The Centaur's Shrine

Chapter 2 - New beginnings

Hogwarts, late evening

Fred and George were waiting, comfortably installed in one of their favorite hiding place. This particular location gave an observer a very broad view of one stairway and two strategic corridors, while a large medieval armor and several pieces of furniture provided the means for efficient camouflage. Over the years Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, had also been discouraged from exploring the recess, through the use of several nasty traps and surprises.

They spotted Alicia, Richard and Silena climbing the stairs carefully and silently. Fred called out a low whistle when the three youngsters came in range.

"Psst! Over here," he whispered as he exposed himself outside of the permanent shadow spell. To the three children it was as if his head had suddenly appeared out of the void.

Silena jumped, and Alicia looked surprised, but Richard only raised an eyebrow and formed a smile.

"Hey. Way cool," he called.

Fred beckoned them to join him and his brother. After some twisting and struggling, they all sat down inside a surprisingly large area behind a big cupboard. Nobody would have suspected that five people could fit in that place, but that was precisely the point.

"Good evening Silena, Richard," said Fred pleasantly.

"Nice touch with the drip glass," added George.

Richard grinned. He was rather proud of it himself.

"Of course that big lump was an easy target," continued Fred, negligently brushing some breadcrumbs from his lap.

"But we think that you show some promise..."

"... and we've decided that you can be our successors..."

"... the latest in a long and proud tradition..."

"...so we offer our help..."

"...and our not so humble expertise in these matters."

They marked a pause. The young students' eyes stopped mercifully from jumping from one to the other. A conversation with the Weasley twins was always a little hard on the unwary.

It was Alicia who spoke for them.

"What do you mean, your successors?"

Fred explained it to them in a more explicit manner. They were still kids after all.

"There is a very old tradition of school pranks here in Hogwarts. We understand that this also exists to a minor extend in some muggle schools." He waited for confirmation and continued when Richard nodded.

"In this place, it can go a long way. There are always a few students who play tricks on their fellows but every now and then a real talent emerges, usually as a team of several. The real test is to play pranks on teachers, or on entire Houses."

"In the school lexicon these teams are called Raiders, or Marauders, or some such names. By tradition, when they finish, they leave behind tools and secrets for the next generation."

"But isn't it again the rules?" asked Silena. Or even dangerous?

"Of course it is. That's the whole point," answered George. "The limit is not to get expelled." Genuine fright showed in their eyes. "But you have to do something really bad for that to happen."

"And detention is often an opportunity for more mischief," added Fred. "With luck you can get to look around a teacher's office. We found a lot of stuff that way."

Alicia and Silena looked dubious. Still the idea had some merit.

George had more arguments for them.

"One important secret we found out is that most of the Headmasters are former pranksters. We know it because we've looked at the student records, and they're often marked as having spent a lot of time in detention for breaking curfew."

"And one or two times Dumbledore caught us in ... improper situations, and he didn't say a word."

"Of course, he won't defend you if you're caught by Filch or one of the teachers."

Fred had a better point to make.

"The most important thing is that it's fun, and that you'll learn tons of useful magic. We'll just help you get started."

The three students looked at each other. They were grinning and it was clear what their decision would be. Richard spelled it out.

"Deal."

Fred and George ceremoniously shook hands with each of them.

Silena had a more practical question.

"How are you going to help us?"

"We'll give you hints," said Fred. "Of course we won't tell you everything we know, it would be much too easy, but we've already hidden some nice gadgets in various places in the school. If you can find them they're yours, and they will help you discover more stuff."

He handed them a sealed letter.

"This is your first hint. You won't be able to open it until tomorrow. You'll have the entire vacation to think about it. When you've solved the riddle, owl us the answer and we'll give you another one."

"In the meanwhile you can use this place. It's well hidden and fully sound-proofed."

Richard took the letter.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." He grinned maliciously. "Now, since it's past curfew, you'll just have to get back to your rooms without getting caught. You're not in the same House, so it's going to be a little more complicated than for us."

"But we know you'll handle it all right," added George with a wink.

Richard swallowed. He had never broken curfew before. Alicia grinned at the challenge.

Georges took a peek in the corridor and declared the way to be clear. They came out and started toward their quarters. At one point Fred stopped them.

"Shh. Filch always makes his first rounds in the south corridor at that time," he whispered. He led them to a side room where they waited. "One of your first order of business will be to make a time map of his routine. It's not too difficult because it never changes."

"So you could tell us?" asked Richard.

"Sure, but it will be a good exercise for you." He checked his watch. "Okay, he should be gone now."

They resumed their progress and came to the point were they had to separate. Up toward Gryffindor tower for Alicia and down to the Slytherin dungeons for the others.

"We'll leave you there. Good luck."

"Thanks. Good night."

"One more thing," added George. "You'll have to think of a name. Choose a good one."

