Harry approached Draco, in their dormitory. He explained about how Hagrid was keeping a pet dragon, and neglecting his groundskeeper duties to care for the dragon, and how the dragon was getting too big.
He also told him about how he and Ron had begged him to let Ron write his dragon-trainer-brother, whose friends were now going to pick Norbert up and take him to Romania, but he and Ron had to meet them on the astronomy tower. "We have to go tonight, but Ron's in the hospital wing and I don't want to go by myself."
"Why doesn't Hagrid do it?"
"Because he's too big to fit under my invisibility cloak. Anyway, could you come with me?"
"Sure," Draco said. A late night adventure sounded fun, although it also sounded like Hagrid was even more of a loser then he thought.
There was something different about Harry's invisibility cloak then Astra's (Hers was to cover herself, on full moon nights, after closing the curtains around her bed.) It almost seemed like it made you completely invisible.
After lugging the crate up the stairs, meeting Charlie's friends and watching the Norbert be flown away, they started heading down the stairs.
"Wait," Draco said. "We forgot your cloak."
Draco rushed back up the stairs. He grabbed it, ran back downstairs, and found Harry and Filch.
Filch took them to Professor McGonagall's study. They sat there, and silently waited.
When Professor McGonagall appeared, she looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert, as she towered over the two of them.
"I would never have believed it of either of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."
Draco and Harry looked at each other, but didn't speak, and then looked back at Professor McGonagall. Draco wanted to tell on Hagrid, but he feared he'd betray Harry if he did.
"You're not even going to try. Well I guess that doesn't matter because nothing gives you two the right to wonder around the castle at night. Both of you will receive detentions, and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."
"Fifty?" Harry gasped.
"Fifty points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long nose.
"Professor — please," Draco said.
"You can't —" Harry said.
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, both of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students. Oh, and Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this."
Draco hoped desperately that Astra wouldn't notice on the hourglass, in the great hall, that recorded all the points. She didn't normally pay attention to it, but she did when she saw everyone else looking at it, during breakfast, and some were whispering about the famous Harry Potter losing points.
"Draco," Astra asked, pointing to the hourglass, "how did that happen?"
Draco paused, and looked at Astra. "Astra, Harry, could we eat out in the hallway today?" He looked at Harry. "We have some explaining to do."
Astra nodded, and so did Harry. They started to take their plates and get up.
"Can I bring Ron?" Harry asked.
"Sure," Draco said. "Maybe Hermione should come too."
Hermione jumped up at that comment.
The five first-years, and Starbeam, went out into the hallway and sat down on the floor.
Draco started. "The important thing is, it's over now, it wasn't very dangerous, and nobody got hurt."
Draco and Harry followed Flitch. Draco thought it was absurd that they were getting punished by having to go out at night, for sneaking out at night. He didn't say anything about that though.
"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started." Hagrid shouted, from a distance.
Harry looked relieved.
"I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf?" Filch said. "Well, think again, boy — it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."
Draco stopped dead in his tracks. "The forest?" he said, scared. "We can't go in there at night — there's all sorts of monsters in there."
"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them monsters before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"
Hagrid and Fang came striding toward them out of the dark. "Abou' time," Hagrid said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Draco?"
"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.
Draco turned to Hagrid. "I'm not going in that forest," he said.
"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely.
"We were helping you get rid of the dragon."
"I didn't want to get rid of the dragon."
"You should have. It bit Ron."
"That's only because Ron scared him."
"This is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something."
"I'll 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."
Draco looked at Hagrid furiously, but soon 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.
"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?" Draco 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 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."
"So I'll go one way an' Draco, an' Harry'll go the other."
"We get Fang," said Draco quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.
"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid.
Draco, Harry, and Fang had walked for a long time, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick.
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. They could see a clearing ahead, through tangled tree branches.
"Look —" Harry murmured, holding out his arm to stop Draco.
Draco saw that something bright white was gleaming on the ground.
They inched closer. It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. 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.
Harry had taken one step toward it, while Draco stayed back, there was a strange sound and Harry froze.
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.
Harry, Draco 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.
The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry — unicorn blood was dribbling down its front.
It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry — who seemed as frozen with fear as Draco.
Harry sudden tipped his head back and then staggered backward, as though in pain.
The sound of hooves came up behind them, galloping, and something jumped clean over Draco and Harry, charging at the figure.
Harry fell to his knees. It took a minute or two to pass.
The centaur scared the figure away. He then looked at Harry, then at Draco, and then back at Harry. He stepped closer to Harry. "Are you all right?" he asked, pulling Harry to his feet.
"Yes — thank you — what was that?"
The centaur didn't answer. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar, on Harry's forehead.
"You are the Potter boy," he said. He then looked to Draco. "You two better get back to Hagrid." He looked at Harry. "The forest is not safe at this time — especially for you. Can you boys ride? It will be quicker this way. My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself onto his front legs.
Harry clambered onto his back.
Draco approached the centaur, and then looked around. "Fang," he called. There was a moment of silence. "Did Fang ditch us?" Draco asked.
"I guess so," said Harry, as Draco climbed on.
They rode on Firenze for a long time. Eventually, he stopped.
"Boys, do you know what unicorn blood is used -for?"
"No," said Harry, startled.
"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."
"Then why would anybody do it?" asked Draco.
"If 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," Firenze replied. "Boys, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"
"No," Harry said.
"The Sorcerer's Stone," Firenze said.
"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?" Firenze said.