The Dark Lord's Daughter (Book 1): Song Bird

Detention

After classes we had to wait for our detentions to start. Filch had to fetch us from McGonagall's classroom, where she gave us disapointed looks and told us to keep quiet. Malfoy sat far away from us and I had to smack Ron on the arm to keep him from making faces at him. Harry tried to keep a straight face watching Ron and I gave him the softest glare I could manage to keep him from laughing. Hermione sat quietly in silent disbelief- I feel as though she had never been given detention before. McGonagall said nothing when Filch showed up and ushered us out of the classroom and out to the grounds. It was already dark out and I shivered when a breeze blew by.
"A pity they let the old punishments die. There was a time detention would find you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons. God, I miss the screaming." Filch said with a smile, Draco gulped and Hermione turned a pale green. "You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight. He's got a little job to do inside the dark forest." Hagrid walks up to us holding a crossbow and looking like he had been crying. Filch greets him. "A sorry lot this, Hagrid. Oh, good God, man, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are you?" Filch sneered at Hagrid.
"Norbert's gone. Dumbledore sent him off to Romania to live in a colony." Hagrid said still sniffling.
"Well, that's good, isn't it? He'll be with his own kind." Hermione tried to comfort Hagrid but Hagrid shook his bushy mane and sniffed again.
"Yeah, but what if he don't like Romania? What if the other dragons are mean to him? He's only a baby, after all." Hagrid almost started weeping and felt my heart break a little thinking of little Nobert alone.
"Oh, for Gods sake, pull yourself together, man. You're going into the forest, after all. Got to have your wits about you." Filch said turning to leave.
"The forest? I thought that was a joke! We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed. And there are..." A howl sounds as if on cue and I hold back a grin, "...werewolves!" Draco finished he was terrified- not that I blamed him. But would the school let a bunch of kids out there if they didn't think we could handle it? My stomach sunk and I groaned inwardly. That wasn't a dare universe!!!
"There's more than werewolves in those trees, lad. You can be sure of that. Nighty-night." Filch says spookily and Draco looks even more terrified than before.
"Right. Let's go." Hagrid said with a sniff and I pulled out my wand. It was darker moving forward- the castle lights were blocked by the hill and I didn't care for the dark much.
"Lumos." A light illuminated the ground before me just bright enough to comfort me.
Inside the forest I all but cling to Harry- something Ron hadn't yet seen in this terrible darkness. Hagrid stopped in front of us and stooped to touch something, I shone my wand to what he had touched- a puddle of silver. Silver stained his fingers and he rubbed them together. Examining the substance my stomach dropped as I realized what it could possibly be.
"Hagrid, what's that?" Harry asked from beside me.
"What we're here for. See that? That's unicorn's blood, that is. I found one dead a few weeks ago. Now, this one's been injured bad by something. So, it's our job to find the poor beast. Ron, Hermione, you'll come with me." Hagrid gestured them forward to him and Ron patted my back nervously.
"Okay." Ron said and glanced back at me.
"And Harry, you'll go with Notte and Malfoy." Draco huffs.
"Okay. Then I get Fang!" Fang was already behind me obediently awaiting my orders. Fang had very suddenly become attached to me.
"Fine. Just so you know, he's a bloody coward." Hagrid's face was grim- and he lead the other two into the forrest.
Harry and I lead the way our wands both lit. Fang panted happily beside me.  Draco clutched the lantern Filch had given him and jumped at every branch cracking under our feet.
"You wait till my father hears about this. This is servant's stuff." Draco says haughtily- but you could still hear the tremble in his voice.
"If I didn't know better, Draco, I'd say you were scared." Harry said with a smirk and glanced sideways at me.
"Scared, Potter?!" Draco scoffs at him, but we hear a distant howl. "Did you hear that? Come on, Fang. Scared." Draco tried to call Fang over to him to no avail. Fang was stubborn and stayed with me. Suddenly, Fang gets in front of me and growls into the darkness.
"What is it, Fang?" Harry asks and I grab ahold of Harry's arm.
"Lumos Maxima!" My wand tip grew brighter- making the clearing almost obnoxiously bright.
In the clearing a cloaked figure lifts its face from a dead unicorn- its face covered in sliver blood. Harry clutches his scar and grunts in pain- I pull him a step back. Fang suddenly takes off with Malfoy. Traitors and cowards the both of them. Draco screams so loud the castle should be able to hear him and I grimmace.
I pull Harry back and try to get him to run- but he falls on a tree root. I brace myself and point my wand at the figured who shields his face from the light coming from my wand.
"Harry! Get up- Run-" Suddenly I hear galloping and something flies over my head- I duck barely in time to avoid it. A silver centaur lands in front of us- and shouts at the figure, scaring it away and the male centaur turns to face us once its out of sight.
"Harry Potter and Notte Weasley, you must leave. You are known to many creatures here. The forest is not safe at this time. Especially for you." The centaur said warningly and moved closer to us- while still scanning our surroundings.
"But what was that thing you saved us from?" Harry asked getting up from the forrest floor with my help.
"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 at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure that the moment the blood touches your lips, you will have a half-life. A cursed life." The centaur replies solemnly.
"But who would choose such a life?" I looked at Harry as the pit in my stomach grew.
"Can you think of no one?"
"Do you mean to say...that that thing that killed the unicorn...that was drinking its blood...that was Voldemort?" Harry replied slowly and looked around at the trees- expecting You-know-who to pop out and shout boo! At any moment.
"Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"
"The Philosopher's Stone." I reply this time and Harry flinches- realizing the consequences were much greater than an immortal Snape teaching potions.
I hear Fang bark from behind us- he had gone to get Hagrid and make sure Draco didn't die. I mentally made a note to bring him a chicken from the kitchens tomorrow night.
"Harry! Notte!" Ron and Hermione call from behind us with Hagrid and Draco in tow. Fang bounded up to me and licked my hand until I pat him.
"Hello there, Firenze. I see you've met our young Mr. Potter, and Miss Notte here. You all right there, Harry? Notte?" We nodded back at Hagrid who sighed in relief.
"Hagrid- Might I have a word with these two before you go?" Hagrid nodded at Firenze who ushered us to the side.
"Harry- Notte. My brethren do not believe we should warn humans of whats to come. But I saw you would need guidance- Notte, you are a great mystery to us centaurs. Know that you are the other half to Har- completing the prophecy. Hard times await you both. When you look ahead- the path will not be clear." Firenze looked away from me. "Harry, trust in yourself. You have something that your foe does not- remember that. Trust in each other. We all depend on-" A call sounded from deep in the woods.
"Harry Potter, Notte Weasley, this is where I leave you. You're safe now. Good luck." Firenze bounded into the woods, leaving us with more questions than answers. We returned to the group and told Hagrid what happened with the unicorn and he paled, but said it couldn't have been you-know-who. He sent us off to bed and we went up to the commons in silence.