Eshu's Daughter

Ch. 15 - Puck's Escape

***

One Friday morning, Professor McGonagall announced that the mandrakes were ready and the petrified students would be revived that night. Kit screamed herself hoarse. Finally there was something to be happy about, a promise that this nightmare would be ending. Maybe they'd catch the monster this very night. Anything seemed possible in those joyous moments.

Kit leapt to her feet and hugged Ellie, laughing.

"Why's she so happy?" Annemette muttered.

Kit saw Jynx shrug and she offered up another smile. Before Kit could say anything however, Annemette continued, "You don't think she fancies that annoying Creevey boy, do you? I use to see them talking sometimes."

Kit's jaw dropped open, but as her eyes met Ellie's laughter overtook her and soon she was clinging to Ellie, still giggling. "Imagine. Me and Colin." And she was off again. Colin was nice, but really, he wasn't that kind of nice.

Ellie scowled at her when Kit's giggles refused to subside. "It's not that funny. Colin's very - er - sweet."

Kit just shook her head. "Colin would go for a full-blood witch, not a Muggle-born. Think of all the fascinating things she could tell him! Boring old me? Never. And besides," Kit added, trying to keep a straight face, "he'd just dump me when Puck ate his camera or played soccer with his film rolls."

Ellie's face cracked into a grin and she hugged Kit. "You're terrible. Come on, we'd better scarper or we'll be late. And anyway, Spencer's headed our way. I know how much you love his morning lectures."

Kit rolled her eyes and grabbed her schoolbag quickly. "Ready!"

***

Kit's happy mood lasted through her first two classes. By the time the Hufflepuffs had been escorted to Charms she was actually skipping. Ellie could only look on in confusion.

"The first thing I'm going to do when all this security lets up is go swim in the lake," Kit said with a smile as the two girls slid into their seats.

"You're crazy. What about the giant squid?" Ellie asked with a gasp.

Kit waved a hand airily. "It'll leave me alone if I want it to." She winked at Ellie. "Although a nice game of tag might be fun if slightly in the squid's favor with all those legs."

Ellie shook her head and pulled her Charms book out. "Nutter."

The question of Kit's sanity was abandoned as Professor Flitwick began their lesson. Today it was producing colored bubbles from their wand tips and pretty soon Kit had Ellie surrounded by a rainbow of tiny orbs.

"You are such a showoff," Ellie scowled, attempting to pop a few of the bubbles circling her.

Kit laughed and launched a few more bubbles at Ellie, giving them stripes. "Practice makes perfect."

"When you're done perfecting, would you mind helping me out? I've made one bubble and I can't even see the bloody thing through all this." Ellie waived a hand at the bubbles crowding her, sending a few floating lazily toward Kit. A slight smirk was Kit's only warning before Ellie snatched up her Charms book and began waving it energetically. The army of bubbles began tumbling over one another toward Kit, making her skitter backwards in her seat.

Ellie was laughing as Kit swung her wand up to halt the advancing wave. She had just directed a tiny current of air at the bubbles when a thunderous voice ripped through the room and froze the students in their seats.

"All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please," Professor McGonagall's magnified voice directed.

The bubbles surrounding the two girls burst, leaving them staring with wide, frightened eyes at one another.

"Not again," Ellie whispered, stricken.

Professor Flitwick's tiny hands fluttered like trapped birds as he shifted uneasily behind his desk. "Oh dear, oh dear. What now. Please students, gather up your books, you heard the headmistress." With frantic shooing motions he directed them from the classroom and Kit and Ellie stumbled after their classmates walking closely together.

"It's got to be another attack," Kit muttered to herself, but Ellie heard nevertheless. She turned panicked eyes on Kit and grabbed her arm, bruising it.

"Spencer. You don't think the monster's got Spencer, do you?"

Kit looked uneasily back at her. "I'm sure it isn't him. They'll tell us who soon enough."

"But maybe we should just check on him. It's not that far to the Gryffindor common room from here." Ellie released Kit to twist her hands together anxiously.

"And how are you going to get in there? We don't know the password. Besides, Spencer'll have my head if I let you run off after him. We should just go back to our house like Professor McGonagall said." Kit tried to reassure Ellie, but worry was gnawing away at her own stomach. What if the monster had gotten Spencer? Or one of their other friends? Her feet moved faster of their own accord and Kit grabbed Ellie's arm to make sure she didn't try to dash upstairs.

It felt as if they waited for hours in the common room for Professor Sprout to appear. Just as last time, there was no room to move and Kit was pressed uncomfortably close to the statue guarding the Sett entrance. One of Helga's hard stone paws bit into her shoulder and Kit grimaced, trying to ease away.

When the professor finally appeared Kit let out the breath she'd been holding. Please, oh please, don't let it be one of our friends. Professor Sprout's eyes were red and puffy as if she'd been rubbing them and her voice was hoarse when she addressed the students watching her anxiously.

"Something terrible has happened," Professor Sprout began and her voice caught on a tiny sob, "just terrible. We've lost one of our students, Ginny Weasley. She was taken by Slytherin's Monster into the Chamber of Secrets itself." Professor Sprout bit her lip and seemed to struggle for a moment. "In light of this tragic event, well I think you all understand that the school will have to close. We'll be sending owls to notify your families and the Hogwarts Express will take you home tomorrow. You should pack your things now. No one is to leave the common room or the Sett. There's been enough tragedy in this school for one day. I don't want to lose another student to that creature." Looking suddenly fierce Professor Sprout gave a sniffle and drew herself up. "Please, if any of you know anything that might help, that might lead to us rescuing that poor girl or catching the monster, I ask that you speak up now."

