Chapter Sixteen
Spring Term 1992
We stared at each other. No one seemed to know what to say. The Cloak fluttered in the night breeze, sliding slowly closer to the precipice at the edge of the tower. I watched as Snape glanced at the shimmering fabric. Dumbledore had slowly lowered his wand, but his face was no less stern and unmoving.
"Who were those riders?" the Headmaster asked, after none of us responded for twenty more seconds.
"Answer the Headmaster!" Snape commanded, taking offense to our silence.
"Severus."
It was only one word, but Snape immediately backed off. Dumbledore did not even look at him, instead continuing to stare at us.
"Please make sure that Mr. Malfoy is in bed," Dumbledore added. "We would not want him wandering the corridors once again."
To my amazement, Snape did not argue with the Headmaster. He nodded and started toward the door to the spiral staircase, suddenly stopping halfway there and turning back toward us.
"Highly questionable contraband, wouldn't you say, Potter?" His voice was cruelly mocking. "Accio Cloak."
Harry's shoulders sagged almost imperceptibly as the Cloak zipped toward Snape. I wanted to reach out to take his hand, to tell him that he wasn't alone in this, but I knew that wouldn't matter. Assuming that we were correct in thinking that Dumbledore had given the Cloak to Harry, there might be some recourse for recovering it at a later date. For now, though, we had to worry about being caught out so late. I was not looking forward to this discussion.
The door clicked shut as Snape disappeared down the stairs, which left McGonagall and Dumbledore still staring at me, Harry, and Neville.
"I will ask you one more time. Who were those riders?"
"Friends of Charlie," Harry answered, understanding that Dumbledore's patience was thinning.
"Charlie Weasley?" McGonagall asked. We all nodded. "What on earth were friends of Charlie Weasley doing here in the middle of the night? And why were you three involved?"
I glanced sideways just as Harry did the same, and I saw the answer to my unspoken question in his eyes: protect Hagrid.
"Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore inquired, focusing on me. The use of my surname was a good barometer for the level of the Headmaster's unhappiness. "Perhaps you can shed some light on all of this?"
I shrugged after a moment, not wanting to get Hagrid in trouble.
"I see," he said, thoughtfully. He stroked his beard with one hand. "How about you, Mr. Longbottom?"
Still staring at the stones beneath his feet, Neville shook his head.
"Well, this does appear to be a mystery." He paused, staring at Harry. As angry as McGonagall looked, I was almost glad that Dumbledore was doing the questioning, though there was a sense of quiet authority in his voice McGonagall never could have achieved.
"Would you all like to know how I knew those riders were here?"
Instinctually, I focused on the Headmaster with curiosity permeating my gaze. That particular question had crossed my mind, but I had known that right now was a very inappropriate time to suddenly ask it. He zeroed in on me.
"Ah, Hermione," he said, smiling. There was my first name again. I had the ridiculous mental image of a small child being lured toward a dark van by a smiling stranger with candy in his hand. Dumbledore's smile was not sincere.
"You will be glad to know, I'm sure, that Hogwarts is protected by a series of complex wards and charms. If unauthorized entry is gained by any means to school grounds, I know about it almost immediately. So you can imagine my surprise when the anti-broom ward was triggered about ten minutes ago."
The phrase Big Brother is always watching clanged around in my head. That might have been unfair to Dumbledore, because he had a school full of children to protect, but at the time I was ashamed over having been caught out of bounds. I remember not being worried about expulsion, though.
"I made haste for this tower, meeting Professors McGonagall and Snape along the way. It seems that Mr. Malfoy had just been caught out of bounds. A most curious coincidence, don't you think?" He again waited for one of us to say something. I think we had concluded that saying as little as possible would be in our best interest.
"Very well," he said. "Revelo," he incanted, flicking his lowered wand. Every inch of the top of the tower glowed blue for several seconds, including all of our clothing and our wands. The world was a hazy nightmare of swirling color.
The blue began to recede, drawing toward several small areas at the edge of the tower, behind where Dumbledore and McGonagall were standing. It became brighter and brighter as it drew inward, finally focused in two piercingly intense spots of blue. Dumbledore turned toward the light, flicking his wand again. The spell faded, leaving two spots in my vision. Harry and Neville were watching his every move.
Dumbledore squatted, reaching out with a hand and lightly touching the stones where the spell had just faded. He then brought the hand to his mouth, tasting the edge of his index finger with the tip of his tongue. Without standing or turning, he looked at us over his shoulder. There was knowledge glimmering in his eyes.
"Dragon blood," he told us. I sighed. The game was up. I should have known that Dumbledore would be able to figure it out without our help. Norbert's movements within the crate must have given him some kind of wound, if there was blood on the stones.
McGonagall repeated what the Headmaster had just done, nodding her confirmation. "Makes sense, if they were friends of Charlie Weasley. The question is, why and how did you three have a dragon?"
As Dumbledore stood and faced us once again, he said, "I think I might know the particulars of this little adventure, Minerva. Correct me if I am wrong, please. Let us say that a certain groundskeeper obtained through various means an outlawed magical creature; let us say that some friends of this groundskeeper found out about this magical creature and wanted to keep said groundskeeper out of trouble; and let us conclude that these friends contacted Charlie Weasley, the brother of one of the friends as well as a dragon keeper, to whisk the magical creature off to Romania."
Dumbledore certainly deserved his place as Headmaster if he figured all of that out from two drops of dragon blood. There was nothing that I could say to refute his logic. It was all undeniably correct anyway.
"How did you know, sir?" Harry asked. There was some wonder in his voice.
"Hagrid has desired a dragon since I first met him. It was not hard to guess how one came to be at Hogwarts."
"Oh," was all Harry said.
"What I cannot understand, however, is why you did not come to me or Minerva when you found out about it?"
"We didn't want Hagrid to get into trouble…" I said, hoping to diffuse the situation. Right now, I just wanted to go to bed. I was beginning to fall asleep on my feet.
Dumbledore smiled then, but it was patronizing rather than friendly. "Hagrid is a valued member of the staff here at Hogwarts. He is also one of my most loyal friends. The professors and I would have been able to expedite the removal of the dragon. Rather than `getting Hagrid into trouble,' as you said, it would have eliminated any of these complications. So instead of passing the situation off into more capable-adult-hands, you three have broken curfew and are out of bounds."
"Yes, sir," I mumbled, dropping my eyes. Now we were being properly chastised.
"Regardless of what I may have said when you came to me about what you had discovered within Hogwarts, the professors and I are here for you when you encounter problems like this. I'm quite sure the dragon was more innocently discovered than Fluffy. So, next time, if there is a next time, come to one of us. Continuing to disregard the rules and partake in these nighttime adventures just will not do."
