With finals only ten weeks away, Hermione and I organized different study groups with the others to help us all prep for the final exams. Ron tagged along, with him and I being fairly neutral with each other ever since Christmas rolled around but he preferred to sit by Neville and far, far away from the Slytherins. The other snakes seemed to share his feelings as Hermione and I functioned as human barriers, all of us swapping notes and quizzing each other. Neville was kicking Draco's butt in remembering potion ingredients, while Pansy was desperately trying to remember who won what goblin war.
I was failing at casting non-transformation type charms as per usual.
After one of my Herbology classes, I had this strong gut feeling. It was only when I looked at the bottom of the hill to see Hagrid happily waving at me. Oh... no . No no no no, please no.
"Harry! I wan' ter show yer somethin'!" Hagrid was beaming, grinning with excitement. "Not right now of course, how 'bout Sunday?"
Nopenopenopenope- "Sure!"
I couldn't help but feel anxious for Sunday for the rest of the week. While I wanted to see Hagrid, I was nervous because somehow, I would need to convince him to not keep the dragon egg. I really should have brought Hermione with me. She's really good at convincing people to do stuff.
Just in case, I had taken my invisibility cloak with me, stuffed in my schoolbag. Hagrid opened the door after I knocked a couple of times and a wave of heat smacked into my face like I had just opened an oven mid-cooking.
"Righ' on time, Harry! Come on in!" Hagrid moved his bulky figure to the side and allowed me in like so many times before, though I'm slightly boiling from the humidity in his hut.
"Hagrid, why is it so hot in here? Did you buy pet anacondas?" I asked though I'm pretty sure his house was more hot and humid than the Amazon at this point.
Hagrid didn't say anything but instead had the grin a proud dad would have and went to a pot that was boiling over a roaring fire. I followed and looked into the pot to see a large, shiny, black egg. Large was an understatement, this egg was huge, made my head look like a tennis ball compared to it. Under the water I could make out markings that look similar to keeled snake scales and giving off a "warning, the baby in here is dangerous" vibe that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
"Hagrid... why do you have a giant egg?"
"I won it from some fellow at a pub, it's a dragon egg," Hagrid says about as casually as if he just bought chicken eggs. "Did some research and 'his is a rare Norwegian Ridgeback, I go' everythin' set up for 'im when he hatches. Feed him a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken's blood every hour and keep 'im warm."
"... Um... Hagrid, I can be honest with you, right?"
"O' course you can!" He sounded insulted I would even ask that kind of question.
"You're my friend, and I care about my friends... Muggles have died from less dangerous, non-magical creatures that they bought as pets. You also live in a wooden hut, dragons breathe fire, and you live by a school full of children."
I didn't look at Hagrid while I kept talking. I could feel his shoulders slumping in disappointment but I could almost hear the cogs whirring in his head.
"I know you wanted a dragon," I continue. "But isn't it a little suspicious that someone happened to be carrying a rare dragon egg in their pocket at a pub?"
"Wha' do you mean, Harry?"
"I mean, what did you talk about with him?"
"Oh no' much. Really whispery fellow and kep' his hood up." Sweet lord Hagrid didn't have a skeptical bone in his body, huh? "He asked if I looked after any other creatures and I tol' him 'bout Fluffy. He was interested in Fluffy, o' course, and I tol' him the way to big creatures is knowin' how to calm 'hem."
Pinching the bridge of my nose. "Please tell me you didn't tell him how to calm down Fluffy."
"Oh I jus' tol' him 'hat to calm Fluffy you play a bit o' music and he falls asleep- I shouldn't have told yer that."
The slap sound that echoed around the hut was my hand connecting with my face. Hagrid wilted slightly when I looked at him with the most unimpressed expression, and then he paled after I kept staring at him.
"Oh... I shouldn't have told him that."
"..."
"Maybe I shoul' let Dumbledore know..."
"..."
Hagrid looks at the egg sadly, and I could feel the knife in my heart twist when that look in his eyes met my eyes.
"And I shoul'... not keep the dragon..."
I nodded, giving Hagrid a quick hug. "Fred and George have an older brother that I can contact, one that is a professional in dragon handling. Why not let the little guy be with people who know how to raise them, and learn from bigger dragons?"
"But what if tey pick on 'im?" Hagrid fussed, glancing at his egg.
"He'll learn to bite back," I answered in a sage-like manner, folding my arms with a nod which Hagrid chuckled to. We had tea and I returned to Hogwarts to send a letter to Charlie.
By Wednesday, Charlie and several other dragon handlers arrived at Hogwarts. Students were not allowed outside out of risk of the egg hatching and harming someone. Rumors spread like wildfire about why people came to Hagrid's hut and took something from it. Those that knew Ron's family stayed out of it, but the things people said were... interesting to say the least.
