Deception

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ xxxᴠɪɪɪ - ᴛᴇʀʀᴏʀ & ᴄʜᴀᴏꜱ

It was hard to find him. Hagrid said as much, so I had been careful when I ventured into the forbidden forest. I knew there were dark creatures living inside of it, so I had to be on my guard at all times.

In the distance I could see the shape of a hut, it wasn't fancy looking, but what could you expect from a man that was half a horse? I approached the hut and peeked through the window next to the door. Surely enough there was a centaur sleeping on a pile of hay, which meant I'd finally found him. I knocked on the door and I heard him move on the other side.

"Who's there?" he asked in his deep and eloquent voice. His voice alone immediately calmed me down in this evil place.

"Hagrid sent me." I said. "My name's Elenore."

I heard stumbling inside the hut as he opened the door. He stared at my face and let his eyes roam over me until they settled on my stomach. The look in his eyes seemed to darken as if he instantly knew what was wrong with me.

"Come inside." He said stepping away with his four legs to let me pass. I nodded and walked inside the hut, he shut the door immediately. I walked over to the table that had only one chair, I supposed centaurs didn't need chairs? Now that I thought about it... How do they sit down on one?

I quietly sat down on the chair, trying not to obsess too much about my thoughts.

"You've got a tainted child in your womb." He pointed out before I could start to explain why I was here. "It was good of you to come."

I stayed silent as I eyed him expectantly.

"Tainted children, or cursed children as they are more commonly known, are dangerous." He started as he put a kettle on. "Tea?"

"Yes please." I said as I anxiously looked at the half naked horse-man in front of me. I heard rumours that Lavender Brown had a crush on him when he taught divination. Well.. I could definitely see the appeal...

"Your child is draining you." He continued as he turned around to face me. "It's killing you so it can survive. If it survives."

"Hagrid said you might know something that could counter the dark magic."

"Yes." Said Firenze, but he seemed dejected. "There are rumours, but it's not proven and extremely hard to obtain."

"What is it?" I asked but he turned away from me and poured the hot water into two mugs. He dropped dried tea leaves into it and handed me one of the mugs.

"It is the purest, the greatest good, the most beautiful magical substance that exists." He said, giving me a knowing look. But I was dumbfounded and I probably looked the same way, because Firenze rolled his eyes impatiently.

"Phoenix tears." He said indignantly and I felt all of the hope I harboured before, fly out of the window. "They might cleanse the dark magic."

Phoenix tears were extremely difficult to get. There weren't many phoenixes left in the world and I certainly didn't know one. Except for... Dumbledore's!

"Dumbledore he has a-" I began as I felt hopeful yet again.

"No." interrupted Firenze with a stern look on his face. "Fawkes flew away after Dumbledore's death months ago. Nobody knows where he went."

"Then there's nothing I can do?" I asked. "I'll die, my child dies or we both die?"

"That is the faith for bringing a cursed child into the world. It is not supposed to exist, it is an anomaly. Naturally the laws of magic will work against it. Only if you find phoenix tears you might have a slim chance, and even that is not proven to work."