We nodded. Dumbledore didn't seem angry, but there was definitely frustration beneath his words. It was almost as if he was implying that we didn't trust him completely, and that we should. If that was the case, I wanted strongly to remind him of how he had reacted when we went to him with our concerns about the Stone. The hypocrisy was killing me. Wisely, though, I kept my mouth shut.
"I will leave their punishment up to you, Minerva," Dumbledore said, glancing at her and then walking away from us. "There are some things I need to finish before I turn in, so I trust you all will be in bed as soon as possible." Then he was gone, down the stairs and out of sight. We were now alone on the top of the Astronomy Tower with one very pissed off Head of House. She glared at us; in a way, her palpable disappointment made me more ashamed than anything Dumbledore had said.
"Quite frankly, I'm disgusted," she said, quietly. "I thought you had more sense, especially you, Ms. Granger. For all of your booksmarts, you certainly seem to be lacking in common sense. Somehow I'm not surprised that you, Mr. Potter, are involved in these shenanigans, but I thought Gryffindor meant more to you. After winning those Quidditch matches, we were in the lead for the House Cup. Well, let me tell you this: not after tonight!
"Mr. Longbottom, do you have anything to say for yourself? You have kept mum this entire time."
"No, ma'am," he responded, shaking his head. His voice was shaking.
"I see." She pursed her lips, drawing her robe tightly around her. The breeze was a little chilly. "All three of you will receive detentions and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."
"Fifty?" Harry nearly yelled. He was gaping at McGonagall.
"Yes, Potter. Fifty points. Each."
"But-" Harry tried to say.
"No buts. My word is final."
"Professor, you can't-" he tried again.
"Do not tell me what I can and cannot do, Potter. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You've likely cost Gryffindor the House Cup. You acted rashly instead of using your talented heads. Use this as a lesson for the future, because next time school policies are so wantonly ignored, the punishment may be much more severe. Now return to your dormitories."
She stared at us for several more seconds, shook her head, and swept on past. We heard her footsteps echoing in the stairwell as she descended.
I wanted to say something, to end the sudden awkwardness, but nothing came to mind. We had quite successfully shipped Norbert off to Charlie only to have everything completely ruined in the end. It was actually amazing to me how we always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And one hundred and fifty points! That number was too large to even comprehend without some perspective. In one night, Harry, Neville, and I had undermined everything that Gryffindor had been working for the entire year.
Harry walked forward to the edge of the tower. His wand was in his hand; suddenly, with a primal scream of frustration, rage, and anguish, he reared back and fired a spell into the night.
"STUPEFY!"
The red bolt of magical energy was large and bright and sizzled as it sped off into the darkness, but it paled in comparison to the raw size and power of Dumbledore's earlier spell. The echoes from Harry's cry carried over the grounds and back to our ears, just as the bolt faded from sight. Harry's chest was heaving and his head was down. It was a good example of something we would have to know for the practical portion of our Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, but right now it was a release valve for Harry's tightly wound frustration.
I walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. His body felt like a rock beneath my hand.
"Come on," I said. My voice was barely audible. "Let's go back to the Tower."
He nodded. As he turned, I slipped an arm over his shoulder, and as we passed Neville, I did the same thing. We walked all the way back to the Gryffindor Tower with me between them and my arms over the shoulders. Not a word was spoken.
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The clock had not even struck six when I woke the next morning. My sleep had been fitful and restless; I kept dreaming over and over that I was walking through the Entrance Hall and everyone was pointing and laughing at me. Knowing that I would not be able to fall asleep again, I rose from bed and headed for the loo. I dropped my nightgown and knickers to the floor and wrapped a towel around my body, staring at myself in the mirror.
A rather haggard image stared back. There were bags under my eyes and my hair was a tangled mess. I smiled and startled myself with its rictus quality. I quickly turned from the mirror, feeling my heart flutter in my chest, and stepped into the shower. I threw the towel over the curtain and let the warm water flow down over my head and body.
The hot shower was the balm I needed. I felt my muscles relaxing and my shallow breathing deepen; I felt as if I could face the day and the inevitable backlash from other Gryffindors with my head held high. It was, after all, only the House Cup. We had not been expelled from Hogwarts and we were still healthy and alive.
After five minutes or so, I heard the door to the bathroom open. During the next thirty seconds of silence, I wondered who was also up this early; the other shower then turned on.
"Hermione?" a voice called over the sound of falling water. It was Sally.
"Morning, Sally," I responded, raising my voice to be heard.
"How did it go last night?" she asked. I paused for a moment with a large dollop of shampoo in my hand, wondering how I could explain to her all that had happened.
"Well enough," I answered, lathering my thick hair with the vanilla- and strawberry-scented shampoo. "We managed to get Norbert to the top of the tower undiscovered. Charlie's friends were quick and efficient, and after a short time they were on their way."
"And…?"
"And Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape showed up as they were flying away."
"WHAT?!" Something crashed to the floor of the shower. It sounded like her shampoo bottle. The sound of the water cascading over her body changed briefly as she undoubtedly bent to pick it up.
"That's right," I told her. "You heard me correctly."
"But, but how did they know?"
"Well, as Dumbledore so nicely explained, Hogwarts is protected by a series of charms and wards. Apparently Charlie's friends breached one or more of them."
"Of all the bad luck…" she said, trailing off. I heard the sympathy in her voice. I was happy that she had not accompanied us, especially because she was on what was essentially her second chance at Hogwarts. If for some reason her parents had found out, she would have been gone again. "What did the professors say?"
"Nothing good. They were all disappointed. Dumbledore didn't seem to be too angry, but McGonagall and Snape definitely were. Harry's pissed, too. I haven't talked to him since last night, so I don't know how he's taking it today, or how he slept for that matter."
"You didn't sleep well?"
"Not really," I admitted, standing under the shower and watching as the lather from the shampoo pooled around my bare feet.
"How did Neville take it?"
"Dunno. He didn't say anything. But that doesn't really matter. McGonagall took one hundred and fifty points, Sally."
Silence, then: "Merlin, Hermione. Why on earth would she feel the need to take so many points?"
"To make an example of us, I suppose. We didn't lie to them. Dumbledore figured everything out on his own. And he wasn't even there when she took the points."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"It's not your fault, Sally," I replied, turning off the shower and grabbing my towel. As I ran the fuzzy fabric over my skin, I said, "There's nothing you could have done to change the outcome. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, as usual."
I wrapped the towel around my mostly-dry body and stepped out of the shower. Sally's was still running. I moved back in front of the mirror and began to brush my hair. My appearance was much less haggard than it had looked, and that pleased me.
"So what are you going to do now?" she asked.
I paused mid-stroke to think about it. There was really only one thing we could do now:
"Nothing," I said. "I guess we're just gonna have to lay low and study for exams. They're coming up in a few weeks anyway. I really don't need to get into any more trouble." Her shower turned off and I could hear the towel running over her body.
