A/N: Hi everyone, sorry it's been so long. Hope you all enjoy the Creature Hunt :)

Sunday, 13th February 1972

'Don't worry, Pete,' Remus said as they descended the stairs to classroom 12c. 'We're going to be fine.'

James draped his arm around Peter's shoulders. 'Yeah, you did great in the test last week.'

'But that was just pretend. I knew I couldn't be hurt,' Peter whispered. 'This is real. What if I freeze up and get eaten?' He shuddered. 'What if we run into the acromantula?'

Sirius chuckled. 'I doubt there's really an acromantula in the Forest. It's just a rumour. But if we did, we'd fight it, obviously.'

'We won't leave you, Pete. Friends don't abandon each other to save themselves,' Remus said.

James nodded. 'Especially us. We're the Marauders.'

'Okay,' Peter said, smiling a little. 'I trust you guys.'

'So you should,' James said with a firm nod as they arrived outside the classroom. 'We're a team. The Marauders are forever.'

James really seemed to believe that. He truly considered their friendship to be indestructible, but Remus wasn't so sure. Right now, they were all caught up in their own lives, but that wouldn't last. Eventually, they would start to take notice of his frequent absences. And when that happened, it wouldn't be long until they spotted the pattern. Would the revelation that there was a monster in their midst be the thing that finally tore them apart? He couldn't keep it from them forever.

It would be painful to lose them. Maybe even more painful than his monthly torture. Physical pain was something he was used to, the lycanthropy didn't allow him not to be, but the emotional pain of loss was different. It was so infrequent in his life. He'd been young when his dad first rejected him, and it felt like it had always been that way. It still stung, but it wasn't excruciating. Losing the Marauders, though. That would be unbearable.

He fiddled with his necklace, the symbol of their friendship, as he followed the others inside. The room had been returned to normal, no sign of the arena remained, and there were roughly thirty groups of competitors waiting to begin. They ranged from first-year to seventh, but a few that had attended the practice lessons weren't present. Either they had chickened out at the last minute, or they never intended to take part in the first place, merely taking advantage of the extra tuition. Fifteen of the oldest students were milling about up on the stage. Possibly there to escort them down to the Forest. Remus was interested in finding out how they planned to get them all there without being spotted.

'The competition looks tough,' Sirius said. Remus followed his gaze to a team of Gryffindor seventh years on the other side of the room. They were tall and muscled, and they looked beyond confident.

'They might be bigger than us and know more spells,' Remus said. 'But we're here to spot things, not fight them. When they go stomping through the Forest, they'll scare everything away.'

'Actually, we're here to talk to the centaurs, and find a mooncalf den,' James said. He ran his hand through his hair, messing it up. 'I can't believe I'm saying this, but the competition is secondary.'

Sirius frowned at James. 'Secondary?' he hissed. 'It's a competition, James! Fame and glory, etcetera…'

'I know,' James said, keeping his voice low so they wouldn't be overheard. 'Believe me, I know. But the potion is more important.'

Sirius sighed. 'I guess.'

'You never know, we might find what we need and still win the competition,' Remus said. 'I mean, we are brilliant.'

James and Sirius visibly perked up at his words, and he chuckled internally. They were so easy to cheer up sometimes. All it took was a little poke to their egos.

'Yeah, we are,' James said, pumping his fist in the air.

'Attention, hunters!'

The shout drew the attention of everyone in the room to the stage. Standing in the centre, wearing muggle hunting outfits, the Chiefs of Raucous Revelry were patiently waiting for everyone to stop talking.

'Welcome to the 347th Hogwarts Annual Super Secret Creature Hunt. We hope you all got plenty of sleep last night because you're going to need your wits about you if you want to survive the Hunt,' Chief number one said.

'And we hope you had a decent breakfast because you'll be expending a lot of energy today,' Chief number two added with a laugh.

'Running, screaming, fighting for your life. Really takes it out of you,' Chief number one said, nodding.

