Saving Us

10 : Year 1

Nia wears that when she leaves for detention ^

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          I spoke too soon, Flich was standing in front of us smirking as if he was pleased to finally have caught us. Flich took us down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where we sat and waited without saying a word to each other. I was sitting right next to Hermione, I could feel her trembling. Poor girl. I grab Hermione's hand and she looks at me. I smiled at her reassuring her everything was going to be fine with a nod. She's smiled at me. Her trembling calms down. After a while of waiting Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.

"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the three of us.
"I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a dra-" Harry and I started shaking our heads violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen us. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the four of us.
"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves." She said. No one said anything. I look at Harry and he was looking at the ground. I look at Hermione and she was staring at her slippers.
"Professor," I speak up.
"Yes, we were in the astronomy tower but that's only because my brother Mills had sent me a letter saying there was going to be a meteor shower." I lied.
"I don't remember the astronomy club saying anything about a meteor shower." Professor McGonagall said. There's an astronomy club?! Bloody hell.
"Uhm." I say.
"Caught you in a lie, Miss Backenter." She said looking furious.
"I think I know what's been going on here." She said.
"It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?" She said. I shake my head. I look at Neville and he looked hurt. No, it's not true.
"I'm disgusted. Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. Miss Backenter, how could you get a fellow Slytherin in trouble? You're a Slytherin start acting like one." I looked up at her with disbelief. Did she seriously say that. I glared at her.
"As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions - yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous - and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor and Slytherin." She said. I looked at her furiously.
"Fifty?" Harry gasped. That's right they just lost the lead he got from the last Quidditch match.
"Fifty points each." She said breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose. I shake my head. Now she's just being rude.
"Professor - please -"
"You can't -"
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students." She said. We all get up. And I say my goodnights to Hermione and the others. I head to the Slytherin common room. If it was so dangerous at night then why did she make me go back to the Slytherin common room. I quickly hurry into the common room and up the stairs to the door of the girl's dorm. I was about to open it but I stopped myself. Malfoy is sleeping. I smirk to myself. I quickly go into the girl dorm The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 I borrowed from the one of the 2nd year girls. I leave the girl's dorm and sit down on the stairs looking for something that would catch my attention. Finally see one, but I need to practice it though, I could kill Malfoy if I do it wrong.
I been working on the spell for a couple of days now. I finally perfected both the curse and the counter curse. I'm waiting until the right time to cast it on him. But these past couple of days have been hard on Harry everyone hates him. He even ask to resign from being the Gryffindor Seeker. But wood wouldn't let him. Ron and I were the only ones who stood by him. Hermione would stay quiet and do her work. The exams were a week away. We've all been studying extra hard. I was with Harry walking back from the library. I hear whimpering coming from a classroom up ahead. Harry noticed it too. As we drew closer, we heard Quirrell's voice.
"No - no - not again, please -" It sounded as though someone was threatening him. But I couldn't hear anyone with him. We moved closer.
"All right - all right -" I heard Quirrell sob. Seconds later, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of strode. Did he not notice us? We waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then we peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. We go in and about halfway Harry stops me. I turn and look at him. He tells me, we should stop meddling. I look at him like he was crazy. But I agree and we head back to the Gryffindor common room, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. We told them what we'd heard.
"Snape's done it, then!" Ron said. But I never heard Snape's voice. I actually didn't hear anyone other than Quirrell.
"If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell-"
"There's still Fluffy, though." Hermione said.
"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," Ron said, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them.
"I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?" Ron asked. The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.
"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure." Hermione said. She's right.
"But we've got no proof!" Harry said. He's right too.
"Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor - who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining." Harry said. Hermione looked convinced, but Ron and I didn't.
"If we just do a bit of poking around -"
"No," Harry said flatly cutting me off.
"We've done enough poking around." Harry said. He pulled a map of Jupiter towards him.
The next morning at breakfast me, Hermione, Harry and Neville got a note from McGonagall saying that our detention starts tonight at eleven o'clock. And we have to meet Filch in the entrance hall. I look at Malfoy, who was sitting down at the Slytherin table eating. I take my wand out.
"Pst." I was trying to get Harry and the others attention. They look at me.
"Watch." I said. I look around to see if anyone was watching. Once I see no one else looking at me. I look at Malfoy and point my wand at him from underneath the table.
