Title: Hermione Granger and the Centaur Boy
Author: EV /Rhonda Weasley
E-Mail: lady_vader21@yahoo.com
Timeline: future fic, post-Hogwarts years
Chapter Five: The truth about Cyrus
Summary: Hermione discovers a missing piece to Cyrus' past.
"It's just unheard of Miss Granger," McGonagall said. "Centaurs are not admitted to Hogwarts."
Hermione had requested to speak with the Headmistress in private. She was quite shocked when she suggested Cyrus be admitted to Hogwarts.
"Hagrid is half giant and Fleur--"
"But they were both part human also. No one doubts this young centaur is as intelligent as you or I, and he may have magical talent never seen before in a centaur, but he's still--"
"Not human," Hermione finished, disappointment was written all over her face.
"I advise you to get your wand back," McGonagall said. "And the schoolbooks too."
"Thanks for listening."
Hermione got up and left the room.
Hermione went up in to the Owlery after her conversation with the headmistress. She heard someone else enter soon after. She had no need to hide, there was nothing unusual about sending out a letter, so she didn't worry about the other. However, the other person turned out to be Ron and not a student.
"Hey Hermione, I was looking for you."
"I'm just sending Cyrus a letter. He wants to meet me tonight."
"Where were you earlier?"
"I was talking to McGonagall, trying to convince her Cyrus belonged at Hogwarts."
"Are you mad?!"
Hermione shot him a fierce look.
"How much did you tell her?" Ron asked.
"Everything," Hermione replied. "She needed to understand the situation." she sighed. "I'm so SICK of people reminding me he's not human."
"Well, he's not."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
Hermione and Ron headed into the Forbidden Forest together that night. She was
suppose to meet Cyrus in the same place she had spoken to him before. They were
both surprised when they stepped into the forest and found that Cyrus wasn't
alone. He was with a very angry adult centaur. Cyrus looked like he wanted to
crawl into a corner and hide from the entire scene.
"It's Raine," Hermione said softly to Ron. "It's Cyrus' father."
"Tell them," the adult centaur said pushing Cyrus forward.
"My father says I can't see you anymore. Or write to you."
"You had no business ever contacting him again," Rain said.
"I'm sorry sir, but I love Cyrus as I would a son and I just missed him. And..."
"He is not your son!!" Raine replied sharply. "He is not your kind!! And you
should never have given him this."
Raine shoved the wand at her. She took it from him.
"You are right, of course," Hermione said. "I should not have given him a wand,
but I didn't know what else to give him that was close to me."
"Nothing! You should have given him nothing and let him go."
Hermione glanced over at Cyrus who seemed to be fighting tears as he held onto a
brave face.
"Father, she doesn't understand," Cyrus told him. "She doesn't understand why
you feel you need to protect me."
"It's not for her to understand! Her eyes tell her all she needs to know."
"Your eyes do not even tell you all you need to know," Cyrus replied. "She's my
mother."
"She is not! Your mother is dead and you shall not replace her with this
inferior creature."
"This what!" Ron said stepping forward. "How dare you--"
Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Don't," she whispered.
"He's insulting you," Ron said. "But where was he all those years you were
taking care of Cyrus."
"Cyrus was stolen from me," Raine said. "And I owe nothing to his kidnapper."
Ron was ready to rush at the centaur now, but Hermione held him back again. The
last thing Hermione needed was to have to levitate Ron back to the hospital
wing. She could see herself trying to explain how he got into a nasty row with a
huge centaur.
"I'm sorry that we couldn't work this out Raine," Hermione said keeping a hold
of Ron's arm. "We'll go now."
Hermione led Ron out of the Forbidden Forest and tried not to look back at Cyrus
in the process. She only stopped when she and Ron were back on the Hogwarts
grounds. It was only then Ron noticed she was crying.
"He's right," Hermione said. "I kidnapped him."
"What? You did not!"
"I just about snatched him from Hagrid's hut," Hermione said. "He would have
grown up with his father if I hadn't."
"Hermione, you don't know that, I don't know that. What we do know is that you
did an amazing job raising Cyrus. And you were right about him all along...he's
special." Ron reached over and wiped away a tear. Hermione looked up at him and
there eyes locked on each other. "He had no right talking to you like that after
all you did for his son. He's more yours than he is anyone else's, I don't care
who's blood is running through his veins."
Hermione couldn't speak for a moment. As annoying as Ron could be, when he said
something that sweet it got to her. And in a moment suddenly she was a little
girl falling in love for the first time all over again.
"You were going to attack a centaur to defend my honor. Are you mad?!"
"Yes, but I thought that's what you liked about me. It's what I love about you."
"I love you too Ron," Hermione replied. And then she gave him a gentle kiss and
they held each other for a long time.