Many of the students shuffled and looked at one another, waiting expectantly but no voice rang out and within a few moments all eyes were once again on Professor Sprout. Her shoulders slumped and tears sparkled in her eyes. "Very well. Remember, no student is allowed out of the house. Your suppers will be brought up." She shuffled from the room and Kit slumped back against the statue, the sharp prod of Helga's paw the only solid thing in a world tipped upside down.

"But Ginny Weasley's not a Muggle-born," Kit whispered, breaking the uneasy silence that still held the room.

A tiny bubble of hysterical laughter slipped from Ellie's lips and Kit turned to stare at her incredulously. Several other students glared. "Guess everyone's in trouble now," Ellie said as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Oh Ellie." Kit pulled her into a hug and Ellie squeezed back so hard that Kit winced.

"They're closing the school, Kit. What's going to happen to us?"

Kit just shook her head and let Ellie sob into her shoulder. What was going to happen to them? Would she have to go back to being a Muggle, as if someone had tapped her on the head and poof no more powers, no more magic. Sorry Kit, you're just a normal little girl again, well not normal, but hey good news you get to go back to being the town freak and pretending you don't know. But she did know, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Kit clung to Ellie for a long time and let Ellie cry for the both of them.

Eventually, when her legs were stiff from standing so long, Kit eased Ellie away from her and looked around the common room. The crowd had thinned out some, and there was a settee free nearby. She guided Ellie over to it and the two of them flopped down like spineless dolls. Kit was only vaguely aware of the other students lingering around the common room. No one seemed able to move or talk, as if they'd all been petrified in place like discarded props on a stage. Hours passed. Long burning hours with no news. Kit retrieved one of her textbooks but her heart wasn't in reading. Ellie hadn't said a word in a long time and Kit was grateful for that. What was there to say after all? The world was falling down all around them and all they could do was wait. Waiting however was something Kit had never been good at.

By early evening, when the Hufflepuffs would normally have been enjoying dinner, Kit felt as if the gray stone walls were pressing in on her. They seemed to sway, taunting her with their shimmying dance as they boxed her in so she couldn't breathe. Ellie's silent misery, palpable even across the room, only made her want to escape all the more. She had to get away from here, out of this room. If this was her last night, the last night she was allowed to be exactly what she was with no questions or stares, just another kid at school, she wasn't going to spend it cowering in the common room going slowly crazy.

The teachers were sure to be busy and all of the students were in shock, even the prefects. Which meant it would be easy to slip away, to get outside where the air didn't reek with the stench of shattered dreams and unspoken fears. She wouldn't even have to sneak out through the main hall; she could use one of the Sett exits. There was one that let out near Hagrid's cabin and she could go visit Fang. No one would see her, no one would know and she could be free for a few hours, she could stop fretting and worrying.

Kit looked at the statue of Helga guarding the Sett entrance. The badger's stony expression didn't offer her any help with the decision. How long had it been since she'd been able to slip outside by herself? To breathe the crisp air without having to stare at someone's back as the Hufflepuffs were lead to Herbology?

A glance around the room showed the other students lost in their own thoughts, some staring dumbly at the walls, others huddled together sharing fretful whispers. No one was paying attention to anyone else. It would be so easy to slip away…

Kit got to her feet and made her way to the statue, weaving around small knots of students, past Calliope crying quietly on a settee, past Ellie staring at the floor and running her hands through Grizelle's fur, distracted. Grizelle lifted her head from Ellie's lap and Kit locked eyes with the cat. No, she thought sharply and Grizelle slumped back down, silent.

Faced with the badger's stone eyes Kit leaned close and whispered "Sett," stepping to the side as the statue swung forward. She had one foot over the entryway when Ellie spoke from just behind her.

"Where are you going, Kit?" Ellie still sounded sad and distracted, but lucid enough to stop her.

"I need to be on my own for a few minutes," Kit said. "I'm just going to the grotto. I won't be long," she added seeing concern flicker for a moment in Ellie's eyes. "The Sett is safe, you know that. I just need to get away," Kit pleaded.

Ellie nodded jerkily and went back to petting Grizelle. Her eyes lingered on Kit. I won't stay long, Kit promised silently, trying to push away the guilt that rose like bile in her throat. But she had to get out of the castle, and not even Ellie was going to stop her from doing that.

Kit hurried through the Sett entrance before anyone else could speak up, breathing a sigh when the statue swung back into place. It was dark and humid in the tunnel, warmth from the common room leaking through to mingle with the damp earth and stone. After Kit passed the first bend in the corridor the dark gave way to the familiar golden glow. She passed the grotto without a glance, ignoring the inviting whisper of the waterfall.

Finally, she reached the right exit, an unremarkable section of tunnel wall with a stone slab peeking through, easy to miss if you didn't know what it was. "Kerfluffle," Kit said softly, glad for the first time for Graham's nasty habit of eavesdropping on the older students. In between long boring speeches about his amazing prowess on a broomstick, Graham had let slip a few useful pieces of information. Such as this password. "Thank you, Graham," Kit murmured with a smile, knowing he'd never meant to be helpful in quite this way.

