Chapter Ten
Things couldn't have been worse. Not even in Middle Earth.
Filch took us down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where we sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Lisa sat silently in thought on my right; Harry did the same on my left. I tried not to think at all because the thoughts churned my stomach. There was no way out of trouble this time. Not even Lisa could get out of a punishment. If she morphed and disappeared, then she'd be in even more trouble. How could I have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? I knew it was up there! There was absolutely no excuse that Professor McGonagall would accept for our being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of- bounds except for classes. Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and we might as well be packing our bags already.
Did I say things couldn't have been worse? I was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.
"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw us. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag ---"
Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert ever had as she towered over the four of us.
"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."
Lisa was speechless. Harry just stared at Professor McGonagall and Neville. I hung my head in a mixture of shame and guilt.
"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," Professor McGonagall told us. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"
I tried to catch Neville's eye and reassure him that none of that was true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. My heart ached for Neville. I could only imagine what it must have cost him to try and find us in the dark, to warn us.
"I'm disgusted," Professor McGonagall continued. "Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Caillet, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. And Miss Davis, I'll be seeing Professor Snape about you. All four of you will receive detentions --- yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around the school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous --- and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor and Slytherin."
"Fifty?" Harry gasped.
"Fifty points each," Professor McGonagall said, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.
"Professor --- please ---"
"You can't ---"
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."
A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place for the house cup. In one night, we had ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Lisa left us at some point along the way. I hoped she wouldn't get in too much trouble. She was in the dominating house, how could she?
Neville was beginning to sniffle. I couldn't listen to him with an easy heart. "Neville, it wasn't true, what McGonagall said," I told him.
"Leave me alone."
The rest of the walk to Gryffindor tower was a silent one. Once inside, Neville ran off to bed. Harry started up the steps to his dormitory. I, on the other hand, broke down into tears. The very same tears I had been holding back since the beginning of the school year.
"Courtney?" Harry walked back down the stairs. I tried to stop crying, but I couldn't.
"I want to go home," I confessed through my sobs. Harry hesitated, and then he put his arms around me. I shouldn't have let him, I should have broken away, but I didn't. Even with the knowledge that it would just complicate things even more, I couldn't walk away. It felt nice to have someone care, to have someone try to understand.
"Please, don't cry," Harry told me. I don't want to, I thought, but I still couldn't stop the tears. "Everything will be okay."
"No, everything won't be okay, not for me," I said, wiping my cheeks and eyes. "My life's been ruined beyond repair." With that, as bad as it felt, I turned my back on Harry and walked up to my dormitory where Hermione was waiting.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Just feel lucky you weren't there," I muttered, and then I climbed into my bed and shut the curtains before she could question me further.
At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points less than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years, including the suspicious American.
From being one of the most popular and admired people in the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry went, me walking right beside him, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one."
I, luckily, was already ignored and despised, so my popularity couldn't drop any lower with the situation. For this reason, I, along with Hermione and Ron, stood by Harry.
"They'll forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them," Ron tried to reassure Harry.
"They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" Harry said miserably.
"Well --- no," Ron admitted.
"Come on, Harry, it's too late to repair the damage. Let's just never meddle in things that don't concern us, ever again."
Harry agreed with me, and even Hermione and Ron got in on the vow.
Harry felt so badly about what he had done he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team. According to him, this is what happened on the Quidditch field.
"Resign?" Wood had thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"
Quidditch had even lost its fun for Harry. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to him during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they called him "the Seeker."
Neville and I were suffering, too. We, of course, didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because we weren't as well known. Like I said before, everyone already hated me for obvious reasons. No one would speak to Neville now, though. I felt bad for him.
I was actually glad that the exams weren't far away. Harry shared my feelings. All the studying we had to do kept our mind off our misery. Hermione, Ron, Harry, and I kept to ourselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions, etc.
Then, about a week before exams were due to start, our resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern us was put to a very unexpected test. Harry and I were walking back from the library one afternoon when we heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As we drew nearer, we heard Quirrell's voice.
"No --- no --- not again, please ---"
It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry motioned for me to stay put while he moved closer. Naturally, I ignored him.
"All right --- all right ---" we heard Quirrell sob.
Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; I don't think he even noticed Harry and me. We waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. We were halfway toward it before we remembered what we'd promised ourselves about meddling.