"Mum," a voice said emerging from the forest.
"Cyrus," Hermione replied turning away from Ron.
"I don't have much time and I have a lot to tell you. Can we go to Hagrids,
alone?"
"Sure," Hermione said. "I'll see you later Ron. We'll talk."
Hermione and the young centaur walked away together.
"What about your father?" Hermione asked.
"Don't worry. I've taken care of it."
They knocked on Hagrid's door. He saw them, looked around, and let them in.
"Cyrus, your dad wouldn't want you 'ere," Hagrid said.
"I don't want to cause any more trouble," Hermione said. "Especially after being
accused of being your kidnapper."
"That was me own fault," Hagrid began.
"No, it wasn't, my father did abandon me. Hagrid you know part of the story, but
not all," Cyrus looked at Hermione. "You've always said I was different, you're
right. And the thing that makes me different is the reason my father didn't know
what to do with me at first." Cyrus sighed. "Mother, did you know there was a
time Centaurs were no better than talking monsters?"
"No," Hermione replied.
"Centaurs were once very wild and horrid creatures. They had no morals or
civility at all. They kidnapped women, raided towns, and often had to be
handled and put down like rabid dogs. Then one was made special."
"Chiron?"
"Yes, your myths of him are somewhat skewed, but he existed. He was special, but
he was made that way by the grace of a unicorn. He was only the first, not the
last. The whole race was saved by this magnificent creature... creature isn't
even the right word for it. See a unicorn is more that just a pretty horse with
a horn. I don't know a word that truly captures what the unicorn is. But it is
for these reasons the unicorn is sacred to the centaurs. They are to be
respected and loved, but never loved selfishly and never possessed. But my
father wanted to posses one. He came to love her in all the wrong ways, but she
refused any attempt he made at making her his. However, in the end she pitied
him and she gave him a gift, a son."
"You?" Hermione said. But she could tell this was no shock at all to Hagrid,
he'd known all along what Cyrus' mother had been. For her the pieces fell into
place all of a sudden, the mark on his forehead, the changing color of his coat,
it should have been clear signs of the unicorn blood in him.
"A unicorn always knows another unicorn," Cyrus said. "I saw one, a week after
you left me. He looked at me so long, trying to figure out how it could be and
we both knew we were the same even though we were different."
"But why does your father hide it, if unicorns are sacred."
"Because I represent a great sin on his part. I represent a love that never
should have been. And my birth killed my mother, killed a sacred unicorn. He
wants know one to know where I came from, because then that death would be his
burden. And he wants know one else to have me, because I am all that's left of
her."
"Then why did he abandon you."
"Perhaps he was hoping that I would disappear. He said he feared me the first
time he saw me. He said he feared the unicorns would see what he had done, how
he had mixed his own impure blood with theirs. He felt they would decide it
would be better if centaurs were made ignorant and savage once again. That night
all he saw was a baby that killed a unicorn."
"You know you didn't kill your mother, right? No matter what your father
believes."
Cyrus shrugged. "I know why my father cannot really love me and doesn't want me
to be loved."
"But you are loved Cyrus. I love you."
"I know," Cyrus replied. "I have to go now."
Cyrus left Hagrid's hut and Hermione sat still for a moment taking it all in.
"You knew he was a unicorn," Hermione said. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Haf-unicorn. And what good would it have done?" Hagrid asked.
"We don't know what he is, what he could become, it's not fair assume he belongs
with the centaurs."
"I only knew he wasn't a centaur cause he was bleedin' when I found him. I'm a haf and haf meself, it's hard bein'
between two worlds. Cyrus looks
mostly like a centaur so I figured it was the best fit and I thought his dad
would understand."
"Did you tell Raine where to find him?" Hermione asked.
He nodded.
"Why did you let me keep him so many years?"
"I didn't know how powerful 'e was, until I found the wolf who attacked him. 'e's
a sad creature. It's like he's nearly dead, but he's not. Won't eat, can't die,
right pitiful."
"Good. That's what he gets for attacking Cyrus."
"That's not fair 'ermione. Can't 'spect a wolf to act like anything but a wolf.
When I saw that, I thought it was best his dad 'andle him. So I went lookin' and
then I told him how I found his son."
"His father left him in the middle of the woods where he was attacked by a wolf
and you thought he would be a better parent than me?"
"I didn't know about all that stuff with centaurs and unicorns. I didn't know
how his dad felt about him. Thought maybe he lost track of him, thought maybe he
missed him."
"You should have told me what he was."
"What would it change? Cyrus still isn't human."
"So, what's so great about being human. Maybe he'll be a great influence of good
on us all," Hermione said. "I always knew he was special and now that I know how
special, I just have to decide how to get him back."
6-4-2003
