Chapter nine: Trouble

In the weeks after, Dove could swear that wherever she was, there was Quirrell as well. When she wasn't at classes, she stayed either in the Gryffindor Tower or Severus' chambers. However, as the weather turned warmer, she and her friends spent more and more time outside. Studying. Hermione and Draco insisted on studying for their end of year exams.

"But they're ages away!" Ron argued.

"Ten weeks." Draco and Hermione chorused.

"What are you studying for anyhow?" Dove asked. "You already know the material. Both of you do."

"What am I studying for? Are you crazy?" Hermione fussed. "You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me..."

"I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.

Dove, who was working on an essay for Severus' class, sighed. "We've been at it forever it seems. Can't we take a break? It's a beautiful day. Let's go enjoy it."

"Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?" Ron asked. Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St -"

"Shh!" Hagrid looked around to see that no one was listening. "Don' go shoutin' 'bout that- whassa matter with ya?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," Dove said. "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy -"

"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen - come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh -"

"See you later, then," Dove said. Hagrid shuffled off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.

"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?" Draco asked.

"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table. "Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so. " Dove informed them.

"But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."

"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yeah," Draco said. "Loads. Father found one on a business trip once. The Ministry went through quite a bit of trouble to cover it up too."

When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them. It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.

"So, yeh wanted to ask me something?" He asked nervously.

There was no sense in beating around the bush. "What else is guarding the stone other than Fluffy?"

"And who's Evangeline Grayson?" Hermione added, not having been able to forget that since Ron and Dove mentioned that strange girl.

"I can't tell you that." Hagrid said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy. Or Eve."

"But you know everything that goes on around Hogwarts." Draco replied. "Really we just wanted to know who had done the guarding. Who Dumbledore trusts enough to ask- apart from you of course."

Hagrid smiled. "Well, let's see. 'E borrowed Fluffy from me. And each o' the perfessers put up a defense. Perfessers Sprout, McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and uh- oh! And Perfesser Quirrell o' course."

"Quirrell?" Dove asked dejectedly. "But, no one knows how to get around Fluffy, right? Not even the teachers?"

"No one 'cept me and Dumbledore knows that." Hagrid declared proudly.

"Can we open a window?" Ron asked. "It's awfully hot."

"Sorry, Ron. Can't do that." Hagrid looked back at the fire anxiously.

Draco and Dove caught on. "What is that?"

There in the fire, was a black egg. Ron gaped. "How ever did you get it? It must have cost you a fortune!" Hagrid grinned.

"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.

"Well, I've bin doin' some readin' , said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library - Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit - it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here - how ter recognize diff'rent eggs - what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.

"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said.

But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.

So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut. "Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Draco and Hermione had now started making study schedules for Dove and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts.

Then, one breakfast, Hagrid sent a note with just two words. 'It's hatching.' Dove and Ron were both incredibly excited, as was Draco when they told him. Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down, and to be honest so did Dove, but if she did it was very possible that Severus would hear about it. Hermione was also insistently against it.

"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing -"

"Shut up!" Draco whispered.

Zabini was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Dove didn't like the look on his face at all.

Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other three during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Draco was already there. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.

"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside.

The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it. They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Dove thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes. It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout. Dove did not squeal at the cuteness.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs. "Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!"

"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face - he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

"What's the matter?"

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains - it's a kid -he's runnin' back up ter the school."

Dove bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.

Zabini had seen the dragon.

Something about the smile lurking on Zabini's face during the next week made Dove, Ron, Draco and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.

"Just let him go," Dove urged. "Set him free."

"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."

They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.

"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?"

"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Dove's ear. She hated to agree.

"Hagrid," she tried to reason with him. "Give him two weeks and he'll be as long as your house, if you can keep him secret until then. Zabini could go to Dumbledore any moment."

"I know I can't keep him forever." Hagrid sniffed. "I just don't want to let him go so soon."

"Charlie!" Draco said suddenly.

"You've gone mad!" Ron said. "I'm Ron."

"No," Hermione said. "Your brother, Charlie. The one who deals with dragons. Can't you send him a letter? Ask him if he could take care of Norbert?"

"Brilliant!" So they sent Hedwig to Romania. The week dragged by and Wednesday saw Dove and Hermione studying in the Gryffindor common room. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait swung open and Draco and Ron tore off the Invisibility cloak. They had been down helping Hagrid feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.

"It bit me!" Ron said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when we left, he was singing it a lullaby."

There was a tap on the window. "That'll be Hedwig with Charlie's answer," Dove said. "Let her in."

