The Forbidden Forest was pitch-black and utterly silent.
They walked in for a stretch before reaching a fork in the path, where the two groups split off in separate directions.
Malfoy gripped Fang's lead with both hands, every little sound along the way enough to make her heart lurch into her throat.
"Hey — Shafiq!"
It wasn't until they passed a moss-covered tree stump — which Malfoy stumbled over — that the terror she'd been suppressing finally burst free. "Let's just turn back the way we came! That half-blood giant will never know!"
The two walking ahead of her stopped and turned around, only to find Malfoy's face had gone completely white.
Nothing had actually happened the entire way here. Even for a girl, that was an impressively small amount of courage.
Kate stepped toward her and held out her hand. "Want me to walk with you?"
The offer landed with a certain... ambiguity. Both of the other people present froze.
Hermione in particular stared as though she'd momentarily forgotten how eyes worked.
Malfoy, however, came back to herself first. She slapped Kate's outstretched hand away, a faint flush rising on her pale little face. "Don't you dare pity me. I'm walking — let's go!"
And with that, she seized Fang's lead and marched straight to the front of the group.
The rejected Kate rubbed her own palm, glancing after her with a vaguely baffled expression.
What on earth is her problem?
Concern her and she takes offense. Don't bother and she takes offense. Completely inexplicable.
"Ignore her. We'll walk together." Hermione immediately linked her arm through Kate's and rubbed her hand with a look of maternal indignation.
No gratitude whatsoever, and she'd gone and hit her Kate. Malfoy's standing in Hermione's personal estimation had officially bottomed out.
"It's fine. Hagrid told us to stay together — if something happens to her, that'll be hard to explain." Kate smiled slightly, returned Hermione's grip, and quickened her pace to catch up.
The three of them walked on, and before long the soft sound of running water reached their ears.
"This should be unicorn territory." Kate crouched to examine the hoofprints along the stream bank. "They prefer comfortable habitats — this is probably one of the nicest spots in the whole forest."
But it was also, by the same token, one of the most dangerous.
Hermione listened as they walked, curiosity getting the better of her. "Unicorns? What do they actually look like?"
Every girl probably imagined winged horses and unicorns at some point in her childhood.
"Adult unicorns are pure white with a horn," Kate explained patiently, "while foals start out golden and only turn silver-white as they mature."
"For wizards, the horn, the hair, and the blood all have very potent magical properties."
She was about to continue when Malfoy cut her off without ceremony. "Enough, Shafiq — do you think this is a classroom?"
It was the first time anyone had interrupted Kate mid-explanation. She let it go with a resigned sigh. "Malfoy, don't stray too far ahead. If something dangerous—"
"What could possibly be dangerous? I have Fang with me. No animal in this forest would dare touch me."
Malfoy had her back to them, but Kate caught the impatience in her voice clear enough.
Given her lingering guilt over the whole incident of tossing Malfoy around like a ragdoll earlier in the term, Kate swallowed the rest of her words and walked on in silence.
Hermione was quietly fuming beside her, but had no choice but to do the same.
It wasn't long, however, before dark stains began appearing along the winding path beneath their feet — scattered drops and smears that could only be blood.
Kate's stomach sank. She watched Malfoy continue forward, completely oblivious, still heading straight toward the bloodstains — and immediately closed the distance to press a hand to her shoulder. "Stop. Don't go any further."
"What's the matter?" Malfoy tilted her chin up with a smug little smile. "Are you scared? So you can be scared."
"Yes, yes, I'm terrified," Kate said, with no intention of arguing. "So I'm begging you — can we please go back the way we came?"
Malfoy gave a dismissive snort. "No. Either go back by yourself, or hurry up and follow me!"
She made to move forward again.
Kate wasn't about to stand there and watch her walk into something terrible. She grabbed a fistful of Malfoy's robes with one hand, took Hermione's hand with the other, and marched them briskly off the path.
"Let go of me! Shafiq! You absolute — " Malfoy was still rattling off a stream of abuse when Hermione, who'd had quite enough, silenced her with a clean Silencing Charm.
With both girls in tow, Kate dragged them behind the trunk of an enormous tree — wide enough that two people couldn't wrap their arms around it — and turned on them both with a sharp, serious look, one finger pressed to her lips.