A tiny crack had appeared in the wall and Kit pushed the opening wider. It was sunset outside, a fiery splash of light glimmering on the nearby trees and turning the windows of Hagrid's hut into miniature infernos. Kit laughed as she watched the breeze whipping through the grass. It was so good to be outside again!

Kit was careful to leave the tiniest crack in the rock face so she could get back into the Sett. She took a moment to admire the way the door had been cunningly hidden in a natural rock outcropping just bordering the trees. The seam of the door fell between two large boulders and was obscured by their massive faces. If the other students realized how clever we Hufflepuffs really are, Kit thought with a smirk, they'd be fighting to get in this house.

Puck made a mewling noise and Kit turned away from the boulders, fishing him out of his pouch.

"Poor boy, you've missed this as much as I have, haven't you?' Kit nuzzled her face against his tiny furred one. Puck hummed happily, jiggling with impatience to be down in the grass. Kit laughed and set him next to a thick patch of clover she thought he'd enjoy nibbling.

Puck dove on the hapless plants, gleefully rending them with his sharp little teeth and paws, snuffling and gobbling. Kit sat next to him and tipped her head back to stare up at the watermelon sky, the fiery red leaking slowly to a muted pink as the sun sank lower. She'd miss this, these sunsets, this castle, her friends.

Puck suddenly leapt forward pouncing on something; Kit only had a glimpse of frantically wiggling brown legs before the spider was gone down Puck's throat. His little black eyes gleamed with triumph.

"Little monster," Kit murmured, rubbing his face absently.

She went back to watching the darkening sky, finding the first faint star and staring hard at it. Kit closed her eyes tightly and whispered, "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. Wish I may, wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." Pausing, Kit let her hands clench in the grass and squeezed her eyes tighter. "Please let everything be okay. Please don't let Hogwarts close."

A snarl tore through the night and Kit's eyes snapped back open. There was another snarl and a soft thud announcing Puck's second pounce. He'd apparently missed however, as he growled again in frustration and shot after something moving quickly through the grass. Another spider, this one larger than the last and very determined to avoid its fate. The spider scuttled toward the forest with Puck close behind.

"Puck," Kit called, leaping to her feet. "Stop! Right now."

Puck ignored her, leaping forward with another snarl and then swerving to chase the spider as it zigzagged desperately, first away from the forest and then back toward. Puck flung himself after the spider and right into the Forbidden Forest. Kit stood frozen for a moment. But Puck wouldn't stand a chance against the sort of creatures that lived in the forest.

And you will, a tiny voice taunted in the back of her mind. Puck's white-tipped quills were disappearing quickly into the gloom of the forest, however, and if she didn't go now, she'd never be able to find him. There wasn't really any question. Kit raced after Puck, catching a glimpse of bristles as he scurried around a tree.

The forest was hushed and eerily quiet. It almost seemed to be waiting for something and Kit watched the looming trees edgily. She was going to kill Puck when she caught him. Something rustled in a bush to Kit's left and she skirted sideways, her heart seizing painfully in her chest. Yellow eyes peered out at her and Kit shivered, clutching her arms. The eyes blinked and were gone, releasing Kit from her frozen stance. She shot forward again, as much to get away from that bush as to follow Puck. The sooner she found him the sooner they could leave.

Kit wound deeper and deeper into the forest, her heart racing as the darkness grew denser and more palpable around her. Like a living thing it seemed to breathe, to wait, to watch. Every now and then she caught a glimpse of Puck's quills, or a small pink paw disappearing up ahead. Kit called out to Puck in a hushed voice, afraid to wake whatever might be lurking in the shadows. How could one tiny creature move so damned fast! Kit bit her lip with frustration, clenching her fists.

Had she remembered to tuck her wand in her robes? She felt at her sleeves frantically, finally locating the thin shaft of her wand. She pulled the wand out and held it warily in front of her.

"Lumos," Kit whispered and her wand tip glowed with a comforting white light. She could hear a furious rustling up ahead and prayed Puck hadn't become some larger creature's dinner. Taking the next corner on tiptoe Kit edged forward, afraid of what she might find. Snarl, snap, snap. At least Puck was still alive and fighting. Kit froze as she came around a tree and finally saw Puck in front of her.

He seemed to be battling only air. Kit stared at him, confused. Puck spun and leapt, snarling and snapping madly, flinging himself from one side to the next with no seeming purpose. Leaning forward slowly, Kit extended her wand to better illuminate the area around Puck. The ground was thick with hundreds of crawling, writhing spiders. They scuttled and skittered away from her light and Puck's vicious jaws as he tried to stomp, smash, and maim every single one.

Kit looked down at her own feet and had to bite back a horrified scream; the spiders were covering her shoes in a seething, teeming sea of brown. She snatched her robes up and shook them, stomping her feet as she stumbled backwards. She moved away until she was out of the main mass of spiders and they passed in front of her like a putrid stream. Puck's maddened snarls drew Kit's eyes back to where he continued to pounce and leap at the hundreds of spiders all around him.

