[23]

Unicorn Blood

The next morning, Merlin met with Draco and Hermione in their usual place at the back of library. As they passed the counter, Madam Pince glanced up at them. She pursed her lips but as they disappeared into the shelves, Merlin thought he caught the smallest glimmer of a smile before she vanished from view. Once they were settled into their little alcove, Merlin told them that the dragon Norberta had been safely removed from Hagrid's hut. They were silent while he talked, but the moment he'd finished Draco folded his arms.

"Okay, spill."

Merlin glanced at Hermione. "Spill what?" he asked slowly.

"What do you mean, what?" Draco said and he frowned. "You haven't really told us anything. What made you run into Hagrid's hut like that? How did you calm the dragon down?"

Merlin hid his hands under the table so they wouldn't see him fidgeting. "I dunno," he said with a careless shrug. "Just a feeling."

"A feeling?" Draco repeated, and he shared a glance with Hermione.

"Merlin," Hermione said and she hesitated a moment before continuing, "that—that dragon perched on your shoulder like a parrot or something. I've never even heard of dragons doing anything like that."

Merlin swallowed, "I guess she liked me," and he managed a weak smile.

"Really? What did you say to it?" Hermione pressed. "I couldn't hear most of it, but what I did hear didn't sound English at all."

"And how did you even know it was there?" Draco added.

"I didn't—" Merlin tried to say but Draco interrupted him.

"You took off like a bat out of hell—you knew there was something going on in Hagrid's hut."

Merlin didn't know what to say. He looked from one friend to the other, the gears in his mind working furiously in order to think of how he could both be honest with them and yet keep his kinship with dragons secret. But he couldn't just write off what happened as nothing – they'd seen him speak the tongue of dragons, though he doubted any soul alive would recognize the language. This wasn't something he could lie his way out of, even if he had wanted to.

"Did you—" Hermione said, a look of dawning realization on her face, "did you realize the troll was in the castle too? Is that why you went to look for it?"

"I didn't know it was a troll," Merlin said quickly.

"But you knew something was there, didn't you?"

"What are you saying?" Draco scoffed. "That Merlin can somehow sense animal magic?" He laughed nervously, shaking his head. "But he can't," and then his smile faltered. "Can you?" he asked, addressing Merlin now.

"Well," and Merlin shrugged. "It would explain a lot," he said with a sheepish grin. He was trying to play it off as nothing, as something he had discovered along side his friends but his heart was beating painfully fast. He didn't want to lie to them. It would be easy to tell them that— well, actually, I'm the last living Dragonlord so I have access to some pretty awesome archaic magic.

Yeah, that conversation would go over so well.

"Anything else?" Draco asked, gesturing his hand almost rudely in Merlin's direction. "Can you make the birds do your laundry, ask flies for exam questions, you know something else that's completely bonkers?"

Hermione giggled and they both looked at her. She flushed a light shade of pink and said, "Sorry, you just—" and she giggled again. "You make him sound like a Disney Princess."

For one long moment, Draco just stared at her and then he started laughing too. Merlin, who was stressing over how to repair the situation he found himself in, frowned. "Guys," he said shaking his head. "It's not like that—I can't do those things."

"You should ask the school mice to make Hermione a dress, Merlin," Draco said still laughing. "Give those vermin something productive to do."

Hermione was laughing so hard by now that she clutched her side. It was hard to stay serious when his friends were so full of mirth. Merlin chuckled, a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, that's it. And I'll get Mrs. Norris to finally leave all the students alone," he said laughing.

"I wish," Draco said and he smiled. "But you do know when something's around, then?"

Merlin shook his head, "Not everything. Just the larger, more magically potent ones I think."

Hermione nodded, wiping her eyes. "I suppose that makes sense." Draco glanced at her and raised his eyebrow and she continued, "Well, those types of creatures have their own kind of magic and if one's well enough attuned to environmental magic, they might be able to sense them." She was looking very impressed. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"No idea," Merlin replied. "It's just sort of been there. I didn't really notice it until I came to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, where else would you be exposed to lethal magical creatures?" Draco said rolling his eyes. "Fine, that clears that up, but you still haven't told us what you said to the dragon."

