MAELSTROM
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE-JENNA'S VISION
JENNA.
I saw us entering the forest. There were centaurs in it and something was crouching over a dead unicorn's body. When it raised its head, I heard someone cry out and then there was the thundering of hooves.
My eyes slid back into focus and I shook myself.
"Jenna?" Hermione whispered. "What happened?"
Everyone was watching me curiously and worriedly.
"There's something in this forest that's evil…it killed the unicorn but I couldn't see its face," I said shaking my head.
"Did it look like a creature or something?" Harry asked.
"More like a person," I said.
"Weird," Hermione whispered.
"Alrigh' let's go," Hagrid said.
We followed him into the forest. It was black and silent. A little way into it we reached a fork in the earth path.
We split up.
Neville, Fang and I went one way while Harry, Hermione and Hagrid went the other.
HERMIONE.
Jenna's vision was very strange indeed. They had gone the other path.
"What do you think is killing the unicorns?" Harry asked Hagrid.
"Not sure," Hagrid mused. "Something that is fast definitely though."
We walked past a mossy tree stump. We could hear running water; there was a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the path.
"You alright, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' 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 I and hoisted us off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out 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't be. Right, follow me, but careful now."
We walked more slowly now, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.
"Who's there? Show yerself—I'm armed!"
And into the clearing came—was it a man, or a horse? It was a centaur. The centaur had a mans body to the waist with red hair and a beard and a gleaming chestnut body of a horse.
My lower jaw dropped.
"Oh, it's you Ronan," Hagrid said in relief. "How are yeh?"
He walked forward and shook the centuar's hand.
"Good evening to you, Hagrid," Ronan said. He had a deep sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"
"Can't be too careful, Ronan," Hagrid said patting the crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan you two. He's a centaur."
"We'd noticed," I said faintly.
"Good evening," Ronan said. "Students, are you? And do you learn much up at the school?"
"Erm…"
"A bit," I said timidly.
Harry seemed to have lost his voice momentarily.
"A bit. Well that's something." Ronan sighed. "Mars is bright tonight."
"Yeah," Hagrid said glancing up too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt—have you seen anythin'?"
Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly skyward and then sighed again.
"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."
"Yeah," Hagrid said. "But have yeh seen anything unusual?"
"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated. "Unusually bright."
Hagrid was getting impatient. I had hope Jenna, Neville and Fang were alright.
"More unusual nearer to home," Hagrid said. "So yeh haven't noticed anything strange?"
Yet again, Ronan took a while to respond. At last he said "The forest hides many secrets."
A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his crossbow again but it was only a second centaur. This one was black haired and bodied and looked wilder than Ronan.
"Hullo Bane," Hagrid said. "Alright?"
"Good evening, Hagrid. I hope you are well?"
"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin asking' Ronan, you seen anything odd in here lately? There's bin a unicorn 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 said grumpily. "Well if either of you do see anything, 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 said irritably. "Try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers…not interested in anything closer to the moon."
"Are there many of them in here?" I asked curiously.
"Oh a fair few," Hagrid replied. "Keep themselves to themselves mostly but they're good enough about turnin' up if I want a word. They're deep, minded, centaurs…they know things…just don' let on too 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's what's been killin' the unicorns—never heard anything like it before," Hagrid said.
We walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept glancing over his shoulder.
He whispered to me that he had the nasty feeling we were being watched.
We just passed a bend in the path when I grabbed Hagrid's arm.
"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks! The others are in trouble!" I cried worriedly.
"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 we looked at each other terrified until we couldn't hear anything anymore but the rustling of leaves.
"You don't think they're hurt—do you?" I whispered hugging myself.
The forest suddenly seemed chillier than normal.
"If Malfoy was out here I wouldn't care but Jenna and Neville are here and its our fault," Harry said.
The minutes dragged by. Our ears seemed sharper than usual.
What was going on? Where were the others?
At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Jenna, Neville and Fang were with him.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Hagrid was fuming. It seemed Jenna snuck up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke to relieve the dense quietness of the forest. Poor Neville panicked and sent up the sparks.
"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changing the groups…Neville, you stay with me and Hermione. Harry you go with Fang and Jenna the Prankster," Hagrid said firmly.
Jenna's eyes were on her shoes.
JENNA.
I felt bad for scaring Neville, but I just wanted to tease him. So Harry, Fang and I set off into the heart of the forest.
