The Little Lion: Vol 2 "Order of the Pheonix"

A Journey to London

Chapter Twenty Five: A Journey to London- 1996 

"Well, this way! It should be a bit farther in!" Hermione calls over her shoulder, continuing through the winding paths of the forest. Harry and Camila give each other horrified looks before following the bushy haired girl.

The three of them didn't bother stopping when Umbridge tripped and fell into a prickly shrub. Camila bit back a smile though.

"Oh! I think it's to the right over here!" Hermione says loudly again.

"Keep it down, anything could be listening in." Harry mutters, panicked.

"I want us to be heard." Hermione says pointedly.

As they get to a clearing, an arrow shoot over Hermione's head, making a few hair move around. Camila's eyes widen and she quickly turns around. Surrounding the four wizards are about fifty centaurs. Camila looks back at Hermione to see a satisfied smile while Umbridge gives a nervous whimper.

"Who are you?" A booming voice asks by Magorian, one of the bigger centaurs. Umbridge continues to whimper while her wand is pointing out, shaking violently. "I asked who you are!"

"Dolores Umbridge!" The toad says in a scared, high-pitched voice. "Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts!"

"You are from the Minister of Magic?" Magorian repeats.

"That's right! So be very careful! By the laws laid down by the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, any attack by half-breeds such as yourselves on a human-"

"What did you just call us?" Shouted another centaur who Harry recognized as Bane.

"Don't call them that!" Hermione says furiously.

"Law Fifteen B states clearly that any attack by a magical creature who is deemed to have near-human intelligence, and therefore considered responsible for its actions-"

"Near-human intelligence?" Magorian speaks again as Bane and many others roar with rage. "We consider that a great insult human! Our intelligence, thankfully, far outstrips your own-"

"What are you doing in our forest!" Roars an angry, gray centaur.

"Your forest?" Umbridge seemed to be triggered out of her fear, because her arrogance and entitlement has taken over. "I would remind you that you live here only because the Ministry of Magic permits you certain areas of land-"

Another arrow was shot now, but this one flew so close to the mousy woman's face, it cut her cheek ever so slightly.

"Who's forest is it now!" Bane yells.

"Filthy half-breeds!" Umbridge bellows. "Incarcerous!"

"NOOO!" Hermione screams. Camila wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist and tackled her to the ground as the centaurs came stampeding towards their direction. Harry quickly did the same, and the three teens remained face-first in the damp soil, scared of the hooves running and leaping by.

A few eventually pulled the trio up, keeping tight grips on them all. "Now, what to do with you?" A carmel-ed colored centaur questions the three.

"Please, we aren't with her! We don't think like her!" Hermione begins to beg. "Let us free!"

"You brought her here!" The same one speaks.

"We just needed to g-get rid of her! I was hoping you could do that for us!"

Camila rapidly shakes her head and groans, knowing this would only set them off more. "So you thought we would just do your dirty work! We are a respected, ancient group, we will not follow orders from wizard kind!"