"I heard he was hiding a baby hippogriff!" A Hufflepuff third year chatted with her friend on Thursday.
"Do you think he was keeping illegal unicorn parts?" A second-year Gryffindor asked some older students on Friday. "Mum said you can make a lot of money off their hair and horn."
"I'd bet you five galleons he was producing Baruffio's Brain Elixir! I always knew there was something wrong with that freak! Probably drank too much and has brain damage but can't stop drinking it!" A seventh year Slytherin was spitting out lies that same Friday, earning cruel laughs from his peers and encouraging agreements. That was what made me stop and consider a new prank with Fred and George... muggle style.
That entirety of the following week, nearly half of the seventh-year Slytherin class suffered intense... bowel movements that would not stop even after a trip to the Hospital Wing. The rumors suddenly stopped when those same students began to produce glowy-green spots the size of a cricket ball.
"I knew pumpkin juice was unhealthy," I said with pride as I sipped my overly honey-filled black tea. My friends all pushed their goblets to the side and drank water with their dinner.
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I breathed out what felt like to be the 10th sigh just from breakfast alone. Something doesn't feel right and I just can't put my finger to it. Norbert got removed weeks before she became a problem, no detention because of a nosy Malfoy, and there was finally syrup at the table so I could drown my bland eggs in it! But why did I feel so... empty?
"Hey mate, if you're going to torture your eggs so much you should eat it!" Blaise cut my mind short and pointed at my untouched concoction of sugary tree sap and unborn poultry.
"Huh?" I looked at my plate and took a mouthful of egg, but even that felt bland. "Weird... I don't taste anything..."
Pansy shoved Draco's head forward -much to the blond's protests- to get a better look at me. "You're acting funny, what's wrong?"
"I dunno... I just feel weird. I rolled out of bed wrong, I forgot to brush my hair, I even forgot I was at Hogwarts for a minute," I explained to her, eating another bite of egg. "Even my breakfast feels bland and gross."
"Probably because you're drowning it." I ignored Blaze's muttering.
Draco, with Pansy's hand still on the back of his head, awkwardly turns to look at me. "Hang on, are you homesick?"
My eyebrows reach my hairline, they must have at this point because my forehead was hurting. "Homesick? Wha? No! I can't stand the Dursleys!"
"It doesn't have to just be your house -who are the Dursley's anyway? They sound awful. But in any case, you must miss something that Hogwarts doesn't have," Draco attempted to elaborate but nothing was really sticking... except for one thing.
"Well, I used to spend a lot of time in the forest not too far away from the Dursleys and played pranks on my cousin."
My friends went quiet, each one exchanging looks.
"Yes, I know I can't go into the forbidden forest."
Que the immediate sighs of relief.
Blaze reached over and patted my shoulder. "Good thing you're not a Gryffindor, otherwise we'd have to worry about you sneaking out at night!"
"Yeah!" I let out a nervous laugh. "Of course not! I'm not that stupid."
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I am totally that stupid!
Warm clothes, laced up shoes, and my invisibility cloak would be enough to send even Fred and George running headfirst for the closest professor. A sharp glare towards Scabbers kept the rat from going on a squeak-fest that would have woken up Draco. Sneaking around the castle was easier when you knew where you were going.
'I'm stupid. I'm so so so stupid. Just stay away from the spiders and for the love of every demon in the nine layers of hell stay away from the centaurs!' I mentally chanted to myself while I all but ran down the hill and within minutes I was in the forest. It was... mystical I guess would be the word for it. Trees older than the entire school stood tall and close-knit, preventing any and all plant growth for several meters and many that did grow seemed magical and screamed "don't touch me" with how they glowed in the moonlight.
I took off my invisibility cloak and draped it over my arm. I didn't bring a lantern and I have yet to see how badly I can mess up Lumos now that I've practiced other spells, but with a full moon only being a few nights away, the forest wasn't really all that dark.
Also, the dead unicorn glowing and bleeding out on the ground provided extra light- wait.
"Oh, you poor thing..." I knelt by the creature, examining its body. "Quirrell got to you, I'm so sorry... did you have a mare or foal?" I had noted that it was a stallion and I have no idea if unicorns mated for life. Horses don't and my knowledge about anything with hooves is limited.
I gave the dead unicorn a few gentle pats as if that would bring it some form of comfort and return to my feet. "... Fudge pops, Quirrell's gotta be in this forest..." I let out a long groan. "I don't want to deal with thiiiiiiis! I just wanted a walk in the woods !"
I flinched as that was a little too loud for my liking, but nothing approached me. Pulling out my wand for security I began to walk, only to become disorientated with how everything looked the same. Great, just great, way to go Harry! Completely forgetting you have a terrible sense of direction without a bloody map!
