Ah, the calm before the storm! Well, I guess it's not really calm, but you get the point! Moving on, let's add this in here:
Disclaimer: HP is under the ownership of someone else, not me. Believe me, I've tried to get it, but she wouldn't budge. The OC's are, though, so she can't get a hold of those.
Enjoy!
Chapter 13: The Forbidden Forest
Things couldn't have been worse.
Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already. He looked over to Marcus, who looked lost in thought, perhaps trying to come up with a way to get out of this jam.
Had Harry thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.
"Harry! Marcus!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other three. "I was trying to find and warn you two, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you both, he said you had a drag -"
Marcus gave him a death stare that shut Neville right up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the four of them.
"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."
It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.
However, Marcus said, "It's my fault, ma'am. I wasn't able to sleep, so I wanted to get some fresh air, and I convinced Harry and Hermione to do the same. I heard that the Astronomy Tower was the best place to be to get some fresh air, so that's exactly where we went."
"And the dragon?" said Professor McGonagall.
"Malfoy must've been trying to stir trouble, making up the dragon story, and Neville must've been led to believe it to be true, hence why he went out of his way to warn us."
After looking at Marcus for a full minute, Professor McGonagall said, "Well, I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on. It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You two fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you both think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"
Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. Poor, blundering Neville - Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them.
"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "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. Mr. Williams, I will be notifying your parents about this. All four of you will receive detentions - yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous - and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."
"Fifty?" Harry gasped - they would lose the lead, the lead he'd won in the last Quidditch match.
"Fifty points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.
"Seriously?!" asked a shocked Marcus.
"Professor - please-"
"You can't -"
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."
Two hundred points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had for the house cup. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this?
As the four of them were making their way back to Gryffindor Tower, Marcus said, "Well, at least I tried."
"Don't beat yourself up, Marcus," Harry told him. "You came up with a better story than I could have."
"Yeah, but this wasn't one of our better night," Marcus pointed out, dejected at the thought of letting Gryffindor down. "I'm really sorry, Neville. I'll make it up to you somehow."
All Neville could do was look to the ground in agony as the four of them made their way to their beds.
Harry and Marcus didn't sleep all night. They could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Harry and Marcus couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. They knew Neville, like themselves, were dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done?
At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have two hundred points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, and Marcus Williams, the Boy Who Won, reputable genius and defender of the weak, had lost them all those points, them and a couple of other stupid first years.
From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!" Marcus was getting the same treatment as Harry, which caused Marcus to punch some holes in the castle walls to avoid beating his insulters half to death.
Only Ron stood by them.
"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."
"They've never lost two hundred points in one go, though, have they?" said Harry miserably.
"Well - no," Ron admitted.
That same morning at breakfast, Marcus's owl, Archie, came swooping down, dropping off a letter, to which he said, "Oh, crap."
"It's not a Howler, is it?" asked Ron, who edged himself away from Marcus.
"No, but it might as well be," said Marcus, who (despite his better judgement), opened the letter and started reading:
Marcus,
Professor McGonagall informed us about your escapades last night, involving your friends and a dragon. Don't you dare do something that reckless again, or so help me, you will be punished severely.
Marcus gulped and said, "Good thing they didn't send a Howler." He then continued to read:
She also said that you attempted to take the blame for your friends and, while I do not condone your actions, I will tell you that it was a noble thing to do. Next time, however, know when to keep your mouth shut.
Okay, enough about that. Before all this happened, Braxton sent me a letter addressed to you and told me to send it to you straightaway. It should be enclosed with this letter.
Keep yourself out of trouble for the rest of the year, and be sure to give your friends our best regards.
Love,
Mom and Dad
"Who's Braxton?" asked Hermione.
Marcus didn't answer as he grabbed the letter behind that one and read:
Marcus,
This is getting to you a little late, little man. Sorry about that. Normally, something like this is sent out ahead of time.
Anyway, this letter is a formal invitation to our U.S. Chaser Advanced Course. It's set for the last week of June and goes up to the seventh of July. I know that Jasper and Harley are looking forward to you attending, so if you do plan on coming, be sure to send word back to me as soon as possible.
