Caelen stumbled through the halls propelled forward by fat, rough hands that dug into her tiny arm. Still dizzy and vision blurry from her knock to her head she was only vaguely aware of the din from the great hall as they neared the doors on their way out. She wondered momentarily if anyone would, or even could, help if she made a break for the teachers table. Minnie could, she was sure, her days spent with Minerva McGonagal had idolized the transfiguration professor to such a degree in the child's mind that she was convinced there was nothing the old witch couldn't accomplish. She wondered why Harry hadn't thought to go to her, surely he knew how brilliant she was?

The warm June breeze brushed through her brown hair as she was dragged down the front steps of the old castle and across the yard. Caelen took in the sight of the sun sinking behind the trees of the forbidden forest and a feeling of dread began to settle into her belly. Or perhaps that was nausea from the concussion, she wasn't sure. Either way Caelen was certain no good would come of tonight. She wondered if she'd doomed them all by coming. In following after her brother had she caused this?

The girl shivered as they crossed the boundary into the forest. She wasn't scared of the forest, not after her night spent here with her father the year before. The further they walked from the school the more the feeling of dread  grew until Caelen found herself shaking  like a frightened puppy. The comparison nearly made her laugh considering that wasn't far from what she was.

Quite suddenly Caelen found herself being propelled towards the ground, the large hand that had been constantly prodding and dragging her along flailing about as its owner fell to the ground. Harry quickly scooped Caelen up, looking her over worriedly as the large toad-like professor struggled to stand. "You alright Cae?" Harry whispered attempted to catch her eyes which were hazy and unfocused. "Caelen?"

"Um fin Hawwy," the girl slurred her head lolling forward into his chest.

"Give me the halfbreed, Mr. Potter." The witch simpered, reaching towards the girl once more.

Harry growled in his throat, lack of a wand and the child in his arms the only things keeping him from pouncing on the horrid woman. "I don't think so, you want the weapon I carry Caelen."

"You're not really in a bargaining position Mr. Potter," she taunted in a high girly voice waving her wand like a pendulum with every word.

Harry's jaw clenched defiantly as he adjusted his hold on his godsister. "Perhaps not, but I'm not taking another step unless I'm carrying Caelen."

Umbridge's expression twitched, her eyes flashing in irritation. "Oh very well keep the little beast, now let's go!"

They had only gone a little further when an arrow flew passed landing with a menacing thud in a tree above Hermione's head. The air was filled with the sound of hooves. Harry felt the  forest floor trembling beneath his feet; Umbridge gave a little scream and pushed Harry in front of her like a shield. The boy gripped his godsister closer protectively, pulling away from the mad witch.

Caelen burrowed closer to Harry as she took in the centaurs surrounding them, their bows raised and loaded, pointing at the small magical group. Caelen couldn't tell how many there were for certain, her vision still blurred as it was, but she was afraid nonetheless.

"Who are you?" A voice called from amongst the centaurs. 

Umbridge simply whimpered, her wand pointing shakily at the approaching centaur.

"I asked who you are human?" The chestnut colored centaur said roughly.

"I am Dolores Umbridge!" Said Umbridge in a high-pitched, terrified voice. "Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts!"

"You are from the Ministry of Magic?" Questioned the centaur, as many of the others in the surrounding circle shifted restlessly.

"That's right!" Said Umbridge in an even higher voice. "So be very careful! By the laws laid down by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, any attack by half-breeds such as yourselves on a human-"

"What did you call us?" Shouted a wild-looking black centaur, whom Harry recognized as Bane. There was a great deal of angry muttering and tightening of bowstrings around them.

"Don't call them that!" Hermione said furiously, but Umbridge did not appear to have heard her.

Umbridge continued to insult the centaurs in her same close minded, bigoted, manner. Caelen looked tiredly up at Harry. "Hawwy," she whispered so as not to drag attention to herself, "I don' feel well."

Harry's attention shifted from the surrounding centaurs to the girl in his arms. She appeared rather green, as they say, to Harry and, were it someone who mattered less to him, he might have sat her down, worried she'd vomit on him. Harry kissed the girl's forehead reassuringly, "it's gonna be alright Cae I got you, just hold on okay?" He whispered gently.

