Sorry again for the wait, i'm been having one heck of a summer. I can't find my AP score report, and my high school guidance consular was suppose to be looking but I haven't heard anything from him. Ugh, not to mention a summer essay that I didn't know I had to do :-/
And then more recently the day I wanted to post this, the power went out and the internet is down!
So about the vent on with the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Almost a month had pasted since the night Harry and Hermione snuck out to give Norbert away. It had thankfully passed rather slowly with nothing of consequence happening except for Hermione's growing worry about the upcoming exams.
"We have to be prepared." She told Harry and Ron one day when they were just lounging around. "Exams are only two week away! We have to be prepared."
"Hermione calm down, we'll do fine." Harry said. And it was looking to be true, as exams drew closer they had been quite a bit of help from Minerva who was happy to answer their questions regarding their school work, and offer little bits of advice for remembering the answers. Lately all their teachers had been pressing the students on the importance of the exams. Hermione had taken this to heart and preceded to draw up study schedules for her boys. Ron had thrown his right away. So it came as a surprise one morning when an owl dropped off a letter to both Harry and Hermione stating:
You detention shall take place tonight at ten o'clock with Hagrid. Please be in the entrance hall fifteen minutes prior.
Professor McGonagall
"I forgot we had to serve detention, it's been so long I thought they had forgot." Harry said.
"At least it's with Hagrid." Hermione said hopefully, "Though I wonder what we would need to do with Hagrid that late."
"Maybe you have to clean something outdoors?" Ron suggested digging into his potatoes. They both shrugged and didn't think of it.
Later that night as they were doing their homework, Minerva came back in from a meeting.
"Ready to go?" She asked Harry and Hermione.
"I thought detention was with Hagrid?" Harry asked as Hermione pulled her cloak on.
"It is but as it is after hours, I need to escort you there and back." She explained.
"Do you know what we're doing professor?" Hermione asked as they walked down the flights of steps to the entrance hall.
"No, Hagrid just informed me that he needed some extra hands for some work to be done, and he requested to have you two do your detention with him." They were greeted in the entrance hall by Mr. Flich who was escorting Malfoy, to their surprise, they had forgotten that he had gotten detention as well.
"Right, i'll be back to get you two at midnight." Minerva said and left them in the entrance hall with Malfoy and Flich. As soon as Minerva had made her way upstairs, Flich started leading them outside towards Hagrids hut.
"You trouble makers are in for a time tonight, don't think you'll get off easy by being with that lug Hagrid."
"Hagirds not a lug!" Harry shouted at him.
"Oh he is boy! Who knows maybe you'll have an accident in a forbidden forest and they'll blame him. Then there'll be three less brats around to muck up this castle." He gave a wheezy laugh. Harry and Hermione just glared at him. Malfoy however just stopped moving completely.
"The forbidden forest! We can't go in there, my father won't allow it!" Malfoy said shouting.
"Doesn't matter if your father allows it or not, you're going in regardless." Hermione decided to cut in.
"Wait does Professor McGonagall know we're going into the forbidden forest?" She asked.
"Haha!" Flich laughed. "Of course not! But you trouble makers deserve it. And here comes the giant lug himself." Flich said loud enough for Hagrid to hear.
"Can it, Filch you git! Lets go kids!" Hagrid said.
"Are we really going into the Forbidden forest Hagrid?" Harry asked after saying hello to Fang who greeted him merrily.
"Yea we are Harry." Hagrid said.
"I'm not going in that forest." Malfoy said with a hint of panic in his voice.
"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts, Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it!" Hagrid told him fiercely.
"But it's servant stuff, if my father knew about this he'd -"
"- tell your that's how it is at Hogwarts." Hargrid growled. Harry and Hermione shared looks of happiness, this might turn out to be an interesting detention. "Right then," Hagrid continued. "Now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one taken' risks." Hagrid lead them towards the edge of the forest.
"Look there, that stuff shinin' on the ground? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn lost in the forest and It's been hurt really badly by summat, we have to find it and put it out of its misery."
"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy fearfully.
"There's nothing' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if your with me or Fang." said Hagrid."Jus keep ter the path. We're gonna split into two parties an' follow the trail in different directions. There's blood all over the place."
"I want Fang!" Malfoy said quickly.
