The Legend of the Phoenix Well

Chapter Six: Very Old Books and Whodunits

Malfoy looked pleased that Cho was their new teacher. When he told Ginny the news outside the Great Hall before dinner, she grinned and kissed him. Colin and Luna, who were with Ginny, looked revolted.

Ron turned red. "I'm going to kill him!" he growled. It took both Harry and Hermione to hold him back.

Unfortunately, Malfoy had heard him. "Watch it, Weasel King, you just might get caught and put on trial for that." He smirked. "Threatening is something a Prefect shouldn't do."

"Do you think I care?" Ron seethed.

"Shut up, Ron," Ginny said, looking in admiration at her boyfriend.

"Ginny?" Ron said in surprise.

Ginny looked at him. "I'm sixteen, Ron. I can take care of myself, thanks. I don't need you fawning all over my life. I don't need you. I wish you would leave." She faltered, but went on. "And... I don't need you to find me a boyfriend either. Mine is just fine."

She breezed off, pulling Malfoy with her. Ron turned red in anger, then paled to a chalk white. "She didn't mean that. Harry, tell me she didn't mean that," he said in a pleading voice as Malfoy turned to smirk one last time before going through the double doors. Icicle sighed.

"She really likes him," Icicle said.

"But who knows about Malfoy?" Hermione added. "He's such a cheating ferret, we don't know..."

"Hey!" Icicle said, turning red and looking like she was liable to slap Hermione.

Hermione looked owlishly at her. "I thought you and Harry were together," she said slowly.

Icicle paled, and a blush escaped. Harry winced as she clutched his arm and said hurriedly, "Of course we're together."

"Really?" Hermione said, raising an eyebrow and looking ready to laugh. She looked at Ron, who had not heard a word. Icicle seethed from behind.

"H-Hermione? Please tell me Ginny didn't mean what she said," Ron said in the same pleading tone.

"Ron..." Hermione began.

"Please, Hermione! Tell me Malfoy cursed her or something! Tell me that it was Pansy Parkinson in disguise! With Polyjuice Potion! It can't be Ginny!" Ron was going hysterical. "Please, Hermione, Ginny wouldn't say such a thing!"

"Ron... she... she really does love Malfoy," Hermione said soothingly.

"No! She can't! She can't! She's supposed to marry Harry, and then we'd all be family! Not Malfoy! Get off, Hermione!" Ron yelled, pulling away from Hermione.

"Ron..." Icicle started.

"And you!" he raged on. "You ruined their chance together! I saw it! They were about to get together, but you ruined it! I HATE YOU!" Icicle backed off, looking scared. Harry couldn't blame her. Ron looked insane. People were crowding to watch.

Ron turned to Harry. "You too! If you weren't such a..." he called Harry a name that would have made Mrs. Weasley faint on the spot, "she would be with you! Prat! Loser! Moron! Son of a b..." He went on, insulting Harry and his family.

Harry, whose temper hadn't been at its best, was turning red. His eyes flashed dangerously. Ron didn't notice. "What, Potter, what now? Getting angry? Best not swear, your Mudblood mother..."

He didn't get any farther. Both boys were tumbling on the stone floor. Harry had absolutely forgotten that it was Ron he was fighting, and not Malfoy, and was trying to mash him into a pancake. Ron seemed to be trying to strangle him, pulling on the phoenix necklace.

"Harry! Stop that!" Hermione said. "Ron! What did you think you were doing, calling his mother names?" She went on fussing, Icicle watching the fight with muted surprise.

Both boys swore so badly that a professor was bound to come. It was just their luck that McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Snape were on their way to dinner.

"Potter! Weasley! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Snape said. Harry immediately bounced up from the floor. Ron, who seemed to have lost his anger the moment the professors had come, was staring in a frightened way at his own hands, which were marked with the imprint of the phoenix.

"What happened?" McGonagall snapped at Hermione, who recoiled at being spoken to that way by her favorite teacher.

"Ron... Ron..." Hermione stuttered.

"He insulted my mother," Harry said shortly.

McGonagall sighed. "Potter, I've had have told you at least five times in the past two years to stop getting angry so easily. And Mr. Weasley, I must say you had better judgment and a sense of friendship..."

Ron looked frightened. He was gulping, as if trying not to cry. "I-I didn't insult his mother," he sobbed.

Harry's head snapped down to Ron. "Harry, Ron, my office, please," Dumbledore said, looking grim.

