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"Cho Chang, scarhead?" Draco called from the Slytherin table. "Like she would slum it with you. You'd have a better chance getting a faerie princess than her."
Harry tried not to sulk as he walked away from the Ravenclaw table. Cho had been polite in her rejection. Unfortunately, he had made the wise choice to ask her just after lunch. He had thought that most of the students would be too busy to notice. Of course, Draco blasted Malfoy just happened to be close enough to hear.
"Maybe you should ask your mudblood pet!" Malfoy yelled after him.
Harry froze. He spun around and stalked back toward Malfoy. The smug sneer waivered. Malfoy schooled his expression before his toadies could see.
"I have a better chance of taking a faerie princess to the ball than you do of finding someone you don't have to pay." Harry bit out.
"How dare you!" Pansy Parkinson yelled from her constant spot just behind Draco.
Harry turned, inadvertently swirling his robes out in dramatic fashion, and strode away.
A faerie princess. Sure. What did he have to lose?
~ § ~ § ~
The only thing he found about fae in the library was they hadn't been seen in nearly a thousand years. Few verified accounts remained as most were muddled with myth. General consensus was that they were humanoid creatures of immense beauty, did not like iron, and could be nasty if wronged.
It also turned out that Pixies and Faeries were two separate species. From what he could find, scholars weren't sure if the fae actually had wings.
The library was a bust. That left Hagrid.
~ § ~ § ~
"Faeries?" Hagrid blanched. "What do you want to know about them for?"
"I'm curious." Harry shrugged.
"Sure you don't want to know about something else?" Hagrid was starting to get fidgety. "Something safer? I could tell you about basilisks, you've seen one yourself."
"How is a basilisk safer than a faerie?" Harry asked slowly.
Hagrid yanked Harry off his feet as he pulled him into his hut. The half-giant slammed the door shut and locked the bolt in place. He scanned the windows out front before shuffling around to the others. Once he finished up, he pulled a latch by the door. A series of iron shutters snapped into place, plunging the hut into darkness.
A series of bumps, thumps, and cursing trailed Hagrid before he got a fire lit.
"Don't talk so freely about the fae." Hagrid whispered or tried to. "The Forbidden Forest isn't just home to unicorns and centaurs."
"I know that." Harry deadpanned.
"In the deep parts even that Aragog and his brood avoid." Hagrid didn't stop his tale. "That's where the Fae live. Don't go near them, Harry. You're a brave and powerful wizard. It's your heart that will trap you. They'd keep you as a prize."
Hagrid slumped down into his overly large comfy chair. Harry took a seat nearby.
"So, faeries are real, and there are some in the Forbidden Forest?" Harry asked.
Hagrid nodded. He shot a furtive glance at the iron shutters.
"Have you seen them?" Harry asked.
"Once." Hagrid got up to check the shutters. "I went looking for Aragog after I had to set him loose. Went too deep. Barely escaped with my life."
"Do you remember where they were?" Harry asked. "I don't want to get too close."
Hagrid hurried over to a cabinet; he rummaged through it until he pulled out a map. He stretched it out on the table.
"Over the years I've mapped the forest." Hagrid waved him over. "Bit hard. It changes as it goes. You have to navigate by landmarks. The ground and the trees can move, but these don't."
A rough outline of the forest sprawled on the parchment on the table. It was surprisingly well done. The lines were crisp, and the notations were written in an elegant stroke. A few places were marked with intricately drawn pieces rather than a name.
"You did this?" Harry asked.
"It's the rough draft." Hagrid blushed. "Excuse the mess."
"Mess?" Harry scoffed. "Hagrid, this is gorgeous."
"Oh, you don't have to say that." Hagrid shuffled his feet.
"I'm serious, Hagrid." Harry admired the map. "This is a work of art. If you get tired of teaching, you could live like a king selling things like these."
"I'm going to make some tea." Hagrid fled to his small kitchen.
Hagrid had marked the centaur territory, their migration routes, and where they slept. Obviously, there was the acromantula territory as well. The only thing that was missing was a mark for the unicorns. A few unexpected points of interest caught his eye. There was something labeled as 'castle ruins' In the space between the lower edge of the centaur territory and the border of the forest.
Harry was going to have to check that out sometime.
The spot where Hagrid had seen the fae was labeled in big, blocky letters. Luckily, it was far from Aragog and the other spiders. Harry was in no rush to ever see those things again. It was a shame too. He liked spiders, when he was stuck in the cupboard, he had made a few as his pets.
Harry looked for the most notable landmarks. There was a raised stone alter labeled 'Deep Magic' with a lions paw next to it, whatever that meant. Beyond that was a small patch of mushrooms surrounding a gnome that was colored blue for some reason. The final marker before the faeries was a gnarled stump labeled 'bog king'.
"You said that the forest changes." Harry spoke up. "How do you navigate it then? Or the centaurs for that matter. Ron and I found Aragog that one time too."