A cry of rage from, who appeared to be, the centaur in charge alerted Harry to a change in circumstances. He focused just in time to pull Hermione to the ground with him, placing himself protectively over Caelen as he did so.

The young Lupin whimpered in terror as hooves thundered around them, centaurs leaping over them as they charged Umbridge. Harry continually whispered in her ear, "it's okay, it's okay, I've got you, we're okay," until Umbridge's shrieks faded as she was carried away by the angry black centaur, Bane.

Rough hands grabbed Harry wrenching him up and away from the girls, who were also lifted abruptly. Caelen hung limply high above the ground, a grey centaur holding her carelessly before him.

"Let her go!" Harry shouted fighting desperately against the arms holding him. "Let her go, she's a child! She's done nothing! Can't you see she hurt?"

"Silence!" The chestnut colored centaur boomed.

"They were with the woman, let's do away with them!" A voice shouted from amongst the herd.

"We do not harm younglings," the first responded reproachfully. "Why are you in our forest?"

"Please," Hermione began, "we didn't know what else to do-"

Caelen interrupted in a whisper, "Dumbloor s'gone, she wa' torturin me. Herminee lead 'er 'ere 'or me. Was the ony way."

"So they lead her here so that we might do their bidding! Be their lap dogs!" The same angry voice as before shouted earning a chorus of agreement from many members of the herd.

"No," Hermione began quickly, "no, we were desperate! We didn't know if you'd help or not we just hoped someone or something might! Please, please can't you see she's hurt?" Hermione pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks as she desperately tried to reason with the centaurs, who only appeared to be becoming angrier the more she said.

Whatever anyone had been going to say next was cut off as a crash sounded throughout the forest. All eyes turned towards the crashing sound at the edge of the clearing. Harry's centaur promptly dropped him to the forest floor as he reached for his bow and arrows, Caelen and Hermione's were soon to follow. Harry rushed to Caelen pulling her into his arms and retreating back towards Hermione. As he did so two thick tree trunks parted ominously to reveal the enormous form of Grawp the giant.

The clearing was full of bows and arrows all aimed upwards at the grayish face now looming over them just beneath the canopy of branches. Grawp's lopsided mouth was gaping stupidly. They could see his bricklike yellow teeth glimmering in the half-light, his dull sludge-colored eyes narrowed as he squinted down at the creatures at his feet. Broken ropes trailed from both ankles. "Hagger." Grawp called, opening his mouth even wider.

The humans and centaurs stared up nervously as Grawp continued to to peer amongst them as though looking for something he had dropped.

"Hagger!" He said again, more insistently. "Hagger!!"

Hermione glanced towards Harry nervously, "I think he's trying to say Hagrid, Harry." She whispered.

At this precise moment Grawp caught sight of them, the only humans in a sea of centaurs. "Hermy," he said in a deep rumbling voice.

"Goodness," Hermione gasped, gripping Harry's arm so tightly it began to go numb and looking as if she might faint, "he-he remembered!"

"HERMY," Grawp roared, "WHERE HAGGER?"

One of the giant's massive hands swooped down upon them-Hermione let out a real scream ran a few steps back and fell over. Wandless Harry braced himself, turning to shield the girl in his arms. Harry never got the chance to test his strength against the giant, however, as Grawp's hand knocked a white centaur from his feet.

It was what the centaurs had been waiting for, Grawp's outstretched fingers were no more than a foot from Harry when fifty arrows went soaring into the giant's face causing him to rear back howling in pain. His hands brushed the shafts away but only succeeded in pushing the heads deeper.

Harry wasted no time grabbing Hermione by the arm as hurrying into the trees and away from the chaos ensuing around Grawp and the centaurs.

"Oh no," Hermione panted, her knees quaking as they ran, "oh that was horrible, and he might kill all of them!"

"I'm not that fussed to be honest," Harry panted bitterly, shifting Caelen in his arms as he continued to tug Hermione forward.

Harry became more and more irritated the further they ran. All that wasted time and they were no closer, actually further, than before to rescuing Sirius. "Smart plan," he spat at Hermione, keen to release some of his fury. "Really smart plan. Where do we go from here?"

"We need to get back to the castle," replied Hermione faintly.

