The First Year draws to a close; only three chapters remain. As I've no doubt said, it went by rather quickly - the upcoming years will most likely be longer.
Read, review, and feel free to point out any errors/inconsistencies.
The next chapter will be published the coming Saturday.
Harry Potter: A Flaw in Fate
The Serpentine Stone
VII. The Forbidden Forest
"You've gotten far better than I could have ever imagined." admitted Professor Baker as she gently ruffled Harry's messy hair, "I confess myself . . . impressed."
Harry smiled.
The coldness that came with winter had finally receded, replaced by the gentle sprinkles and showers of spring that rained down upon the Hogwarts grounds. To many, it was good news; although it was still a tad too wet for students to enjoy themselves outside, it was a sign that summer was on its way.
Harry wasn't nearly as thrilled. It was as though the school year had gone by in the blink of an eye; the arrival of June would prelude a swift return to Number four, Privet Drive, and there was absolutely nothing enjoyable about that.
Still, it was only March. There were still many months to go until the time to leave finally arrived.
"Something wrong?" asked Professor Baker, waving her wand. The many desks of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom shot back into place, as did the chairs that accompanied them. Harry watched as a large brown book soared past him, squeezing itself into a small shelf by his side.
"Er - yes, actually."
There wasn't a point, trying to hide it from her. Professor Baker always seemed to know when someone was lying - even Finnegan's plausible excuse of setting his homework alight hadn't gotten past her.
Besides, after all those lessons, she knows me too well to not notice anything.
"The school year is almost over." muttered Harry, "I'll have to go back to the Dursley's soon."
"Your muggle relatives?" asked Baker softly.
Harry nodded. Professor Baker studied him quietly, gently fixing his hair with a silent wave of her wand.
"Don't think about it." she whispered, "You are here now - that is what matters at the moment."
Harry nodded slowly, straightening his robes as he stood up.
"You're getting better." said Professor Baker after a short moment, "Much better. Your movements are sharper, your reflexes quicker. Your spell repertoire could be improved, even if it is impressive for your age."
Harry nodded again, staying silent. Professor Baker watched him in equal silence, her head tilted slightly to the side. Her long, thin fingers wrapped around a chocolate frog that sat upon her desk. She raised the hand to him, and the chocolate frog fell out of her hand and into his own.
"You'd better get to bed." said Baker at last, "Do you need me to come with you?"
Harry shook his head.
"Goodnight, Harry." she said as he departed from the classroom.
-(xXx)-
"When I get my hands on that git . . ." muttered Ron darkly, his palms balled into fists.
"Nevermind that." Hermione whispered back, "We'll have to continue as is. It's too late to turn back now."
It was the early evening of a wet, March day. Dull grey clouds hovered outside the windows of the hospital wing, slowly passing by as though they had all the time in the world - which, Neville supposed, they probably did.
"Hermione," began Ron, groaning as he moved to sit up, "My letter to Charlie was in that book! Malfoy has it now, he'll have read it! He'll know we're trying to get Norbert out tonight!"
"I know." whispered Hermione, shaking, "But we can't just not do anything. Hagrid's our friend, we've got to help him -"
"I know." said Ron glumly, "I just wish the bloody dragon hadn't bit me. At least that way I could join you two."
"Hagrid's sorry about that, by the way." muttered Neville, grinning slightly, "He reckons it was a love bite."
"See?" exclaimed Ron, throwing his hands up in the air, "Off his rocker, he is. Absolutely barmy. You've no idea how hard it was to convince Madam Pomfrey these were dog bites - I reckon she still doesn't believe me."
As if on cue, the matron nurse came storming into the room.
"Out!" she half-barked, "Out, now! Mr. Weasley needs rest - that dog happened to have rather venomous fangs, and a hot breath that nearly burnt Mr. Weasley's hand off."
"It was a very large dog." said Ron weakly. Madam Pomfrey seemed wholly unconvinced. The three Gryffindors watches as she made her way over to the door, motioning for Neville and Hermione to join her.
"We'll have to do it tonight." muttered Hermione quickly, leaning in closer, "We promised Hagrid, and it's too late to write to your brother Charlie not to come."
"W-we can take the long way." added Neville helpfully, "Malfoy might not expect us to do that."
"Right." said Ron eventually, nodding stiffly, "Just try not to get caught."
The pair nodded, slowly making their way out of the hospital wing.