"I just told it to calm down, that's all," Merlin said. "If—if Hermione's right, maybe the Dragon could sense that I didn't mean it any harm or something. I just garbled my words a bit at first because I was so nervous. It wasn't a different language at all."

Draco didn't look convinced but Hermione nodded, seeming to accept that explanation. "And Norberta's safe?"

"Yes," Merlin said confidently. "She won't be burning down any houses." At least, he certainly hoped not.

He was sure that Draco and Hermione still had more questions regarding the matter, but to his enormous relief Hermione changed the topic of conversation to exams and started pulling out her homework. Merlin followed suit, though the cold truth was settling in his mind. If he wanted to really be honest with them, it was only a matter of time before the whole truth would have to come out. He didn't care if they knew who he was – he had known them for long enough that he felt confident that they would protect his secrets. But he did care about their safety, and if there was a war to occur that knowledge could put them in danger.

What would Gaius tell him? He had never missed that old man's advice more than he did now. Sometimes he thought that the physician was more learned than even Kilgharrah – at the very least, his advice didn't end in disaster nearly as often and it was beautifully stated. Yes, no riddles with Gaius. Merlin gave a very small smile at the memory, before shaking his head.

No, Gaius wasn't here to help him anymore. It was about time he started making his own decisions – he just hoped he made the right ones.

Only A Boy

Professor Snape examined his grade book, frowning as one particularly dismal grade stood out. Hadn't he already told Evans to put more effort into his studies? He was no fool – the boy had great magical talent, but you certainly wouldn't know it from his poor marks. He'd already been told by a stern McGonagall that the boy was unlikely to pass his exams and that it might be prudent to start planning an extensive summer study program for him – that is, unless he wished to repeat the year.

Snape shook his head and leaned back in his chair, mulling it over. He'd already sent for Merlin to join him in his office, hopefully convince the boy to do some schoolwork. Perhaps Granger could influence him to do his assignments. Merlin knew that girl took her studies seriously.

There was a knock at his door and it swung open to reveal Merlin. "You wanted to see me?" he asked and he glanced around the office in curiosity. Then his eyes brightened, "Is Quirrell getting sacked?"

Snape resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Much to my disappointment, no. Sit down," he said nodding toward the seat in front of his desk. "I wish to address the more immediate concern of your total lack of completed coursework. Do you honestly think you can pass your final exams without studying at all?"

Those brilliant blue eyes narrowed. "Please, do you think it's possible to be Hermione Granger's friend and not spend some time studying? Besides aren't there more important things to be worried about? Quirrell—"

Snape's lip curled, "Quirrell," he said interrupting Merlin mid-sentence, "is none of your concern." Why couldn't this boy leave adult business to adults? Couldn't he understand that Quirrell was no mountain troll and that he was out of his depth? A first year was nothing compared to a professor, let alone the Dark Lord.

But Merlin folded his arms, a definite sulky edge in his tone. "I beg to differ. If my Defense teacher manages to steal the philosopher's stone and return Voldemort to power I will be very concerned."

"Don't say his name!" Snape spat. "Regardless, an insolent child like you is little more than a fly that he will swat out of the way," he continued icily. "The headmaster and I are handling the situation, and you can help by focusing on your studies and staying out of harms way."

Something in Merlin's eyes flashed. He seemed like he wanted to say something, to clarify some vital piece of information but he didn't speak. Instead his chin jutted out, a frustrated angle on his jawline. It looked arrogant in Snape's opinion, as though the idiot thought he was more than able to fight Quirrell.

"Fine."

Merlin got abruptly to his feet. Snape watched as he strode toward the door and wrenched it open. "Don't worry professor, I will be sure to ace every single one of my finals," he said without glancing back.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he sneered. "I will believe it when I see it."

