Part Two: Farewell
Hagrid drew the back of his hand across his mouth, wiping away the trickle of blood from his split and swollen lip.
"Finally asleep," he muttered as he watched the gentle rise and fall of the recumbent giant's chest.
He stood up painfully from the rock he had been sitting on and, glancing back at Grawp with a weary fondness, headed back through the dark forest towards the Hogwarts grounds.
After a couple minutes walking, Hagrid paused. He could hear the sound of hoofbeats approaching him. Within a few moments, a red haired, bearded, and bare chested man appeared through the gloom of the trees. Only, this was no man; from the waist down, the being had the body of a horse, with a chestnut coat and a long, red tail.
"Hello, Ronan," Hagrid greeted the centaur.
"Hello, Hagrid," the centaur returned, sounding slightly out of breath.
"Somethin' the matter?" Hagrid asked, noting the centaur's fatigue.
Ronan inclined his head slightly. "I thought I would find you here," he said, glancing in the direction of Grawp's enclosure. "Perhaps I am wrong in coming to you, but I could not stand idly by..."
"What's goin' on?" Hagrid asked him, looking at the centaur with concern.
"It is Firenze," Ronan said, a hint of worry in his voice. "He is in trouble."
"What's goin' on here?!" Hagrid bellowed, crashing through the trees and out into a small clearing where a gathering of centaurs stood. They surrounded another centaur, a palomino with white-blond hair, who took the momentary distraction from Hagrid to struggle to his feet.
"Do not come any closer, Hagrid," one of the nearer centaurs warned, flicking his black tail with agitation.
Hagrid ventured forward another step; he could see Firenze in the middle breathing laboriously, and the other centaurs began to close in on him again. They pawed angrily at the ground with their hooves, kicking up dust at Firenze, who stood shakily but with his head held proudly.
Bane, a fierce-looking centaur with black hair and a dark body, reared suddenly and planted a hoof forcefully against Firenze's chest; he shuddered from the impact and stumbled, falling to the ground once more.
"Leave him alone!" Hagrid cried, lunging towards the group.
"Do not interfere with what you do not understand, Hagrid!" the black-tailed chestnut commanded, heading him off.
Firenze once again staggered to his feet, his palomino body quivering as he did so. The other centaurs muttered angrily as Bane stepped forward. With a swift movement he took Firenze by the throat with one hand and narrowed his eyes to a glare. The palomino grabbed Bane's arm with both hands in an effort to relieve the constrictive pressure around his throat and stared at Bane, his sapphire-blue eyes shining.
"You are a fool to let the humans use you, volunteering yourself for servitude. You are a disgrace to this herd, and I will not allow you to taint us with your meddling in human affairs..."
"I'm warnin' yeh, Magorian!" Hagrid growled at the black-haired chestnut before him. "I won' let them hurt him anymore!"
"That is not for you to decide, Hagrid," Magorian said stonily.
Hagrid narrowed his eyes in anger and pushed the centaur forcibly out of his way. Magorian watched him approach the other centaurs, taken aback and eyes wide in disbelief.
"You get yer ruddy paws offa him, Bane!" Hagrid bellowed, bristling.
"This is none of your business, Hagrid," Bane muttered furiously, not loosening his grip on the other centaur's throat.
"He's done nothin' wrong!"
"He is a traitor!" Bane roared, turning suddenly on Hagrid and releasing Firenze. He gasped for breath and glanced at Hagrid, a mixture of gratitude and remorse upon his face.
"He has willingly subjected himself to servitude under a human, and for that he will be punished as is our custom!"
"'Servitude,' nothin'! Just 'cause Dumbledore asked him to -"
"Dumbledore knows the laws governing our herd. Therefore he understands the insult he has done and the consequences Firenze must pay."
Although Hagrid was clearly taller than Bane, their fury was evenly matched. Hagrid tried to side-step Bane in order to reach Firenze, but Bane positioned himself between Hagrid and the palomino.
"Ever since you brought that creature into this forest, my patience with you has grown thin, Hagrid," Bane spoke with steely anger. "If you do not leave now, I cannot guarantee my hospitality in the future."
"I don' know what creature yer referrin' to, Bane," Hagrid lied, knowing full well that it was Grawp the centaur was speaking of, "but losin' yer 'hospitality' won' be too great a loss. Now, move outta my way!"
