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Paintbrush · 06-09-2010, 10:49 PM

FIRENZE

by Jess (ImAGrape) - THANK YOU!

1. Accio 2. Avada Kedavra 3. Braking Charm 4. Blasting Curse 5. Colloportus 6. Crucio 7. Confundus 8. Diffindo 9. Disapparate 10. Engorgio 11. Expecto Patronum 12. Furnunculus 13. Flagrate 14. Horn Tongue 15. Hurling Hex 16. Impedimenta 17. Imperio 18. Incarcerous 19. Jelly Legs 20. Knitting Charm 21. Langlock 22. Legilimens 23. Levicorpus 24. Lumos 25. Mobilicorpus 26. Morsmordre 27. Muffliato 28. Nox 29. Obliviate 30. Oppugno 31. Orchideous 32. Petrificus Totalus 33. Point Me 34. Protego 35. Quietus 36. Reducto 37. Relashio 38. Rictusempra 39. Sectumsempra 40. Sonorus 41. Scourgify 42. Silencio 43. SpeRevelio 44. Stupefy 45. Tarantallegra 46. Tergeo 47. Twitchy Ears Hex 48. Unbreakable Vow 49. Wingardium Leviosa 50. Waddiwasi

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Banished

34. Protego

His hoofbeats were barely audible on the leaf covered path as Firenze made his way into the heart of the Forest, wondering where the rest of his kin was. He looked up at the stars, pausing for a moment to read again the ominous message warning him that soon he would be shunned from his family, indefinitely. Shaking his head, Firenze knew that all he could do at this point was hope that this was one of those rare occasions when the stars were wrong.

He saw a dark shadow behind the leaves in front of him, and Bane emerged. Blocking his way.

“You cannot come back here.”

“It is my home-“ Firenze stopped, suddenly realizing Bane was preparing to charge him.

And then Firenze noticed that he was surrounded – they meant to kill him.

He closed his eyes, getting ready for the inevitable, when an old man’s hand rested on his flank and a voice quietly whispered, ”Protego”.

“Come,” was all Albus Dumbledore said, and Firenze had no choice but to follow, even though it broke his heart to leave his herd, the herd which was now staring daggers at him, hating him for a wizards’ protection.

Paintbrush · 06-13-2010, 04:48 PM

A helpful student

40. Sonorus

Firenze faced the babbling group of third years that had gathered in his lesson. He could already tell he was going to have a handful trying to teach them anything useful – they were paying far too much attention to the forest-like surroundings they were currently in, and – he realized with horror – some of the girls were paying for too much attention to him, rather than the stars above them.

Sighing, he cleared his throat, preparing to begin the lesson and to try to teach them something. Anything, really.

“Good morning,” he began, but was immediately interrupted.

“Why have you replaced Professor Trelawney?”

“Is it true you were banished from the Forbidden Forest?”

“How long are you going to stay here for?”

Shaking his head, Firenze opened his mouth to speak, but the avalanche of questions was infinite. That is, until one of the boy’s up front pointed his want at him and muttered so only Firzenze could here, [i]”Sonorus”[/b].

Firenze nodded his thanks before trying to speak again, and this time his booming voice silenced the excited chatter of the students.

Paintbrush · 06-13-2010, 04:49 PM

Surprises

11. Expecto Patronum

Firenze looked into the almost empty Charms classroom, where he could see a few of the fourth years trying to cast a Patronus. He smiled to himself, marveling at how much influence a single boy of the name Harry Potter could have on the students of Hogwarts.

Obviously, those that did not attend his secret lessons had decided to take matters into their own hands.

And then Firenze noticed the Slytherin emblem on their robes. So that was why they did no train with the Boy Who Lived…

”Expecto Patronum!” a petite girl yelled, but only a wisp of smoke erupted from her wand.

“Come on, Nat, the happiest memory. Or think of how you’ll feel when the Dark Lord is defeated and your parents will stop hurting you, will stop being controlled by his black magic,” one of the two boys sitting on the desks urged her on.

Nat closed her eyes, and Firenze found himself wishing she’d succeed this time.

She did; a silvery centaur galloped from the tip of her wand.