Even as Kit watched she could see him growing tired, his lunges less coordinated and quick. A spider the size of a golf ball grappled its way onto Puck's back, its pincers gleaming in her wand light before the thing lost its hold and toppled to the forest floor. The spiders were starting to fight back and Puck, his energy fading, wouldn't stand a chance against them.

"Puck," Kit cried, not bothering to quiet her voice, she was so terrified. She couldn't let the spiders get him, she had to do something. Kit lifted her robes and tucked them into the waistband of her jeans. Taking a deep breath she plunged back into the mass of spiders; nausea clawed at her throat as they covered her shoes and she felt the tiny bodies crunching beneath her soles. Gritting her teeth Kit ran forward, scattering spiders along the way.

She reached Puck within a few strides and caught him mid-leap, shaking him to dislodge several spiders clinging determinedly to his back. For a moment Puck didn't seem to realize what had happened and, maddened at whatever had seized him, he writhed and snarled, his claws slashing. Kit winced as one tiny claw caught her hand and ripped the skin open, sending blood pouring over her palm and the forest floor. Puck froze, his dark eyes locked on her and the crazed look slowly faded to comprehension. He mewled weakly and curled into himself, cupping around the wound he'd inadvertently caused.

Kit didn't have time to think about her hand or Puck, she had to get out of there before the spiders began climbing her clothing. With frantic, wide lunges, she made her way back from the spider-filled path to a patch of nearby grass. Kit stomped up and down, trying to shake loose any determined hitchhikers. Panting, Kit tucked Puck tight against her chest and leaned back against a tree, closing her eyes briefly. The burning pain in her hand and Puck's continued mews of remorse forced her eyes back open.

Kit's hand was still bleeding and she'd better stop it soon or the sweet coppery scent would draw something bigger than spiders to them. Luckily her t-shirt was one of her favorites and rather old. There was already a tiny hole near the bottom and it was easy to hook a finger through that and rip upward, tearing off a wide swath of soft blue cloth. Kit wrapped the material around her palm while Puck balanced precariously in the crook of her elbow. She refused to put him down again. Tucking the loose end of the makeshift bandage under, Kit watched the material turn a dull, rusty red. There was nothing else she could do.

Finally able to refocus on their surroundings, Kit gave a low moan as she glanced around. Everything looked alike. They were lost. In the Forbidden Forest. At night. The fact that she was wounded as well seemed the final straw and Kit fought back tears. It would be hours at least until someone started looking for her and they certainly wouldn't think to search the forest. Damn it, damn it, damn it. Cursing just now felt good but it wasn't doing anything to improve the situation. Kit nuzzled Puck again to let him know she wasn't angry and then tucked him into his pouch. He lay quietly as if determined to make up for his earlier misbehavior.

Choosing a direction at random Kit started walking. She was probably making things worse but she was determined to put some distance between herself and the spiders. Just thinking of them made her hands tremble and it was only then she noticed that somehow her wand tip had gone out.

"Lumos," Kit whispered, relighting the wand as much to banish the spiders from her mind as to illuminate the forest floor. She'd only been walking a few minutes when she heard a twig snap delicately off to her right. She swung around and squinted at the trees but her wand light only lit the row of trees closest to her. Everything else was wrapped in a dark so complete it was as if the world ceased to exist at the edge of her wand light. The moon must be up by now, hanging low in the sky and casting its gleaming silver rays but not a single one broke through the dense ceiling of leaves and branches overhead.

Kit forced her feet forward, eyes zigzagging anxiously from left to right as she breathed shallowly so she could hear any telltale movement. Just as her muscles had begun to scream from the rigid set of her shoulders, another furtive rustle sent Kit's heart thumping madly. Something was stalking them. Kit gripped her wand tighter.

Why couldn't we have had a decent Defense teacher this year! She might have learned something useful then. But the handful of hexes she'd learned on her own and all of her charms work wasn't likely to help now. Puck tensed in his pouch and bristled, rumbling low as he too sensed whatever it was.

Should she run? Vaguely Kit recalled some long ago nature show about lions, warning that running only drew their attention and made them attack faster. While she seriously doubted there was a lion stalking her just now, she thought the advice probably applied to most predators. Kit forced her steps to slow and tried to act as if she wasn't terrified out of her mind. It was the hardest thing she'd ever done.

For what felt like hours Kit walked on, an occasional rustle or the pad of a foot on soft earth letting her know she was still being watched. Why doesn't it strike, she thought, hating this constant fear, this game the creature seemed to be playing. Up ahead, she saw a clearing and her heart stopped for a moment. There, just above the treetops lining the clearing moonlight gleamed on a gray turret. The castle. She was getting close to the castle. If she could just make it a little further she might have a chance. Did she dare go through the glade? It would leave her more exposed but it was the quickest route and the only way she could keep the turret in sight. She'd have to risk it.

Kit warily entered the clearing, her eyes still scanning the edges of the trees. She could see better now with the moonlight aiding her wand and she thought she saw something slinking behind the trees to her right, a sort of darker shadow among shadows. The shadow seemed to bob and undulate, moving like a serpent almost. Kit shivered, keeping an eye fixed on the thing and another on the all-important turret.