"It's been a pretty wild year, hasn't it?"
In spite of it all, I chuckled. "Yeah, it has."
She stepped out of the shower with her towel similarly wrapped around her body, and I watched her in the mirror as she dried her hair with a second towel. She was a little taller than me and had filled out a little more than I had so far, which was noticeable with nothing more than that towel covering her.
We continued to chat about this and that as we readied ourselves for the day, eventually leaving the dormitory and heading down to the Great Hall. Because we had woken earlier than normal, there were very few students in the Great Hall. Neither Harry nor Neville was present, and Ron was still in the hospital wing. He was due to be released this morning, so we expected him at some point.
Talking with Sally had eased the reality of the previous night, but I quickly sobered when we passed the hourglasses that recorded house points. The Gryffindor hourglass had obviously taken a huge hit, and I knew it wouldn't be long until everyone in the school knew why. Since today was Sunday, the Great Hall remained nearly empty until almost nine o'clock; Harry stumbled in around eight, Ron showed up shortly thereafter, and Neville came last. Neville was still very quiet, though he wasn't sitting away from us like I had feared.
"One hundred and fifty points?" Ron repeated, incredulously. He looked flabbergasted. "How is that even possible?"
"Ask McGonagall," Harry grumbled. I looked closely at him. His green eyes seemed clouded.
Just then, a few older Slytherin walked into the Great Hall. They glanced in our direction and grinned. "Thanks Potter! We owe you one!" they called. Harry looked sharply in their direction, but they had already turned their backs, laughing loudly.
"Great," he said. "Everyone knows already." And it was true, because the few Gryffindors that had come into the Great Hall had avoided us like the plague, except to glare malevolently in our direction. Even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students seemed to be unhappy with us, but that might have been because Gryffindor had been the only House with any chance of beating Slytherin for the House Cup.
"Relax, Harry," I said. "It's just the stupid House Cup." He looked at me, his expression unreadable.
Ron appeared surprised by what I had said. "I'm shocked you don't care about it, Hermione," he said. "But you're right. They'd have to be barking mad to care too much about it. And besides, Fred and George have lost plenty of points over the years."
"But one hundred and fifty?" Harry countered.
"Well, no," Ron conceded.
"Cumulatively, maybe," Sally said.
Harry shrugged. "We've ruined everyone's hard work," he said. "I don't like that."
"Oh, what a load of rubbish," Ron said. "Most of those points you just lost were from you and Hermione anyway, with you winning our Quidditch matches and Hermione always answering things in class."
Again, Ron had a point. I couldn't fault his logic. Neville had even perked up at Ron's words. "I guess," Harry said, sounding skeptical.
"Nothin' we can do now," Neville put forth. "Just gotta accept things."
I nodded. "He's right. We need to lay low and finish the year. We can all study for exams together. That'll keep everyone off our backs." Ron groaned at the mention of studying, but it was half-hearted.
Some of the other first years came in then, and they were more curious than mad about what had happened. Only Seamus seemed to be upset at all about losing so many points. Fred and George stopped by as well, congratulating us on beating them in lost points all in one go. They were fairly awestruck that we had survived the wrath of Minerva McGonagall, especially because she had been mad enough to take so many points.
I watched the Head table while we were in the Great Hall that morning, but Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape did not show up for breakfast. After another hour or so of killing time, we all decided to go outside and enjoy the nice day. Most of the older Gryffindors stayed away from us, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. People were certainly pissed, and Slytherin was outright gleeful, but most students had other things on their minds.
Primarily, those `other things' were exams, and we all fell into a routine as that week faded into the next, spending most of our free time studying in a large group with the other first years. The core members were always me, Harry, and Sally; Ron and Neville were there for the majority of the time; and the other five first years showed up when they could or wanted to.
We all made excellent progress in Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, and Astronomy as the second week after our nighttime excursion rolled on past. I had mostly mastered the material before the spring term had even started, so most of this was review for me. Harry was the same way. For everyone else, the sessions were useful to fine-tune their practical spell casting techniques, as well as drilling home any theory that would be on the exams.
After Herbology on Monday, May 25, we left the greenhouse and headed for the shores of the lake. We were going to study our Astronomy notes, using the extra space on the beach to spread out our star charts. It was a beautiful day-warm, breezy, and sunny-so we wanted to take advantage of it as much as we could.
As we were settling on to the beach, I took off my robes, loosened my tie, rolled up my sleeves, and kicked off my shoes. The sun felt glorious on my exposed skin.
"Hermione has the right idea, I think" Sally said, imitating me. She went one step further, however, and removed her dress shirt. She sat on the hard beach in her skirt and a white tank top, piling her other clothing next to her. As we all got to work, I couldn't help noticing the boys-Harry, Ron, and Neville-sneaking glances at Sally's bare shoulders.
If I could watch that scene now, as an adult, I think I would have a hard time not laughing. It was clear that Harry, Ron, and Neville were interested in areas of skin they had never before seen on Sally, and an irrational jealousy leapt up in my heart.
"It is hot," I said, after several minutes. I stood, stretched to my fullest height, and slowly unbuttoned my dress shirt. I threw the tie to the ground and slipped out of the shirt, leaving me in my skirt and a white tank top as well. Sally looked at me, smiled her approval, and went back to memorizing her star chart.
Sitting back down, I almost immediately noticed that three pairs of eyes had subtly shifted to me. I had to work very hard to keep the smirk off my face, enjoying the attention for once. I knew I was being very manipulative, but it was in fact a very hot day. Why shouldn't I take off the hotter, more formal clothing we had to wear in class?
"Blimey," Harry said. His face was red and there was sweat trickling down his cheeks. "I really need to change out of these clothes. I'll be back in a few minutes."
I half expected Ron and Neville to follow him, but they did not. Ron appeared to have lost interest in his Astronomy notes and was staring out across the lake; Neville was concentrating furiously on his star chart, in between glances at Sally and me, of course.
"We should invest in some suits for next year," Sally said, speaking mostly to me. This drew Ron out of his daze. He looked at both of us. "We can spend time out here on nice days, tanning up a bit." Ron and Neville were definitely listening now.
"That'd be fun," I agreed, smiling at her. I happened to look toward the castle at that moment, only to witness a black-haired streak exit the front doors at full tilt.
Harry had changed into khaki shorts and a white tee, which were now molded to the front of his body as he sprinted toward us. His shaggy hair blew back from his head. He ran like the wind.
"Look at Harry," I said, pointing at him. Sally, Neville, and Ron turned to look, making noises of astonishment at Harry's speed.
"Wonder what he's on about?" Ron asked.
Harry pulled up a few meters from us, finally coming to a stop near his things. We all threw questions at him, but he held up his hand. He then laced his hands behind his head and caught his breath.
"Was Fluffy after you or something?" Neville asked.