Dear Ron,

How are you? Thanks for the letter - I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon. Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark. Send me an answer as soon as possible.

Love,

Charlie

They all looked at each other.

"The cloak should be able to cover three of us and Norbert," Draco said with what Dove called his thinking face.

"Shouldn't be too difficult."

There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey - would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous. Dove, Draco, and Hermione found him on a hospital bed at the end of classes.

"It's not just my hand," he told them. "It feels like it's going to fall off, but Zabini told Madame Pomfrey he had to borrow one of my books so he could have a laugh at me. Then he threatened to tell her what really bit me. I told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me. He's doing this 'cause we hit him at the Quidditch game."

"It's alright," Hermione said. "It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday."

Ron groaned. "Midnight on Saturday? Oh no! Charlie's letter was in the book I gave Zabini!"

"It's too late to change the plan now," Dove told them after Madame Pomfrey ran them off. "We don't have time to send another owl, this is our only chance to get rid of Norbert. And we've got the Invisibility cloak. Zabini doesn't know about that."

They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.

"I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage - nothin' I can't handle." When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.

"Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot - jus' playin' - he's only a baby, after all."

The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Dove, Draco, and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.

They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.

"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely." From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Dove as though the teddy was having his head torn off.

"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as they covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mommy will never forget you!"

How they managed to get the crate all the way up to the castle, they couldn't tell you. Midnight creeped closer as the three heaved the heavy crate up staircase after bloody staircase. Years later though, when telling their story, Draco would try to claim he carried it on his shoulders without help. At this point, Dove or Hermione would just smack his arm or give him a look.

"Nearly there," Dove panted. Then a sudden movement nearly made them drop it. Forgetting they were invisible, they hid in the shadows.

"Detention!" Minerva said, dressed in her night robe with her hair in one long braid, holding Zabini by his ear. "And twenty points from Slytherin. Wandering around at night, how dare you- "

"But, Professor, you don't understand. Malfoy and Potter- they've got a dragon!

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on - I shall see Professor Snape about you, Zabini!"

The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione and Draco did a sort of jig.

"Zabini's got detention! I could sing!"

"Don't," Dove advised her.

Chuckling about Zabini, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness.

Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed them the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Dove, Draco, and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.

At last, Norbert was going... going... gone.

They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon - Zabini in detention - what could spoil their happiness?

The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.

"Well, well," he whispered with a nasty sneer. "We are in trouble."

"They'd left the cloak at the top of the tower.

It could not have been worse. Filch led them to Minerva's office where she proceeded to lecture the three of them before taking fifty points from each. That was when Neville came into the picture, trying desperately to warn Dove about Zabini before it was too late. Dove gave him a smile, knowing what it must have taken for poor, bumbling Neville to come find her. They each received a detention on top of the point loss, which Dove supposed she could have lived with, until Minerva made a Floo call and Severus came through- obviously having been disturbed. Dove shrank back into Draco.

"Dove Lilith- " He never used her last name if he could help it. "Would you care to explain to me what you are doing out and about so late?"

"I- uh, I, I was just- no sir. I really don't."

"Very well," he said with a dark face, angry she was misbehaving and not telling him why. "Then you will be coming with me. Say good night, Dove."

She couldn't help it. It just came out. "Good night, Dove," she replied. His face darkened even more and she gulped. She hadn't gotten into trouble with him yet. Would he belt her? Starve her? Lock her in a closet? She started sweating. He gripped her tight when they went through the Floo. Remus sat tired on the couch, having waited up for Severus.

"Sit down." Severus growled. Then to Remus, "She was wandering the castle with her little friends up on the Astronomy Tower, no doubt with that cloak of hers." Dove blushed guiltily.

Remus looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I thought Ron was in the infirmary?"

"Yes!" Severus pounced. "What did bite Mr. Weasley? Or are you going to stick to that silly story of the dog as well?"

"It wasn't silly," she defended Ron's story. It was the best he could come up with.

"Right. And please, tell me why it is I have Blaise Zabini telling Minerva about a dragon?" Dove paled and looked away. Severus took a step toward her and she flinched out of old habit. He stopped in his tracks, thinking of his own father. He knelt down. "Dove," he whispered. "I'm not going to hit you. I'm not going to deny you food, or lock you in a broom closet. I am very upset and disappointed, but I love you."

He hadn't even realized he said it until she looked at him wide eyed, never having been told that before. "You love me?" She asked timidly.