She was halfway across the glade when the creature grew tired of waiting. Puck's sudden growl was her only warning as the thing shot into motion and flew across the glade at her. It ran on two feet, a flash of scaly limbs and sharp claws. The creature reached Kit before she could cry out and its head shot forward, the muscled neck extending like a piston. Kit felt the thing knock her over and then she was staring up at the sky. Stars twinkled down at her with their unbearable beauty and Puck's furious snarls mingled with a hiss from the creature in her ears.

Puck writhed in his pouch, trying to break free but the pouch was enchanted and she knew he'd never have a chance. He'd die tonight, just as she would, and Kit's heart hurt at the thought. Except the creature hadn't killed her yet. She moved her eyes slowly down to the treetops and then lower; lower until she was looking back at four sets of yellow eyes.

The creature had two heads, each attached to a long, muscled neck like a python, and both sets of eyes were watching her. It sniffed the air with wide nostrils and flicked out a tongue to taste the air. Was it enjoying her fear? Savoring it? One of the heads bent low, pressing close to Kit so it could stare into her eyes. There was no pity in that gaze, nothing but a burning, seething hunger. And confusion. The creature seemed bemused somehow. Its hideous tongue snaked out again, as black as the rest of it, and flicked her cheek. It drew a deep breath as though trying to inhale her and then, unaccountably, the creature whimpered low in its throat and slunk backwards, away from her. Kit stared at it amazed. It stared back.

Motionless, Kit couldn't believe the creature hadn't killed her and confusion held her immobile as effectively as fear had a moment before. She cautiously pushed up onto her elbows and the creature fell back, edging away. It seemed - well, fearful - but that was impossible. Kit sat all the way up and it slunk back another pace, watching.

It was the ugliest thing Kit had ever seen. Pitch black from snout to toes with gleaming jet scales, it looked like a small wingless dragon. Except that where its tail should have been there was a second head, identical to the first with a wide snout, black spiky ruff and protuberant yellow eyes. The creature didn't have any forearms, just two taloned feet balanced dead center in its body. Kit sniffed and detected an oily, vaguely sour smell that seemed to be coming from the creature. It still stood watching her, clearly puzzled by something.

"Can't decide how to kill me?" Kit snarled at it. "Or don't you like how I taste? So sorry to have ruined your supper by running through the forest and getting all sweaty."

The creature hissed evilly at her and lowered both heads, backing farther away. Kit couldn't understand why it didn't attack. It didn't seem to want to kill her anymore, but it didn't seem ready to leave either. How long the stand off might have lasted, Kit would never know.

An arrow shot through the air suddenly and landed next to the creature's foot. Leaping back with an angry howl, one head glared over Kit's head at something while the other pinned her with its yellow stare. It gave a growling horrible sort of screech, the octaves ranging up high and then falling low again and Kit realized a start it was talking to her. The words sounded strange and sibilant, with more vowels and rolling consonants than there should have been but it was language all the same.

"Remember," yowled the creature, "remember, Daughter of Eshu, I let you live. I could have killed you, but I let you live." With a final furious hiss at whatever stood behind Kit the creature melted back into the forest, eyes never leaving her.

Kit shook with suppressed shock, feeling tears push at her eyes and choking her throat. She was alive. By some miracle she was alive. Kit turned to see what had frightened the creature off. A boy stood at the edge of the trees, young, perhaps a year or two older than herself judging by his height. He held a bow in one hand with an arrow notched and ready.

"Thank you," Kit croaked, her voice impossibly weak and small. "Thank you for saving me," she tried again, louder as she pushed to her feet.

The boy said nothing, just continued to watch as Kit got unsteadily to her feet. The world swam for a moment, the forest spinning dizzily. She stumbled and then righted herself. Puck had fallen silent when the creature disappeared and the absolute silence was eerie.

"Won't you even speak to me," Kit pleaded.

"I did not save you," the boy said in an emotionless voice. "If the amphisbaena had decided to kill you, you would have been dead before I could loose a single arrow. I only encouraged it to leave here sooner than it would have."

True, the creature could have killed her long before this boy arrived and Kit didn't know why it hadn't, but still. "Thank you anyway. It could have changed its mind you know, or just hurt me or something."

The boy shook his head sharply in dismissal and continued to study her. "What did the creature say to you?" he asked finally.

Kit's eyebrows snapped down. "Didn't you hear it? You weren't very far away."

"I can not understand its language any more than most creatures could have. Only another amphisbaena would know what it said. But I know it spoke to you just now, that you heard it. It was in the way you jumped and leant forward as it spoke, in the way it varied its tone. That was no hunting call I heard."

Kit couldn't find her voice. How had she understood that animal if this boy hadn't? The boy arched an eyebrow and then slung his bow over a shoulder, sliding the unused arrow back into a quiver at his hip. He crossed his arms and waited, veiled in shadows.

"It said to remember that it spared my life, remember it could have killed me and chose not to. And it called me a funny name, daughter of something or other," Kit said. She moved forward as she finished speaking, wanting to get a better look at the boy. He shifted edgily.

"What are you?" he demanded suddenly, startling a laugh from her.

"I'm a witch," she said, amazed to hear the truth of it pass her lips for the first time. She'd been studying magic all year but hadn't really accepted her place in that world until tonight. I'm a witch, she thought, reveling in the rightness of it.

The boy nodded, but something about his expression, clearer now that she was closer to him, seemed to hint at a certain skepticism.

