Chapter 5

Harry stared at his unnamed friend and the boulder he was being shown for a long time trying to understand what he was being told.

His friend knew what death was. His friend had encountered it before. The boulder had something to do with that death…

"Is that someone's grave," asked Harry, not sure if he should move toward his friend or if he should move away from the boulder so he wasn't stepping on someone's resting place.

"Grave," questioned the other boy, confusing showing clearly on his face.

"It is what you think it is Mr. Potter," commented a familiar voice from behind the boy who lived.

Taken by surprise, Harry swung around to face his only centaur friend, Birenze.

"Who's grave is it then?"

"It belongs to the one who brought him here but failed to leave."

Harry growled in frustration.

"Why can't you just give me a straight answer!"

Both Birenze and the usually silent boy looked at Harry oddly.

A full thirty seconds went by that Harry tolerated those looks and glared at Birenze in a silent demand to have his questions answered but then he mentally hit himself. He was being stupid if he thought glaring at the one centaur, who didn't want to run him out of the forest with a bow and arrow, would get him anywhere.

"Sorry…"

"Wanting answers is nothing to be sorry about," replied Birenze.

"Then why won't you tell me anything?"

"But I am answering all of your questions."

"I meant in a way that I understand."

"Perhaps you are asking the wrong questions?"

How is wanting to know who's grave it is a wrong question, Harry wanted to ask but knew that was probably a wrong question as well. He thought it over for a moment, wondering who would be desperate enough to bring someone, who probably wasn't old enough to talk yet, into such a dangerous place?

"Was the person a student at Hogwarts?"

"Once."

"A teacher?"

"For a short time."

"Was the person older then him?"

"Yes."

"Related?"

"Yes."

"Man or woman?"

"A woman."

For a moment, Harry hesitated, not sure if he really wanted to know anymore. If the person who brought his friend here was an older, related woman then she most likely had to be…

"His mother?"

"Yes."

Harry forced down a lump in his throat, that he hadn't realized was there before moving to sit on the ground.

"Will you tell me what happened to bring them here?"

"He's about the same age as you, Mr. Potter. Can't you guess what would have driven a mother to risk entering a dangerous forest, such as this, with a her baby?"

A pain stabbed Harry's forehead and he knew the answer instantly.

"Voldemort."

"And several Death Eaters."

"Why? Was his mother muggle-born?"

"No."

"Did his family fight against Voldemort?"

"Yes. They were his strongest opponents."

This confused Harry. He had always been lead to believe that his parents had been a large threat to Voldemort and that's why he haunted them down. Had his friend's parents been an even bigger threat?

"He's a lot like you," commented Birenze, interrupting Harry's thoughts.

"Like me," Harry repeated numbly, confused by Birenze's words. He couldn't think of much he and his friend had in common. They didn't look or act alike. Sure, both of their families had been successfully hit targets but what else was there?

It had to deal with that fact. His parents had been threats to Voldemort. So had his friend's. His parents had been killed by Voldemort. So had his friend's. And they both had survived but Harry had his lighting scar and his friend…

His hand flying to cover his mark, Harry didn't dare ask. He no longer wanted to know. He didn't want to even imagine his friend ever being scarred, being branded, the way he was.

"You are correct, Mr. Potter," stated Birenze, as if reading Harry's thoughts. "That is another thing that connects you, only his mark is a sun on his chest."

Why do you only tell me things I don't want to hear, asked Harry, but he couldn't find his voice to ask Birenze verbally. Instead he stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact with both the centaur and his friend.

"The only difference between you and him in this regard is that he died when the killing curse hit him."