Draco Malfoy and the Obnoxious Stone

Chapter 10

A note flew in with one of the school owls one day, reminding him to attend his detention that evening. The world was mocking him with the Forbidden Forest, he was certain. What other explanation was there for Professors Snape and McGonagall to set their detentions up together for completely different transgressions.

When dusk turned to dark, he joined Granger and Potter, who seemed pleasantly surprised - perhaps even vindicated - to see him equally punished.

"Malfoy, what did you do?" Potter asked.

"Same as you two delinquents, you're here to be punished for breaking curfew."

Filch led them to Hagrid's loudly proclaiming just how much he'd rather torture them as punishment. In Draco's opinion the Headmaster had a bad habit of choosing child haters as employees.

He kept quiet as the Gryffindors excitedly greeted the gamekeeper, and before he felt ready, they headed into the forest. They stopped by a small puddle of silver liquid - unicorn blood. Hagrid decided to split them up.

"Harry you go with Malfoy here." He pointed to a dark path on their left. "I'll go with 'Mione. The Centaurs migh' help us look."

Draco let the slobbering dog walk off after it's master this time, he remembered the traitorous coward running off at the first sign of danger. While he looked around, Potter already went deeper into darkness with their lamp.

"Potter, don't walk off so fast! We should be looking around for blood," he tried to keep his voice from pitching with fear. What if the centaur didn't come to save them on time, he worried.

"Just speed up a little, there's nothing here. Or are you scared?" Potter challenged.

"You wish, scarhead!"

They tripped and slid on roots and damp foliage on their way, but aside from pointing out promising tracks they carried on in silence. Eventually the path opened up into a small clearing.

"Look." Potter held out his arm to stop him.

The unicorn's carcass shone brightly against the dark forest floor in a heartbreakingly beautiful display. Potter took a slow step forward and froze when a slithering, hooded creature emerged from the bushes and immediately sank its teeth into the unicorn's wound. Macabre would be an understatement, thought Draco as he snapped out of his haze.

"Potter!" He half squeaked, half whispered. The idiot was standing sill and not reacting to Draco tugging at his arm in an attempt to make an escape together. He pulled harder, dragging them back a couple steps, but he stumbled over a root he didn't remember stepping over before, and tripped them up. He landed painfully on a pile of branches. Potter dropped their lamp, which cracked and dimmed into nothing.

The hooded figure raised its head and looked up, sparse moonlight illuminating the silver blood staining its face and coat. Quirrel's face and coat. The Dark Lord's.

"Hagrid! We found it!" shouted Potter as loudly as he could.

The man got to his feet and came swiftly towards them, eyes fixed on Potter.

"I'm going to die! We're both dead!" Draco panicked. He lifted his wand and cast 'Oppugno' over Potter's shoulder, as the Gryffindor held onto his forehead, doubled over in pain. A cloud of leaves and twigs pummelled into Quirrell.

When the spell faded, and with it the attacking flock, he saw the man towering over them. With an ever more frightening expression under the cloak and blood. Luckily, he heard hooves approaching, and in a flash a centaur was jumping over them to chase the Dark Lord away.

"Firenze..." he recognised his pale hair and youthful features from Divination. He looked into his curious, strikingly blue eyes and realised the mistake he made. How would a first year know that name?