"I am," Kit insisted, pulling her wand from her robes and brandishing it at him. "See I have a wand and everything. I've left my witch's hat at the school but I have one of those too."

The boy snorted with what might have been laughter in a less reserved person. Kit took several steps closer and was pleased to see he didn't back away. She stopped just a few feet from him, squinting at the shadows to try to see him better. There was something funny about the way he was standing.

"I'm Kit," she said, giving him a small smile. He was silent so long she thought he meant to ignore her.

"I am Bearach," he said finally.

"I'm glad to have met you Bearach," Kit said, trying to match his formality. "Won't you come out of the shadows so I can see my rescuer?"

With a dismissive sweep of his hand for her last words, Bearach stepped forward. One step, two, until moonlight wrapped him with its silvery light. Kit let out a tiny "oh," her mouth hanging open like a door off its hinge. Bearach was a centaur, not a boy at all. Well, she corrected herself, he was a young centaur. She didn't know much about how they aged but this one looked almost the same age as she did; still carrying a tiny bit of puppy fat in his cheeks. His hair glowed silver in the moonlight and his eyes were the same dappled gray as the horse's body that extended from his waist. His thin arms and chest were banded with muscle, especially his left arm, the one he had been using to hold his bow. His mouth was held in a straight line, thin and unyielding as he watched her studying him. Kit flushed and tried to stop ogling him like some exhibit in a zoo. It was very hard though, not only was he the first centaur she'd ever seen but tiny scars crisscrossed one side of his chest, begging her to ask what had caused them. Thankfully he spoke again before she could give in to that insanity.

"You attend classes at the school?"

"You mean Hogwarts?" Seeing his nod, Kit said, "Yes, I do. Or at least I did," she added, the events of the past weeks rushing back from wherever she'd pushed them during her ordeal. "They're sending us home tomorrow and probably closing the school for good."

"Why?" Bearach asked.

"A monster has been attacking students all year." Kit paused, a new thought flickering to life. "I wonder if that amphi-whats-it that attacked me tonight could be the monster?"

But Bearach was shaking his head. "The amphisbaena only hunt in the forest, they do not like enclosed places."

"Well but maybe it was really hungry-"

"The spiders do not fear the amphisbaena, but they fear whatever roams your school now. The forest is filled with them."

Kit's shoulders slumped. "Do you know what is attacking people at the school?"

"The spiders do not say and I would not ask. What happens at that school has nothing to do with me."

Kit glared at him for a moment. "Why did you bother to save me tonight then?"

"I have already said I did not save you," Bearach said flatly. "If you are asking why I came to the clearing that is different. The stars, when I read them, lead me here. They said I would find something valuable, something I must guard."

Kit glowered at him. "The stars told you?" she asked skeptically.

"Centaurs are adept at reading the portents of the night skies, at reading the future in a wisp of smoke or a crumpled leaf. We are weaned from our mothers on their knowledge and effect on our lives."

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you but there's nothing valuable in this place that I can see, and as you refuse to admit saving me … I suppose you've wasted your time."

Bearach looked at her with an odd sort of intensity. "I found what I came for," he said abruptly, "though it is not what I thought. Come, I will take you back to the castle. You should not wander in the forest alone at night."

"What are the stars telling you now?" Kit couldn't resist asking snidely, upset with how casually he dismissed her and ordered her around.

"That you ask too many questions and have the personality of a nundu."

Kit had to restrain herself from sticking her tongue out at him. She swung around, arms crossed, and stormed into the trees. A gentle hand at her shoulder sent her in the opposite direction.

"I believe you wanted to return to the castle," Bearach said without looking at her, "not the spider's hollow."

Kit tipped her nose in the air and refused to talk to him again until they reached the edge of the forest near Hagrid's hut. Kit was upset, but she'd also been taught manners. "Thank you," she ground out, seeing the mocking smile on his face.

"You are welcome little fox kit," Bearach laughed.

Kit snarled louder than Puck with a bellyache. "My name is Kit."

Bearach nodded, still smiling, but a moment later his face sobered and he looked at her with that peculiar intensity again. Glancing up at the moon he said, "It is time for you to leave me and return to your friends. They have noticed your absence and are worried. Do not be anxious about your school, the train will not leave tomorrow." With a last nod he turned to go, but turned back just before he was swallowed by the trees.

"You will meet me here again, at this spot in a week. At sunset," Bearach added before cantering away. He didn't bother to look back or wait for Kit's answer.

Arrogant, presumptuous horse, Kit thought irritably.

His words trickled back to worry at her though. Were her friends searching for her? She looked up at the moon, shocked to find it riding high overhead. It must be really late, and even with the madness of the day's events someone was bound to have noticed she was missing by now. Kit ran to the standing rocks, relieved to find the tiny gap still there when she ran her hands over the rock face. She sighed in relief when she pushed the stone entrance closed behind her, feeling wrapped in the golden glow of the corridor walls.

Kit saw something move at her feet and bent closer to peer at it. She jerked back quickly with a shiver. A tiny line of spiders, much smaller than the ones Puck had been chasing, were trooping back into the castle as though they'd been on holiday and were ready to come home now. She hurried down the hall toward the common room, glad to leave the spiders well behind her.

