Unlike Draco, who stayed perfectly calm, and Pansy and the others, who felt reassured with him beside them, Ginny had no idea what kinds of creatures lived in the Forbidden Forest.
So the instant she saw so many Centaurs appear in front of them, she was overwhelmed by nerves and fear.
Without even noticing it herself, she edged a few steps closer to Draco.
Honestly, it was only after Professor Firenze took over the position of Divination professor that Ginny and the others began to learn anything about Centaurs.
There was wisdom in Professor Firenze's every word and action, and he carried an aloof, transcendent air that seemed detached from the ordinary world.
Like an elder watching from the sidelines...
At the thought, some of Ginny's tension eased.
They should be the same as Professor Firenze, right?
But what Ginny did not know was that among the Centaurs, Firenze was the greatest oddity of them all.
In fact, after becoming the Divination professor, he had even been branded a traitor to the Centaurs by his own kind.
Unlike the other Centaurs, who despised wizards and remained neutral toward everything beyond their own world, Firenze had chosen to help wizards and had even accepted an invitation to become a professor at Hogwarts.
That was why, with Firenze as her only point of reference, Ginny could only stare in disbelief when she saw the Centaurs opposite them raise their bows and aim in their direction.
With her face stiff, Ginny hurried to explain, "Wait! We mean no harm!"
"Wizard tadfoals?"
"We'll... Huh? Why are you holding a wand, you jerk?!"
She had been about to explain that they were no threat at all, and even mention Professor Firenze, when Ginny finally noticed that Draco already had his wand in hand. She could even feel the restless fluctuations of his magic.
Convinced this was just a misunderstanding, Ginny immediately panicked and flung herself in front of Draco, waving both hands frantically.
Part of it was because she did not think these Centaurs were enemies. More importantly, she did not believe that their tiny group could possibly stand against the fifty or so Centaurs across from them, all with arrows already drawn.
The numbers alone were enough to make cold sweat break out on Ginny's back...
Draco lifted a brow and, clearly annoyed, planted a hand on the red-haired witch who was bouncing around in front of him. After shoving her aside, he looked back toward the Centaur who was obviously the leader.
Ginny's brows flew up and her face darkened. Just as she was about to explode over Draco's rude behavior, Hermione, who had clearly seen this coming, grabbed her from the side.
"Hermione?! Didn't you see how that guy treated me..."
"Calm down, Ginny. Something's not right. Let Draco handle it for now."
"What is..."
Just as Ginny was still fuming, only now recovering from the way Draco had treated her, she heard the Centaur's warning, followed by the growing tremors and the sound of trees crashing down nearby.
"Everyone scatter. Hagrid is coming!"
Hagrid?
Before she could even figure out what Hagrid was, the sharp sound of bowstrings being drawn made Draco tighten his grip on his wand.
Bows were pulled back in unison.
That perfectly synchronized twang instantly turned the atmosphere grim and murderous.
Whatever it was, it had driven these Centaurs, who saw themselves as the masters of the Forbidden Forest, into full battle readiness.
Instead of retreating, Draco rolled his arm and stepped forward. "What happened in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Human, that is none of your concern. Leave this place at once!"
The unknown Centaur leader turned around and leveled his bow at Draco and the others in warning, as if he would attack the moment they took another step.
That threatening gesture made Pansy and Hermione's expressions change. They immediately drew their wands as well and moved up behind Draco.
When Ginny saw Hermione taking a clear stand at Draco's side, she struggled with herself for a few seconds, then finally pulled Luna along and followed.
She was not the kind of person who repaid kindness with ingratitude...
...
Although the faint cold gleam of those arrows really did make their scalps tingle, Pansy and the others were not all that worried.
Because Draco was here.
What puzzled them more was why Draco was doing this at all.
After all, Draco did not seem like the kind of wizard who would go out of his way to meddle in someone else's business...
At that moment, another gray Centaur stepped out from among the fifty or so Centaurs.
"Bane, they are still young. We do not attack foals."
"We are not that traitor Firenze!"
"But there are more important things to deal with right now."
"They came here uninvited. They must pay the price!"
The gray Centaur, whose voice carried a note of melancholy, stopped the one called Bane and solemnly reminded him of what mattered most now.
While listening to the exchange between the Centaurs, Draco was considering whether he should show them a little strength and make them face reality when he finally caught sight of the culprit behind the chaos in the Forbidden Forest.
Boom!
Trees crashed down to either side, and beneath the dense canopy, a gigantic gray head appeared.
Its owner had its crooked mouth hanging open stupidly. Even from here, they could see those yellow teeth, thick as bricks, glinting faintly in the dim light.
That enormous uninvited guest made Draco narrow his eyes as the magic in his body began to stir.
As for Pansy and the girls beside him, including Luna, who had been expressionless the whole time, all of them were now staring with their mouths open, as if they had just seen something unbelievable.
"A Giant?"
"Why... why is there a Giant here?"
"I must be dreaming, right?"
Pansy and the others' startled cries caught the Giant's attention.
The Giant squinted over with those dull, muddy eyes, then lowered its head to stare at the little "animals" by its feet...
"It's Hagrid!"
"On my command, prepare to fire!"
At the sight of the Giant, the Centaurs, who had clearly been ready for this all along, raised their bows in unison and aimed at the one they called Hagel, looking ready to attack at any moment.
But Draco noticed that there was no fear or anger on the Giant's vacant face. Instead, it wore a foolish grin.
Perhaps to this Giant, these tiny moving creatures were nothing more than interesting toys.
Even Draco and the others were, in its eyes, just a different kind of new toy.
Because as it stared at Draco's group, its mouth seemed to stretch even wider...