The three students watched as Hagrid tore off to help the others, crashing through the brush and trees until they couldn't hear him anymore.
"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" asked Hermione.
"I don't care if Malfoy is, but if something's got Neville… it's our fault he's here in the first place," whispered Harry.
"Well, the blame for Neville might be yours, but it is kinda my fault that Draco got caught. I mean, I did follow him and blow his cover," said Staros. "Mind you, I won't feel bad if he gets hurt, but I really won't celebrate it either. It seems to me, he's almost as Gryffindor as the rest of you for thinking ahead."
"Gee, thanks," Harry replied, dripping sarcasm.
"Anytime," Staros shot back with a grin.
Silence fell as they waited for any sign of the others. Minutes dragged as they strained to hear anything that would tell them what was happening. After a bit, their patience nearly at its end, they heard the faint crunching of sticks and debris that told them several feet were approaching. Wondering if it was Hagrid with the others or possible another foe, they all slipped back against trees to keep hidden in case they had to run.
A few minutes later, Hagrid stalked out of the trees dragging Neville, Draco, and Fang behind him. Carcerous was traipsing through the shadows in and out of the trees onto either side of the group.
Turns out, no one was in any actual danger. It seems that Draco had snuck up on Neville while they were looking around and grabbed him from behind. This caused Neville to panic and shoot the red sparks. While Carcerous found the situation slightly funny, Neville was right put out. Draco looked torn between thinking it was funny, getting mad at being caught, and scared witless at the thought of attracting attention in the forest at night. Hagrid was fuming and telling Draco repeatedly about the danger he put himself and Neville in by making so much noise. No one knew what Fang thought.
"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, what with all the racket you two were makin'. Right then, we're changin' groups," declared Hagrid. "Neville, you come with me an' Hermione. Staros, Harry, you take this idiot an' Fang. Sorry about this, fellas," Hagrid added in a whisper, "but he's not likely to scare the two o' yeh, an' we gotta get this done."
With a sigh, Staros nodded. Harry looked a bit ticked, but nodded as well. So it was that Harry, Staros and Draco trudged off with Fang down the path, trying to follow the vanishing unicorn blood trail. They walked for about half an hour, deeper into the thickening forest, until they could scarcely see the path anymore. Harry commented that the blood patches seemed fresher and thicker, Staros agreed. Draco said they were both barmy in a fit of spite, but kept looking around nervously, obviously thinking they were right. Coming across one particular patch of blood, they could see it wasn't just on the ground, but spattered up the side of one tree they rounded, as if the poor beast had been thrashing around in pain. Just ahead was a small clearing, the moonlight casting weird shadows through the trees.
"Look!" said Harry, holding his arms out to stop the other two.
Something bright white was laying on the ground, the moon having cast its light directly over it for a moment. The trio slowly inched forward, darting looks all around. As they approached, they saw the white object was indeed the unicorn, stretched out and lying on its side, its legs at odd angles where it had fallen. At first, they thought it was dead, even Draco looked upset to see such a terrible sight, but it twitched, a foreleg spasmed.
They moved forward, to see if there was anything they could do when a slithery sound made them freeze in place. A bush to their left quivered, and then a shadowy form shot out of it, stalking towards the fallen unicorn like a shark, circling inward. The unicorn tried to get up, but it was too far gone. The boys watched in horror as the shadow crept up to the poor beast and lowered what must be its head to one of the many bleeding wounds. A sick, slurping sound could be heard in the eerie silence.
"AAAAHHH!" Draco screamed, turned and bolted from the clearing, Fang close behind. The noise caused the shadow to lift its head and swivel in their direction. It made to move towards them, Staros and Harry both trembling in fear and disgust as they could see the silvery trail of blood down its front.
Staros seemed to forget he had his sword, or both boys their wands as the figure drew closer. Harry suddenly gasped in pain, clutched his forehead and fell to his knees. Staros grabbed Harry's shoulder and tried to pull him back as the boy's pain seemed to grow with every step the creature took.
From behind them, a thunder of hooves was suddenly heard as a centaur leaped over them to land between the creature and the two struggling boys. As the centaur spun in a circle, drawing its bow, the creature seemed to hesitate, then fled into the trees. Harry gasped for a few more moments as the pain receded, struggling to his feet with Staros' help.
The boys turned to look at the centaur, a younger looking one if they could be any judge, with white-blond hair and a platinum coat.
"Are you all right?" asked the centaur.
"Yes, thank you, what was that?" said Harry.
The centaur didn't answer immediately, instead looking the two boys over intently. He had clear blue, sapphire eyes. Looking them up and down, his gaze lingered a moment on Harry's scar which had reddened in the past few minutes making it stand out.