Peter was shaking with fear next to him. Remus coughed quietly, and Sirius glanced his way. He nodded to Peter, and Sirius frowned before putting his hand on Peter's back. Leaning close, he whispered to him, and Peter relaxed, smiling up at Sirius in thanks.

'Over the next hour, you'll be escorted down to your team's starting point by our volunteers,' Chief number two said, waving his hand to indicate the seventh-years on the stage. 'Once there, you'll be given a list of creatures. The list is enchanted. It will know if you tick something that you haven't seen, and you will be disqualified for cheating. So be sure you saw what you think you saw before you tick.'

Chief number one nodded his agreement. 'The competition starts at ten o'clock. Do not leave your designated starting point until that time, or again, you will be disqualified.'

The volunteers started calling out team names and disillusioning the students for the trip into the Forest. They seemed to be doing it in reverse age order, taking the older students down first, and the Marauders were one of the last teams to leave. The seventh-year that called for the Magical-Mischief-Makers introduced herself as Lisa, and she disillusioned them before leading them downstairs, across the grounds and a short way into the Forest.

'You have ten minutes until you can start,' she said, handing a scroll to James. 'Don't leave this area before then. The Hunt ends at four, and the Chiefs will be setting off fireworks, so if you're not sure which way the castle is, keep a lookout for them.'

Remus and his friends all nodded and thanked her. Lisa waved goodbye and wished them luck before disappearing through the trees, leaving them alone.

James held up the parchment. 'Do you think we're allowed to open this before ten?'

Sirius shrugged. 'No one said we couldn't.'

James broke the seal, unrolled the scroll and held it out in front of him so everyone could see.

Hogwarts Annual Super Secret Creature Hunt

Don't tick them off unless you're sure!

XX Creatures - Easy - 1 point each

Augery

Bowtruckle

Clabbert

Fairy

Grindylow

Imp

Jobberknoll

Mooncalf

Porlock

XXX Creatures - Medium - 2 Points each

Bundimun

Doxy

Dugbog

Hippogriff

Jarvey

Knarl

Kneazle

Moke

Niffler

XXXX Creatures - Hard - 5 Points each

Centaur

Phoenix

Thestral

Forest troll

Unicorn

XXXXX Creatures - Dangerous - 10 Points each

Acromantula

Werewolf

All creatures on the list are confirmed as present in the Forbidden Forest.

Good luck!

'Guys,' Peter said, looking up from the parchment and sounding nervous. 'This says there's definitely an acromantula in here.'

Sirius put an arm around Peter's shoulders and squeezed. 'Don't worry, mate. We'll protect you.'

Despite his bravado, Remus detected a hint of anxiety behind Sirius' facade. It was present in the creases at the corners of his eyes and the slight twitch of his fingers as he gazed into the shadows between the trees. Was it the acromantula that worried him, or something else? The forest trolls, perhaps, or the hippogriffs. Remus himself was quite concerned by the last creature on the list. There would indeed be a werewolf in the Forbidden Forest that day, but how did the Chiefs know?

'You alright there, Remus?' Sirius' voice broke through his panic. 'You should probably get your wand out.'

Remus blinked and looked around. His friends were holding their wands in a defensive stance, eyes flicking between him and the surrounding trees.

'Sorry. Got lost in my head for a minute,' Remus said, reaching around to the holster on his right hip and pulling out his wand.

The four of them positioned themselves back to back, each guarding a different direction, as they waited for the time to tick around to ten o'clock. Remus scanned the trees in front of him for any sign of movement. He ignored the rest of the Forest, trusting his friends to protect his back and sides from any threats, and focused his attention on his assigned section. There was nothing. Not a rustle, nor a squeak. Not even a flutter of wings. The Forest was still.

'It's time,' Sirius said, breaking the silence. 'Who wants to pick a direction?'

'We came in that way,' James said, pointing in the direction Peter had been guarding. He turned 180 degrees. 'So, we should go this way. Further in. I reckon the centaurs will live deep inside.'