"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," Hagrid told him. "Harry you an' Draco go that way with Fang. Hermione an' I will go the other." Hagrid leaned over towards Harry. "I've sorry for puttin' yeh with 'im. But he'll have a harder time gettin' to yeh."
"It's fine Hagrid." Harry assured him.
"Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get your 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 dark and silent, as Hermione made to follow Hagrid.
"What do you think could be killing the unicorns Hagrid?" Hermione asked.
"I'm not quite sure Hermione." She looked and saw spots of unicorn blood spotted along the path, it made Hermione very uneasy.
"Don't worry Hermione, 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 her and pulled her off the path behind a towering oak. He aimed his crossbow ready to fire, and they listened. Something slithered over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. They stood there for a couple seconds waiting until the sound finally faded away.
"i knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that should' be."
"Like a werewolf?" Hermione asked willing her heart to stop pumping so much.
"No not a werewolf, right, follow me, but be careful."
The two walked slowly ahead, both willing themselves to listen with all their might. And then in the clearing ahead something moved.
"Show yerself i'm armed!" Hagrid shouted only to end up dropping the bow. "Oh, it's just you Ronan. How are yeh?" He shook the red haired centaur's hand.
"Good evening, Hagrid." He said in a deep sorrowful voice. "Were you going shoot me?"
"Can't be too careful, Ronan, There's summat bad loose in this forest. Oh, an' this is Hermione Granger, a student up at the school."
"Hello." Hermione said faintly.
"Good evening, young fawn," Ronan said. "Do you learn much, up at the school?"
"A bit." she said timidly.
"A bit. Well, that's something." He sighed and stared up at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."
"Yeah," Hagrid said glancing up briefly. "Ronan, have yeh seen a unicorn that's bin hurt, you seen anythin' unusual?"
"Mars is bright tonight,"
"Yeah, we know. Haven't yeh noticed anything' strange?"
"The forest hides many secrets." was all he said. There was another movement in the trees behind Ronan, Hagrid quickly grabbed the crossbow again, but it was only a second centaur who Hagrid addressed as Bane.
"Good evening Hagrid, hope all is well." He said.
"It's be better, you seen anything' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured, do yeh known anything about that?" Bane looked up at the sky.
"Mars is bright tonight."
"we've heard." Hagrid said grumpily. "Let's go Hermione, we won' get any more off of this lot." She did not need to be told twice and followed Hagrid. They walked through the forest again. Hermione was itching to ask him some questions about the centaurs, but given Hagrid's mood at the moment she choose not to bother him. Then suddenly Hermione grabbed onto Hagrid's arm and pointed.
"Hagrid, look! Red sparks, they're in trouble!" Hermione cried worried about Harry. Hagrid took off stampeding with Hermione closely following him.
Meanwhile…
"I can't believe this! When my father hears about this he'll set that buffoon straight." He said angrily.
"Calm down Malfoy, your father can't do anything, Professor Dumbledore approved of the detention just suck it up." Harry told him. He didn't want to listen to Malfoy complain for the whole time.
"Shut up Potter!" Malfoy hissed at him.
"You shut up, and be quiet!" The whole part of this was to find the unicorn, not to scare it off. They passed the minutes in silence with only Fang's moans breaking it. Harry was taking in his surroundings determined not to miss anything. They eventually started going deeper into the forest. However Harry noticed soon that the unicorn blood, was fading in this section of the forest.
"Malfoy we need to turn around, there isn't any blood near here."
"Who cares, that means we're away from the beast."
"It also means we're away from the unicorn and not going to find it anytime soon, so we'll have to keep searching longer." Malfoy couldn't argue with that logic and followed Harry as they turned around.
Harry soon found the second path that they had originally walked past. It was still deeply splattered with the silverly blood. Malfoy and Harry walked in silence. Harry was holding tightly onto Fang, who seemed as if he would bolt the second he got a chance. Then after what seemed to be ages they saw something ahead.
It was the unicorn but there was something on top of it, a cloaked figure covered in black.
"AAHHH!" Malfoy yelled turning around and running away with Fang. Harry quickly sent up red sparks with his wand, and the cloaked figure turned around to look at him. The scar on Harry's head felt as it it had burst open, and he was wincing in pain, stumbling backwards. The figure slowly raised up from the unicorn, the slivery blood dripping down from the hood.
