Dark Daughter

Chapter 13: The Valley of the Centaurs

You had to hand it to her, thought Harry. Amy did know what to do. He was still feeling suspicious, however. And his skepticism grew when Amy began to speak causally and happily with an acid green snake. Harry translated for the others.

"Anguis!" she hissed. She was definitely very happy to see this snake that she called Anguis. "How are you, my friend?"

The snake hissed back, "I have been well ever since you rescued me from that evil human."

Harry didn't what they were talking about. How did she know this snake? If it was telling the truth, whom had she rescued him from? He continued to translate. The snake spoke again, "There is something unnatural in this forest, Friend, something none of the creatures understand. Many have been killed--even some humans." Harry had a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach. Which humans had been killed? Had they really been killed? He waited for more, but the snake didn't pursue the subject of dead humans. "There are dragons, werewolves who are only supposed to be werewolves at the full moon and other terrible things. The werewolves are men at heart but they are trapped inside the creature's body. And that's only the half of it. A dragon killed a unicorn!"

"It did?" Amy sounded puzzled. "How? I didn't think that dragons--or even werewolves could kill a unicorn! How did it do it?"

"Nothing in the forest knows," said Anguis, he sounded scared. "We think that it is a magically enhanced dragon. It killed it with its fire, but the unicorn appears unscathed, but it was certainly dead."

"Listen, Anguis," Amy said, she sounded like she was doing all that she could to keep a cool head, "We need to get to the Valley of the Centaurs, and I only have a vague idea of where it is. You see--we're trying to stop all of this and we need the centaurs' help."

"They will not help," Anguis sounded scornful. "Always have their heads flung up to the sky, those creatures. You may be wasting your time."

"It's our only chance," said Amy in a pleading voice.

"I did not say I was not going to help you, my friend," said Anguis. "I will show you where it is. It is at the heart of the forest, and we are near that place now. Just make sure that those other humans do not crush me, I do not like the looks they are giving me."

The snake gave the group--Sirius and Amos Diggory in particular--nervous looks.

"All right, Anguis," said Amy. "But I need to speak in human-tongue, our translator seems to be getting tired."

"Alright then," said Anguis, "follow me."

Amy spoke in English again. "We're going to the Valley of the Centaurs," she said. "Oh, and don't hurt that snake, his name is Anguis and he's our guild."

"What were you two talking about? All of that friends stuff?" Harry asked.

"Oh," said Amy, she was following Anguis at a walk so swift that it was all Harry could do to keep up. Amy explained further, "Well, I was at a lesson from Voldemort (he gave me lessons because he thought that I would end up helping him in this attack) and he used Anguis as a sort of--guinea pig, if you will, to demonstrate curses and spells and he was going kill him when the lesson was over but I took him back to school, saying that I wanted to use him to practice on. But I didn't do that. I nursed him back to health and set him loose in the forest. Anguis was conjured by Voldemort, but he's the nicest snake I've ever met (he's the only snake I've ever met, mind you). You would never expect a conjured-creature to be so kind."

"Why did you save him?" asked Hermione.

"Well," Amy seemed kind of stumped. But she found her answer after a moment or so. "I guess I understood how he felt. Both of us were created by Voldemort, both of us were trapped by stereotypes just because of our parents or species. And I just couldn't let him be killed with that curse. Nothing deserves to be killed--nothing!"

A lot of the people in the group were staring at Amy with strange expressions that Harry couldn't read. Hermione said, "You know, maybe some people were wrong about you, Amy."

Amy looked at her, emerald eyes shining with--Harry thought maybe it was happiness. "You don't think I'm evil?"

"No," said Hermione. "You're really not--not that I can see."

Amy grinned at her. "Thanks Hermione," she said. "You're not evil either. Though, I don't think people calling you evil is something you would worry about regularly."

Hermione grinned back. Harry was still feeling suspicious but in the back of his mind something told him that she was okay. Amy was following the snake. She asked him casual questions like how well he knew the forest and how often he watched the centaurs. Harry, of course, translated.

They entered a particularly dark part of the forest. They could feel the ground rapidly sloping downward and Harry heard the sound of hooves galloping toward them.

"You there--humans!" shouted a male's voice. "What are you doing here?"

Amy stepped forward and spoke with a male centaur. Harry recognized that voice. It was Ronan the red-haired, bodied and bearded centaur that Harry had met in his first year during a detention in the forest.

"We need your help," Amy was telling him. "The forest is under siege--the world is under siege. Please, will you help us?"

The centaur frowned. But before Ronan could answer, another two centaurs trotted to his side. One had dark brown body and hair with a mustache that looked surprisingly like Uncle Vernon's. But his face and the part of his body that was of a man were quite the contrary of Harry's uncle. He was pale, thin and apparently very tired. The other had white-blonde hair and a palomino body with bright blue eyes. His name was Firenze and he had saved Harry's life the same night Harry had met Ronan. But Ronan was not happy about that.

"What is this?" the first centaur demanded fiercely. But Harry could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

"They want our help, Demitiri," Ronan told the centaur that apparently had the name Demitiri. "This one appears to be the leader. This small one. You are a child, are you not?"

"I'm thirteen years old, so I'm in between," said Amy. She looked nervous.

"Are you the leader?" asked Firenze.

Amy turned to the others, as though to ask them, 'Am I the leader?' Many nodded and some did not move, Mr. Diggory for example.

Amy said in an awed and slightly nervous voice, "Yes, for now, I am."

"We will take you to Chiron, Lord of Centaurs," said Demitiri before Ronan could say otherwise. "We cannot make the decision to help you or not. Something this important should go to Lord Chiron."

"Chiron will not help," said Ronan harshly. "He would never set himself against the heavens!"