Remus nodded. 'I agree. They're likely near the centre. But keep watch for water, too. They'll want a convenient supply.'

Sirius led the way, with James close on his heels. Peter was right behind them, and Remus took up the rear, helping Peter to feel safer while also making sure no one stumbled into his back; he didn't want a repeat of the Quidditch match fiasco. They trudged through the undergrowth for several minutes, scanning the trees and listening hard. No one spoke for fear of drawing attention to themselves, and the silence was eerie. The woodland beside Remus' home teemed with life. It was never quiet. His instincts were screaming at him that the lack of noise from the wildlife meant danger, and his heart picked up its pace, sending blood to his muscles, preparing his body to fight or flee.

'Did you hear that?' James suddenly whispered, stopping dead in his tracks.

They all stopped moving and strained their ears to listen. From up ahead, there came a soft scuffling sound followed by a gentle snort.

'Well, it's not an acromantula,' James said, giving Peter a reassuring pat. 'Come on.'

They crept forward, keeping low to the ground, and peeked through the bushes. Up ahead there were two pens, one much bigger than the other. They had shiny metal fences, and the air above the small one shimmered, suggesting a magical barrier of some type. Four hippogriffs were curled up inside it, sleeping, but the bigger pen was empty.

'Hagrid's?' James suggested, nodding towards the hippogriffs. 'But why's the other one empty?'

Sirius shook his head, staring at the empty space with wide eyes. 'Not empty. It's full of thestrals.'

'Really?' James asked with excitement. 'Might as well get that tail hair now then.'

Sirius stared at James for a second, with his hands clenched into fists. Then he swallowed and jerked his head in a nod. Remus saw the exact moment that Sirius retreated into his fake-self; the persona he reserved for times when he was afraid or unsure. His chin went up, and his spine straightened. And the shutters came down over his eyes. Remus hated those shutters, hiding the true Sirius from view. His eyes no longer twinkled with mischief and humour but were dull and lifeless.

'Back me up,' Sirius said, striding out from the cover of the bushes. Remus, James and Peter hurried after him as Sirius marched towards the enormous pen. His steps slowed as he got closer, betraying the fear he was trying so hard to conceal. Remus said nothing, knowing Sirius would hate that any of them had noticed he was scared. But he moved closer, hoping his presence would help.

'They're all staring at me,' Sirius said. 'But they're too far away to reach. I'll have to go in.'

'You said they pull the carriages, right?' James asked. Sirius nodded, and James continued, 'Well, they can't be dangerous then, can they?'

Sirius shrugged. 'Not usually, no. But who knows how they'll react to me yanking out a few hairs.'

'Pick a small one?' Peter suggested.

Sirius chuckled. 'Or perhaps the biggest? So I can have a quick death?'

'We won't let them hurt you, mate,' James said.

'I appreciate that James, I do. But the problem is, none of you can even see them.'

'No, but we can see if you're being attacked, and we can fire at the air around you.'

'Which means I have to be hurt before you can protect me,' Sirius said, raising an eyebrow at James.

Remus shrugged his bag off his shoulder and rummaged inside. 'I have an idea.' He pulled out the box he'd packed at breakfast and opened it. 'That book I read over Christmas said thestrals eat meat. Maybe we can distract one with these.' He pulled out a handful of sausages and waved them at the others.

Peter groaned. 'But that was supposed to be our lunch.'

Sirius had glanced over at Remus' words but quickly returned his attention to the pen. 'That got their attention,' he said, holding out his hand to Remus. 'Some of them are walking over. Hand me the sausages.'

James stepped in between them and took the food from Remus. 'Maybe we should feed them. You need to get the hairs, and you can't do both.'

'Good point,' Sirius said, letting his hand fall back to his side.

James handed two sausages each to Remus and Peter, keeping two for himself, and the three of them approached the fence. Sirius watched for a moment before joining them at the barrier a little way down and climbing over.