"No," he said, breathing deeply. The collar of his tee was soaked with sweat. "No, that's not it at all."
"Well, what is it?" Ron questioned, impatiently.
"I was passing an empty classroom on my way back and I heard Quirrell moaning," he explained. "He said something like, `No, no, not again, please…'"
"What?" I asked. "How do you know it was Quirrell?"
"He was stuttering. And I know his voice by now. It sounded like someone was threatening him."
"So then what happened?" Sally asked.
"I heard Quirrell say, `All right, all right,' after a few seconds. Then he charged out of the classroom, thankfully in the opposite direction. I dunno what he would have said if he'd seen me."
"He gave in to whatever was threatening him?" Ron wondered.
"How do we even know someone was threatening him?" I wanted to know.
"It has to be Snape," Harry concluded, sitting down on the beach.
"What? How do you know?"
"Who else could it be? After what I overheard in the forest earlier this year? Quirrell must have finally caved…" Harry reasoned.
All the clues fit, but I wanted to continue our policy of not meddling in affairs that did not concern us. It had worked wonderfully during the past two weeks; we had achieved an incredible amount of studying, not to mention the fact that most of the ill-feelings toward us over losing so many points had faded.
"There's still Fluffy, though," I said, hoping that would reduce anyone's urge to investigate any further.
"Snape could probably find out how to get past Fluffy without asking Hagrid," he said. "There has to be a book somewhere in Hogwarts that tells you how to get past a three-headed dog."
"So what do we do?" That was Neville and he sounded anxious. Sally looked uneasy and Harry was clearly torn between adventure and keeping out of things.
I stepped in. "Go to Dumbledore. After Norbert, he told us to go to him or McGonagall with these types of concerns. We can't get into any more trouble."
"Yeah, because our last meeting with him went so well," Ron grumbled.
"It's the only thing we can do," I asserted.
Surprisingly, Harry shook his head. I was about to argue with him, but he cut me off. "We don't have enough proof," he started, sadly. "Quirrell won't back us up and Dumbledore seems to trust Snape. It would be his word against ours, and who do you think Dumbledore will believe?"
"So there's nothing we can do," Neville said, relief filling his voice. I smiled at the absurdity of it all. Here we were, sitting on a warm beach on a gorgeous day, and we were worrying over something that was primarily between the professors.
"Nope," Harry agreed.
"But if we just did some poking around-" Ron tried.
"No," Harry said, cutting him off. His voice had changed in pitch slightly, shifting toward what I would now call command mode. "We've done too much poking around already."
No one argued with Harry, so we returned to our Astronomy notes and star charts. The breezy beach was then filled with talk about Jupiter's moons and the constellations.
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Tuesday, May 26 began like any other day, but soon after we had all gathered for breakfast, it was clear that it would not end like most other days. I received a note via owl from Professor McGonagall, as did Harry and Neville. They all said the same thing, which was to inform us that we had to serve detention at eleven that night. We were to meet Filch in the Entrance Hall.
That day passed in a haze as we wondered what kinds of awful things Filch had in store for us. We had heard stories about students having to polish all of the trophies in the trophy room with only a toothbrush, or having to clean Myrtle's bathroom with similarly inadequate tools.
Just before eleven that night, as Harry, Neville, and I prepared to leave the Gryffindor common room, Ron and Sally said their goodbyes.
"You're going to lose some quality some studying time, Hermione," he joked.
"I'm ready for the exams," I said, smiling wanly.
"Good luck…" Sally said. We nodded at her and left through the portrait hole. The school was dark and deserted, so we made it to the Entrance Hall without interruption. Filch was waiting there with a light in his hand, and Malfoy was with him. This must have also been his punishment for being caught the other night.
"One minute late," Filch said, looking at his watch. Filch always creeped me out. He was-quite literally, I might add-a dirty old man, and I always wondered why he was allowed to roam the halls of a school filled with children. He never had anything good to say and often gave the older girls somewhat lecherous looks. I wanted to hex him between the eyes when I saw him doing that.
"Follow me," he said, turning toward the door and exiting the castle into the humid night air. Clouds obscured both the stars and the moon, so the night was unusually dark. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you? Oh yes, hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… Right, off we go, follow closely, and don't think about running off. It'll be much worse for you if you do."
Malfoy had neither said anything to us nor made eye contact, and I quite honestly preferred it that way. The less he interacted with any of us, the better. He was a slimy Slytherin git and the vindictive side of me was glad he had to share our punishment.
We followed Filch away from the castle down the sloping grounds in the general direction of the lake. The lights of Hagrid's cabin, off to the left, grew brighter and larger with every step.
"Is that you, Filch?" a voice called. It was Hagrid! "Hurry up, I want ter get started."
I glanced at Harry, surprise and hope filling my face. He smiled at me, nodding, and then squinted into the darkness in front of us. Filch looked back and caught Harry's grin.
"I suppose you think you'll be having a grand old time with that oaf?" he asked, rhetorically. I narrowed my eyes at him. There had been no reason to insult Hagrid. "Think again, all of you. You're going into the Forest and I'll be surprised if any of you come out in one piece."
That finally elicited a reaction from Malfoy. He stopped. "The Forest? We can't go in there at night… There are werewolves, and all sorts of other things."
"Not my problem," Filch said, clearly enjoying this. "You should have thought of that before you got yourselves into trouble."
Hagrid's large form entered the circle of light from Filch's lantern. He was accompanied by Fang and he had an ancient crossbow slung over his shoulder. There was a quiver of bolts in his hand.
"I bin waitin' fer half an hour, Filch," he said, looking at us. "All right, you three?"
Filch's back straightened. "Don't be too friendly with them, Hagrid. They're here to be punished, after all." I thought he sounded like a pompous arse. Hagrid must have agreed, because he came a few steps closer and frowned at Filch.
"So that's why yer late? You bin lecturin' them?" The adults stared coolly at each other for several tense seconds. "Well, yeh've done yer job," Hagrid finished, turning away from Filch. "Come on, all of you, we have work ter do t'night."
The four of us walked past Filch, who had sunk down from his full height once again. He couldn't resist a parting shot: "I'll be back at dawn…for what's left of you." He cackled like the idiot he was and turned away.
"Don't listen to him," Hagrid said, gruffly. "Nothin's goin' ter happen ter any of you."
We followed Hagrid in silence past his hut to the very edge of the Forbidden Forest. The dark night was even darker here at the edge of that vast tangle of trees and underbrush; there was an earthy, ripe smell that pervaded the air around us, exacerbated by the high humidity. Various sounds emanated from the Forest, including some that I did not recognize. Hagrid turned to us.
"I'm not going in there," Malfoy said. He sounded very afraid. I looked at Harry and Neville, to gauge their reactions. Harry was taking everything in stride, as I expected, and Neville was stone-faced. If he was afraid, he was hiding it. As for me, I was with Hagrid and Harry, so I was not worried.
