As disasters went, this was the worst.
Sitting in Professor McGonagall's office, all Harry could think about was how much trouble they were in. How could he have been so stupid as to have left the invisibility cloak? Why hadn't any of them, especially Hermione, who always seemed to remember everything remembered.
There had to be some kind of story, some kind of excuse that would get them out of this.
Hermione was pale and trembling. Harry suspected that she'd never been in any sort of trouble in her life. She looked as though she was going to spew into the professor's house plant.
Ron looked sick as well. His face had never been able to conceal any of his emotions, and the worry was palpable.
Steven, on the other hand didn't seem to be worried at all. He simply sat, looking at the books on the professor's shelves with interest.
A flash of anger struck Harry. Didn't he understand how important this was?
Hogwarts was everything to Harry. Hogwarts meant life away from the Dursleys...away from the cupboard under the stairs. It meant freedom, and a place where Harry was allowed to have friends, where he wasn't a freak.
It was more important to Harry than to the others. Hermione would do brilliantly no matter where she went. Ron...Ron could learn magic even if he had to be home schooled. Steven...
Steven didn't even really consider himself to be a wizard. In his mind, Hogwarts was just something to bide his time while he waited for his family to reawaken.
Being expelled probably didn't matter to him at all.
Leaning over, Steven put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. Her murmured something in a low voice.
Harry felt ashamed. It wasn't fair for him to take his anger at himself out on Steven. Steven was what he had always been. It was Harry's own fear talking.
The door slammed open, and Harry took a deep breath.
"I expected better," Professor McGonagall said. "From all of you."
She stared at Hermione and Steven for a long moment before continuing. "It's one o'clock in the morning. What were you doing in the astronomy tower?"
Hermione, normally the first to have an answer for any question didn't speak. She stared at her shoes.
None of the rest of them spoke either.
"I might have expected it from you, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasely. Your feud with Mr. Malfoy hasn't gone unnoticed. But you, Miss Granger...I would have thought you'd have had more sense than this."
"And you, Mr. Universe...I wouldn't have thought you'd have been involved in a deliberate attempt to harm another student."
Steven looked up, and they all glanced at each other, confused.
"You think I don't know...you fed Mr. Malfoy a ridiculous story about a dragon, hoping he'd be caught after curfew. I've already caught him."
She stared at the four of them. "I'm disappointed in all of you. It's fifty points from each of you from your respective houses."
Harry stared at her in horror.
"You can't..." he said.
"I think you'll find that I can...and it will be detentions for all of you as well." The Professor stared at them grimly. "I've never been so ashamed for Gryffindor."
She glanced at Steven. "I'm sure Professor Sprout will feel the same about Hufflepuff."
Losing the points had been a nightmare for all of them, Harry especially. He went from being the most popular member of his house, to the least. One hundred and fifty points from Gryffindor put them in dead last place.
The Hufflepuffs didn't turn away from Steven the way Harry's own house did him. Whether it was the legendary Hufflepuff loyalty, the fact that he'd saved the lives of everyone in his year, or the fact that the Hufflepuffs had never been in contention for the house cup anyway, no one seemed to shun Steven the way Harry, Ron and Hermione were shunned.
The Ravenclaws even seemed to like him better. Possibly because theirs was the only house not to lose points.
Despite his popularity, Steven continued to study with Hermione. Hermione, in turn had begun to study with all of them.
It was good for Ron's self esteem to have someone who struggled almost as much as he did in charms.
Steven was able to help them in turn in potions and herbology and astronomy.
Hermione mostly had to help Steven with writing, although he was slowly getting better, and charms. She had to help the rest of them with everything.
The weeks passed, and as exams approached, they finally got their note from Professor McGonagall.
It was time for their detentions.
"What we're about to do is dangerous," Hagrid said. "An I don't want anybody takin risks."
Harry glanced at the others; all of them, with the exception of Steven were pale. They'd all experienced what Hagrid thought was appropriate for the classroom. Something he thought was dangerous? They'd be lucky to get out with their lives.
Steven simply looked attentive.
Of course, he wasn't really in the same kind of danger the rest of them were in. He'd beaten a troll singlehandedly, and if he could do that, then he wouldn't have a lot to worry about.
Hagrid led them to the edge of the forest, lifting his lantern.
He crouched and pointed. "This silvery stuff is unicorn blood. Somewhere in the forest is a unicorn that 's bleedin and hurt. We have to find it."
He glanced at Steven. "I hear you've got some kind of healin magic."
"Healing spit," Steven said. "It doesn't always work."
He looked grimmer than Harry had ever seen him, except on the night the troll had attacked.
"Better hope it does," Hagrid said. "Or we might have to put the poor thing out of its misery."
"How did the unicorn get hurt?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Something in the forest has been hunting them. This is the second unicorn just this week. The last un I found was dead."
"And what if whatever has been hunting the unicorns finds us?" Draco asked.
"As long as yer with me or Fang nothin in the forest can hurt ya." Hagrid hesitated. "I hear Steven here can handle himself pretty well too."
"I can make a bubble that's pretty hard to get through," Steven said. He stepped back and gestured.
It almost looked like a rose blooming, but a moment later there was a bubble surrounding Steven.
Hagrid knocked at it with a fist and looked impressed.
Steven gestured and the bubble disappeared.
"We're gonna split up into two groups," Hagrid began.
Before he could finish his sentence, Draco said, "I'm in the group with Steven."
Harry scowled. Draco was just being a coward, and he'd likely take advantage of Steven. "I'm in too."
"I guess that leaves Hermione and Ron with me," Hagrid said. "You can take Fang with you. He's a coward, but he's got a good nose."
He hesitated.
"If ye find the unicorn, and do yer healing thing, be sure and don't get any of its blood in yer mouth. It's cursed."
In class, Harry had heard that Steven always looked bored, as though he'd rather be somewhere else. That wasn't true of herbology or any of the classes Steven liked, but the others it was true.
Even in Hogwarts he always looked as though part of him wasn't there. But here he seemed totally focused. He was in his element.
From the stories he'd told them and Hermione, this was essentially what he'd trained for with his aunts. They'd hunted members of their own kind who'd become monsters.
"If ye find the unicorn ye'll send up green sparks. If ye get in danger, ye'll send up red sparks. Let's practice."
They practiced dutifully, and then Hagrid left with Hermione and Ron.
Suddenly the trees seemed to loom over them. He glanced at Draco, and without a word they stepped closer together.
Steven glanced up, but then seemed totally focused on the trail of silvery blood in front of them.
He moved quickly, so much so that Harry and Draco had to hurry to catch up. The last thing that Harry wanted to do was to get lost in the forest alone. Even being with Draco wasn't much better.
They moved into the darker parts of the forest.
It was completely silent. Once, Harry had heard that the sounds of the forest only stopped when there was something there so dangerous that it scared all the animals.
As they stepped into the clearing, they saw the unicorn. It was beautiful, and it was dying.
A dark figure loomed over it; it was holding the unicorn's head down and it was drinking it's blood.
Harry couldn't move. He was frozen in fear. He could feel Draco trembling beside him. The figure looked up, and he felt a sharp pain in his head. It was blinding.
Although he couldn't see the figures face, he could see the silvery blood of the unicorn glowing on its mouth.
Through his pain he could see a sudden blinding light from beside him.
A rose colored shield appeared on Steven's arm, and Steven rushed forward, heedlessly into danger.