CHAPTER 13

Neither Harry Potter nor any of the characters associated with him belong to me. They are JK Rowlings. I'm not in this for the money, just for fun!

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Forbidden Forest:

As Firenze pulled out Umbridge's Transmutation Stone, Rebecca wondered what he would want with it, and looked at him. "Firenze, wha…?" she stopped, as she suddenly realised what he might have planned, and then stood up straight. "Firenze, I'm not going to change my form! No matter how desperate I am, I could never do that. Changing my name and never being able to come back home is bad enough, but there's no way I could ever willingly lose my whole identity, face and all!"

"I realise that, Rebecca," he replied calmly. "I have no intention of robbing you of your identity. Particularly when there is one here who has already sold hers, together with everything else."

She looked at him with a blank expression, but Firenze had already turned his head away from her, and was holding out the amber-coloured stone back towards Umbridge. It was barely touching the renegade witch, but had already begun emitting a powerful yellow glow, and igniting the change.

As before, Dolores's body was twitching madly, her transformed flesh shivering and wobbling like a jelly. This time, though, her body did not stretch or grow, but instead seemed to be shrinking. Her height was the first noticeable change, as she quickly shrank down a foot or two, and her nose got smaller and straighter. Her head, which till then had been almost bald, was now growing vast amounts of sunny-blonde hair that flowed down to her shoulders, and then stopped.

More and more changes occurred throughout her entire body, and with each one Dolores Umbridge's new form looked decidedly more familiar to Rebecca. But she was so focused on the startling transformation happening right before her that she did not at first realise what form Umbridge was assuming. It was only after the light from the stone finally died down, indicating the change was complete, that Rebecca finally realised who Umbridge now was.

"My god!" she gasped, as she found herself staring down at…herself!

"Firenze…" she choked out. "Wha…what have…what are you doing?!"

He stood up, looking down grimly at Umbridge, while still holding the stone in his hand. "Saving you," he replied, "and maybe the rest of us as well."

Before Rebecca could say anything further, Firenze drew back his arm that was holding the stone, and with a mighty heave that could easily outmatch any discus thrower at the Olympics, he flung it high up, where it soared across the air, and landed with a heavy splash in the Black Lake, lost in its murky depths no doubt forever.

"Firenze, wha…?" she started to ask, but before she could Firenze had rushed over to her, and scooped her up in his arms.

"Hey!" she yelped. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Keep quiet!" he hissed.

"But…Yeearghh!" she squealed, as he had suddenly rushed the edge of the lake and tossed her in, its icy temperature biting into her. She quickly rose to the surface, her teeth chattering like crazy. "W-w-w-hat's t-t-t-the big idea?! A-a-are you t-t-t-trying to freeze me t-t-to death or s-s-something?!"

"Be silent!" he replied hastily. "Whatever happens, you must remain quiet. The water will hide your scent, so as long as you make no noise they shouldn't find you." He turned his head, his ears perking up at the sound of his herd approaching. "They are here. Remember, keep quiet."

Rebecca had to cover her mouth to stop her teeth chattering, but she did as she was told, and treaded over to the edge of the bank. There were some reeds there that could hide her, so she wouldn't need to swim out across the lake.

Meanwhile, Firenze had backed up and turned around. He took a deep breath, as he waited less than half a minute before his herd finally came charging through the trees towards him, with Magorian in the lead.

The chestnut-coloured Centaur with the long black hair skidded to a halt, right in front of Firenze, the rest of the herd behind him. It seemed like nearly the entire herd was there that night, including, Firenze noticed, Aonghus, Adair, Bane, Ronan, and many more, as they galloped into the small clearing.

"My leader," he said, greeting him with a small nod.

"Firenze," he replied with a stern tone. "What brings you here this night?"

"No doubt the same as you. I heard that there was a chance Rebecca Leicester might be returning to our woods tonight, and thus I came to warn her and return her home."

There was a loud snort from the crowd, followed by Bane's anger-filled voice. "Always the loyal and faithful mule you are, Firenze!"