"Yeh are if yeh want to stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid told him, quite simply.
"But this is servant stuff, if my father knew-" Malfoy tried to say
"I'm sure yer father would want you punished accordingly," Hagrid cut him off. "Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out."
Malfoy stared at him but said nothing more. My eyes had adjusted the deep darkness by this time, so I saw something glinting in the low light by Hagrid's feet. He bent over to pick it up, fiddled with it, and we were all abruptly illuminated by the bright glow of another lantern. The edge of the forest was directly in front of us, and curving out of sight into the thick woods was a worn trail. It was to this that Hagrid pointed.
"Listen carefully," he ordered. "It's dangerous what we're gonna be doin', so no one's to take any risks. Look there," he continued, moving to beginning of the trail. He was pointing at the ground by his boots. "See this shiny stuff?" I noticed a small, silvery pool of some kind of liquid shining in the lantern's light. Harry and Neville moved forward to look at it; Malfoy hung back, his face pinched in disgust and fear.
"This is unicorn blood. Something's been after unicorns in the Forest. This is the second time in just the last few days. I found one dead last week."
Now I noticed that the pools of shiny liquid continued haphazardly along the trail, disappearing into the depths of the forest. The poor creature must have been wounded but still able to move.
"So tonight we're gonna try an' find it. We might even hafta put it out o' its misery."
"What if whatever injured the unicorn finds us first?" Malfoy asked, still playing the part of the coward. Unicorns were supposed to be incredibly hard to catch, so I was curious more than anything.
"Nothin' in here will hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," Hagrid told him. "An' as long as you keep ter the path. So we're gonna split up and follow two different trails. Hopefully we can find the unicorn before long."
"I want Fang," Malfoy said. Fang looked slowly around at him, his dopey eyes trying to figure out why his name had been said.
"Sure, but he's a coward. Me, Harry, `n Hermione'll go one way, an' Draco, Neville, an'
Fang'll go another way."
I felt badly for Neville. He had just pulled the short straw. Fang was a good dog, but he was a big baby. And Malfoy couldn't be counted on for anything. I did not want to change my position with Harry and Hagrid, however, so I did not say anything. Neville's shoulders had dropped a bit, but he remained silent as well.
"If one of yeh finds the unicorn, send up green sparks. If fer some reason yer get inter trouble, send up red sparks. We'll come find yeh. Practice for a mo'," he said, so we all took out our wands and shot the colored sparks into the air. Malfoy couldn't get the green sparks right at first, but he eventually mastered the simple spell.
"Let's go."
Hagrid started forward, holding the lantern high and moving at a rapid pace. We almost had to trot to keep up with him. Harry and I were directly behind Hagrid; Neville and Malfoy were just behind us. The lantern did not penetrate beyond the edge of the path in this inky blackness; beyond its halo, I could see nothing except dense foliage and shadow underbrush. It made me think of a cocoon as the canopy blotted out the cloudy sky over our heads.
After several minutes of moving farther and farther into the forest, we came to a split in the path. Hagrid pointed Fang down the right path, motioning for Neville and Malfoy to follow him. He handed Neville another, smaller lantern that had been attached to the one in his hand.
"Remember, stay to the path. Raise red sparks if yer in any trouble." We watched them fade into the blackness.
"Come on," Hagrid urged, starting along the left path. The Forest was wilder here, growing closer to the path and smelling ever more pungent. There were distant howls as we stopped briefly by the largest pool of blood yet.
"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry inquired, as we resumed walking.
"Doubt it," Hagrid told him, searching the underbrush and swinging the lantern from side to side. "They're not fast enough. Not many things can catch unicorns. In fact, I never knew one ter be hurt before."
I felt the cold prickle of unease at the base of my spine. For the first time that night, Hagrid's words had unsettled me. It seemed that we could actually be dealing with something very dangerous. As we walked, I moved closer to Harry, bumping his arm with mine. He said nothing and did not react, other than to send me a reassuring glance.
The sound of running water grew steadily in our ears as we continued, and eventually we came to a stream that cut directly across the path. It wasn't very wide, but the water was running madly through its narrow channel. I could see spots of unicorn blood on both sides.
Hagrid hefted us over and then stepped over himself, shining the light along the stream in both directions. He grunted and then motioned for us to move again. The Forest had suddenly encroached upon the path like never before. Vines, roots, and low-hanging branches impeded our progress, and the stillness of the night was quite oppressive. There was almost no noise now, as if the Forest was waiting for something.
Crack!
Hagrid reacted faster than I had ever seen him move. He swept Harry and me into his free arm and dropped us behind a tree just off the path, turning to face whatever had made the noise. It had sounded like a branch snapping.
"Show yerself!" Hagrid boomed. His voice was quickly lost amidst the thick vegetation. I huddled closer to Harry and grabbed his hand. I squeezed it tightly, peering around the tree at Hagrid.
"Show yerself! I'm armed!" Hagrid yelled again, brandishing his crossbow in the light of the lantern.
Something moved just beyond the ring of light-I buried my face into Harry's shoulder, unable to stand the suspense-until I heard him gasp softly. It was not a gasp of fear.
"Hermione, look," he whispered, squeezing my hand. I looked around the tree again and saw something quite incredible: a centaur! He was half stallion, half man; where his human appearance ended, the powerful body of a crimson horse began. He stood nearly as tall as Hagrid as he approached him.
"Oh, it's you, Ronan." The relief in Hagrid's voice was tangible. "How are yeh?" The centaur stopped directly in front of him and they shook hands.
"Good evening, Hagrid," Ronan said, in a mesmerizingly deep, melodic voice. "Were you really going to shoot me?"
Hagrid shrugged, shouldering the crossbow again. "Can't be too careful. You can come out, Harry, Hermione," he told us, so we stood and came around the tree. Ronan watched us carefully. His tail swished skittishly back and forth.
"This is Harry Potter and this is Hermione Granger," Hagrid said, introducing us. "They're students at Hogwarts. This is Ronan. He's a centaur."
"Nice to meet you, Ronan," Harry said, letting go of my hand and stepping forward. Ronan looked surprised to see Harry's outstretched hand, but after a moment of consideration, they shook hands.
"Yes, very nice to meet you," I said, coming forward as well. I stuck out my hand and he shook it. His grip was very gentle.
"It is a pleasure," Ronan told us, staring at his hand after I had let it go. "So you two are students? How do you like Hogwarts? Do you learn anything?" His voice was misty and rose and fell with each cadence.
Harry looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Some things, yes."
"Well that's something," Ronan said, looking skyward. The long tendons in his neck stood out in the lantern's light. I looked up as well and saw that the sky had cleared overhead, affording us a view of the starry heavens. "Mars is bright tonight."