Not three seconds later, the undergrowth along the path they'd just abandoned shuddered in a way that was distinctly wrong.
Then, from the shadows, a hooded black figure slithered out — moving not upright, but low to the ground, crawling across the exact spot where they'd been standing moments before.
It seemed their voices had drawn its attention. But it didn't linger. After only a brief pause, the figure retreated the way it had come and disappeared back into the undergrowth.
A moment later, the sounds began. A wet, slick noise — liquid being drawn and swallowed.
The moment Kate heard it, she knew. A unicorn had fallen prey.
She turned. Hermione and Malfoy were both rooted to the spot, frozen so completely they looked like statues, too terrified to so much as breathe.
"I'm going to take a look," Kate murmured.
She had barely moved before Hermione seized her arm in a panic, mouthing silently, No — we don't even know what that thing is, or what it's doing!
For once, Malfoy didn't take the opposite side from Hermione. She was nodding frantically in agreement.
Wait, then?
Kate glanced up at the sliver of moonlight filtering through the canopy and pulled up the System.
[3 minutes remaining until Mana restoration.]
If she waited three more minutes, who knew whether the unicorn in Voldemort's clutches would still be alive.
Save others only after securing yourself first.
That had always been Kate's principle. She wasn't heartless — she couldn't simply stand by and watch a life drain away. But right now, there were two innocent people beside her, and her own Mana was completely locked. A head-on confrontation was out of the question. The only viable option was to attempt something — under conditions that guaranteed all three of them could get away safely.
She worked it through quickly, brow furrowed. "Here's what we do. I'll create a distraction — I'll draw its attention. The moment you see fire, use that spell and run."
Setting fire to a forest was hardly admirable. But it was the only way to drive Voldemort off and keep them all alive.
And in three minutes her Mana would be back anyway. At worst, after chasing Voldemort off, she could redirect the stream to douse the flames.
"What about you?" Hermione held on, refusing to let go.
Kate smiled and ruffled her hair. "Once the fire's going, I'll run with you. We don't have much time — do you both agree?"
Neither of them knew what she meant by 'not much time,' but Hermione thought it over for a beat, then gave a tight nod.
Malfoy nodded so hard it was almost comical.
Kate ushered them quietly to a more concealed position. Then she drew her wand, pulled her wizard robes up over her face, and sprinted out onto the path.
"Incendio!"
The incantation was for show. What actually happened was this: Kate opened her mouth — and felt her throat ignite from the inside out, scorching and blazing.
A jet of searing dragon-fire erupted from between her lips and slammed directly into the undergrowth where the hooded figure crouched.
In the same instant, she spun and bellowed at the spot where the girls were hiding: "Run!"
From the darkness came the sound of a Summoning Charm.
A sharp crack of displaced air rang out, and the broomstick Neville had dropped during Flying class came rocketing straight toward them.
Malfoy caught it without hesitation, hauled Hermione and Fang on with her, and took off — weaving between the dense, tangled trees with impressive speed. Her Quidditch talent wasn't on Harry's level, but it was more than enough for a desperate escape through a dark forest.
Kate watched them go and let out a quiet breath.
The dragon-fire clung to the undergrowth and began to spread rapidly, consuming the vegetation in a widening arc.
She turned back — and saw the black figure come crashing out of the flames, rolling clumsily in the dirt. A frantic burst of incantation followed, smothering the fire that clung to its robes, before it finally managed to push itself upright.
Kate yanked her robes back up over her face. The figure had spotted her. Furious and humiliated, it came charging.
Kate ran — straight toward the stream.
[System Alert: 10 seconds until Mana restoration. 10… 9… 8…]
She vaulted a tangle of roots, ducked under a low branch, and risked a glance over her shoulder. The figure was right there — a shadow clinging to her heels like a nightmare given form.
Ahead, the glimmer of the stream she'd passed earlier came into view.
[3… 2… 1… Mana restored.]
The System's chime had barely faded when Kate wheeled around, wand already in hand, and leveled it at the figure.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The stream answered.
The water surged upward like a living thing, coiling and churning, and then — propelled by the full weight of Kate's enormous reserves of Mana — it crashed toward the black figure in a roaring waterspout.
