone remember the names of the groupings of each of the animals we're taking care of today?" Sagittari asked. He walked between the students, inspecting their work and seeing that each was being carefully tended.

"Pride of Griffons," Corey said, slightly bored.

"Very good. Gail?" Sagittari inquired.

"Flock of sheep and flock of Pegasi?"

"Both correct," Sagittari nodded.

"A pack of Badgimeras and a flight of Hippogriffs," Taylor put in.

"Very good. Now, does anyone happen to know what a group of centaurs are called?" Sagittari asked, pausing near where Doug and Gail were rubbing down Babe's mate, Ruby.

"A herd?" Corey guessed, but knew it was wrong the moment Sagittari winced.

"A constellation," Taylor said, and Sagittari looked over at him.

"Very good, five points for Ravenclaw. Yes, that is quite correct. We refer to many things in our daily lives according to the stars, for they are guides to our past, present, and future. Our meetings are also referred to as constellations. Yes, Doug?"

"What are a group of humans called?"

"A mob, probably," Corey put in, getting a slight chuckle from the other students.

"Actually, at one time they often were called a mob of humans," Sagittari smiled thinly. "But a crowd of humans is more correct. Now, if you're done rubbing them down, you may now feed them. I trust you remember from last week what creature eats what," he said calmly, gesturing to the shed behind the pen.

"Some class! This is free labor, this is," Corey whispered to Taylor as they went over to the shed. "I should have stuck to my instincts and not added any more classes."

"You'd have to have taken a year in it anyhow," Taylor pointed out, "might as well get it over with."

Sagittari was quite aware of the grumbling, but urged them firmly over to finish, knowing full well they would learn more respect of the creatures if they realized how much effort went into taking care of them. Doug came back over and set his bucket down in front of Ruby. He took a step back into what he thought was Babe, giving his side a friendly pat.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Brim, but that's hardly necessary," Sagittari's voice said from right above his ear. Jumping back in surprise, the class began to laugh while Doug blushed furiously as he realized he just pat the teacher's side, trying to get out an apology.

The doctor moved out of the pack, not a bit angry about the occurrence and gently encouraging them to get back to their duties before it was time for class to end. At last it was lunchtime, so the students gladly walked back towards the school, many of them still nudging Doug a bit for his mistake. Even Corey couldn't help but rib his friend a little, but stopped short when he saw Sagittari watching them.

As Sagittari turned to go inside, he spotted two figures standing near the lake. The centaur squinted thoughtfully at them a moment before going into his hut and coming back out with a basket.

Jennifer fixed Anna's hand position on the wand once more, then stood back, trying not to get frustrated.

"All right, let's try again. Remember, you're just focusing the words through the wand, so don't try to do it the other way…"

"How do I stop myself from doing it the other way?" Anna asked irritably. "I mean, I can't exactly turn it off and on."

"That's the whole reason we're doing this. Control, remember?" Jennifer said, trying not to sound impatient. "You need to stop thinking about how badly you want it to move. You need to let the spell do it for you," Jennifer explained. "Concentrate on making the spell work instead."

Anna sighed. It'd be so much simpler if she could just do it outright instead of all of these extra steps Jennifer wanted her to take, but Dumbledore had asked her to cooperate, and she supposed he had his reasons. If only Jennifer didn't sound so blasted patronizing. Pointing at the scarf with the wand, Anna practiced the wand flick one more time.

"Windgardium Leviosa!" Anna said, pointing at the scarf.

One end of the scarf rose up, the other end curling like an angry serpent. Suddenly it lashed out, wrapping itself tightly around Jennifer's neck. Jennifer grabbed something out of her cloak, pouring it quickly over the scarf. Anna, who was attempting to get it loose when Jennifer's face began turning blue, lost her grip as the potion began to work and the wool became hard and brittle until finally Jennifer was able to break it and free it from around her neck. She fell to her knees, panting.

"Jennifer, are you ok? I am so sorry," Anna said, flustered. Sagittari galloped up, helping Jennifer to her feet. "This wand thing is a bad idea."

