Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 27: The Forest Inhabitants
In the middle of a forest, Harry was sitting in front of a desk he had previously conjured.
He was holding a new pair of glasses and meticulously carving tiny runes on the sides with a very thin metal needle.
"Aren't you planning on going back?" the hat asked from its resting spot at one side of the table.
"Not now, V. I'm trying to concentrate." Harry narrowed his eyes and continued to carve runes.
"I know what you are doing…" V said.
"And what is that? I'm trying to recover some of the tools I lost during the collapse of the frozen world," Harry muttered.
"You are trying to keep yourself busy so you don't have to think about seeing your friends again. What are you so scared about?"
Harry stopped working. "I am not the same person they knew."
"No, you are not."
"I've been thinking about what I would do if I ever came back into the real world, but I never stopped to consider how they would see me now… I have reviewed my interaction with them from last night. I don't think it was as perfect as I expected."
"Human interactions aren't meant to be perfect," V pointed out.
"They probably already think that I was acting strange. And it would only get worse if I talk to them again," said Harry.
"Then why not explain to them the whole thing? The old man was somewhat understanding of your situation."
Harry shook his head. "No… that's too much. I don't want them to know everything that I went through. I don't want them to think of me like some sort of… freak."
"Oh no… you are much more than that," V commented.
This earned a glare from Harry.
"And you should be proud of it," the hat then added. "The fact that you are only half insane after what you went through should serve as proof of your supernatural perseverance."
Harry picked up his tools and began to work on his glasses again.
"And you created me. That alone is evidence of how aweso—"
"Okay, that's enough. Let me finish this, and then we can go back to the castle," Harry huffed.
"Wonderful! That is what I wanted to he—"
"Silence…" Harry gave him a side glance before switching his attention back to his work.
He continued to inscribe runes on the new pair of glasses he got from Diagon Alley for around thirty more minutes.
"Mmm… this should do it." He placed the glasses back on his head.
"You know, there are some rituals that could fix your eyesight," the hat commented.
While inside the frozen world, Harry was unable to alter his body in any significant way, but now that he was back in the real world, things were different.
"You could become more popular with the ladies."
"No need. I like my glasses," Harry responded. "And they can be very useful."
"What were those things supposed to do?" V asked.
Harry tapped on the side of the frame. "They allow me to see many things."
"Normal glasses can do that," V decided to point out.
"Not like this… oh?" Harry reacted after seeing something.
"What is it? Did you see a unicorn? There are supposed to be a few inside this forest," the hat said.
"No… centaurs," Harry responded. "Three of them, and they are coming our way."
"Urgg… I don't like those guys. Always acting high and mighty, like they own the place," the hat said with a tone of disgust.
"According to some of the books I read, they technically do own a large part of the Forbidden Forest. It was given to their tribe by the founders in exchange for acting as its guardians."
"Hmph! You wasted too much time with useless history books," the hat scoffed.
Harry made a confused expression. "I don't think wasting time was even possible back then…"
After a moment of silence, Harry spoke again. "I believe I met one when I was a child," Harry said. "Don't remember much of it. But I think he was nice to me."
Just then, they began to hear the sounds of loud footsteps tapping on the ground.
Three large centaurs carrying bows and arrows emerged from behind some trees and approached Harry.
"These don't look too nice to me," V commented.
The one that looked like the leader was walking at the front and staring at Harry while the other two moved to the sides, as if trying to surround him.
He detected no hostility coming from them, but the two at the back were obviously wary of him.
The one approaching was a bit different; he seemed to be almost happy to see him.
"Are you Harry Potter? My brother spoke much of you…"
Harry first thought that this was the same centaur he had met as a child, but after that question, it was obviously not the case.
Unfortunately, the details from his first year were mostly gone, and he could not recall this centaur's name.
"Yes, I am Harry Potter. And you are?"
"I am Asterion, brother of Firenze."
'Firenze, right... That's what he was called.' Harry thought.
The centaur glanced at the wooden table that Harry had created with curiosity, as well as the hat still resting on top. "One of our scouts informed us of a child wizard who appeared to be lost in the forest, so we came to check. I was not expecting it to be you, Harry Potter. You are well known among our tribe."
"Lost?" Harry sounded confused. He would never get lost in here. He knew this forest as well as the palm of his hand.
In fact, the spot where he was sitting right now was the same small clearing he chose for his tower.
"Are you not in need of assistance?" Asterion asked.
"No, I was just working on something." Harry pointed at the tools on the table. "This place relaxes me."
Asterion frowned. "But… students are not allowed to roam the forest. It's perilous as it also serves as a home to many dangerous beasts. You must return now, Har—"
"Asterion!" one of his companions called his name.
"What is it?"
"It's very strange… I cannot see any animal nearby. Not even the birds," the scout commented. "It's like… they are avoiding this clearing."
"No." The other scout corrected him. "I believe they are avoiding him." He pointed at Harry.
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