Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Despite Harry’s worries over the stone, nothing was happening, and exams were quickly approaching or at least in my mind, they were. I started working out a schedule that included everything from study time to homework to patrols in the forest.
Harry and Ron were doing a little patrolling themselves. Except they were patrolling the third-floor corridor. Pressing their ears to ensure Fluffy was still in there and sending encouraging looks to Professor Quirrell. I told them to wait for more concrete proof, but boys will be boys. Stubborn to the core.
The teachers seemed to be along the same thoughts as me and have been giving us more homework. We were studying in the library when Harry spotted Hagrid. After some shifty behavior from him, we made plans to go see him later and Ron discovered Hagrid was looking up information about dragons. I swear the more I learn about the magical world, the more I wonder why Xander is never really surprised by anything. We found out Hagrid had a dragon egg that he was intending to hatch, not comprehending he lived in a wooden house and it’s illegal to own a dragon.
One morning at breakfast sometime later, we got word the dragon was hatching. Ron wanted to skip Herbology, but I shut that down quickly. After class, we managed to make it down in time to watch the baby dragon come out of its shell. The dragon was a Norwegian Ridgeback, but Malfoy had seen it while spying through Hagrid’s curtains.
It set us a little on edge for the next couple of weeks while waiting for word from Ron’s brother Charlie who works at a dragon reserve in Romania to get back to us on helping remove the dragon. We did eventually get the word about a transfer, but I had patrol that night so could not help. How the boys and Neville got detention and with Malfoy nonetheless is beyond me. The rest of Gryffindor house was giving them a hard time about losing 150 house points, but I stuck by them.
Harry discovered that both Professor Snape and Quirrell learned how to get past Fluffy, but my necklace hasn’t been triggered and I told him that as long as Professor Dumbledore is in the castle all will be fine.
Turns out the three boys had detention with Hagrid and Xander during our patrol no less. Malfoy was scared of going into the forest, but Xander wasn’t giving him any leeway. “Look kid, you did the crime you do the time. Suck it up. Now listen up, Malfoy and Potter you’ll be going with Mia and I. Neville and Ron you will go with Hagrid—”
“I want Fang,” Malfoy said referring to Hagrid’s boar hound.
“No, the dog will get in our way. Listen to everything you’re told, and you will be fine. Look around for silver blood on the ground send up sparks if you find a dead unicorn or are in trouble we’ll come to you. If you come across the attacker do not engage, just run. Everybody good? I don’t care. Let’s go,” Xander said.
Upon entering the forest just before we split, I heard large movements. I raised my crossbow to the threat and said, “Everybody get behind a tree,” but it was just Ronan. “Oh hello, Ronan.”
“Good evening,” he says inclining his head with a nod. “The forest is tense tonight.”
Xander motions to the others and steps out, “Hey that’s just jinxing it. We have a couple of students with us tonight.” Xander explains and introduces everyone.
Ronan looks up at the sky, “Mars is bright tonight. Unusually bright.”
“Indeed, it is,” Bane says stepping out to join them.
“Well… It was nice seeing you. We’re heading off shouldn’t be out too long,” Xander replies with a nod, and we split and head off. “I swear I don’t understand those centaurs one bit.” Xander pulls out his crossbow and motions me to take the lead. “Where did we leave off last night, Mia?”
“The Gentlemen,” I reply instantly while moving forward crossbow at the ready. Harry and Malfoy follow close behind with Xander bringing up the rear.
“Start from the beginning.”
I open my mouth and sing like a scary little girl from the horror movies.
“Can’t even shout, can’t even cry
The Gentlemen are coming by.
Looking in windows, knocking on doors…
They need to take seven and they might take yours.
Can’t call mom, can’t say a word,
You’re gonna die screaming, but you won’t be heard.”
Xander shudders, “Why do you have to sing it like that?” Reacting to my pitched little girl singing.
“Because I get that reaction,” I say with a giggle.
“What are you talking about?” Harry asks.
“Don’t worry about it. This may be detention for you, but for Mia it’s class time. Just keep quiet, you might hear some fun stuff to tell during sleepovers,” Xander replies. “Mia?”
“The Gentlemen were a group of demons known from fairy tales. They roamed town to town stealing voices through a box to gather seven human hearts. It was never discovered why they wanted them. They had demonic footmen who did all the fighting and work for them.”
“Demonic? What kind of class is this,” Malfoy squeaks.
“Mythology. Now shut it,” Xander states. “Appearance?”
“Bald, pale, and humanoid. Always smiling with metallic teeth and always silent. They carried satchels with scalpels to surgically remove the hearts of their victims. They hovered above the ground. True to their name they behaved very elegantly and politely; gesturing gracefully and kindly passing the scalpel during extraction and applauding a job well done,” I reply.
“Destruction,” Xander continues.
“A single scream if you can destroy the box to return your voice.”
“Not bad. The Judge?”
“I’m not going there. You just want to build your ego,” I say with a laugh.
“Hey! I did a lot for that mission. Buffy couldn’t have done it without me.”
“And breaking how many laws in the process?” I snipe.
“Moving on… Ethan Rayne?”
“I’m still not stroking your ego, Xander.”
“Oh fine. Ruin my fun. The Watcher’s Council?” I freeze and turn to Xander with one eyebrow raised looking at Harry and Malfoy. “Point taken. We’ll pick this up tomorrow. Why don’t—”
“Hey look,” Harry says.
I turn and see where Harry is looking and see a dead unicorn. A twitch in the bushes nearby has me raising my crossbow and saying, “Everyone back up,” as calmly as possible. A cloaked figure came crawling out of the bushes and leaned to drink from the unicorn. Harry screams in pain, but I ignore it knowing Xander has him, and fire off an arrow. The figure rises and I discard my crossbow and pull the Scythe from my back taking a defensive stance. “Try me on for size.”
A noise I instantly recognize could be heard rapidly approaching and the creature takes off and is gone by the time Firenze enters the clearing, “Is everyone alright?”
“Harry seems to have been affected, so we're heading back to the castle,” Xander replies.
“I will escort you,” Firenze says just as Bane comes trotting up and offering to join as we start walking back and I signal for Hagrid. Firenze proceeds to spill the beans to Harry and Malfoy just who is in the castle and why. Xander stopped that conversation in its tracks and we headed to the castle. Harry tried asking more questions about what Xander and I were doing, but I told him he would learn in his own time.