"Er, yeah."

Fred considered them with a critical eye. Silena was small and delicate, and she had the long fair hair of the Malfoy line. He compared it with the sturdy forms of the Parkers, and their short black curls.

"There's three of you, but up to now, it was Harry, Hermione and Ron who were called the trio. You could be the piano."

The younger children looked back with annoyance. It was plain that he was mocking them,

"I don't understand," said Alice finally.

"Two black for one white."

It took them a few seconds to get it, and then Richard shook his head in disgust. The twins roared in laugher and left them to go outside the castle. They would have to walk to somewhere they could Disapparate from. Once alone, the younger students looked at each other.

"Whoa. It's really something," whispered Richard, fingering the letter.

"We'll talk about it in the train tomorrow," said Alicia firmly. "For now we should go back quickly."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night too."

They separated and made their way toward their respective quarters. Alicia was euphoric with anticipation. Hogwarts was a nice enough school, but she'd been a little disappointed about the available activities outside of studying. She'd envied Hermione for having had so many adventures with her friends. Well, until the time she and Ginny had been kidnapped and had horrible things done to them. But now that Voldemort was dead there wouldn't be any more danger, wouldn't there? Working as a team with her brother and Silena would be nice. She arrived in front of the Fat Lady without any trouble and murmured the password. Thankfully nobody noticed her coming in, and she went quickly up to the girls' dormitory.

Silena and Richard had the advantage, and the inconvenient, of not being alone. They whispered excitedly about what they would be able to do, and what the twins might have prepared for them. Engrossed in their discussion, they almost bumped into Mrs. Norris, and only spotted her at the last minute. Unfortunately, she saw them as well and signaled their illegal presence by a glaring hiss. They didn't waste any time and ran desperately toward the Slytherin quarters, entering the safe haven only seconds before Filch could see them.

"Nasty beast!" spat Silena.

Richard thought so too, but he didn't plan to leave it as that. If that cat wanted to play rough with them he was only ready to oblige. He patted the large envelop he had hidden in his robes. Fred and George had said that they could find tools to help them. He couldn't imagine that they hadn't found a way to handle a simple cat.

"We'll get even with her one day," he said. "She's going to learn that she'd better leave us alone."

Silena looked up with admiration.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet, but you can be sure that I'm going to find a way." He saw that the common room was nearly deserted. "We'd better turn in. Good night."

"Good night."

- - -

Harry and his friend arrived in front of the Headmaster's office.

"Turkish Delight," said Ginny. The passage opened, and they went inside. Harry was getting used to the place, but for Ginny and Luna, it was their first occasion to visit that inner sanctum, and they were suitably impressed.

Professor Dumbledore was standing behind his desk, intent upon a very wide and flat drawer which he had pulled from a side cabinet.

"Come in, come in," he called. "I was just ordering the latest additions."

They approached, and saw with some surprise that the Headmaster was arranging his Chocolate Card collection. He had of course a great number of them. Some cards were obviously antiques and protected with shimmering shields. Ron was fascinated.

"Whoa, professor. This must be one of the finest."

Dumbledore's eyes lit up with an almost juvenile pride.

"Well, I do have some nice specimen, collectors all of them. This one for instance is the oldest known of a Hogwarts Founder."

He gestured toward an incredibly detailed picture of Godric Gryffindor, proudly standing in regal robes with his sword. It was painted on fine wood, and in the background, the school castle was only half built. Draco frowned, until he saw that there was also one for Salazar Slytherin.

Of course, their six new cards were present too. They grinned at each other.

"It is always a special occasion when I'm able to add something to this little set," Dumbledore beamed at them. "Some may smile at such a hobby, but it is far from trivial," he added seriously as he gestured for them to take place into the six identical chairs which had just materialized behind them.

"There are very few living wizards who rate this honor, and because of that they cannot be dismissed or ignored easily. This may not matter much in the short term, but someday it may help you in our community."

Hermione had been thinking about that.

"Who decides about new entries? Did you have a say in this, sir?"

The Headmaster nodded.

"Well I did put in a strong suggestion. There is a committee, chaired by the Wizengamot, and I did speak with them. They had planned for Harry to have a card, but I convinced them to make one for each of you. It was after all a group effort."

"But I would bet you had another reason," she insisted.

He nodded again, this time with a twinkle of amusement.

"Astute of you to guess that. Yes I did, because after you will have graduated," he held their gaze for a moment, and the grimaces they showed proved that he was right in stressing this condition. "I will expect all of you to work toward what was our secondary goal, and which now becomes our priority. Healing the fractures of the magical community. The fame and curiosity coming with the cards will help you get the attention of the other witches and wizards."

"But that's the role of our association," protested Hermione. "So we should be working on that now."

"And we've already started talking to other people," added Harry. "We can't just stop everything."