Harry took off after Malfoy, his heart hammering against his chest. He heard the cloak fluttering and blowing in the wind as the figure chased after him. And all of the sudden he was on the ground, he had tripped over a tree root. He looked up quickly and heard the hissing creature coming towards him faster. Then out of no where a loud clip clopping sound rang though the forest, and a centaur came out and raised his hooves towards the figure. It fled the scene rather quickly.
"Harry Potter, the forest is not safe for you at this time. You must leave." He offered his hand to Harry to help him up.
"What was that thing?" Harry asked the centaur.
"Something that should not be in this forest. an evil creature to kill something as pure as a unicorn." He said. "Climb onto my back Harry Potter, I can get you to Hagrid quicker that way."
"What's your name?" Harry asked holding onto the centaur's back.
"They call me Frienze." He said.
"Alright Frienze, why would someone kill an unicorn?"
"Because drinking a unicorn's blood will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death. However it gives you a cursed life, a half life."
"But who would want such a life?" Harry asked.
"Do you know what is hidden inside the school at this very moment Harry Potter?"
"The Sorcerer's stone!" He said shocked.
"Understand?" Frienze asked.
"You mean to say, that, that thing was Voldemort?"
"Frienze! What are you doing you have a human on your back!"
"This child is Harry Potter, i'm making sure he gets back to Hagrid." Frienze calmly answered.
"Have you no shame!" Bane yelled. Harry slid off of Frienze's back quickly, he did not want another creature mad at him tonight. Thankfully just at that moment Hagrid burst though the trees, with Hermione and Malfoy flanking both sides. Hermione immediately ran and flung her arms around Harry.
"Ah, thanks fer finding him Frienze. Yeh alright Harry?"
"Fine Hagrid." He couldn't wait to get out of this forest and tell Hermione what he discovered.
"Harry Potter, you are safe now, but remember what I told you, the forest is not safe for you at this time."
"Understood." Harry said. "Hagrid, the unicorn is dead it's back in that clearing."
"Alright, well our jobs done, lets get you lot back up to the castle."
"Finally!" Malfoy said aggrgantly. "You know, this forest isn't really that scary." He said walking behind Hagrid. Harry leaned over towards Hermione.
"That's not what he was thinking when he ran off screaming a couple minutes ago." Harry whispered to Hermione who chuckled but then got a very serious look on her face.
"What happened Harry?" she whispered.
"I'll tell you once we're back in our room that way we can tell Ron as well." He whispered back.
By the time they had made it back up into the castle the clock was striking midnight and Professor McGonagall did not look happy to be up that late, on a night that wasn't her patrol night.
"Do you regret sneaking out at night now?" She asked rather sharply as she lead them back towards her quarters.
"Yes." said Harry firmly, because if they hadn't snuck out that night, they'd still think Snape was after the stone for himself.
"But Snape doesn't want the stone for himself, he want's it for Voldemort!" He said rather loudly to Ron and Hermione as he paced in front of their beds.
"Harry be quiet McGonagall could hear us." Hermione warned from her bed.
"She's to tired to think straight, but do you know what this means!"
"Yeah Snape's an even bigger git then we originally thought." Ron said yawning. He had not been really happy to have been woken up.
"No Ron, it means that if Snape gets the stone, he's not going to use it for himself, he's going to use it to bring He-who-must-not-be-named back." Hermione said glaring.
"So what do we do?" Ron asked and they both looked at Harry.
"Right now we don't do anything, we know that Snape still doesn't know how to get past Fluffly or Qurriel's."
"So we wait and watch?" Ron asked.
"Basically." Harry replied.
"Good." Ron flopped back down on his bed ready to go back to sleep.
"it's not going to be all fun Ron, we do have exams in two weeks in case you've forgotten. We have to study, and be prepared for that as well!"
"Good night Hermione." She huffed and glared at them both before drawing her curtain and giveing them both a curt good night.
Again sorry about the wait. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. As you may have noticed quite a bit is from the book. Hopefully I did the rest of the chapter justice. As you may notice we are nearing the end of first year, i need to ask a very important question. Do you want this to go beyond first year?
Let me know and please review and let me know what you think.