"Then keep your eyes open, because there's so much you won't believe."

And Merlin left the office, closing the door behind him and Snape was left to wonder about what he could possibly mean.

Only A Boy

"What did Snape want?"

Draco had waited for Merlin in the hallway, the pair of them planning to head out to the grounds and enjoy the beautiful weather. Summer was fast approaching, hailing the return of bright sunshine and the dreaded exam week.

To be honest, Merlin was getting tired of everyone pestering him about his grades. What did it matter if he did his schoolwork if he could apply the enchantments in real life situations? Exams meant nothing in the real world – he'd never done assignments like this at Camelot and he wasn't about to start. The only thing that mattered was being able to do the spells and understand when to use them. And, he certainly didn't need everyone to realize he was different.

"Oh, the usual," Merlin said with a shrug. He adopted Snape's greasy sneer and spat, "You're grades are dismal, how do you expect to succeed?" He rolled his eyes.

Draco grimaced. "Well, as long as you do well on your exams everything will be fine." He hesitated a moment. "You will do well, won't you?"

Merlin groaned and ran a furious hand through his hair. "Yes, I will. Now, can we stop talking about it? It's bad enough with Hermione constantly breathing down my neck. Do you know she's copied all of her notes for me? Seems to think I won't pass without them." He sighed as they reached the entrance hall.

"Well, I don't think you will," said a sulky voice behind him. Merlin and Draco jumped and whipped around to see Hermione frowning at the pair of them. In addition to her book bag cutting into her shoulder, she was holding another volume in her hands with several pieces of parchment.

"Yeah? We'll see after finals who's right," Merlin grumbled. "C'mon it's a beautiful day outside, let's go for a walk."

Hermione pursed her lips, "We shouldn't. Finals are just around the corner you know!"

"Great," said Draco and he sneered at her, "why don't you head back up to the library then? We're going to soak in a little sunshine."

"But—"

"Hermione," Merlin said interrupting her protest. "I've just had Snape badger me about exams, I don't need hear the same thing from you." He gestured toward the front doors. "It's a crime to study on a day like this, just look at the sun!"

Hermione still looked uncertain but then her eyes caught something past Merlin and she blinked. "What's Hagrid doing?" Draco and Merlin turned to look.

The giant of a man had just pushed through the double front doors and was peering inside the great hall, as though looking for someone.

"Shouldn't that oaf be taking care of the grounds?" Draco drawled. Hermione elbowed him rather hard in the side as she walked past him. Merlin quickly smothered a snigger and followed her, Draco grumbling behind him.

"Hello Hagrid," Hermione said with a smile.

"Hermione!" Hagrid brought his head back from the great hall and beamed at the three of them. "I was jus' lookin for yer," and he nodded toward Merlin. "Say, would you three join me for tea? I've got to talk to you 'bout sumthin' important."

"Uh, sure," Merlin said ignoring Draco's sigh. "We'd love to!" and Hagrid beamed at him. Once they were back in Hagrid's hut with a plate of rock cakes and tea, Merlin cautiously asked, "You didn't get another dragon, did you?"

Hagrid laughed, "I wish," he said shaking his head sadly. "Nah, but I really wanted to thank you for your help." He poured himself an enormous cup of tea.

"Thank Merlin," Draco said softly, "He was the only one who did anything."

"You didn't run away and tell Dumbledore when you saw little Norberta though," Hagrid said and he gave Draco an appraising look. "Truth be told, I thought I was a goner for sure – if you'd told your dad 'bout it. He'd one of the school governors, ain't he?"

Draco fidgeted. "Well, pretty sure these two would kill me if I did that," he said and he glanced at Merlin and Hermione.

Hermione nudged him with her elbow again. "Honestly, the world isn't going to collapse if you admit you did something nice."

Draco glared at her but didn't reply and Hagrid started chuckling. "In any case, I thought you three might be willing ta help me with sumthin'," he paused a moment. "But, if you're too busy studyin' for yer finals, I understand."