We walked for nearly a half an hour 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 roots of trees as if the poor thing had been thrashing around in pain.
"Look," Harry murmured, holding his arm out to stop me.
Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. We inched closer.
It was the unicorn alright…but it was dead. The long slender legs were stretched out and its head rested on the ground with the long slender horn. The mane had bits of twigs and leaves sticking out of it.
Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood.
Out of the shadows came a hooded figure crawling across the ground like a stalking monster. We stood transfixed. The figure reached the unicorn and lowered its head over the wound on the unicorns neck and began to drink its blood.
I screamed.
The figure raised its head and looked right at us…unicorn blood dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry.
Harry cried out and staggered backward. This caused him to bump into me and knock me backward. I hit the back of my head on a upturned tree root. Blackness swallowed me up. Before I blacked out I heard the thundering of hooves.
"Jenna!" I heard a voice say urgently.
I moaned and opened my eyes. Harry and another centaur's face peered down at me. This one was younger and he had a palomino body.
"What happened?" I asked as Harry and the centaur helped me to my feet.
"Whatever that thing was charged at me but this centaur helped me," Harry explained.
"I'm Firenze," the centaur introduced.
He lowered his front legs so Harry and I could climb onto his back.
I sat behind Harry and wrapped my arms around his midsection. There was a rustling and Bane and Ronan appeared.
"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have humans 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 the forest the better. And this young girl is hurt."
"What have you been telling them? 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 with his front hoof nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best,"
Bane kicked out his hind 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 reared up onto his hind legs in anger while his front legs slashed at the air. Harry had to grab onto his shoulders to stay on. Finally Firenze lowered his front legs to the ground.
"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 if I must."
And Firenze whisked around with Harry clutching on as best as he could and my grip tightened around Harry as well. Firenze took of galloping into the trees leaving Ronan and Bane behind us.
"Why's Bane so angry?" Harry asked. "What was that thing you saved me from?"
Firenze slowed to a trot and then a walk. Harry and I had to keep our heads low from low-hanging branches.
Firenze was silent and we were afraid that he didn't want to talk to us but then Firenze suddenly stopped in a particularly dense patch of trees.
"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"
"No," Harry said truthfully. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."
"That is because it is a monstrous thing to slay a unicorn," Firenze said. "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."
"But who'd be that desperate?" I mused shifting my weight. "It's best to be dead than be cursed forever isn't it?"
"It is," Firenze agreed. "Unless all you need 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?"
Realization dawned on us. Harry turned around to look at me. He was thinking the same thing.
"The Sorcerer's Stone," we said in unison.
"Of course! The Elixir of Life!" Harry whispered.
"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power and who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"
Harry swallowed and I felt him go rigid.
"Do you mean," he croaked. "That was Vol…"
"Harry! Jenna! Are you alright?"
Hermione, Hagrid and Neville were running toward them down the path. Hagrid was puffing along behind Hermione.
"I'm fine," Harry said. "The unicorns dead Hagrid. It's in that clearing back there."
"This is where I leave you two," Firenze said. "You are safe now."
Hagrid hurried off to the clearing.
Harry slid off his back and then turned to help me.
"Good luck," Firenze said and then took off leaving us shivering.
REMUS.
I had dozed off in the common room when I heard the portrait entrance opening. I looked up. Jenna, Neville, Hermione and Harry entered looking pale and spooked.
"What happened?" I demanded as Jenna fell onto the couch beside me. I noticed a small gash on the back of her head.
Harry launched into the whole story.
"So," I said slowly. "Voldie's back now eh?"
Jenna slumped against me with her head resting against my shoulder.
"It seems that way yep," Hermione said faintly.
She was curled up on a chair and she dozed off.
"Don't worry," I said putting my arm around Jenna. "We'll find a way to stop him. We did once and we can do it again."
"But if he's back, how can he be in full strength yet if he hasn't taken the Elixir of Life?" Jenna said in a groggy voice.
Neville hurried off to bed.
"That I'm not sure of," I said looking down at her. "But we will stop him…and make him pay for Carrie."
At the mention of her name, I felt a lump of tears in my throat. I saw Harry and Hermione's expressions as well.
"I say we hit the hay," I said. "After a good-nights sleep we can think more clearly."
Harry agreed.
Hermione helped Jenna into the girls' dorm and I entered the boys.