"Well," replied Dumbledore, clearly reticent. "You can of course spend some of your free time on this. You may meet some people during your vacation, and I expect that you'll be asked to testify to the Ministry, but during the school year I am afraid that there is very little that you will be able to do. Your education has already been disrupted enough as it is."

Looking at Hermione's closed face, and from the expressions on the others, he knew that he needed to argue further. He had reported to the High Court today. After the surprise and the general expression of relief, he had also detected some very disquieting undercurrents. The war was over and politics was taking over.

"We have to move carefully," he continued. "Voldemort is gone, and one consequence is that other forces will replace his influence. Forces which are not as universally feared and hated as he was, and therefore which can be more difficult to confront."

"You mean like people who support pure-blood supremacy," said Hermione with loathing.

"Exactly. And if you go against them while you are still students, they will try to dismiss you as immature youngsters who 'got lucky' with Voldemort. I do not wish for that to happen."

"People are so stupid!" exclaimed Ginny.

"People are the same since immemorial times," replied Dumbledore gently. "All it means is that we need to work differently." He paused. "Do you understand my position?"

"We won't be on the front line anymore," said Harry thoughtfully. "We'll just be supportive of you and the others."

"Only for a time," corrected Dumbledore. "And you can still do a lot inside the school as it is, being role models for the students. Then later you can continue that work as ... charmers."

"Charmers?"

"Yes. I and others will be counting on you to create goodwill among the magical community, and unite those who are not hopelessly corrupted. The aim is to assemble a majority who will then help push through needed changes in the Ministry, and correct the prejudices of our society."

Luna raised her head.

"Professor, there's something I want to ask you about that."

"I know," he said soothingly. "Professor Firenze talked to me, and I must apologize to you for not anticipating what happened." He sighed. "There is much to do, and we truly didn't have time for everything, but a valid point has been raised."

He stood up and turned to one of his bookshelves. He selected a volume. The cover looked to have been scorched.

"This is one of the few remaining books covering that subject. Most others have been destroyed." The Headmaster looked at the cover with discomfort, then he turned and offered it to Luna. "It will give you some knowledge of very sad and forgotten story. Afterwards, you will understand professor Firenze's reaction a little better. You should all read it actually."

"I would have liked it to be one the subjects of History of Magic but I was overruled by the council. It is a very touchy subject. I will ask you to keep the book hidden and not to talk about it to anyone without my permission."

Ron looked dubious.

"Should we really take it with us in that case?" he asked. Hermione threw him a dark look. She wanted to read that book.

"There is no law against knowing these things, but if they were bandied about, then it would certainly cause a lot of trouble. Just be discrete."

He looked at all of them in turn.

"What I said at the feast applies to all of the students, including you. I am sure you understand." Disappointment was evident on their faces but they nodded one after the other. He continued. "Life is a succession of crisis, but in between, there are periods of peace. Therefore, until the next crisis, I hope that you can return to studying and living peacefully. Whatever you may think, it will not be a waste of time."

"Go now my children, with my blessings."

- - -

Forbidden Forest,

The small troop was making its way through the forest. The Herd Mentor was in front, followed by Flitz and three female Centaurs. It was the minimum number to represent the Herd. Lyman noted with sadness that it was another mark of the dismay caused by Firenze's decision.

Unaware of this, the young Centaur had been at first very excited by the unusual activity. After waking up he had been given a nourishing gruel of grain and aromatic spices. It had keyed him up and made him begin the journey full of energy, barely able to limit his pace to that of the adults who had started at a more measured pace. They knew how far their destination really was. It didn't fail. After less than an hour the foal had discovered that trotting in the dark forest was hard work, and not as fun as he imagined. He was beginning to tire, but he made an effort to keep up with the group.

At one point the trail opened into a large space. They stopped when they saw the Unicorn. It stood still, a striking figure with its shiny white coat which seemed to light up the clearing. Lyman's spirits lifted. He had seen a positive sign in the stars the previous evening, but he hadn't been able to interpret it, and he had been afraid to hope for anything like this.

The Unicorn wasn't often there for First Stone, but when he was, it was always a good omen. The Herd Mentor was especially glad because the youngster certainly deserved a break, after his months of quasi ostracism. The ritual wasn't always successful, and failure was a dreadful thing. The adult grew up with a limited intelligence but more important, he lacked the Sight. It was a terrible handicap, but it never happened when a Pure One was present.

The Centaurs came to a stop, forming an arc before the revered being, Flitz in the middle. The adults bowed respectfully and the young foal mewed out a greeting. He'd never seen one of the beautiful creatures so close, and he looked on with fascination.

The Unicorn didn't say anything, but suddenly crystal clear thoughts and precise emotions filled their minds. The emanations were friendly but after the long silent march, the impression was almost painful. Like having a bright light flare up from darkness.

I am Laurell.