After a moment of pause at the enormity of what he was saying, he nodded. "I love you, of course I love you, and I can love you and still be angry. You know what has been going on around here with Quirrell, but you specifically went out at night with no one else around but your friends. You put yourself in danger."

"I'm sorry," she cried, now feeling incredibly guilty, and launched herself at him with open arms. "I didn't even think about that, we were just trying to help."

"Tell me why." He insisted. "I promise I won't tell anyone else unless it poses a threat to a student's safety. Only me and Remus will know."

She glanced between the two of them teary eyed, before hanging her head and telling them the whole story about the dragon, Charlie, Ron's hand, and Zabini finding out. At the end of it she yawned big and nuzzled her head against Remus. Severus kissed her head before leaving to rummage through a drawer in his lab. He came back through. "I'll be right back," he told Remus. "I'm just going to give this to Madame Pomfrey, now that I know what bit him." Remus shooed him off with a smile.

When Severus came back through the Floo, Remus and Dove were both asleep on the couch- Dove's head on Remus' chest and his arm around her shoulder. Severus smiled and snapped a photo before joining them.

At first, the Gryffindors thought the hourglass must be mistaken. After all, how else could they have dropped a hundred and fifty points since last night? Slytherin did drop seventy, but that was no where near as bad. When it was heard that the precious Dove Potter and his friends lost the points, they didn't try to hide that they were talking about her. Ron and Draco stood by her, but Hermione distanced herself. For her and Neville it wasn't so bad, as they weren't as well known. In Quidditch practice, everyone referred to her as merely "the Seeker." Only Fred acknowledged her, and even that was mostly a sad look from across the distance.

Severus had no sympathy for her. The morning after what she called "The Dragon Incident" Severus announced to her that she was grounded. Remus snorted, but she was confused as to what that meant. Apparently 'grounded' meant that whenever she wasn't in class or at Quidditch practice, she was in Severus' chambers. He originally wanted to ban her from Quidditch as well, but Remus argued afterwards that it would be unfair to punish them for her behavior.

Dove was almost glad the exams were almost here. Severus allowed Ron, Draco, and Hermione into his chambers one hour every evening- provided they were studying. Either he or Remus were always supervising to be sure they weren't goofing off. She had resolved to stop meddling, as it had only gotten her into trouble. That is, until about a week before exams were due to start. She had stopped at the library in between classes, needing to get a book for Professor Binns class. On the next aisle over she heard Quirrell's trembling voice.

"No- no- please not again." She stepped closer before she could think to stop herself. "All right," she heard him sob. "All right." Then he straightened his smelly turban and walked away, not even noticing she was there.

Now she was confused. Should she mention this to Severus? Or just leave it be? She mentioned it to her friends during studying that night.

"We can't tell Uncle Sev," Draco argued. "He'd kill us for sure for knowing what we know."

"But we can't just leave things alone," Hermione said. "What if Quirrell goes after the Stone? It sounds like maybe he knows how to get past Fluffy."

"But he'd never be able to get past Dad's defenses, whatever they are. "He isn't smart enough."

"What's our next move then, Dove?" Ron asked.

"Nothing," she answered. "We've done enough."

The next morning Dove, Hermione, Draco, Zabini, and Neville each got identical slips of paper in Minerva's hand. It simply read: Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall. Dove had forgotten they still owed a detention on top of the slew of points they'd lost. She half expected Hermione to complain about a whole evening of studying, wasted. But she just folded the slip of paper and slipped it into her pocket.

At eleven o' clock that evening, Draco, Hermione and Dove trudged down to the Entrance Hall with Neville. Zabini was already there. Mr. Filch held up his lantern and motioned. "Follow me."

He taunted them on the way down. "I bet you'll think twice before you break anymore rules, won't you? Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well-oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

They could see a light on in Hagrid's hut and heard a shout. "Filch, is that you? Hurry up I want ter get started!"

Dove could have collapsed in relief, afraid of what their detention could be if Filch was so delighted. It must have shown on her face because he gave a nasty smile. "Oh, you think you'll be having fun? It's into the forest for you lot."

Neville let out a little moan and Zabini stopped in his tracks. "The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night. There's all sorts of things in there- werewolves, I heard."

Neville clutched the sleeve of Dove's robe and made a choking noise. She squeezed his hand comfortingly.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.

"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Dove, Draco, Hermione?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

Zabini now turned to Hagrid."I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Dove and Draco both were pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yehve got ter pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my mother knew I was doing this, she'd- "

" tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer mother'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on"'

Zabini didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.

