They were getting deeper and deeper into the forest and it was getting darker and darker, and the path smaller and smaller.
Malfoy was walking about five paces ahead of Hermione and Lucifer, but then he stopped immediately.
Lucifer saw the reason, and pulled Hermione fully behind him, with her looking over his shoulder.
The unicorn was lying dead at the end of the path, a pool of silvery blood still oozing out of the body.
It was killed recently.
Lucifer took a step towards the tragic sight and stopped, once again making Hermione to crash into him.
Out of the shadows, a hooded figure slithered over the long grass and bushes.
It stooped low over the unicorn and drove its long fangs into this poor creature's back.
Malfoy screamed like a little girl and bolted with Fang barking at his heels, leaving Lucifer and Hermione to the creature.
It looked up at them and glided over the body towards them. Its face was shadowed by a large, black hood that dropped low over its eyes, or where its eyes should've been.
Hermione looked terrified, seeing this monstrous figure, and grabbed Lucifer's hand, even more tightly than before.
Only, when the cloaked figure could move towards any further, Hermione was forced to cover her ears, and scream out loud, on hearing such a high pitched voice, that was nothing more than a whisper, if she just focused on the boy, standing beside him, muttering very intelligible words.
The dark cloak figure standing in front of them was more terrifying, that Hermione couldn't see Lucifer's lips moving at all, but in reality, he was only using the Enochian language, to cast a dark spell, at this monster.
Enochian is used by all angels.
Angel's memory and directives are hardwired into their brain through Enochian.
However, it also has been used by a few other creatures as well.
Lilith, the first demon, was the only being in hell, who could speak in Enochian.
But, Lucifer actually taught, both of high-tier demons — Alastair and Crowley — the ability to use Enochian sigils as well.
This language is akin to a high-frequency noise that could shatter glass, destroy human auditory senses, or, in extreme cases and prolonged exposure, kill humans.
That's why, Lucifer couldn't let Hermione to be exposed against Enochian for much longer, and did his best to complete the spell in a matter of seconds, only to both Hermione, and Quirrelmort, it seemed like hours, screeching in utter agony.
Just moments later, when Lucifer raised his one hand, towards the direction of this cloaked figure, there was a huge roar in the sky, which just moments ago, didn't even have a single intention of bursting, is now crying, and directly threw a lightning strike, mixed with black-white colours, at the place, where Quirrelmort was yelling horribly, in so much pain, that he even regretted to come out here tonight.
Lucifer ignored Hermione's dumbfounded expression, and continued yellings, there were other important things to focus on, than making this girl with such a high emotional turmoil to calm down, he directly took a step towards the cloaked figure.
When Lucifer was about Ten Feet away, it suddenly backed off for a bit.
There was a Centaur, who came charging forth, after hearing such a loud commotion in the forest, that even rumbled their whole ground, and drove that injured Quirrelmort away, "Pathetic."
It made, the Centaur move towards Lucifer, noticing that the glow on his palm had gone, "You, boy, you're the one we heard about."
"What was that thing?!" Only, it was Hermione, who asked a question instead, after regaining her composure. She was really breathing heavily, and both of her ears were ringing, which only caused her to talk even louder than before.
She even had to strain her neck, for looking up at this Centaur.
"The one with the Red Eyes, you don't belong here," it said to him.
Hermione was really confused, "Lucifer doesn't belong here, what kind of nonsense is this?!" her focus was more on this area, rather than the lightning strike, which had just occurred, from nowhere.
"If you have not been told, then I cannot say," it said, which only frustrated Hermione, "I can, however, tell you my name. I am Firenze. That creature, do you know what it was?"
"No, I don't know what it was? Can you please answer my question instead?!"
When Lucifer realised, this conversation is not going anywhere, he finally decided to break his oath of silence, "I have an idea..." he looked Firenze dead in the eye, the only thing he felt that could give off that feeling was someone, who was supposed to be dead, "that was Voldemort, wasn't it? He didn't die like so many believe?"
Firenze did not answer that question, "Do you know what Unicorn Blood does?" Firenze asked him, and even though a 1st year, shouldn't know about Unicorns, Lucifer had already seen them countless times, "Their Blood can save anyone from the brink of death, no matter how far into the door they are....But it also comes at a great price...."
"Indeed, For slaying such a pure and innocent creature, the one who kills it will just live a half-life. Only a man with nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would slay such a creature."
"That's why he did it," Lucifer already understood, at least a little bit, "Voldemort is after the Philosopher's Stone... not Snape... well he is, but not for himself..."
But, it was Firenze, who interrupted his muttering, "Can you both ride? It will be much faster. You should get back to Hagrid immediately." Lucifer nodded his head.
Then, Firenze lowered himself down for them to get on his back, "But, but..."
"Hermione, it's not the right time to argue...." Lucifer said, while getting down on one knee and allowed her to stand on the other one, so that she could jump onto Firenze's back, then pulled himself up.