"Engorgio." I whispered. Suddenly, Malfoy's whole body started to swell. I whispered it again and it swelled bigger. People started laughing at him. I stopped and start to laugh at him too. Harry and Ron both burst out laughing.
"Nia, stop it!" She whispered. I ignore her and laugh.
"Help!" He shouted.
"Dear my!" I hear some shout. Malfoy goes back to his normal size.
"Who did this?" Professor McGonagall shouted. I quickly put my wand away. We all get back to eating pretending nothing happened.
Since the spell was a 2nd year spell. The 2nd years were all questioned. I never got caught. I'm glad I did the spell, Malfoy deserved it. After everything he did. He does. Hermione yelled at me. Harry and Ron loved what I did. I was proud of myself for actually perfecting a 2nd year spell. At eleven o'clock I left the girl's dorm room and went down to the common room. I see Malfoy by standing the the door. I sigh.
"Waiting for someone?" I asked. He turns around and looks at me with a strange but cute look.
"You." He said. I looked at him quizzically. I shake my head. It's so hard being mean to him when he's being nice to me. Now I feel bad for what I did.
"Let's go." I said sounding annoyed and mad. We head to the entrance hall and see Filch standing there, smirking at us. I rolled my eyes. After a little while waiting for Harry and Hermione they finally came. Filch told us to follow him. He was leading the way with a lamp.
"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" Filch said, leering at us.
"Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me.... It's just a pity they let the old punishment die over... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed.... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do." He said. We marched off across the dark grounds. The moon was bright but the clouds scudding across it kept throwing us into darkness. There was lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then we heard a distant shout.
"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started." Hagrid said.
"I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf?" Filch asked Harry.
"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." Filch said. Neville let out a little moan and Malfoy suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, making me almost run into him.
"The forest?" He repeated, and he didn't sound as quite as cool as usual.
"We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard." He said. Neville made a choking noise.
"That's your problem, isn't it?" Filch said, his cracking with glee.
"Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?" He says. I look at him shaking my head and questioning him on why he would say such a thing. What an arse. Hagrid came striding toward us out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying a large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.
"Abou' time. I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Nia, Hermione?" Hagrid asked us.
"I shouldn't be too friendly to them," Filch said coldly.
"They're here to be punished, after all." He said.
"That's why yer late, us it?" Hagrid asked frowning at Filch.
"Bin lecturin' them, eh? "Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer dit, I'll take over from here." Hagrid said. I smirk at Filch. Thank you, Hagrid.
"I'll be back at dawn, for what's left of them." Filch said nastily, and he turned around and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness. Malfoy turns to Hagrid.
"I'm not going in the forest." Malfoy said. I could hear the panic in his voice. I scoffed.
"Yeah are if yeh wand ter stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid said fiercely.
"Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it." Hagrid said. Well, he already has.
"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if father knew I was doing this, he's -"
"- tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled.
"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!" Hagrid said. Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.
"Right then, now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don't want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment." Hagrid said. He led us 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 trees. A light breeze lifted my hair as I looked into the forest, like the others.
"Look there," Hagrid said.
"See that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. 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. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of it's misery." Hagrid said. Poor thing. Who would do such a thing.
"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn find us first?" Malfoy asked, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.
"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang, an' 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." Hagrid said. I frown.
"But Hag-"
"I want Fang." Malfoy said cutting me off. I glare at him. I was going to tell him that the unicorn might already be dead. Since he said it's been bleeding since last night.
"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," Hagrid said.
"So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Nia, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if one of us finds the unicorn, we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go." Hagrid said. The forest was black and silent. A little way into it we reached a fork in the earth path. Harry, Hermione and Hagrid took the left path while me, Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right path. As we walked along the path with our lamps, we searched around for blood - well, Neville and I did. Malfoy was pouting next to me.
"What an oaf. I'm mean honestly, is he trying to get us killed? My father would not like this." Malfoy said. I rolled my eyes.
"Good for you." I said not looking at him.
"Why do you always say that to me?" Malfoy asked.
"Because I can." I said. I walk up to Neville.
"Neville, I hope you know that we never intended for you to get in trouble, too." I said.
"I understand. But -" Malfoy suddenly grabs Neville and Neville screams and in panick he sent up at a spark.
