Lily reached out and grabbed hold of another branch to steady herself. Severus had already begun to fall backwards, but she caught a handful of his cloak and managed to pull him back upright.

The wolf and Ned both bolted at the same time. Ned headed for the woods, screeching. The wolf headed for Ned, licking its chops.

The hooves clattered to a stop under the tree. Severus and Lily stared down into the pale broad face of the man they had both glimpsed before. He was human all right—to about the level of his waist, at which point his body became a white horse's.

"A centaur..." Severus whispered. No wonder he hadn't known what it was; there weren't any in the forest near Snape Hall.

"Jump!" called the centaur.

The wolf had pounced on Ned by this time. Lily saw the ambush quite clearly in the moonlight and a strangled shriek escaped her.

"Quickly!" The centaur waved to them urgently.

Making the split-second decision for them both, Severus caught Lily round the waist and yanked. They tumbled over backwards together, Lily suddenly very limp, Severus desperately hoping he had made the right choice.

The centaur caught them deftly and tossed them over his shoulder onto his back. Severus clung to the creature's mane and struggled to keep Lily from sliding off—she had fainted in the fall, or possibly hit her head; he didn't have time to check, because all the commotion had diverted the wolf's attention from its dissection of Ned, and it was starting towards them, growling.

Without a word of warning the centaur kicked off and launched in the opposite direction, closely pursued by the wolf. Of course, in a race, a young wolf was no match for an adult centaur. Even burdened with two children, the sleek, strong centaur easily outstripped the wolf. Severus saw the forest blur as they sped through, weaving between trees, leaping up and sailing straight over the lower beasts. Once he saw fairy lights in the distance and had to close his eyes to quell the impulse to leap off the centaur's back and follow them.

The wind was cold and stung his cheeks. Eventually the wolf's barks and snarls faded into the distance.

In time the wind became less harsh, and Severus opened his eyes. They had left the forest and were slowing down as they neared the edge of the lake. He had managed to keep both himself and Lily on the centaur's back during their wild ride through the woods. Presently the centaur dumped them both unceremoniously off his back.

"Hey!" Severus gasped as he and Lily rolled onto the grass. His legs were weak, but he struggled to his knees and turned her over. She was unconscious. He patted her cheeks, trying to wake her.

The centaur towered over them, looking furious. He looked different out here in the open, with no trees to form perspective—taller, more frightening. Severus almost had a hard time believing the creature who stood before him, fuming, was the same one that had rescued him from certain death.

"You should not be here!" the centaur thundered. "What were you doing in the forest, at this time, on such a night?"

Severus couldn't find an answer. The centaur saw his eyes flicker over to the forest, and said impatiently, "The danger is left behind. Do you not realize the peril I took you from?"

"Thank you," was what sprang from Severus' mouth.

The centaur scowled.

"Don't say it if you do not understand what it is for."

"But—you saved our lives!"

"Luck delivered you tonight; from now on you must rely on prudence. You must never come near the forest—particularly not on a night like this! The dangers far exceed your understanding or defensive capabilities. I have interfered with human lives, against my herd's customs and against my own good sense—but I judged the situation critical."

The creature had tipped its gaze skyward and was addressing the sky, seemingly pleading with it. "One monster in the forest is enough, never mind three! It was for the good of the forest dwellers! Have I wrongly interpreted the signs?" He turned in a circle, scanning the heavens from every angle. "Mars... Capricorn..."

He whirled suddenly, grabbed Severus by the shoulders, and scrutinized his face closely. Just as suddenly he released him and turned to crouch by Lily, fingering her red hair and frowning. He straightened up. "No, I was correct... But this, the two of you—it does not bode well."

"Well, obviously," snapped Severus. The centaur paid no attention to the interruption.

"There is a veil on your future, clouds in your skies..." He lapsed into a worried silence, gazing at the sky for guidance.

Severus profited from the lull to examine Lily. She wasn't physically hurt, she had only fainted. While the centaur stood counting stars and fretting, Severus dragged Lily close to the lake and splashed water on her face.

The centaur laid a hand on Severus' shoulder and turned him round.

"You are safe now. It will not leave the forest. But you must promise me two things—swear, swear by Mars that you will never return to the forest when the skies are graced by this light," he gestured overhead in a sweeping arc, "and that you will never breathe to a soul that it was I who saved you. Swear—and for the girl, too!"

He leaned in very close and watched Severus as he promised for himself and Lily. Satisfied, the centaur said, "Then I can depart. Remember your oath!"

He wheeled and galloped away, back into the Dark Forest.

Severus stared after him for a long time as the weight of the warnings slowly set in.

"...on a night like this..."

"One monster in the forest is enough, never mind three!"

"...when the skies are graced by this light..."

Lily stirred weakly. She groaned weakly and opened her eyes.

"Snape?"

His trance broken, he looked down at her and said what was on his mind. "Wolves travel in packs."

"What?"

" 'One monster in the forest is enough,' " he muttered.

That was no ordinary wolf, he thought. It was a werewolf. That's why the centaur wanted me to swear we would never come back during the full moon.

"What are you talking about?"

Severus looked away so she wouldn't see the realization dawning in his eyes. "Nothing."

"How did we get out here?" Lily asked, turning her head to gaze at the lake. She remembered suddenly. "The centaur—the wolf—Ned!" She tried to sit up, pulling weakly on his arm to drag herself upright.

"Shh, Evans."

Lily stared into the woods. "It's a miracle we escaped."

"Luck."

"But—Ned?"

Severus shook his head.

Lily began to weep softly into her hands.

"Are you crying for Ned?" Severus asked.

"No."

And, unasked, it all poured out with the tears: she was crying for all of it, for the whole terrible night—the mean trick she'd played on Filch to keep him busy with Peeves all night; the sneaking out of the castle; the loss of Ned, certainly, and his terrible fate as their substitute in the wolf's stomach—but mostly she was crying because of her failure. She hadn't gotten Ned back. She hadn't even been able to tough out the forest; her fearless attitude had crumbled within minutes of entering the woods. She had even fainted.

"Well, welcome to my world," Severus said lamely. "Now you know what it's like to have let down your house."

Lily nodded sadly. "I let down my house, I let down Ned —but what's worse, I let myself down."

"Come on now, Ned's dying wasn't really your fault. In fact that's what saved us. He diverted the we- the wolf's attention long enough for us to escape."

Lily wiped her eyes and, amazingly, smiled. "Do you want to know what the worst part is?" she whispered. "I only know how to get out of the castle. I don't know how to get back in."