"The magic in the forest grows wild the deeper you go." Hagrid explained. "The centaur herd and Aragog don't delve too deep. You'll get turned around, the stars don't make sense, and even your own footprints will betray you." Hagrid shuddered. "Lock a destination in mind, close your eyes, and walk with intent. If it's in the forest, you will find yourself there. Start with nine steps. If you aren't where you want to be, try again, this time with eleven steps, no more, no less. Don't open your eyes until you've come to a complete stop."
"Wow." Harry blew out a breath. "That's intense."
Hagrid nodded. He tipped a bit of something from a dark brown bottle into his cup of tea. Harry was tempted to ask for some himself.
"How do you know if you've gone too deep?" Harry asked. "The edge of the forest is dangerous, but not that much."
"There ain't no marker." Hagrid sighed. "You just can just feel it. It's almost like the trees can speak. Swear I saw one walking."
"Thanks, Hagrid." Harry took a sip of the tea and instantly regretted it.
~ § ~ § ~
Harry stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He was pretty sure that flying over it wouldn't get him where he wanted. There was no way he would be able to hit the landmarks that he needed. He picked a spot that was a good distance from Hagrid's hut and nowhere near the spider colony. There was the small chance he would encounter a centaur, but it was a calculated risk.
A quick adjustment to his cloak made sure he was completely invisible. He had learned a couple of helpful spells sneaking into the Restricted Section as well. A few sharp twists of his wand silenced his feet and masked his smell.
Harry started walking into the forest. He kept his wand in a relaxed grip as he delved deeper. It was odd seeing the forest around him change. The gnarled roots that made the ground rise and fall like frozen waves gave way to gentle rolling slopes. Even though it was still midday the thick branches overhead blocked out the majority of the light. True to what Hagrid said, the forest felt different. The air itself had a low hum of power to it.
He closed his eyes, focused on The Bog King as it was the closest landmark. The air grew thicker with each step. He could feel it rush by almost as fast as when he was on his broom. After the fourth step he started to hear the sound of something approaching. Logically, he knew that nothing could see him under the invisibility cloak and with the extra measures he had taken. Still, whatever it was sounded large, angry, and heading right for him.
Harry forced his eyes to stay shut. He counted out the rest of the steps before coming to a stop. When he opened his eyes he found himself standing in front of a mangled stump. Creatures that looked like a bipedal frogs mingled with small winged humanoid figures. Harry watched them for a moment, waiting to see if they noticed him.
When they didn't react, he carefully stepped around the stump. Slowly, he made sure he didn't hurt anyone. He kept his movement small, taking his time. Once he was on the other side of the stump the crowd of little beings thinned out. He kept his eyes on the ground while he walked until he was certain he had reached a safe distance.
Harry straightened up and began to walk normally once again. After a minute, he felt the air noticeably lighten. The forest around him opened up into a broad clearing. In the center was a pavilion made from tall, shimmering white trees. They weren't like any of the trees he had seen in his entire life.
A group of figures mingled about, dancing to unheard music. He recognized the shape of a centaur among them. Using that as a benchmark he could see that the people around it was easily the same height. They didn't look like half-giants, instead it was like they had been stretched out. The figures had to be the fae.
Harry carefully made his way closer. They figures were dancing, that was clear now. There were a few other beings that he recognized as well. Among them were a couple of people that looked to be dressed in tattered clothing as well as a small group of giant spiders.
The tall figures stopped dancing as he neared. However, the centaur, people, and spiders kept on. Harry froze as the fae began to scan the area. He could feel their eyes trail across him. They split into small groups, moving gracefully through the clearing in search of whatever had disturbed their dance.
Harry kept his breathing slow and steady as one of the fae neared. It looked like an elf from a fantasy movie, except it had been stretched taller. The ears were long and pointy, as was the rest of their body. He didn't allow himself to relax as the group nearby passed.
This had not gone the way he had expected. He wracked his brain for an idea, some way to defuse the situation. Suddenly appearing didn't sound like a good plan. Carefully, he pointed his wand to his throat.
"Sorry to disturb you." Harry spoke slow and clear. The spell made his voice sound as though it was coming from all around them. "I did not mean to upset your dance."
The various groups of fae moved back to the pavilion as a blinding speed. He watched as their forms shifted to appear human with ethereal beauty and with pointy ears.
"Show yourself to face our judgement." One of the fae called.
Harry took a deep breath. He shifted his cloak off and tucked it into his pocket. One of the fae stepped away from the group. She was gorgeous, making Fleur look plain. Her steps moved to music that Harry couldn't hear. She came to a stop before him. Harry watched her sway, waiting for her to speak. The fae titled her head to the side, studying him.
"Why are you here?" She asked, her voice had a musical lilt.
"I wanted to ask one of you to a dance." Harry trying not to blush.
"You can dance with us." She offered her hand.
"Thank you." Harry replied. "There is a Ball at my school, and I need a date."
"Ah." The fae let out a musical giggle. "Then I will gladly be your date."
The fae led him back into the forest.
~ § ~ § ~
Two weeks later, Harry stumbled out of the Forbidden Forest. His clothes had been replaced with delicately woven twigs. He was incredibly hungry and dehydrated. When asked where he had been he simply said.
"I'd rather talk about basilisks."