'Let's see... when I found the unicorn I saw it's stomach first... so walk away in the direction of the stomach!' Sounds like a reasonable plan, I did walk straight for the most part anyway! Mindful to keep walking straight and pray in my head. I kept my walk through the forest, hoping homesickness never kicks in again so I can stay away from here. Minus a few howls in the distance from the castle's resident wolves, this forest was eerily silent, meaning any new sounds echoed out like a sonic blast.
Like a gross sucking sound. Like... like Dudley trying medium-rare steak for the first time gross- okay ew, I did not need to be reminded of that day.
There he was, cloaked up and drinking from a dead unicorn. It was like some poor excuse of a vampire or those weird Muggle cults that don't understand that drinking blood makes you vomit. A small part of me wanted to scream and run, the kid side. But another part of me was wondering what were the odds of me getting away with murder... just to get it over with. I'm sure Quirrell would like a hug after all.
Quirrell seemed to have had a similar thought process as he gracefully stood, my scar shooting waves of pain towards my head while he glided over in my direction. My vision blurred for a moment, but I raised my wand in hopes that I could shout out a spell, literally any spell would be nice.
"Lumos!"
A ball of pure white light shone from my wand, making Quirrell back away for a moment, but he kept moving forward until I could almost see his face. Suddenly, the light flickered. My heart dropped. Would it turn off? This was my first time successfully casting a charm on the first go. But no, it didn't go out. Instead, it sent out beams of light and the ball rotated, making the beams flicker and dance around the forest like some kind of magical disco ball-
"ONE HOP THIS TIME~ RIGHT FOOT LET'S STOMP~ LEFT FOOT LET'S STOMP~ CHA CHA NOW YA'ALL!"
...
...
What?
How... in the name of Merlin's soiled robes does my wand not only know how to act like a disco... but then play the flippen Cha Cha Slide... which isn't going to be out for over a decade ?! How can a wand even play music?! What the hell is going on with my bloody magic?!
I was too busy looking at the offending object that was my wand that by the time I looked back at Quirrell, he was already gliding away. A part of me wanted to leave it at that, head back to my nice warm bed and get ready for DADA the next day... but... then again...
Quirrell wouldn't be able to report or punish me for being here. He can't say he saw me deep within the forbidden forest, because then it begged the question of why was he in the forest? There was no one he could turn to because there were no witnesses to me sneaking outside of the castle. Even if Draco or Blaise were to wake up this second to find my bed empty, they would assume I'm in one of Hogwarts' many bathrooms regretting my sugary breakfast. I can say and do what I want and face no consequences.
Meaning I can stop acting like a child for a minute, and do something I've been wanting to do to him all year long .
"Hey buddy, wait up!" I let out my best evil cackle and gave chase to Quirrell, using my years of running from Dudley to weave around trees and objects alike. "I have this spell I want to try out! It shoots out this green light and sounds like 'abracadabra!' I wanna test it out before I show it off to my DADA professor!" I pointed my wand at him, not expecting the spell to actually work because my magic is horrible and I honestly don't want to kill him. He's not Umbridge. " Ava- "
Quirrell shot his arm out and I could faintly see a wand. The next thing I knew my wand flies out of my hands and I have to come to a screeching halt so I could look for it. Quirrell took this opportunity to run like the coward he was. Great, he sent my wand flying... in a forest... full of sticks.
And I don't know Accio yet.
It honestly didn't take too long to find my wand; it's a straight piece of wood unlike the dozens of broken sticks. Brushing off some dirt I pocket my wand and head back to the other dead unicorn, my gut bubbling over with disgust. These creatures are the embodiment of purity, only approaching virgin maidens and yet slaughtered like cattle for Voldemort.
"You chased him," A dazed sort of voice came from behind me, and I hear hooves clopping on the forest ground. I stay perfectly still until a presence is right behind me. "Mars is out today..."
Oh thank Gandalf, it's just Firenze...
Taking a step forward I turn on my heel to look at the centaur- who... is prettier than he has any right to be! Okay, the movies did not do him justice. The human half was a muscular elf-like body with silver-blond hair not too far off in the shade as Draco actually and striking blue eyes. His facial structure was just as elf-like as his body, sharp cheekbones, and a flattering nose. He wasn't looking at me, but more at the stars.
"That was Voldemort... he killed unicorns," I childishly crossed my arms. "Should have made him fall on his face so his neck snaps..."
Firenze finally looked down at me, a blond eyebrow rose in curiosity. "It is rare that a human foal would speak of such violence..."
I hesitated.
"I... didn't grow up in a healthy environment..." Honestly, how the original Harry grew up to be a perfectly normal kid is beyond me.
