Cassia's POV

As I'd anticipated, the next morning, everyone in our house was really mad at us. I heard some people talking behind our backs, particularly about Harry and I. And as if things couldn't get any worse, our detention was tonight.

"A pity they let the old punishments die," Filch muttered. Our detention was going to be outside the school, so Filch was the one escorting us. Joy. "Was a time detention would find you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons," he said to us, "God, I'll miss the screaming. You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight. He's got a little job to do...inside the Dark Forest." I gulped. At least we weren't serving detention with Snape- that'd be a nightmare.

"Evening, Hagrid," Filch greeted as we came to Hagrid's hut. We saw Hagrid holding his crossbow under one arm. He looked like he'd been crying. "Not still going on about that bloody dragon, are you?" Filch asked.

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

"Well, that's good, isn't it? He'll be with his own kind," Hermione assured him.

"Yeah, but what if he don't like Romania? What if the other dragons are mean to him? He's only a baby, after all," Hagrid protested. I felt bad for Hagrid. He loved Norbert, like a mother would love her son.

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

"The forest? I thought that was a joke," Malfoy protested, "We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed. And there are...werewolves." We heard a howl in the distance, as if to confirm his words.

"There's more than werewolves in there," Filch warned Malfoy, "Nighty night." He turned around and walked back into the castle.

We followed Hagrid into the forest. I have to admit, it was a little creepy, but I knew I had to be brave. Soon, we came to a little puddle of what looked like clear, silvery gel. Hagrid stuck his hand into the gel, inspecting it.

"Hagrid, what's that?" I asked, half curious and half afraid.

Hagrid turned back to us. "What we're here for. See that?" he said, holding up two gel-covered fingers. "That's unicorn blood, that is. I found one dead, few weeks ago. 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."

"Okay," Ron said, shaking.

"And Harry, Cassia, you'll go with Malfoy," Hagrid added, turning to us. We're with snotty, stuck-up, thinks-he's-better-than-everyone-else Malfoy? Are you kidding me? I thought to myself.

"Okay, but I get Fang," Malfoy said.

"Fine. Just so's yeh know...he's a bloody coward," Hagrid warned us. Fang whined.

<><><><><>

"Wait 'til my father hears about this. This is servant's stuff," Malfoy protested as we walked through the forest. I was holding the lantern, and Fang trotted along side me.

"Snob," I muttered under my breath.

"What did you say, brat?" Malfoy asked, getting angry at me.

"If I didn't know better, Draco, I'd say you were scared," Harry teased.

Malfoy scoffed. "I'm not scared, Potter," he spat. We heard an owl hooting, and Malfoy tensed up. "Did you hear that?" he asked, sounding a little nervous.

I snickered. "And he says he's not scared," I whispered to Harry, who covered his mouth to try and keep from laughing. "Come on, Fang," I said to the boarhound, as we continued on. I just wanted to find the poor unicorn and get the heck out of that forest.

<><><><><>

We continued our trek through the forest, but stopped when we heard a growl.

"What's that?" I asked, grabbing Harry's arm as I looked around for the source of the growl, which was replaced by the sound of loud slurping. My gaze fell on the sight in front of us. A black-hooded figure was hunched over the unicorn, with clear, silvery liquid down its front. I lifted a hand to my temple, my scar throbbing with pain. I heard Harry inhale sharply, meaning he could feel it as well.

The creature looked up at us, growling. Malfoy screamed like a little girl and fled the scene, Fang following close behind him. The creature glided over to us, and Harry backed away, pulling me with him. He tripped over a root in the ground, and I fell on top of him. I buried my face in his chest, bracing myself for what I thought for sure would be a terrible demise. Harry wrapped a protective arm around me.

But before the creature could lay a hand on us, I heard the sound of hooves galloping, and the creature hissing.

I looked out towards the spot where the hooded monster had been. It wasn't there anymore. In its place was a centaur. He must've scared the monster off. As he trotted over to us, I got a good look at him. He had curly, dark hair and a goatee. "Harry Potter...Cassia Potter...you must leave. You are known to many creatures here. The forest is not safe at this time of night, especially for you," he admonished us.

"What was that thing you saved us from?" I asked.

"A monstrous creature," the centaur answered.

"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," the centaur replied. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

"But who would choose such a life?" Harry pressed.

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

"Do you mean to say, that...that thing that killed the unicorn...that was drinking its blood...that was Voldemort?" Harry questioned, putting two and two together.

"Do you both know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?" the centaur asked, leaning in towards us.

I thought for a moment, and then Harry and I looked at each other. We were both thinking the same thing. "The Sorcerer's Stone," we whispered simultaneously. Just then, we heard Fang bark.

"Harry! Cassia!" Hermione exclaimed, stopping just behind Fang.

