Stay - Mattheo Riddle

Who would want to live a cursed life

They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, when Firenze suddenly stopped. "Kirra Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" turning his head slightly to look back at her

"No," said Kirra, startled by the odd question and from the sudden sound of someone talking when it had been quite for so long. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."

"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

Kirra and Mattheo stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight. "But who'd be that desperate?" she wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it? Who would want to live a cursed life, death must be better right?"

"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else — something that will bring you back to full strength and power — something that will mean you can never die. Miss. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course — the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who —" Kirra started and Mattheo was shocked, his face went pale as he knew what this meant, his father would be after that stone, and that meant...

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?" It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around both Kirra's and Mattheo's hearts, neither of them speaking up, but already knowing the answer. 

Over the rustling of the trees, Kirra seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told her and her brother on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."

"Do you mean," Kirra croaked, "that was Vol-"

"Kirra! Kirra, are you all right?" Harry was running toward them down the path, Hermione and Hagrid puffing along behind him.

"I'm fine," Kirra choked out softly, hardly knowing what she was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."

"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now." Kirra and Mattheo slid off his back. "Good luck, Kirra and Harry Potter," said Firenze as he looked down at the two twins. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Kirra shivering behind him.

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JJ and Maxine were half asleep sitting next to each other trying to keep their eyes open in the dark common room, waiting for Kirra to return. Kirra had crawled through the hole and tripped over a pillow on the floor landing on the ground with a giant thud. The two Hufflepuffs jumped up quickly in fright letting out small yelps.

"I need to tell you everything that happened tonight," Kirra tells them quickly and then sit next to the fire in a circle. In a matter of seconds, Maxine and JJ were as wide-eyed as Kirra as she began to tell them everything that had happened in the forest in the forest that.

JJ could see that the girl was still shaking so he reached over and pulled her into him. "Snape wants the stone for Voldemort...and Voldemort's waiting in the forest...and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich...." Kirra muttered out quickly