The Trial:

The Great Hall, Hogwarts (Sep-2-1994)

Miles Bletchley had always prided himself on being a good duellist. He had had a good teacher. His father had made sure of that. And Bletchley was no slacker either. He had worked hard at duelling, more than he had ever done at Quidditch. The result was that he was considered the best duellist in his class. Being a seventh-year meant he was supposed to be the best duellist in his house. And Bletchley had every intention of living up to those expectations. This was it. This was his chance to make a name for himself. He was facing the famous Harry Potter in front of everyone from Hogwarts. If he won, the Slytherins would never let anyone forget about this duel and he would undoubtedly qualify for the Triwizard Duelling tournament. His eyes wandered over to the part of the crowd that contained the Slytherins. At the forefront stood his girlfriend, with a Triwizard scarf tied around her narrow hips. She flashed him a lascivious smile, a smile filled with promise. Bletchley turned to face his opponent. This sucker in front of him was going down today.

"BEGIN!"

All duellists knew that the first person to cast a spell, offensive or defensive, would have the advantage. It was one of the first lessons you learnt. But Harry hadn't been trained to think like a duellist. He didn't believe in hitting first, he believed in hitting hard. And so, he waited to see what his opponent's first move would be. He saw that Bletchley's wand was glowing blue and a few seconds later, so did the hand holding the wand. Harry had no idea what that spell was, but it didn't seem to be an offensive one. Harry didn't move a muscle. Outside the dome, he could hear whispers. Some in the crowd were even wondering if the match had started. But Harry just continued to wait.

Bletchley's next spell got the duel started. "Immobulus." The spell aimed for Harry's midriff was blocked with a simple shield charm and bounced off harmlessly. Harry yawned. There were titters from the crowd. Bletchley didn't let any of that bother him. He was already in the process of casting his next spell, a bluish-white shield-breaker, followed by "Incarcerous". A shield breaker was usually a concentrated bolt of energy sent with the intention of destroying protective enchantments. The stronger the caster, the stronger the effect of the spell. Bletchley's shield-breaker managed to break Harry's shield charm and his next spell, which was a cluster of black ropes spanning a wide area, flew at him. For a moment, it seemed Harry would be subdued early. But the moment only lasted a moment. Harry slashed the air, "Diffindo dua". Invisible blades of air from Harry's wand sliced through the ropes and headed towards Bletchley who had to throw himself out of the way. He had no chance of blocking or dodging Harry's next spell. "Expelliarmus".

The disarming spell hit Bletchley squarely in the face. Bletchley was thrown behind and managed to just stop himself from falling off the platform. Harry looked upwards, expecting to see Bletchley's wand spinning towards him. But it was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, it hit Harry-the blue light at the beginning of the duel. He could've kicked himself. He should have recognised the gripping charm right then. A gripping charm usually wore off after a few minutes or if the charm was strained to its limit. This meant Harry either had to wait or hit Bletchley with a couple more disarming spells to actually disarm him.

At the very edge of the platform, Bletchley was getting to his feet slowly, clutching his wand. While Harry's spell hadn't had the desired effect, it had certainly disoriented him. Not being able to move without incurring the risk of falling off the platform, Bletchley cast the most powerful shield jinx he knew, trying to buy some time while his head cleared. Outside of the platform, the Gryffindors were making a lot of noise and the Slytherins weren't slacking either.

"So much for duelling" thought Harry "Time to fight." He closed his eyes and cast around for a memory and finally settled on his usual one. He was eight and trying to fight off Dudley and Malcolm as they tried to dunk his head into the toilet. It wasn't fear he had felt, as they had hoped. It was revulsion and sheer anger at his inability to fight back. He had never forgotten that incident and he could feel the anger build up inside him again at the memory. He didn't fight it, but let it build and channelled it. The whole process took him less than five seconds. When he opened his eyes, for the briefest moment before he cast the spell, they betrayed the anger he had felt. He pointed his wand directly at Bletchley and roared "Corleonis Conquasso". The next few seconds were by far the most memorable of the day.