"Headmaster, if I may suggest," Snape said.

"Later, Severus," Dumbledore said. He nodded at Harry, who held a hand out for Ron, who hoisted himself up with it. "Miss Granger, Miss Velour, if you would go to dinner... Minerva, if you would come with me..."

Hermione and Icicle obediently walked into the Great Hall. Harry did not look at Ron the entire way to Dumbledore's office, but could sense Ron's scared looks at him. Silently, they made their way up to the stone gargoyle, to whom Dumbledore gave the password ("Canary Cream") and let them into his circular office.

Harry was surprised to see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, along with Professor Lupin already in the room. "Back so soon, Albus? I thought you were going to dinner," Mr. Weasley said. "In that case, we can give the report... Ron!" he said in surprise. "Harry!"

"Sit," McGonagall said sharply. Harry and Ron sat.

"What happened?" Mrs. Weasley said. "Ron, Harry, what are you doing, looking so messy? Ron, where did you get that black eye?"

"You've been fighting, I presume? With Malfoy?" Lupin said.

"With each other," McGonagall said.

"What?" Mrs. Weasley said in surprise. "But..." she started walking towards them.

"Molly," Dumbledore said. Mrs. Weasley sat back in her chair. Harry looked down at the rug on the floor, as if having a staring contest with it. He didn't want to see the Weasleys' or Lupin's face. "Now, then, what happened?"

"He called my mother a Mudblood," Harry repeated tonelessly.

There was a gasp as Mrs. Weasley heard. "RONALD WEASLEY... HOW DARE YOU?"

"Now, Molly," Dumbledore said as Ron recoiled.

"Mum, I didn't do it, I swear!"

"Oh, you swore all right," Harry said heatedly, finally looking up at Ron. "You swore plenty, calling my family names..."

"But... I didn't do it, Harry... one minute, we were walking from Defense Against the Dark Arts, the next minute, you're punching me," Ron said in a high-pitched voice, gulping and breathing hard. "Harry, I didn't do anything... I'd be a hypocrite if I did..."

"RONALD WEASLEY, THAT IS AN ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE EXCUSE!" Mrs. Weasley screamed. Dumbledore held up a hand. She fell silent.

"Ron, you say that you remember nothing? Nothing at all between class and the Great Hall?"

"I remember... Ginny kissing Malfoy, and that's it," Ron said.

"Malfoy?" Mr. Weasley said.

"Malfoy?" McGonagall repeated.

"Arthur, Minerva, I do not think it was Draco who did this," Dumbledore said.

"Did what?" Mrs. Weasley said.

"I believe someone put young Mr. Weasley under the Imperius Curse. Who, I can only guess. Mr. Weasley, Minerva, if you could go down to dinner, Arthur, Molly, Remus, if you could file your report next week instead, Harry, if you would stay for a minute..."

Everyone did what Dumbledore told them. As the door snapped shut after Lupin, Harry looked across Dumbledore's desk at Dumbledore.

"Always knew he'd cause trouble," said a nasty voice on the wall. Phineas Nigellus was looking nastily at Harry.

"Phineas, please," Dumbledore said. "Harry, you have probably guessed why I kept you back..."

"Yeah, this," Harry said, pulling the necklace out. "Professor... I noticed, when Ron and I were fighting, I thought he was trying to strangle me by using the necklace, but now..."

"You think whoever was controlling him wanted the necklace?" Dumbledore finished. He sighed. "Harry, I am getting older. My wits are no longer as sharp as they once were. Nowadays, I am often tired and ill-feeling. It's only a few more years..."

"Professor?" Harry said.

"I can only guess, as I said before. Each less likely than the one before it. All I can say is to keep the necklace safe, and with you. Don't tell anyone about it." He became jovial again. "Now, Harry, how about we go down for the feast the house elves have so graciously prepared for us?" Dumbledore said, grinning.

Harry grinned back forcefully. Quickly, he made his way to the Great Hall, where Hermione and Icicle had saved him a seat.

"Ron told us what happened," Hermione said. "Or at least he told me."

"He didn't trust me, so Hermione told me," Icicle said. She snorted. "I can't even do the Imperius Curse."

"Ginny's sitting with Malfoy," Ron said glumly, turning and poking at his food. "Hermione... do you think Harry's going to... Harry!" He immediately looked anxious. "Look, mate, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so careless as to get a curse put on me..."