Firenze merely gave the dark Centaur a short but calm look, before replying, "Only when my friends are in need, Bane."

Bane neighed loudly in sarcasm. "Friends? HA!"

"The same applies to allies, too, my brother," he added. "And that is something you cannot deny the humans are to us…or were at least."

"We've made our decision, Firenze," said Magorian gravely.

"As I have mine. But the humans would still have peace with us if we asked for it."

"What's that?!" a bearded Centaur suddenly asked loudly.

Most of the herd looked over Firenze, behind him, and saw who they all thought was Rebecca Leicester lying in a crumpled heap at a tree's base.

"Is that the Breeder?" the same Centaur asked eagerly.

Firenze closed his eyes briefly, sighed, and then nodded. "As you would call her, yes."

Magorian trotted forward, coming up to him, but also keeping an eye on the unconscious human. "What happened?"

"She bumped into the tree in the dark, and was knocked out," said Firenze. That was certainly true enough, but he left out the part about how it had been he who had thrown her against it.

He left out quite a bit from his explanation.

A lot of the Centaurs looked as if they were ready to start charging, to grab her, but a look and a raised hand from Magorian halted them, while he stayed by Firenze's side, unmoving, as though unsure of what his next course of action should be. He shifted his weight from hoof to hoof, his gaze not leaving either his younger brother Centaur or their prey.

"She is in our forest," he finally remarked. "We are many, and she is without protection. She is our own rightful possession by our kind's laws, and we did not even bring her here, so we have violated none of the humans' laws."

"All true," Firenze merely said. "Everything you say is indeed correct."

"By taking her now, we will uphold and appease our race's laws and ancient traditions, as well as that of the vow I swore to her long ago. The only one obstacle we have here…is you."

"And the humans, should they decide to retaliate and reclaim her?"

"I am not bothered with humanity. But you on the other hand, Firenze, are another matter. There are so few of us left, even less since the war with the dark wizard, and I have no desire to lose another one of our herd. But even so, should you chose to fight us to save this one human, you know what the penalty will be."

"You presume I will fight you?"

"Possibly," said Magorian, eyeing him carefully. "I know you and she shared an unusual connection, and you were willing to help protect her from your own herd. Not to mention your often-questionable appreciation towards humans, and your willingness to safeguard them. Although we now accept that humans can be honourable creatures in the worst of times, they shouldn't take precedence over your own kind, Firenze."

Firenze stared back at him, unblinking. "I told you my intentions at the beginning, my leader. I will not fight against you, but neither will I fight for you. I swore an oath to that, and if I were to take arms against you now, I would break it, dishonouring myself and all that our kind stand for."

"So you would have no problem with us taking her away now? To take her back to our Herding Ground, to serve us in all the rites and duties as a Breeder of our herd is expected to?" Magorian was now staring at him with a curious look of deep suspicion.

Firenze never took his eyes off him. "I took the oath, and I stand by it, no matter what my feelings. However...I ask you again, my leader, please, please…forget about the human. Be content with the Breeders we already have."

"Our herd is too few of them, Firenze!" Adair shouted, though his eyes were not on his brother Centaur, but on the fair human. "Our herd would last a couple more generations at the most with the Breeders we currently have. Even less if all they bred were Sires. Need I remind you how rare born-Breeders are?"

Adair made a point, as Breeders were indeed very rare. Because Centaurs were literally a male race, even the ones with the mare side of a horse whose human sides were still that of a human male, mostly all they bore were male/Sire offspring. Breeders only came alone once in every three births, sometimes even less.

It didn't take a genius, though, to know where Adair's mind was at the moment, especially if one looked at his undersection. It was clear he only had one great desire, to bring Rebecca back to the Herding Ground, to immediately start the breeding.

But despite that, he still made a point, one that was echoed by all the herd, as a chorus of agreements went among them, though from the look of them they shared more than just his opinion, their eyes not leaving the prone human.