To wizards, Centaurs were terse and often spoke in obscure riddles, but compared to Unicorns they were babbling intellectuals. The Pure Ones lived in the fantastic world of their minds and rarely concerned themselves with other creatures, although they had a special affinity for their four legged cousins. The relationship between the two species was as long as history.

Flitz was in awe. The contact with the Unicorn's mind was the most extraordinary thing he had ever experienced. It was communication at a most basic level. There weren't any abstract concepts to understand, like in the training the Herd Mentor gave him. He sensed curiosity, reassurance and the promise of a coming wonders.

The group resumed its journey with Laurell now leading them. Time passed and they left the forest for an open grassland illuminated by the imminent dawn. They kept moving, and after a while the shape of ruins was visible in the distance. Flitz supposed it was their destination. Certainly the other Centaurs were suddenly more active, as if they too expected their goal to be near.

Upon reaching the ruins, they followed a circuitous route to enter the actual structures. Not much remained of the outer wall, but the central building was still standing. They ignored it and made for a secondary courtyard. Everything around them spoke of very old age, with stone surfaces visibly weathered by the wind and rain, and covered in wines. The impression was that of centuries of neglect. Wisps of morning fog hid most details, but on the opposite wall of the courtyard, a large opening was suddenly visible, leading into another, half buried, building. Going inside, they finally entered a very large darkened space. One of the Centaurs lit a lamp, weakly illuminating what was shown to be a large room. In the center they could see a cream colored circular area. On it, alongside the periphery, stood five tall and wide pillars of black stone.

The stone circle and the pillars began to glow. The light slowly gaining in strength as they came closer. After a moment Flitz heard a distinct humming sound, like a deep bass note held indefinitely. The Unicorn trotted directly inside the circle, and the light became intense, while the note mounted in tone and loudness. A sweet smell suffused the air.

Come.

The command was addressed to him. Flitz approached gingerly, and the creature made way so that he could stand in the exact center of the circular space. Lyman and the other remained outside. If the Unicorn had not been there, he would have had to celebrate the ceremony himself. The Pure Ones were a Key Element in these mysteries. For that reason he carried one of their horns with him. The symbolic ingredient would have been sufficient to activate the circle, but this way was much better. The Herd Mentor had brought countless foals to this place, but each occasion was as fascinating as the first.

Standing where he was, Flitz felt the first buffers of a strong magical wind. Radiating luminous spokes jetted from the ground, and rose up to the high ceiling of the room. They transpierced him and incredible new sensations assailed his mind. He would have been terrified, but for the calm thoughts he was receiving from Laurell.

Do not fear.

The light, the smells, and the sounds became so intense that they blocked out all perceptions of the rest of the room. Strangely enough, he could still see the Unicorn and the pillars, starkly illuminated on a whirling background of flowing gas, like the rolling clouds at the beginning of thunderstorm. Suddenly the pillars weren't stone surfaces anymore. Instead of the one in front of him, he could now see an earthy expanse of sparse weeds, with a hilly range in the background.

He heard another command in his mind and looked up. The clouds masking the ceiling were dispersing. Flitz moved his head around in delight. A whole universe of gyrating, multicolored jewels was above him. At first he naively admired the beautiful display, but something was also happening to his mind. He began to articulate more precise and complex thoughts, pretty pictures became detailed diagrams. The Ritual was operating and his mind was being awakened. Memories of past training came back to him, words and explications which had been beyond his intelligence, were now being finally understood.

A recalled phrase from the Herd Mentor explained that the jewels were stars and planets, and that they were the same as the meaningless points of light he saw at night. He could now perceive them clearly, it wasn't anything like normal vision, but if he had been human he would have said that this new sense made him directly aware of the symbolic astral meanings associated to them. He could even see these things while closing his eyes! He remembered many things, but some were still too difficult for him to understand, and he was soon overwhelmed by the avalanche of information.

Vertigo threatened, and he lowered his head. Looking around, he realized that each pillar showed a vision of a different land. Mountains, forests, hills, even a seashore.

If you wanted to, you could just trot forward and go there. One day you will.

Yet another wonder! But he was not that eager to discover anything more. Flitz was suddenly very tired, and he realized with relief that the humming and the lights were diminishing. Gradually his perception returned to normal. He still felt very much disoriented. His mind was filled with an excess of new knowledge, and shocked by the awareness of his recent sentience. The change from what he had been a few minutes ago was such that it was even difficult to relate to his memories.

But he understood that a great gift had been given.

He expressed his gratitude to the Unicorn. He wasn't yet ready to use words, but the emotion was a simple one. The other Centaurs voiced their thanks as well. Laurell inclined his head and trotted away.

Flitz looked at his Herd Mentor. Lyman smiled. He extended his arm and spoke the closing words of the Ritual.

"Welcome to the Herd, Centaur."

He wasn't a foal anymore.

New beginnings Ch2 - 7