"Neville, it was just Malfoy." I said. Malfoy was holding his stomach laughing. I shake my head. Hagrid comes out of the trees.
"Are yeh all right?" Hagrid asked.
"We fine. Malfoy just scared Neville." I said. Hagrid looked at Malfoy furiously.
"Now, why would yeh do that?" Hagrid asked. Malfoy doesn't answer him. Hagrid tells us to follow him and he leads us back to Harry and Hermione.
"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups - Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang, Nia an' this idiot. I'm sorry." Hagrid whispered to Harry and I.
"But he'll have a harder time frightenin' the both of you, an' we've gotta get this done." Hagrid said. I sigh. Well, at least I'm with Harry. So we set off into the heart of the forest. We've walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. The blood we were following seem to have getting thicker. Which worried me. There were splashes around in pain close by.
"Look -" Harry mutter, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy and I. Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. We inched closer. It was the unicorn and it was dead. I was right. I had never seen anything so sad and beautiful before. It made my chest tighten. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at angles where it had fallen and it's mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves. Harry took one step toward it when slithering sound made all of us freeze where we stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered. Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Me, Harry, Malfoy and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood. Suddenly, Malfoy let out a terrible scream. I felt him grab my wrist, spins me around and bolts, while he was still holding onto my wrist. Fang ran with us.
"Malfoy, stop!" I shouted. But Malfoy ignores me.
"We can't just leave Harry!" I shouted again. He still ignores me. I frown at him. I pull my hand hard making him let go of me. I start running back to Harry. I hear Malfoy call out to me but I ignore him and keep running back to where Harry is. I finally get there and see Harry talking to a half-man half-horse with white-blond hair and a palomino body.
"Harry, are you all right?' I asked running over to him. He looks at me and nodded.
"I'm fine, Nia." Harry said. He look back at the man. What is he?
"My name is Firenze. Please both of you get on me." Firenze said. I look at Harry and he nods. I get on first and then Harry got on him. There was suddenly a sound of galloping from the other side of the clearing. Two more half-men half-horse came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.
"Firenze!" Said the one with black hair.
"What are you doing? You have two humans on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?" He asked.
"Do you know who this is? This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better." Firenze said.
"What have you been telling them?" The black haired man growled.
"Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?" He said. The other men pawed the ground nervously. He had red hair and beard, with a chestnut body and a long reddish tail.
"I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best." He said. The black haired man 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!" He said. They're centaurs? Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger making me grab onto his shoulder and Harry grabbing onto my waist.
"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at the black haired man.
"Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on the secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must." Firenze said. He whisked around; with me clutching on as best as I could and Harry holding onto me tightly. We plunged off into the trees, leaving the centaurs behind us.
"Why's Bane so angry?" Harry asked.
"What's that thing you saved me from, anyways?" Harry asked. Firenze slowed to a walk and warned Harry and I to keep our head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Harry's question. We made our way through the trees in silence for so long, it felt awkward. We were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.
"Harry Potter and friend, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"
"No," Harry said answering for me too.
"We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions." Harry said.
"That is because is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn. 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." Firenze said. I look at Harry.
"But who'd be that desperate?" Harry asked.
"If you're going to cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?" Harry asked.
"It is," Firenze agree. I look at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.
"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 and friend, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?" Firenze asked. I look at Harry.
"The Sorcerer's Stone!" I said.
"Of course - The Elixir of Life!" Harry said.
"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?" Firenze asked. My eyes widen. Voldemort.
"Do you mean?" Harry croaked.
"That was Vol -"
"Harry! Nia! Are the both of you all right?" Hermione asked running towards us down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.
"This is where I leave you," Firenze muttered as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn.
"You are both safe now." He said. We get off of his back.
"Good luck, Harry Potter and Nia." Firenze said. I nod at him.
"The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." He said. He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest. We head back to Neville, Malfoy and Fang, who were waiting at Hagrid's hut. Hagrid all took us back into the castle and we all head to the our common rooms.
"I swear everytime something bad happens it's always because of Potter. He's going to get you killed one of these days." Malfoy said walking beside me. I shake my head.
"And that matters why?" I asked.
"Because you would die." Malfoy said as though it was obvious. I rolled my eyes.
"To die will be an awfully big adventure."



I got that quote from Peter Pan and Wendy. I loved that book when I was little. I still love it. Happy 2016? ~ Poppy