"Is there nothing I can say or do to change your mind, my leader?" asked Firenze finally.

Magorian shook his head. "I told the human what would happen to her if she abused our trust and tried to escape. I swore to it. She violated the terms of our agreement; and in doing so the Fates have sealed our destinies, hers and ours. She belongs to us, now and forever."

Firenze bowed his head submissively. "In that case, I have no choice but to accept your final decision. I am by myself, the humans beyond my reach, and Rebecca is here in our forest alone, therefore she is yours."

Magorian's eyes were thin with distrust. Firenze had always bore what the Centaurs considered a misplaced loyalty to this human, even though what he said was all true, as there were no other humans nearby, and Firenze had always lived up to his word as a Centaur brother.

"By the law of our race," Firenze continued, "and the honour of my own word, this human lying here now belongs to you and our whole herd. I can do no more for her."

The others were having trouble accepting it as well, as they each wore their own mask of suspicion, but then the half-conscious moans of the young female interrupted them, as she started to come around.

Abandoning his mistrust for the time being, Magorian trotted towards her.

Meanwhile, Rebecca had remained where she was, silent and freezing beneath the reeds in the lake. She still couldn't remove her hands, as she doubted that her teeth would stop chattering, thus alerting the Centaurs to her presence. Firenze had been so abrupt, changing Umbridge, grabbing her and throwing her into the lake, that she hadn't taken time to wonder what he had been up to.

'He's giving them Umbridge instead of me,' she thought in shock.

At that moment, she felt torn in two. One part of her wanted her to jump out and reveal herself to the Centaurs, thus saving Dolores Umbridge from her fate, and yet another part couldn't help but feel some grim satisfaction from this, as this was exactly the fate that Umbridge had intended for her.

Her thoughts, together with her body's frozen numbness, distracted her momentarily, so she didn't notice anything else that was happening until she heard Umbridge's scream.

"AAARGHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ME DOWN AT ONCE!" Obviously, Dolores had just regained consciousness.

Cautiously, Rebecca tipped her head slightly out from below the reeds, her one hand still covering her mouth, while the other held back the reeds so that she could look out past the bank.

Magorian had gone toward the fallen Umbridge, who he thought was Rebecca, and after taking a moment to look down on her; he had then reached down and scooped her up into his strong arms, and carried her back over to his waiting herd.

The jostling had stirred her, as she fully came to, moaning and rubbing her sore head. "Wha…?" she had mumbled, as her eyesight slowly focused on the long face looking down on her. "AAARGHH! PUT ME DOWN!"

She jumped about, twisting and kicking in Magorian's grasp, batting at his arms with her new, younger but feeble fists, which only served to provide him and the herd with amusement, as he brought her into their circle.

Aonghus pulled back his head, laughing broadly. "You've gotten even feistier than I remember, human! But all the better, as feisty mares always make the best Breeders, and anyway…we'll all soon ride it out of you!"

A loud chorus of laughter echoed throughout them, and even Magorian laughed along. Firenze, meanwhile, just remained separate from the rest of them, watching quietly with a blank expression on his face.

"LET GO OF ME!" Umbridge screamed in Rebecca's voice, continuing to feebly whack the steel-muscle arms of her captor. "I DEMAND YOU…MMMM!"

Umbridge's voice had devolved into muffled shrieks, as Magorian pressed his lips against hers. She squealed, as his face had filled her vision, and he kissed her deeply. She continued to try and scream into his mouth, as his lips enveloped hers, but his huge tongue dominated hers, making it impossible.

When he finally released her, he pulled his head back with a sound of deep satisfaction, as though he had just drunk a good wine, smacking his lips together, while Umbridge just started gagging.

"Consider that me welcoming you back to the herd, my little mare," he declared with a snort of laughter.

The rest of the herd all burst out laughing, and then cheered, as Magorian suddenly raised Umbridge above his head, her screams deafening.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP IT!"

"Now let's have the rest of the herd welcome you back, too!" said Magorian, and then tossed her high up into the air.