"I'm not blaming you," Harry said simply. "Pass the salt, Ron."

Ron's face cracked into the largest grin Harry had ever seen.

"Quidditch Practice?" Ron said stupidly, a few days later.

"Quidditch practice, Ron, you know what Quidditch practice is, don't you?" Harry said, rolling his eyes.

Ron sighed. "I know what it means, Harry. It's just that Katie left, and we're missing a Chaser. We need a new one."

"Whatever," Harry said, turning to his toast. "At three."

"But I was planning to..." Ron said, then cleared his throat. "Never mind."

"Sneak into Hogsmeade with Hermione. I know," Harry finished.

Ron's face paled. "How did you know?"

Harry turned. "Honestly, Ron, do you think Hermione would only tell you about things like that?"

"You're not going to take points off, will you?"

Harry shook his head at his friend's stupidity. "Ron. You haven't done anything... yet. But if I find that our Keeper's missing at tryouts..." He grinned.

Ron tried to grin, but it came out as a grimace. He turned away quickly. Harry was about to ask him what was wrong when someone began to cough extremely loudly. When the coughing didn't stop, Harry turned, ready to tell whoever it was to stop coughing on purpose; it was getting annoying.

It wasn't on purpose. Dumbledore was at the teacher's table, coughing up a storm. Snape and McGonagall were on their knees trying to help him leave. The coughing grew louder as the hall grew quieter. The coughing went on, and nothing the teachers could do was helping. All of the staff present was on the floor with Dumbledore.

McGonagall was looking for someone who could watch over the students while the teachers went to the hospital wing. She, Snape, Flitwick, and Cho had to go with Dumbledore and Pomfrey. Sinistra and Trelawney were in their towers, Firenze was in Italy somewhere, gathering supplies, Binns was no use, Hagrid was in his cabin, Vector and Ganet, the Muggle Studies professor, were both busy in their rooms, and Hooch was getting the brooms ready for the first years. That left no teachers.

"Potter," McGonagall mouthed, motioning him over. Harry walked over, inwardly groaning. If he had to watch the students... "You and Patil. Gather the prefects and watch the students." Harry expelled a breath.

"Padma," Harry said. Padma came over. "We have to watch the students with the prefects." Padma motioned for all the prefects and explained the situation.

Malfoy smirked. "I guess Dumbledore's worse off than we thought."

"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron said.

Malfoy ignored him. "Hey, Potter, seen today's Witch Weekly?" he said, pulling a copy from Pansy Parkinson's hands.

"No, I'm not a witch," Harry said absentmindedly, glaring at a first year who had decided to fling syrup at his friend.

"You might want to look at this, then," Malfoy said, smirking. Harry rolled his eyes, then took the article. He groaned when he saw the author's name. Rita Skeeter.

Harry Potter: Ordinary Teenage Boy?

Written by correspondent Rita Skeeter

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter,

Quidditch star. Harry Potter... a normal teen

with teenage feelings? A few years ago, it was

muggle-born, charming, Hermione Granger.

Two years ago, it was enchanting Ravenclaw

"old-family" Cho Chang. Now, is Harry

involved in yet another love triangle... or

square?

Isidora Velour is a beautiful, dark haired,

elegant seventeen-year-old transfer from

Durmstrang Institute... and a Slytherin.

Ginny Weasley, a charming, red-haired, pretty

girl in Gryffindor, is the challenger.

And Draco Malfoy, a charming, elegant, handsome

(followed by half a page of compliments) prefect

is the other boy in the square.

Ginny Weasley is dating Draco Malfoy.

Isidora Velour is dating Harry Potter.

But does Harry want to steal both girls from

Draco? "Potter's been after Ginny for

years," Draco said protectively.

"Oh, yes, he's a very cheating, conniving boy,"

Cho Chang replied. "He would never

stop talking about other girls..."

Harry could read no further. He was turning red from embarrassment and anger. He almost didn't notice when the magazine caught on fire. Just in time, he dropped it on the ground, leaving everyone to stare in surprise.

As if on cue, a flock of owls sailed through the window. At least half of them landed in front of Harry. And at least half of those were clutching bright red envelopes. Slowly, Harry picked up the largest Howler.

A very familiar man's voice came out of the envelope. It was Cornelius Fudge, possibly the most unwelcome sight besides Voldemort, the Death Eaters, and Malfoy that Harry would ever see.

