chapter 28:Unicorns

Harry and his friends blinked at the sight before them. Almost overnight, a waist-high hedge had been planted near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a hedge that was bordered with what Harry recognized as warding stones. The hedge itself marked out a field within which a stable was being constructed by Hagrid and several of the upper-year students, a stable constructed from a thick drystone wall topped with a sloping roof of branches that had fallen from the trees rather than be cut off. To one side, Ponoma Sprout waved her wand, directing vines to wind between the branches, holding them in place and at the same time, weaving a roof.

"Hagrid?" Harry called and the huge man waved as he jiggled a head-sized stone into position.

"Eyup, 'Arry!" He called. "Can't stop, need to go an' get more stones."

"I'll deal with it." A familiar voice said and Harry grinned as his cousin appeared, then her appearance registered. Her hair was lanky and pale while her normally-bouncy stride seemed almost zombie-like. "Whoo, I need a break anyway. Having to do all this by hand… never realized just how much I relied on magic… Wotcha, Harry, Nev, Hermione."

"Tonks." Harry greeted her. "Erm, what's going on?"

"We're putting together a shielded enclosure for the unicorns." Tonks said grimly. "Something's hunting them. Hagrid's had to heal five and three more have died. We're warding this field to heck and back so that anything or anyone with bad intentions towards the unicorns'll get blasted away so hard that they'll either topple trees or leave dents in Hogwarts' walls. It's made harder by the fact that unicorns can't stand being in buildings that have been shaped by magic. Oh, living plants don't count for some reason, but the rest of the building needs to be totally natural. No trimming rocks or cutting wood, no using cement or tools… makes it quite difficult. However, once we finish, nothing'll get to them unless it's trying to help them."

"Oh gosh! They're so beautiful!" Hermione gasped as she stared at the unicorns congregating near the edge of the Forest.

"That they are." Tonks agreed. "Dunno what was after them, but they reproduce so slowly it'll take a decade or so to rebuild the herd."

Movement near the herd caught Harry's attention and Tonks followed his gaze to the glowering figure.

"Centaur. Looks like it's Bane." She growled. "Damn beings agreed to protect the unicorns as part of being allowed to live here, but they've been too busy staring up at the stars to live up to their end of the agreement. Well, too late for them now. Looks like the secondary agreement will take hold instead."

"You don't like centaurs?" Hermione asked and Tonks shrugged.

"As a species, they're pretty much okay. Heck, the ones in Greece are generally quite friendly and have actually been known to adopt human orphans into their Herd. I still remember that holiday where I met Niko and learned several of my tricks from him… but these ones? They're an offshoot from the Dark Peak Tribe who left for reasons that neither herd likes to discuss." She supplied. "The Dark Peak Herd is willing to let wizards visit their Range so long as they're respectful and don't make a mess. Our lot? They won't even let us know where their Range is!"

"So… they don't like humans?" Neville asked and Tonks shrugged again.

"Their leader? That would be Magorian. Hates us and wouldn't accept medicine from us even if it would save his life and that of every centaur who follows him. Rumor has it he likes to kill lone wizards, but I doubt it. Records don't show that anyone's gone missing around here. The more vocal members of the Herd? They don't like us, but limit themselves to chasing us out of the Forest unless someone does something stupid, in which case it's ouch time. The rest? They're pretty neutral about it. Sorta you don't hassle us and we won't hassle you."

"And what's the secondary agreement?" Hermione asked.

"Well, since they just proved they aren't guarding the unicorns, they now have to supply Hogwarts with foodstuffs for the elves to use or potions ingredients for Snape plus a pair of sentries at the gate. Polite sentries who answer to McGonogall. She won't put up with any attempt to weasel out of it and if they try, they get sent back to Dark Peak. Magorian's probably kicking himself now. All he had to do was look after the unicorns and now his herd's got to protect humans or it gets folded back into the very herd he left, leaving him as the lowest-ranked as it'll be seen as proof that he failed as a leader."

"You seem to know a lot about centaurs." Neville said while Hermione frowned in thought.

"To be an Auror, you need to know about all the different Beings and centaurs count, even if they are officially Beasts by their own choice." Tonks shrugged. "Well, gotta get back to work. It's extra credit for the NEWTs, after all."

"Newts?" Harry asked quietly as Tonks jogged off.

"Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests." Hermione supplied almost absently. "They're generally taken two years after the Ordinary Wizarding Levels."

"Sounds like someone in the magical world heard about Acronyms and decided they were a good idea." Harry chuckled, earning an almost reflexive dope-slap from Hermione.

.

From a high window, a figure watched the construction from a darkened room.

"Master… what shall we do?"

"There is no choice. We will need to find a way past that obstacle that has thwarted us within the month, before the blood we have stored runs out." A cruel voice hissed and the man nodded, even though no-one was watching him.

"As you command, Master. However, Dumbledore could be a problem…"

"Then you shall use the runes I placed many years ago to shut down the Floo once we have learned what the final obstacle is. The old Muggle-lover will need to go to the Ministry to reset the connection and my slippery former servant will be only to eager to persuade the spineless Minister to drag the old fool into a long, pointless meeting lasting hours. Hours that will allow us to complete the task I have set you."