"Harry, let's go," I said. Harry nodded and we walked back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Harry told them about what we'd just heard.
"Snape's done it, then!" Ron said. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell ---"
Of course, how could I have forgotten? They still thought Snape was after the stone. I decided to go with it until we got down to the trapdoor.
"There's still Fluffy, though," Hermione remarked.
"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," Ron suggested, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding us. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three- headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?"
The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.
"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."
"But we've got no proof!" Harry told her. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor --- who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."
Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.
"If we just did a bit of poking around ---"
"No," Harry said flatly, "we've done enough poking around."
He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and began learning the names of its moons. I sat down next to him and looked dazedly out the window. Things were getting way too complicated for me to handle alone. If I could just tell them what was going to happen . . .
No, I had to keep my mouth shut.
I began studying more potions.
The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Neville, and me at the breakfast table. They were all the same:
Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.
Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.
(Professor M. McGonagall)
I had forgotten that we still had detentions to do in the furor over the points we'd lost. Judging by the look on Harry's face so had he. I felt, however, that we deserved what we got.
At eleven o'clock we said good-bye to Ron and Hermione and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there --- and so was Malfoy and Lisa. I had also forgotten that they had received detention, too.
"Follow me," Filch told us all, lighting a lamp and leading us outside.
"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at us. "Oh yes . . . hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me . . . It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out . . . hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed . . . Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."
We marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffling. I tried to keep a calm exterior, but inside I was terrified. Just remembering my experience in Fangorn Forest made me wary to go inside of the Forbidden Forest.
The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing us into darkness. Ahead, I could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then we heard a distant shout.
"Is that you Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."
Harry got a look of relief on his face, thinking that if we were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. But Filch, seeing his relief, said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy --- it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."
At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.
"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night --- there's all sorts of things in there --- werewolves, I heard."
Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.
"That's your problem, isn't it?" Filch told Malfoy, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"
Hagrid came striding toward us out of the dark, Fang at his heels. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.
"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Courtney?"
"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," Filch told him coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."
"That's why yer late, is it?" Hagrid asked, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."
"I'll be back at dawn," Filch said, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.
Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.
"I'm not going in that forest," he remarked. There was a note of panic in his voice.
"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid told him fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."
"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd ---"
"--- tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"
Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.
"Right then," Hagrid said, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."
He led us to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted our hair as we looked into the forest.
"Look there," Hagrid told us, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."
"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" Malfoy asked, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.
"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," Hagrid assured him. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."
"I want Fang," Malfoy said quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.
"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," Hagrid told him. "So me, Harry, an' Courtney'll go one way and Draco, Neville, Lisa, an' Fang'll go the other. Now if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now --- that's it --- an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh --- so, be careful --- let's go."
The forest was black and silent. A little ways into it we reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hagrid, and I took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, Lisa, and Fang took the right.
We walked in silence, our eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.
I could see that Hagrid looked very worried.
"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.
"Not fast enough," Hagrid replied. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."
We walked past a mossy tree stump. I could hear running water; there must have been a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.
"You all right, Courtney?" Hagrid whispered. "Don't worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter --- GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"
Hagrid seized Harry and me and hoisted us off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of us listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.
"I knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."
"A werewolf?" Harry suggested.
"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," Hagrid said grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."
As we began walking again, I took hold of Harry's hand. It comforted me, and I relaxed a little. We walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.
"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself --- I'm armed!"
And into the clearing came --- was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry's and my jaws dropped.
"Oh, it's you, Ronan," Hagrid sad in relief. "How are yeh?"
He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.
"Good evening to you, Hagrid," Ronan greeted. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"
"Can't be too careful, Ronan," Hagrid replied, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Courtney Caillet, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."
"We'd noticed," I told him faintly.
"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"
"Erm ---"
"A bit," I replied timidly. This guy made me a little uneasy.
"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."
"Yeah," Hagrid agreed, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt --- you seen anythin'?"
Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.
"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages, so it is now."
You're telling me, I thought.
"Yeah," Hagrid said, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"
"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."
"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," Hagrid told him. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"
Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."
A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and -bodied and wilder looking than Ronan.
"Hullo, Bane," Hagrid greeted the second centaur. "All right?"
"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"
"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured --- would yeh know anythin' about it?"
Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward.
"Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.
"We've heard," Hagrid muttered grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."
Harry and I followed him out of the clearing, staring over our shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked our view.
