A/N: I am borrowing for a short period the characters wonderfully created by JK Rowlings. Also, the timeline I am using is consistent with the one found on the Lexicon. Please enjoy!
Prologue
A quarter-moon rising over the Forbidden Forest rustles few leaves and stirs little anxiety in its inhabitants. The sound of breaking twigs disturbs only slightly the soft hooting of owls as they establish the intruders' identities. Quiet reigns once again. Briefly seen through a patch in the clouds, the stars twinkle down on the earth in a pattern recognizable only to some.
Softly, a sigh escapes one creature as he reads the portents written in the heavens and wonders what fate would bring next. "It happens tonight," the deep rumbling voice states, "the planets have aligned, the stars foretold it, and evil now grows stronger. She will arrive shortly. We must help her to her fate."
"Firenze, you may feel free to become a mule for the humans, but I will keep my honor and stand as a centaur," Bane vehemently disagrees. "It is of no concern to our kind what games those creatures play. Ours is a proud and ancient race! What concern can their trivial matters mean to us! Do not lower your…."
"If you do not stand with them, you stand for evil. The stars do not lie! Great change is coming, great evil! The time is now! I say it this moment, and I will stand by my words, I set myself against this evil! She must be helped, she must safe. She is the catalyst for the changing of tides. She is coming soon. His plan is set in motion."
Once again, peace reigns in the Forbidden Forest. For now, the leaves gently rustle in a quarter-moon and owls hoot their contentment to the heavens.