Kit heard someone sobbing brokenly as she shoved open the hidden door to the Sett. Ellie sat on one of the nearby couches, tears streaming down her face as Merrilee patted her back awkwardly and looked uncomfortable.

"- hasn't been eaten by the basilisk, Ellie. She'll turn up," Merrilee was saying. Ellie started outright wailing at the word 'eaten' and Merrilee had just muttered a very un-Merrilee-like curse when Ellie looked up and noticed Kit standing in the Sett entrance. Ellie let out a tiny scream and threw herself at Kit, wrapping her in a tight hug. A moment later she hauled back and started yelling.

"Where have you been! We've been going mad looking for you and I thought you snuck out and were eaten by the basilisk and-"

"The what?" Kit interrupted, confused.

"Oh. I guess you wouldn't know," Ellie said and then she started in yelling again. "Because you were off scaring me to death by disappearing and it serves you right that you didn't get to hear the news with the rest of us. So I'm not going to tell you! But if you ever do anything like this to me again, I swear I won't be your friend for another minute!" Then Ellie hauled Kit back into a rib-crushing hug and started bawling all over her. Kit stared in shock at Merrilee over Ellie's shoulder, but Merrilee just shrugged as if to say "You're on your own."

"Ellie," Merrilee ventured, "When you're done watering Kit's robes, do you think we could go let Professor Sprout know she's turned up before they rip apart the castle looking for her?"

"What?" Ellie said, letting Kit go at last. "Oh, yes, we'd better."

"No one's looking for me, are they?" Kit asked, suddenly anxious at the thought of a search party combing the castle for her.

"No, but they were about to start," Merrilee said, "We only told Professor Sprout you were missing a little while ago. I couldn't keep it from her any longer and Ellie was worried you'd been murdered by the monster before it was killed."

Kit opened her mouth to ask for an explanation but Merrilee held up a hand to forestall her. "You've missed a lot. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley caught the heir of Slytherin and killed the monster. And Ginny Weasley's not dead!"

Kit's mouth fell open. "But -"

Again Merrilee cut her off, "And then Dumbledore came back and now they've ordered a huge feast to celebrate, plus they've revived everyone that was petrified. So everyone's been running around like lunatics cheering and then Ellie noticed you hadn't come back. I was sure you were somewhere in the Sett but when you didn't turn up we had to tell Professor Sprout. And now she's ready to ransack the school so we have to go right now to find her." Merrilee grabbed both Kit and Ellie at this last and shoved them toward the common room entrance.

Ellie was still sniffling. She shot Kit a sideways glance. "Where were you?"

Kit couldn't meet her eyes. She wasn't ready to relive her evening in all its gory detail. Besides, she'd rather not admit to being in the forest if she didn't have to.

"Umm - I was in the Sett," she started but Ellie turned on her indignantly, stopping halfway up the common room stairs.

"You were not! We searched every room and corridor and you weren't in any of them."

Merrilee gave them both a little shove in the back to get them moving again.

"Oh," Kit said, sighing. "Look Ellie, I promise I'll tell you everything tomorrow. I'm just not ready right now."

Ellie glared at Kit, glancing pointedly at her bandaged hand. The blue material was stiff with dried blood. "I don't suppose you'll tell me how that happened?"

"Tomorrow," Kit said, lethargy dragging at her. She'd run out of adrenalin about ten minutes ago and it had been the only thing keeping her going.

They arrived outside Professor Sprout's office in time to hear her marshaling prefects and older students like a drill sergeant. Her usually pleasant voice was strained and tight. "- thought this was all over and now -" she broke off as the three girls stepped into her crowded office. For a moment her face broke into its usual gruff smile, but then her smile faded into a disapproving hauteur.

"Kindly explain where you have been for the better part of the evening Miss Ellsington," the professor snapped.

Kit sagged under her glare. "It's a long story," she began, but Professor Sprout waved a pudgy hand and cut her off.

"Then it's best if the headmaster hears this as well so we're not up all night while you're retelling it." The professor dismissed the other students, only routing Ellie with a particularly fierce scowl.

With Kit in tow, Professor Sprout marched to the headmaster's office. She stopped in front of an especially ugly gargoyle and said, "Sherbert Lemon." The gargoyle hopped aside and they ascended a moving staircase up to Dumbledore's rooms. He was just setting the sorting hat on a shelf when Kit and Professor Sprout entered the room.

Dumbledore beamed. "Ahh just as I said Pomona, the young lady has reappeared."

"Yes, Headmaster," Professor Sprout said. "I thought it would be best if Miss Ellsington gave an account of her whereabouts in your presence."

"Yes, yes, very good," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "I wonder Pomona if I can persuade you to let me talk to Miss Ellsington alone? I will let you know all the pertinent details of her adventure."

Professor Sprout looked vaguely put out, but she nodded and left them. Dumbledore waited until her footsteps had faded before fixing his blue stare on Kit. "It seems tonight is a night for adventures among our younger students," he said with a wry twist of his lips. "As you may have heard Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley have been busy tonight fighting Slytherin's monster, and I believe you Miss Ellsington have been having a few exploits of your own. In the Forbidden Forest if I am not mistaken."