"Hm... the stars are confused about you, Harry Potter," Firenze changed the subject so quickly I could feel the whiplash. "It is not safe for you to be in this forest. I will take you back to safety and I do not want to see you enter these woods again."
"What about the unicorns?" I motion to the dead creature. "Do... I mean... their bodies..."
"Hagrid will be informed so he may take care of them. Do not worry, they will not be left to rot," I shrunk at the intelligence in his eyes, like he knew what he was looking at wasn't exactly a child. "Hop on my back, it'll be quicker."
Suddenly, over a dozen set of hooves galloped over and in the distance, I could see Firenze's herd glaring at us. Instincts told me to grab my wand, but I fought the desire as there were too many of them. Instead, I did something a little more... stupid.
The one that I assume to be Bane... maybe... opened his mouth to spout insults to Firenze when I took several long strides to the herd. Firenze shuffled on his hooves in an attempt to pull me back but I kept walking until I was a couple of meters away from the herd...
And bowed.
"I understand I am trespassing on your lands and I apologize for that. I humbly ask to be allowed to leave peacefully and I will remain far away from your lands, only returning in dire situations." Hopefully never having to return.
The last part was left unspoken and I hear hooves approach me so I kept perfectly still. I heard when a horse kicks it definitely hurts, but centaurs were twice as muscular as most stallions, I do not want to know what that feels like.
"A wizard bowing to centaurs, an unusual sight, but you are also a foal." The one who I assumed to be Bane snorted, hot hair brushing the top of my head and sending a chill down my spine. "Our laws say we cannot harm foals. Leave, we do not want to see your face here again."
"I sincerely hope I do not find a need to return here then," I made quick work to return to Firenze's side, who's eyes for once were perfectly clear and he looked like he was about to keel over from an impending heart attack. Once the other centaurs left, Firenze made sure I was on a clear path out of the forest before returning to his herd. I, on the other hand, threw my cloak on and made it back into bed with about two hours left before classes start.
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We had a test that same day in DADA but I made the extra effort to be the first student done -finishing even before Hermione- and turn my paper to Quirrell. It was easy, all about vampires and well... let's be honest, my past life grew up when vampire culture was at its peak in popularity... sadly.
I feign concern when I noticed Quirrell was flinchy when I approached, my scar screaming in agony from being near him. "Did you not get any sleep, professor?"
"N-N-nothing t-to worry about, P-Potter. Pl-please return to-to your seat," Quirrell responded a little too quickly and tried to shoo me away.
"Yes, sir. Oh, Professor?" I lean closer and drop my voice, like I was trying to not embarrass him. "You have something silver at the corner of your mouth."
Quirrell paled, his hand quickly reaching up to wipe his lips only for him to find nothing. He stiffened in his seat, looking at me with a calculating gaze and froze when my expression changed. From a concerned student to what could only be described as a mixture of the Joker and a cat that caught a bird and was then rewarded cream. I could get used to this. Pushing people like Quirrell into the farthest corner just to see if they'll spring back or crumble under the pressure.
Ah... too bad I have so many kind friends... replacing Voldemort would be so easy ...
The familiar steps and hair floosh of Hermione caused me to break back into my normal attitude. "Hope you like my summary about muggles perspectives on vampires, professor. You would learn that they lack the ability to fear what wizards fear."
I walked off, giving Hermione an encouraging grin and plopped back next to Draco who was still scrambling to finish his test and began to work on my charms homework. I couldn't resist occasionally looking up to find Quirrell sitting there in a daze. He was most likely trying to figure out how I discovered the truth and more importantly, how to get rid of me.
Sorry Quirrell, you messed with the wrong Harry Potter. This one is a hugger.
After class, Hermione bound over to me and I was wrapped in one of her tighter hugs. "Harry! Pansy told me you were homesick, I'm so sorry I didn't notice sooner. Are you all right?"
Letting out a laugh, I return her hug and brought out my inner kitten and nuzzled her hair. "I'm fine 'Mione, honest. I took care of my homesickness last night."
Hermione suddenly released me, but instead of letting me go completely she instead clasped her hands on my biceps. The grip as loose, but it threatened to become vices if I said anything stupid. "You had better not be telling me... Oh, forget it."
"Eh?"
"You didn't get hurt or in trouble and you're not sad anymore. Besides, even if I got mad at you now it wouldn't do us any good now would it?"
I blinked a few times. "That's... really nice of you to say, Hermione. Thanks."
"Just don't make it a habit. Otherwise, I'm going to have to work with Pansy and Blaise to keep you tied to your bed at night."
I look to Pansy and found her giggling into her hand with Blaise having a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Duly noted: My friends are not above keeping me hostage.