I looked at Harry, this time raising my own eyebrow. This centaur sure was a strange fellow. He shrugged and we both looked over our shoulders at Hagrid.
"Sure it is," Hagrid said, sounding nonplussed. "I'm glad we ran inter yeh, actually, because there's bin a unicorn hurt. You know anything about that, Ronan?"
Still staring toward the sky, Ronan said, "The innocent are always the first. It has always been that way."
Hagrid grunted impatiently. "But have yeh seen anything?"
"Mars is bright tonight," the centaur repeated.
"I meant anythin' unusual a bit closer ter home," Hagrid explained, doing a remarkable job keeping his cool.
Finally, Ronan looked at Hagrid. There was some kind of cool intelligence behind his eyes that I hadn't noticed before. "The forest hides many secrets." I thought it sounded like something Dumbledore might say about Hogwarts.
More movement made Hagrid reach for his crossbow, but it was only another centaur. This darker, taller, and more intense-looking centaur stopped next to Ronan. He stared at the three of us.
"Hullo, Bane," Hagrid greeted him. "All right?"
"Evening," the new centaur said. "I trust you are well?"
"Sure, well enough. I've just bin askin' Ronan if yeh've seen anythin' odd in here? We're tryin' to find what's bin injurin' unicorns aroun' here."
"Mars is bright tonight," Bane said. Ronan nodded lazily in agreement.
"Right, o' course it is. We'll be goin' then," Hagrid said, quite exasperated. He shuffled us around the large centaurs and we resumed our walking. I glanced over my shoulder, watching as they faded from view, still entranced by the night sky.
"Ruddy stargazers," Hagrid mumbled.
"Are there many centaurs in here?" I asked.
"A fair bit," Hagrid supplied. "Keep ter themselves mostly, but they'll show up if I ever need something."
"Can they do magic?" Harry questioned.
Hagrid shook his head. "O' course not. Nonhumans can't legally practice magic. I dunno if they even could anyway. They're deep, centaurs…they know things, but no, they can't do magic."
We walked in silence for a long time after that, following the ever-increasing amount of unicorn blood into the darkness. I was amazed that the creature hadn't simply bled to death by this point. We also appeared to have passed the heart of the thicket, because at some point the trees and underbrush had begun to thin out. The path was now gradually bending to our right, and because the lantern could now penetrate further into the darkness on both sides, I thought I could see shapes moving here and there. The hairs on my arms stood up as goose bumps rippled out along my skin. It felt like we were being followed.
Red light suddenly filled the world in front of us, illuminating for just a moment the figures of Malfoy, Neville, and Fang. Malfoy held his wand aloft, firing the sparks into the air, but his face was covered by his other hand. Neville watched him impassively.
"What's this about?" Hagrid yelled, speeding up to meet them. We had to run to keep up with him. The red sparks stopped as we came closer and saw that the two paths rejoined where they were standing.
"Oh, it's you," Malfoy said, rather breathlessly. We skidded to a halt in the wide space where the paths merged.
"What's with the sparks?" Hagrid demanded, looking all around us with a hand on his crossbow.
"False alarm," Neville said, looking sourly at Malfoy. "He saw your light and panicked. I
told him it was just you three…"
"Shut it, Longbottom! Who knows what it could have been!"
Neville snorted and then made eye contact with us. There was a smile in his eyes I was glad to see. He had obviously made it through his ordeal with Malfoy and Fang quite unharmed. Even his posture was more relaxed than when we had last seen him.
"You great bumblin' idiot," Hagrid said, staring at Malfoy. "We'll be lucky ter catch anything now. Come on, let's keep moving," Hagrid added, looking at the splotches of silver blood covering the ground. "We'll all stick together now."
The forest continued to gradually thin out as we walked along, until it had become more of a grove than an actual forest. Knee-high rushes grew between the trees, glowing softly in the starlight from the now-cloudless sky. It was an ethereal atmosphere, something I will never forget. I had no idea how far we were from Hogwarts, but it felt like a great distance. The rushes swished back and forth in the breeze, whispering in our ears.
"Look," Hagrid said, stopping after what seemed like an hour and pointing at the ground. There were hoof marks ground deeply into the path as well as splashes of silver all around, as if the unicorn had struggled immensely at this spot. I followed the blood and saw that it disappeared into the rushes on our left, which had been partially trampled and were also stained with the blood.
"We must be gettin' close now," he whispered. "Quiet, and wands out," he commanded, reaching for his crossbow again.
Slowly, we left the path and made our way through the grass, staying just to either side of the bloody, worn section. The trees here were very tall and thin, visibly swaying in the breeze. Their foliage was so high overhead that I could barely see any of it.
The blood became thicker and thicker. I could hear running water again, and suddenly the tall grass ended in a small clearing, through the middle of which ran another stream.
"Oh Merlin…" Hagrid breathed. The sorrow in his voice was overwhelming.
In front of us, in the middle of the clearing by the edge of the stream, was the unicorn for which we had been looking. It was sprawled out, as if it had fallen during a full gallop, and it was dead. It rested in a shining pool of its own blood. I felt sadness in my heart for the beautiful creature, because it truly was beautiful. It had a perfectly white body and one golden horn.
Hagrid doused the lantern and told us to be quiet once again. He sighted along his crossbow, waiting for something happen. Nothing except the sound of the wind in the rushes met my ears for the next few seconds.
Harry stepped to me, pointing his wand to the clearing in front of us, and whispered in my ear, "Do you hear that?"
I cocked my head, and for a second, I heard nothing new. Then, ever-so-faintly, a slithering sound joined the night breeze. I could not tell exactly where it was coming from or what was causing it, but I also raised my wand. Neville saw Harry and me pointing our wands and did the same. Malfoy merely stared at the unicorn.
I thought I saw something move in the stream just beyond the unicorn's body. I couldn't be sure, because it blended so well with the dark water, but it looked like a cloaked figure-"
"AAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Malfoy screamed. It startled all of us so badly and everything happened so quickly afterward that I can hardly distinguish one thing from another. Malfoy bolted with Fang right on his heels; Hagrid turned to try to stop Malfoy from running alone into the Forest. Harry started moving toward the unicorn, wand held high, and Neville and I instinctually followed him.
"Malfoy!! Get yer silly arse back here!" Hagrid yelled, his voice several paces behind us now.
Something moved by the unicorn and now I was sure that there was some kind of cloaked figure in the stream. If I was seeing things correctly, its head was by the creature's open wound, and it was lapping at the silvery blood. As we neared, and as I heard Hagrid crashing through the grass somewhere behind us, it raised its concealed face and stared directly at us.
Harry suddenly staggered and clutched his head, going to one knee. His wand was still in his hand, but he was no longer looking at the thing in front of us.
"Harry?" I cried, keeping my eyes and wand on the cloaked figure as I squatted next to him. Neville stood over us, also pointing his wand straight at the thing.