"By the time we've done that, Sirius'll probably be dead!" Snapped Harry earning a small squeak from Caelen. He glanced down worriedly. It was just too much. His godfather in mortal danger, being responsible for the small girl in his arms, her clearly in pain.

"Anyway we can't do anything without wands," said Hermione hopelessly, reaching in a failed attempt to pry Caelen from him, Harry simply tightened his hold and glared at her. "Anyway, Harry, how exactly were you planning to get to London?"

"Yeah, we were just wondering that," said a familiar voice from behind her.

Harry and Hermione moved instinctively closer together, peering through the trees, as Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna came into sight, all of them looking a little worse for wear, but pleased with themselves.

"So," Ron said pushing past a low hanging branch and holding out Harry's wand, "any ideas?"

"How did you get away?" Asked Harry in amazement, taking his wand from Ron.

"Couple of stunners, a disarming charm, Neville brought off a really nice little impediment jinx," said Ron airily, now handing back Hermione's wand too. "Ginny was best, she got Malfoy-batbogey hex-it was superb, his whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Anyway, we saw you headed into the forest out of the window and followed. What've you done with Umbridge?"

"She got carried away," Harry replied. "By a herd of centaurs."

"And they left you behind?" Asked Ginny, looking astonished.

"No, they got chased off by Grawp," said Harry.

"Who's Grawp?" Luna questioned curiously.

"Hagrid's little brother," Ron replied promptly. "Never mind that now. Harry, what did you find out in the fire? Has you-know-who got Sirius or-"

"Yes"
"No"
Responded Harry and Caelen together.

All eyes turned towards the young girl, who's head rested drowsily against Harry's shoulder.

"You've seen Sirius, Caelen?" Ginny asked gently, looking worriedly at the girl.

"Nah tuday," she slurred trying hard to speak past the fog engulfing her mind. "Unc sirus wulnut leave me, he pomised."

Harry dismissed her quickly, "even Caelen hasn't seen him. I'm sure Sirius is still alive, but I can't see how we're going to get there to help him."

"Don go!" Caelen murmured exhaustedly trying with all her willpower to be heard and coherent. She felt as if she were trapped, her mind screaming things and reasons as to why they should stay put but her mouth not cooperating. She let out a tiny frustrated growl and struggled to straighten up in Harry's arms. "Harr don go," she growled again annoyed at the babyish words and sounds coming from her. It was so hard to communicate when you could barely stay awake.

"So suggestions?" Harry asked, ignoring his godsister once more.

"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?" Said Luna matter of factly.

The teens began arguing over who was going and who wasn't and the logistics behind it all giving Caelen a moment of hope. Those hopes were quickly dashed, however, when Harry sat her on the forest floor and began approaching strange leathery horselike creatures.

"Miney," Caelen whispered in a pleading tone, "don, please! Top im!"

"I'm sorry Caelen, if you're wrong and Sirius is at the ministry he needs help." Hermione turned to face Harry, "obviously Caelen is in no condition to go to the ministry, I'd be against her going at any rate she's far too young. Perhaps one of us aught to stay behind and look after her? Take her to madam Pomfrey?" She eyed Luna and Neville hopefully.

Harry looked hesitant for a moment before glancing off towards Hagrid hut, "we'll leave you at Hagrid's alright Cae? You'll be safe there and we'll be back soon, Sirius needs us as soon as possible."

Tears of hopelessness and frustration filled the small girl's eyes, "please hawwy don."

But once more her please fell on deaf ears. Harry scooped her up once more, hurrying towards Hagrid's and tucking her into the bed in the back of the hut, before rushing back to the thestrals and heading for the ministry. Harry was so intent on saving Sirius he wouldn't listen to anyone.

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Oh my word guys I am so so sorry it's taken me so long! I've been working on it as often as I could I'm so sorry. Anywho here's an update for you. Ugh I hated writing Caelen speaking like that but it's how I talked when I was bleeding internally and passing out (not that that's what's happening here don't panic lol) so I figured head injury might have a similar effect. Anywho hope you like the chapter. Guess what!? My niece was born today!! She's all chubby and adorable 😍😍😍💙 anywho I will try to update again soon. My little guy will be turning two July 14th so I'm going to be busy planning and preparing his party soon so may be busy shortly. Anywho thanks for all the comments and love you guys are awesome. Later 😊🤗