A powerful beam of red light erupted from his wand and hovered in front of Harry, solidifying into the shape of a magnificent lion's head, complete with a mane. There were "ooohs" and "aaahs" from the crowd below. Daphne, who had always prided herself on being knowledgeable in offensive spells couldn't even recognise it. She craned her neck to get a better look, a show of interest from the Ice queen that was not missed by Tracy. None of the students seemed to know what the spell was. It was a different story at the judge's table however. Snape's mouth, which had been set in a firm snarl throughout the duel, had fallen slightly open. McGonagall and Flitwick simply looked on in amazement, not daring to believe that a fourteen-year old could pull off the most powerful Shield-breaker in existence.

It took all of three seconds for the lion's head to finish forming and as soon as it was complete, it streaked directly towards Bletchley and with an ear-splitting roar that reverberated throughout the hall, shattered his shield into pieces. And it didn't stop there. The spell kept going and slammed into Bletchley's midriff with tremendous force sending him flying off the platform and into the crowd of Slytherins behind him. The spell itself crashed into the barrier with another resounding roar causing those closer to it to jump back. But the barrier held its ground and Harrys spell turned to magnificent crimson sparkles as it dissipated. The roar had silenced the entire hall and everyone waited in silence for Moody to rule. There was still a lingering doubt if the spell was legal. The Gryffindors needn't have feared though. Moody gave a short blast on his whistle and pointed his right hand at Harry, indicating victory. Then the pandemonium broke out in earnest. The Gryffindors were beside themselves with elation. Not only had Harry defeated one of the best duellists in Slytherin, but he had done it using the sigil of Gryffindor.

The rest of the evening seemed somewhat tame after that. Only three other duels stood out after Harry's. Susan Bones put up a brave fight before eventually succumbing to the experience of Cedric Diggory. Malfoy, despite going up against Roger Davies, managed to pull through by the skin of his teeth. Although there were other talented duellists, their opponents were too weak for a comprehensive duel. The last bout of the night however was evenly matched. Luna Lovegood and Cho Chang went all out in the only duel of the day that lasted the entire five minutes. At the end, neither could walk properly, but they both left the platform to resounding applause.

As they walked back to the Gryffindor tower, Ron couldn't help reliving all the good duels. To Harry's surprise, Hermione seemed quite eager to discuss the subject. "That was some spell you used Harry." Hermione said, looking at him slightly in awe. "I've never even read about a spell like that. What was it?"

Harry yawned and skipped past the sinking step in the staircase. He could feel the exertions of the day taking their toll on him. His four-poster bed, only a couple of staircase and a corridor away seemed to be calling to him. "It's the most powerful Shield-breaker there is. If you cast it with enough force, it can break through almost any shield. Dumbledore said that only a handful of people have ever mastered it." He paused for a moment. "It's like the patronus, but not at all like one if you get that sort of a thing. I have a long way to go before I can master it."

Ron looked shocked, "You mean that wasn't the complete spell. What more can it do?"

They had reached the portrait of the Fat lady. "Password?"

"Balderdash"

Harry was just about explain the spell in detail when he heard people calling out his name. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Colin and Dennis Creevy making a beeline for him. There were others right behind. And the absence of Fred and George meant only one thing. He groaned inwardly, thinking sleep may not be an option for several more hours.

Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts (Sep-3-1994)

"Harry! Harry, wake up. We have to be at the Quidditch pitch in less than an hour. Harry, come onnn… " Harry opened his eyes reluctantly to see Ron shaking him awake. He couldn't believe it was morning already. He felt like he had just gone to bed.

Ron sat back on his four-poster bed. He had already changed into his robes and was looking at him with bloodshot eyes. Harry suppressed a yawn with difficulty and looked around. They were alone in the room. Dean, Seamus and Neville had clearly gone down for breakfast. Harry looked out of the window and was met by the sun. It had stopped raining and the sun was shining brightly.

"Good flying conditions, isn't it?" Ron commented from his bed. Now that he was properly awake, Harry noticed that Ron was wearing the same robes as the day before. "C'mon mate, let's get going. If we leave now, we can grab a bite to eat at the Hall before going to the Quidditch pitch."

"Yeah, just give me a minute." Harry answered, stretching himself. "Did you sleep last night Ron?"

"Couldn't. I know you're supposed to get enough sleep before Quidditch and everything, but it just wouldn't come."

Harry nodded understandingly and began getting ready for the day ahead. He was not looking forward to the tryouts. His body did not feel rested at all.

"Hey Harry."

"Hmm"

"I was thinking last night, if we get selected for the Hogwarts team, we're going to become….well…really famous aren't we? I mean, you already are, but….."