Mouth open in surprise, Firenze knew one thing; he would really have to get to know this student better.

Paintbrush · 06-14-2010, 08:14 PM

Emerald Poison

26. Morsmordre

Firenze walked into the shadow of one of the ashes growing near Hagrid’s hut. This was as close as he dared to go to the Forbidden Forest, for fear of drawing out his herd again and seeing their eyes, bent on revenge, spark loathing at him. He didn’t want to think about them. He wouldn’t accept the way things were – he had seen it the stars that one day he’d be reunited with his herd. And he refused to contemplate that he might have misread this message.

Looking back to the castle, he froze. There was much to much activity going on there for such a late hour of the night, and why were there so many colourful flashes lighting up behind the many windows of the school?

The centaur had already turned back to his temporary home when he noticed the green fumes forming a skull with a snake protruding from the mouth, obliterating the pure stars with its emerald poison.

Voldemort. There was indeed something very wrong happening, and reflections concerning the Forest and his herd would simply have to wait.

Paintbrush · 06-15-2010, 11:36 AM

Forgetfulness

9. Disapparate

Firenze walked towards the Great Hall, his hooves making a steady beat on the stone floors of the castle. He was deep in thought about his students, once again wondering at human ignorance and incapability to really read the starry constellations he was trying to show them every lesson. So far, only a select few were able to understand what he was trying to tell them, to really see the uncertain art of astronomy and divination, but even those could not fully comprehend the importance of being able to interpret the heavens correctly.

He walked through the doors, and almost straight into a Hufflepuff student that appeared fight before him.

“Careful!” he reprimanded, looking around.

Only then did he remember that Disapparation classes were now being held in the Great Hall for some of the older students.

He backtracked quickly – her definitely did not want to get blamed from someone splinching themselves and ending up decapitated or something. No, he certainly did not want to witness that.

Paintbrush · 06-20-2010, 06:26 PM

“Use your wand!”

28. Nox

It was a steady sound, almost like a horse… but how could a horse, or a thestral, have found its way into Hogwarts?

Little Colin Creevy whispered the spell that cast the dungeons into blackness, worried out of his mind about what might appear from behind the corner.

In turn, Firenze was looking around him slowly, his keen eyes attempting to penetrate the humid darkness to spot the lost Gryffindor. He had argued with some housemates and disappeared earlier that day, and what with the doubtful security at Hogwarts and extra precautions, the entire staff was mobilized by Dumbledore to go find the boy.

The centaur had thought he saw a flicker of light, but then it vanished and instead…

“AAARGH!” something small and sinewy landed on his back, almost toppling him to the floor. It was only Firenze’s lightning reflexes that allowed him to pull his attacker off and look him in the eye.

“Ah, the Creevy boy. I should have known, only a Muggle boy would attack me like that. Use your wand next time!”

Paintbrush · 06-21-2010, 01:26 PM

Defending Hogwarts

4. Blasting Curse

Firenze watched the melee from the shadows. Being a centaur with no wand or active magic at his disposal, he couldn’t very well join in the battle at Hogwarts; he’d be killed almost instantly. No, he had to rely on what the stars were telling him. And they were telling him to bide his time.

But then again, the stars were sometimes wrong. Rarely, but it happened, and what if tonight was one of those times?

He couldn’t take it anymore. Prowling the castle wall, he saw a few students fighting off an approaching band of Death Eaters. With a yell, he charged at them, dodging the blasting curses and numerous other spells fired in his direction.

He had always been told, as a young centaur, that his race was not one of war and fighting. But perhaps the Elders had gotten that all wrong – with his blood boiling with anger and his heart fully set on defending the castle, the only home he now had, in the middle of the battle was where Firenze felt he should be.

The stars had been wrong, he thought, his hooves crashing down on the unfortunate head of one of the Death Eaters.

Paintbrush · 08-13-2010, 07:02 PM

Testing boundaries

49. Wingardium Leviosa

Firenze ran through the forest, chasing Bane. They were young, mere colts by centaur standards, and still preferred to frolick around the Forbidden Forest instead of waiting for night to set in so they could gaze at the stars through the foliage like their elders.