"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment." He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" Zabini asked, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang," Zabini said quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. " So me, Dove, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Blaise, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer 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 black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Dove, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Zabini, Draco, Neville, and Fang took the right.

They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves. Dove saw that Hagrid looked very worried.

"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Dove asked.

"Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before." They walked past a mossy tree stump. Dove could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.

"You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, 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 Dove and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.

"I knew it, " he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."

"A werewolf?" Dove suggested.

"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."

They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.

"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself - I'm armed!"

And into the clearing came - was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Dove and Hermione's jaws dropped.

"Oh, it's you, Ronan," Hagrid said in relief. "How are yeh?" He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.

"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"

"Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Dove Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."

"We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.

"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"

"Erm -"

"A bit," said Hermione timidly.

"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight." Dove cocked her head to the side at this, remembering something Remus had said once. He happened to enjoy Astronomy and helped her with all her work. Mars . . . .

"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt - you seen anythin'?"

Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.

"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."

"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"

"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."

"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home, said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"

Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."

A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and -bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.

"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"

"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"

"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured - would yeh know anythin' about it?"

Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. "Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.

"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."

Dove and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.

"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."

"Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, a fair few... Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs... they know things... jus' don' let on much."

"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" Dove asked.

"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns - never heard anythin' like it before."

They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Dove kept looking nervously over her shoulder. She had the nasty feeling they were being watched. She was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.

"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"

"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"

They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.

"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.

"I don't care if Zabini has, but if something's got Draco- or Neville... it's our fault he's here in the first place."

The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Dov's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others?

At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Draco, Zabini, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Zabini, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks. Draco had then apparently tackled Zabini.

"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups - Neville, you stay with me, Draco an' Hermione, Dove, you go with Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Dove, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."

So Dove set off into the heart of the forest with Zabini and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Dove thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Dove could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.

"Look -" she murmured, holding out her arm to stop Zabini.

Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.

It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Dove had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves. She wanted to cry.

Dove had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made hers freeze where she stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered... Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Dove, Zabini, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.

"AAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Zabini let out a terrible scream and bolted - so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Dove, unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Dove. She couldn't move for fear.

Then a pain like she'd never felt before pierced her head; it was as though her scar were on fire. Half blinded, she staggered backward. She heard hooves behind her, galloping, and something jumped clean over Dove, charging at the figure.

The pain in Dove's head was so bad she fell to her knees. It took a minute or two to pass. When she looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over her, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.

"Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Dove to her feet.

"Yes - thank you - what was that?"

The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Dove, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Dove's forehead.

"You are the Potter girl," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time - especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way.

"My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Dove could clamber onto his back. There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.

"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"

"Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter girl. The quicker she leaves this forest, the better."

"What have you been telling her?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"

Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best, " he said in his gloomy voice.

Bane kicked his back legs in anger.

"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"

Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Dove shrieked and had to grab his shoulders to stay on.

"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."

And Firenze whisked around; with Doves clutching on as best she could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.

Dove didn't have a clue what was going on.

"I thought that was very noble of you," she told him. "Standing up to Bane like that. Why was he so angry? What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"

Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Dove to keep her head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Dove's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Dove thought Firenze didn't want to talk to her anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.

"Dove Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used -for?"

"No," Dove answered, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."

"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

Dove stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.

"But who'd be that desperate?" she wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, deaths better, isn't it?"

"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else - something that will bring you back to full strength and power - something that will mean you can never die. Ms. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course - the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who -"

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"

It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Dove's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, she seemed to hear once more what Severus had told her when they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."

"Do you mean," Dove croaked, "that was Vol-"

"Dove! Dove, are you all right?"

Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.

"I'm fine," Dove said, hardly knowing what she was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."

"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."

Dove slid off his back.

"Good luck, Dove Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."

He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Dove shivering behind him.

"Quirrell wants the stone for Voldemort" she told her friends the next day. "and Voldemort's waiting in the forest... and all this time we thought Quirrell just wanted to get rich or something..."

"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.

Dove wasn't listening.

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious... he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen... They must show that Voldemort's coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me... I suppose that's written in the stars as well."

"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.

"Calm down," Hermione said. "Who's the one person everyone always says scares You-Know-Who?"

"Dumbledore," Draco answered. "So as long as he's here you're safe. He can't touch you."

"Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

The night before, Severus and Remus both smothered her in worry, and vowed to watch after her even more closely. When she went to bed in the new room the castle made for her in Severus' chambers, she found her Invisibility cloak under the sheets with a note. 'Just in case.'