She screamed, as she flew up, and then fell back down to earth, only to be met by several hands before she could hit the ground. A few of the Centaurs, who had rushed forward, stood together in a circle with their arms held out before them, and waited as she fell down into them.

"HOW DARE YOU! I DEMANDAAARRRGHHH!" She screamed again, as the Centaurs began flinging their arms upward, shooting her back into the air, like she were on a trampoline, cheering as she went up, and then back down onto their waiting arms, only to shoot back up again.

"Welcome home, Breeder!" said Aonghus, laughing in her ear, as she fell back down, her face landing close to him, while her lower half landed near his big hand at the centre. She shrieked, as he squeezed her bottom, making her shriek all the more loudly. No doubt she would have started shouting some more insults or demands, but before she could say anything, the Centaurs flipped her up once more. Each time she shot upwards, one of them gave a huge cheer, except for Firenze who still remained silent.

Rebecca was still watching from her cold hiding place, and although she felt a twitch of pity for the mad woman, she couldn't help but feel a glint of glee, as she watched the witch who had killed innocent people, and tried to start a war by having her taken prisoner by the Centaurs, humiliated before her.

It was strange hearing Umbridge scream in her voice. She sounded so pitiful and high strung. She couldn't help wondering if she sounded like that when she herself screamed.

Umbridge shot up again, and when she returned to the circle of Centaur's arms below, they lowered her down and drew up close around her, entrapping her within.

"And don't worry, Breeder," a voice that Rebecca recognised as Aonghus' spoke. "Tonight, each of the herd will be sure to give you a proper welcome!"

The tone he used, and the chuckles from the others, left little doubt over what kind of a welcoming party they had in mind. As she looked over, she watched, as the Centaurs were all still gathered in a circle, Umbridge somewhere in-between them, their tails swishing in pleasure.

Suddenly, Aonghus seemingly sprang up from between the circle, his gigantic size dwarfing them all, knocking a few back, as he gave a loud roar and grabbed Umbridge from one of his brethren, possibly Adair, and kissed her, his huge hand fondling her chest.

Umbridge's screams, even when muffled, were deafening.

He then broke his kiss, as Magorian had done, making a loud noise of appreciation, and then lifted Umbridge high above his head. Rebecca was expecting him to cast her up like Magorian had done, but instead he charged forward, with Umbridge balanced upon his palms above his head, roaring a loud cheer, with the herd following behind him.

"First one there gets first turn!" he cheered.

"Only if you become leader, Aonghus!" Magorian's voice replied in a chuckle.

Rebecca watched them as they all galloped into the forest, Umbridge's terrified and outraged screams echoing in the distance.

"NO! NO! THIS IS WRONG! I DEMAND YOU LET ME GOOOOOoooooo…!"

Her cries faded into the night, and after a few moments Firenze's voice spoke. "You can come out now, Rebecca," he said, startling her momentarily, as she had been so focused on the herd that she had almost forgotten that he was still there.

"What have you done?!" she hissed, as she got out of the water, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

"What I had to do, to save you," he simply replied.

"What you had to?! You just sent that woman off with a group of…!" she paused. What she had intended to say was a group of savage barbarians, rapists, and other such things, but she didn't think Firenze would appreciate her referring to his herd as such. Although he was her friend, no doubt, and the gentler one of his kind, she knew deep down he could be as violent as the rest of his race when angered, and he was still loyal to his people.

He replied to her rant with a calm look. "Need I remind you that that woman intended to do the same to you, and she had no qualms about sending you off to your fate?"

"That doesn't make it right, Firenze!" she stuttered, her body still freezing from the icy water, and the cold air was not helping. "How are we any different from her if we do the same?"

"Because the reason why I did it was not just because of you, but for all of us."

"What?"

"Have you forgotten what would happen if you were caught by my herd, or even if you weren't?" he said, looking almost pleadingly at her. "If you were caught, the Ministry of Magic would try to rescue you, which in turn would lead to war with my herd. And even if you weren't captured, they would not rest until they had you. It would only be a matter of time before their paths crossed one too many times with the Ministry, and again lead to war. How it hasn't happened yet escapes me."