-(xXx)-
"Diffindo!"
Harry watched with fascination as the armoured statue split cleanly into two.
Several nights had passed since Harry's lesson with Professor Baker, and her words of warning had yet to fade from his mind.
"Your spell repertoire could be improved, even if it is impressive for your age . . ."
It had been an off-handed remark, no doubt, but Harry had taken her words to heart.
But maybe not in the way she would've liked.
Harry jumped as his shoes clattered against the cold stone floors. He looked around wildly, his wand held aloft - but no one appeared, and not one person said a word. The portraits continued to snooze in their frames, and the ghost remained far from where he stood.
They'd better stay away. If Peeves caught me practicing magic around the school at night, Professor Baker would kill me.
A woman with bright blue eyes and long, chocolate brown hair swirled before the eye of his mind. Harry watched as her head shook from side to side, her eyes narrowed in disapproval.
I'm trying to get better. He reasoned within the confines of his mind, She wouldn't mind, would she?
Harry didn't think so. Professor Baker didn't strike him as someone who cared much about the rules he broke, so long as he didn't get hurt or in trouble. Neither were likely, especially considering the invisibility cloak that he had draped over himself.
Harry flicked idly through the pages of Emily's notebook. His eyes landed upon an incantation he had seen before, and curiosity suffused his features. It was a third year spell, if Harry remembered correctly - and a rather difficult one at that.
But the Cutting Curse is taught in the fourth year, and I managed that one alright.
Harry thought back to that night in his dormitory. He had stood by his bed, his wand held in his outstretched palm, and a blast of white light had flooded his vision. The battered book opposite him hadn't split cleanly, he supposed - but it had been a more than passable attempt.
Harry turned to both sides, looking around in a conspicuous manner. The staircase he stood upon was as devoid of life as it had been moments prior, as were the halls on either side.
Taking a deep breath, Harry removed his invisibility cloak, setting it gently upon the railing of the stairs. He bent over, picking up a pack of quills that must've fallen from someone's bag earlier on. He turned back to the staircase, dropped the pack over the rail and pointed his wand at it as quickly as he could.
"Immobulus!" he whispered.
Harry watched with fascination as the pack of quills slowed its descent. It fell gently to the floor with only a quiet thud betraying its fall.
"Brilliant." whispered Harry, his eyes still on the minute pack several floors below him.
"Brilliant indeed." croaked a rough voice from behind him.
Harry's eyes widened at once, his skin paling. He chanced a glance at his feet, wincing when he saw his invisibility cloak sprawled upon the floor.
"Well, well, well," whispered Filch snidely, "we are in trouble."
-(xXx)-
Professor Baker's going to kill me.
Filch cheerfully took him down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where he sat quietly, not daring to say a word. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how he was going to get out of trouble this time.
He was cornered.
How could he have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept him being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, especially not for the admittedly pathetic reason of wanting to practice his spellwork.
"Ouch - I'm coming, alright? You don't have to pull so hard -"
Harry's head turned sharply to the door. He recognized that voice - how could he not, especially when he had to hear it almost every single day, complaining about one thing or another?
Professor McGonagall stormed through the open door of her office, dragging an irritated Malfoy along with her by the ear. Following the pair were Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. The first was in tears, and though Hermione merely shivered from nerves, she looked about ready to join her timid friend.
"Unbelievable." Professor McGonagall muttered, her disbelieving eyes landing upon Harry, "Four students out in a single night. Explain yourselves."
It was likely the first time Hermione Granger had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.
"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall, "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble -"
"It wasn't some story, they've actually got a dragon!" yelled Malfoy in annoyance, "They've gotten rid of it, they got it from that oaf -"
"Silence." said Professor McGonagall dangerously, her eyes narrowed. Malfoy gulped audibly, falling silent at once.
"Now then," continued McGonagall, "I know why the three of you are out of bed -" she pointed at Hermione, Neville, and Malfoy, "but why, Mr. Potter, have you joined them. Surely you too did not fall for their crackpot theories, as Mr. Malfoy apparently has?"
"No, Professor." said Harry, trying hard not to grin as Malfoy clenched his teeth, "I just - well, I -"
"I found him with this, professor." Filch wheezed out, holding out Harry's invisibility cloak.
Hermione paled, her eyes switching between Harry and the cloak. Malfoy did much of the same, though he seemed more angered than anything. The chubby boy just behind him, however, didn't seem to notice; Neville stood with his head ducked, wiping a tear away from beneath his eye.