Harry looked at Ron with concern. He had clearly been awake all night thinking about what it would feel like to be chosen for the team. "Like I told you yesterday Ron, one step at a time. Let's just go out there and do our best. The most important thing is that we have no regrets afterwards."

Ron nodded and smiled. "Yeah, that's true."

Great Hall, Hogwarts (Sep-3-1994)

Harry dropped into an empty seat opposite Hermione, while Ron took the one next to her. He smiled brightly at her. "Good morning Hermione."

Hermione, who had her nose buried in The Daily Prophet looked up. "Good morning. You two look like you didn't get enough sleep last night."

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep." Ron said. Harry just shrugged. "Did Hedwig come back?"

"Sorry Harry, I didn't see her. Why? Who's letter are you expecting?"

Harry just shook his head. "Nah, I was just asking." Hermione looked up from the Prophet and Ron from the cereal he had just started eating.

"What?" Harry asked a little defensively.

"Nothing" answered Hermione. "It's just that you usually tell us when you write to…you know…Snuffles." Ron simply nodded and went back to his cereal.

"Oh yeah" muttered Harry, running a hand through his hair. "That reminds me, I have to write to him too." He felt slightly guilty. He was probably Sirius' only correspondent. Harry made a mental note to write to him after the try out.

Hermione heard him and looked a little surprised. "Who exactly did you send Hedwig to anyway? It's not like you know a lot of people on the outside Harry."

Harry was just wondering about how sometimes Hermione's inquisitiveness tended to backfire when Ron came to his rescue. "Let it go, Hermione. If he wants to tell us, he will. Harry mate, you really should eat something, you know."

Harry nodded. He was glad he didn't have to tell Hermione and Ron about writing to Fleur and Jasmin. For whatever reason, he felt like he wanted to keep that to himself. He looked around and saw that the Hogwarts breakfast was up to its usual standards, both in term of variety and quality. Everything from the sausages to the eggs and toast looked delicious. But he had no appetite for anything, just a dull weight in his stomach. Harry couldn't understand this. He had experienced nerves before. It was a part of being a Quidditch player. But this was nothing like that.

As Harry sat there contemplating this new feeling he was experiencing, he didn't notice Ginny take the seat next to him. This was the closest she had come to him voluntarily. Once again, both Ron and Hermione looked up in surprise. She ignored them both and addressed Harry, "Hey Harry, did you hear? We don't have our tryouts today."

That got Harry's attention. "What? Why not?"

"Apparently, only the beater prospects have to go today." Ginny turned to Ron. "The keeper tryouts is tomorrow, chasers on Thursday and seekers on Friday. I just came by to let you know. Bye." She waved, caught Harry's eye, blushed only slightly and left.

Harry looked at Ron, who had a bewildered expression and a spoon of cereal halfway between the bowl and his mouth. "Do you think she was serious?" he asked.

"Must be." Hermione answered going back to her morning news.

As it turned out, she was right. Slowly, the news filtered into the Hall that only the beater tryouts were to be held that day. Not that it seemed to make much of a difference for anyone. Everyone just finished their breakfast and headed for the Quidditch pitch anyway. Harry yawned widely. He was glad. His lack of hunger, however, persisted. He didn't get that at all. If it had been nerves, he should have been fine by now. Harry supposed his stomach hadn't heard the news yet and chuckled dryly.

Hermione folded her paper and put it down suddenly. "Harry, do you want to take a walk by the lake." She had gone pink and sounded breathless, almost unlike herself. "It's just that…erm…the weather is really nice. We can go and watch the beater tryouts later if you want."

"Yeah, I don't mind." It wasn't Harry, but Ron who answered. He drank the last of the milk from the bowl and put it down, wiping his mouth. He didn't catch the dismayed expression on Hermione's face. "You coming, mate?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah, I feel odd. I think I'll go back to bed. See you to at lunch." He waved and left quickly. As he made his way up the main staircase, it struck Harry that perhaps the reason he felt so odd was because of the lack of reply from Fleur and Jasmin. But that seemed like such a silly thought, he immediately put it out of his mind. It wasn't until he was in bed and hovering between consciousness and sleep that it occurred to him that it may not have been such a foolish thought after all.