Hagrid came in as well. "Hello there, Firenze. See you've met our young Mr. and Miss Potter," he said.

"Harry Potter, Cassia Potter, this is where I leave you. You are safe now. Good luck," Firenze said, before leaving.

<><><><><>

Nearly half an hour later, we were back in the castle. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and I all sat down in the Gryffindor common room. Harry and I had just told Hermione about our encounter with the man who had murdered our parents.

"You mean You-Know-Who's out there right now, in the forest?" Hermione asked, clearly in shock.

"I know. I didn't believe it either, at first," I replied.

"But he's weak," Harry cut in, "He's living off unicorns. Don't you see? I 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 shook his head. "...he'll come back."

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

"I think if he'd had the chance, he might've tried to kill us tonight," Harry responded.

I nodded in agreement. "If Firenze hadn't stepped in when he did..."

Ron gulped. "And to think, I've been worrying about my Potions final," he said.

Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.
"Hang on a moment. We're forgetting one thing. Who's the one wizard Voldemort always feared?" she asked us. We were silent. "Dumbledore," she answered, "As long as Dumbledore's around, guys, you're safe. As long as Dumbledore's around, you can't be touched."

That made both Harry and I feel a bit better, knowing we were protected.

<><><><><>

The next week was torture. Every day, we had final exams. Mine went okay, but I was so worried about the stone and You-Know-Who coming back, that I couldn't concentrate in Potions or Defense Against the Dark Arts. Plus my scar burned like crazy.

"I've always heard Hogwarts end-of-the-year exams were frightful, but I found them rather enjoyable," Hermione remarked. All 4 of us were walking around the outside of the school, since exams were over.

"Alright, Harry? Cassia?" Ron asked.

"My scar...it keeps burning," Harry muttered, wincing slightly.

"Mine is, too," I mumbled, inhaling sharply at the pain.

"It's happened before," Hermione noted.

"Yeah, but not like this," I countered, wincing.

"Perhaps you should see the nurse," Ron suggested.

"I think it's a warning...means danger's coming," Harry replied, grimacing. We suddenly heard somebody playing a flute in the distance. Harry and I looked over to Hagrid's hut and saw him playing a flute.

"Oh...of course," Harry muttered, walking away. We hurried to catch up to him.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"Don't you think its a bit odd, that what Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon, and a stranger shows up and just happens to have one? I mean, how many people wander around with dragon eggs in their pocket? Why didn't I see it before?" Harry questioned. He ran to Hagrid's hut, us following closely behind him. Hagrid put his flute down as soon as he saw us.

"Hagrid, who gave you the dragon egg? What did he look like?" I asked.

Hagrid put down his flute. "I dunno," he answered, "I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

"This stranger, though, you and he must've talked," Harry pressed.

"Well, he wanted to know what kind o' creatures I looked after. I told him, I said 'After Fluffy, a dragon's gotta be no problem'," Hagrid replied.

"Did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked. It was kind of a rhetorical question.

"Well, of course he was interested in Fluffy. How often do ya come across a three-headed dog, even if you're in the trade? But I told him, I said, I said 'The trick with any beast is to know how to calm him.' Take Fluffy, for example; just play him a bit o' music and he falls straight to sleep," Hagrid explained. We all exchanged worried looks with each other. "I shouldn't have told you that," he muttered.

We ran back into the castle as fast as our legs would carry us, leaving Hagrid back at his hut. Those two minutes of running felt like hours before we reached McGonagall's classroom. Other than her, the only other person in the room was a ghost, but the ghost took no notice of us. We ran up to McGonagall's desk. She looked up as soon as she saw us.

"We have to see Professor Dumbledore. Immediately," Harry panted.

"I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore is not here. He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and left immediately for London," McGonagall explained, calmly. How can she be calm at a time like this?

"He's gone? Now? But this is important! This is about the Sorcerer's Stone!" Harry begged.

"How do you know-" McGonagall began to ask.

"Someone's going to try and steal it!" I cut her off.

"I don't know how you four know about the stone, but I assure you, it is perfectly well protected,"  Now, would you go back to your dormitories? Quietly." We left her classroom, stopping just outside her door.

"That was no stranger Hagrid met that night. It was Snape, which means he knows how to get past Fluffy," Harry told us.

"And with Dumbledore gone-" Hermione started to say.

"Good afternoon," a voice behind me cut us off. We turned around to see Snape staring down at us. "Now, what would four youngsters such as yourselves be doing inside, on a day like this?" he asked. All four of us were lost for words.

"U-Uh...we...we were just-" Hermione stuttered.

"Be careful," Snape warned, "People will think you're..." he looked towards Harry, "...up to something." He walked off, his robes flowing behind him.

"Now what'll we do?" Hermione asked, once Snape was out of earshot from us.

"We go down the trapdoor," Harry replied.

"Tonight," I added.