The Forbidden Forest
Things got worse, somehow. Ken dragged Gus and Luz with the shepherd’s crook all the way back to Chariot’s study, where they set in silence, while cover-ups, lies and alibis rushed their minds, but there wasn’t a thing they could say that would excuse them being out of bed so late.
When the door swung open, as if things couldn’t get worse, Chariot brought both Edalyn and Star in “Hey guys…” Star said awkwardly “I was looking for you… I heard Blight talking to Boscha about catching you… And something about a dra--” Luz widened her eyes making Star stop talking.
“So Cha, what’s going on?” Eda asked half asleep “Well, these three were out of bed and Ken told me that these two” She pointed at Luz and Gus “Were in the Astronomy Tower” Eda sighed looking a bit disappointed “Can you explain yourselves?” She asked them. It was the first time Gus didn’t have an answer to a teacher’s question.
“What I believe happened is you two come up with the story of a Dragon, so Blight, and even maybe Troisoeil and Tunewright, would come and catch you and be punished for being out of bed. I already caught Blight; I suppose you think it’s funny that Butterfly here believed it too?” Star looked stunned and hurt at them.
“Erg, four students caught out of bed in one night? That didn’t happen since those four” Eda scratched her head, Luz wonder how much she was actually listening or was just going with the flow “Mister Porter, I expected more sense” Chariot resumed “As for you Miss Noceda, I thought you be more of a brave Gryffindor not and childish one… All three of you will get detention” She said and Eda nodded still a bit sleepy.
“Even I get detention?” Star asked in a whisper “Yes, Miss Butterfly, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night. And 50 points will be taken from Gryffindor” – “50?” Luz asked baffled, that would take the lead from them, the lead willow got in the last Quidditch match.
“50 points each” Chariot replied “But, but, it’s your house!” Luz argued “It was my house, now I am school staff and there is no place for favoritism, right Edalyn?” Eda nodded yawning “Now to bed, all of you” as they walked back they received the weak shock from the points, 150 in total.
Luz couldn’t sleep all night, Star sobbed in her bed and now her house went from top to bottom in one night. From one of the most famous and appreciated students of Hogwarts, Luz was now one of the most hated.
Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned their backs to her because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the House Cup. They would point at her when she passed and didn’t even give the trouble of lowering their voices as they insulted him.
Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as she walked past them, whistling and cheering “Here, for you, we couldn’t have done without you” Boscha had the audacity of brewing a special potion that could mask any bad smell and give it to Luz and Star as a gift “And for you this” She gave Gus a rose that bathed in the good smell potion.
Willow tried to cheer them on, but it wasn’t going well. People weren’t as harsh with Gus and Star, since they weren’t as well-known but even then, no one would talk to them, Gus even stopped bringing attention to him during class, something that seemed to please some teacher who now had other people answering their questions.
With the exams coming up at last something kept their minds busy. Luz, Willow, and Gus stayed most of their time reading in the library or working late into the night in the common room, trying to memorize dates and ingredients for complicated potions, and learn charms and spells by heart.
Luz was trying 110% not get involved with things that didn’t concern her, but one afternoon she was alone coming back from the library when she heard someone whimpering from a classroom up ahead, as she drew closer she heard Piniet’s voice.
“No… No… No… Not again, please” It sounded as though someone was threatening him “Alright, alright” Luz heard him sob, next second Piniet came hurrying out of the classroom, he moved his enormous hair away from his face, he looked pale and as though he was about to cry, he strode out of sight.
Luz peered inside the classroom after she could no longer hear Piniet, it was empty, but a opened door stood on the other side of it, Luz was half way towards it but she remembered she had promised herself not meddling. All the same she’d have gambled 12 Galdorstones that Lilith had just left the room.
Luz went back to the library and told Willow and Gus what she heard “So, Lilith has done it then, Piniet finally broke and told her how to break his anti-dark force spell… There is still Fluffy though” Willow said “I mean… I believe getting pass it is easier than the spell, there must be a book somewhere around here about three-headed dogs” Gus sighed.
“What we do now?” Willow asked, the spark of adventure lit once again in her eyes, but Gus responded faster “We should talk to Bump, we should have done it ages ago, we’ll be thrown out if we try anything else” Luz shook her head “We don’t have a single proof, Piniet is not going to back us up, Lilith just needs to play dumb and who you think they will believe in?” Luz argued.
“It’s not a secret that most students dislike her, I bet other tried to get her fired and only got themselves in bigger problems. The ‘Kare-takers’ wouldn’t help us if their lives depended on it, their master is friends with Lilith… Besides, we are not even supposed to know about any of it, how would we explain that?” Gus seemed convinced but Willow didn’t.
