Chapter Five: Detention with Hagrid

It was now Friday night and Scorp had learnt many things in his first week of school.

The short cut to the Charms room.

That Professor Binns did not notice if you fell asleep and let a Complete Lecture Quill take the notes for you.

He'd even learnt, from the marauder's map of course, that there was a loose floorboard in the boy's dormitory that revealed a tunnel that went to the kitchens.

But unfortunately, Scorp had not learnt to never trust Peeves.

So when Peeves floated past Scorp, Albus, Evanna and Rose and offered them a present, they were stupid enough to believe that Peeves generally was just trying to be nice.

Too a cut a long story, the second floor corridor had not smelt the same since.

Sadly even though Professor McGonagall assured them that she knew that Peeves probably did give them the dung bombs, she could not prove it and therefore they had to be punished.

Now, in all fairness they were saved from a much worst fate at the hands of Miss Campion, the old, cranky, squib care taker.

She had opted the hang them from their thumbs in the potions chamber for three hours.

Thankfully there was a task that Hagrid needed help with so they were spared.

But, now that Scorp thought about it as he walked with Albus, Rose, Evanna and Hagrid, towards the Forbidden Forest, the hanging by thumbs didn't sound so bad.

Hagrid clapped his hands loudly,

"So!" he bellowed and looked down on them, "Hmmm. I'm havin' a bit of whatcha call it? Di va ja?"

"Déjà vu?" offered Evanna.

"Yea! That's it! Seems like yesterday when I was takin' young Harry, Ron, Hermione and Nevil out 'ere for their detention. Oh and that slimy Draco Malfoy of course. Oh err, no offence Scorpius. But let's see. Scorpius, Malfoy of course. Al for 'Arry. Rose for Ron and Hermione and then Vanna for Nevil."

Hagrid sobbed, "It's like havin the gang back"

Scorp shuffled his feet, not sure of what the say to comfort the half giant.

"So what needs to be done Hagrid?" asked Rose.

Hagrid blew his nose on his handkerchief, "Well, see there's a wounded centaur out there, so we'll need to carry 'im back to the castle. Follow me"

They followed.

Into the dark.

Into the silence.

Into the forest.

Though, unfortunately the forest wasn't so quiet.

Every so often there was a rustle, a snap or a howl that made the hairs on Scorp's neck stand up.

Rose and Albus went up to Hargid and chattered about their parents, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (a shop he briefly remembered buying the Complete Lecture Quill from, while his father wasn't looking) and something called Blast Ended Skrewts.

That left him and Evanna alone for the first time since Monday's Transfiguration lesson.

"So, how's the map going" she asked

"Fine" he replied, "it's saved me many times now."

"Have you told those two about it?"

"No" he said, feeling quite guilty because, well it did belong the Al's dad.

Evanna nodded, "I have a feeling you'll be telling them soon."

Startled Scorp looked at her, "Why!?" he yelled.

From the front Rose turned her head, "Something wrong Scorp?"

He shook his head, "No. No nothing at all."
Rose frowned but let it go.

Scorp turned back to Evanna and said, more softly, "Why?"

"I have seen it." She said mystically.

Not for the first time Scorp wondered whether Evanna was just plain bonkers or whether she had some kind of power that he didn't know about.

He was still staring at her, trying to read her face, when suddenly he banged in Al's back.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry Al. Why'd you stop?"

"That" Al pointed forward.

Hagrid was crouched over a half man half horse.

The centaur.

It lay on its side.

A first glance Scorp thought the centaur was a girl, so small, and with long silvery hair.

But then he looked closer.

It was male and even more, only a fawn.

What's more the fawn's body was silver, and it's eyes!

It's eyes so silvery, misty.

They held some sort of other worldly knowledge just like…

Evanna gasped, "A unicorn centaur…"

Unicorn centaur?

Scorp had never heard of them.

Seeing his puzzlement, Evanna explained.

"Every so often, instead of a normal horse body, a centaur is born with a unicorn body, along with all a unicorn's powers. But," she gulped "But the herds fear them. And-"

"And they get rid of them."

For the first time the centaur spoke.

"I'm Zane. They… They found me in their place. I stumbled there on accident and they- they shot arrows at me."

Zane looked about five or six in human years but how had he survived that long?

Scorp wondered whether Zane could be only a few weeks, maybe a month old.

Hargid's gruff voice cut through his thoughts,

"I can carry him myself but I need you kids to lead us out, and keep close attention for other centaurs."

Al gulped as he took the lantern.

Scorp went beside him, and Rose slid her hand into his.

Evanna chose the stay back with Hagrid and soothe the boy.

They set off.

Once again at every snap Scorp jumped, but now his fear had a form.

The form of angry centaurs.

Thankfully luck was on their side.

Al guided them safely through the forest and to Hagrid's hut.

Once inside Hagrid lay Zane down on the bed and said,

"Heat up some water, Rose. Al Get me some bandages. Scorpius and Vanna, come 'ere"

Scorp went over to Hagrid.

Evanna followed.

"I want you two to look after him okay?"

They bother nodded to afraid to speak.

Scorp knelt by the bed while Evanna smoothed Zane's hair sang an old lullaby, in a language Scorp did not recognise.

Zane tilted his head to look at her.

Their silvery eyes met.

"You have the Sight" said Zane. It was not a question.

Evanna nodded.

Zane nodded, "Me too. We are bother blessed. And cursed."

He looked back at her and she nodded solemnly.

Zane, Scorp realised, sounded older, wiser than any five year old he had ever heard.

He understood that there must be something horrible to this Sight.

Something that he would never understand.

Scorp rubbed his arm, his hand constantly hitting the cuts, left by upper class men, trying to prove themselves brave by 'marking the Death Eater'.

In the past week Scorp had already had fourteen attacks.

Only five of them successful, but they had left him with burns, cuts and bruises.

The attackers had preferred to use knifes, and fire instead of using their wands.

Far too traceable

Zane brought Scorp back to reality.

"You, boy. Your arm, what is that?"

Scorp looked where Zane was staring.

It wasn't any of the marks made by the Hogwarts students.

No it was lower, on his wrist.

He quickly covered it quickly, reddening.

Zane stared at him in wonder.

He had seen the black squiggle with a dot above and below it that had marked Scorp since birth.

They both understood what the mark on Scorp's wrist meant.

But only Zane understood what trials the mark would bring the boy.

Such was the fate of anyone who carried the sign of a Gazer.

A/N:

Wow. That was fun to write.

Zane will be back in the next chapter. Actually I might make him a regular (I haven't decided anything yet). All I can say right now is that he will be a kind of… guide, to Scorp.

Okay I know that you can't imagine Scorp's mark very well with my crude description so I'll try and show you. This is the best I could come up with on the computer.

Okay it's this: but the dots are closer to the squiggle. Get it? No? Neither do I.