Hogwarts, (Sep-3-1994)

The walk to Hagrids hut was rather uneventful except for Harry thoroughly enjoying everyone bustling around busily. He had to admit though; Dumbledore was using the best workforce possible. Most of the students, even those whose tasks were menial, were looking around as though their contribution was the sole purpose that the tournament was taking place. As he neared the main door, Harry caught sight of Hermione, Ginny and a couple of other students helping Prof. Flitwick enchant the suits of armour and teach them to walk, talk and do a few basic tasks. He had suppress the urge to stay behind and watch when a knight armour with its visor down bodily lifted a visibly excited Prof. Flitwick and started walking around with him in its arms.

As he neared he hut, he saw the large form of Fang sitting outside the doorway with his head sadly resting on his paws, tail singed with a little smoke still coming out. Wondering what on earth Hagrid had unearthed this time, Harry stepped through the door to find Hagrid leaning over a huge crate that was making exploding noises. Shaking his head with the mental acceptance that only comes from having known Hagrid a long time, he went up to the crate and peered in just as Hagrid noticed him. "Whaddya think 'arry? I was gonna show you on firs' day of class. Thought we'd make a lil project of raising them dis year."

Harry saw what could only have been the ugliest looking hatchlings he'd seen in his life. With no discernible heads and looking like a cross between crabs and scorpions, they climbed over one another blindly with their many legs moving frantically in search of freedom. As he watched, one of them exploded lightly on what Harry supposed was the tail end and went surging forward knocking down and causing chaos among its brethren and even more scramble.

"Happy lil fellas, aren' they?" Hagrid blustered over them looking proud as though he birthed them himself.

Harry only had one thought in mind. "Hagrid." He waited for him to look at him. "I'm not here to take care of them, am I?"

Hagrid laughed uproariously and hugged him tight, crushing many bones Harry thought. "Can't wait eh? Nah 'arry. It's a project for the 'ole class. Can't let you hog it, even if you are my favourite student. Boy, its good to see you." He added winking at him. "No no. Dumbledore has something special planned fer you. And I don' mean just fer today. He said he wanted to give you some responsibility throughout this tournament. Something he said only you're capable of."

Harry looked at him puzzled. "Really? What sort of responsibility? Why didn't he say anything himself?" But he caught himself. Yes. He had said something. Something to the effect of giving him missions anyway.

Hagrid looked happy to provide him with the missing links. "You see, in all dis confusion with so many people comin, we had to divide security between the aurors and the school. Now Professor Dumbledore was supposed to be the only person kept an eye on everything'. But since he'll have other things ter do and…" Here he stopped and looked at Harry with a stern look that Harry knew was fake. "…since you know the castle, the grounds and the forest better than anyone, he figured you were better off doing it."

Harry looked at him confused. "Excuse me what? I'm in charge of security? How the heck am I supposed to tell aurors what to do and where to go. I don't know…"

Hagrid was already raising his hand to placate him. "No no no kid. Ye got it all wrong. Moody is in charge of the castle security and some auror from the ministry is in charge of their people who are mainly here to protect the guests." He drew himself up proudly. "And I'm in charge of the grounds."

"Hagrid….You're the groundskeeper. It has been your job all along."

He looked even happier at that. "Jus goes to show how much Dumbledore trusts in us eh 'arry?"

"So, if I'm not in charge, what am I doing?"

Hagrid looked confused now. "He said you had a tool that would let you keep an eye on everyone 'arry. That you'd know what it is. And that if you thought something is wrong or something is about to go wrong, you can tell us what ter do. He even said that he'll get the aurors to agree since they'll at least listen ter Moody."

Harrys mouth had formed an 'O'. Of course, the Marauders Map would be invaluable this year. And of course Dumbledore would ask him to keep an eye on it. But he hadn't expected to be given this much of a say in the castles security. But would he have time to keep pulling out the map to look for intruders in what was quickly going to become a very crowded castle? He decided to leave that question for later. Hagrid was still talking.

"Dumbledore did ask me to ask a favour of you today though. Something he said only you can do." Hagrids look contained a little bit of pride now. "The third task in the tournament is always like a Gauntlet 'arry. I'm sure you've heard." He hadn't. But he nodded. "Well anyway, the ministry was okay with holding it on the Quidditch field or the castle grounds but I don think I can prepare the field in time if der are gonna be Quidditch matches and we can't jus use any part of the grounds." He took a deep breath and came closer. "So now we're trying to hold it in the forest. It's got plenty of room an…"

"You're crazy. And this is a bad idea." There was no doubt in his voice when he said it. He was perhaps the only soul to have explored the forest more than Hagrid, which was saying something since Hagrid had spent most of his life in the forest and on the grounds. But Harry had ventured deeper, seen more and was a far wiser.

