Detention with Hagrid

*** Detention with Hagrid

Filch led Harry and Hermione down to Hagrid's hut for their detention, muttering vilely all the while.

"Shame the Headmaster doesn't allow corporal punishment or you'd be hanging by your feet in the dungeons!" the unhealthily sadistic squib muttered vehemently.

Harry stayed silent but Hermione looked like she wanted to say something before she decided to stay silent.

Hagrid, who was standing outside his hut with Fang on a leash waved cheerily at the two students, "Hiya Harry! Hermione! We're gonna be in the forest t'night."

"Isn't the forest out of bounds for students?" Hermione half-stated, half-asked.

"Yeh'll be with an adult." Hagrid said, puffing out his chest proudly.

Harry nodded.

Hagrid and the two kids chattered all the way to the edge of the forest, Harry continuing to sate his curiosity about all sorts of magical creatures and species.

"Unicorns have been killed in the forest, we're gonna see whether we can find what's doing it." Hagrid said, his smile fading into a grave expression.

"Did you say unicorns, Hagrid?" Harry asked,frowning, this seemed like his and Hermione's theory might be confirmed if unicorns were being killed, potentially for their blood.

Still, it wouldn't do to get ahead of himself, so he didn't say anything to Hermione who hadn't reached the same conclusion quite yet.

They went into the forest, Harry noted how Hagrid professionally went about locating the unicorn tracks and had Fang sniff a sample of unicorn blood that Hagrid had on his handkerchief.

Hagrid expertly triangulated the carcass of the dead unicorn.

Hagrid shushed the two kids with him, "Be careful, we're tryin' to see what's attacking the unicorns."

They slowly approached the carcass of the unicorn, squinting to try and see in the darkness under the cool shade of the tall foreboding trees.

Hagrid tightened his grip on his umbrella, Harry idly wondered whether the umbrella could turn into a sword of some sort.

Suddenly a figure sprang out of the shadows, cloaked in black, striking an imposing figure looking almost like a dementor.

Hagrid roughly pushed Harry and Hermione behind him, charging into the small but dark clearing, his umbrella pointed like a muggle gun.

The man in the cloak sprang up, wand in hand and a green spell flying at Hagrid.

Hagrid's eyes bugged out comically and he dove to the left, falling in a barrel roll, recovering and charging at the figure, too fast for the cloaked man to cast another spell, tackling him to the ground and trying to wrench his wand away.

The figure managed to dislodge Hagrid with great difficulty, sending a depulso point-blank into Hagrid's ribcage and approaching the fallen figure of Hagrid before suddenly stilling.

Harry was puzzled for a moment then heard the reason for the figure's consternation, there was the sound of hooves pounding against the leaves and other rubbish that could be found on the forest floor.

A half-man half-horse sprang into the clearing, with a drawn bow in his hand, a centaur, Harry registered.

The figure melted into the shadows quicker than Harry could blink, leaving him wondering whether there was any magic involved.

"Harry Potter…" the centaur rumbled, "You should not be here."

"W-What was that...?" Harry said, hating how weak and crackly his voice sounded.

"Something that doesn't belong within these walls." The centaur said gravely before turning his piercing eyes to Harry, "One who drinks a unicorn's blood is cursed to a half-life, only one who believes there was something to restore a full life would drink it…"

The centaur trailed off.

"The Philosopher's stone." Harry said, faintly.

His theories were finally confirmed!

Quirrellmort was going after the Philosopher's stone!

He glanced at Hermione who seemed to be shocked, then at Hagrid who was injured.

"We have to get Hagrid back to the hospital wing!" Harry said urgently.

"I can carry your female companion, and you can cast one of those fancy light-weight charms that you wizards have on the half-giant."

Hermione thanked the centaur profusely before gingerly getting onto his back, knowing from Harry's quizzing of Hagrid that it was a great honor to ride on one's back.

Harry cast the feather-light charm on Hagrid, feeling a bit light-headed from the energy that he expended in the 4th year charm.

Finally they reached the edge of the forest, by which point Harry's charm had worn off to about half its effectivity and Harry was sweating profusely and barely standing.

The centaur let Hermione off his back, "I shall leave you younglings here, remember, it is dangerous in the forest."

He turned to leave.

"What's your name?" Hermione asked just as he left.

"Firenze." He said before galloping off, not even looking back once.

Harry and Hermione lugged Hagrid all the way to the infirmary, Hermione recast the feather-light charm and almost passed out, still only providing about one fourth of the lightness that Harry's had provided.

*** Hospital Wing

"Oh my goodness! What happened to Hagrid." Madam Pomfrey exclaimed in distress before turning to the two students suspiciously.

"Would you two know anything about what happened." She said, acting accusatory.

Headmaster Dumbledore strolled up behind the students, casting quick wandless charms to cover the bags underneath his eyes and putting on his best grand-fatherly omniscient smile.

"For detention, we were investigating what had been killing the unicorns in the forest. The 'what' turned out to be a person who attacked Hagrid and escaped." Harry spoke concisely.

Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly, "The forest for detention! Crazy people in this school." She said distractedly, while waving her wand in intricate patterns over Hagrid's body.

With a great strained heave, Hagrid came back to consciousness, his eyes huge.

"Professor Dumbledore…" he wheezed out, "'Twas Professor Quirrell!"

*** End of Chapter