He took a step towards her. "This way, my herd has who they believe to be you in their possession. The Ministry will never know of it unless you tell them, because as far as they know Dolores Umbridge is dead, and since you're here safe and sound, they have no reason to believe otherwise."

"You're asking me to lie?" she said, looking at him in shock and disbelief. "To allow someone to remain a prisoner for the rest of their life as a…" She shuddered.

"No." He shook his head slowly. "I am merely telling you what will most likely happen whatever choice you make. If you reveal Umbridge's true identity, the Ministry most likely will try to reclaim her as they would you. Should my herd find out, they may willingly give her up, but then they will immediately set out again to capture you, which will lead us back to the same problem once more…assuming my herd will even let Dolores Umbridge go alive."

"You don't think they would keep her as a Breeder, like me?"

"No. Dolores Umbridge and my herd had, shall we say, some run-ins in the past. They didn't part in the friendliest of circumstances, and I have little doubt that if they were to learn who she really was, they would sooner see her dead than give her up."

She looked at him, amazed. "What did she do that angered them so?"

"She insulted our lineage, attempted to strangle Magorian with that same rope spell that she used on you, and basically treated us with the utmost disrespect. Something that, as I'm sure you remember, is a dire mistake when dealing with those of my kind."

Rebecca grimaced. Clearly that woman had had no prior dealings with the Centaurs before then, otherwise she wouldn't have made so grievous an error.

"Is that why she didn't say who she really was?" she then asked, as Umbridge had screamed and shouted a lot during her capture, but she had never once stated her true name and identity.

Firenze shrugged. "Possibly, but I can not say for sure. I know not the full details of what occurred during her time with my herd, as I was not there personally, but whatever it was apparently left her with a deep fear of my kind. Maybe she was simply too afraid to speak her true name. Also, if she were to reveal herself, and even if my herd were to release her unharmed, all that will gain her is a return to Azkaban, where she will spend the rest of her days. At least with my herd she will have the freedom of being outside."

She gazed at him slowly. "Freedom is the last thing I think she will have, Firenze," she told him directly, silencing him. "And what will become of her while she is with them?" She didn't know why she had asked that, as Firenze had explained to her thoroughly enough times before, but she had asked anyway.

"Do you really desire me to explain that to you again?" he asked, seemingly picking up on her thoughts.

No, she definitely did not want to hear it all again, so she shook her head. Firenze had told her that she, or rather Umbridge now, would be taken to the Herding Ground, where she would become one of the herd's Breeders, to serve the herd by mating with the Sires and producing foals.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rebecca couldn't help but feel a touch of grim amusement, as she recalled Umbridge's constant rants about mud-bloods and her own supposedly pure-blooded family. It was ironic that her family tree would now have some hoof-footed branches in it.

She soon banished these thoughts. "This isn't right, Firenze."

"No, it isn't. I will not dishonour you by lying about that. I am merely telling you how it is, and what will be. If you say something, Umbridge will either end up dead or incarcerated once more, which she currently already is anyway, and you will never be able to return home. War will forever be on the horizon, and no one will have any peace."

"So in order to prevent all that, I just have to sacrifice the freedom of someone else, and let her live out their life as a whore to Centaurs," she stated bitterly.

"Sadly…yes."

There were a few moments of silence, and Rebecca looked down at the ground. "This sucks, Firenze."

He stared at her, bewildered. Sucks? "I fail to see how something like this can draw something into one's mouth, but it is a most dire situation."

She gave him a half-smile, but still kept withdrawn. "How can I make a decision like this, Firenze?"

He looked at her, and sighed. "I…can not answer that. This is a decision that you and you alone must make, not I or anyone else. I can only suggest that you do as my kind does, and look at the bigger picture. I know it's difficult, but in this case it is the only thing you can do. But come, we have wasted enough time here. We should return to the wizards awaiting us near Hogwarts. They will take care of everything, whatever your decision."