The figure seemed to recoil in shock. It tried to stop — too late. The waterspout enveloped it entirely, and for a moment it was nothing but a thrashing shape inside a column of churning water and wind.
"Incendio!"
Kate rubbed her throat, which still faintly burned, and raised an eyebrow to herself.
Oh. My daily Dragon Breath has refreshed.
Just as the figure began to wrench itself free of the waterspout, she opened her mouth and breathed again.
Another blast of dragon-fire poured through the churning water. The moisture surrounding the figure flash-evaporated in an instant, billowing outward in a dense wall of steam and mist.
From somewhere inside the cloud came a shriek.
Scorched. Probably badly.
Kate moved to press her advantage — but the figure was already moving, using the cover of the steam cloud to flee.
She watched it go.
Good. Run.
The moment the figure vanished from sight, Kate let out a long, slow exhale and lowered the wizard robes from her face.
She had engineered the steam cloud on purpose. Voldemort, in this state, couldn't be killed — not by her, not tonight. Better to give him an exit than to push a cornered animal to desperation.
Her gaze drifted to the dragon-fire still burning in the distance. Kate's brow creased. She raised her wand and swept it toward the sky, gathering the clouds hanging over the treeline.
A crack of thunder. Then the rain came down — not natural rain, but magical rain, dense and deliberate, laced with her Mana — and it extinguished the dragon-fire in moments.
The effort nearly took her legs out from under her. She barely caught herself, sinking to one knee on the wet earth.
She'd barely practiced weather magic before. Apparently she'd overdone it.
And there was still that unicorn. Still alive — possibly. Still out there.
She shook her head hard, willing the fog at the edges of her consciousness to clear. The cold rain helped.
She hauled herself upright and staggered forward, crossing a patch of ground scorched black by the dragon-fire, until she spotted it — a hollow at the base of a massive tree.
Inside, a white creature lay glowing faintly in the dark.
A unicorn. Barely alive.
Its mane was spread across the dark, rain-damp leaves like something spilled — white as pearl. Its black eyes were wide and brimming, gazing up at Kate with a fragile, helpless beauty.
Along the graceful curve of its neck, there was a wound. Deep. The blood had soaked through the fur around it.
Kate stopped breathing without meaning to. Every healing charm she'd ever studied flashed through her mind in rapid sequence.
"Don't be afraid," she said softly, her footsteps barely audible on the wet leaves. She didn't notice — or didn't care — that she was still standing in the rain. "I'm going to help you."
She raised her wand to stem the bleeding — and then hoofbeats thundered out of the dark.
She didn't have time to react. A centaur burst from the trees, forelegs rearing, iron-hard hooves arcing straight toward her chest.
"Force — release!"
The spell left her lips a heartbeat before the hooves made contact. An invisible wave of force threw the centaur backward, and he hit the ground hard.
"Human!" He was back on his feet almost immediately, eyes blazing. "You set fire to this forest. You injured a unicorn!"
Kate stood her ground, her soaking silver hair plastered against her cheeks, individual droplets clinging to the strands. She looked half-drowned.
She smiled, cold and precise. "Open your eyes and look. I'm trying to save it."
And she turned back to the unicorn and cast the charm.
"You dare—!" The centaur — convinced she meant further harm — charged again.
Kate didn't move. She didn't even raise her wand.
Because she'd heard it: other hoofbeats, coming from behind her.
Sure enough — before the charging centaur could reach her, a second centaur stepped out of the dark at her back and blocked his path.
"Don't, Bane!"
This one was younger-looking, with pale gold hair and the body of a silver-maned horse. His eyes were a startling, vivid blue — and right now they were fixed on Bane with open fury.
"Look at her!"
Bane turned. The blood on the unicorn's neck had slowed. Nearly stopped.
The younger centaur looked at Kate. "You saved it. I am Firenze."
Kate watched him, still wary. "A black figure attacked that unicorn. I had to set the fire to drive it away."
"I know." Firenze nodded. "I've already alerted the unicorn herd. The forest isn't safe right now — you should return to Hagrid's side."
"Before I go," Kate said, lifting her chin, "I'd like to check on that unicorn. I'm the one who saved it, after all."
Firenze hesitated. Then he stepped aside to let her through.
"Please."
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