"No, it's all right, I'm okay," Jennifer protested. "Fortunately, I still had some potion left from when I starched Severus' robes this morning. I don't know, Anna, perhaps it's your accent or something."

"It's a bit more complicated than that, Jennifer," Sagittari said. "Might I join you? I brought along some lunch for all of us."

"In that case, absolutely," Jennifer grinned. "After all, we've not many warm days left to enjoy, do we?" Sagittari opened the basket and a checkered cloth danced out and placed itself on the grass, filling up with a wonderful arrangement of pita sandwiches and pasta salads. The doctor gathered his legs under him and sat beside them.

"I had similar problems myself when I was a foal and first came to this school," Sagittari explained. "For we centaurs are also a part of magic and used to using it instinctually rather like you do, Anna. Of course, our magic is solely of wild magic; the magic of the Fae and of nature, where you also have power over ancient magic as well, which governs the elements and everything that nature is based on.

"Despite my talent for the magic of my people, I had always known from the moment I was old enough to gaze into the heavens that Fate held another path for me, and that path was not the path of my people. I spent much of my youth playing by the eastern borders, talking to the professors that often walked there, including Professor Dumbledore himself, although at the time I had no idea that he had just been appointed the Headmaster of the school. He knew as I did that I was unlike the rest of my kind, and that I wished to learn the modern magics and become a wizard myself. That decision cost me the respect of my constellation, and even more regretful, the respect of my father, brothers, and sisters." Sagittari sighed softly, picking up a tall glass of nectar as he gazed over at Anna.

"When I began learning modern magic, I had to learn how to block out some of my natural ability to do so. This is what you need to learn to do also. The best advice I can give you is to approach each challenge with indifference. If you do not care whether or not the spell works, your natural magic will not interfere with what you are doing," Sagittari explained. "Once you get used to the different sensations of controlling different types of magic, the indifference will be replaced with reasoning, and you will be able to control which magic is used and decide for yourself which will work best."

"He definitely has a point," Jennifer agreed. "It's probably not helping that you're using a borrowed wand either," she added.

"Well, I'm going to try one more time. Just watch out in case in backfires," Anna said, trying not to seem nervous. She pointed at her glass with the wand, she tried to clear her mind before flicking the wand at it. "Windgardium Leviosa!" The glass shot into the air and hovered several feet above as Jennifer cheered and the doctor rewarded Anna with a nod and a smile. Anna smiled triumphantly, taking a bow. Jennifer gasped and called out her name in warning, but it was too late, the glass tipped over and fell, spraying all three of them with juice when it reached the ground.

"Don't forget you have to keep the wand on it until you set it down," Jennifer muttered, wiping off her robe. Sagittari began to chuckle, the sound of him doing so unusual that it began a rolling laughter between them that lasted until the bell rang and the three of them had to dash off to teach their next classes.

The wind turned chill that evening, and as the last class went inside, Sagittari dutifully checked on several creatures that he had been tending before turning to the grounds. It grew cold quickly for it was a clear night, and Sagittari paused to glance at the stars. He frowned, a growing concern in his eyes for what he saw. How different it was since the last time he truly studied them, the night Alexandria had been born. It had always been customary for a centaur to commemorate their own foal's birth with a reading of the stars, and Sagittari always did the same for any he delivered. But those warm signs did not seem to be in the stars tonight.

He suddenly felt as if he was no longer alone, and he glanced behind him into the shadow of the forest itself. But Sagittari like all of his kind had keen sight in the dark, and he found himself gazing into the eyes of another centaur. As he gazed into the amber eyes, Sagittari almost felt as if he were a foal again and thought of the night he had left his friends and family forever.

How could it be, when it was written so clearly in the stars that he must live among the wizards and learn their ways, that it so contradicted the destiny that had been given to him on the day his birth? How different would things have been had he stayed and forsaken the world that called to him, the world that logic and reasoning told him was unobtainable? But Sagittari had been young and idealistic. A wizard had he wished to be, so a wizard he became.

