A Hogwarts Rose Year 1

Chapter 29

'Under no circumstances is a student to be outside the castle after dark and as punishment fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor.'

'Fifty?' Harry said appalled.

'Each.' We looked at each other shocked. 'And all five of you will receive detention.' The Draco stepped forward to McGonagall's desk.

'Perhaps I heard you wrong Professor, but I thought you just said the five of us.'

'You heard me correctly Mr Malfoy, you see, as noble as your intentions were you too were out of bed after hours.'

So three days later Filch escorted us to detention at Hagrid's hut after dark, on the way he told us about how detention use to happen and from what he said I'm glad it changed.

'I remember the old punishments, used to hang kids up by their thumbs and leave 'em hang'n for hours. Man I miss the screaming.'

I shuddered, how can anyone be so cruel and insensitive? I was glad when we got, to Hagrid's hut. Speaking of Hagrid, he was sitting on the step of his hut playing a tune on what looked like pan pipes, it sounded kinda mournful. Filch groaned.

'Oh you're not still on about that stinking dragon, are you?'

'Dragon? You mean Norbert? What happened to him?' I asked.

'Dumbledore sent him off to Romania to be with the colony.' Hagrid said sadly.

'Well that's good isn't it? He'll be with his own kind.' Hermione said.

'But what if he don't like Romania? What is the other dragons are mean to him? He's just a baby after all.' Hagrid sniffled.

'Oh pull yourself together man, you're going into the forest after all.' Filch instructed. 'You've got to have your wits about you.'

'The forest? I thought that was a joke!' Malfoy was horrified. 'Students aren't allowed in there, besides there are.........' He paused as we heard a howl from the trees. 'Werewolves.'

'Oh there's more than werewolves in there, you can be sure of that. Nighty night.' Then Filch left and Hagrid led us into the forest. He stopped when he came to a puddle of what looked like liquid mercury (otherwise known as quicksilver), which is highly poisonous. I couldn't help, but wonder A) why this was in the forest and B) why Hagrid had brought us to it.

'Hagrid, what is that?' I asked. He bent over and stuck his thumb and forefinger is the silvery substance, then turned to us.

'You see that?' We all nodded. 'That is unicorn blood. I found one of them dead the other night and this one's been hurt bad by something, our job is to find it. So Ron, Hermione, you two'll come with me.' Hermione nodded silently.

'Ok.' Ron whimpered.

'Stephanie, Harry, you'll go with Malfoy.' Harry and I nodded.

'Ok, then I get fang!' Malfoy demanded.

'Fine, just so's you know, he's a ruddy coward.'

Then we split up and headed our separate ways, Harry and I walked beside Malfoy who was carrying the lantern and holding Fang on his lead. As much as I hate Malfoy, I can't help thinking that this might not be so bad, after all maybe this might teach him not to spy on us and tell McGonagall.

'Wait 'till my father hears about this, this is servant stuff!' Malfoy fumed.

'If I didn't know any better, Draco, I'd say you were scared.' Harry countered.

'I'm not scared, Potter.' He said, then a noise sounded from behind us, he whipped around to look. 'Did you hear that?' I nodded shrugging. 'Come on Fang.' He sped up to walk ahead. 'Pff, scared.' He mumbled.

'He so is.' I whispered, to Harry.

I started to try and catch up to Malfoy, as he was the only one of us who had a lantern and that is the only light to see by. Without it we would soon be bumping into the trees that loomed tall in the darkness and the mist the hovered over the ground made it impossible to see the roots so tripping over was easy. Before too long we came into a small clearing, I stopped when I saw a cloaked figure hunching over the body of a unicorn, the sound of slurping filled our ears. My gaze turned to Harry as he started hissing in pain with his hand on his scar. Whatever this creature is it is not friendly.

The cloak slowly turned to face us and all we saw was a large mouth dripping with the silver blood of the unicorn. Malfoy screamed and ran, taking both Fang and the lantern with him. Harry and quickly backed up and the creature glided towards us, until stood up to it's full height and started to walk towards us. We continued to go backwards until Harry tripped on a a stray root and fell, pinned up against the large mound that we had been walking on before. I pulled out my wand, but before I could use it a thundering of hooves distracted the creature and a centaur jumped over the top of Harry and I and landed in front of us facing the cloaked creature. The centaur reared up and kicked at the creature with it's front legs, scaring the creature and causing it to glide away until it flew up into the trees. Breathing a sigh of relief, I helped Harry up and we carefully walked over to the centaur.

'Mr Potter, you must leave. You are known to many creatures here, the forest is not safe at this time, especially for you.'

'But what was that thing you saved me from?' Harry asked.

'A monstrous creature. It is a terrible crime to slay a unicorn, drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death, but a terrible price. For you have slain something so pure that as soon as the blood touches your lips you will have a half life, a cursed life.'

'But who would choose such a life?' I asked.

'Can you think of no one?' The centaur asked. Then it dawned on us.

'Do you mean to say that thing that killed the unicorn, that was drinking it's blood, that was Voldemort?' Harry asked shocked.

'Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?'

'The Philosopher Stone!' I replied. Now things were starting to make sense, with the elixir Voldemort would be able to return. Oh this is bad.......... Before we could say anything else Hagrid, Hermione, Ron and Malfoy appeared at the top of one of the slopes.

'Hello Firenze, I see you've met our young Mr Potter and Miss Partridge. You alright there you two?' Hagrid asked suspicious. We both nodded then looked to Firenze.

'Mr Potter, Miss Partridge, this is where I leave you. You are safe now, good luck.' Then he galloped off into the darkness.

Back in the common room everyone had gone to bed so we could speak freely about what had just happened in the forest.

'I know why Snape wants the stone.' I said, the others looked at me expectantly. 'He wants to give it to Voldemort, because with the Elixir of Life Voldemort can come back.'

'You don't think he'll........kill you, do you?' Ron asked worried.

'If he'd if he'd had the chance I think he might have tried to kill me tonight.' Harry replied.

'And to think I've been worried about my potions final.' Ron gulped.

'Hold on. Who's the one wizard that Voldemort always feared?' Hermione asked. We shrugged. 'Dumbledore! As long as Dumbledore's around, you're safe, as long as Dumbledore's around you can't be touched.'