Kit gaped at him. How could he possibly know that? Dumbledore chuckled, reading her shocked expression. "I have excellent sources," he said cryptically and tipped his hands together, peering at her over them. He motioned Kit to a chair and moved behind his desk, sitting as well. Kit shifted uncomfortably on the plush cushion.

"Suppose you tell me what happened tonight," Dumbledore said, those piercing blue eyes seeming to say he'd know if she left anything out. So Kit resigned herself to it and launched into the story starting with Puck's escape and ending with her return to the common room. She glossed over the Sett, determined to keep her house's secrets and making it sound as if she'd just happened to be outside; never mind that was forbidden and next to impossible considering all the patrols that had been roaming the castle.

Dumbledore's eyes were back to twinkling. "Hufflepuff House's secrets are safe with me Miss Ellsington. I am quite aware of the Sett and its - unusual features." Kit didn't say anything. Dumbledore sighed and looked troubled for a moment. "Yes, it certainly has been an exciting night." His eyes returned to hers. "I believe there is something you have yet to tell me," he said gently.

Kit fidgeted. She'd left out the part about the amphisbaena talking to her, and that Bearach had not saved her, only ended a standoff. Kit looked away from the headmaster, focusing instead on the beautiful bird sitting on a perch beside him. Its bright red feathers seemed to shimmer with their own special light and the bird's black eyes looked deep and knowing. The bird watched her steadily and then opened its beak and let out a low haunting note. The note changed, rose and as had happened earlier, became words.

"You must tell him the truth of this night. More lives than your own are at stake," the bird said in its warbling voice.

Kit's eyes became the size of dinner plates and she glanced at Dumbledore to see what he thought of the bird's strange words. There was no comprehension on his face however and Kit realized that just as with earlier, she was the only one that heard the creature's words.

"Tell him," urged the bird.

Kit took a deep breath. "Sir," she began. "What did you hear just now?"

"I heard Fawkes singing, though not with his usual aptitude, certainly," Dumbledore said and Kit had the idea that he already knew what she was about to say, even though she believed he truly hadn't understood the bird.

"No sir," Kit said. "He was speaking. He said I should tell you the truth."

Dumbledore's eyes showed no surprise; instead they seemed to focus on her even more sharply. "I have always believed that Fawkes was a very sensible bird."

"You already know," Kit said, aware it wasn't a question.

"Let us say I suspect, but I would still like to hear the words from you confirming those suspicions."

"I can hear Fawkes talk and earlier tonight I heard that creature, that amphisbaena as Bearach called it, talk. It told me to remember it had let me live. Bearach didn't save me, the amphisbaena had already decided to let me live when he arrived. It might have changed its mind, I certainly don't know how it all would have ended, but it could have killed me. It was prepared to, but something stopped it. I don't know what."

Dumbledore was nodding, a pleased smile on his lips. "And young Bearach has appointed himself your defender."

"I'm not sure," Kit said. "If he has he doesn't seem very happy about it."

"It is a serious thing for a centaur to commit his protection to another, especially to a human. But I believe that is what Bearach has done. He will make a fine elder some day and a useful friend for you now." Kit looked at him doubtfully and Dumbledore sobered once more. "I have a request to make of you," he said. "I would like you to keep your linguistic abilities a secret. No one, other than yourself, Bearach and I must know. This is for your own safety as well as others. You have unusual gifts, Kit," Dumbledore said kindly, using her name for the first time. "It is best if the world does not know of them as yet. Even your friends," he added anticipating her question.

Kit looked back at him slightly lost. What was she supposed to do now? Was their meeting over?

"I will tell Professor Sprout," Dumbledore said, "and you may tell your friends, that you followed Puck into the forest and became lost. One of the centaurs found you before there was any harm and guided you back to the school."

Kit nodded to show she understood.

"You're quite gifted with animals I believe?" Dumbledore asked. Kit shrugged noncommittally. "Would you like the chance to take Care of Magical Creatures classes next year in addition to your regular courses?"

Kit couldn't help a tiny gasp. "But only third years and above are allowed."

"I believe we can make an exception in your case," Dumbledore said, grinning at the eagerness filling her expression. "You would attend classes with the Hufflepuff students in the year ahead of you if you choose to take this opportunity."

Kit leapt to her feet. "Yes! Absolutely! Where do I sign up?"

"No need for that, I will have a word with Professor Sprout about arranging your schedule to accommodate the extra class. I want you to know you may always come to me with anything you need to share." Dumbledore looked serious again and his eyes pinned Kit where she stood. "I hope that you will keep me informed if you should develop any more - special talents." As quickly as it had disappeared, the smile returned to Dumbledore's eyes. "And now I believe we are both very late for the celebration feast. We really must hurry before all the custard creams are gone."

Kit nodded and watched the headmaster rise from behind his desk. It had been the oddest night.

***

End notes: Professor McGonagall's announcement during Charms class is taken word for word from Chamber of Secrets.

The amphisbaena that attacked Kit is a variation on the creature described by Jonathan Hunt in his excellent book, Bestiary: An Illuminated Alphabet of Medieval Beasts. You can find lots of fascinating creatures within those pages, and you never know, a few more of them just might be turning up in the dark forest…

Bearach is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. He's such a charmer in his own, reserved way. Expect to see more of him in the future. In the mean time, however, you can read a bit more about Bearach in this short fic posted at the Sugar Quill, In Chiron's Hoofprints.