Chapter 10
A note flew in with one of the school owls one day, reminding him to attend his detention that evening.
The world was mocking him with the Forbidden Forest, he was certain.
What other explanation was there for Professors Snape and McGonagall to set their detentions up together for completely different transgressions.
When dusk turned to dark, he joined Granger and Potter, who seemed pleasantly surprised - perhaps even vindicated - to see him equally punished.
"Malfoy, what did you do?" Potter asked.
"Same as you two delinquents, you're here to be punished for breaking curfew."
Filch led them to Hagrid's loudly proclaiming just how much he'd rather torture them as punishment. In Draco's opinion the Headmaster had a bad habit of choosing child haters as employees.
He kept quiet as the Gryffindors excitedly greeted the gamekeeper, and before he felt ready, they headed into the forest. They stopped by a small puddle of silver liquid - unicorn blood. Hagrid decided to split them up.
"Harry you go with Malfoy here." He pointed to a dark path on their left. "I'll go with 'Mione. The Centaurs migh' help us look."
Draco let the slobbering dog walk off after it's master this time, he remembered the traitorous coward running off at the first sign of danger. While he looked around, Potter already went deeper into darkness with their lamp.
"Potter, don't walk off so fast! We should be looking around for blood," he tried to keep his voice from pitching with fear. What if the centaur didn't come to save them on time, he worried.
"Just speed up a little, there's nothing here. Or are you scared?" Potter challenged.
"You wish, scarhead!"
They tripped and slid on roots and damp foliage on their way, but aside from pointing out promising tracks they carried on in silence. Eventually the path opened up into a small clearing.
"Look." Potter held out his arm to stop him.
The unicorn's carcass shone brightly against the dark forest floor in a heartbreakingly beautiful display.
Potter took a slow step forward and froze when a slithering, hooded creature emerged from the bushes and immediately sank its teeth into the unicorn's wound.
Macabre would be an understatement, thought Draco as he snapped out of his haze.
"Potter!" He half squeaked, half whispered.
The idiot was standing sill and not reacting to Draco tugging at his arm in an attempt to make an escape together.
He pulled harder, dragging them back a couple steps, but he stumbled over a root he didn't remember stepping over before, and tripped them up.
He landed painfully on a pile of branches.
Potter dropped their lamp, which cracked and dimmed into nothing.
The hooded figure raised its head and looked up, sparse moonlight illuminating the silver blood staining its face and coat. Quirrel's face and coat. The Dark Lord's.
"Hagrid! We found it!" shouted Potter as loudly as he could.
The man got to his feet and came swiftly towards them, eyes fixed on Potter.
"I'm going to die! We're both dead!" Draco panicked. He lifted his wand and cast 'Oppugno' over Potter's shoulder, as the Gryffindor held onto his forehead, doubled over in pain. A cloud of leaves and twigs pummelled into Quirrell.
When the spell faded, and with it the attacking flock, he saw the man towering over them. With an ever more frightening expression under the cloak and blood. Luckily, he heard hooves approaching, and in a flash a centaur was jumping over them to chase the Dark Lord away.
"Firenze..." he recognised his pale hair and youthful features from Divination. He looked into his curious, strikingly blue eyes and realised the mistake he made. How would a first year know that name?
"Are you all right?" Firenze turned his attention to Potter instead, pulling him up.
"Yes, thank you. What was that?"
Draco almost gave in and answered.
"You're the young Potter boy." Firenze said, avoiding the question. He was staring intently at the scar. "You had better get back. You are especially unsafe in the forest at this time."
It would be untrue to claim Draco was very interested in being a special, prophecised Saviour. However, since he was trying to change the future for the better through getting himself involved with this Chosen One, he would've liked some recognition. Potter almost landed on him.
More centaurs galloped in from the other side of the clearing.
"Firenze!" one of them thundered. "What are you doing with the human? This is not our place."
"Do you realise who this is? The Potter boy, Bane. The sooner we get him out of the forest, the better."
Bane argued with the third centaur - Ronan - about their oath to not interfere in the predictions of the stars. Even more important to Bane was the issue of interacting so closely with humans. Helping those who were so decidedly below him. Draco wondered if that was what others also saw in him.
"Do you not see the unicorn?" Firenze angered. "Have the planets kept motive behind this act from you? I set myself against the evil lurking in this forest, and I will do so with humans alongside me if I must."