Remus held his first sausage out, holding on to the very end loosely. He didn't want to lose his fingers. A moment passed, and he held his breath, waiting. Sirius looked very odd, moving in a half-crouch around what appeared to be empty space. If he wasn't so nervous, he might have laughed at the spectacle. Then his sausage was yanked sharply out of his hand, and he jumped. Peter let out a squeak next to him, and he turned his head to see his offering had also vanished.

'Feed that one again, Remus. I'm in position,' Sirius said.

That one? Remus had no idea which one Sirius was referring to. Still, he held out the second sausage in line with where Sirius was standing with his hand outstretched, pinching the empty air. The sausage vanished again and, at the same moment, Sirius jerked his arm back and sprinted towards the fence, vaulting it in one jump and collapsing to the floor on the other side.

'Bottle?' he asked in between panting for breath. Remus held out an empty potion bottle, and Sirius deposited the invisible hairs inside.

Peter took the bottle and labelled it. 'Don't want one of us to think it's empty and accidentally use it.'

'Good thinking,' James said, patting Peter on the shoulder before turning his attention to Sirius. 'You did great, Sirius. You good?'

'Yeah,' Sirius said with a nod. 'I know I ran, but I don't think they were chasing.'

'That's lucky,' Remus said. 'Because I don't think there's anything stopping them from leaving this pen.'

Sirius looked up and frowned. 'And you're only mentioning this now?'

Remus opened his mouth to respond that the issue had only just occurred to him, but before he could get the words out, he was interrupted by a squeal from James.

'Oy! That's mine, you thieving little fluff ball!'

Remus looked around to see James running after a small furry animal.

'The little bastard stole my Crest,' James yelled. 'Catch it!'

Remus glanced back at Sirius and found him grinning. With the danger past, the mischievous glint had returned to his eyes, and Remus couldn't keep from smiling back.

Sirius jumped to his feet and pulled out his wand before joining the chase. 'Don't catch it, James. Stun it!'

'Right, yeah. Good idea,' James yelled back. He pulled out his own wand and fired a stunner at the niffler, which was dodging through the undergrowth ahead of him. The jet of red light missed by a foot.

'Terrible aim, Jamesie boy,' Sirius said. 'Maybe that niffler deserves the Crest more than you.'

'Shut up!' James shouted over his shoulder. 'I'd like to see you do better.'

Sirius jumped a fallen log, and Remus followed with a sense of déjà vu. The scene was jarringly reminiscent of the nightmare-dream he'd had a few weeks previously. Racing through the Forest with Sirius at his side and dodging obstacles. James and Peter hadn't been in the dream, though, so it wasn't exactly the same. Sirius shot his own stupefying charm at the niffler, and Remus followed suit. They both missed, and the chase continued.

Peter was falling further and further behind the longer they ran. So, Remus slowed down a little, attempting to keep both Peter and Sirius in view. Getting separated would be a disaster.

'Just stay still, would you? Stupefy!' James' voice called out from up ahead. 'Aha! Now you're cornered. Stupefy! Got you, you little bugger.'

Remus rounded the corner and found James and Sirius stood over the niffler on the edge of a marshy bog. James bent down and pulled his Marauders' Crest from the creature's tiny paws before refastening it around his neck.

'You're going to revive him, right?' Sirius said. 'We can't just leave the little fella stunned. He might get eaten.'

James rubbed his chin. 'I don't know how to cast rennervate, but you're right. We can't just leave him. Remus?'

Remus was still lingering at the turning, waiting for Peter to catch up. 'I know the theory, but I've never tried it.'

'Excellent,' James said, strolling over to him. 'I'll wait for Peter. You go show off.'

Remus smiled at James' teasing and joined Sirius on the bank of the marshland. The niffler lay on its back, its paws stuck straight up in the air, and its eyes closed. After making sure his own pendant was tucked away out of sight, Remus raised his wand and pointed it at the creature. 'Rennervate.'