He held out his hand to her, and slowly Rebecca took it, allowing him to lead her through the forest. He looked as though he first intended to put her on his back, but she held up her hand, refusing his kind offer, wanting to walk for a while.

As they departed, they both kept silent, as Rebecca walked with Firenze trotting beside her.

"What else will they do to her?" she then asked.

"Mmm?"

"Umbridge. I can only assume, and hope, that she won't be made to mate with your herd every day. What else will she do?"

He shrugged. "A Breeder's main duty, of course, is to bear the foals of the herd. That makes them the most important of the Centaurs; hence they rarely leave the Herding Ground. When they are not bearing foals, they serve the herd by doing small but meaningful chores around the ground, such as cooking, cleaning and taking care of the little ones."

"I thought all Centaurs were warriors, including the Breeders?"

"They are. Breeders are trained to fight just as much as Sires are. They only fight, though, when it is absolutely necessary, like the time during the final battle with the Dark Lord Voldemort. Hence why we lost two of our Breeders that night."

"Wait a sec. Cleaning?" She looked up at him, startled. "Firenze, no offence, but you guys live outside, and from what I saw when I was with you, you weren't exactly housewives. What would you clean?"

He shrugged. "You may remember that my kind are not really bothered with where we empty our excrement."

"You mean go to the bathroom?"

"If that is your word for it, yes. We tend to empty our waste wherever, which also means in our Herding Ground. After a while, it tends to build up, so someone has to clean it up."

Rebecca smirked, as she pictured Umbridge being made to walk around the Herding Ground with a shovel or, knowing the Centaurs, probably her bare hands, gathering up all the Centaur's waste. That seemed a far more fitting punishment for the mad witch, she thought.

'But it isn't her only one,' she thought, shuddering once more as she remembered Magorian's words from long ago. "The next time you lie in this circle, it will not be just one of us that will mate with you, it will be all of us!"

'Damn it, why can't I push that out of my mind!' But she knew that was hopeless, as it had been in her thoughts ever since Firenze had first told her of the herd's intentions. 'And now, Dolores Umbridge is the one taking my fate.'

She couldn't do it. She couldn't stand by and allow someone, even one as vile as Dolores Umbridge, to receive that kind of punishment. She would tell the wizards as soon as they reached them.

Eager to think of something else, and take her mind off her current dilemma, she asked Firenze the next question that had been bugging her. "Firenze? Why did you come save me?"

He looked at her, seemingly startled. "How do you mean?"

"Why did you come and get me, despite everything that had happened between us? I thought you would have hated me now."

"Hate you? Why would I hate you?"

She looked at him. "Because of me not telling you about my fiancé Antonio, how I led you on and everything. I didn't mean to, but I was just…"

"Rebecca!" interrupted Firenze, looking at her calmly. "You have apologised already. You do not need to do so again."

"But I…"

"No more sorrys, Rebecca. Once was more than enough," he told her sternly. "And I, too, must apologise. I had no right to ignore you so, nor leave you unattended. If I had been there, Dolores Umbridge might never have captured you."

"You had every right to be angry at me, Firenze. I swear I didn't mean to hide my engagement from you. It's just…when I saw you again after so long, all the old feelings I once had came flooding back. I got confused, and I…I guess I just started living in the past, and for a while forgot where I was in the present."

"I know." Firenze smiled gently. "You were not the only one."

At her curious look, he explained. "Like you, when I first saw you again, I was overwhelmed with emotions from the past. It is something that we Centaurs as a race are not used to dealing with. We are so used to living our lives looking to the future that sometimes we tend to not notice what's going on around us in the present, or we forget that what's past is past. When I saw you again, and I recalled the feelings I once felt for you, I forgot that you were not that same frightened young woman who was trapped in my herd all those years ago. It didn't occur to me that you had been living your life all these years, grown and changed, and that you would have no doubt found someone else."