"Never," Hagrid told us irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."
"Are there many of them in here?" I asked for no particular reason. I was just trying to make conversation.
"Oh, a fair few . . . Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs . . . they know things . . . jus' don' let on much."
"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" Harry asked.
"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns --- never heard anythin' like it before."
We walked on through the dense, dark trees. I saw Harry keep looking nervously over his shoulder. He made me nervous, and I began to do the same. It began to feel as though we were being watched. I was very glad that we had Hagrid and his crossbow with us. We had just passed a bend in the path when I saw something that made my heart leap.
"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"
"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"
We heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared to be honest, until we couldn't hear anything but the rustling of the leaves around us.
"I hope they haven't been hurt," I whispered.
"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville . . . it's all our fault he's here in the first place."
"Yeah, and I hope nothing happened to Lisa," I muttered.
"She'll be fine," Harry said, but then added, "one way or the other."
"I hope it's one way and not the other," I admitted. I knew if Lisa died she'd go home, but I next to never saw Laura, and I didn't want to be alone.
The minutes dragged by. My ears seemed sharper than usual. We seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others? I'd never imagined it'd take so long to get them.
At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, Lisa, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Lisa was laughing. Malfoy had snuck up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.
"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you three were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups --- Neville, you stay with me. Harry and Courtney, you go with Fang and these two idiots. I'm sorry," he then added in a whisper to Harry and me, "but you two can keep them under control, an' we've gotta get this done."
So Harry and I set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy, Lisa, and Fang. Lisa was still smiling. "It couldn't have been that funny," I whispered.
"Oh, it was," she told me. I shook my head and smiled as well.
We walked for nearly a half an hour more in silence, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. The blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. I could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.
"Look ---" Harry murmured, holding his arm up to stop Malfoy. Lisa and I stopped behind them.
Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. We inched closer.
It was a unicorn all right, and it was on its deathbed. I had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves. "Courtney," Lisa hissed in my ear, "I have got to acquire it."
"No, Lisa," I began, but she was already walking away. I went after her. She was soon kneeling down next to the unicorn and placing her hand on its head. The unicorn went stiff. Within seconds, Lisa was standing up and we were running back to the boys. A few minutes later, the unicorn died. A couple of minutes after this happened, Harry took a step toward the creature, when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered . . . Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. The five of us, Harry, Malfoy, Lisa, Fang, and I, all stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.
"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted --- so did Fang. Lisa and I crouched in the shadows. Lisa began to morph; what she was morphing, I couldn't tell. Something small.
The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry --- unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry --- Harry wasn't moving.
Harry began staggering backward. I could hear hooves behind me, but out of fear, I sent up red sparks. Suddenly, something jumped clean over me, clean over Harry, charging at the figure.
Harry fell to his knees, and I got up and went over to him. It took a minute or two for him to look at me. Then we both looked up and saw that the figure was gone. Lisa quickly demorphed and knelt down next to me. A centaur, the three of us saw, was standing over us, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blonde hair and a palomino body.
"Are you all right?" the centaur asked, pulling Harry to his feet. Lisa and I stood up as well.
"Yes --- thank you --- what was that?"
The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead. I suddenly realized why he had staggered and fallen.
"You are the Potter boy," the centaur said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time --- especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way.
"My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber onto his back. "I can only carry one," Firenze then told Lisa and me.
"Ah, we can run," Lisa replied. I nodded in agreement.
There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.
"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"
"Do you realize who this is?" Firenze asked. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better."
"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"
Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice.
Bane kicked his back legs in anger.
"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"
Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on.
"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."
And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them. Surprisingly, Lisa and I managed to keep up with them.
"Why's Bane so angry?" Harry asked Firenze. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"
Firenze slowed to a walk, and so did Lisa and I, and then Firenze warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches. He didn't answer Harry's question, though. We made our way through the trees in silence for so long that I thought everyone had forgotten how to talk. We were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.
"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"
"No," Harry replied. He sounded startled; as well he should have been at such a question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."
"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," Firenze told him. "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. You have slain something so pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."
Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head while Lisa and I looked at each other.
"But who'd be that desperate?" Harry wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?"
"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else --- something that will bring you back to full strength and power --- something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"
"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course --- the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who ---"
"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"
A shocked expression came over Harry's face. "Do you mean," he croaked, "that was Vol---"
"Harry! Harry, are you all right?"