"Scar…hurts…" Harry ground out, looking up and trying to stand. His eyes were watering. In the low light I could see that his scar had turned an ugly, bloody red.
"Harrrrrrry…Potterrrrr…" something hissed, and I looked up to see the figure slithering over the body of the unicorn toward us.
Hagrid suddenly yelled from somewhere behind us: "HARRRY!! NOO!! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The figure stopped for just a second, but then it resumed its progress toward us.
"LUMOS!" Neville yelled, illuminating a small circle around us. The approaching cloaked thing recoiled from the light momentarily, but that defense did not last long.
"Stupefy!" I incanted as Harry was finally able to stand again. A bright red bolt jumped from my wand, but it flew directly through the figure. Harry did the same thing with the same results. The three of us started backing away because we did not know what to do; Harry threw out of his arms in an ultimately futile attempt to protect Neville and me.
The sound of hooves grew quickly in my ears, and before we could react or do anything else, a centaur jumped right over our heads and landed between us and the figure. It reared up on its hind legs, punching at the cloaked figure with its front hooves. The thing hissed violently at the centaur but quickly retreated, fading into the tall grass at the far edge of the clearing. As we watched it disappear, I realized that I had grabbed the arm Harry had thrown across my chest. I squeezed it once and let it go, looking at him. I stifled a gasp as I saw blood running down his face from his scar.
"Are you two alright?" he asked.
"Are you?" I wondered, wiping some of the blood away with the sleeve of my robe.
Before Harry could respond, the centaur had turned to us. He was neither Ronan nor Bane; he appeared to be much younger and was nearly as white as the dead unicorn. His muscles strained against his flank.
"Are you three all right?" His voice was deep, urgent, and somehow comforting. He stared at us with eyes that were almost as blue as the Headmaster's.
"Yes, I think so," Harry answered for us. "But what was that thing?"
The centaur was about to answer, but Hagrid's thundering footsteps were approaching. The centaur glanced in that direction, seemingly relieved to see Hagrid. Malfoy and Fang were with him.
"Harry, Hermi-ahh, Firenze!" Hagrid exclaimed, stopping before the new centaur.
"Hagrid," Firenze nodded. "This is the Potter boy," he continued. "We need to return him to Hogwarts as fast as we can. The forest is not safe at this time-especially for him. I will take the four young ones on my back."
Hagrid nodded. "Thank you, ol' friend." He hoisted Malfoy onto the centaur's back; the little git seemed too scared to do anything but hold on tightly. Neville went next; then it was my turn; and finally Harry was lifted onto Firenze. The centaur's back was just big enough for the four of us. I was pressed into Neville's back and Harry was pressed into mine. He wrapped his arms around my midsection, and I copied him with Neville. I could feel Firenze's sinewy muscles beneath me.
"Didya happen ter see what had killed the unicorn?" Hagrid asked, grasping Firenze's hand for a moment.
Firenze nodded, but further conversation was interrupted by more galloping hooves. Soon thereafter, Ronan and Bane crashed into the clearing.
"Firenze!" Bane yelled, sounding alarmed. "What are you doing? You have humans on your back! Are you a common mule?"
"Do you realize who this is?" Firenze yelled back. "The quicker he returns to Hogwarts, the better."
"What have you been telling him?" Bane's voice was low and menacing. Harry shifted against me, reminding me that we were very close together. There was almost no space between our bodies. "We are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens! Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets and the stars?"
"You misunderstand, Bane," Firenze retorted, coldly.
"I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," Ronan interjected, in his mournful voice.
Bane snorted, sounding more like a horse than a man. "What does that have to do with us? We are only concerned with what has been foretold!"
"Silence!" Firenze yelled, asserting his authority over the other two. "Do you see that unicorn behind me or understand why it was killed? I have set myself against the entity that has been lurking in this forest! If that means I must have humans by my side, then so be it!"
Bane lowered his head and pawed the ground, as if he was going to charge Firenze. I leaned back into Harry's arms, hoping that something could put a stop to all this arguing. I had absolutely no idea what the centaurs were shouting about; I just wanted to be back at Hogwarts in my safe, warm bed.
A rush of air signaled something else was coming, and I readied myself for whatever this new intrusion was. Fire rapidly flashed outward from a singular point between the centaurs, revealing at first a large red bird and then afterward the figure of the Headmaster. I don't think I'd ever been more relieved to see him. Fawkes, the large red phoenix, flapped his wings and then landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.
"Dumbledore! You received my Patronus, then?" Hagrid asked, stepping forward to greet the Headmaster.
The Headmaster had appeared with his wand out, crouching low to the ground. He now stood and straightened his glasses and his robes. He surveyed the situation briefly.
"Yes, Hagrid. Thank you for the warning," he said. He looked at Bane and Ronan. They stepped back under his steely gaze. "Good evening, Bane. Ronan." There was very little warmth in his voice, which surprised me. The two centaurs appeared to be afraid of Dumbledore, as if they had run into each other in the past.
"I trust that you are not giving my students any trouble?" the Headmaster asked. Ronan shook his head, turned, and galloped away from us. Bane met Dumbledore's eyes for several seconds, finally shaking his head.
"Good night, then," Dumbledore said, dismissing Bane. He backed away several paces before turning and disappearing into the night.
"Why's Bane so angry?" Harry asked. "What was that thing by the unicorn anyway?"
"Do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" Firenze asked. Dumbledore had motioned something to Hagrid, who now lifted us off Firenze's back. When we were all standing on the ground again, Firenze turned to us. Dumbledore moved to stand next to the tall centaur.
"No," Harry said, looking at me. I shook my head.
"We've only used their horns and tails in Potions," I told Firenze. He nodded, looking at Dumbledore.
"That is because it is an unspeakable act to slay a unicorn," the centaur said, pointing at the dead unicorn.
"Firenze is right, of course," Dumbledore said. "Only one who has absolutely nothing to lose would commit such a heinous deed. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death."
Fawkes flew from Dumbledore's shoulder to the unicorn, leaning over its wound and shedding a few tears. When nothing happened, he trilled something akin to a lament.
Firenze said, "You have slain something pure and defenseless out of your own selfishness, so you will live a cursed life from that moment on." Fawkes continued his heartrending song, distressed that another rare and beautiful magical creature had been so ignominiously killed. I could feel tears welling up behind my eyes as I listened to the song. Hagrid was already sniffing back his tears.
"Who'd want to do something like that?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, if you're going to be cursed forever, I think death's better," Neville said, watching Fawkes.
"It is," Firenze agreed, again looking to Dumbledore. The Headmaster nodded, walking toward Fawkes and the dead unicorn. He knelt by the phoenix, stroking his plume and inspecting the corpse.
"That is, unless you just need to stay alive long enough to drink something else… something that could bring you back to full power. Something that means you can never die-young man, are you quite alright?" Firenze asked, staring at Malfoy, who I noticed was swaying on his feet. Without warning, he crumpled to the ground.