"No," Merlin said quickly. "What do you need?"

Anything that would stop Hermione from shoving a book under his nose was fine. Even Draco seemed to appreciate the idea of a distraction, he was sitting a little straighter in his chair. Only Hermione hesitated before nodding, looking as though she'd much rather study for finals.

"Of course we'll help," she said with a sigh.

Hagrid shook his head. "You might change yer mind after ya hear what it is." He emptied his cup of tea. When he spoke again, his expression had darkened, a fierce anger hiding beneath his thick beard. "Couple a night's ago, I was going through the forbidden forest when I found unicorn blood splattering the leaves. "

Hermione gasped, her hand clamping over her mouth. Draco seemed to pale slightly but Merlin had frozen in his chair.

"He's been killing unicorns and drinking their blood."

Was this the chance he'd been hoping for? The chance to catch Quirrell in the act and finally reveal the professor's true colors? Merlin swallowed. "Do you know what—" he asked in a bare whisper, wondering if it was possible that Hagrid had somehow been able to see Quirrell do it. But to his dismay, Hagrid shook his head.

"I dunno yet, I need to take a look at the injuries. I need someone to help me go look for 'em tonight."

"Wait." Draco seemed to have finally realized what Hagrid was asking them. "You want us to go into the Forbidden Forest? At night? But there are—there are werewolves."

"More than that," Merlin muttered in an undertone, thinking absently of the dragons. He would have to make sure their search for the unicorn didn't bring them anywhere near Korrizahar. Just the thought of Hagrid searching the forest made him uneasy. He'd much rather be part of the search than wonder and worry about how close Hagrid was getting to his cherished Norberta.

Hermione made a choking sound. "But, Hagrid, we're just kids. Wouldn't it be better if Professor McGonagall or that Care of Magical Creatures professor – Kettleburn, I heard – joined you? I mean, what can we do to help?"

Hagrid smiled at her. "Unicorns are shy creatures, Hermione. You kids probably have a better chance of finding her than any adult. They don't trust us much, see? And I can't really blame them."

"I'll help, Hagrid." Merlin said, getting to his feet. His confidence seemed to reassure Draco and Hermione because they nodded.

"Yeah."

"We'll try," Draco said, a hint of doubt in his tone. He shot Merlin a look but didn't say anything. "When do you want to this—ah—this thing?"

After Hagrid had arranged to pick them up in the Great Hall about ten o'clock that night, Merlin, Draco, and Hermione bade him farewell. Having made up his mind, Merlin headed for the lake instead of the castle, his friends following him. It was nearing dinner, and the warmth was fading from the grounds. Which also meant that most students had returned to the castle by now. Merlin paused on the edge of the lake, convincing himself one last time that this was the right thing to do before turning around to look at Hermione's and Draco's puzzled faces.

Merlin took a deep breath. "Quirrell's the one killing unicorns."

Draco stared at him. "What?"

"How do you know?" Hermione squeaked.

Merlin grimaced. "Let's just say this won't be my first time in the Forbidden Forest."

He had expected a reaction to this, but it still made him cringe. Hermione looked about ready to faint. Draco wore a mixture of shock and anger on his face. "You know Merlin," he said folding his arms, "I didn't think you could get any stupider! What are you thinking, sneaking off into the Forbidden Forest? You could have gotten hurt!"

Merlin raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Me?" he said as though making sure they were talking about the same person. Draco glared at him.

"This isn't a joke!"

"But neither is Quirrell killing unicorns," Hermione whispered and a chill fell over them all. "Merlin, why would a professor be killing them? It just doesn't make sense."

Merlin hesitated. He'd started this conversation; he'd wanted to include them in this journey. He walked a few steps over to a rock and sat down. "First you both need to understand something." Draco glanced at Hermione but they didn't speak. "All my life I've hid who I am. Before I came to Hogwarts, there was only one person who truly saw me and now that I'm without him I don't know who to turn to."