Hagrid was running toward us down the path, Neville, Malfoy, and Fang not far behind him.
"I'm fine," Harry told him. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."
"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."
Harry slid off his back.
"Good luck, Harry Potter," Firenze said. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."
He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving our little group of shivering kids in the dark.
Hagrid came back after a while. He led us out of the forest and we didn't even wait for Filch to come back and get us. I was thankful to be out of the forest.
Eventually, we said good-bye to Lisa and Malfoy. Then, Harry, Neville, and I made our way up to Gryffindor tower. Ron and Hermione had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for us to return. Ron shouted something about Quidditch fouls when we woke him up. Hermione shouted something about forgetting to study for the Potions exam. In a matter of seconds, though, they were both wide-eyed as Harry began to tell them what had happened in the forest.
Harry kept pacing up and down in front of the fire. I couldn't sit either. I just stood with my arms crossed.
"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort . . . and Voldemort's waiting in the forest . . . and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich . . ."
"Stop saying the name!" Ron said in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear us.
Harry wasn't listening.
"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so . . . Bane was furious . . . he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen . . .They must show Voldemort's coming back . . . Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me . . . I suppose that's written in the stars as well."
"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.
"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off . . . Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."
Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort, which is more than anyone else had.
"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."
The sky had turned light before we stopped talking. We headed off to bed, exhausted, our throats sore. At the top of the staircase, Hermione walked off to our dormitory. I told her I'd be there in a minute. As Harry walked through his dormitory door, I stopped him.
"Harry, I just wanted to tell you not to be frightened," I said. "If anything bad happens, it's going to happen to me." Harry took my hand.
"I hope not." Then he kissed me gently on my cheek. My face flushed and I looked past him. There was something glimmering on Harry's bed.
"What's that on your bed?" I asked. Harry looked.
"I don't know." He walked over and picked it up. "It's my invisibility cloak." He unpinned the note on it. Then he handed it to me.
Just in case.
I looked back up at Harry.
"Courtney?" Hermione called from our dormitory.
"Coming," I said. Then I gave Harry back the note. "We'll talk later," I told him, and walked into the girls' dormitory for some overdue sleep.
Things couldn't have been worse. Not even in Middle Earth.
Filch took us down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where we sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Lisa sat silently in thought on my right; Harry did the same on my left. I tried not to think at all because the thoughts churned my stomach. There was no way out of trouble this time. Not even Lisa could get out of a punishment. If she morphed and disappeared, then she'd be in even more trouble. How could I have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? I knew it was up there! There was absolutely no excuse that Professor McGonagall would accept for our being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of- bounds except for classes. Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and we might as well be packing our bags already.
Did I say things couldn't have been worse? I was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.
"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw us. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag ---"
Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert ever had as she towered over the four of us.
"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."
Lisa was speechless. Harry just stared at Professor McGonagall and Neville. I hung my head in a mixture of shame and guilt.
"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," Professor McGonagall told us. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"
I tried to catch Neville's eye and reassure him that none of that was true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. My heart ached for Neville. I could only imagine what it must have cost him to try and find us in the dark, to warn us.
"I'm disgusted," Professor McGonagall continued. "Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Caillet, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. And Miss Davis, I'll be seeing Professor Snape about you. All four of you will receive detentions --- yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around the school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous --- and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor and Slytherin."
"Fifty?" Harry gasped.
"Fifty points each," Professor McGonagall said, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.
"Professor --- please ---"
"You can't ---"
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."
A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place for the house cup. In one night, we had ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Lisa left us at some point along the way. I hoped she wouldn't get in too much trouble. She was in the dominating house, how could she?
Neville was beginning to sniffle. I couldn't listen to him with an easy heart. "Neville, it wasn't true, what McGonagall said," I told him.
"Leave me alone."
The rest of the walk to Gryffindor tower was a silent one. Once inside, Neville ran off to bed. Harry started up the steps to his dormitory. I, on the other hand, broke down into tears. The very same tears I had been holding back since the beginning of the school year.
"Courtney?" Harry walked back down the stairs. I tried to stop crying, but I couldn't.
"I want to go home," I confessed through my sobs. Harry hesitated, and then he put his arms around me. I shouldn't have let him, I should have broken away, but I didn't. Even with the knowledge that it would just complicate things even more, I couldn't walk away. It felt nice to have someone care, to have someone try to understand.
