Neville trusted Hagrid, he really did, but serving detention in the forbidden forest was a monumentally stupid idea. He didn't really understand Harry's aversion to someone killing a unicorn, but when he first saw it, he could understand why such an action was so disturbing. With only Potter at his side, Neville saw a cloaked figure drinking the blood of a unicorn. It was wrong on so many levels, but Neville didn't have time to focus on it, because a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his head; it was as though his scar were on fire. Half blinded, he staggered backwards, and could do nothing but yell in pain.
The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Neville - unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Neville - he couldn't move for fear. Fang, Hagrid's dog, was nowhere to be found. It probably ran away from the cloaked monster.
And while the Longbottom scion stayed unmoved from his panic and the pain from his scar. He barely saw the sickly green spell coming at him until Potter tackled him out of the way. That was a killing curse; he recognized it from the nightmares that haunted his sleep. Potter had just saved his life.
He didn't even have time to process it because of the pain, but Potter seemed to send spell after spell at the figure who weaved its way out of it without any problem. Potter even sent a bolt of lightning of all things at the figure who was able to counter somehow. Was the Slytherin holding back that much against him? Neville did not know, but he was outclassed by the unicorn slayer, nonetheless.
Finally, Potter ended up being banished away, his wand slipping from his fingers, away from any trouble. The figure slowly walked towards the boy who lived who was trembling in fear and pain with every step the monster took.
At least, that was until he saw Potter run towards them without his wand in his hand. And yet he was different somehow. His eyes were glowing like emerald flames, the magic in the air was so powerful that Neville could taste it.
Potter wasn't holding his wand, but he looked intimidating even without it. The cloaked figure froze in its steps as well. The student and the monster stared at each other for what felt like minutes, until the cloaked man moved to attack, where Potter just held out his hand and a circle of weird symbols floated in the air, glowing in white. The young Slytherin was murmuring in a language that Neville simply didn't understand, and as he spoke the circle looked more stable with every syllable to boy spoke, with some kind of black bird being in the centre of it. When the cloak was inches in front of Harry, he moved his hands and spoke with a deep voice, "BEGONE!"
A sphere of white magic simply banished the cloaked figure away and the forest seemed to be clearer in a way. It was like there was this tension present ever since they stepped foot inside that was lifted away from Potter's spell. The boy who lived looked at his supposed rival in fear and awe. For the first time since the encounter, the Slytherin turned towards the Longbottom scion who flinched at the hard gaze. Before he could do anything, he spoke in the same deep voice, "FORGET!", and everything turned black.
When Neville woke up, he was still in the forest. He was next to an unconscious Potter. Wait a minute, what had happened to them? Oh, yes, the cloaked figure that was killing the unicorns. Potter saved him from a killing curse, fought it, and lost badly. Then what happened? Where was the cloaked figure now? All he remembered was the blinding pain in his scar. Hell, he was still in pain.
It took a minute or two for the pain to subside and be able to think clearly. When he looked up, there was a centaur standing over him asking softly, "Are you alright?"
"Yes - thank you - what was that?" Neville asked.
The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Neville, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Neville's forehead.
"You are the Longbottom boy," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time - especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way."
"Yes, but my friend is hurt!"
The centaur looked at the unconscious Slytherin and murmured, "He used too much magic. He'll be alright in a few days. Make sure you hold him tight so that he doesn't get hurt. My name is Firenze, by the way."
The rest of the way was far less eventful. Firenze ended up having an argument with another centaur called Bane. Something about interfering with the stars or something. Neville was too tired to care. When they arrived at the edge of the forest, Firenze lowered, allowing the two boys to get down.
Neville asked, "Firenze, what was the thing drinking the unicorn's blood?"
"Neville Longbottom, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"
"I don't know. Potter said something about it being an abomination and being cursed."
"He's a wise boy, you friend," the centaur remarked, "it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn. 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 defenceless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."
Neville stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.
"But who'd be that desperate?" he wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?"
"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else - something that will bring you back to full strength and power - something that will mean you can never die. Mr Longbottom, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"
"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course - the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who -"
"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"
Neville shivered in fear, "No, he's dead. I killed him when I was a baby. It's impossible."
"In this world of magic and wonder, very few things are impossible, young Longbottom."
Before he could ask anything, he was accosted by Hagrid, Hermione, and Ron. After reassuring them that he was alright, he turned to thank the centaur, only to find out that it was gone. First, he needed to get Potter to an infirmary, then he needed to tell his friends about what happened after they go back to the common room. He needed to be discrete. His grandmother can never know; she would take him out of school for fear of him getting hurt.
As for Potter, perhaps Neville had misjudged him. He might have been a Slytherin, but he had saved his life. He had to acknowledge that debt after all. He needed to think about what to do later. You-Know-Who's possible return was a far more important issue than Potter, after all.
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