The Forbidden Forest
“So Harry overheard Quirrell give Snape information?” Leo murmured as they all made their way to the entrance hall.
Raph shrugged. “Seems like it. But Harry didn’t hear what information Quirrell gave him.”
Donnie’s brows furrowed. “Something’s not adding up,” he whispered.
“I don’t like this, dudes,” Mikey said. “It’s too fishy.”
“For once, you and I agree, Mikey,” Raph said.
They reached the entrance hall. Filch, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already there—and so was Malfoy. They had almost forgotten Harry telling them about Malfoy getting detention.
“Follow me,” Filch said, 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 still got the chains in my office, keep ‘em well oiled in case they’re ever needed. … Right, off we go, and don’t think about running off, now, it’ll be worse for you if you do.”
They crossed the dark grounds toward Hagrid’s hut, and they heard a distant shout.
“Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started.”
Leo met each of his brother’s eyes, and they nodded, tightening their grips on their wands and weapons. They’d brought both—whatever Donnie had followed in the Forbidden Forest all those months ago had to be dangerous.
Harry had a relieved expression on his face, and Filch sneered at him. “I suppose you think you’ll be enjoying yourself with that oaf?” he said. “Well, think again, boy—it’s into the forest you’re going, and I’m much mistaken if you’ll all come out in one piece.”
Ron’s face went pale, and the Hamatos all tensed. Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.
“Who thought going into the forest was a good idea, anyway?” he said, glancing back at the school anxiously. At this Leo smirked. “Especially at night, with all the creatures in there.”
“That’s your problem, isn’t it?” said Filch, his voice rich with glee. “Should’ve thought of that before you got in trouble, shouldn’t you?”
Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his 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, Ron? Hamatos?”
“Shouldn’t be too friendly to them, Hagrid,” Filch said coldly. “They’re here to be punished, after all.”
“That’s why yer late, is it?” said Hagrid with a frown. “Bin lecturin’ them, eh? ‘Snot yer place ter do that. Yeh’ve done yer bit. I’ll take over from here.”
“I’ll be back at dawn,” Filch said. “For what’s left of them,” he added nastily, and he turned and started toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.
Malfoy turned to Hagrid.
“I’m not going in that forest,” he said, a note of panic in his voice.
“Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts,” Hagrid said. “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 finished. “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!”
“What, scared?” Raph said. Leo glared at him, but he was trying to hide a smirk of his own.
Malfoy didn’t move, looking at Hagrid furiously. After a moment, he 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 for a moment.”
He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black grees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they all looked into the forest.
“Look there,” said Hagrid. “See that stuff shinin’ on the ground? Silvery summat? That’s unicorn blood.”
Donnie nodded, jaw clenching. Why did he always have to be right?
But Hagrid didn’t seem to notice, and he continued, “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, and I’m sure there’ve been more. Now, we’re gonna try an’ find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery.”
“And if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?” said Malfoy, unable to keep a tremble from his voice.
“There’s nothing that lives in the forest that’ll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang,” said Hagrid. “An’ keep ter the path. Right, now, we’re gonna 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.
“All right, but I warn yeh, he’s a coward,” said Hagrid. “So me, Ron, Hermione, Donnie, and Raph’ll go one way an’ Draco, Harry, Leo, Mikey, an’ Fang’ll go the other.”
Leo stepped forward. “Can my brothers and I go together?” he asked. “There’s strength in numbers, and you’re worth three of us at least. My brothers and I can accompany Harry and Malfoy while you and Fang take Ron and Hermione.”
Hagrid thought for a second. “Yeh can keep Fang,” he said after a minute. “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 come all 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. Fang, Harry, Malfoy, and the Hamatos took the left path while Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid took the right.
“Do you think it’s a Grimando?” Leo murmured to Donnie as they walked. Malfoy was cowering by Fang, and Mikey was trying to keep Harry in a good mood.
Donnie shook his head. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “I have nothing on what a Grimando is, so I can’t say for sure that it’s not. But—I don’t know,” he groaned. “Something’s telling me that it’s not. But it’s also telling me that Grimandos are bad news, and I—I don’t know,” he repeated, looking at the ground.
Raph’s hand rested on Donnie’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out,” he said quietly. “We always do.”