The centaur ushered Potter onto his back and galloped away to search for Hagrid.
Draco was left behind in the depths of the Forbidden Forest, on a night when the Dark Lord regained some strength, with only human-hating centaurs nearby.
He didn't know what to do - Ronan and Bane appeared not to notice him at all, as they examined the dead unicorn.
"Firenze doesn't respect our way. And mark my words, if we don't set him on the right path he'll betray us to the humans he so loves." Bane complained.
"He's still young."
"That's why we must insist on it before his character settles."
"I fear it's already past that point."
"He thinks he can align himself against the stars' predictions, it's unbelievable."
"The planets have been read wrongly before now, even we can hope that is the case.
" Ronan's voice drifted off as he peered over the unicorn's wound.
"For now, our future is darkness that threatens to swallow the skies, and flickering light from those who oppose it.
" Bane nodded impatiently and disappeared through the tree line.
Ronan looked up and startled to see Draco walk up to him. He also was too focused on Firenze and Potter to notice him until then.
"What flickering light?" Draco asked.
"Ah, another student? Do you learn much surrounded by piles of stone?" he asked with a sorrowful note in his deep voice.
"Not as much as I'd like." Draco wasn't sure what answer was appropriate.
"Not enough. Well, you get something at least."
"Can you tell me about the light?" Draco asked again. The centaur slowly looked around, as if checking for an unwanted audience.
"Humans do not see the messages the stars send us the same way we do.
You divine much shorter timelines, but I do not see harm in simply speaking what I see.
" Draco followed his eyes up to stare into the sky.
Roman didn't point out where to concentrate his gaze.
"There is much flickering in the Northern Ecliptic Pole.
Even Thuban has averted its gaze far longer than expected. That answers your question, I believe."
Draco knew of those structures, he was certain they learned about them years back while studying the sky from the Astronomy Tower. He only wished the centaurs were more forthcoming with explanations.
"North pole, Thuban... You're talking about the Draco constellation!"
"Correct." Ronan nodded.
"It can't be right." It would be absurd if the signs from the stars were that simple. There had to be a different explanation, but... "That's my name. I'm Draco Malfoy."
Ronan looked him up and down, taken by surprise, but didn't say anything - aside from "Let me return you to Hagrid's care.
" They walked in silence, Draco lighting his way with a weak 'Lumos'.
When they had the other humans in sight, the centaur turned around without a word.
Draco wondered whether he was deep in thought or also unhappy to assist humans.
He was greeted by Hagrid's slobbering mutt and Potter's remorseful look for leaving him behind.
The latter alone was almost worth the whole trouble.
"Well, then. Now that yer here, time fer you kids to get some rest." Hagrid gathered them and made sure they stuck close together the whole way back to the school.
"'Mars unusually bright tonite'... Trust a centaur ter say sommit helpful." The gamekeeper muttered to himself, as Potter and Granger huddled together to whisper about something.
Now, Draco knew a thing or two about the way Firenze described Mars in their fifth year lessons - bringer of battle. Hagrid must have been warned about conflict or danger from the start, but didn't understand. They shouldn't have gone into the forest at all that night.
He regretted letting Crabbe and Goyle go off with Pansy before him, when Weasley, Potter and Granger accosted him in the library the following day. They squeezed in on the opposite end of the table and looked around, checking if there was anyone within hearing distance.
"About last night..." Potter looked in every direction but where Draco was. Sheepishness didn't suit him at all, he thought.
"Whoever decided going into the Forbidden Forest was a suitable punishment should be fired," said Granger, though it seemed she didn't blame the half-giant for making two students walk off unsupervised. "We're only first years."
"Scared you both enough to say you never want to break the rules again." Weasley laughed to himself.
"Gee thanks, Ron." Potter rolled his eyes. "Next time you can take Voldemort on all by yourself, then."
The ginger visibly paled, and together with Granger they looked as startled as Draco felt by hearing the name. Trust Potter to act like a fearless saviour from the very start, he thought bitterly. He tried to relax the anxious scowl on his face and concentrate on the present.
"If you're just here to practice your comedy routine - which is absolutely horrid, by the way - then I'm leaving."
"The thing we saw in the forest, you know it was him," he said, confidence or frustration strengthening his voice. "It's only a matter of time before he comes back."