What the two had failed to notice was how close they had galloped to the forests’ edge, and the school grounds beyond were as forbidden to them as their home was to the students. They only skidded to a halt once they saw two young wizards yelling at each other, drawing their wands.

“You have no place here, you halfblood filth!” the smaller of the two shouted.

“How dare ye! Ah’ll give ye filth!” the larger - much larger - one yelled back, also drawing his wand and muttering a spell before his opponent.

Whose wand promptly flew out of his hand and paused, hovering mid-air above its owner’s head.

“A levitating spell!” Firenze muttered, gazing with wonder at the magic. Neither of the two had ever witnessed wizards practicing magic before.

And that is how the centaurs met Hagrid.

Paintbrush · 09-27-2010, 10:13 PM

Eavesdropping

42. Silencio

“What on earth is taking you so long?” the cold voice of Lucius Malfoy penetrated the darkness.

“I can’t find-” his son’s rather scared voice echoed shrilly, before being cut off by a yelp of pain from Draco.

He didn’t usually venture this deep into the castle. Still, something in the stars that night had indicated that there might be trouble from below somehow, and so Firenze found himself plodding softly into the dankest recesses of his new home.

Just as he’d been ready to give up and declare that the heavens had been wrong yet again, he had heard footsteps. And then the voices.

How I wish I had the magic to put a Silencio charm over myself so that they wouldn’t find me, he thought as he listened to the Death Eater berate his son. He knew that f Lucius Malfoy found him spying, weaponless and trapped, he would not get to mark the homework he set the third years that day on tracking different creatures in the Forbidden Forest. And he’d been rather looking forward to seeing what they came up with.

Paintbrush · 09-03-2012, 06:46 PM

Home

20. Knitting Charm

Firenze sighed heavily as he stared over the grounds towards his previous home. Everything was covered with a deep layer of snow as Christmas Day approached, students were already leaving for the holidays, excited about seeing their families and homes.

“I thought I might find you here,” a quiet voice broke the silence the centaur had found refuge in at the top of the Astronomy tower. “Albus said you weren’t feeling well and that you wouldn’t be joining us for meals today.”

Minerva came slowly to stand next to her friend. She hadn’t been sure at first how she felt about Dumbledore employing a non-human teacher, but despite his star-gazing tendencies, the two got along well together. Besides, she had lost family herself once, and she knew what loneliness meant.

“I just... Need some time,” he frowned, still staring into the distance.

“Right, well while you’re doing that, I’ll leave this for you so you don’t get too cold in case it all takes longer than you might anticipate.”

She pointed her wand and two needles leaped into action, creating a woolly scarf, as green as the tress Firenze had once been at home among.

Paintbrush · 09-16-2012, 07:23 PM

Memories

1. Accio

If he closed his eyes, he could see them all, his family and his herd, galloping around the field.

He could smell the grass and the leaves - or that could just the be enchantments in the classroom which gave it the appearance of his home, he wasn’t quite sure. He could feel the soil under his hooves and hear the crackle of twigs whenever he made a step - but they weren’t real, they weren’t really there.

He remembered standing shoulder to shoulder with Bane, the older brother that he had never had, gazing up at the stars until he felt as if his head would drop off were he to dare and attempt to move his neck. Wishing upon every shooting star he saw that this might last forever, this peace, and that the war he saw written in the future might somehow be averted.

He painted a picture of Ariel in his mind and erased it almost immediately, the memory too painful. He kept this one shut tight in a locked box at the back of his mind, never to be opened - Pandora’s box.

If only he could Accio the past...

Paintbrush · 09-16-2012, 07:35 PM

Light of Love

24. Lumos

A knock on the door of his classroom snapped Firenze out of his memories.

“Come in!” he called, and a third year student walked in, slowly, unsure, tears on her face, her wand lighting up at the end to illuminate her pathway towards her Professor.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her, indicating that she should sit down and passing her a tissue while simultaneously putting the kettle on.

He wasn’t sure when, but a while after he began teaching students had started coming to him with their problems. It wasn’t as if he could solve them, but Firenze discovered he was a better listener than most humans, and most humans with issues only wanted to talk about them anyway.