Hermione took a seat beside him, resting her hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"I know you're upset I keep so much from you," Merlin continued and he looked up at Draco as he spoke. "If I had a drop of water for every secret I kept, they would fill this lake. But there was once a time keeping secrets kept me alive, and I'm afraid that's not an easy habit to break." He shook his head and dropped his gaze to the ground. "So, I guess what I'm trying to say is what you see is what you get."

He had a lot of secrets. And, there were things he wasn't ready to tell them about. Not because he worried about their reactions, but because he wanted to protect them. He could only remember too well the time Gaius had been tortured to reveal his identity.

He looked up when Hermione wrapped him in a very tight hug. "We accept who you are, we just want to understand you better," she said earnestly and when she released him, she met his eyes. "You know, that right?"

"Then understand that there are some things I can't talk about yet," Merlin told her. She nodded at once and then looked up at Draco. Merlin copied her. Draco seemed to hesitate for a moment before rolling his eyes.

"Whatever, I can't stand much more of this sappy conversation. I'm more interested in why Quirrell is killing unicorns."

Merlin nodded, inexplicable relief washing over him. "For that, I need to clarify something I told you a little earlier." Merlin told them about how he had realized that Quirrell wasn't getting the stone for himself and how he had come to discover that Quirrell was allowing himself to be possessed by Lord Voldemort. When he was finished, both Hermione and Draco were staring at him.

"He-who-must-not-be-named is in Hogwarts?" Hermione whispered. "Why—" but before she had even finished her sentence her eyes widened. "The stone."

"Exactly, it's one of the few things that return him to power. The unicorn blood is his way of buying extra time."

Draco had gone very white. "Oh, but of course. And we—we just volunteered to go into the forest and help Hagrid find him." He trailed off as though his throat had gone dry.

"It might be our only chance to prove he's guilty," Merlin said and he got to his feet. "You don't have to come, but I'm not going to let this chance slip past. And unicorns are one of the most amazing creatures on the planet – I can't let him keep killing if I can stop it."

Hermione and Draco looked at each other. "Oh, all right," Draco said getting to his feet and straightening his robes. "But if I'm attacked by a werewolf, the first person I bite will be you."

Only A Boy

When ten o'clock came, the trio found themselves standing in the empty entrance hall. After a few minutes of waiting, Hagrid appeared wearing his moleskin overcoat. In his hand he held an enormous lantern and he smiled broadly when he saw them.

"Almost though you lot weren't gonna come," he said ushering them outside.

"I wont' say it didn't cross our minds," Draco said and he dodged as Hermione tried to hit him. "Uh, by the way we won't get in trouble for being out after curfew?"

"Nah," Hagrid said as he led the way back to his hut, "I've told yer heads of houses that I needed your help."

"So basically you told them we had detention with you," Draco said with a frown and Hagrid laughed.

"Put it anyway you like," he said and Merlin smirked at Draco, who was looking sour. He would have loved to see Snape's reaction to Hagrid telling him that he and Draco would be spending detention with him.

When they reached Hagrid's hut, he had them wait outside as he went inside to grab another lantern, his crossbow, and Fang the boarhound. The enormous dog bounded happily up to them and Draco swore when the dog slobbered all over his hand.

But when Hagrid led them into the forest, their smiles left. Merlin felt comfortable between the dark trees, the scent of crisp leaves and musky undergrowth but beside him, Draco and Hermione kept casting worried glances at each other. They had never been in the forest before, and the fact of what they were looking for scared them. Merlin felt a stab of regret – maybe he should have waited to tell them about Quirrell until after their adventure here. But what if they did actually run into the man, wouldn't it be worse to be unprepared?

"All right," Hagrid said and he came to a stop. He was looking down at a splash of silver on the ground and leaves. Even from the blood Merlin could feel some residual magical aura, and there wasn't a single doubt in his mind of what it was.

He felt Hermione tug on his sleeve. "Is that?" she whispered.

