The Forbidden Forest
When Filch hauls Hermione and Harry up before Professor McGonagall, their House Head, she already has Neville standing before her for wandering the halls so late. Neville insists he was only on his way to warn Harry, which leads Professor McGonagall to conclude that Harry and Hermione fabricated the Dragon story specifically to lure Draco into the halls after hours, solely to get him detention. She assigns detention for all three students, and penalizes each one fifty House points. (Malfoy has already been penalized twenty points and given detention.) In one night, Harry's actions have helped bump Gryffindor to the bottom in House points. He resolves to only concentrate on schoolwork, and avoid doing anything that could cost Gryffindor more House points.
About a week before exams, Filch escorts Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Draco to Hagrid's hut for their dentention. Hagrid says that something in the Forbidden Forest has been killing Unicorns. They will separate into two parties, and follow a wounded Unicorn's blood trail, and, if necessary, euthanize the creature when they find it. Hagrid, Harry, and Hermione form one party, and Draco and Neville, with Fang (Hagrid's boarhound), are the other. They separate. Hagrid hears a strange, slithery sound, but is unable to identify what caused it. Hagrid's party meets Ronan, a Centaur. Ronan makes a few remarks about astronomy, and the party is then joined by Bane, another Centaur, who also comments on astronomy. Hagrid leaves the Centaurs, then Hermione sees red wand sparks; Hagrid runs off to investigate, leaving Harry and Hermione alone on the path.Draco, it seems, had deliberately frightened Neville, and, panicked, Neville ignited the sparks. Hagrid, figuring Harry is harder to scare, re-groups Harry with Draco and Fang, taking Hermione and Neville. After about an hour, Harry and Draco find the Unicorn, dead. The slithery noise is heard again, and a hooded figure appears and starts drinking the Unicorn's blood. Malfoy and Fang run off, while the hooded figure advances on Harry, whose scar is now searing with pain.
A Centaur, Firenze, appears and chases the hooded figure away. He warns Harry that the forest is dangerous, and offers him a ride back to Hagrid. Two other Centaurs, Ronan and Bane, gallop alongside, angry that Firenze allows a human to ride him "as if he were a common mule", and also for interfering with the heavens' portents. Firenze responds that he will fight the evil, even alongside humans if he must, then gallops off with Harry.
As they head back to Hagrid, Firenze explains that Unicorn blood will keep a person alive, "even if you are only an inch from death", but it will be a cursed half-life, causing Harry to wonder why that would be better than death. Firenze says the hooded figure may be waiting for something stronger that will restore him to full life. Harry realizes this must be the Elixir of Life, a product of the Philosopher's Stone, and concludes that the hooded creature is Voldemort, who is probably only partially alive, as Hagrid speculated back in July. They reach Hagrid, who lets the students return to the castle. Harry tells Ron and Hermione what has been happening overnight, and they suspect that Voldemort is now just waiting for Professor Snape to get the Stone, and then will reappear to kill Harry.
There is one final surprise: as Harry reaches his bed near dawn, he finds his Invisibility Cloak, neatly folded on it, with a note reading: "Just in case."
Another interesting point is Harry's Invisibility Cloak being returned to him, apparently by the same person who gave it to him at Christmas. Recall that Harry and Hermione left the Cloak atop the Astronomy Tower. The Tower is used fairly frequently, as Astronomy students do their practical work there; it is reasonable to assume that a class is there on most clear nights. Wizards being subject to the same foibles as any other human, it seems unlikely that a student finding the Cloak would have returned it to Harry. More likely a teacher who is either frequently on the Astronomy Tower during daylight, or else is singularly aware of recent events occurring in the school, found and returned the Cloak to Harry. This person must be an adult, as a student would have been unable to obtain the Cloak from Harry's father originally. We can, however, rule out that it was Professor McGonagall. The handwriting on the message that came with the Cloak does not match McGonagall's handwriting on her note that accompanied his broom in September. It is true that the handwriting on the note that is on Harry's cloak in this chapter is never described, it is likely that it is the same as on the original note, as if it were different, Harry would likely have noticed and commented, at least in his own mind, on the difference. While we are beginning to suspect that the "oddly spiky" handwriting might be Professor Dumbledore's, Harry believes he is too insignificant to merit such attention from the school's Headmaster, and so dismisses the possibility.