Professor McGonagall froze momentarily as she took the cloak from Filch's grasp. Slowly she turned to Harry. Her gaze softened by the slightest of fractions.
"And what, Mr. Potter, were you doing out after curfew?"
"I - er - well, I -" Harry stumbled out, twiddling his thumbs nervously underneath the table, "I just wanted to use - well, use that."
He pointed at the cloak that sat within Professor McGonagall's hands.
"You broke curfew simply to use this cloak?" Professor McGonagall repeated faintly.
Harry nodded , ignoring both the quick beating of his heart and the thin outline of the fascinating notebook tucked within his robes. Professor McGonagall watched him, then Hermione, then Neville and Malfoy before finally shaking her head in disbelief.
"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall, "Four students out of bed in one night! I haven't heard of such a thing in - well, in quite some time. You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. The same for you, Mr. Potter. All four of you will receive detentions - yes, you too, Mr. Malfoy, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous - and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."
"F-fifty?" questioned Neville, a horrified expression upon his face.
"Fifty points each." said Professor McGonagall, "Be grateful it isn't more."
"As for you two," she began, turning sharply to face Harry and Malfoy, "whilst I am not responsible for you, I can assure you that your head of house will be hearing about this. The both of you will join your peers in detention."
Harry nodded blankly, trying to ignore the shit-eating grin on Malfoy's face. He felt bad for the two Gryffindors - he certainly would have been willing to help Hagrid had he been asked.
"Get to bed." snapped Professor McGonagall finally, "And Potter, take your cloak - and remember that were it not a family heirloom, it would be confiscated for the rest of the year."
Harry nodded, taking the cloak from McGonagall.
Led by Filch, he and Malfoy returned to the Slytherin common room in silence.
-(xXx)-
'Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.
Professor McGonagall'
Harry sighed in annoyance, pocketing the note as he got up from the Slytherin table. He had finished his dinner, and he was not particularly in the mood to stay in the Great Hall any longer. Though he hadn't yet plucked up the courage to check, he could practically feel Professor Baker's disapproving gaze burning into the back of his head. He returned to his dormitory, where he sat in solitude for quite some time. Emerald orbs gazed through the window that separated him and the Great Lake. He watched the countless creatures that swam by, quietly eating what little food he had nicked from the Great Hall.
All too soon, it was eleven. Harry silently made his way into the common room and down into the entrance hall. Filch was already there - as were Hermione, Neville, and an irritable Malfoy.
"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.
"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them, "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 marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Harry silently wondered what their punishment was going to be. Perhaps it was something really horrible - Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted if it wasn't.
The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. A distant shout roughly pierced through the night.
"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."
Harry's heart rose; working with Hagrid wouldn't be bad at all - far from it.
"I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf?" snarled Filch, having seen Harry's reaction, "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."
At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.
"The forest?" Malfoy repeated faintly, "We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard."
"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 a 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, Harry, Hermione, Neville?"
"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid." said Filch coolly, "They're here to be punished, after all."
"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch, "Bin lecturin' 'em, 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.
Malfoy turned to Hagrid at once.
"I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Harry was 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 yeh've 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 father knew I was doing this, he'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 father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on."
Malfoy 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, Hagrid pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A gentle breeze tickled the back of their necks as they gazed upon 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 w-what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, 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, 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," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.
"Alright, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid, "So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, 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 Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right.
"That can't have been a good idea, pairing Malfoy and Neville together." muttered Harry under his breath. Hermione turned to him, nodding slowly as the pair walked rapidly to keep up with Hagrid's lumbering form.
"Why were you out at night?" question Hermione eventually, "I know you said you wanted to use your cloak, but you must've had that cloak for a while now."
"I was practicing magic." admitted Harry quietly, "It's not much better of a reason, though."
Hermione's head shot up. The fear that dominated her expression receded slightly.
"You're quite good at magic." she said earnestly, "I've always wondered how you got the hang of things so quickly. It's impressive, you know."
Harry shrugged.
"I could say the same about your essays."
Hermione beamed at him. Her smile faded quickly though, and the knowledge of just where they were sank back into both of their minds.
"Everythin' all right, you two?" 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 Harry 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 passing over dead leaves nearby, the sound of a cloak trailing along the ground giving them away. 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."
"Was that a person?" squeaked Hermione.