The niffler stirred and opened its eyes. On seeing the two humans standing over it, it shot to its feet and made a dash for it. Remus moved to let it pass and glanced at Sirius, just in time to see a tiny grey blur flash up behind him. 'Watch out!' he cried, but it was too late. The imp rammed into Sirius hard, and he flailed his arms as he fell, landing face-first in the marsh.

Sirius saw Remus' eyes fly open a split second before he shouted, 'Watch out!' Then something shoved him hard from behind, and he was falling. He tried, and failed, to regain his balance before landing face first in the disgusting marsh water.

'Flipendo!' he heard Remus shout as he pushed himself to all fours before clambering to his feet.

'Who the fuck shoved me?' Sirius growled, turning around to face Remus.

Remus' mouth twitched. Sirius cocked his head to the side and frowned. He wouldn't, would he?

Remus let out a squeak and pressed his lips together, hard.

Sirius narrowed his eyes in warning.

Remus snorted before doubling over and wrapping his arms around his waist as the laughter escaped him in an uncontrolled burst of sheer mirth. The sound was so full of infectious humour that Sirius soon felt his own lips twitching. When he looked down at his robes, dripping with filth and grime, he couldn't contain it any longer. By the time James and Peter joined them, they were both on the ground with tears streaming down their faces, holding their sides from the pain of too much laughing.

James stared at them both for a moment, then he chuckled. 'Love the new look, Sirius. Suits you.'

'Particularly the weeds in your hair,' Peter said. 'The green really brings out your eyes.'

Sirius stopped laughing. 'My hair!' he wailed, bringing his hands up to feel the dripping strands and pull the plant-life off. 'Urgh, that's disgusting.' He dropped the weeds on the floor and stood. 'What foul creature is responsible for ruining my hair?'

Remus pushed himself to his feet, still letting out the occasional giggle. 'It was an imp. But it's long gone now.'

'It's nearly midday,' Peter said. 'Shall we have some lunch while Sirius dries off?'

Sirius grumbled his agreement while picking weeds out of his hair.

James nodded. 'We need to tick stuff off the list too.'

They wandered back to the treeline and made themselves comfortable on the ground, not wanting to eat too close to the marsh in case the food attracted unwanted attention. Remus pulled out the box of goodies and handed it around. James grabbed himself an apple and took a large bite before rummaging in his bag for the parchment and Remus' muggle pen. The genius little device was so much more portable than the usual quill and ink combo that the Marauders had long since adopted it as their preferred method for note-taking on the go.

'So, hippogriffs and a niffler,' James said. He ticked the creatures off before handing the pen and parchment to Sirius. 'You better tick off thestrals, since you're the only one who actually saw them, and Remus needs to tick off imp.'

Sirius took the proffered items and drew a tick next to thestrals before passing them to Remus. 'That's ten points so far. But we still haven't found the centaurs or any sign of mooncalves.'

'We should explore this marshland after lunch. There might be a river or stream we can follow,' Remus said. He handed the parchment back to James and helped himself to the one remaining sausage.

They all agreed, and when they were finished eating and had packed everything away, they began to pick their way around the edge of the marshland. It was slow going. The bank was muddy and littered with forest debris, often disguising the waterlogged ground below it. All of them missed their footing several times, resulting in them sinking calf-deep into the marsh and needing to be pulled out by the others.

Much to Sirius' satisfaction, it wasn't long before all three of his friends were just as filthy as he was. By the time they found the stream that fed the marsh, they were all past caring about how dirty they were.

'That's weird,' Remus said, staring out at the marsh.

Sirius followed his gaze but couldn't see anything odd. There was nothing but a bit of deadwood floating towards them. 'What's weird?'

'If the stream is flowing into the marsh, why is that wood floating this way?' Remus asked, pointing.

'Because it's not wood, it's a dugbog,' James said. 'We should probably move back.'