Get psyched, Marcus! This time, you'll be learning all the good moves! Enjoy the rest of the school year at Hogwarts, little man!
Signed,
U.S. Quidditch Team Captain,
Percival Braxton
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed. "You've been invited to learn Chaser moves from U.S.'s own Braxton?!"
"Who's that?" Harry asked.
"Only one of the three best Chasers in the whole Wizarding world," said Marcus. "I've been hoping it would come, but it doesn't have much impact now."
Marcus then proceeded to write:
Mom and Dad,
I know, it was stupid to be out at night, but I promise, if I can help it, I won't be out at night anymore.
Regardless, the damage is done. Every student besides my friends and Slytherin hate my guts now. Harry's not better off than me, unfortunately. At the moment, I'm studying for upcoming finals.
Oh, before I forget, that dragon story was real, and Hagrid did have a Norwegian Ridgeback. It's gone now, but please don't tell anyone. Anyway, somehow, I was able to talk to the dragon! Can you please tell me what's up with that?!
Love,
Marcus
As Marcus wrote another quick letter to Braxton, accepting the invitation and sent them off with his own owl, Marcus continued, "It pretty much came a day late and a Galleon short, if you catch my drift. Still, hopefully this all blows over soon."
It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying. He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.
"Resign?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"
But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Harry during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they called him "the Seeker."
Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry and Marcus, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.
Harry was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying he had to do kept his mind off his misery. He, Marcus, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions...
Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library with Marcus one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, they heard Quirrell's voice.
"No - no - not again, please -"
It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry and Marcus moved closer.
"All right - all right -" he heard Quirrell sob.
Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him or Marcus. He waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. The two of them were halfway toward it before Harry remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling.
All the same, Harry'd have gambled twelve Sorcerer's Stones that Snape had just left the room, and from what he had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step - Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.
Harry and Marcus went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. They proceeded to tell them what they'd heard.
"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell -"
"There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.
"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do?"
The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.
"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."
"But we've got no proof!" said Marcus.
"And Quirrell's too scared to back us up," Harry pointed out. "Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor - who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."
Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.
"If we just do a bit of poking around -"
"No," said Marcus flatly, "we've done enough poking around."
He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons.
The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Marcus, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:
Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.
Professor McGonagall
Harry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they'd got.
"Well, this should be interesting," said Marcus. "I wonder just what we'll have to do."
At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there - and so was Malfoy. Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.
"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.
I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."
"Like I would even bother," muttered Marcus and Harry, despite the situation, had to stifle his laughter.
They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Harry, like Marcus earlier today, wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted.
The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.
"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."
Harry's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. His relief must have showed in his -face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."
"I wasn't wrong about it being interesting, that much is for sure," Marcus remarked.
At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.
"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard."
Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.
"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"
Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.
"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Marcus, Hermione?"
"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, they're here to be punished, after all."
"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."
"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.
Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.
"I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.
"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yehve got ter pay fer it."
"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd -"
"-tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on."
Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.
Marcus, unable to resist, said, "Aww, what's the matter, Malfoy? Did you lose what was left of your spine?"
Harry and Hermione stifled their laughter while Malfoy shot Marcus a nasty look.
"Right then," said Hagrid, which made all of them dead quiet, "Now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."
He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.
"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' 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?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.
"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."
"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.
"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. " So me, Harry, Marcus an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now - that's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go."
The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Marcus, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right.
They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.
Harry and Marcus saw that Hagrid looked very worried.
"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.
"Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."
They walked past a mossy tree stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.
"You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter - GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"
Hagrid seized the three of them and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The four of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.
"I knew it, " he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."
"A werewolf?" Harry suggested.
"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."
They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.
"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself - I'm armed!"
And into the clearing came - was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped.
"Wait, there's centaurs in the forest?" Marcus asked, just as shocked as Harry and Hermione were. "Well, I guess you learn something new everyday."
"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?"
He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.
"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"
"Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter, Marcus Williams, an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."
"We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.
"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"
"Erm -"
"A bit," said Hermione timidly.
"Here and there, I suppose," said Marcus.