“I-I just got d-d-dumped,” the girl sobbed. “I don’t know what to do!”

Firenze sighed. Just when he thought he’d convinced himself not to think about Ariel, the problem this girl had just had to revolve around love. He was not good on this topic, not when what he really wanted to do was start crying alongside her.

“Tell me what happened,” he said instead, leaning forward, rapt attention called onto his features.

Paintbrush · 10-08-2012, 10:29 PM

Hope

2. Avada Kedavra

Everything and everyone present seemed to have frozen in the aftermath of the emerald flash, as if the killing curse had rebounded and stricken all the living things dead. Firenze could see the black-haired boy sprawled on the ground, immobile. But he didn’t move when others began to show signs of life again.

The blond witch approached him, unsure, bending down slowly to check whether he was breathing. Firenze watched her from between the trees - he was still undiscovered by the Death Eaters, but he was worried the werewolves would notice him soon. He shouldn’t be here at all, he should have escaped when the Dark Lord had cast his curse.

But he couldn’t. There was too much hope resting within this one person, and he had to know if he ahd read the stars correctly. Harry would die, yes. But he would also live - and Firenze could not leave without knowing how such a paradox might come to pass.

“Dead”, the blonde witch proclaimed, straightening.

Perhaps the stars had been wrong. Perhaps there was no paradox after all. Perhaps there was no hope.

Paintbrush · 07-15-2016, 05:59 AM

Creating Prejudice

44. Stupefy

It was his first trip into the Forest without the supervision of his parents. Instead, Firenze found Bane breathing down his neck, which was a thousand times worse because he had been convinced Bane would be on his side.

But no. That would have required the stars to align in his favour. They never did.

So Firenze decided to disregard them, and he took off towards the school of people anyway, ignoring his parents' warnings and Bane's startled yells as he chased after his ward.

The hooded figure grew out of nowhere, and Firenze skidded to a halt, heart racing. His first human.

Before he could introduce himself, though, the figure had a wand pointed at his chest.

"Stupefy!"

Bane jumped in front of Firenze at the last second, though the force of the spell sent them both reeling. The dark centaur had never forgiven humans for one of their kind attacking a defensless young one like Firenze, and his mistrust of them never weakened

Paintbrush · 08-11-2016, 07:21 PM

Love, Jealousy and Common Sense

48. Unbreakable Vow

He must have heard wrong. Surely, two seventh year students could not be stupid enough to have said what Firenze had, for a second, thought he heard.

But what if they had?

There was no way around it. He was going to have to go and check.

Sighing, he knocked loudly on the door to the classroom (which should have been empty, really, at this time of night) before entering - he had seen far too many an intimate embrace by opening doors without announcing himself first.

They both looked startled and guilty - though possibly not just because of the interrupted smoothing.

“Unbreakable vow?” Firenze raised an eyebrow as he stared at them with as serious an expression as he could muster.

The girl blushed, the boy looked defiant. So he had heard right!

“Do you have any idea how serious, how dangerous, that is? In any circumstances? And especially in anything pertaining the heart - you cannot hope to solve your jealousy issues by such magic! You would both end up dead within months!”

Since accepting his post, Firenze frequently lost all hope that common sense still existed among humans at all.

Paintbrush · 08-11-2016, 07:23 PM

Recruitment

33. Point Me

“Have you had the chance to think further on my proposition?” Albus Dumbledore’s voice floated from between the trees.

Firenze lowered his head, the brightness of the stars dimming his vision as he looked at the old wizard.

He certainly didn’t give up easily, did he?

“Yes,” Firenze replied, vaguely. He was more aware than most of his kind of the difference in accuracy that characterised human and centaur speech, but he found himself purposefully trying to make his responses to Albus Dumbledore as unspecific as possible. “How did you find me?”

Dumbledore raised his hand with his wand. Of course, Firenze thought, they have a spell used to find people don’t they? They had a spell for practically everything. And though he knew he could and would never practice magic, he couldn’t help feeling… intrigued.

Firenze knew he could learn a lot from Albus, working at the school, about humans. They fascinated him, wizards and Muggles alike, and no one in his herd understood, or encouraged this interest. There was never a choice to be made, and they both knew it.

