A few minutes later, Draco furiously stomped out of the castle with the filthy Gryffindors and Filch on their way to the Forbidden Forest.

Draco thought that this was unbelievably unfair and protested.

Filch was saying, "A pity they let the old punishments go, eh? There was a time detention would find you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons. God, I'll miss the screaming."

"Lunatic," Draco muttered and Potter, who had been walking next to him, snickered a bit before realizing that he was laughing at Draco Malfoy's name-calling.

Oblivious to the situation, Filch continued, "You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight. He's got a little job to do...inside the Dark Forest."

When the group reached Hagrid, Filch said, "A sorry lot, this, Hagrid. Oh, good God, man, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are ya?"

"Norbert's gone," said Hagrid. "Dumbledore sent him off to Romania to live in a colony."

"Well, that's good isn't it?" Granger said. "He'll be with his own kind."

"Yeah, but what if he don't like Romania? What if the other dragons are mean to 'im? He's only a baby, after all."

"Says you," Draco muttered and Potter gave him a look.

"Oh, for God's sake," Filch complained, "pull yourself together, man. You're going into the Forest, after all. Got to have your wits about ya."

"The Forest?" Weasley demanded. "I thought that was a joke. We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed. And there are...giant spiders!"

"Acromantula is the proper name for a species of giant spider, native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia, particularly Borneo where it inhabits dense jungle. Acromantulas are believed to-"

"NO ONE BLOODY CARES, GRANGER!" Draco yelled, frustrated, and Granger blushed in embarrassment, ducking her head.

"There's more than spiders in those trees, lad," Filch said, turning to Weasel. "You can be sure of that." After looking around one more time, he said, "Nighty-night," and left.

"Right," said Hagrid. "Let's go."

The four students walked with the gamekeeper through the forest. Hagrid stopped and ran his hand through some silvery liquid in the middle of the woods.

"Hagrid," Potter said, "what is that?"

"Unicorn blood," Draco said before he could stop himself. The others turned questioningly to him.

Since he couldn't tell them that his father had gone hunting for unicorns before, he said, "I think I've seen it before...near a unicorn."

Apparently, he was convincing enough for Hagrid to say, "And that's what we're here for. I found one dead, a few weeks ago. Now, this one's been hurt bad by somethin'. So, it's our job to go and find the poor beast. Ron, Hermione, you'll come with me. Harry, you'll go with Malfoy."

Draco groaned.

"Do we get Fang?" Potter asked.

"What on earth would you want fangs for?" Draco asked.

"This is Fang." Potter pointed to the dog whimpering next to Hagrid.

"Just so you know," Fang's owner said, "he's a bloody coward."

Walking through the forest looking for nothing bored Draco to death.

"You wait till my father hears about this!" Draco said. "This is servant's stuff."

"If I didn't know better, Draco," Potter said, putting as much hatred into the name as he could, "I'd say you were scared."

"I'm not scared, Potter. If anyone's scared, it's you. I'm just bored."

"And tired?"

"Not tired."

It was the truth; they hadn't gone far so neither of them were tired.

There was a sudden growling moan.

"Did you hear that?" Potter said.

"I've got ears, don't I?" Draco said irritably.

"Come on, Fang." Potter followed the dog deeper into the woods.

"And supposedly I'm the one who's scared," Draco muttered.

Soon, Fang had led the boys to an exceptionally small clearing and began growling.

"What is it, Fang?" Potter asked, fear evident in his voice. Then he and Draco looked up.

A hooded figure was crouched next to a motionless unicorn and it made slurping noises.

"Ahh!" Potter whispered as he clutched his forehead.

The slurps grew louder and then the figure lifted his head, growling.

Next to him, Draco heard Potter's breath quicken.

The hooded figure suddenly rose up and slowly started towards them.

"Stop!" Draco demanded once he realized who, or rather what, it was. "I'm a Malfoy! I know!"

The figure stopped and stood. He then made his way towards just Potter, and there was nothing Draco could do, so he helplessly watched Potter trip over a tree root as the monster approached him.

Out of nowhere, there was a gallop and a centaur came bounding out of the wood beyond. It scared off the creature that then ran and flew off.

"Harry Potter," the centaur said, ignoring Draco, "you must leave. You are known to many creatures here. The Forest is not safe at this time. Especially for you."

"But what was that thing you saved me from?" Potter asked.

"A monstrous creature. It is a terrible crime to slay a unicorn. Drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. For you have slain something so pure, that from the moment the blood touches your lips, you will have a half-life, a cursed life."

"But, who would choose such a life?"

Goodness, Draco thought, Potter was daft!

"Can you think of no one?" the centaur prompted.

Come on, Potter! Draco mocked in his head. Surely one who stalks Granger all day should know this!

"You mean to say," Potter began, "that that thing that killed the unicorn, that was drinking its blood, that was Voldemort?"

"Well done, Potter!" Draco sarcastically said. "Took you long enough."

"Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment, Mr. Potter?" the centaur asked, still ignoring Draco, and leaned closer to Potter, for this was obviously a secret.

"The Sorcerer's Stone," Potter responded.

"Ruff, ruff!"

Fang leaped towards Draco and Potter as Granger called out, "Harry!"

"Hello there, Firenze," Hagrid said to the centaur. "I see you've met our young Mr. Potter. You all right there, Harry? Malfoy?"

Potter nodded and Draco did nothing.

"Harry Potter," Firenze the centaur said, "this is where I leave you. You're safe now. Good luck."

______________________________________________________________

The next day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione told Blaise about the detention.

"You mean, You-Know-Who is out there, right now, in the Forest?" Hermione asked.

"But he's weak," Harry pointed out. "He's living off of unicorns. Don't you see? We had it wrong! Snape doesn't want the Stone for himself. He wants the Stone for Voldemort. With the Elixir of Life, Voldemort will be strong again. He'll...he'll come back.

"But, if he comes back," Ron started, "you don't think he'll try to...kill you, do you?"

"I think if he'd had his chance he might have tried to kill me last night."

"And to think, I've been worrying about my Potions final."

"Hang on a minute," Blaise said. "We're forgetting one thing. Who's the one wizard Voldemort always feared? Dumbledore! As long as Dumbledore's around, Harry, you're safe. As long as Dumbledore's around, you can't be touched."

____________________________________________________________

Blaise sat down behind Draco in Potions.

"Heard about the detention," Blaise said to him.

"It wouldn't have happened if you weren't such a traitor," Draco snapped.

Blaise said no more; he remembered that Dumbledore wished him not to speak with Draco.

He realized only at the end of a long day filled with moping that he'd lost his best friend, but he had other friends.

"I haven't hung with Theo and Adrian in a while now," he said to himself while staring at his dorm room wall.

In an instant, he jumped up from the bed and made his way down to the common room.

Fun was necessary every once in a while, but even more so before exams.

A/N: I encourage you all to share this book with your friends, comment, vote, and keep on reading! Thank you all so much!