"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the Astronomy Tower. It is one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."

We had been brought to Professor McGonagall's office, where she was still holding both Draco and Elizabeth captive.

Despite the ferocity with which our Head of House spoke, we kept silent. We had just finished getting Norbert off of Hagrid's hands—we weren't about to rat him out now.

"I'm disgusted. Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. And for you, Miss Skylar…"

I looked up to meet Professor McGonagall's eyes. If she was going to berate me for our blunder, I would at least have the dignity to look her in the eyes while she did it.

That didn't make it any less difficult. She didn't look outraged when she saw my blank face. Her expression morphed from anger to simple disappointment. "Miss Skylar, I don't even know where to begin. I had so many high hopes for you."

A lump appeared in my throat, preventing me from swallowing.

She sighed and looked between us again. "Nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous. As I took fifty points from Slytherin for each of the Malfoys, so I shall take fifty points each from the three of you. Now get to bed, all of you."

There was nothing else to say. The five of us silently exited her office and, after shooting a dirty glare towards those meddling Slytherins, proceeded to our common rooms.

For a few minutes, I simply sat in the scarlet armchairs full of sheer disbelief. Gryffindor had been in the lead for the House Cup until tonight. The three of us had messed up any chance our House had of winning, all because we'd forgotten that stupid Invisibility Cloak. If we'd remembered it, if just one of us had caught it from the corner of our eye, we wouldn't be in such a horrifying situation…

The next morning seemed to hold all of our fears come to life. When people had first seen the hourglasses on the wall the following morning, they'd thought there'd been a mistake. When news spread around of our midnight exploits, however, everyone stared at the five of us—including Draco and Lizzie. The fact that they lost one hundred points for Slytherin was perhaps the only reason that our housemates were only shunning us, rather than being outright hostile.

Much to my dismay, due to the shame of the situation, Harry had actually gone to Oliver Wood to resign as Seeker. Luckily, Wood wouldn't allow it—he didn't care what Harry had done, as long as they won the Quidditch Cup. If that ended up being the case, it was possible that our housemates would forgive us for losing one hundred and fifty points in one night…

Before long, it was May, and final exams were little more than one week away. While fortunately some of our closer friends and fellow first-years had stopped ignoring Hermione, Harry, and I, many of the older students did not give us the same recognition.

It was one week before finals that the five of us who had been involved in 'the incident' all found ourselves with the same slip of paper:

Your detention will take place tonight at eleven o' clock. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.

Professor M. McGonagall

Upon receiving the note, none of us said a word. We just stared at the paper, wondering what the night would have in store for us.

At eleven, we did as we were told. Filch escorted us, ranting about the old punishments all the while. "Hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… It's a pity they let the old punishments die out, they'd hang you from your wrists from the ceiling for a few days. I've still got the chains in my office…"

We followed him towards Hagrid's hut; both Harry and I lit up as we heard him shout, "Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

Filch saw our relieved looks and muttered, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Think again. It's into the forest you're going, and I'm much mistaken if you'll even come out in one piece, the job you'll have to do…"

Draco Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks. "The forest? We can't go in there at night! There's all sorts of things in there—werewolves, I heard."

"That's your problem," Filch said breezily. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

Fang trotted up to us then, with Hagrid behind him. Our friend was holding a large crossbow and was wearing dark clothes; scowling, he said, "Abou' time, I bin waitin' for half an hour already. All right, Harry? Hermione? Belle?"

"I wouldn't be too friendly with them, Hagrid," said Filch. "They're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" Hagrid growled. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? Not your place to do that. You've done your bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," Filch said, as if the prospect of dead students were a casual topic. Then he grinned, revealing slightly pointed teeth. "For what's left of them."

He turned and walked away, a spring in his step.

Draco and Lizzie faced the forest and blanched. One glance at the other, however, was all they needed to regain their normal sardonic look.

"Right then," began Hagrid. "Listen carefully, cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here for a moment."

Harry and I were the first to follow his instruction and walk over to where he was gesturing. Our gaze dropped to the ground where Hagrid was pointing… a silvery, viscous liquid was pooled at our feet.

"See that shining stuff on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" asked Draco, who was attempting to sound only mildly concerned.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," Hagrid answered, wagging a finger. "An' keep ter the path. Right now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in different directions. There's blood all over the place; it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang," Draco said immediately, glancing at Fang's teeth.

Hagrid shrugged. "All righ', but I warn yeh, he's a coward. So me, Hermione, and Malfoy will go one way, and Harry, Belle, Malfoy, and Fang will go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? If anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll come an' find yeh. So be careful—let's go."

Harry and I seemed to share the sentiment that we were less than pleased to be paired up with Draco. It was likely the feeling was mutual, too, but none of us said anything out loud seeing as like it or not, we were going to have to have each other's backs while venturing through the Forbidden Forest.

The three of us—plus Fang—followed the path on the right, the one with less unicorn blood. The forest was pitch-black save for what the lantern in my hands illuminated. Fang led the way, sniffing the ground, being careful not to touch the unicorn blood. We did the same and followed the faint trail—it was barely visible even when I bent down to find it.