"Yes, Master. It shall be as you wish."

"Yes. It shall."

"But what if someone else tries to interfere, My Lord?"

"You have a point…well, my slippery former servant will be able to aid with that too…"

.

.

"Mr Potter, remain behind."

Harry looked at the strangely-subdued Professor Snape as the other students finished packing away their equipment, giving him looks of curiosity or sympathy. After the other students had finished filing out, Snape pulled a familiar book from his robe pocket and gently placed it on the desk.

"…I do not often thank people," He said, his voice seemingly calm, but with hints of deeper emotions, "But in this case, it is well deserved. I understand even more now about what caused the sundering between your mother and myself, things that I misunderstood at the time or was simply not aware of. Therefore, thank you. You are truly your mother's child and I am honored to be your Potions teacher.

"However, should you try to tell anyone about this conversation, I shall deny it to my dying breath. I do have a reputation to maintain."

"Better strict and avoiding accidents than friendly and having half the class in the medical wing." Harry offered and Snape's lips twitched in what might have been an aborted smile.

"Indeed, I may have to use that at the next staff meeting when Sprout whines about how I treat her Badgers." He mused, then he re-focused. "You may go."

Harry picked up the journal and placed it in his book bag, then pulled out another, causing Snape to lift an eyebrow in query.

"I knew how long the journal was and your average reading speed from the previous four." He explained. "This is her sixth journal, but you might find it… painful. It shows how my father reformed himself in her eyes."

Snape accepted the proffered journal. "Then it is perhaps a good idea that I read it also. Perhaps… thank you. And good luck on Saturday."

Harry nodded and left while Snape returned to his desk, where he sat down and looked at the book in his hands for a long moment before sliding it into his pocket.

"Tonight." He whispered, one hand stroking the spine of the journal as he settled it in place. "It will not be easy… but I must know."

.

"Again?" Hermione asked as Harry rejoined them.

"Again?" Harry asked and Hermione shook her head.

"You know what I'm asking. Was this another of those meetings that neither you nor Professor Snape ever talk about?"

Harry nodded and Hermione sighed as they walked into the Great Hall where most of the other students had already assembled.

"No Tonks today?" Neville asked as he looked round for the now-familiar pink hair that marked her presence.

"She mentioned last week that she was going to a preliminary interview this week." Hermione supplied.

"Ah, so she's at the DMLE." Neville nodded as he sat down and helped himself to some of the potatoes. "Makes sense."

"I've read about the DMLE, but I haven't found anything that covers the last decade." Hermione said as she filled her plate with salad to go with the small bow of stew. "Who's the one in charge?"

"Amelia Bones." Neville said. "I've talked to her once, Gran was trying to get the Lestranges sentence changed from life at Azkaban to being thrown through the Veil of Death for what they did to my parents…"

Neville paused, his eyes filled with anger, then he inhaled deeply as he calmed down. "Never mind. Anyway, she's tough and a stickler for following the rules. Unlike Fudge, she can't be bribed."

"Sounds worrying." Harry said. "Our Minister for Magic being easily bribable? What happens if he accepts a bribe to ban Muggleborns from attending Hogwarts?"

Hermione blanched and Neville frowned.

"I don't think that would happen, especially with Dumbledore as the Chief Warlock."

"What does that position entail?" Harry asked.

"Well, a Chief Warlock is the member of the Wizengamot with the power to call for votes, including a Motion of No Confidence in the Minister for Magic. Normally, it takes a minimum of twelve members to put that into effect, but the Chief Warlock can call for it once every moon if needed."

"That's… quite a power." Hermione finally admitted.

"It's primarily a ceremonial position." Neville shrugged as he speared a thick slab of meat and transferred it to his plate. "Oh! he can also appoint himself as a witness in any trial that he isn't presiding over and call in other witnesses. That's about it, really. There's a few ceremonial aspects, but… yeah."

Harry reached out for the pitcher of diluted fruit juice and poured a goblet-full for himself, then filled Neville's proffered goblet too.

"Harry!" Davies said in greeting as he walked up. "I managed to book the pitch for Friday afternoon."

"I'll be there." Harry stated and Davies grinned.

"Maybe I'll finally sneak the Quaffle past you. Oh, show up at… four. We Chasers need to get some practice in at actually getting the Quaffle through the hoops first."

Hermione giggled at Harry's expression.

.

"What do you think they were talking about?"

"No idea. What do you think?"

"I don't know either, twin of mine. That's why I asked."

"Well, it probably doesn't matter. Look at our gallant captain, though."

"Oh yes. Oliver's really getting frantic about this. Our dear older brother is going to find himself under a great deal of pressure to catch the Snitch as fast as possible, isn't he?"

"Indeed he is, brother mine. With Protego Potter guarding the hoops and swatting Bludgers out of the air, it does indeed come down to our older brother."

"Is it wrong to actually hope that he succeeds? I mean, he is a prat, but…"

"But he's our prat."

"Nicely put."

"Thank you."