CHAPTER THREE—THE FORBIDDEN FOREST

Harry had already said his goodbyes, excused himself from the school, and was making his way to the forbidden forest. As the one place he knew that was filled with magical creatures, he felt sure that information about his parents might be found there. Whether it was true or not, and Harry was still not convinced by Dumbledore, remained to be seen.

The sun had begun to set before Harry had made his way through the forest. He had been careful to avoid the paths of Aragog and the centaurs, knowing that danger lay on those paths. But as the shadows lengthened, Harry began to hear dark noises among the gnarled trees, and jumped with alarm as he felt the cold steel of a well-sharpened tool touch the nape of his neck and rest there.

"Do not move again, man-child, if you wish to live. What brings you here to our enclave, wizard?" The voice spoke the last syllables with such contempt, that Harry withered inside. It seemed that whatever form he took, everyone could detect the beast inside him.

"I didn't come to meet your... enclave. I was passing through the forest. I'm running away from Hogwarts." Harry trembled as he spoke.

"From Hogwarts? Do you too have a quarrel with the humans who live there?"

"I do."

"Then you will not be harmed here. You may stay the night, but by the sun's first light you must leave us."

Harry considered for a moment. "Alright. That's fair," feeling that this was a bit of a nonchalant way to phrase things, he repeated, " I mean, yes, I agree, thank you."

"An agreement has been made. You may sleep among those trees over there. A pile of leaves has been made for you while we were talking."

"You... you knew I'd be here?" At those words, Harry felt the cold weight of the arrow lift from his neck, and heard heavy footfalls behind him. He quickly turned around and caught a fleeting glimpse of a hairy behind and a mans torso seated on it. It was a centaur!

Well, that certainly explained how the "enclave" seemed to know he'd be coming. He looked back at the withered pile of leaves which was to be his bed and sighed. He was lucky not to have been killed.

As he looked beyond the clearing, he saw twelve sleeping bodies, presumably centaurs. That made thirteen with the guard. An alarm went off in Harry's mind—centaurs never travel in herds of thirteen! If there was anything practical he had learned from Firenze, it was that. He looked around the twelve sleeping centaurs, looking for a body just out of sigt but didn't want to risk getting any closer.

He abandoned his search and returned to his "bed." Travel-weary and dehydrated, Harry dropped onto the rustling leaves without taking off his robes. Something hairy flicked at his face, like a mop thrown at him.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed inadvertently. He jumped up at the same time as the creature did.

It was another centaur. Harry had never seen a female centaur, but he was sure this was one. Her moonlit face had a pale beauty, framed by rich dark lustrous hair. Her body was a slightly lighter shade of brown, and all was neatly groomed to a shine. She was... beautiful.

"I, er, I, uh, didn't mean to—I mean, it's okay--" Harry felt extremely awkward knowing that he had set his head right next to her tail.

"My name is Malva. There's no need to be embarrassed—I'm generally ignored."

Harry was stunned. "Ignored? But—why would they do that?"

"I have a different... it is not for you to know, Harry," she glanced at his scar, illuminated by the glowing orb in the sky. "It is no small thing to ask, but I would accompany you on your journey, if you so wish."

"Oh, yeah! I mean, of course you may. I, er, wish it. I mean, being cast out by that lot isn't exactly an ideal state."

"No. No it isn't." She turned around and cantered off. For all that she was an oddly shaped creature, Harry couldn't help admiring her grace as she left his presence.

In the morning, Harry was awoken by cool hands shaking his shoulders.

"Harry, Harry, it is first light! We must leave immediately, they'll come after us soon! There are already murmurs among those who would have you dead."

Harry needed no further word to jump to his feet, gather his few possessions and run. Malva ran alongside him, obviously going slower for his benefit. He heard galloping behind him.

"Human! You swore to begone by first light, and yet you tarry! An oath broken is not forgotten!"

Harry sprinted faster yet as a volley of arrows flew closely behind him and Malva. Harry felt himself faltering, his last breath spent. Seeing this, Malva picked him up and swung him over her back. "Hold on, Harry!" she cried. This seemed to anger the already seething centaurs behind them, and more arrows were sent after them, narrowly missing Malva's hindquarters. It wasn't until the two of them had passed the centaurs borders that they were able to slow. Malva lifted the wizard off her back and set him carefully on the ground.

"Are you alright, now?" she asked, barely panting herself.

"Yeah, I'm loads better, thanks..." a question had popped into his mind. "Malva, do you by any chance know where the sirens live?"

Malva was silent for a second, staring serenely at Harry's reddened face. "Yes. I know where they are, but that place offers only peril to passersby. It is not advisable. However, if it is your wish, we will go there." She thought for a second. "The sirens live off the shore, a great deal farther from here, near a small wizarding town. Godric's Hollow."

Harry stared at her. "Yes. That's where we'll go."

END OF CHAPTER THREE

A/N—Whee! I like it, do you? Read and review!