Perhaps the only reason that I didn't turn around and leave the forest after only two minutes was because Harry was walking next to me. He kept one arm locked within my own; likely a safety measure, as it seemed easy to lose oneself in the darkness. Everywhere I looked, it seemed as though something was watching us. That, however, was likely my frightened imagination… or so I hoped.

Fang stopped after another few minutes and began deviating from the path. Draco made a move to follow after him, but I lunged out and seized his arm. "No! Hagrid said not to leave the path!"

Draco shot me a look. "I think it's better to follow the dog. You know, the only one of us here who has any clue what we're doing?"

A frown settled upon my face; I locked Draco's arm in my own, which made him exclaim indignantly. But I ignored his cry as I retorted, "The unicorn blood doesn't lead over there. Now stay on the path. I wouldn't shed any tears if you went off on your own and died, but the more of us there are, the more likely it is we'll get back to Hogwarts alive."

He rolled his eyes at that, but didn't make a move to free his arm, and so we pressed onward.

After about ten more minutes of silent trekking, both of my arms interlocked with the two boys' in my group, Draco scoffed beside me. "This is ridiculous. A half-hour and nothing. We shouldn't even be here."

Without turning to look at Malfoy, I exclaimed, "Well maybe if you and your sister hadn't tried so hard to get us in trouble, you wouldn't be here, would you?"

"Can't help it. You lot always do the stupidest things. It's a miracle you haven't been caught before now."

With a short laugh, I said, "And I suppose you want to be the one to take credit for our absence too, do you?"

Malfoy exhaled through his nose in a manner that suggested a repressed laugh. "Perhaps. It isn't everyone who gets to claim they were responsible for Harry Potter's expulsion."

"Stuff it, Malfoy," muttered Harry. I didn't glance over at him since I was concentrated on the path, but I could sense him rolling his eyes.

Malfoy just snickered.

The forest was growing darker and thicker the longer we were in it. I could've sworn that shadows were following us, or that I heard a few leaves crunching just to our left. The stars were uncommonly bright, but that was little comfort when they were so far away.

At last, right when I was about to give up hope on finding the poor beast, a large pool of silver blood appeared at our feet.

The three of us exchanged queasy looks. This bloodstain looked fresh, which meant it was likely the unicorn would be nearby… along with whatever was hunting it.

We moved for another minute, even more cautiously than before. But then Harry outstretched his arm, preventing me from walking any farther, and pointed ahead of us.

There was something long and white on the ground: it was a unicorn, and it was dead. Its legs were splayed and twisted at a funny angle; they were broken. Its eyes were closed—silver blood drenched its mane, its single horn sparkling even after its life had ended.

We didn't take more than three steps before a figure slithered out from the trees to our left. Harry, Draco, and I stood transfixed as a silhouette in black knelt over the unicorn. My hand flew up to my throat as it leaned over the creature and began to drink its blood.

Fang barked madly and bolted. The three of us couldn't move for terror; the black figure turned towards us—there was silver down its front.

We began scrambling backwards, but we weren't able to go far due to Harry yelping in pain while clutching at his scar. He fell to his knees in the leaves.

"Harry?" I cried. I tried to grab his arm, to get him to his feet… but it was like he was paralyzed, just grabbing at his scar, groaning in pain.

Malfoy was pinned to the spot as well, too petrified to run or act. I seized his arm and yanked him behind me; the lantern fell to the ground at my feet as I seized my wand and pointed it at the oncoming figure.

The creature was only ten feet away from us now, and its teeth were bared. If I didn't know better I'd say it was snarling at us—there was no telling what kind of jinx might affect it, but I had to do something. "Rictusem—"

The figure launched out an arm as if to grab my throat.

My words were cut off by the sound of pounding hooves. A secondary creature leapt over us and landed right next to the hooded figure. It was a centaur, which was kicking its legs at the thing that killed the unicorn until it was driven off.

Silence overcame the glen once the enemy was gone. My wand fell from my hand as I turned towards Harry, kneeling beside him in the grass. One of his hands was still plastered across his forehead, but he was able to look at me; there was an expression of gratitude deep within his face.

When the centaur turned around, there was a quizzical look in its silver eyes. It gazed over all of us but froze when it saw Harry, who was starting to recuperate from whatever pain he had felt.

"You are the Potter boy," murmured the centaur. "Are you all right?"

Harry nodded and gasped, "Yes—thank you—what was that?"

Instead of answering, the centaur stated, "You should get back quickly."

Feeling returned to my arms and legs. I began scouring the ground for my wand, wondering where exactly I'd just dropped it…

"Here." Draco held out my wand, grip first. There was a knowing look on his face.

"Thanks," I whispered, and then I raised the tip of my wand in between the gaps of the trees and recited, "Periculum." Showers of both green and red sparks flew into the sky in quick succession.

"Harry Potter, I must ask if I can speak to you alone."

The centaur's remark prompted me to gaze at Harry from the corner of my eye—he was already nodding and following the centaur to the opposite side of the clearing, effectively leaving me and Malfoy to ourselves.