"Please, don't cry," Harry told me. I don't want to, I thought, but I still couldn't stop the tears. "Everything will be okay."
"No, everything won't be okay, not for me," I said, wiping my cheeks and eyes. "My life's been ruined beyond repair." With that, as bad as it felt, I turned my back on Harry and walked up to my dormitory where Hermione was waiting.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Just feel lucky you weren't there," I muttered, and then I climbed into my bed and shut the curtains before she could question me further.
At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points less than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years, including the suspicious American.
From being one of the most popular and admired people in the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry went, me walking right beside him, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one."
I, luckily, was already ignored and despised, so my popularity couldn't drop any lower with the situation. For this reason, I, along with Hermione and Ron, stood by Harry.
"They'll forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them," Ron tried to reassure Harry.
"They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" Harry said miserably.
"Well --- no," Ron admitted.
"Come on, Harry, it's too late to repair the damage. Let's just never meddle in things that don't concern us, ever again."
Harry agreed with me, and even Hermione and Ron got in on the vow.
Harry felt so badly about what he had done he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team. According to him, this is what happened on the Quidditch field.
"Resign?" Wood had thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"
Quidditch had even lost its fun for Harry. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to him during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they called him "the Seeker."
Neville and I were suffering, too. We, of course, didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because we weren't as well known. Like I said before, everyone already hated me for obvious reasons. No one would speak to Neville now, though. I felt bad for him.
I was actually glad that the exams weren't far away. Harry shared my feelings. All the studying we had to do kept our mind off our misery. Hermione, Ron, Harry, and I kept to ourselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions, etc.
Then, about a week before exams were due to start, our resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern us was put to a very unexpected test. Harry and I were walking back from the library one afternoon when we heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As we drew nearer, we heard Quirrell's voice.
"No --- no --- not again, please ---"
It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry motioned for me to stay put while he moved closer. Naturally, I ignored him.
"All right --- all right ---" we heard Quirrell sob.
Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; I don't think he even noticed Harry and me. We waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. We were halfway toward it before we remembered what we'd promised ourselves about meddling.
"Harry, let's go," I said. Harry nodded and we walked back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Harry told them about what we'd just heard.
"Snape's done it, then!" Ron said. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell ---"
Of course, how could I have forgotten? They still thought Snape was after the stone. I decided to go with it until we got down to the trapdoor.
"There's still Fluffy, though," Hermione remarked.
"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," Ron suggested, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding us. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three- headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?"
The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.
"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."
"But we've got no proof!" Harry told her. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor --- who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."
Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.
"If we just did a bit of poking around ---"
"No," Harry said flatly, "we've done enough poking around."
He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and began learning the names of its moons. I sat down next to him and looked dazedly out the window. Things were getting way too complicated for me to handle alone. If I could just tell them what was going to happen . . .
No, I had to keep my mouth shut.
I began studying more potions.
The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Neville, and me at the breakfast table. They were all the same:
Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.
Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.
(Professor M. McGonagall)
I had forgotten that we still had detentions to do in the furor over the points we'd lost. Judging by the look on Harry's face so had he. I felt, however, that we deserved what we got.
At eleven o'clock we said good-bye to Ron and Hermione and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there --- and so was Malfoy and Lisa. I had also forgotten that they had received detention, too.
"Follow me," Filch told us all, lighting a lamp and leading us outside.
"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at us. "Oh yes . . . hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me . . . It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out . . . hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed . . . Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."
We marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffling. I tried to keep a calm exterior, but inside I was terrified. Just remembering my experience in Fangorn Forest made me wary to go inside of the Forbidden Forest.
The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing us into darkness. Ahead, I could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then we heard a distant shout.
"Is that you Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."
Harry got a look of relief on his face, thinking that if we were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. But Filch, seeing his relief, said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy --- it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."
At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.
"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night --- there's all sorts of things in there --- werewolves, I heard."
Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.
"That's your problem, isn't it?" Filch told Malfoy, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"
Hagrid came striding toward us out of the dark, Fang at his heels. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.
"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Courtney?"
"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," Filch told him coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."
"That's why yer late, is it?" Hagrid asked, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."
"I'll be back at dawn," Filch said, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.
Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.
"I'm not going in that forest," he remarked. There was a note of panic in his voice.
"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid told him fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."