Hagrid looked unperturbed. "He tol' me you'd say that kid. But it ain't all bad. It won't be too deep in and I'll take care of preparing the arena. We jus need to…."

"Hagrid." Harry had a serious look in his eye now. "There are things living in there that I'm sure you have no idea how dangerous they are. It's a bad idea." He repeated.

But it seemed Dumbledore had made up his mind, which in turn seemed to have made Hagrid confident. "Look 'arry. No one will even go in there except for the night of the task. And all the aurors and professors will be der, won' they?"

"Trust me Hagrid. Wild beasts won't care. To them, food is food."

Hagrid was looking out of the window. "The sun will start setting soon. We better get movin 'arry. You may be right about the forest, but we gotta atleast try. And Dumbledore figured just where it might be safe to hold the Third task. Half-Peak."

The name stirred some memories. Harry remembered the rugged terrain and the smell of the river that flowed through the mountain. He knew which place Dumbledore had in mind. The large open area underneath Half-Peak that was big enough to house two Hogwarts. But all that came to his mind later. His first thoughts he put into words. "It'll never happen. That's right in the heart of Centaur territory. And they'd fight a war with us before letting us set foot on their soil."

"We know that too kid. Which brings us ter what you gotta do today." Hagrid seemed like he was bracing himself. "The only time I've ever seen a centaurs respect a human and talk ter a human like an equal was when I saw you, Firenze and Zico last year. Dumbledore figured you might be able to help in coming to some kind of agreement with the Centaurs." He had already flung his massive leather coat over his huge frame and picked up his umbrella. "Well kid? Think you can help?"

The Forbidden Forest (Sep 3, 1994)

Fang was big, almost as clumsy as Hagrid. And he had a very bad tendency to get in the way when Harry least wanted him too. But there were three things Harry really liked about Fang. He was a smart dog who knew to follow the simple voice commands Harry gave, he had quite the nose on him, especially for trouble and Fang was the only other soul that knew the forest as well as he did. Fang spent his nights outside the hut like any faithful guard dog. And whenever Harry entered the forest, would tag along for an adventure forgetting his primary duties. The result was that when Harry whistled as they came to a fork in path, Fang knew from the whistle Harry gave to take the left one. Harry had let Fang take the lead and set the pace as he followed behind noiselessly with Hagrid bringing up the rear. His senses weren't at their sharpest. This was the edge of the forest. Nothing that could give him trouble would come there. He was more concerned with the task that lay ahead. And if it was such a good idea after all?

The idea had merit, he couldn't deny. But he was still more concerned about the forest and its inhabitants. If the centaurs agreed, and that was a near impossible if in itself, then there was a chance nothing untowardly would happen. After all, the centaur clan was one of the three great powers in the forest and Half-Peak was right in the middle of their territory. But that brought his thoughts to the centaurs themselves. His last recollection of them was not among one of his favourite memories.

It had been a dark night only a few months ago. The elation of setting Sirius had died down a little and the combination of Lupins resignation and the impending prospect of returning to the Dursley's was weighing on his mind. But the night before last, he was going to have one more adventure. He had tracked the centaurs to the very center of their territory and caught sight of their hamlet. He'd wanted to investigate up close but the conditions hadn't been right. But today he would give it a go. Well after everyone had slept, he'd slipped out with his trusty companions for rule-breaking- His Cloak, his Map and his Wand.

While he didn't need any cover with the cloak, Harry was deeply appreciative of the darkness that had crept in as he came within sight of the hamlet. Everything seemed quite with the patrols having passed by not moments past. This was the chance. He had no clear goal in sight. But he was deeply curious of the centaur and their ways and wanted to watch them up close. As he entered the hamlet, he couldn't help the shiver that went down his spine. He had always found centaurs weird, all of them weird in their own way. What always made him feel uneasy was that there was truth to the fact they were smarter than humans.