Malfoy looked behind him. “What are you three doing?” he spat, face pale. “Shouldn’t you be on the lookout for the unicorn?”
Raph raised a brow. “I thought that was your job, Malfoy,” he said.
“You were doing it so perfectly,” Harry chimed in. Mikey grinned.
Leo stopped walking, and a moment later, so did his brothers. Suddenly, Leo’s eyes widened.
“Get behind that tree!”
They dove behind a towering oak, nearly tackling Harry and Malfoy behind it. The four of them drew their wands, scanning the forest anxiously. None of them drew their weapons just yet—that was reserved for last-case scenarios.
Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby; it sounded like a cloak trailing along the path. The four brothers looked in four different directions, but the sound faded after a moment.
“Be careful,” Leo breathed as they stepped back onto the path. Malfoy was trembling, and Harry was not much better off. Even Mikey’s face was pale, and Raph’s mouth was pulled in a tight line.
They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in the clearing ahead, something definitely moved.
The four Hamatos stiffened, gripping their weapons beneath their cloaks. But into the clearing stepped a man—or was it a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and a beard, but below that was a horse’s gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry’s jaw dropped.
“Greetings, students. I am Ronan. And what are you all doing in the Forbidden Forest at midnight?” the centaur said, regarding each of them carefully.
“We’re looking for the hurt unicorn,” Leo said after a moment, finding his voice.
Ronan nodded his head, then said, “Mars is bright tonight.”
Donnie blinked. “We’ve noticed,” he said. “But in regards to the unicorn—have you seen anything?”
Ronan didn’t answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed. “Always the innocent are the first victims. So it has been for ages past, so it is now.”
“Yeah,” Raph said, starting to get impatient. “But have you seen anything? Anything unusual?”
“Mars is bright tonight,” Ronan repeated. “Unusually bright.”
“Dude, he means a bit closer to home,” Mikey said. “You know, on Earth.”
A movement in the trees behind Ronan was the only answer. A second centaur came into the clearing, black-haired and -bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.
“Ronan,” the second centaur said, peering at each of them. “Explain.”
“We’ve been trying to find anything about an injured unicorn,” Harry said. Malfoy looked between the odd group, nearly hugging Fang.
“It is as the boy says, Bane,” Ronan said.
“So do you know anything about an injured unicorn?” Raph snapped.
Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward.
“Mars is bright tonight,” he said simply.
“We’ve heard,” Donnie said. “Well, we really should be off then, if neither of you have seen or heard anything.”
“If you do, please let us know,” Leo added as they walked away.
Once they were out of earshot, Malfoy asked in horror, “Do you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?”
Raph snorted. “You’re not very bright, are you?” he said. Malfoy was too scared to be insulted. “Did that sound like hooves to you?”
“If you ask me, that’s what’s been killing the unicorns,” Donnie said.
Malfoy trembled, and Mikey couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the boy—after all, a boy was all he was.
But they set off into the heart of the forest silently, walking for nearly a half hour. Eventually the path became impossible to travel because the trees were so thick. Each tree they passed, Leo noticed, held more unicorn blood, as well. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Leo peered through the tangled branches of a tall tree, looking at the clearing ahead.
“Look,” Harry murmured, having seen it, too.
Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They all inched closer.
“We were too late,” Mikey whispered sadly.
The unicorn lay dead on the ground, its long, slender legs sprawled at odd angles where it had fallen. Its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.
Harry made to take a step forward, but Donnie held him back. A slithering sound from the opposite side of the clearing made them all freeze. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered, and out of the shadows crawled a hooded figure. Leo and his brothers finally drew their weapons, but Harry, Malfoy, and Fang were too transfixed to notice.
The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal’s side, and began to drink its blood.
Malfoy let out a terrible scream and ran, Fang at his side. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry, with unicorn blood dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry, who staggered backward, half-blind at the sudden pain in his scar.
Raph shoved Harry behind him, eyes narrowed.
“GET BACK!” Leo bellowed, but Harry could hardly hear him.
The sound of thundering hooves came from behind them. Something leapt clean over Harry and the brothers, charging at the figure. The Hamatos watched, eyes wide, as it scared the figure away. Mikey started yelling at it, his voice hoarse.
