A half-dead life

"Ronan, are you saying I can't understand the revelation of the stars? He is not that star!" Bane shouted angrily. "Talk to me, Firenze—are you a centaur, or a companion of such a human?"

"I am a centaur, but don't try to sway me with such words. I follow only the laws of the starry sky," Firenze responded solemnly. "Every time I have checked, every time the night sky shows changes and omens, this human is present."

A chestnut-colored centaur spoke calmly, "You shouldn't be checking, Firenze. We concern ourselves only with celestial phenomena. Inspection and verification are not our tasks."

As they argued, Hagrid approached Anthony and asked, "Henry, where's the snowbell flower?"

"What snowbell flower?" Anthony looked up, noticing that Hagrid's eyes were red and swollen, though he seemed to have calmed down. His tangled beard was soaked with tears.

Hagrid stared at him with bleary eyes for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh, blast it, I forgot to bring it. Henry, I need to go back and fetch it..."

Anthony tried to suggest that he go instead—worried that the centaur dispute might escalate if they stayed—but Hagrid interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "I can move faster, Henry, and I know the way. Don't worry, nothing dares harm anyone in the unicorn's territory..." He shouted, "Aragog, Aragog!"

Aragog, who had been resting, slowly rose to his feet.

"Look after Henry for me!" Hagrid called out as he hurried off. "I'll be right back!"

As he spoke, Hagrid strode away, blowing his nose loudly into his handkerchief. Fang followed closely behind him, keeping as much distance as possible from Aragog, but the enormous Acromantula seemed entirely unconcerned with the "tiny" dog.

…

"Margery, Ronan, haven't you noticed?" Bane said contemptuously. "Firenze is on the verge of becoming one of the humans."

His words seemed to be a grave insult to Firenze, as several centaurs immediately protested. "Bane!" "Hush!" "Firenze is still one of us!"

Their outburst was so loud that Aragog turned to look their way. The unicorns retreated from the centaurs, forming a tighter circle around the unicorn corpse in the center of the clearing. The two little unicorns wandered away from their mother, peeking out from between the adult unicorns' legs with curious, innocent eyes. They took tentative steps forward, only to be gently nudged back by the extended horns of the adults.

Aragog's ninety-seventh grandson wrapped its front legs around Anthony, trying to guide him away from the center of the conflict. Anthony patted it reassuringly. "Don't worry, I can protect myself..."

At that moment, Aragog arrived.

"Leave," Aragog commanded his grandson, his voice weary but firm. The ninety-seventh grandson retreated without a word.

Only then did Anthony realize that this young Acromantula was the only one nearby. "Wait, why are you always trying to help me?"

Aragog replied, "It is the smartest of its siblings, Hagrid's friend. Hagrid brought you to me, and you helped rid us of that terrible presence, freeing us from the horror in the castle... It is trying to show you kindness."

Anthony hadn't expected this answer. He looked at Aragog's ninety-seventh grandson, only to see the Acromantula silently shrink behind its companions.

On the other side, Firenze was so enraged that he reared up on his hind legs, raising his bow and arrow high above his head. "I don't want to argue with you at the unicorn's funeral, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of you! Let's resolve this according to the traditions of our community. Bane, tell me, under the stars above, what did Alpha Boötes and Eta Boötes say to you?"

The other centaurs also raised their heads and looked at the cloud-filled sky. For some reason, they seemed to see something, as several of them began nodding slightly.

Bane also looked up and was silent for a moment before he said, "I admit what you said, Firenze. But I still hold to my view. We all know that compared to the stars, individual fates are insignificant, and the stars should not be guided by any one person."

Firenze calmly fitted an arrow to his bow and shot it at the tree behind Bane. Bane stood still, letting the arrow feathers pass by his hair, and turned to watch the arrowhead sink into the trunk.

Ronan said sadly, "Why must we argue over humans?"

"Firenze is too young and has been confused by this human," Bane retorted. "If you don't believe me, just look at him. Even among wizards, isn't he the most vile and corrupted? Listen to the unicorn's exchange—he actually has the audacity to be here!"

The unicorns' guarded posture already revealed part of the issue. Anthony sometimes wondered what he looked like through the eyes of magical creatures like unicorns or phoenixes, creatures so pure they seemed to view him with disdain.

Margery spoke calmly, "Only you can hear the unicorn's communication, Bane. For most of us, the unicorn remains silent."

Bane declared loudly, "By the stars and fate, I can tell you that the unicorn speaks of why he suffers a half-dead, cursed existence!"

Several centaurs began to scratch the ground restlessly with their front hooves. The Acromantulas watching from a distance made a confused clicking sound, but Anthony knew the truth—he was indeed half-dead.

"Has he ever harmed a unicorn?" Ronan asked slowly. "Has he ever greedily tried to extend his life by harming innocent beings?"

Bane replied testily, "Is there any other possibility?"

"So, Bane, why didn't the unicorn expel me?" Anthony asked. "If I had harmed a unicorn, why would they still allow me to be here?" He turned to face a unicorn standing guard on the edge of the clearing. "You should be able to tell that, cursed though I am, the curse does not come from a unicorn."

The unicorn stared at him with its left eye for a while, then turned its head to look at him with its right eye before finally flicking its ears and glancing at its companions.

"Where does your curse come from, wizard?" Bane asked harshly. "Why are you half-dead?"

Anthony replied with frustration, "I'd like to know too. If you can ask the stars that for me, I promise I'll thank you." Whether it was the resurrection of the dead or the sudden appearance of necromantic magic, it had always been an inexplicable mystery to him.