As they rode, he heard the galloping of more footsteps and they were flanked by two other Centaur, "Firenze!" One of them thundered angrily, "What are you doing? You have two humans on your back! Have you no shame? Have you turned into a common mule?"
"Do you know who this is, Bane?" Firenze asked him, but Bane did not answer, "The faster he leaves the forest, the better."
"What have you been telling him?" Bane growled, "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"
The other Centaur pawed the ground nervously, "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in a gloomy voice.
Bane kicked his legs back in anger, "For the best!? What is that to do with us, Ronan!? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our Forest! Besides, this boy has been known as the Harbinger, have you already forgotten?"
Firenze suddenly reared his hind legs in anger, "Do you NOT see that Unicorn back there?" Firenze bellowed at Bane, disregarding his last question, "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I have set myself against what is lurking in this Forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must!"
Before Firenze walked away, Bane began shouting, "He is the Harbinger of Destruction, Firenze! You shoul-!" His words faded into nothing as Firenze galloped.
"Firenze, right?... What did he mean? Lucifer is the Harbinger of Destruction?" Hermione asked very politely, after he slowed down to a trot, her eyes darting between both Lucifer and him, with slightly nervous eyes.
"Never mind Bane. He was shouting nonsense from his rising temper and was shouting anything to get me to let you both walk alone, hoping you would die" Firenze explained.
"Indeed, it's just like Firenze said....Never mind Bane" Lucifer didn't even hesitate to agree, with him, because he really didn't know, what Hermione, will do, if she finds out the truth.
To be honest, Lucifer's getting attached to this girl, and doesn't want to scare her away.
But, Hermione felt like she was just lied to.
After a while longer of riding, they finally came across Hagrid, Malfoy, Harry, Neville, and Fang, "Ah, Firenze, good ter see yeh," Hagrid greeted the Centaur.
"Hello, Hagrid, I come bearing two wayward souls," he got down so, both of these children, would be able to get off his back.
"Thank you," Lucifer said before looking at Hagrid, "The Unicorn is dead, Hagrid, I'm sorry... it's back in that clearing..."
"S'alright," he said, sighing.
"This is where I leave you, both. The planets and stars have been read wrong before now, even by Centaurs. I hope that this is one of those times," Firenze said and cantered off.
But, Hermione felt a chill run down her spine, when this horse also glanced in her direction, as they all sauntered back up to the Castle.
They returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, where Ron was asleep on one of the couches, waiting for them to return.
He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake.
In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as, Harry asked both Lucifer and Hermione, to tell him, what had happened in the forest.
Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire, and started to tremble.
"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort... and Voldemort's waiting in the forest... and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich..."
"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.
Lucifer, who was already feeling quite tired, didn't listen to their muttering, and just fell asleep on the couch.
"It was Lucifer, who saved me, Oh, he is asleep already. Firenze, then carried us back ... Bane was furious, though... he was talking about interfering with, what the planets say is going to happen... They must know that Voldemort is coming back... I suppose that's written in the stars."
"Will you stop saying the name?!" Ron hissed, for the umpteenth time.
"So, we just have to wait for Snape to steal the Stone," Harry continued, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish us off... Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."
Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.
"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-know-Who was ever afraid of with Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right, It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic," Hermione tried to reassure him, already forgotten what stupid things, Bane, and Firenze were yelling about.
Even after, Lucifer tried his best to tune these children's voices out, by using a pillow, it was still too loud.
That's why, he turned to walk towards his dorm, but felt arms wrap around him, "Thank you Daddy, for saving me, again," Lucifer stiffened in her embrace.
It wasn't the first time that Hermione had embraced him, but every time she did, including the Platform 3/4 quarters, he felt the same as he did back then, just uncomfortable.
Lucifer wasn't used to this kind of contact, but he didn't have the heart to tell Hermione that.
So, he tapped her arms, letting her know to let go, and she thankfully did.
Hermione, then bid him good night and he went to bed, trying not to think about, Centaurs muttering about him, being The Harbinger of Destruction.
Before he did, Harry spoke to him, "Lucifer? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just had a run in with your big bad... Voldemort..."
"That might explain... when was that?" He asked.
"About twenty to thirty minutes ago, why?"
"That's when my scar started to ache with pain. Like there was a surge of power being released and I was feeling the pain from it..." Harry informed him, like he was still being hurt.
"Well, I did feel a powerful Dark Magic coming from the thing, that attacked us before a Centaur named Firenze interrupted my assault, so there is nothing else it could be," Lucifer agreed with Harry, that the two had to be connected, since Harry has the scar as a result of Voldemort.
"Alright, well, I'll talk to you in the morning," Harry said, going back to bed.
"Yeah, Good night, Potter" Lucifer also greeted him back, and rolled to his left side, falling asleep not long after.
1 Extra Chapter - 200 Power Stone's!
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