"You are the Potter boy," the centaur said, not a question, but a statement of fact. "You should return to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time, especially for you."
"A moment, Stargazer," said Staros. "Carcerous!"
With a soft pop, the elf appeared. "Aye, Master Staros?"
"Go to Hagrid, tell him we've found the unicorn. Lead him here."
"Aye, Master Staros," the elf said as he faded away.
"Hagrid will be here shortly, Stargazer," Staros said. "In the meantime, I wish to thank you for your intervention, but we have another task to see to."
Staros walked past the centaur towards the fallen unicorn. The poor creature's breathing was labored, heavy, obviously near death but full of pain. With a tentative hand, Staros reached out to touch the poor thing's side. A flinch, but the unicorn was unable to rise, its head barely able to shift to look at the young boy.
Staros grasped his other hand to the pendant he wore and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his face had taken on a pained expression, full of sorrow. He drew the silvered knife from its sheathe.
"Boy, what do you intend to do?" asked the centaur.
"Your name, Stargazer?"
"I am Firenze, boy," he replied, stepping closer.
"I am Staros. Harry, stay back please. Firenze, this creature is in pain, suffering. I intend to end it quickly, with mercy. I also intend to carry its pain back to the one who inflicted it."
The centaur, Firenze, stepped up to Staros' side. He reached down and clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"You know what price this action demands, do you, boy?"
"Yes," Staros said simply. He reached out and cut a tuft of hair from the unicorn's mane. Then he drew the knife across the horn to carve a small sliver from it. He moved himself to sit by the unicorn's head, lifting it to his lap. He stroked the poor thing's muzzle for a moment, looking into its eyes.
"Someone must pay this price. Will you, Firenze? Will you be the one to cleanse a soul that should never know pain? Will you carry the vengeance of the innocent in your heart? Will you be the one to thrust your hate into the depths of evil? Would you burn your soul for justice?"
Firenze looked down at the boy holding the unicorn's head. His face softened in sorrow. Harry looked on, confused. As he was about to speak up, Firenze answered.
"No. No, I could not."
With this affirmation, Staros looked once more into the eyes of the unicorn, tears threatening, doubts as to what he was about to do tearing into him.
Staros whispered the spell he had been taught by Keeper. A spell he never thought he would ever have to use.
"Magnus letum a'umbra, creatura lux, cor infecta ira, quaerere vindicta luna!" (Great One slain by Darkness, Creature of the Light, Heart tainted by Anger, I seek Vengeance this Night!)
With a wordless cry, he suddenly plunged the silvered knife into the small chest of the unicorn and twisted.
The blade pierced the beast's heart. Used on a horse, he would have been unable to do so, but a unicorn has a smaller frame, a thinner breastbone, and its heart closer to the surface. With a slight jerk, the unicorn struggled to lift up once, then settled back down as the last of its lifeblood spilled onto the forest floor. And Staros' hands.
Firenze watched dispassionately as Staros ended the life of the pained beast. Harry stared, shocked.
"What did you do?" Harry shouted. "Hagrid could have helped it! You killed it! Why?"
Firenze moved to Harry put his hand on his shoulder.
"Young Potter, the unicorn was dying. It was in terrible pain. Would you have extended its suffering? Young Staros will carry a heavy burden for this act of mercy. Never again can he claim to be innocent. Young Harry, can you understand?
Before he could answer, more hooves could be heard approaching. Ronan and Bane burst through the trees, heaving and sweaty from their run. Bane saw Staros with the blood covering his blade and hands and immediately went for his bow. Firenze stepped between them.
"No, Bane. This boy is not yours to strike down."
"Firenze! What are you doing? This human has killed a unicorn! Why do you protect it? Have you no shame?"
"This boy has done us a service in ending the unicorn's pain. It was dying anyway, the creature that attacked it having done too much to save it. He knows the price of his actions."
Ronan laid his hand on Bane's shoulder and whispered something to him. Whatever was said, Bane lowered his bow, but the look of anger did not leave his face.
"Do you know who this other is? This is the Potter boy, he needs to leave this forest. The sooner, the better," Firenze said.
"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movement of the planets?"
Ronan looked nervous. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best."
"For the best! What has that to do with us? Centaurs…"
"Are as stubborn in their foretelling as they are dangerous in the hunt!" shouted Staros suddenly.
"Boy, do not test me!" warned Bane.
"Test you? No, it is not I that would test you Stargazer! That, is for the heavens you hold so dear! Your tests will be ones of honor, of loyalty to oaths sworn long ago. Your tests will be of blood spilt in the defense of your homelands. But most importantly, your tests will be against your own hearts! Tell me about Mars! How bright is it?"
