73 A Gift Never Given

(Harry POV)

'That thing that we followed… I don't know what it was, but it made my head feel like it was being cracked open just by looking at us.' I look at Misha sobbing into the unicorn and swallow. 'And it wasn't even focusing on me.'

I hesitantly reach out to my sister, even if we have been at odds it hurts to see her like this. But a voice stops me. "That would be unwise."

I turn and see the… person? Though their upper half looks human, everything below their waist has been replaced with the body of a horse. With my head being wracked with pain, I couldn't exactly see what happened, but I'm guessing they helped the unicorn to drive away that creature. But more importantly-

"What do you mean? My sister clearly needs help!" I can't help but get frustrated, even as a voice in the back of my mind asks if I even deserve to be the one to comfort her. But I do what Misha taught me to do when I start hearing things like that, imagine a box around it and shove it to the side.

But the… person shakes their head and points at her. Returning my gaze to Misha, I see that her body isn't shaking anymore, and her sobs have quieted. She hasn't moved, but she's clearly doing much better than she was just a minute ago. I feel a slight pang at the realization, at how this is one of the very few times that she's needed support and I didn't give it to her. Even if I was stopped by the horse-man.

Somebody telling me not to wouldn't have stopped me from enveloping her in a hug before, and I'm hit with the sudden realization that our relationship may have degraded much more than I thought. I definitely don't hate her, I could never hate her. But… we've lost the twin bond we've had our whole lives. And I can't deny that I'm a big part of the reason why.

She's not blameless, either though, and I have my reasons! They are valid, and perfectly reasonable. But looking at her now… they just seem so stupid.

"It is rare for a unicorn to allow another to touch them. Even rarer for them to use their own magic to aid one not of their species. Your sister must be quite special."

I nod my head, " She is." Not knowing what else to say, I ask him what that thing was. Not only did it take a full explosion from Misha unharmed, but it was also able to incapacitate us with just a look. It makes me worried about what it was. And what it was doing.

But he's silent, just watching Misha and the unicorn. Then his eyes widen and he inhales sharply. I turn so fast that it feels like something pops in my neck. And I see Misha… gnawing on the unicorn's fur? I can't help the small chuckle at the sight, wishing for a camera given how cute the sight is.

Though I do get concerned when I notice that she's actually passed out. Seeming to come to the same realization, the unicorn nudges her with its head until she's laying on it. Then it stands slowly, careful that she doesn't fall. It starts walking and the horse-man is quick to follow, meaning that I need to do so as well to avoid being left alone with that thing wandering around. I would have done so anyways of course, I'm not leaving Misha alone in here with a horse-man and a unicorn. Even if they do seem nice.

As we walk, the horse-man finally talks to me. "Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" I shake my head, telling him that I've only ever used the horn and tail in potions, so he continues. "That is because slaying a unicorn is a monstrous thing. Its blood will keep you alive, but at a terrible cost. For slaying something pure to save yourself, you will be cursed and only live a half-life from the moment the blood touches your lips."

I gulp, looking at Misha sleeping on the unicorn. At her lips that have traces of the unicorn's blood on them. Though really, her whole face has it smeared across it, along with parts of her hair, but my mind latches onto when she gnawed on its fur.

"Wh-what a-about if someone doesn't kill it, and they accidently get some of its blood?"

He turns to look at me, and the look on his face tells me he knows what I'm worried about. "Do not fear, Harry Potter. Your sister will not be cursed." He turns back, his eyes resting on the two in front of us. "Had she drunk its blood after it was killed by another's hand, she likely would have been cursed. But that did not happen, the unicorn is alive and well. Somehow…"

He starts to whisper, so quietly that I can't hear him. But after shaking his head he resumes talking. "More importantly, the unicorn has given her a gift never given in the history of the stars. It signals a shifting in what is meant to be. Be wary, for if fate becomes unshackled, none can know what the future holds."

I swallow, his words seeming to have a deeper meaning than I can understand. Before I can ask though, crashing sounds come towards us and I tense. What new terror is approaching? And through the trees, coming from our left appears a bear…like figure.

"Hagrid!" I shout in joy, the familiar large man bringing a sense of relief, his crossbow loaded and ready.

He nods to me, taking in the sight of me walking beside a horse-man and a unicorn carrying an unconscious Misha."What happened, Harry? Firenze? What're you doin' here? What happened to Misha?"

From behind him appears Hermione and Malfoy, both looking concerned.

"What happened?" Hermione asks. "We heard an explosion and saw a flash of red."

Malfoy nods. "Yes, if Misha decided to set off an explosion there should have been more than one. But we got worried when there weren't any more."

Seeing Misha's state though, they both pale and rush forwards, only to be stopped both by the neigh of the unicorn and he now named Firenze holding out his hand. "One does not simply approach a unicorn. Oftentimes one must spend many years gaining its trust simply to allow one to follow it in order to collect any tail hair that gets disconnected, or its horn when it grows a new one. What you see before you is an exception. But rest assured, the girl will recover after getting proper rest."

He glances at her. "Though I would recommend wiping away the blood before your return." Slowly, he approaches the unicorn, and it lets him. It stays still as he gently lifts Misha from its back and watches as he carefully hands her over to Hagrid, who's just as gentle as he takes her, shifting the crossbow to his back.

After making sure she's in safe hands, the unicorn turns and leaves, heedless of the blood that's dried to its side. Hagrid calls out for it to wait, saying that he'll bind its wound, but it just keeps walking. Eventually, its white coat becomes engulfed in the darkness of the forest.

Firenze clears his throat. "I shall be returning to the herd. Given tonight's events, they are likely in a panic. So long, Hagrid. Harry Potter. Friends of Misha Potter." He turns and trots past me, stopping to whisper something that only I can hear. "Some people only need to survive long enough to drink something that will return them to their full power. Something that will ensure they will never die. Who can you think of, who could be described like this?"

Before I can reply, he leaves, leaving me in dawning horror as to who it was that we followed. Who we were attacked by.

Voldemort.