An awkward silence settled between us for a moment. I honestly had no idea what to say, seeing as it wasn't like we were great friends or anything of the sort…

"That was brave."

I turned to look at him so fast that my neck almost popped. Noting my astonishment, Malfoy raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "You heard me right. I suppose I can see now why you were sorted into Gryffindor."

"You had doubts?"

Malfoy grinned, albeit sheepishly. "I… for a little while I was rather sure you'd be sorted into Slytherin." He shrugged with this last, perhaps attempting to play it cool. But I found myself remembering how he had watched my Sorting, how invested he had looked… and I couldn't help but wonder if he had wanted me in Slytherin.

It wouldn't hurt to let him know how close I had been to having him as a housemate. "You know, that was the Sorting Hat's first instinct, too. It wanted to put me in Slytherin at first, but I guess… it changed its mind."

"Really," said Draco, although he didn't actually sound surprised by that.

A small smile crossed my face; it wouldn't do to be Malfoy's enemy forever. "Hey, you're Professor Snape's pet. What's going to be on our Potions final?"

Draco scoffed at this title, but he was smirking nonetheless. "I'm not a pet to anyone. And even if I did know what was on the final, why would I tell you?"

"Because we've been partners all year and we could study together if you wanted, so telling me would be in your best interest?" I made sure to raise an eyebrow and smirk; he seemed a little taken aback by my offer to study with him.

He ran a hand through his pale-blond hair and sighed, although the upturn to his lips suggested a restrained smile. "Fine, Skylar, have it your way. But only if you spill what's on the Transfiguration final."

Even though I knew Professor McGonagall wouldn't give me any information on that whatsoever, I nodded and stuck out a hand anyway. "Deal."

Malfoy shook my hand—no sooner had we concluded this business transaction than we heard Hagrid's voice shouting, "You lot all righ' down there?"

Hagrid, Hermione, and Elizaeth had arrived and were gazing at us in the clearing. Noting the centaur that was also present, Hagrid beamed and exclaimed, "Oh, hullo Firenze!"

Firenze the centaur nodded and bowed before Hagrid before gesturing to the deceased unicorn and stating, "The unicorn you are searching for is over there," as he pointed to the white body on the ground. "And this is where I leave you, Harry Potter. You are safe now. Good luck… the planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."

Then he trotted off before any of us could say another word.

With the finding of the unicorn's body, our detention was over. It was up to me to inform Hagrid of what had occurred during our trip back to the castle, seeing as Malfoy was quiet and Harry was still shaken by whatever he and Firenze had talked about. Hagrid listened intently and seemed startled when I mentioned the figure clad in black.

"Tha' doesn' sound like any creature I recognize," he muttered, almost to himself. Then he clapped a heavy hand onto my shoulder, which almost made me lose my balance and fall. "Thanks for the information, Belle."

Sunlight had crept over the top of the trees by the time we arrived back in Hagrid's cabin. Seeing as Filch hadn't yet returned to the hut, Hagrid invited all five of us inside for an early morning cup of tea, never mind the blackmail that Draco and Elizabeth had threatened him with only a month ago. Right when our mugs were empty, the caretaker was back: and then we were forced to endure Filch's surly nature once again as we were marched back to our common rooms.

Even though Hermione and I were utterly exhausted, it seemed that Harry wanted to speak to us before we went to sleep. He also insisted on grabbing Ron too, which made me raise a suspicious eyebrow.

Ron and Harry tromped down the staircase within the next three minutes, the former looking rather groggy. Once we were all gathered around the fireplace, Harry leaned forward and murmured, "While we were in the forest, Firenze told me that to slay a unicorn is a terrible thing, like a curse. When something drinks its blood—like the black figure we saw—they will live a half-life that will keep the drinker alive even if it's about to die. He asked me if I knew anybody that would do that, and… I knew who he was talking about."

My eyes trailed over Harry's face, uncertain what he was hinting towards. There were dark bags under his eyes, but… they didn't seem to have been borne of physical exhaustion—more like an emotional one.

Then it hit me. "It can't be…"

Ron and Hermione gaped wordlessly at him as Harry nodded and resumed speaking. "Firenze also told me that the Sorcerer's Stone inside the castle can help Voldemort gain a body of his own. Which means we now know what Snape wants it for: not for himself, but for Voldemort, who's waiting in the forest."

"Stop saying the name!" Ron hissed, apparently wide awake now.

Harry ignored him. "The other day, I heard Quirrell pleading with someone… I think Snape managed to get the information he needed to get past Quirrell's obstacle. If that's the case, the only thing guarding the Stone now that Snape can't get through is Fluffy."

"Should we visit Hagrid in the morning?" I asked.

"No," replied Hermione. "Two days away are exams, and I'm studying as much as I can until they're over. Once they're done, we can focus on the Stone again."

This rendered the conversation as over, and we dispatched into our separate dormitories. As I began drifting into sleep, however, a nagging feeling tore at me. It had no name, but I knew exactly what it was trying to tell me: that there was something else about the Sorcerer's Stone that we had yet to discover.