"And Snape's helping him!"
"Don't be daft, Weasley. It's not Professor Snape." He sneered.
"How would you know that?" Weasley asked, while Potter only rolled his eyes again, this time aimed at him. Draco felt his blood boil.
"I just do." Of course he knew, since he already lived though these events once before.
Pretending to be ignorant with everyone was exhausting.
On the other hand, he was barely one step above unaware - he didn't know enough to prove the man in the forest was Professor Quirrell.
Both Potter and Granger looked ready to defend their logic, so he quickly continued.
"Either way, what makes you sure he's still hiding in the forest? "
"You think that You-Know-Who's in the castle?" worried Weasley.
"He can't be, he wouldn't risk it. Everyone knows he fears facing Dumbledore." Granger reasoned.
"And he would've already tried to kill me if he got in. He almost did in the forest." Potter added.
"Do you reckon he's waiting for something to happen?" Weasley asked suddenly.
"Like what?" asked Granger, but he only shrugged in reply.
"Look, I'm sure you're enjoying yourselves and basking in my presence, but is this meant to lead somewhere?" Draco couldn't help the snark.
"We thought, since you helped... erm, we thought you might know if Snape is up to something." Potter explained.
"I don't -"
"That's just brilliant." Potter's sarcastic interruption did nothing to hide his worry. It was strange to not wish more distress on him, but now Draco knew how much stress was ahead of the 'Chosen One'.
"I don't, but fill me in. Maybe I know something you don't." He offered reluctantly to the Gryffindors' surprise. Draco wasn't certain if changing the future was the reason he said it.
Granger took over for most of the explanation, she easily summarised and linked it into a coherent story.
From three-headed Fluffy belonging to Hagrid, the troll on Halloween being a distraction to make an attempt to get past it, to the trapdoor and Professor Snape's subsequent injury.
She even explained how she saved Potter during the Quidditch match by conjuring a fire in the stands.
Then Potter pitched in to mention a botched break-in at Gringotts and the Philosopher's Stone.
While Draco did follow his interest in alchemy for N.E.W.T.S, between his preoccupation with the Dark Lord's plan in sixth year, and the atrocities of their seventh year, he didn't have the time to devote himself to the subject. However, what little of the topic he knew, he passed on.
The Philospher's Stone was said to transmute metals to silver and gold, heal all forms of illness and prolong life.
There were conspiracies about it allowing the creation of a living clone.
It was the Magnum Opus of all true alchemists, but as far as they knew, only Flamel ever created one.
Granger nodded along, she already knew most of what he could barely recall, if not more.
"The only assumption I can make is that the Dark- ahem You-Know-Who needs the stone desperately. So much that he can't risk going after Potter before he gets it."
The air was heavy with thought. Every one of them swept up on the responsibility put on their shoulders by their discoveries.
"Malfoy... If we asked you to keep an eye on Snape for us, would you?" Potter asked, doing very little to hide the signs of doubt and an expectation of rejection. He agreed easily - Draco knew there would be nothing to report on Severus.
"Actually, Potter. I had a question about last night. Did Firenze tell you anything important?"
"He said Voldemort will try to come back, and that another war is coming, soon." Potter's serious gaze ignored the way the other three flinched at the name.
Draco dismissed those predictions with a flick of the wrist. "Riveting, but nothing we didn't already know. Did he say anything useful?"
"Like hell you already knew." he answered with equal sarcasm. "No that's it."
"Hmm, that's disappointing." Draco took a moment to reconstruct the encounter with the Dark Lord. "What about when You-Know-Who attacked us. You were useless, holding your head the whole time. Did he curse you?"
"It's my scar-"
"Harry gets these awful headaches," interrupted Granger.
"Had them all year." Ever since coming to school, perhaps getting worse, Draco thought to himself.
"So, do you think it's linked to Him? The unicorn blood would've strengthened whatever effect He has on you..." it was a surprising discovery, and Draco felt it wasn't a coincidence.
"See. Even he thinks so too!" Potter turned to his friends, who clearly didn't think it was a serious symptom.
Potter didn't have any clear ideas that would explain the pain, and Draco couldn't help but wonder what it all could mean. He was tempted to suggest searching the library together for explanations, when all four of their stomachs growled loudly in unison to remind them it was dinner time.