"AH, CAUSING TROUBLE AGAIN, POTTER?" Fudge's voice said in a whiny, nasty tone. "THEN AGAIN, WE'VE ALWAYS EXPECTED THAT OF YOU... LYING, TRICKING, GETTING EXPELLED... IF YOUR PARENTS WERE ALIVE, THEY'D KILL THEMSELVES BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Harry could listen no further. As the other Howlers went off, many of the girls screamed as their copies of Witch Weekly went up in flames. It was into this scene the professors entered.

"What is going on here?" McGonagall demanded.

"My magazine went up in flames!" sobbed a third year Ravenclaw girl.

"It just lit up!" a fifth year Hufflepuff added, looking at the charred remains of her magazine.

"I-I see," McGonagall said. She turned to the Prefects. "Did you see anyone do anything?"

All of the prefects shook their heads. Harry and Padma did the same. Harry, however, had a bad feeling on who it was...

"That totally stunk!" Euan Abercrombie, a third year and one of the Gryffindor beaters, whispered.

Harry had to agree. Candidate number five for Chaser had gotten nothing past Ron. He hadn't even gone close to the goal posts. "Number six!" Harry called. The last person on the benches stood up.

The previous five had been really bad. Harry could only hope that number six would be good. If he or she wasn't... he, Euan, Natalie McDonald (fourth year Beater) and David Gordon, (fifth year Chaser) had decided on number two, who had made one past Ron out of ten. Ginny, the second Chaser, had refused to participate, and was leaning against the wall, saying that she had a stomachache. Harry thought it probably not a stomachache, but a refusal to talk to him. Strangely, he didn't care.

Number six, however, was way beyond their expectations. Harry couldn't tell who it was. All he could see was that the person was small and wiry, yet he or she still could throw the Quaffle eight out of ten times past Ron. When Ron and number six finally flew down, Ron was wearing a grin.

"Did you teach him a few tricks over the summer?" Ron said.

Harry didn't know what he was talking about until he saw who it was. Mark Evans, his neighbor and distant relation, stood grinning next to Ron. Harry raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were afraid of flying."

"I was. Until I went to Mrs. Figg's house over the summer, and took your Firebolt to practice in the deserted field near the end of Magnolia Crescent," Mark said.

Ron let out a snort of laughter. Harry frowned. "My Firebolt?"

"Yeah," Mark said, still grinning.

Harry shook his head, then smiled. "Mrs. Figg actually let you? You actually asked?"

"Mmhmm."

"Dudley's gang didn't find you?"

"They're stalking Nicholas Waterby now, 'cause Dud's afraid of me."

Harry snorted. "Imagine that," he said wryly. "Well. I say yes to Mark, and I guess Ron agrees. Everyone else?"

"Of course!" Natalie said.

"Yeah," David said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's not often where you see a second year get past Ron Weasley. No one gets past Ron." Ron blushed.

"Welcome to the team," Euan said for his answer.

Ginny didn't say anything. Harry could see the resentment in her face. She didn't want to agree with Harry.

"Er... Ginny?" Ron said.

Ginny turned to face him. "Yes," she answered finally. Mark grinned, and the team cheered.

"We'll beat those Slytherins!" Euan said.

Stay, Harry mouthed to Ginny, who scowled but nodded. Harry let the rest of the team leave, congratulating Mark and holding their uniforms.

"What?" Ginny snapped when the stands were empty. It was eerily silent without the rest of the team. The moon was beginning to peek out.

"What is up with you? You're taking this way too far. I know you hate me, but..." Harry faltered, but went on. "What do you think you're doing? It's like you hate everyone but Malfoy. You snap at Ron and Hermione. You yell at Colin and Luna. You seem to have an attitude problem with the other students."

"Who do you think you are to lecture me?" Ginny said in a dangerous voice. "You're acting like you're my brother. And you aren't."

Harry looked at her. "All right. Who am I? I'm Head Boy. And I'm your captain. So I could take points off the house, give you a detention, and kick you off the team."

"You wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because I won't let you."

"I could do it right now."

"I'll duel you right now."

"Go on. Just try."

"I- I'll hit you with a Bat-Bogey hex."

"Okay... why don't you?"

"I- I... You go first!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. However, giggles and someone murmuring below on the pitch interrupted him before he said anything. Both he and Ginny made their way down the stairs to see who was out on the pitch.