"Lord Chiron will not let what the stars tell us ruin the world," said Firenze.

"How would you know that, Firenze?" said Ronan.

"I don't want to hear it," said Demitiri. "Not tonight. We have more pressing matters."

Harry was sure from the tone in Demitiri's voice that Ronan and Firenze argued often. The centaurs led them further downward. When they entered a clearing and everyone gasped. Harry saw Amy scoop up the snake and hold him rapped around her wrist, her mouth hanging open slightly. Ron was staring around too. And Hermione's eyes darted back and forth without control.

It was beautifully lit with a bright, glowing, silver light. Harry looked from the left to the right. On either side were centaurs of all colors. Hermione whispered in Ron and his ear to look ahead and Harry saw that a magnificent centaur stood in the middle of the clearing, where they were headed. He had a pure white body and hair that seemed to glow like the clearing. Ronan, Demitiri and Firenze trotted forward and left them standing there. Amy stopped.

After regarding them for a moment, the white centaur boomed, "Welcome, you seventeen humans, to the Valley of the Centaurs! I am Chiron, Lord of All Centaurs."

Amy bowed and the rest did the same. Chiron spoke again, "I hear that you are in need of my help."

They nodded.

"Well, the stars have given me different instructions," he said. Harry saw Ronan giving Firenze a superior look, as thought to say, I told you so!

"However, I can give you advice. Will your temporary, as I am told, leader please come forward?"

Hermione gave Amy a little push and whispered, "Go on."

* * *

Amy came timidly forward. She was not nervous, as she usually would have been, but strangely courageous. A fire seemed to have been lit in her heart and brain, leaving no space for anything else. All that she thought about now was defeating Voldemort. She still held Anguis in her hand. He knew not to speak. She gave him a look and put him in her pocket. He understood and was silent.

"You?" said the centaur and Amy jumped. She cursed herself silently. "You are the leader?"

"I am for now," Amy said with extraordinarily steadiness, quite the contrary to her true feelings about being addressed by the Lord of the Centaurs.

"You are the youngest person here," commented Chiron. "Are you not?"

"I am."

"What makes you so special? What brilliant powers do you possess?"

"I know what to do," Amy said. She didn't exactly know why she was leading this group of mistrusting wizards. "I know more about these dark forces than anyone else in my group. I know this because the evil people who caused all of this death and destruction are forever part of me."

"Are they?" said Chiron. He alone seemed to understand what Amy had said, as she had intended. "What is your name?"

"My name is Amy--Amy Evans," she told him.

Chiron bent down, uncomfortably close to her face and said, very quietly and very hurriedly, "Well Amy Evans, the stars have written that in order to win this battle, you--and your companions--must use courage, endurance, and most importantly--love. It is most important that you use love because this terrible hate that has erupted between good and evil can only be fought with love. Do understand my clues, Amy?"

Amy nodded. She understood what he meant. In order to stop the hate and destruction, she would have to feel love towards everyone, even her enemies. But how could she do that? Voldemort's blind hate boils in me too! Amy thought. But she knew that somehow she would have to find a way.

Chiron continued to speak in a hushed voice to her, he seem more secretive now, even more than before, "The centaurs may become involved in this war before it is over." Amy was sure that he had given her the smallest of winks. He spoke to the entire group now. "We will escort you to a cave that have been magically protected for centuries. It is only open to those who have the best of intentions."

"Thank you, Lord Chiron," Amy bowed and went to her company.

"Oh, yes," Chiron said and Amy turned to him. "We found this girl when we attacked a party of those people--Death Eaters--did you call them? Is she one of yours?"

A female centaur with long, dark hair and a curvy form came forward. She was leading a little girl with red hair and emerald eyes. She had a green dressing gown on and she was extremely dirty. It was Aria. Amy gaped at her, not sure if she was real.

"We've done tests and magics to make sure that she is real and not under any spells," said Chiron, he seemed to know what Amy was thinking. "She was under one curse; it is called the Imperious Curse, is it not? Well, anyhow, she is fine now and acting on her own free will. Is she yours?"

"Aria?" Amy choked. "Y-yes, she is mine. She's my little sister!"

"Amy!" said Aria, and she ran to embrace her big sister and began to cry.

"Aria," said Amy, kneeling and holding her sister tight. "Oh, Aria, I thought you were dead!"

"He k-kept hurt-ting m-me!" Aria sobbed. "The snake-m-man that's your d-dad! The evil sn-snake-man that k-killed the nice old man."

"Oh Aria," said Amy, tears in her eyes, too. "Oh Aria, it's all right, now! I won't let him hurt you again, I promise!"

Jason had come forward. Aria gave him a hug. She had met him last year and the two had liked one another fairly well. They sat on the ground for a while, all embracing each other, Amy comforting Aria all the while, assuring her that she was not one of the Death Eaters. After a while, the others told them that it was time to leave.

The centaur that was supposed to take them to the magical cave looked just as tired as Demitiri. He never said his name but kept telling Amy what a nightmare it had been trying to keep what were supposedly Death Eaters out of their clearing. Amy noticed a bandage around his left arm.

The cave was dry, even though it was still raining in icy sheets. Everyone thanked the centaur and flopped themselves down in the cave. They still situated themselves far from Amy. All except for Aria, who would not leave Amy if her life depended on it, and Jason. Amy released Anguis. He gave her his thanks and she gave him hers. After saying that he'd be back Anguis left the cave in search of mice and other small animals.

And Amy was happy, even though a magical war was raging outside, and she would soon be facing the challenges of getting out of the forest alive, she was filled with joy for just a few precious moments. Her sister was alive and added with Jason; this made two people who trusted her in this bloody forest. That was two more than a few hours ago.