He went to the very first hut made out of some kind of wood and animal leather. The smell of incense was everywhere. Harry went to the window and peeked only to find it empty but for a few torches that provided light. He moved from hut to hut, keeping well away from the campfire that burned in the centre of the village, cloak clutched tight around him. He had to admit it was a bit disappointing. They seemed to lead very simple lives after all. Most huts contained nothing but pots and pans, some herbs and in a couple, bows, arrows and swords. Not exactly what he had expected from what he considered an advanced civilization. The Centaur Chiefs shack dominated a fourth of the village. It had an elongated shape to it with lots of activity going on inside it seemed. Wanting to take a closer look, Harry had crept closer. In his hurry, he had made the mistake of knocking over a water container. It might not have mattered at all had the circumstances been any different. Harry made sure no one had noticed anything untoward and made a beeline for the shack.

But on that night, the Cheifs eldest son had stood guard. Zico heard the noise and came to check. And he was smart enough to know what the small dry spot on the wet patch and the two sets of feet leading away meant. A human had intruded upon their territory for the first time in living history. Heart pounding with the thought of whether this was a plot to assassinate the chief or if it was a declaration of war by humans, he looked in the direction of the shack. Once again, his sharpened senses made the difference when he put his nose to the air and sniffed. He might not have normally noticed it. But he knew who he was looking for and in which direction. The scent of a human came floating to him, enabling him to pinpoint Harrys location without him realising.

Harry, on the other hand was engrossed by what was happening inside the shack. There were centaurs everywhere of all shapes and sizes. It was also his first time seeing female centaurs who he hadn't thought existed until then. He watched as a lovely red-haired foal with brownish hind parts danced what he could only assume was some kind of tap dance. The movements looked very co-ordinated considering there were four hooves flying. Next to her he recognized the familiar form of Firenze who seemed to be staring intently at a female centaur with dark hair that fell down in locks who was staring back at him with just as much intensity. Not a word was being said though. If he didn't know better, he'd have said they were having a conversation with their eyes. There was so much heat in that moment that Harry couldn't take his eyes off the scene, until it was too late.

He didn't know which reacted first. His hearing, his peripheral vision or his instinct, but he saw the downward slash that came from behind him late. Late enough to know he couldn't fully dodge it. He threw himself sideways with arms tucked to his side, hoping for the best. It was only then he caught sight of his attacker and his weapon. Zico stood at close to seven feet tall with a head full of dark hair and brandishing a greenish-brown trident that was just as tall as him. The attack that both individuals expected to cause damage…did not. Zico had swung full force at his attacker who he assumed was invisible. But the trident instead of tearing through Harry's cloak like it would any other cloth, bounced off it and went right through the window. The force of the blow however could not be parried completely and sent Harry rolling on the ground. By the time he got up, his cloak was in disarray and Zico was already charging at him at full speed. The commotion had also been enough to draw the attention of the entire hamlet.

Harry decided this was looking bad. He had to retreat immediately so no more trouble was caused. Of course, all he had to do was rearrange his cloak enough to cover him completely and get out of sight. But Zico never gave him an opening. With sharp, accurate thrusts he made it impossible for Harry to do anything but dodge. Harry saw other centaurs coming into view. Bad. The wand came to his arms quickly. He knew it'd be considered an unforgivable crime by the centaurs but as long as his identity wasn't found out he could get away by using magic. But for anything to happen, Zico had to be stopped. This much he realised instinctively and fired a stunner directly at Zicos chest. It found its mark.

Harry stopped moving and looked down to see which parts of him were visible. The trident came flying just as quickly as before. He had to pull back so fast the cloak came off completely. What? How? The stunner had barely slowed the centaur who was coming at him again with powerful, precise moments, this time his target almost visible. At this point, Harry decided there was no place for half measures. Without a moments hesitation he waited for a full powered swing to miss him and fired two quick stunners directly at Zicos face, followed by an Incarcerous spell. He barely caught a glimpse of Zico struggling form, collapsing to the ground with ropes binding him as he caught hold of the cloak and turned to flee.

Harry thought he ran into a tree. But it wasn't. It was just the Centaur Chief. He towered over Harry who was knocked back, amazed to see someone had come up on him from behind so fast. His tussle with Zico could not have taken more than a few seconds. Up close, he realized this was the fiercest face he had ever seen, certainly someone who was no stranger to battle. Numerous scars adorned his face while his dark hair was worn back in long, flowing braids. His arms looked to be the size of Harrys thighs and he wore what looked like armour made from a bear. The pelt adorned his back and covered his head giving him a grizzly look indeed. He carried a huge long sword in its sheath, its handle made of dragon bone.