Bane backed off, growling and muttering to himself.
"Did you not see the wounds on the unicorn, Bane?" Firenze asked. "Do you not understand why it was killed, or have the planets not let you in on that little secret? I set myself against what is lurking in the forest, even should I have humans alongside me."
Unnoticed in the centaurs' tirades, Hagrid had walked into the clearing, Carcerous leading him. Bane stalked off, Ronan following with a look of concern on his face. He glanced back once at Staros, a brief look of sorrow.
Hagrid looked at Staros and saw the blood on his hands, a knife lying next to him, the unicorn's head still cradled in his lap. Hagrid saw the pain on the boy's face and realized what had been done. As gamekeeper, he had been forced to put down more than a few beasts in his time, thankfully never a unicorn. Catching Staros' eye, he nodded once before shouldering his crossbow.
"Oy, Harry. Yeh all right there?" Hagrid asked.
"Hagrid, he… Staros ki…"
"Aye, Harry, aye. Don' be worryin' about it now. I bin forced to do summat like that a few times meself. Don' be hard on the lad."
Harry looked up at Hagrid, disbelief on his face before he remembered, Hagrid was the Gamekeeper. It was his duty to tend to the animals of the forest, even if that meant putting one down. Harry nodded once, tears still in his eyes.
"Where are the others?"
"I left 'em with Fang back a'ways. When yeh ready, we'll be joinin' em."
Firenze had remained quiet during this exchange, standing by Harry in case the boy needed help. As Harry was about to join Hagrid, he put his hand on his shoulder again and said quietly, "Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"
Harry looked up, surprised. He looked back at Staros, still kneeling with the unicorn, Carcerous beside him. Looking back to Firenze, he shook his head no.
"It is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn. Your friend will be feeling the pain for many of his days I fear. But only one who is truly desperate, who has nothing at all to lose would commit such an act willingly. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death. But at a terrible price. To slay something so pure, so defenseless merely to save yourself will give nothing more than the shade of life, a cursed life from the moment the blood touches your lips."
Harry glanced back at Staros who was whispering to Carcerous, then at Hagrid who looked none too happy at the wait.
"Who would be that desperate?" Harry asked, just as quietly. "If you're going to be cursed forever, isn't death better?"
"It is," said Firenze. "Unless, you need it to stay alive just long enough to find another solution, to drink something else that will bring you back to your full strength and power, perhaps something that will mean you can never die. Young Harry, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"
Harry thought for a moment.
"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course! But, who?"
"Can you think of nobody who would need such a drink? One who has waited an eternity to return to former power?"
Harry looked back at Staros and Carcerous who seemed done with whatever they were doing. Staros was standing at least, Carcerous had popped away, keeping his distance from the Firenze and Harry while they spoke. A horrible thought occurred to Harry. With a sinking feeling, he looked over at Hagrid, waiting somewhat impatiently at the edge of the clearing. Harry could almost hear Hagrid's voice in his head, remembering what he had said when they had met: '…Some say he died. Codswallop if you ask me. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die…'
"You don't mean, that was Vold…"
Firenze's slight clenching of his hand on Harry's shoulder stopped him from saying the name out loud.
"Good luck, Harry Potter," Firenze said, raising his voice back to normal. "The planets have been read wrongly before, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times. Farewell, my friend Hagrid."
With a nod to Hagrid, Firenze turned and walked off into the trees the same way Ronan and Bane had gone.
While all this was happening, Staros had called Carcerous over. Seeing that Firenze wished to impart some knowledge to Harry, Staros took this time to make sure he had all that was needed.
"Carcerous, bring me the ebony case that Keeper gave you."
Carcerous looked a little surprised at the request, but nodded quickly before reaching out into his pockets and pulling out a small, black box. He handed the box over to Staros and waited.
Staros opened the black box. Inside were several empty vials and a pillow of satin, all done in deep ruby red. Opening a couple of the vials, he placed the horn sliver in one and the tuft of hair in another. Taking one vial, he pressed it against the unicorn's chest where he had stabbed it. Tears threatened to fall again as he drew some of the heart's blood into the vial and capped it off. Finally, he put all the vials and the knife used into the box and closed it. He handed it back to Carcerous.
"Put this in my vault. I will have need to speak with the goblins later about it."
With a nod, Carcerous faded away to deliver his burden. Staros stood and looked over to Harry who was having a panic moment by the looks of things. When Firenze said his farewells and walked off, Staros moved over to Harry and together they walked to Hagrid. Silence seemed to be appropriate as they all left the clearing saying nothing. Nothing more was said all the way back to the castle.