"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd ---"
"--- tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"
Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.
"Right then," Hagrid said, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."
He led us to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted our hair as we looked into the forest.
"Look there," Hagrid told us, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."
"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" Malfoy asked, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.
"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," Hagrid assured him. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."
"I want Fang," Malfoy said quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.
"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," Hagrid told him. "So me, Harry, an' Courtney'll go one way and Draco, Neville, Lisa, an' Fang'll go the other. Now if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now --- that's it --- an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh --- so, be careful --- let's go."
The forest was black and silent. A little ways into it we reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hagrid, and I took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, Lisa, and Fang took the right.
We walked in silence, our eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.
I could see that Hagrid looked very worried.
"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.
"Not fast enough," Hagrid replied. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."
We walked past a mossy tree stump. I could hear running water; there must have been a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.
"You all right, Courtney?" Hagrid whispered. "Don't worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter --- GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"
Hagrid seized Harry and me and hoisted us off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of us listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.
"I knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."
"A werewolf?" Harry suggested.
"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," Hagrid said grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."
As we began walking again, I took hold of Harry's hand. It comforted me, and I relaxed a little. We walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.
"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself --- I'm armed!"
And into the clearing came --- was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry's and my jaws dropped.
"Oh, it's you, Ronan," Hagrid sad in relief. "How are yeh?"
He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.
"Good evening to you, Hagrid," Ronan greeted. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"
"Can't be too careful, Ronan," Hagrid replied, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Courtney Caillet, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."
"We'd noticed," I told him faintly.
"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"
"Erm ---"
"A bit," I replied timidly. This guy made me a little uneasy.
"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."
"Yeah," Hagrid agreed, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt --- you seen anythin'?"
Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.
"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages, so it is now."
You're telling me, I thought.
"Yeah," Hagrid said, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"
"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."
"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," Hagrid told him. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"
Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."
A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and -bodied and wilder looking than Ronan.
"Hullo, Bane," Hagrid greeted the second centaur. "All right?"
"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"
"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured --- would yeh know anythin' about it?"
Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward.
"Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.
"We've heard," Hagrid muttered grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."
Harry and I followed him out of the clearing, staring over our shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked our view.
"Never," Hagrid told us irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."
"Are there many of them in here?" I asked for no particular reason. I was just trying to make conversation.
"Oh, a fair few . . . Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs . . . they know things . . . jus' don' let on much."
"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" Harry asked.
"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns --- never heard anythin' like it before."
We walked on through the dense, dark trees. I saw Harry keep looking nervously over his shoulder. He made me nervous, and I began to do the same. It began to feel as though we were being watched. I was very glad that we had Hagrid and his crossbow with us. We had just passed a bend in the path when I saw something that made my heart leap.
"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"
"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"
We heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared to be honest, until we couldn't hear anything but the rustling of the leaves around us.
"I hope they haven't been hurt," I whispered.
"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville . . . it's all our fault he's here in the first place."
"Yeah, and I hope nothing happened to Lisa," I muttered.
"She'll be fine," Harry said, but then added, "one way or the other."
"I hope it's one way and not the other," I admitted. I knew if Lisa died she'd go home, but I next to never saw Laura, and I didn't want to be alone.
The minutes dragged by. My ears seemed sharper than usual. We seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others? I'd never imagined it'd take so long to get them.
At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, Lisa, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Lisa was laughing. Malfoy had snuck up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.
"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you three were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups --- Neville, you stay with me. Harry and Courtney, you go with Fang and these two idiots. I'm sorry," he then added in a whisper to Harry and me, "but you two can keep them under control, an' we've gotta get this done."
So Harry and I set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy, Lisa, and Fang. Lisa was still smiling. "It couldn't have been that funny," I whispered.
"Oh, it was," she told me. I shook my head and smiled as well.
We walked for nearly a half an hour more in silence, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. The blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. I could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.
"Look ---" Harry murmured, holding his arm up to stop Malfoy. Lisa and I stopped behind them.
Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. We inched closer.
It was a unicorn all right, and it was on its deathbed. I had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves. "Courtney," Lisa hissed in my ear, "I have got to acquire it."
"No, Lisa," I began, but she was already walking away. I went after her. She was soon kneeling down next to the unicorn and placing her hand on its head. The unicorn went stiff. Within seconds, Lisa was standing up and we were running back to the boys. A few minutes later, the unicorn died. A couple of minutes after this happened, Harry took a step toward the creature, when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered . . . Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. The five of us, Harry, Malfoy, Lisa, Fang, and I, all stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.