Merlin nodded as Hagrid turned around to face them, some of the mercury colored blood on his fingers. "See this?" he said. "That's unicorn blood, that is. Now, it'll be easier to find the poor creature if we split up."

"Split up?" Draco repeated hoarsely. "Are you mad?"

"Most of the creatures in 'ere won't hurt you unless provoked. And it's not a full moon tonight, so you needn't worry about werewolves. Uh, do you all know how ta send up red sparks?" Hagrid asked.

"Yes," Hermione answered faintly.

"Right, if you get in trouble, send up red sparks. If you find the unicorn, send up green ones. If we're lucky we might even find it before it dies," Hagrid explained and Merlin saw his beetle black eyes sparkle with hope.

"I'll be my own group with Fang," Merlin suggested. "I've been in the forest before."

"Merlin, no," Hermione started to say but Merlin glanced at her and winked.

"I'll be fine, trust me."

She bit her lip but nodded all the same. Draco hesitated too and then he handed Merlin the lantern he was carrying. "Be careful," he muttered before looking away.

"You sure?" Hagrid asked Merlin. "Fang won't be much help in a fight. He's big but gutless."

Merlin nodded. "Just send up red sparks, right?" he said with a smile. He would take the route that brought him closer to the pod of dragons, meaning that the others would search for the unicorn in the opposite direction.

"All right," Hagrid said and he readjusted his grip on his crossbow. "Now just remember to stay on the path and everyone'll be okay."

"Okay," Hermione said and she glanced back at Merlin once, worry written in the creases of her brow. She took a deep breath, "Let's go."

And they split up.

Merlin waited a few moments before walking along his path, waiting until Hagrid's rumbling voice had faded and he could no longer hear Draco's complaining. Honestly, that boy had never done a day's labor in his life. And Merlin didn't even think that this counted as labor. Fang whined at his side, and his wet nose pressed against Merlin's hand.

"It's all right," he told the dog and he patted Fang's head. "C'mon."

The lantern was heavy and did little to illuminate the pathway. Merlin almost thought it was more tedious to carry it with him – he was used to starlight guiding his path. But in the thick of the trees, the stars were blotted out and thick oppressive blackness pressed in from every side. At least the lamp was good for one thing, and that was catching the glimmer of unicorn blood splattered across the ground and leaves.

Merlin felt his stomach heave as he looked down at a particularly large patch of the silver blood. Who could ever do this to a unicorn? Even Arthur, the hunter that he was, had offered the creature a swift death. But this unicorn seemed to have been thrashing about, mad with pain and fear. And what of the curse? Would the death of the unicorn bring a curse upon the castle? Merlin shook his head. No, the curse would fall upon Lord Voldemort and Quirrell. It should.

He came to another fork in the road and paused. "What do you reckon, Fang?" he asked the boarhound. For a moment, Fang didn't move and then he dropped his nose to the ground, sniffing. He started trotting down the left road, and Merlin followed, hoping that Fang was indeed following the scent of the unicorn and not something else.

They had barely walked a few paces when Fang whined again and hid behind Merlin, pressing his body against Merlin's leg. "What is it?" Merlin whispered and he dropped to a crouch, looking up and down the pathway. "What is it?" he asked again, rubbing Fang's head. He didn't really expect a response, but his touch seemed to reassure the boarhound. And then he heard a distant clapping growing louder. It sounded so familiar that Merlin had no trouble placing it.

Hooves.

Within moments, something enormous leaped over them and skidded to a halt in the brush before turning around and surveying them. For one blinding moment, Merlin had thought it was the unicorn. His hair was light blonde, but when it straightened up there was the torso of a young man with astonishing blue eyes.

For a moment, the two stared at each other. Merlin slowly got to his feet, disliking how the centaur towered over him. "What is a student doing here alone?" the centaur asked him aghast, and he took a step toward him. "The forest is not safe at this time."