“If we just did a bit of poking around” Willow started “No, we’ve done enough poking around” Luz said flatly, she pulled a map of Jupiter and started to learn the name of its moons.
A crow communicated a message to Gus, Star and Luz in the following morning: “Your detention will take place at 11 O’clock tonight, meet Ken in the entrance hall. Professor E. Clawthorne” Luz had forgotten they still needed to pay detention.
At 11 o’clock the three met Ken, Amity; who Luz also forgotten had detention; and the ‘Kare-taker’ of the first-years of Slytherin. They marched out of the castle, one ‘Kare-taker’ behind them and the other guiding them.
“Hagrid… students… for detention… in the forest” Ken said knocking on the door of the hut with his crook “What? We can’t go there at night” Amity said, her usual cool demeanor shook for moments “He’ll keep you… in one piece…” Ken replied as Hagrid came out of his hut, Fang as his heels and his crossbow in hands.
“I’ll take from here, you two can go now” Hagrid barked at the ‘Kare-takers’ “We’ll be back… at down…” They matched away “If my mother get a wind of this” Amity started “She’d tell yer that’s how it is in Hogwarts, to pay for what yer had done, unless yer prefer to be expelled?” Hagrid asked and for the first time Amity seemed to be really scared, like Gus, be expelled scared her more than death.
Hagrid led them to the very edge of the forest, he showed them a small pool of a silver liquid “Is that Unicorn Blood?” Amity asked, Hagrid nodded “Last Wednesday I found a dead unicorn and twice this week a unicorn have been hurt, we are going to track the hurt unicorn, and we might have to take it out of its misery”.
“And if whatever hurt them found us first?” Amity asked, unable to hide the fear in her voice “If yer with me or Fang, nothing that lives in the forest will attack you” Said Hagrid “And keep to your path, we’re going to split in two parties and follow the trail in different directions”.
“I’ll get Fang” Amity said after taking a closer look at the huge dog “Alright, just warning, he’s a coward. Gus, Star, you will come with me. Amity you’ll go with Fang and Luz” They nodded and at a fork in the earth path they separated.
“Unbelievable… Detention on my first year, mom’s going to be so mad, not to mention Ed and Em…” Amity spent most of the time muttering to herself angrily, she had her Palisman at the ready with the Lumos, which made the staff glow like a lantern.
“So Blight…” Luz was very tense; Hagrid wasn’t there to protect them from any of the numerous monsters that could lurk in the forest “Why you were out of bed that night?” She asked and the green haired girl “I knew you intended to sell a Dragon illegally to my cousin” Amity answered.
“Tha-that’s not tr-true and how could you possibly know about Norbert?” Luz stuttered, she could swear she heard something slithering in the bushes “Brulure is not only Em’s and Ed’s Crow, he’s also mine” The girl explained and Luz face-palmed “Of course he is, we kind of assume that you have your own” Amity rolled her eyes.
“Just because my family is rich doesn’t mean I get whatever I want whenever I want” She continued “I noticed that Brulure had been delivering messages and was a bit tired, so I looked up the messages he had broadcasted” The conclusion reached Luz’s mind “So you only heard Steve’s responses… That’s why you thought we were illegally sealing it” She was spot on because Amity let out an annoyed ‘hump’.
Luz explained reluctantly to Amity what truly happened, Luz could get by being called a weak student and a troublemaker, but a criminal on the level poaching or animal smuggling? Never. “That oaf, how could he possibly thing he could take care of a Dragon? Especially bought from a stranger in a random pub” She crouched down “More blood, we must be close” They continued to walk, the path became almost impossible to follow due to the forest becoming thicker.
They reached a clearing, where something bright white was gleaming on the ground, as they inched closer it became visible, the unicorn was dead. Luz had never seen something so beautiful and sad, its legs were stuck out at odd angles, its mane was spread pearly white on the dark leaves.
“We found it” Luz said grimly and Amity raised her Palisman to the air, when a slithering sound made them freeze where they stood. A bush in the edge of the clearing quivered and out of the shadows a hooded figure came floating down like one of the school ghosts.
The three of them stood transfixed, the cloaked figure had two long and thin antlers like horns and bright green pupils. It bend its head over the creature’s hurt side and started drinking it’s blood… with its green eyes “Run” Amity whispered she then bolted away, Fang right behind her.
The hooded figure looked up at Luz, unicorn blood dripping from its eyes like silver tears. It came hovering towards her, making no sound, as if it didn’t have legs. Luz couldn’t move for fear, then a pain pierced her side like she’d never felt before, it was though the green mark on her forehead was on fire.
Half blinded he staggered backwards, she heard hooves behind her galloping and something jumped clean over her, charging at the figure. She fell on her knees, the pain lasted a couple of minutes and when she looked up, the figure had vanished.