Harry fully expected him to go for it and unleash a lethal swing. His uneasiness and anticipation already primed to the maximum, he clutched the wand tighter. But nothing happened. The Centaur Chief just stood there coldly surveying him, unmoving and menacing. The silence stretched on. Harry hadn't realised up until now but the whole herd had gathered already. They were surrounded and the two of them were the centre of attention and the circle. Zico was the only one out of place as he cut himself free from the ropes that bound him, a few feet behind Harry. As soon as he was free, he charged again with a mighty roar. He was not used to being bested by an opponent. But the voice that thundered over his roar stopped him. "ZICO" It was the Centaur chief. "You failed to subdue your opponent. Get back in line." Zico protested- "Father, I…" But a look stern look was all he got in return and it was enough to silence him. Once again, the silence stretched on.

Harry was in a dilemma now. This was unprecedented for him. He was the one in the wrong place and his enemies weren't attacking him for him to defend himself. For the briefest moment, he considered making something explode to give him enough time to escape. But for one, there were too many of them and if they were all anything like Zico, they'd certainly be too much for him to handle. Harry decided it was time for some honesty. He took a step closer to the Centaur Chief and up close realized the only sign of age on him was his forehead. Harry had never seen that many wrinkles on any other Centaur. He took a deep breath. "Look. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult any of you. I just wanted to see the centaur village."

The cold look on the Chiefs face never wavered. "So you admit to your crime then?"

"Crime?"

"Trespassing in our village and sacred grounds without permission."

Harry gulped. Yes. He was guilty of that and he had been caught red-handed. It was his own fault. The freedom the Invisibility cloak granted him had made him complacent. "Yeah. I did."

"Very well then. In accordance with our customs, you shall be executed at dawn tomorrow." The Chief looked past him. "Take the prisoner to the hole to await his sentence."

Harry felt the two centaurs coming up behind him. He had to do something. He couldn't be executed over something as silly as trespassing. But his body wouldn't move. He could figure out why. The Chief's presence, the cold way in which he carried himself and the way in which he had carried out his judgement had put him in a funk. He really had to do something or he was going to be executed. Harry saw the glint of the invisibility cloak just to his right. Could he reach it? He was just about to make a move when he heard a familiar voice. Firenze had come out, the dark-haired female centaur right behind him. "Chief. I must protest. That boy is Harry Potter and the heavens will not like his life coming to an untimely end."

Normally, when his name was said aloud in a crowded place, it would cause mutters and whisperings. But the infernal silence persisted, although Harry could definitely see glints of recognition in many of the faces. The Chief remained unmoved. "Don't presume to preach me on the ways of the heavens boy. You're a hundred years too young."

The two centaurs that came up behind Harry bodily lifted him and started carrying him away. Zico picked up the Invisibility cloak and started examining it, his face a mixture of awe and unbound curiosity. This was it, Harry realized, as he saw the despairing face of Firenze, his sole friend in this place who had told him so many stories about the centaurs, had filled his mind with curiosity and who would probably forever blame himself if something happened to him. That's when it came floating to Harry. Among their many interactions…hadn't Firenze mentioned something about their way of life, etc., It wasn't ideal…but under the circumstances, it was his best chance. With a will, he wrenched himself free of his captors, his wand still tightly clutched in his hand. "WAIT." The silence was restored. "It seems you are intent on trying me under your Centaur customs. Then I agree. I want a trial."

There were titters in the crowd. Harry could just make out Bane's voice- "Listen to this human…talking like he knows our ways."

The Chief looked straight into Harry's eyes. He noticed what most people never did, the burning inferno underneath. "A trial?"

Harry pulled himself up to his full height in front of the Chief, which was still nothing compared to the centaur towering over him. "That's right. A trial by combat."

Whisperings and mutterings broke out this time. A trial by combat? Did the human know what he was asking for? But the two squaring off in the centre had eyes for no one else. With a fluid motion that Harry wouldn't have expected of a centaur and speed that made him dread what was coming, the Chief pulled out his long sword. Its ebony blade glinted in the moonlight. "If you choose to fight, you will be fighting me." It was not a threat. A mere statement of facts. Harry stepped back two steps and pulled out his wand. "I'm well aware, Chief Zatarra."