"Maybe we both got a little carried away by the past," replied Rebecca softly.

"Indeed," he said. "I admit I was angry at first, which was originally why I kept my distance from you. But after I realised my feelings for you were outdated and best kept in the past, I was ashamed of letting them overrule my judgement. So I dedicated my time to either doing guard-duty or seeking out any leads of my herd. I had intended to speak with you, but then I learned about my herd being close by, so I had to deal with them. The rest you know."

She nodded. "Firenze, you are a magnificent ma…err, Centaur, and an even better friend, who I can't thank enough for being there for me. I will always think of you fondly."

"And I you, my Rebecca," he replied, smiling at her, and rested his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

They walked on for a little further, before he then asked, "What is your intended mate's name again?"

"Antonio," she said. "Antonio De Santis."

"Is he…nice, this male of yours?"

"Oh yes. Very nice."

"And does he make you happy?"

"Very much so."

"Then, forgive me for asking, but…why do you want to leave him?"

"What do you mean?" she said, looking at him curiously.

He stared at her intensely. "Rebecca, do you honestly believe that if you hand yourself over to my herd, they will allow you to continue seeing this intended of yours, or anyone else for that matter?"

She visibly cringed. "That's a low blow, Firenze."

"Perhaps, but accurate nonetheless," he said with that hard but sympathetic look of his. "If you give yourself to my herd, not only will you deliberately cause a war between our two races, and all others, you will also be separated from your loved ones forever more."

"That's not fair, Firenze!" she almost wailed. "Why are you telling me all this?!"

"I told you, I am telling you the truth about all that will happen depending upon your decision." He gave a small sad frown. "I know you do not want to know this, Rebecca, but your decision does not merely involve you and your conscience. It involves everyone, the entire country and all of our races."

She looked away, tears forming in her eyes. "Firenze…" she said, hesitating. "I… Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?! You're asking me to make a decision, which will condemn a woman to a life of servitude, forced to allow the Centaurs of your herd to rape her unconditionally. How can I possibly subject anyone to a fate like that?!"

"I don't know. I can only remind you what will happen if you don't."

She turned away in disgust, walking on a little ahead, but not far enough that she couldn't still hear his hoof-steps from behind.

"Turn right here," he instructed, reminding her that she didn't know where she was going, which made her groan and then slow down, allowing Firenze to catch up to her.

"What am I to do, Firenze?" she asked him seriously. "Asking me to keep quiet is the same as being this Umbridge woman's judge, jury and executioner."

Firenze kept quiet for a few moments, his eyes staring up above at the stars, as though contemplating something.

Just when she thought he wouldn't speak again, he did. "We were wrong," he said finally.

"Huh?"

He turned to look at her again. "You remember how I once told you that we Centaurs look to the stars for guidance, and that their dance often reveals to us certain events of the future."

She nodded, still unsure of what he was talking about.

"Do you also recall that I told you that sometimes the findings we get from them can be misread, or often misinterpreted?"

Again she nodded.

"Well, this is one of those times. I only just realised."

"Pardon?"

"Your…fortune, I believe Professor Trelawney calls it, when my herd looked into your future, and we foresaw two images. And again when we looked forth again, to gain more wisdom after Dolores Umbridge offered my herd to help capture you."

"You mean those pictures you had of me in the future; one where I was back home, and another where I was with your herd having their kids?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"We were wrong," he repeated. "When we first saw them, and again years later, my herd thought the two images represented a choice that had to be made concerning your fate. Normally my kind does not go against fate and the heavens unless a choice like this is given to us. And when we saw the same images as before, we thought the same, but as I said we were wrong."

"What do you mean?" she asked blankly.

He took her hands in his, grasping them gently. "Like I said, we thought the images represented a choice. But it turns out they were nothing of the sort. The two images showed two separate futures. One was of you in the life you are clearly meant to lead in the human world, and the other, believe it or not, is that of Dolores Umbridge."

"Umbridge?" she uttered, puzzled. "What does she have to do with my future?"