"A bit here and there. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."
"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt - you seen anythin'?"
Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.
"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."
"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"
"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."
"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home, said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"
Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."
A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.
"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"
"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"
"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured - would yeh know anythin' about it?"
Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. "Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.
"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."
Harry, Marcus, and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.
"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."
"Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.
"Oh, a fair few... Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs... they know things... jus' don' let on much."
"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry.
"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns - never heard anythin' like it before."
"And I suppose the centuars don't bother to help out with anything?" asked Marcus.
"Like I said before, they're not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon," Hagrid stated.
They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder. He had the nasty feeling they were being watched. He was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.
"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"
"You three wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"
They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.
"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.
"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville... it's our fault he's here in the first place."
"I'd bet Galleons Malfoy did something to scare Neville," stated Marcus.
The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Harry's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others?
At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.
"Can't say I'm surprised," said Marcus.
"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups - Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, Marcus, you go with Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to the boys, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you two, an' we've gotta get this done."
So Harry and Marcus set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.
"Look -" he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy and Marcus.
Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.
It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.
Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered... Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Marcus, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.
"AAAAAAAAAARGH!"
Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted - so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry and Marcus - unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward the two of them - Harry couldn't move for fear. Marcus, noticing this, stepped in front of Harry, his eyes glowing gold, and said, "If you want Harry, you're going to have to get through me first."
Then a pain like Harry'd never felt before pierced his head; it was as though his scar were on fire. Half blinded, he staggered backward. He heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure.
The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees. It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over him and Marcus, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.
"Are you two all right?" said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet.
"Yes - thank you - what was that?"
The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes almost like Marcus, almost like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry and Marcus, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead.
"You are the Potter boy," he said. " And you are the Williams boy. You both had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time - especially for the two of you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way.
"My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry and Marcus could clamber onto his back.
There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.
"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have humans on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"
"Do you realize who they are?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy and the Williams boy. The quicker they leave this forest, the better."
"What have you been telling them?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"
"He told us nothing of importance," growled Marcus, who was getting quite irritated with Bane.
Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best, " he said in his gloomy voice.
Bane kicked his back legs in anger.
"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"
Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry and Marcus had to grab his shoulders to stay on.
"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."
And Firenze whisked around; with the two boys clutching on as best they could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.
Harry didn't have a clue what was going on and, when he looked at Marcus, neither did he.
"Why's Bane so angry?" Harry asked. "What was that thing you saved us from, anyway?"
Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Harry and Marcus to keep their heads bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Harry's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.
"Harry Potter, Marcus Williams, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"
"No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."
"It's used to prevent someone from dying, no matter how close they are to it," said Marcus, his face disgusted at the thought.
"That is correct, Marcus," said Firenze. "It is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn. Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. As Marcus just told, the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."
Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight while Marcus was looking at the ground.
"But who'd be that desperate?" Harry wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, deaths better, isn't it?"
"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else - something that will bring you back to full strength and power - something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, Mr. Williams, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"
"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course - the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who -"
"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" exclaimed Marcus. "Him?!"
It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."
"Do you mean," Harry croaked, "that was Vol-"
"Harry! Marcus! Are you all right?"
Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.
"We're fine," said Harry, hardly knowing what he was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."
"This is where I leave you two," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."
Harry and Marcus slid off his back.
"Good luck, Harry Potter, Marcus Williams," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."
He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry shivering behind him and Marcus lost in thought once more.
Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry and Marcus began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest.
They couldn't sit down. They paced up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking.
"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort... and Voldemort's waiting in the forest... and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich..."
"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.
"Ron, man up already!" said Marcus.
Harry wasn't listening.
"Firenze saved us, but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious... he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen... They must show that Voldemort's coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill us... I suppose that's written in the stars as well."
"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.
"Ron, not now!" growled Marcus.
"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off... Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."
Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.
"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's one of two people You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."
The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over.
When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found his invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it:
Just in case.
Only two chapters left! I'm very excited to get those chapters up, because they'll signal the end of one adventure and the start of another one! Thank you all for reading and continue on to the next chapter!