Harry Weasley

Chapter Twelve: A Night in the Forbidden Forest

The four students and Mr. Filch walked down towards the forbidden forest and Hagrid's hut the next night. When they got closer, Filch walked up to the half-giant saying, "four to help you out tonight Hagrid."

Hagrid looked at the four students and nodded his thanks to Filch. "Thank ye Argus, I will take it from here. Ok you four, come with me, we're going into the forest tonight to check on an injured Unicorn." Hagrid hoisted his crossbow to his shoulder and called for his boarhound fang. "Ok we are going in to find a injured unicorn, we will split up. Ron and Hermoine, you two with me, Harry and Draco, you two go that way."

"Ok, but we get Fang with us." Draco was shaking in his shoes, but didn't want it to show.

"That's ok with me, but be warned, he's a chicken." Draco paled when he heard this, and then followed Harry and Fang into the forest.

On there way there, they were finding that they were going in deeper and deeper, and it was getting darker and darker. Harry held up his hand quickly, and told Draco to stop. "I think I might have found something." Harry knelt down near a puddle of silver liquid. "Go get Hagrid, I think I might have found where the unicorn is. This is unicorn blood, she must be close. Take fang with you if you are scared, just hurry up." Draco could tell that Harry was being serious about this, so he left rather quickly, not taking Fang, not that he cared about Harry's well being, he just forgot.

Harry walked a little bit farther following the trail of the unicorn. What he came upon made his stomach turn. He found a cloaked man leaning over the body of the unicorn, which was obviously dead. Harry drew his wand, and was about to stun the cloaked person, but the person looked up before he could and came at him. There was a thundering of hooves that came out of nowhere to drive the cloaked man off, and all Harry saw was the back end of what he thought was a horse, before it turned around to show that it was actually a Centaur. When the Centaur turned towards Harry, he said. "This isn't a safe place for you to be young Harry Weasley. What brings you to the forest this night?"

"I was with Hagrid serving a detention looking for her. I guess we were to late." Harry looked sad at the dead Unicorn then realized something. "I don't know who you are, but we need to help her. It looks like she is about to foal, and I don't know whether it's possible or not, but I would like to try to save the foal if possible."

The Centaur looked at the young man and asked. "Do you know what you are asking to do? If we are able to help the young one, he or she will be on there own, unless someone takes care of them. Are you willing to take the young one in to help raise them? Think about your answer carefully Young Harry, because it would mean that you will be raising it as your own."

Harry thought about this for a minute, and nodded his head. "I will take the challenge, it doesn't sound fare that one so young wouldn't even be given the chance to live. I know that I would have the help of Hagrid to raise it. Will you help me try to save it?" Harry looked up at the Centaur with hope in his eyes.

The Centaur named Bane, so Harry found out, decided that this young man was going to be very powerful, and that he would help him in this in anyway that he can. He led Harry over to the female unicorn and started seeing the young unicorn make it's way out of his mothers womb, and they could tell that even tho she was still breathing, that the mother Unicorn was taking her last breath to make sure that her foal would live. Harry looked into the mother unicorns eyes, and felt that he was giving her assurance that her young one would be raised right, and with love.

The unicorn licked his hand and as the baby unicorn was born took her last breath. Harry and Bane cleaned up the young unicorn and waited while Hagrid and the others came and for the young one to take it's first steps. "Harry, are you near?" Harry heard Hagrid yell out, and set off a few sparks to let him know where he was, then went back to helping the young foal.

Hagrid and the other three came quickly thereafter and saw Harry and Bane standing over what Hagrid thought would only be one Unicorn, not one with a newborn foal. Hagrid raised his crossbow and was about to put the young one out of it's misery, because he knew that it couldn't bring itself up, but was soon surprised when Harry stood between him and the young unicorn. "What are you doing Harry, this is the only humane way to do it."

Harry only looked at his big friend and shook his head. "No Hagrid, I made a promise to her mother and to Bane here that I would raise her as my own. I know that it will be a hard thing to do, but she has already bonded with me. I can't let you kill her Hagrid, please I can do it." Harry was pleading that his friend would understand.

When Hagrid looked down into his eyes, he could tell that Harry would do his best to do as he promised. "Ok Harry, but you are going to have to 1. Tell Professor Dumbledore, 2. Come down to my hut every night to help take care of her, and also during the day when you have the time, because I will need your help in feeding her and raising her, since you are now her mother basically. 3. Figure out something to do with her over the holidays, because I'm sure that the headmaster won't let you take her home with you, even tho, if we could figure out a way to do it, it wouldn't hurt her at the burrow, and last but not least 4. You have to name her." Hagrid smiled down at his young friend and was happy that Harry was being such a responsible young man for the age of 11.