"I—I know. I'm with Hagrid," Merlin said, wondering if the centaur even knew Hagrid. He coughed and tried to stand taller, still feeling dwarfed. "We're trying to find the unicorn," he went on. "It's been badly injured."

Something in the centaur's eyes seemed to soften and he nodded. "Yes, such a crime I never thought I would have to witness. But the planets have warned of more terrible things to come."

"The planets?" Merlin repeated, furrowing his brow.

"Yes, we centaurs use the planets and the stars to foretell of things on earth." He shook his head. "The forest is not safe. You must leave this place with Hagrid quickly."

Merlin frowned. "Not until we've found that unicorn," he protested. "It needs our help, and I will not leave it to be eaten by some monster."

The centaur hesitated for a moment, as though considering whether or not to grab Merlin and take him back to Hagrid himself. He sighed and said, "The herd saw the unicorn traveling down this path. I hope you find it quickly. But boy, where is Hagrid?"

"Merlin, and he followed the other path that way," Merlin said pointing through the black trees.

The centaur smiled. "A good strong name. I am Firenze." And he reared on his hindquarters before setting off at a gallop through the trees. Merlin didn't pause to watch him. He wouldn't be surprised if he came back to take him out of the forest. Hagrid was brave and maybe even a little reckless but he wouldn't risk putting him or his friends in any serious danger.

Tripping and sliding over roots, the lantern lying dead on the ground where the centaur Firenze had been, Merlin plowed through the forest looking for the smallest glimmer of white. Even in the near pitch darkness, he could still see the flecks of silver blood that lined the trail. He heard something ruffle in the trees and he froze, Fang crashing into his legs behind him with a yelp.

"Firenze?" Merlin called out warily, squinting his eyes as he looked through the trees. He brought his hand to his lips, and with a half whispered "Lumos," and a flicker of gold, a small orb of white light appeared in his hands. He held it above his head, the light growing larger and brighter as he focused his magical energy into his palm.

"Who's there?" he whispered as the ground was swathed in white light, as the branches and bushes were illuminated. For a moment, all was silent and then from behind a thick branch of trees emerged the most stunning creature Merlin had ever seen. The unicorn was whiter than snow, whiter than his light. It shone in the darkness like a beacon. It tossed its great mane, pawing nervously at the ground with silver hooves. Merlin slowly lowered his hand, and lessened the intensity of its brightness.

All he could think of was how beautiful this creature was, and how could anyone drink it's blood. Merlin didn't dare move. He was terrified he would spook it back into the cover of darkness, and now that he had a moment to look at it, he could see a dribble of silver blood dripping down it's leg.

"It's okay," Merlin whispered. "I'm here to help you," and he took a cautious step toward it. The unicorn pawed at the ground, but it didn't move away as he slowly inched near it. His heart hammering in his chest, adrenaline in his veins, Merlin came to stand next to the creature. Fang hadn't moved from the path, and was staring at the unicorn in silence.

"Fang," Merlin said and the dog's ears perked up. "Go get Hagrid."

Without a moment's pause, the dog bounded into the trees, and after a few minutes Merlin could hear his booming barks echoing through the forest. The unicorn tossed its head again, a twitch in its flank.

"It's okay," Merlin told it again. As gently as he could, he brought a hand to pat its neck. It didn't take more than a few seconds to spot the source of the dripping blood. It looked as though someone had stabbed the unicorn just above the shoulder, and again on it's back. And as Merlin rested his hand on the unicorn's neck, he felt the creature slowly lean back into him as though it had lost so much blood that it was now having difficulty standing up straight.

"Hagrid will put you right," Merlin said, this time more for his own comfort. He wasn't sure that unicorns could understand human speech anyway. And thinking that it might not be a good idea for his friends to see him holding a light, he muttered, "Nox."

Just when he was beginning to wonder where was Hagrid, he heard pounding footsteps that could only belong to a giant. Merlin kept his hand on the unicorn, hoping the noise wouldn't frighten it. He didn't want to tether the unicorn to a tree, but he would if he had too. To his relief, the unicorn seemed too exhausted to move and gave a bleary neigh when Hagrid, Draco, and Hermione burst through the trees lead by there by Fang. The dog sat up and panted, wearing a giant slobbery smile.