Had he had any regret at all about the decision, it was not because of anything written in the stars or any obligation he could no longer fulfill. It was undeniably the loss of his father's wisdom and guidance, and it was his father who even now watched him thoughtfully from the Dark Forest.

Sagittari dared not speak; it was not his place to do so, and it was obvious from his mannerisms that Ronan had little desire to start a conversation. Instead, the older centaur glanced up momentarily at the stars… an acknowledgment that he knew about the troubles that awaited them. Then he stepped back into the trees. Sagittari continued on his rounds, but couldn't erase the picture of his father from his mind. If only he could get him to understand, perhaps the others would learn to accept him as well.

Remus sighed loudly but resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing full well that even in this darkness, Severus would probably call him on it.

"Severus, I thought you told me that you and Sirius had come to an understanding?" he said to the irritated wizard as they walked through the forest.

"That was before he agreed to my sister's request for a Muggle wedding. I would have thought that he'd have more sense than that," Severus complained. "What do they want us to do, hide in a back corner all night as if having magic is something to be ashamed of?"

"Oh, come now, Severus, you don't believe your sister feels that way any more than I do," Remus replied. "You know full well we can't tell them what we are. But considering that Anna was raised a Muggle, you can't expect her to exclude her friends just to suit your comfort level, do you? She didn't interfere with your wedding. What makes you think you have a right to interfere with hers?"

"She didn't have to change her appearance or lie about who she was at my wedding," Severus grumbled. "Fine. If she insists on doing this, that's her decision, but I'm not getting 'Muggled' for it. I'm going as I am."

Remus sighed again, knowing it was pointless to argue… at least, not without Dumbledore there to back him up. Instead he turned his attention back to their patrol, pausing at the sound of hoof beats. He sniffed at the air thoughtfully.

"Centaur," Remus said at last, and the two men waited for the figure to appear. Firenze stepped into view, nodding to them.

"The stars warn of great danger coming again to the Forest," Firenze said in a low voice, "Has no more been done to stop the great evil bleeding into the forest from the Tomb?"

"Dumbledore has done what he can to contain it," Remus replied.

"It will not last," Firenze said, gazing through the trees. "The Forest itself is crying in pain, and many of my own kind wish to leave. Even the spiders begin to move from their lair. The great beasts in the sky are converging with the planets, and soon their power over this land will be greater than ours."

Another centaur approached, gazing warily at the two men.

"Firenze, the rest of the elders have gathered," Ronan told him. "Come, we must go. These wizards of Hogwarts are not our friends."

"Even if the constellation declares them not our allies tonight, I will decide for myself who my friends are," Firenze said.

"Is the wizard of Hogwarts that is your son not your friend as well, Ronan?" Severus challenged the centaur. Ronan met the wizard's eyes with a disapproving gaze.

"How I see the outcast is not the business of wizards, Professor, no matter how much you wish to make it so," he said. "We have warned you of the portents in the sky, our duty to your kind is done. Good night," Ronan said, disappearing into the woods. Firenze looked back at the two men thoughtfully but didn't speak, following the older centaur dutifully. Severus grimaced and shook his head. Remus turned to him with a concerned look on his face.

"So, they would take away their words of friendship and alliance… one that has lasted hundreds of years," Remus said in disbelief.

"It is only words," Severus said after a moment of silence. "They believe that by keeping to themselves, they are protecting themselves. They've been frightened by something," he decided, folding his arms thoughtfully. "By what, I'm not sure. I do know, however, that repairing ties between Sagittari and his constellation will not be possible unless we find a way to repair this first."

"Then perhaps we should try and find out what exactly is troubling them at the present time," Remus suggested.

"Lead the way," Severus said, feeling for his wand to make sure he could get at it. "You're the one with the nose."

"You mean I'm the one with the good sense of smell," Remus said, not being able to resist a jibe at the hawk-nosed man. "I guess that's proof positive that size isn't everything."

"If that's true, how come you keep looking up at the moon," Severus muttered, walking further of the path. Shaking his head grimly and deciding once that the wizard had absolutely no sense of humor, Remus went to join him, but didn't discover anything out of the ordinary the rest of the evening.