"Well Hagrid the first two will be no problem, and the fourth one, I'm sure that I can have help with thinking of a name. But the third one, I'm not sure what mom and dad would think about me bringing home a unicorn, but I'm sure that they will support it." Harry smiled and led the young unicorn out of the forest followed by his two friends, Hagrid and a contemplating Draco. If they had looked at Draco's face at that time, they would have found the young man thinking about what was happening, and a look of respect for Harry and his friends.

"Hey Harry, how about Lightning, for the mark of the lightning bolt that is one her forehead." Ron was the first one to notice the marking on the young unicorn, which was a lightning bolt shaped blaze on her forehead.

"You know what Ron, that is a perfect idea." The young unicorn looked like she knew what they were talking about and nodded her head like she liked the name. When they got back to Hagrid's cabin, they led the young one over to the horse stables that were in the back. "Hagrid, do you think that it is possible that I can stay with her tonight? I mean she is just a newborn, and I don't think it would be right for her to be without me at first."

"That sounds like a great idea Harry." Hagrid looked at Ron and Hermoine and said. "I suppose that you two want to stay also."

They both nodded, and too everyone's shock so did Draco. When the three friends looked at him, he just shrugged saying. "Maybe I'm seeing you three in a different light. I'm sorry for being an arse before, and hopefully we can start over." Draco looked at them with a rare smile that wasn't a smirk, and the three friends found that Draco seemed like a nice guy like this.

"It's ok with me if he stays also, he's part of the group that saved her anyway. Welcome aboard Ma-Draco." Harry put out his hand and the other boy shook his hand willingly, smiling even more.

"Thank you Po-Harry, you don't know how much this means to me. I don't have many friends in the Slytherin's besides those that want to be my friends only because of my name. There is one girl that seems to want to be my friend anyway, but I don't know. Her name is Pansy Parkinson, and she may be a pure blood, but I have known her for many years, and she just isn't like that. I think she would like to meet you three, I know that she hasn't been saying bad things about you three or the Gryffindor's house like the rest of us. I must say that I was before, but now that I see you all like this, my ideals have changed."

"What about you two goons, they seem to not be able to do anything without your consent, but they do seem to be a couple of bullies?" Ron asked with concern, he didn't like Draco that much, but was willing to start over with him if the others were.

"Crabbe and Goyle, your right. There a couple of goons alright. They're not the nicest people, but they can be trusted not to do what there not told. They won't be bothering your house anymore if I tell them to." Draco got a laugh out of this, and so did the rest of them.

The four of them made up a bed of straw for the young unicorn, and four beds for themselves. They fell asleep pretty much right away, and even tho Harry was up a couple of times that night to look after the young one, they slept quite well that night. The next morning was spent getting the unicorn more settled in, and then going up to the castle for breakfast. After breakfast Harry and the other three went up to see Professor Dumbledore. When they reached the gargoyles, they kept trying to guess the password, with every kind of candy that they could think of. The pillars opened finally when they guessed Lemon Drops, and they took the stairs up and were about to knock on the door, when they heard a voice calling out, "come in Harry, Ron, Draco and Hermoine."

When the four students walked in they found that the headmaster wasn't alone. Inside the office were, Hagrid, the Headmaster, Mr and Mrs. Weasley, and there head of house Professor McGonagall.

"Won't you all sit down please. I see that you all came here directly after breakfast to tell me something. By what you see with who is here, you probably know already that I know. I asked that your parents to come her Ron and Harry so that we can discuss your plans for the holidays with your new charge, also Professor McGonagall so that she will be informed why you are going to be gone sometimes at night." After this was said, Professor Snape came in wondering why he was up here with these four students, wondering what had they done now. He was totally surprised to see that Draco seemed to be friendly with the three Gryffindors.

"What is it you need headmaster? I was in the middle of putting together some healing potions for Madame Pomphrey." Snape was a little confused, but wasn't going to show it.

"Yes Severus. I wanted you to be here so that you might be informed why one of your students will be out of his dorm room at night from time to time. It seems that young Mr. Weasley, Weasley, Malfoy and Ms. Granger came across a dreadful site last night while on detention in the forest. Mr. Weasley came across a pregnant Unicorn that had been attacked by someone going after immortality, and she had been with foal. Harry and one of the Centaurs were able to save the young foal, and Harry and the other three seem to have bonded with her. They will be taking care of her, and that is also why I wanted you Mr and Mrs. Weasley to come here so that we can make arrangements for the young Unicorn to stay at the burrow with Harry and your children during the holidays." They had spent the next couple of hours making plans and the children went down to the Great Hall to have lunch. They were all happy and it showed.

A/N: Ok I know that this isn't showing Draco and Pansy in there usual light, but I'm having them come to the light side earlier than some would have for the sake of the story. Please read and review. –Donald