Paintbrush · 08-11-2016, 07:24 PM

An Unlikely Companionship

41. Scourgify

There were stains from Weasley products everywhere, displaying all the colours of the rainbow, and Firenze tried his best not to consider how exactly this mess had been made.

He hated not being able to deal with it himself, but there was nothing for it.

He could have cleaned it up himself, of course, but it’s not as if he he had a wand he could use to Scourgify the place.

“Winky!”

She appeared immediately.

“Hello,” she said, her eyes already scanning the classroom.

And with a click of her fingers, everything was spotless again.

“Thank you,” Firenze smiled. “So, tonight, same as last week?”

Winky nodded before disappearing with an excited wave.

Firenze had arrived at the castle knowing barely anyone, and had found himself an unlikely ally in the broken-hearted Winky. Dumbledore had asked her to help him, and they had struck up a sort of friendship since. Winky had discovered a great interest in stars, and Firenze was trying to teach her to read them. Whilst a fun pastime, his endeavours had not yet been successful, though he supposed the same might be said for his witch and wizard filled classes.

Paintbrush · 08-27-2016, 09:40 PM

Slytherin Bravery

32. Petrificus Totalus

Firenze could hear the scuffles from the other side of the corridor. It seemed some Slytherins and Gryffindors had started a fight again. A year after the Battle of Hogwarts, and there were at least three students in the Hospital Wing every week. He couldn’t wait for this to stop.

Would it ever though?

He trotted over to the sounds, hoping his authority as a teacher would be enough to quieten them down.

Yet another time when he wished he had a wand. Bane would be ashamed.

“What’s going on here?” he did his best impression of Bane thundering in anger as he rounded the corner.

The Gryffindors were closest to him. They (including the duelling student, a first year he didn’t know the name of) turned to look at him. The Slytherin used the opening.

“Petrificus Totalus!”

Well, they were all going to get detention anyway and they all knew it, Firenze thought. Unusually brave behaviour for a snake though, to cast a spell right in front of a teacher.

Was the sorting hat definitely doing its job well?

Paintbrush · 09-27-2016, 04:22 PM

Secret Meeting

3. Braking Charm

Firenze could remember one of the first instances he’d seen magic when he was young as clear as if it had been yesterday. It had almost resulted in a head-on collision.

He’d been staring at the stars (of course) trying to remember everything he had just heard about reading them from his father, and so he hadn’t really been watching where he was going. He wasn’t really aware of anything around him, to be honest, until a sudden yell interrupted his predictions.

“AAAA!” two voices echoed in the forest.

Firenze found himself face to face with a first year student from Hogwarts, who was hovering on a broom two inches from his face.

Thankfully, this particular broom seemed to have a breaking charm cast on it.

“That was… close,” Firenze breathed. The boy gulped. Then, he smiled. Then he began to laugh, and fell of his broom five minutes later, still laughing, joining Firenze in rolling around on the ground in laughter.

Firenze never could make himself hate humans after this the way other centaurs did. And he still saw the boy from the broomstick - sometimes, though always in secret. He had never told anyone of their meeting.

Paintbrush · 10-14-2016, 09:13 PM

Murder

35. Quietus

Firenze had seen the son murder the father. It was yet another of his secrets. He hadn’t been able to do anything to help, he was too afraid, and so all he did was witness.

He saw Barty Crouch Sr. stagger through the trees, talking to them. He saw the lost, confused look switch to a desperate, determined one, and back again. Bane had warned him not to interfere with any of the wizards, and Firenze had been just about to do so, having followed Crouch to the edge of the trees, when none other than Harry Potter stumbled across the poor man.

He’d thought this was it, then. Firenze had already breathed a sigh of relief and turned to return to his herd - when Harry turned to return to the castle. Humans. So short-sighted.

Krum wasn’t much of a challenge for Junior when he appeared, disguised, of course. Firenze thought it was Moody at first too - until that day, that is.

”Quietus!”

Krum didn’t have a chance after Junior made himself silent. Firenze heard the sons’ accusations, saw the glee in his eyes as the green light illuminated them, killing his father.

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