"Wanker's gone an' fainted," Hagrid mumbled, moving forward and picking up Malfoy.
"Hagrid," Dumbledore said, still looking closely at the unicorn. "Please carry Mr. Malfoy back to Hogwarts. I will travel back with Harry, Hermione, and Neville when we are ready."
"Yes sir," Hagrid said, lifting Malfoy like he weighed nothing. "Come on, Fang," he called, and then lumbered away. Firenze watched them go before turning back to us.
I couldn't believe it. Malfoy really was a coward. The danger had long since passed-Dumbledore was here, after all-but the stress of the situation had caused him to faint. I shook my head in disbelief.
"Anyway, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"
The proverbial light bulb flickered on in my head at that exact moment.
"The Philosopher's Stone!" I exclaimed, though I was not alone. Harry had yelled the same thing. "The Elixir of Life," I added. "But who would want it-?"
"Can you think of anyone who has waited many long years to return to his or her former power, who has desperately clung to life by any and all means?" Firenze asked, solemnly, cutting me off.
Another light bulb flickered on in my head, though this time it was a black light. Firenze couldn't be implying what I thought he was implying…
"Do you mean to say that was Voldemort?" Harry inquired, staring at Firenze. He absently rubbed his bloody scar.
Firenze bowed his head. Out here in the deep wilderness with no lights for kilometers in either direction, the starlight reflected off his snowy mane. The clearing was absolutely silent for several long moments. I could feel my heart thudding in my chest as it reverberated through my bones. Dumbledore was staring at us now.
"This is where I leave you," Firenze said, almost sadly. "You are safe now. Good luck, all of you. The planets…" he trailed off, looking up into the sky. "They have been read wrongly before, even by centaurs. I hope that this is one of those times." He turned away without another word and slipped into the darkness of the surrounding forest.
There was a veritable pause in the fabric of time as we processed this new information. I reached for Harry's hand again, enclosing it in both of mine. He was still rubbing his scar with the other one. Dumbledore flowed to his feet with Fawkes on his shoulder and moved in our direction.
"Let us return to Hogwarts," he said, holding out and arm. "Please take hold." Silently, almost in shock, we grabbed his arm. The world was briefly filled with fire, snaking over every inch of my body but not burning me, and my vision went dark. When it was restored, I saw that I had been transported directly into the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts. Fawkes trilled something conciliatory and flew up the grand marble staircase.
"Come on," Dumbledore prompted, gently, leading us upward toward the Gryffindor tower. Absolutely nothing was said as we made our way through the castle. What could any of us say? Honestly, what could we say or do to make what Firenze had just revealed any less overwhelming? We had unwittingly stumbled into the midst of the most evil maniac to ever live. Or half-live. I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs.
The portrait opened of its own accord as we approached the entrance to the tower. Neville went in without a word, and Harry and I started to follow.
"Harry, Hermione, a word, if you will," Dumbledore said. We turned toward him. I was surprised to see him kneel before us, putting the three of us on nearly equal footing.
"Is it true, sir? What Firenze said?" Harry asked. His voice was…lost. I had no idea what could have caused that emotion then, but now I'm sure he must have been thinking of his parents. I cannot even begin to describe the anguish that must have been running through Harry. I kept my hand in his, trying to lend him as much silent support as I could.
"It could be, Harry," Dumbledore said. His voice was open and honest. There was no cloak over his words tonight. He sounded like he had been shaken. "Which is why I want to tell you both to be extremely careful," he continued. "I will be watching things closely from now until the end of term, but even I cannot see everything. You all need to look out for each other now."
I nodded, drawing Harry closer to me. He looked at me, grateful for the support. Dumbledore was watching this with hooded eyes. They were not twinkling tonight.
"I also want to return to you something that is rightfully yours," he told Harry, reaching into his cloak and pulling out something shimmery. "Just in case," he concluded, handing the Invisibility Cloak to Harry. They looked into each other's eyes for just one second. Dumbledore then stood and motioned toward the portrait. "I think a good night's rest is in order."
"Yes, sir," Harry said. We turned to the portrait, calling good night to the Headmaster over our shoulders. He waved and disappeared around the corner.
When we entered he common room, Sally, Neville, and Ron were having a heated discussion by the fireplace, in which there will only embers. The clock on the mantle told the distressing tale of two o'clock in the morning.
"Harry! Hermione! There you are!" Ron called. I dropped Harry's hand as we came nearer to everyone.
"What did Dumbledore want?" Neville asked. His voice was quiet, thoughtful.
Harry held out the Invisibility Cloak for all to see.
"He gave it back to you?" Neville wondered. Harry nodded, dropping onto the couch beside Neville. I sat next to him, trying not to fidget.
"Neville told us what happened," Ron cut in, unable to contain himself. "It's gotta be Snape! He wants the Stone for You-Know-Who, and You-Know-Who's waiting in the forest. And all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich!!"
Harry rubbed his scar again. "That was definitely Voldemort in the forest…"
"Don't say the name!" Ron hissed, recoiling from Harry.
"Firenze saved us, but I don't think he should have," Harry continued, ignoring Ron's outburst.
"Bane was so furious…" I commented.
"I know," Harry agreed. "He kept saying that Firenze shouldn't have interfered with what they'd read in the movement of the planets."
Though I was skeptical of any kind of divination, what I had witnessed in the forest had shaken me. I laid a hand on Harry's knee.
"Do you think they show that Voldemort's coming back?" I asked, not caring about using the name. If we had truly come face to face with him, I had earned the right to say his name.
"They must," Harry said. "And if Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort finish me off, then that must be written in the stars too."
"Stop saying his name!!" Ron said again.
"I don't know if that's what Bane meant," Neville interjected, also ignoring Ron. "It was hard for me tell exactly what they were talking about."
"I think Neville's right, Harry. We don't know what Bane meant."
Harry laughed hollowly. "Well, all we have to do is wait for Snape to steal the Stone, don't we? Then Voldemort can return to full power and he can come finish me off, if he wants. Then I guess we'll know what Bane was talking about."
I squeezed his knee. "Enough of that, Harry." He blinked and stared at me. "Everyone knows that Dumbledore is the only one that Voldemort ever feared. Hogwarts is Dumbledore's school, so nothing bad will happen." I didn't care whether that was stupidly naïve; I just wanted Harry to stop wallowing in his misery.
"Just like nothing bad has happened so far?" Sally asked. I shot her a look that told her to be quiet. Her eyebrows crept up her forehead.
"And anyway," I said, "Professor McGonagall says that divination is very imprecise magic. The centaurs could be completely wrong."
"Sure, they could be," Harry said, breathing deeply. "But are they?"
It was with this question on all of our minds that we went to bed.
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