"I think so." Harry whispered back, "But what would a person want with a unicorn? You could probably ask Ollivander for a horn if you really wanted one."
"You couldn't ask for unicorn blood." muttered Hermione, "It'd keep your body alive even if you were an inch away from death. It's used to keep flesh from deteriorating."
Not that I can think of anyone at Hogwarts that's about to die.
They walked more slowly, their ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.
"Who's there?" Hagrid called, "Show yerself - I'm armed!"
Harry's jaw dropped as what appeared to be a mix between a man and a horse stepped out into the clearing. To the waist he was a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail.
"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief, "How are yeh?"
"Good evening to you, Hagrid," replied Ronan in 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 Harry 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?"
"Er -"
"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."
"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too, "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn that's 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 irritably, "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, one black-haired 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."
Harry 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."
The trio walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that they were being watched.
They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.
"Hagrid, look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"
Sure enough, a shower of bright red sparks could be seen just above the trees. The sound of fireworks blasted against Harry's eardrums.
"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 dunno." admitted Harry, "It's hard to tell with those two. I wouldn't be surprised if it's all just Malfoy being a git."
The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual; Harry's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig.
At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, unsurprisingly, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.
"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 an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."
So Harry set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy 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.
Harry thought the unicorn blood seemed to be getting thicker as well. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.
Harry and Malfoy froze at once, the former clasping his hand around Fang's mouth.
Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer. It was the unicorn they had been searching for, and it was dead. Harry 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.
Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered . . . then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure edged closer, its cloak billowing in the wind.
Although it was hard to see from the lack of light, Harry was certain it was a woman. Her body was curved, her figure dainty - it could not possibly have been a man. Her pitch black robes obscured her face from view.
Harry, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn before sinking to her knees and reaching a hand into her robes. She removed a small, glass phial from within before leaning forward -
"AAAAAAAARGH!"
"Malfoy, you bloody idiot!" Harry swore, his voice flooded with anger and panic - but it was too late. The hooded figure turned towards them, looking directly at Harry.
There was a flash of red light and Malfoy fell to the ground. Fang ran off at once, barking all the while. Harry tried to follow, but simply couldn't. He stood, transfixed, watching as the woman came closer and closer -
"AAAAAAAARGH!"
It was Harry that screamed this time, his hand shooting up to meet his forehead. His scar felt like it was on fire - it hurt like nothing Harry had ever experienced before.
Harry staggered backwards, still clutching his head. He didn't know what to do - the figure was coming closer and closer -
"Diffindo!" Harry roared, his wand pointed at the hooded figure.
Slash.
The figure hunched over in pain. Harry saw a few drops of blood drop from the woman's arm, painting the earthen soil beneath her red.
There was another flash of red light before Harry crumpled to the ground, unmoving.
-(xXx)-
"- saved by a centaur!" moaned Malfoy, "A centaur! When my father hears about this -"
"He'll be awfully pleased, I'm sure." muttered Harry angrily, "Because if that centaur hadn't saved you, I'd have handed you to the cloaked woman myself."
It was the early hours of the following morning, and the sun still had yet to rise. The two Slytherins, along with Hermione, Neville, and Hagrid all sat within the latter's hut, with Fang lying fast asleep on the floor beside them.
"Yeh sure yeh didn't recognize 'er then, Harry?" asked Hagrid once more.
"I couldn't see her." repeated Harry, "She was wearing robes, it was hard to tell what was going on. She noticed us the moment Malfoy screamed."
Malfoy's eyes narrowed in annoyance as Neville and Hermione snorted into their tea.
"Firenze said the clearin' was empty when he arrived, 'cept for the two o' yeh an' Fang." said Hagrid.
"F-Firenze?" stuttered Neville, looking up from his tea, "He was the one we saw earlier, w-wasn't he?"
Longbottom turned to Malfoy, who only glared in response. Harry ignored the both of them, facing Hagrid.
"She must've left." agreed Harry, "I think I might've landed a spell on her, but I dunno how much it did."
"Can't have done much." muttered Hagrid, "I dunno any firs' year spells that can do much."
Harry, Malfoy, Hermione, and Neville made their way up the Hogwarts steps with Hagrid an hour later, all four of them exhausted beyond belief. Harry was beyond grateful it was a Saturday. The moment he returned to his dormitory he sank into his four-poster bed and fell fast asleep.