About a week before exams, Filch escorts Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Draco to Hagrid's hut for their dentention. Hagrid says that something in the Forbidden Forest has been killing Unicorns. They will separate into two parties, and follow a wounded Unicorn's blood trail, and, if necessary, euthanize the creature when they find it. Hagrid, Harry, and Hermione form one party, and Draco and Neville, with Fang (Hagrid's boarhound), are the other. They separate. Hagrid hears a strange, slithery sound, but is unable to identify what caused it. Hagrid's party meets Ronan, a Centaur. Ronan makes a few remarks about astronomy, and the party is then joined by Bane, another Centaur, who also comments on astronomy. Hagrid leaves the Centaurs, then Hermione sees red wand sparks; Hagrid runs off to investigate, leaving Harry and Hermione alone on the path.Draco, it seems, had deliberately frightened Neville, and, panicked, Neville ignited the sparks. Hagrid, figuring Harry is harder to scare, re-groups Harry with Draco and Fang, taking Hermione and Neville. After about an hour, Harry and Draco find the Unicorn, dead. The slithery noise is heard again, and a hooded figure appears and starts drinking the Unicorn's blood. Malfoy and Fang run off, while the hooded figure advances on Harry, whose scar is now searing with pain.
A Centaur, Firenze, appears and chases the hooded figure away. He warns Harry that the forest is dangerous, and offers him a ride back to Hagrid. Two other Centaurs, Ronan and Bane, gallop alongside, angry that Firenze allows a human to ride him "as if he were a common mule", and also for interfering with the heavens' portents. Firenze responds that he will fight the evil, even alongside humans if he must, then gallops off with Harry.
As they head back to Hagrid, Firenze explains that Unicorn blood will keep a person alive, "even if you are only an inch from death", but it will be a cursed half-life, causing Harry to wonder why that would be better than death. Firenze says the hooded figure may be waiting for something stronger that will restore him to full life. Harry realizes this must be the Elixir of Life, a product of the Philosopher's Stone, and concludes that the hooded creature is Voldemort, who is probably only partially alive, as Hagrid speculated back in July. They reach Hagrid, who lets the students return to the castle. Harry tells Ron and Hermione what has been happening overnight, and they suspect that Voldemort is now just waiting for Professor Snape to get the Stone, and then will reappear to kill Harry.
There is one final surprise: as Harry reaches his bed near dawn, he finds his Invisibility Cloak, neatly folded on it, with a note reading: "Just in case."
Another interesting point is Harry's Invisibility Cloak being returned to him, apparently by the same person who gave it to him at Christmas. Recall that Harry and Hermione left the Cloak atop the Astronomy Tower. The Tower is used fairly frequently, as Astronomy students do their practical work there; it is reasonable to assume that a class is there on most clear nights. Wizards being subject to the same foibles as any other human, it seems unlikely that a student finding the Cloak would have returned it to Harry. More likely a teacher who is either frequently on the Astronomy Tower during daylight, or else is singularly aware of recent events occurring in the school, found and returned the Cloak to Harry. This person must be an adult, as a student would have been unable to obtain the Cloak from Harry's father originally. We can, however, rule out that it was Professor McGonagall. The handwriting on the message that came with the Cloak does not match McGonagall's handwriting on her note that accompanied his broom in September. It is true that the handwriting on the note that is on Harry's cloak in this chapter is never described, it is likely that it is the same as on the original note, as if it were different, Harry would likely have noticed and commented, at least in his own mind, on the difference. While we are beginning to suspect that the "oddly spiky" handwriting might be Professor Dumbledore's, Harry believes he is too insignificant to merit such attention from the school's Headmaster, and so dismisses the possibility.
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