"You're so cute when you do that, Draco," a girl's voice said. Ginny froze.

"Malfoy's aren't cute," Malfoy's voice drawled.

"Aw. All right, so devilishly..."

A sob escaped Ginny as the moonlight revealed the two people on the pitch. Icicle and Malfoy were there, obviously kissing. Malfoy turned quickly.

"What was that?"

"C'mon," Harry whispered to Ginny as Malfoy started towards their spot. Wordlessly, Ginny followed Harry down the path to the castle. She remained silent all the way until the Common Room. However, when they got past the Fat Lady, she turned and faced Harry.

"I bet you knew that was going to happen all along," she said in between tears.

Harry didn't say anything. Truthfully, he had guessed this would have happened, but not so soon.

"Well?" Ginny said.

"I..." Harry said. "Gin..."

Furiously, Ginny turned on her heel and strode towards the girl's staircase, sweeping past Colin, who looked bewildered. Hanging his head, Harry walked up the boy's staircase until he came to the Head Boy's room. Each house dormitory had one, and it was only opened if the Head Boy was in that house.

Wishing he still lived with the other boys, Harry sat dejectedly on his trunk, opening random drawers on his wardrobe. He opened one of the drawers he had not used, and found a rectangular object in it. It was a book. Frowning, Harry pulled the book out of the drawer.

The book was tattered, yellowed, and about a thousand pages long. Harry thought it was Hogwarts, A History. He was about to stuff it back in the drawer when a picture fell out of the book. Harry opened the book, and stuffed the picture in the front cover. The book wasn't Hogwarts, A History.

Instead, written in golden letters was a long list of names and dates. Harry spotted the name Norman de Coulder at the top of the list, with the years 996-997 next to it. After that was Gregory de Jetnore with the years 997-998 next to it. Harry flipped ahead, and found his name last on a page, right below Thomas Haversham, the Head Boy the year before.

Across from that page was a handwritten page written in Old English. Harry knew Norman de Coulder had written it. As he flipped through the book, the writing grew less fancy, and pictures started to be included. Harry smiled when he saw the name Albus Dumbledore, followed by a daguerreotype with a young Dumbledore, and a page in Dumbledore's familiar loopy handwriting.

Harry read the little story Dumbledore had written about his brother Aberforth, and then resumed his flipping. He was far less pleased when he found Tom Riddle's neat writing and a small black and white picture. About thirty pages later, Harry found his father.

James Potter had neat writing, compared to Harry's messy handwriting. His picture was in color, and featured him, Sirius, Remus, and to Harry's disgust, Peter. He dwelled on the page before flipping ahead, scowling when he saw Percy's face.

The last written page had Thomas' writing on it, and was followed by one blank page. Harry looked at it.

The door to the room opened, and Ron poked his head in. "Hagrid said we need to go to his cabin... now," he said, panting. "He just sent an owl."

"It's after curfew," Harry said, looking at his watch. "I wonder..." He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak. He, Ron, and Hermione quickly made their way past the Fat Lady, and out of the castle.

"Ouch!" Ron said, stumbling over a rock.

"Watch it! We'll be seen!" Hermione whispered as one edge of the cloak lifted.

"We're getting too tall for this," Harry said. They finally got to Hagrid's door, and knocked urgently.

"Hagrid? Hagrid, open the door."

Hagrid opened the door. Yells and screams came out from behind him. Something shattered.

"Yer here!" he said gratefully. "Yer sister's in a righ' old state," he added to Ron. Ron gulped.

The scene that met them was chaos. Icicle sat in a corner, sobbing, while Ginny was screaming at Malfoy, who was ducking the teacups she was throwing at him.

"She found us in the... the garden," Icicle sobbed.

Ginny was screaming various profanities.

"GINNY!" Ron yelled. Everything stopped. Malfoy was standing against the wall, panting. Ginny stood watching him, a teacup in her hand. Her eyes seemed empty.

Slowly, she made her way towards the three. Suddenly, she grabbed Harry, pulled him towards her, and pushed him against the wall, kissing him and grabbing at his collar. Harry watched wide-eyed as she ran her hands along the phoenix necklace...

The necklace! Harry thought. He pulled away. Ginny stepped back, looking lost and scared. Ron's mouth was hanging, and Hermione was still as a statue. Icicle looked surprised, and Malfoy was frozen against the wall, having watched Ginny's attack. Hagrid was leaning against the door, his jaw dropped in shock.