They all skittered away from the edge of the marsh, and a moment later, the dugbog gave up on them and changed direction, looking for an easier meal.

Following the stream eventually led them to a large colony of bundimun. The greenish fungus-like creatures were occupied devouring a rotten log, and the Marauders gave them a wide berth, covering their mouths and noses to defend against the foul stench of decay the things gave off. The stream widened out into a small river, and they continued to follow as it twisted through the trees.

'Hold up,' Peter said thirty minutes after passing the bundimun. 'Look at the ground here.'

Peter may not be particularly gifted academically, but his observational skills were beyond brilliant. As usual, he'd noticed something the rest of them had overlooked. The patch of ground where Peter stood on the river bank was far more worn than the rest, as if many feet had walked there over a considerable length of time. Or many hooves. This might well be where the centaurs came for water. And, if it was, then there should be a path back to their camp.

Now he knew what to look for, it was easy to spot the break in the undergrowth and the well-worn track leading through it.

'I think you're right,' he said. 'This looks really promising.'

James had been staring up the path through the trees, and when he turned around, his expression was so grave it made Sirius' stomach squirm.

'Are you all ready for this?' he asked. 'It's going to be dangerous. If any of you want to back out, you should do it now.'

'Back out? Don't be ridiculous,' Sirius said.

Remus shook his head. 'I'm coming.'

They all looked at Peter, and he swallowed before taking a deep breath and nodding decisively. 'Marauders stick together, right?'

'Absolutely,' James said with a grin. 'Okay. Remember, we have to be polite and respectful.'

'We know, James. You've told us a hundred times,' Sirius said. 'Let's go, times a wastin'.'

James took the lead as they traversed the make-shift path through the Forest. He would be taking on the role of Marauder spokesperson for the mission, and it was important that the centaurs were able to recognise him as their leader. The going was tough, nothing more than a muddy path, littered with fallen leaves which hid arching roots and depressions in the ground, causing them to stumble when they caught their feet. They quickly learnt to pick their feet up higher and place them carefully if they wanted to stay upright.

Sirius' clothes had dried out, but the marsh muck had made his robes sticky and uncomfortable. He was attempting to peel them off his skin when he walked straight into James.

'What did you stop for?' Sirius asked before peeking over James' shoulder. The sight that met his eyes took his breath away. There must have been at least fifteen centaurs interspersed among the trees ahead of them. They were bigger than Sirius had expected, muscular and intimidating, and each one held a bow pointed in their direction. Sirius swallowed down his fear and nudged James with his elbow.

James cleared his throat and took a single step closer to the herd, placing himself ahead of his friends and making it clear he spoke for their group.

'We apologise for trespassing on your territory, friends. We mean you no harm,' James said.

One of the centaurs gestured to the others, and they all lowered their bows. Both his human hair and his horse hair were black, and his face was lined with age. He stepped forward and addressed the Marauders, his tone laced with amusement.

'Do not pretend you didn't intend to trespass, young human. We know there are many students from the school roaming the Forest today. Most are not foolish enough to enter our territory for the few points it would gain them in your little game, though. Are you four braver than most, or just stupider?'

James shrugged. 'Probably a little of both,' he said.

The centaur chuckled and cocked his head to the side. 'I was planning to make an example of you to dissuade others from repeating your actions, but you amuse me. Perhaps I will let you leave here alive after all.'

Sirius shuffled back a few steps to stand with Peter, knowing he'd be panicking. He placed his hand on Peter's back and willed him to stay calm. James was doing well so far. So long as he stuck to the script they'd prepared and didn't try to ad-lib, everything would be fine.

He held back a groan when James ran his hand through his hair, messing it up, before glancing over his shoulder and shooting them a cocky grin.

He was going to ad-lib.

Fuck.

James strolled right up to the lead centaur and grabbed his hand, shaking it firmly. 'I knew we could be friends,' he said. 'I'm James Potter, and that's Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. We call ourselves the Marauders, but that's a secret so don't tell anyone.' He dropped his tone, adding a note of warning to it. 'I'm trusting you.'