"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted --- so did Fang. Lisa and I crouched in the shadows. Lisa began to morph; what she was morphing, I couldn't tell. Something small.
The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry --- unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry --- Harry wasn't moving.
Harry began staggering backward. I could hear hooves behind me, but out of fear, I sent up red sparks. Suddenly, something jumped clean over me, clean over Harry, charging at the figure.
Harry fell to his knees, and I got up and went over to him. It took a minute or two for him to look at me. Then we both looked up and saw that the figure was gone. Lisa quickly demorphed and knelt down next to me. A centaur, the three of us saw, was standing over us, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blonde hair and a palomino body.
"Are you all right?" the centaur asked, pulling Harry to his feet. Lisa and I stood up as well.
"Yes --- thank you --- what was that?"
The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead. I suddenly realized why he had staggered and fallen.
"You are the Potter boy," the centaur said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time --- especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way.
"My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber onto his back. "I can only carry one," Firenze then told Lisa and me.
"Ah, we can run," Lisa replied. I nodded in agreement.
There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.
"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"
"Do you realize who this is?" Firenze asked. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better."
"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"
Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice.
Bane kicked his back legs in anger.
"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"
Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on.
"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."
And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them. Surprisingly, Lisa and I managed to keep up with them.
"Why's Bane so angry?" Harry asked Firenze. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"
Firenze slowed to a walk, and so did Lisa and I, and then Firenze warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches. He didn't answer Harry's question, though. We made our way through the trees in silence for so long that I thought everyone had forgotten how to talk. We were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.
"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"
"No," Harry replied. He sounded startled; as well he should have been at such a question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."
"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," Firenze told him. "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. You have slain something so pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."
Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head while Lisa and I looked at each other.
"But who'd be that desperate?" Harry wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?"
"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else --- something that will bring you back to full strength and power --- something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"
"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course --- the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who ---"
"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"
A shocked expression came over Harry's face. "Do you mean," he croaked, "that was Vol---"
"Harry! Harry, are you all right?"
Hagrid was running toward us down the path, Neville, Malfoy, and Fang not far behind him.
"I'm fine," Harry told him. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."
"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."
Harry slid off his back.
"Good luck, Harry Potter," Firenze said. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."
He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving our little group of shivering kids in the dark.
Hagrid came back after a while. He led us out of the forest and we didn't even wait for Filch to come back and get us. I was thankful to be out of the forest.
Eventually, we said good-bye to Lisa and Malfoy. Then, Harry, Neville, and I made our way up to Gryffindor tower. Ron and Hermione had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for us to return. Ron shouted something about Quidditch fouls when we woke him up. Hermione shouted something about forgetting to study for the Potions exam. In a matter of seconds, though, they were both wide-eyed as Harry began to tell them what had happened in the forest.
Harry kept pacing up and down in front of the fire. I couldn't sit either. I just stood with my arms crossed.
"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort . . . and Voldemort's waiting in the forest . . . and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich . . ."
"Stop saying the name!" Ron said in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear us.
Harry wasn't listening.
"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so . . . Bane was furious . . . he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen . . .They must show Voldemort's coming back . . . Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me . . . I suppose that's written in the stars as well."
"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.
"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off . . . Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."
Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort, which is more than anyone else had.
"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."
The sky had turned light before we stopped talking. We headed off to bed, exhausted, our throats sore. At the top of the staircase, Hermione walked off to our dormitory. I told her I'd be there in a minute. As Harry walked through his dormitory door, I stopped him.
"Harry, I just wanted to tell you not to be frightened," I said. "If anything bad happens, it's going to happen to me." Harry took my hand.
"I hope not." Then he kissed me gently on my cheek. My face flushed and I looked past him. There was something glimmering on Harry's bed.
"What's that on your bed?" I asked. Harry looked.
"I don't know." He walked over and picked it up. "It's my invisibility cloak." He unpinned the note on it. Then he handed it to me.
Just in case.
I looked back up at Harry.
"Courtney?" Hermione called from our dormitory.
"Coming," I said. Then I gave Harry back the note. "We'll talk later," I told him, and walked into the girls' dormitory for some overdue sleep.