Trying to regain his composure, Harry sniffed in a Percy-like manner and buttoned up the top buttons of his shirt. Ginny backed away quickly.

"Ginny? Are you all right?" Hermione said softly.

"What... what happened?" Ginny said, her voice wobbling. "Why..."

"You... kissed... him," Ron said in a strangled voice, as if he were about to be sick.

"I... what?" Ginny said.

"You bloody attacked him!" Malfoy said.

"But... all I remember is... you and Icicle..." Ginny sobbed.

Hermione looked at Harry, who nodded. "Hagrid, why don't you bring Ginny, Malfoy, Icicle, and Ron to Dumbledore? Harry and I will clean up," she said.

Harry shot a questioning look at Hermione, but the others left.

"Harry?" Hermione said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think she was under the Imperius Curse?"

"Probably. Either that, or she went mad. Do- do you think... Malfoy did it?"

Hermione didn't answer. She was looking out the window. "Did you see that?" she whispered.

"See what?"

"Something went into the Forbidden Forest."

"Probably a centaur."

"No... it was a person... in a cloak..."

"A student?"

"I don't know... maybe they're the one who put the Imperius Curse on Ginny... let's go."

"Hermione?" Harry said.

"Come on."

Harry followed Hermione out of the cabin, past Fang. Fang whimpered as they left. Quietly, the two stepped into the forest, leaves crunching ominously under their feet.

An owl hooted from one of the trees, and a faint rustling was heard as they walked deeper into the forest.

"Hermione, are you sure you saw someone?" Harry said.

"Positive," she said. "Come on."

They walked on. Harry noticed they were getting close to Aragog's lair.

There was a loud rustling, and a voice called, "Who goes there?" A group of centaurs stepped out from behind the trees. "You!" the gray centaur said. Harry recognized him as Magnorian, the leader of the centaur herd.

"It's the boy," Bane, another centaur, said. "Not so much of a boy."

"Hello," Hermione said meekly.

"You... the one who used us," Bane said.

"Now, Bane, they are still students," Ronan said.

Bane walked up to Harry and sniffed at him. Harry pulled away. Bane's mouth twisted into a crooked smile. "This one has a female foal's scent on him."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Look, can we just go now? We're following someone."

"That is none of our concern," Magnorian said. "This is our forest."

"But..." Ronan said.

"Do you want to end up like the traitor Firenze?" a white centaur said.

"Tonzino is right," Magnorian said. "Humans. You must leave the forest at once."

"This isn't your forest alone," Hermione argued.

"You will leave, human woman," Bane said, pointing his bow at Hermione.

"No," Hermione said.

"Hermione," Harry said. More of the centaurs were pointing their arrows at them now.

"Your friend is smart," Magnorian said. "Leave."

"No."

"Leave."

"No."

"You will leave."

"No."

"You leave us no choice." Magnorian nodded, and the centaurs moved in.

Suddenly, bright headlights flashed in their eyes as the old Ford Anglia drove into the herd, scattering them.

"What?" Hermione said in surprise.

"Come on! It's Ron's old car!" Harry said. "The one we flew into the Whomping Willow." He climbed into the driver's seat, and Hermione clambered into the seat next to him.

The car revved into action, and Harry quickly turned the steering wheel to avoid one of the centaurs.

"Do you know how to drive?" Hermione asked anxiously.

Harry gulped. "No." He swerved sharply to dodge a tree. Hermione screamed as the car bumped over a fallen trunk. Harry swore.

"Oh, eff, eff, eff..." Harry repeated. Hermione took no notice.

"Harry, the tree!"

Harry turned sharply. "Okay, stop," Hermione said, breathing heavily. They had made it past the centaurs.

Harry and Hermione sat for a moment, catching their breaths. "That was... exciting," Hermione exhaled.

"Yeah," Harry said. The doors of the car clicked open, and Harry and Hermione got out. The headlights flashed once, as if saying goodbye, and then the car drove away.

The forest was silent. "Where are we?" Harry said.

"I- I don't know," Hermione said. "I've never been this far into the forest."

"This place looks familiar," Harry said.

"Harry?" Hermione said. Harry turned. Hermione was not shaking anymore. In fact, she didn't look scared at all. Her eyes were strangely empty...

Harry gulped. "Hermione, what are you doing?"