He shrugged. "Everything, considering that technically speaking she now is you. The stone she used obviously changed her into a complete copy of you, right down to your blood. It can fool anyone, apparently even fate."

"Wha…" she stopped, as her brain slowly connected the dots. "Wait, you mean…when your herd looked into my future and saw those pictures in the future, they weren't just of me, but also of Umbridge as well?"

He nodded. "The one I told you of, where you remained with my herd, is clearly that of Dolores Umbridge. It showed her life, as it would be with my race, surrounded by foals that she bore. And you, you were free, living your life in the outside world."

"I'm sure Umbridge would be pretty happy," said Rebecca sarcastically. "As long as she doesn't mind no freedom, living with a bunch of males and getting violated constantly."

Firenze sighed. "I can offer no more than this, my Rebecca. Fate itself seems to define that Dolores Umbridge take your place within my herd. With her there, you would be free to live your life, and all would be well again throughout the rest of the world, with no war."

Everything he said made sense, but no matter how hard she tried to focus on that, Rebecca's mind kept replaying the terrible scene years ago when Magorian had almost raped her, and she imagined Umbridge going through the same thing probably every day for a lifetime.

She cringed and shuddered, her thoughts plaguing her.

Firenze seemed to notice her discomfort, but did not question her. He merely held out his hand, taking hers once more, and continuing on their journey to the school.

They walked on in silence for a short while more, before Rebecca suddenly asked one more question out of the blue. "Couldn't you find a way to get her out of there?"

"Hmm?"

"Couldn't you help Umbridge escape, like you did with me?"

Firenze seemed troubled, and scratched his cheek. "I…don't know. I would certainly try, for you, Rebecca, but I very much doubt it."

"Why?"

"My herd learns from its mistakes, Rebecca. The last time you were with us, you escaped. They will not take the risk of offering any lenience again, especially considering how important Breeders are, even more now than ever. They will take every precaution to ensure that she is comfortable, but also make even more certain that she will never escape. No doubt they will keep her under close observation at all times. However long this will be, I don't know. Most likely forever. I can only promise that if such a time comes when escape is possible, I will seize it and try to help her. That is the best I can offer. I'm sorry."

Firenze was sympathetic, but he was also direct.

Rebecca chewed her lower lip, her thoughts in a haze. As they walked on, her mind kept replaying all that had occurred this night…Umbridge, her intentions, her capture by the Centaurs whilst in Rebecca's own form, Antonio, her family, war.

'War,' she thought. That one word stood out from all the rest. As much as she loved her family and her beloved Antonio, she knew the consideration of the rest of the world should be most important.

'One sibling or five strangers.' She remembered hearing something about that once, possibly from someone at work or on TV. It was a hypothetical question. You're in a burning building, and you have a choice between saving one of your own siblings or five strangers. Which should you choose?

When she had first heard that question, she had thought that saving one's own family should take precedence over all, but since then she had learned that wasn't always the case. If the entire world was at risk, the lives of the few sometimes had to be sacrificed to save the many.

'I could still give myself over to them. Umbridge would be released, the Centaurs would have me, and war would be avoided.' But she knew as soon as she thought that that Harry and the rest of the Ministry wouldn't rest until they had rescued her, despite her objections. And then, as Firenze had said, war would be inevitable.

'I could give myself up to them in secret. Do it without their knowledge.'

Oh yeah. Another deeper thought entered her mind, as though arguing with her. How stupid do you think they are? Who wouldn't figure out where you were the moment you disappeared? And even if by some miracle they didn't, Firenze would sure let them know.

'Seems that no matter what choice I make, war is inevitable either way.'

Not every choice.

'I can't,' she thought with despair. 'Umbridge was a bitch and a psycho, but I can't let her…'

"We're here," said Firenze, alerting her. She had been in so deep thought that she hadn't paid attention to her surroundings. They had seemingly arrived, as they emerged out from between the forest's trees, and she found herself standing before the castle she had seen from across the lake.

To Be Continued…