"Merlin, you found it," Hagrid breathed.

"It's hurt really bad," Merlin whispered back and he pointed to one of the slash marks. "Can you do anything?"

"Not in here. Professor Kettleburn needs to take a look at 'im. It's difficult treating an injured unicorn."

Merlin nodded. Hermione was staring at the unicorn in wonderment. "Can I?" she asked glancing at Hagrid, who nodded. Slowly, she approached Merlin and the unicorn, and she placed her hand on the flank next to Merlin's.

"Wow," she said, smothering an excited giggle.

"Strange though," Hagrid said and he stroked his beard. "The older ones usually don't tolerate men. Don't trust 'em."

Draco snorted with laughter. "Oh, that's because Merlin's a Disney princess."

Merlin shot him a glare, not daring to retort while being so close to the injured animal. He had an idea why the creature had let him approach. It might have something to do with that crazy unicorn sage that had put Arthur through those trials years ago.

The unicorn shuddered and started to walk. Merlin cast a glance toward Hagrid, walking with it. "Go on," Hagrid said softly. "Let 'er lead you."

Still resting his hand on the unicorn, they followed it as it led them through some brush and into a low clearing. It paused on the edge of it and dropped its head, a low pitiful whine escaping it. There, beneath two enormous oaks was another unicorn. It was sprawled out along the grass, some of its legs lying at awkward angles. And marring its pristine white coat was a flood of silver blood.

Merlin felt sick.

Behind him, he heard Draco emptying the contents of his stomach into a shrub. Merlin wondered if they could feel the awful magic hanging in the air. It sat in the pit of his stomach, a toxic fume that spoke of such a twisted soul that nature rejected its very essence. Beside him, Hermione took his arm for support, horror in her face.

And Hagrid looked away, wiping his tears.

"Let's head back up to the castle," the half-giant said hoarsely. "We need to help the unicorn still breathing."

Only A Boy

Hagrid left Merlin, Draco, and Hermione in his hut with a steaming pot of tea while he led the Unicorn over to the Care of Magical Creatures paddock and fetched Professor Kettleburn. Perhaps he knew how badly the sight of the dead unicorn had affected them, and Merlin had never needed a cup of tea so badly. He needed the warmth in his heart, needed the soothing that only tea seemed able to provide.

He still felt sick. He almost wanted to copy Draco and expel his innards, but he couldn't. It just didn't want to come up, and so he was left with an awful churning in his stomach.

Hermione gave a small sob and refilled her cup. She had managed to hold in the tears until they'd gotten back to Hagrid's. She rubbed her eyes on her sleeve, and heaved a loud shuddering breath. "How could anyone do—do that?" she mumbled.

Draco's face had taken on a pallid greenish color. "There was so much blood," he said and he shook his head. He looked up at Merlin, something in his gaze hollow. "Will the other one be okay, you think?"

"I think so. It wasn't as badly injured and now it's being helped." Merlin set his tea down on the table, holding it in his hands.

For another long moment, no one spoke. Hermione got shakily to her feet and refilled the teapot, before slumping to the ground and wrapping Fang in a tight hug. Draco laid his head on the table and started fiddling with his chipped teacup, running his finger along the edge. And Merlin refilled his cup just so he could hold something warm.

His eyes were starting to droop. Merlin felt both physically and mentally exhausted and all he wanted was to curl up in bed. He didn't want to think about the bloody corpse in the clearing. Hermione was crying again. Her tears dropped on top of Fang's head, and the dog turned his muzzle to her. He licked her cheek and she smiled, wiping some of the slobber from her face.

"If—" Draco began quietly, "—if Quirrell really did murder that unicorn," he said his voice thick. "Then he deserves a fate worse than death."

And they all agreed.