The centaur appeared taken aback at James' sheer audacity, and he glanced at the centaur to his left with a startled expression. The second centaur had blonde hair and a palomino horse's body, and he looked equally concerned but nodded. Sirius wasn't sure what he was saying yes to exactly, but he hoped it was a good thing. James had gone completely off-script, and he had no idea what was going to happen now.

'My name is Odas,' the black-haired centaur said. 'I'm the Chief of the herd, and this is my second-in-command, Feodair.'

James grinned at Odas before marching over to Feodair and shaking his hand with equal enthusiasm. 'Hi, Feodair, it's fantastic to meet you.'

Feodair smiled. 'And you, James Potter. I think my son Firenze would like you.'

'I'm sure I'd like him too,' James said. 'Does he enjoy mischief?'

Feodair inclined his head. 'Much to my dismay, he seems to like nothing better than breaking the rules.'

'I like him already,' James said.

'Enough,' Odas snapped. 'It's time for you to leave. This is your only warning. If you enter our territory again, we will make an example of you.'

James turned back to Odas and bowed. 'Of course, Chief Odas, sir. But before we go, we have something for you. We were shopping in Hogsmeade when we came across it—'

'You're too young to have been allowed to enter the village,' Odas said, interrupting him.

James laughed. 'We've already established that we're rule-breakers.' He was rooting through his bag and finally found what he was looking for, pulling out an exquisitely carved oblong box made from mahogany wood. 'The shop assistant said this was centaur made, and we thought it only right that it be returned to your people,' he said, holding the box out to Odas.

Odas took the box from James with raised eyebrows. Holding it carefully, he glanced to Feodair, who looked intrigued, before opening it.

James bowed again. 'We'll be off then,' he said. 'It was wonderful to meet you all.' He turned his back on the centaurs and winked at the Marauders as he began walking back towards them.

'Wait!' Odas said, his voice loud but not angry.

James stopped and turned back around. 'Yes?'

'This necklace. It's a lost relic of great value to our herd. And you ask for nothing in payment?'

'Why would we ask you to pay for something that's rightfully yours?' James asked, sounding scandalised.

'You have much honour for wizards. Thank you. But I cannot allow this deed to go unrewarded. Name your price, and it shall be yours.'

James hesitated. 'Well,' he said. 'There is a potion we would like to make. We thought it would be impossible, but perhaps not. One of the ingredients is five centaur tail hairs, given willingly. Is that an acceptable reward?'

Odas drew a sharp intake of breath. 'Such a gift would create a magical bond between the centaur and the receiver that would last for generations. As Chief, I cannot allow such a bond to exist between myself and a human,' he said before turning to address the watching centaurs. 'But perhaps a member of my herd would be willing?'

The centaurs shifted uncomfortably, glancing at each other and looking away in shame. Sirius guessed they were embarrassed by their reluctance to volunteer. Finally, just as he was beginning to think they would fail, Feodair stepped forward.

'If no-one else is willing, I'll do it,' he said.

Odas inclined his head, his expression sad. 'You understand what doing this means?'

Feodair nodded. 'I do, sir. But it is my path. The stars all agree these boys are important.'

'I will be sad to lose you as my second,' Odas said. 'Your noble sacrifice will not be forgotten.'

'Thank you, sir,' Feodair said. He reached around behind himself and plucked five long blonde hairs from his tail without flinching and passed them to James.

'You have a hard future ahead of you, Mister Potter. But with this gift, my family will always be ready to aid you and yours.'

'Well, that's a fairly sinister thing to say,' James said. 'But thank you for the hairs.' He pulled a potion vial from his bag and placed the centaur tail hairs carefully inside. 'I don't suppose you could point us towards a mooncalf den? We need them for another ingredient, now we can make the potion.'