By then, Harry had fallen to his knees. After a minute or two, he looked up to see the figure was gone. A centaur was standing over him, but not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger, with white-blond hair and a palomino body.
“Are you alright?” the centaur asked, pulling Harry to his feet. The brothers tensed, watching with suspicion.
“Yes—thank you—what was that?”
But the centaur didn’t answer Harry’s question. He looked carefully at Harry, his astonishingly blue eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry’s forehead.
“You are the Potter boy,” he said. “You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time—especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way. My name is Firenze,” he added, lowering himself onto his front legs so Harry could clamber onto his back.
More galloping filled the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.
“Firenze!” Bane roared. “What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?”
“Do you realize who this is?” said Firenze. Leo and his brothers turned to watch the interaction with interest. “This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves the forest, the better.”
“What have you been telling him?” growled Bane. “Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movement of the planets?”
Ronan pawed the ground nervously. “I’m sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best,” he said.
Bane kicked his back legs in anger. “For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest.”
Firenze reared onto his hind legs in anger, and Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on.
“Do you not see that unicorn?” Firenze bellowed at Bane. “Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? Not to mention—” He cut himself off, snarling. “I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must.”
Bane turned and galloped away. Ronan shot Firenze a sympathetic glance before following after him.
Firenze sighed, turning to Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey. “You four,” he said, regarding each of them one at a time, “were very brave just now. You must continue to be brave, regardless of what is to come.” Before they could ask for any sort of clarification, Firenze continued, “I must take Harry Potter out of this forest now,” he said. “I cannot carry all five of you on my back at once.”
“We’ll keep up,” Raph said.
They sprinted until they reached the clear path, and to Harry’s amazement, the others did keep up. They swung from branch to branch, keeping pace with the galloping centaur in the trees.
“Why’s Bane so angry?” Harry asked Firenze. “What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?”
Firenze finally slowed to a walk, and the Hamatos all landed neatly beside the centaur.
“Harry Potter,” Firenze said suddenly, “do you know what unicorn blood is used for?”
“No,” Harry said, startled by the odd question. The brothers listened silently. “We’ve only used the horn and tail hairs in Potions.”
“That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn,” said Firenze. “Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.”
“But who’d be that desperate?” Harry wondered. The four brothers flinched. “If you’re going to be cursed forever, death’s better, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Firenze agreed, “unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else—something that will bring you back to full strength and power—something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?”
“The Sorcerer’s Stone! Of course—the Elixir of Life! But I don’t understand who—”
“Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?”
Leo and his brothers listened in horror as Harry thought it over. They, too, could think of somebody—and it struck terror to their hearts.
“Do you mean,” Harry croaked after a minute, “that was Vol—”
“Harry! Harry, are you alright?”
Hermione and Ron were running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.
“I’m fine,” said Harry. “The unicorn’s dead, Hagrid, it’s in that clearing back there.”
“This is where I leave you,” Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. “You are safe now.”
Harry slid off his back.
“Good luck, Harry Potter,” Firenze said. He turned to the Hamatos once more. “And good luck to you,” he said, bowing his head. He regarded them all as he said, “The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times.”
He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry and the others shivering behind him.
Raph was silent as they entered the common room, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione whispered to one another quietly.
“Snape wants the Stone for Voldemort… and Voldemort’s waiting in the forest… and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich…”
“Stop saying the name!” Ron said in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.
Harry wasn’t listening.
“Firenze saved me, but he shouldn’t have done so. … Bane was furious… he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen. They must show that Voldemort’s coming back—Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me. … I suppose that’s written in the stars as well.”
“Will you stop saying that name! ” Ron hissed.
“So all I’ve got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone,” Harry went on feverishly, “then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off—well, I suppose Bane’ll be happy.”
“Nobody’s finishing anybody off,” Raph said. It was the first words he’d spoken since Firenze had left them with Hagrid, but he said them with such a ferocity that the others were all taken aback. “I’ll make sure of that.”
“Besides,” Hermione added softly, “everyone says Dumbledore’s the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won’t touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that’s a very imprecise branch of magic.”
The sun was rising as they climbed the stairs toward the dorms. But the night’s surprises weren’t over.
When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found the Invisibility Cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it:
Just in case.