Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

"Where are you going?" yelled Hermione as Harry ran down the stone steps and across the grounds.

"Flint's in the forest! If the centaurs see him he's done for!" said Harry

"So?" said Ron shrugging

"So? I have a saving people thing."

"Sorry mate, I forgot" said Ron.

"What's going on?" asked Fred who had just come outside closely followed by George, Angelina, Katie and Neville.

"Harry wants to go and rescue Flint" said Ron in a tone of voice that indictated that he thought Harry was mad.

"I think this is the part in the story where Harry walks into a trap" said Hermione.

"I'll find out soon enough" said Harry "See you soon, I hope"

"Wait, Harry!" shouted Neville "We'll come too. Won't we?"

The others nodded and they started to walk towards the forest.

"Hang on a second" called Katie "What do we do?"

"What do you mean 'what do we do?" asked Harry angrily.

"Well I don't know, do I?" said Katie defensively

"Katie's right, Harry. We need to plan this"

"Hermione!" yelled Ron losing his temper "Since when does anyone make plans when they walk into a trap?"

"Hermione does have a point, Ron" said Harry "Someone has to give me advice when I don't need it and..."

"I'd better do that" Hermione interrupted "Do any of you want to gibber stupidly and tremble at the idea of going into the forest?"

"I-I'm d-doing th-that" stammered Ron. "One of you four could turn out to be the real villain. You know to put a twist in the story"

"That's good, Ron" said Harry "So any takers?"

"It'd upset the muggles too much if me or Fred turned out evil" said George.

"Katie and I have had five years to try and kill, Harry. Don't you think we'd have done it by now?" said Angelina.

"Good point" said Harry "And Neville can't do it because that would upset the muggles too. Let's go"

They walked towards the forest with no idea of what would be waiting for them. After half an hour they had met no one. Harry was starting to feel unnerved.

"Harry Potter" said a deep sorrowful voice which made Harry jump.

"Hello, Ronan" said Harry as the centaur came into view.

"Harry Potter, you must go away from here" said Ronan "Bane will be along any moment now and he is very annoyed at the way that we centaurs were portrayed in the last book".

Harry hung back as the others ran off.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"Bane says that the way JK Rowling has written about us we come across as indecisive and uninformed. Harry Potter, you must go quickly!""

"Thanks, Ronan" said Harry.

He ran after the others. After several feet he came to a fork in the path. He didn't know which path they had taken but he decided to try the right one and hope for the best. He had gone about fifty feet when he heard screaming. Harry turned around and ran in the opposite direction. He cursed under his breath. Bane and the other centaurs had probably heard the screaming too. Or had whoever it was who had screamed done it because the centaurs had already found them? Feeling slightly panicked, Harry sped up. He heard footsteps to his left and went to investigate. The trees were very thick here and his robes kept snagging on branches. He swore as he tripped on a root that had snaked it's way across the narrow path. He got to his feet and pushed his glasses back onto his nose. The sound of a twig snapping behind him made him jump. Then someone spoke his name.

"Harry!"

He turned around to face Angelina who was looking frantic. A deep cut on her right hand was bleeding freely.

"Angelina, are you OK. Where are the others?" asked Harry.

"We got separated. I'm fine. But Katie's hurt, she's back here. I'll show you"

"What happened to her?" asked Harry.

"She got her foot caught in something" said Angelina. "I don't know what but she's bleeding pretty badly. She's over here"

Katie was lying on the ground obviously in pain. A large amount of blood was pouring out of several puncture wounds just above her right ankle. She was shivering even though it was a warm day. Harry and Angelina knelt down next to her.

"Do you know what that is?" asked Angelina.

Harry gasped as he saw that the something Katie had her foot stuck in was a steel trap like those he had seen on hunting documentaries.

"Muggles use them to catch wild animals" Harry explained. "I bet I know who put that there"

Katie tried to sit up but fell backwards. Her breathing was very shallow.

"I thought this story was supposed to be funny" said Angelina taking off her robes and laying them over Katie "What's funny about this?"

The answer to her question came in the form of Hermione who arrived on the scene with Ron and Neville, and after hearing what had happened assured Katie that she would be alright in time for her N.E.W.Ts.

Typical Hermione thought Harry. Here was someone who needed to get help urgently and Hermione was thinking about exams.

"Hermione, I don't think Katie's worrying about exams right now" said Angelina "And don't you usually know some spell that helps in this sort of situation?"

But for once Hermione didn't know any spells that would be useful.

"Look at this" said Neville. "If we can break these springs I'll bet we can get that thing off Katie's leg.

"It's worth a try" said Harry aiming his wand at one of the springs "diffindo"

The spring broke. Neville pulled out his wand and performed the curse on the remaining spring.

"I reckon we could just pull this off now" said Angelina.

"I'll help you" said Harry "On three. One. Two. Three"

Katie winced as Harry and Angelina prised the trap off her leg. Blood gushed out where the spikes had been.

"She needs to go to the hospital wing" said Hermione pointing out the obvious. "Madam Pomfrey will know what to do"

"I'll take her" said Angelina wiping her hands on her t shirt. "Katie, can you get up?"

"I think so" said Katie weakly.

Katie managed to stand up but she couldn't put any weight on her injured foot. Angelina crouched down several inches and pulled Katie's right arm across her shoulders.

"Do you need a hand?" asked Ron hopefully

"I'm alright, Ron" said Angelina "Harry will probably need your help later anyway"

Ron nodded making an odd gulping noise as he did so.

"Angelina, listen, take Katie to the hospital wing. Then go and find Dumbledore" said Harry "Chances are you'll meet him in a corridor and he'll already know what's going on"

Angelina nodded and helped Katie limp towards the castle.

"Any sign of Flint?" asked Harry as he, Ron, Hermione and Neville walked off in the opposite direction.

"No and we lost Fred and George too" said Ron.

"Well don't call out for them" said Hermione.

"Maybe we should go back" said Ron. "I mean Flint could have apparated from here couldn't he?"

"I don't know" said Hermione "Rowling's never said if you can or not"

"I hear something!" shouted Neville "Through those trees"

Without stopping to think, Neville plunged his way through a particularly dense group of trees making a lot of noise as he did so. Harry, Ron and Hermione followed. After a few minutes they found themselves in a clearing. Marcus Flint was standing in the middle of it looking quite shaken.

"Flint, are you alright?" asked Harry.

Flint's expression changed.

"I'm alright, Potter. It's too bad I can't say the same about you"