The circle of onlookers immediately widened to give the combatants space. All the blood rushed to Harry's head. This was it. He needed to focus. No one else mattered but the one in front of him. Yes, he knew his name. Yes, he knew a little of what he was capable of. But the real thing…he also knew it'd be nothing like what he had heard. Harry was the one with the range advantage. But it didn't seem to matter to the centaurs who were naturally gifted with speed and agility. Zatarra charged forward, his sword already swinging in a wide arc that would definitely have severed Harrys head had he been there. But Harry had already thrown himself out of the way and shot a bunch of ropes at Zatarras hind legs hoping to restrict his movement. Zatarra tumbled a little and with neat precision, cut off the ropes that bound his legs with a swipe of his sword. If anything, Harry had got an extra two seconds.

Harry fired spells one after another straight at Zatarra. "Accio sword" was useless, Body-binds and jinxes did nothing and stunners barely slowed him. However, Zatarra was much better with his ebony long sword than Zico was with his trident. Barely a minute into the fight, the result seemed clear to those present. Harry's knee had buckled, the numerous cuts he had received bleeding profusely. But he managed to stand up.

Zatarra looked like he was calmly going in for the kill. But the true story was different. He was wary. Even though he was the one attacking, he couldn't shake off the feeling he was the one being cornered. He was in the prime of his life and considered to be the best warrior his race had seen in decades. But he could feel the shortness of breath creeping up on him slowly and his movements definitely felt slower to him. He was still far from tired, but the boy was pressing him harder than he expected and he couldn't let the fight continue for much longer.

He hoped this attack would be his last. Putting the power of his massive hands behind the sword, Zatarra thrust forward with amazing speed and accuracy. It was aimed right for Harry's heart. But much to his chagrin, Harry was still able to keep up his dodging, and he had baited him perfectly. This time, the thrust had left him open enough. Harry's wand was pointed right at his face- "rictumsempra". A spell that was more or less effective depending on the distance. Zatarra felt his jaw crack and was knocked back like he had run head first into a wall. There were gasps from the onlookers. It had been a while since they saw their chief take a clean hit, especially from such a bloodied opponent.

Through the disorientation and the stinging pain in his jaw which he ignored, Zatarra saw it. The kid had set him up perfectly. Made him think he was weak with stunners and body-binds. Zatarra had enough knowledge of magic to know what they were. And he knew enough to know what the spell heading towards him was. Bluish silver and shaped like a spear, it was nothing less than pure lightning in concentrated form. And it was aimed straight for his chest.

No one in the crowd was surer than Harry the fight was over. No one could have been more wrong. With a roar, Zatarra lifted his long sword well above his head. The ebony blade glowed yellow and when he slashed down, out came a clean yellow blade of magic that clashed with the spear in mid-air. The resulting noise and explosion sent the birds all around flying into the air. The entire herd was watching in awe. Zico couldn't believe his father had been pressed this far after so many years.

The smoke cleared to reveal the two combatants still facing each other, one panting more than the other. Harry had to admit, Zatarra was much stronger than Firenze than Firenze had told him. "Guess what kid? " He looked up. The sword was still glowing. "I can fight with magic too."

Harry didn't know what happened. But something sparked somewhere. He was tired of being pushed around. For the first time, he charged ahead. To Zatarra, it seemed a reckless charge. Why? Why would the kid lose it now after holding his own so well for so long? The first spell from his wand missed completely. The second shot was just as wild. This was it. Harry had come within striking distance for Zatarra even without magic. He preferred close range combat too. He thrust forward again, this time sure Harry would be impaled by his own wild movements. But the weight he felt at the edge of the sword, when it came, was much lighter. He just saw the flash of Harry's sneakers on his blade and for the second time that day, he felt a boulder crashing into his jaw. Only this time it was Harry's knee which made his front legs buckle and for the first time in the match, Harry stared down at his opponent. The emerald green eyes were blazing- "Guess what old man? I can fight without magic too."

A/N: Yeah…It's been a while. And yes. Very short chapter. Hopefully I get to make it up to you guys much sooner next time.

These are some changes I've made in this world. Forbidden Forest is bigger with a wider range of inhabitants. Centaurs don't care if you're a kid or not and oh yeah, they're sorta cooler this way I feel..