Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

Chapter 38: What's Past Is Prologue (pt 2)

THE PAST
19 November 1975

Bane looked around the clearing carefully but saw no threats.

It was a cold November, and an early snow covered the grounds of Hogwarts. But the thick canopy in this part of the Forbidden Forest kept the floor mostly free of it even as it blocked out the light of the stars and even the full moon. The young Centaur had been charged with patrolling this part of the Forbidden Forest tonight, and while he shared his kind's skill with a bow and knowledge of the forest's dangers, boredom and mild curiosity had led him to wander outside the territory that had been warded for the Centaurs' protection. Or perhaps for the protection of others from the Centaurs – opinion was divided in the tribe as to who the real beneficiaries were.

Suddenly, there was commotion as some wild animal, at first unfamiliar to Bane, burst into the clearing. Bane gasped in shock when he recognized the beast as a werewolf! Instantly, he notched an arrow into his bow in what he knew was likely a futile gesture. Not only was a werewolf fast enough to evade an arrow, only a perfect shot right through the eye and into the brain would kill or even slow down a creature blessed with such regenerative powers. The werewolf snarled at Bane before dodging the Centaur's first arrow with ease. Quickly, Bane reached for another arrow even though it was already too late, for the monster had gone into a crouch and was ready to pounce.

But then, even as the werewolf leaped for Bane's throat, it was knocked aside by a new combatant. Despite himself, Bane gasped again, for the werewolf was joined by a Grim! The Centaur's heart grew cold at the sign of the death omen whose presence surely meant that his own doom was nigh. How odd that he'd seen nothing in the stars to warn him of his own grim fate tonight.

Bane's amazement only grew when the growling black mastiff interposed itself between him and the werewolf as if to protect him. Even more bizarrely, a magnificent stag, bigger than any that he'd ever seen in the forest, bounded into the clearing to join the black dog in his defense. The werewolf looked between the dog, the stag, and the Centaur who stood slack-jawed on the other side of them. And then, its hungry snarls turned into a petulant whine, as if the monster were throwing a childish tantrum at being denied its prey.

Only then did Bane notice the final absurdity. For perched on top of the stag, holding onto its antlers for dear life, was a rat. And even as it clutched the antlers tightly with four claws and a tail, the rat's attention was focused on the werewolf. It showed not a bit of fear. On the contrary, the rat chittered and squealed at the werewolf as if angrily remonstrating it for its rudeness in threatening the Centaur's life. The werewolf lowered its head in submission before turning to bound back into the forest the way it had come. The dog, the stag, and the rat all three turned to look at Bane – each demonstrating unmistakable intelligence with its expression – before following after the werewolf.

Bane exhaled slowly in relief before turning back towards the Centaurs' camp. The rest of the herd would need to know what he'd seen. But before he could move a single hoof, he halted in surprise at his last visitor of the evening. Floating in the air ahead of and above him, a man in black robes perched on a broomstick shimmered into view, the wand in his hand instantly marking him as a wizard. Bane snarled and reached for another arrow, but once again, he was too late.

"OBLIVIATE!"

Bane looked around the clearing carefully but saw no threats. He shook his head and resumed his patrol.

A few hours later ...

The three Animagi carefully herded their werewolf friend towards the Whomping Willow. Under the effects of the latest version of Master Belby's Wolfsbane Potion, Remus was more docile than a normal werewolf, enough so that the stag, the dog, and the rat could deter him from attacking anyone or anything they encountered. Surprisingly to them all, it was Peter in his rat form who was most able to "reach" Remus while he was in his wild lupine state. None of the four could truly communicate in a human sense, but they all shared a rudimentary "animal tongue" that allowed limited communication between all animagi and (according to their Unspeakable tutors) most quasi-sentient animals. Peter, for whatever reason, was the one best able to communicate complex concepts and even orders while transformed. James had joked about taking his stag form at home over Christmas to see if he could communicate with his mother's pet kneazle, but their Animagery tutor's angry expression had put that idea out of his head.