He sighed deeply.

“Firenze said they’re angry because he went to work for Dumbledore,” Harry said, tripping on a protruding root because he was busy watching Hagrid’s profile.

“Yeah,” said Hagrid heavily. “Well, angry doesn’ cover it. Ruddy livid. If I hadn’ stepped in, I reckon they’d’ve kicked Firenze ter death—”

“They attacked him?” said Hermione, sounding shocked.

“Yep,” said Hagrid gruffly, forcing his way through several low-hanging branches. “He had half the herd on to him.”

“And you stopped it?” said Harry, amazed and impressed. “By yourself?”

“Course I did, couldn’t stand by an’ watch ’em kill ’im, could I?” said Hagrid. “Lucky I was passin’, really… an’ I’d’ve thought Firenze mighta remembered tha’ before he started sendin’ me stupid warnin’s!” he added hotly and unexpectedly.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, startled, but Hagrid, scowling, did not elaborate.

“Anyway,” he said, breathing a little more heavily than—usual, “since then the other centaurs’ve bin livid with me, an’ the trouble is they’ve got a lot of influence in the Forest… cleverest creatures in here.”

“Is that why we’re here, Hagrid?” asked Hermione. “The centaurs?”

“Ah, no,” said Hagrid, shaking his head dismissively, “no, it’s not them. Well, o’ course, they could complicate the problem, yeah… but yeh’ll see what I mean in a bit.”

On this incomprehensible note he fell silent and forged a little ahead, taking one stride for every three of theirs, so that they had great trouble keeping up with him.

The path was becoming increasingly overgrown and the trees grew so closely together as they walked further and further into the Forest that it was as dark as dusk. They were soon a long way past the clearing where Hagrid had shown them the Thestrals, but Harry felt no sense of unease until Hagrid stepped unexpectedly off the path and began wending his way in and out of trees towards the dark heart of the Forest.

“Hagrid!” said Harry, fighting his way through thickly knotted brambles, over which Hagrid had stepped with ease, and remembering very vividly what had happened to him on the other occasion he had stepped off the Forest path. “Where are we going?”

“Bit further,” said Hagrid over his shoulder. “C’mon, Harry… we need ter keep together now.”

It was a great struggle to keep up with Hagrid, what with branches and thickets of thorn through which Hagrid marched as easily as if they were cobwebs, but which snagged Harry and Hermione’s robes, frequently entangling them so severely that they had to stop for minutes at a time to free themselves. Harry’s arms and legs were soon covered in small cuts and scratches. They were so deep in the Forest now that sometimes all Harry could see of Hagrid in the gloom was a massive dark shape ahead of him. Any sound seemed threatening in the muffled silence. The breaking of a twig echoed loudly and the tiniest rustle of movement, even though it might have been made by an innocent sparrow, caused Harry to peer through the gloom for a culprit. It occurred to him that he had never managed to get this far into the Forest without meeting some kind of creature; their absence struck him as rather ominous.

“Hagrid, would it be all right if we lit our wands?” said Hermione quietly.

“Er… all righ’,” Hagrid whispered back. “In fact—”

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Luna Lovegood overtook them with what appeared to be a live eagle perched on top of her head.	\|	He stopped suddenly and turned around; Hermione walked right into him and was knocked over backwards. Harry caught her just before she hit the Forest floor.

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