Silvery blood dripping from its mouth, the hooded figure froze as it noticed Steven charging toward it. It stepped back, a wand in its hand.
Harry was still frozen, crippled by the pain in his head and fear, but Steven was moving quickly; much more quickly than he should have been able to move given his weight.
"Avada..." the voice began in a gutteral tone.
Steven threw his shield, knocking the figure backward. The shield disappeared.
The wand was still in its hand, and it pointed it directly at Steven. "Avada Kedavra!"
Green light shot from the wand, but Steven stepped aside just in time to avoid the beam. He didn't stop, moving forward inexorably.
Given his strength, the odds were that the the fight would be over the moment he got his hands on the hooded wizard. Apparently the wizard knew this too, because a moment before Steven would have reached him, there was a flash of...something, and the figure disappeared.
Steven stopped and looked around, cautious. For a moment Harry wondered what he was looking for before he remembered his own invisibility cloak. Turning invisible would be the perfect opportunity for the wizard to shoot Steven in the back.
The pain in Harry's head was gone, though.
"I think he's gone," Harry said, finally able to speak again.
Steven looked around a moment more, then his eyes settled on the unicorn. His face twisted and he ran to the unicorn, dropping to his knees.
"Please work, please work, please work..."
Steven continued muttering even as he spit repeatedly into the unicorn's wounds. He was careful not to get it's blood on his hands, although his jeans were becoming soaked in it.
Harry finally found himself able to move and he moved quickly to stand behind Steven. He put his hand on his shoulder. If it didn't work, he knew how upset his friend would be.
He heard the sound of hooves from behind him.
Looking up, he saw a creature with the body of a hand atop the body of a horse.
It aimed a bow at the two of them. "What is he doing?"
For a moment Harry was confused. It took him a moment to realize that it probably looked disrespectful, spitting on the body of a dead unicorn.
"He's trying to help," Harry said, stepping back and turning to face the larger creature.
The centaur stared at him and slowly lowered his bow.
It wasn't until he felt the breath on his shoulder that Harry realized that something had changed. Slowly he turned.
It was right behind him, so white that it made the moon seem pale and dark. It's hooves were golden and it's breath was surprisingly sweet.
The horn looked surprisingly sharp, so Harry took a cautious step back.
Steven was still kneeling, his hand on its flank. It turned it's head to look at him, and there was something in its expression...he'd always heard they were dumb beasts, but right now it almost seemed as though there were stars in its eyes.
"It's going to be all right, girl," Steven said, his voice calming. He slowly stood, his hand never leaving the unicorn's side. He stroked it gently.
"You need to be more careful. The woods are dangerous."
The creature didn't speak, although Harry wouldn't have been surprised if it did.
"Harry, Steven...are you boys all right?"
Hagrid's voice seemed to break the spell and the unicorn bolted away. It was so quick that after a moment it almost seemed as though it was a dream. A flash and it was gone.
"That was well done, youngling," the centaur said.
"Was that a unicorn? Hermione asked, her face flushed. She stared off into the darkness.
Harry mutely nodded.
"Where's Draco and Fang?" Hagrid asked.
Harry looked around and he was surprised to see them gone. Apparently they'd left after the hooded figure had shown up.
"I think they ran off while I was fighting the unicorn killer," Steven said. He stared off in the distance where the unicorn had run. He seemed to stand a little straighter than he had in a long time.
Two other centaurs joined the first, quietly. They stared at Steven.
"The first of the four new comets," the first one said to the third. "Or is it five? It is difficult to tell."
"Kids, this is Bane, Ronan and Firenze."
"Hello," Harry said.
One of the centaurs looked at him and sniffed. "Your story has been written in the sky since the beginning."
"Will the comets change the course of the planets?" the third centaur asked.
"More likely the planets will alter the comets," the second said, still staring at Steven, "But it is a new world."
Steven stared at Harry, who shrugged helplessly. A glance at Hagrid showed that he didn't know any more than they did.
"We'll collect Draco and Fang," Hagrid said. "And then it's back to the castle to get you cleaned up."
"I smell garlic," Steven said quietly.
It had taken them almost an hour to find Draco white and trembling, up in a tree. Somehow Fang had managed to find a branch up with him, although Harry couldn't understand how he could have possibly gotten up there.
"That green light?" Steven asked quietly.
"That was the killing curse," Harry said. "Like what killed my parents."
Hagrid had told them about the curse on those who drank unicorn blood; cursed to a half-life. The only one Harry could possibly conceive of who might be willing to risk that would be someone who had even less of a life.
"I think that was Voldemort," he said.
Steven shook his head. "I smelled garlic. I'm pretty sure it was Quirrel...or maybe a wizard from Italy. If we see somebody who really likes pizza we'll know."
"So Ron is on the list of suspects?" Harry asked. Truthfully he wasn't sure Ron even knew what pizza was; his knowledge of muggle life was almost non-existant. However, he was sure if Ron discovered pizza he'd like it.
Harry himself had only ever had cold half eaten pizza he'd stolen from the trash. He could only imagine what it would taste like hot.
"If it's Quirrel, then Snape knows about it," Harry said. "I overheard him warning him off."
"Do you think the headmaster knows?" Hermione asked. She'd been walking quietly behind them.
"No way!" Ron said. He'd been making fun of Draco for being a coward. "The greasy git would never tell Dumbledore."
"I don't know," Harry said. "But I'm pretty sure it's not Snape. I can see him using the blood for some kind of potion ingredient, but no way would he just drink it like a vampire."
"He looks like a vampire," Ron said.
"The gems could look like anybody they wanted," Steven said. "Just because you look like something doesn't mean that's what you are."
"Snape's not stupid," Harry said, warming to the idea. "If he needed the blood, he'd just use it to make a potion that would work even better than the blood, without the curse."
Hagrid was in front of them, talking in heated tones with Draco, who was loudly protesting.
"I can't wait until tomorrow," Ron said. "I'm gonna let the whole school know just how much of a cowardly git Draco is."
"You weren't there," Harry said sharply.
He remembered having frozen in place, being unable to move. As much as he tried to tell himself that it had been the pain, he knew that it had simply been fear. He'd have to do better.
Even running away would have been better than freezing, as far as he was concerned. If he'd been alone, he had no doubt that Voldemort, or Quirrel or the evil Italian wizard...whoever it was would have killed him.
Some savior of wizardkind he was turning out to be.
Steven glanced at him, concerned. He started walking slower so that Ron and Hermione passed them.
"It's not easy the first time," he said. "It gets better."
"I just froze up," Harry said, his voice low.
"People do that," Steven said. "Your brain just kind of seizes up and doesn't know what to do. That's why soldiers train so much...so when their brain freezes up they can keep doing what they have to."
"Did you freeze up the first time?"
"Not the first time," Steven said. "I just messed that one up royally. There was another time though...there was this death trap and Garnet had to carry me out I froze so bad."
"You made it look easy," Harry said.
"Keep your mind on what you're trying to accomplish," Steven said. "Worry about the rest of it later."
Harry nodded slowly. He'd do better next time.
He might not feel like the savior of the wizarding world, but the least he could do was be able to think on his feet.
If Voldemort was really trying to return, it was the only way he was going to be able to survive.