In front of her stood a man? Or did a horse? To the waist up, a man, with white blonde hair, but below that was a horse's gleaming palomino body with a long tail “A centaur?” Luz asked baffle “Yes, indeed I am” he said gently “Are you alright?” He helped Luz get back to her feet.
“Yes, thank you, what was that?” He didn’t answer, he looked carefully at Luz’s mark with his pale blue eyes “You are the Noceda girl, you need to get back to Hagrid, the forest is not safe at this time, especially to you, and can you ride? It will be faster that way, my name is Firenze” He added as he lowered himself onto his front legs so that Luz could clamber onto his back.
Another galloping sound came from ahead, two other centaurs, one with reddish hair and a beard and other with black hair and black beard but a bit more wild looking “Ronan, Bane, good evening” Firenze greeted.
“Firenze! What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?" Bane scoffed at him “Do you realize who this is?” Said Firenze “This is the Noceda girl, the quicker she leaves this forest, the better” Bane growled “What have you been telling her? Remember, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens, have you not read what is to come in the movement of the planets?” Ronan pod the ground nervously.
“I’m sure he thought he was acting for the best” Ronan said with a gloomy voice. Bane quicked his back legs in anger “For the best? What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concern what it has been foretold. It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!” Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger.
“Do you not see that unicorn?” Firenze bellowed at Bane “Do you not understand why it was killed? Have the planets not tell you that? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest; yes Bane, with humans alongside me if I must” Firenze whisked away with Luz.
“Why Bane’s so angry? What was that you saved me from?” She asked but Firenze only warned her to keep her head bowed to not hit low-hanging branches. They made their in complete silence for a long time when Firenze finally spoke.
“Luz Noceda, do you know what Unicorn Blood is used for?” He asked, but Luz didn’t know, they only used its hairs and horns to potions “To slay a unicorn is to commit a monstrous crime, only someone with nothing to lose and everything to gain would do it” He explained “Its blood will keep you alive, no matter how close to death you are, but at a price, you’ll have but a half-life if you slay something so pure and defenseless and drink its blood” Luz gulped afraid to ask.
“Who would do such thing? For a cursed life, death would be better right?” He asked and Luz nodded in agreement “But, if you can live long enough to get your hands in something more powerful? Something that could bring you back to full strength and power and ensure you will never die, it’s a small price don’t you think?” Luz gasped when everything became cleared.
“The Galdorstone… Hidden in Hogwarts, the endless power… But who?” Luz said and Firenze nodded “For someone who wants to return to power, which has clung to life waiting their chance” He continued. It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around her heart.
“That was Be-Bel”— “Luz! Are you alright?” Gus came running down the path in front of them, Hagrid came puffing alongside her “Yes I am” Luz responded hardly knowing what she was saying “The unicorn is dead Hagrid, it’s in the clearing back there” The centaur let her down, whispered her goodbye and disappeared in the darkness.
“Good luck, Luz Noceda. The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times” Was his last words before he vanished. On their way back they met with Amity and Star and Fang.
“Your flight or fight response was to fight that thing?” Amity said to her on their way back to the castle “I don’t know if you are really brave, or really stupid. I guess all is well when it ends well, goodbye and sorry for accusing you of being a criminal” She headed down to the Slytherin house, Luz felt a twinge of happiness, maybe the people in Slytherin weren’t all jerks and bullies.
Willow was fast asleep in one armchair of the Gryffindor Common room waiting for them to return, she shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Luz woke her up, in a matter of seconds though she was wide awake asking if they got hurt or saw any werewolves in the forest.
Luz told Gus and Willow what she saw and heard in the forest. She couldn’t bring herself to sit down; she paced up and down in front of the fire “Lilith wants the stone for Belos and he’s waiting in the forest. Lilith doesn’t want the stone to be invincible or immortal, she wants for Belos” Luz shook as the words came out of her mouth.
“Stop saying the name” Willow whispered, as if thought Belos could hear her “Firenze saved me, but apparently he interfered with the heavens, I believe Bane wanted Belos to kill me there… Well, he probably didn’t want but expected for it to happen, the heavens must have told him that Belos would” Luz continued, mumbling non-stop.
“Will you stop saying the name” Willow hissed “So all I’ve to do is wait Lilith get the stone… Then Belos can come and finish me off… Like the heavens foretold” Gus looked very frightened, but he had a word of comfort “Luz, everyone says that in Hogwarts are the two only people the Emperor was afraid of, with Bump and Edalyn around, You-Know-Who won’t touch you… Besides, fortune-telling is notoriously a very imprecise branch of magic, even for the centaurs” As the light filled the skies they went to bed exhausted.
But one last surprise awaited Luz, when she pulled back her sheets; she found her invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath it with a note that read: Just in case