'What do you mean "a hard future." You can't just say that and not explain,' Sirius blurted out before smacking his hand over his mouth. He wasn't supposed to speak.

Feodair smiled. 'The stars reveal much to those who know how to read them. You and your friends have a long road ahead and many choices affecting your journey. Some paths lead to heartache, others to death. To reach the best possible outcome, you must never stop trusting each other. And remember, things are not always what they seem.'

'Feodair, you say too much,' Odas snapped.

'Sometimes even we must break the rules, Odas. You've seen what's coming as clearly as I have.'

James glanced between the arguing centaurs and coughed. 'Um, sorry to interrupt, but the mooncalves?'

'There is a clearing half-a-mile north of here. The mooncalves dance there,' Feodair said, smiling kindly at them all. 'Good luck, Marauders.'

'Thank you,' James said before returning to Sirius' side and whispering, 'Which way is north?'

Sirius chuckled and looked up at the sky, checking the position of the sun. 'That way,' he said, pointing.

They waved goodbye to the centaurs and walked north, deeper into the Forest. They were no longer following a path, and the going was even more challenging than it had been before. Peter tripped and cut his hand on a rock, which Remus used a minor healing charm on. Sirius stumbled and scraped his elbow on the rough bark of a tree trunk, and James twisted his ankle when he caught it in a tree root. The only Marauder that made it to the clearing without incident was Remus. He seemed to have a natural affinity for this environment, perhaps due to the wolf inside him. Or maybe that was just Remus.

'What do you think Feodair was talking about?' James asked as they walked. 'It sounded ominous.'

Sirius grimaced. 'I know, I didn't like the sound of that death stuff, but he said we can avoid it by trusting each other, right? That's easy enough.'

'I can't see us ever not trusting each other,' Peter said. 'But he also said something about things not always being what you think they are. Any idea what that meant?'

Sirius glanced at Remus. Sometimes people appear to be bookish nerd types and then turn out to be werewolves. He didn't think that's what the centaurs had been referring to, but it seemed like Remus might. He was looking very uncomfortable.

'I doubt we'll know what it means before it happens,' Sirius said. 'We'll just have to keep it in mind.'

'The shadows up ahead are getting lighter,' Remus said. 'I think we're there.'

He was right. The thick trees gave way to a grassy clearing—a perfect circle in the middle of the dense forest. The grass was dotted with wildflowers, and fluttering amongst them were hundreds of fairies making a high-pitched buzzing sound.

'Do you see a burrow anywhere?' James asked, gazing around the edges of the clearing.

'There,' Peter said, pointing to the base of a tree opposite them. 'There's an opening under that tree.'

'Excellent,' James said. 'Remus, do you have the instructions?'

'Right here,' Remus said, pulling a book from his bag. 'We have to mark something with the runes and then cast the charm.'

Remus flicked through the book to the right page before passing it to Sirius and pulling out his wand. 'A tree, do you think? We don't want them to wash away before the full moon.'

James peeked over Sirius' shoulder to see the book. 'We have to do four, right? Forming a circle?'

Remus nodded. 'And then cast the charm in the centre.'

'Alright, everyone, make sure you know the runes then choose a tree,' James said, already heading over to the other side of the clearing.

Sirius handed the book to Peter and gave James a mocking salute. 'Yes, sir, James, sir!'

James laughed. 'Get on with it then, lazy arse.'

Sirius grinned and loped over to a tree nearby. 'I'll do this side.'

'Course, you would choose the closest,' Remus said, rolling his eyes at Sirius and striding to a tree halfway between James' and Sirius'.'

Peter took the book with him to his tree, which was for the best. He was the most likely to forget what the runes looked like and make a mistake.

Ten minutes later, they were done carving the runes, and Remus cast the landmark charm on the centre of the circle. When the full moon came, they need only cast the locate charm, and it would lead them straight to the clearing. Remus was a genius.

A/N What do you think the centaurs are talking about? I'd love to hear your theories.