Hagrid thrust Bane to the side and stomped over to where Firenze stood, still surrounded by the other centaurs. Although most wore looks of resentment on their faces, they parted, allowing Hagrid to attend to Firenze.
"You should not have come here, Hagrid," Firenze muttered quietly as Hagrid assessed his wounds.
"Yeah, well, I did, so save yer thanks," Hagrid grumbled. "Can yeh walk all right?"
Firenze nodded.
"Good. I can take yeh back to the castle and mend yeh up a little..."
Bane rounded on Hagrid, scuffing the ground angrily with his hooves.
"You will do no such thing, Hagrid. Firenze's punishment has not been completed."
"Yeah, well, I say it has. So, if yeh'd be so kind," Hagrid said in a cold voice, "move."
Bane glared silently at Hagrid for a moment but relented. Hagrid passed by Magorian without a word, Firenze beside him.
"We have only ever had a benign relationship with you, Hagrid. If you leave now with the traitor Firenze, that relationship will cease," Magorian said plainly as Hagrid approached the edge of the clearing.
Hagrid turned to look at him.
"If this is how yeh treat members of yer own herd, maybe I shouldn' be so friendly with yeh," he said loudly, with a glance at Bane.
"So be it," said Bane darkly, turning his back to them.
Hagrid and Firenze made their way through the woods towards the castle.
"You should not have saved me, Hagrid," the palomino said quietly after a long silence had elapsed.
"Come off it, Firenze!" Hagrid said peevishly. "They were tryin' ter kill yeh!"
"They were acting according to the laws of our people, Hagrid. I have betrayed them." He looked sullenly off into the trees.
"'Betrayed,' my foot! Just 'cause yer helpin' Dumbledore's no reason ter be kickin' the stuffin' out of yeh!"
"They don't understand it like that, Hagrid. To offer yourself in service to a human... they see it as a disgrace." Firenze hung his head.
"Load of rubbish... don't let what those ruddy mules back there said get to yeh, Firenze," Hagrid said, patting the centaur gently on the shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly. "Too caught up with their 'customs' ter understand what humans are really like, now. Dumbledore especially would never insult another creature unless he had a really good reason to. Great man, Dumbledore, I -"
Firenze held up a hand to silence Hagrid. They both stopped and listened.
The undergrowth to their left rustled slightly, and Ronan stepped forward from the darkness of the trees.
"Firenze..."
The red-haired centaur approached the palomino. Firenze looked at Ronan, then looked away in shame.
"You have heard what Bane has said, Ronan. I am no longer welcome in the forest. You should not be speaking with me, lest you wish to face Bane's fury as well..." Firenze touched the red hoof-shaped mark on his chest gingerly.
"Very well, if that is what you wish..." Ronan said morosely. "Farewell, Firenze."
He turned back towards the trees and, glancing back at Firenze sadly, galloped off into the gloom. Firenze watched him go, then turned his gaze skyward. He shook his head and looked at the ground.
"I am sorry for involving you in this, Hagrid. You have always been of great aid to the centaurs, and you do not deserve their rejection."
"Eh, don' worry, most of them'll come ter their senses soon enough. Can' stay neutral forever, that's fer sure. Besides, if it hadn' a been fer Ronan, I don' think I'd a even knowed what they was doin' to yeh..."
Firenze looked at Hagrid, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Ronan...?"
Hagrid nodded. "Yeah, came up to me on my way back from visitin' -" Hagrid caught himself and amended his statement, "- on my way back ter the castle."
Firenze peered at the trees behind them, a somewhat remorseful look on his face. "Farewell," he muttered, then turned his head and sighed.
After an uncomfortable silence, Hagrid said, "Er, shall we go back ter the castle then?"
Firenze nodded in resignation. After some time they issued out from the dense gloom of the forest behind Hagrid's hut.
"Great changes..." the centaur muttered, looking up the sloping hill on which Hogwarts Castle sat. Firenze looked back at the trees with a sad longing in his eyes. "The forest is my home no longer," he said regretfully. "Farewell..."
As he turned to follow Hagrid up to the castle, a movement in the nearby trees caught his eye. He turned to see what it was; he saw a flash of red, and it was gone.