Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

Chapter 177: Split Treasure Key

“Temple, starlight…” Evan also wanted to ask about that, but before he spoke, he was interrupted by Firenze.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to continue discussing this matter now. There are more urgent things waiting for us to do.” Firenze looked worriedly at the distant fire, and from time to time Acromantulas’ loud clicks came out from the trees. He said softly, “Evan, you just mentioned Peter Pettigrew. If I’m not wrong, shouldn’t he have died?”

“He is not dead; everything was a conspiracy.” Evan hurriedly told him briefly what had happened twelve years ago and just a while ago in the Castle.

Firenze listened quietly, with no expression on his face.

What Evan said about the surprising truth between James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black, Firenze seemed to believe it instantly, as if he had already known the truth.

“So, everything was done by Peter Pettigrew, Sirius has just been wrongly shackled.” Evan said quickly, “We must catch him and not let him run away. This is very crucial as upon it, relies the fate of many people.”

“Everyone’s fate has long been doomed. For example, concerning Peter Pettigrew, the harbinger from the sky told me about this unfortunate matter twenty years ago.” Firenze took a step forward, “I once warned James and Sirius, but they didn’t believe me.”

The harbinger from the sky, twenty years ago?!

Evan was not reluctant to believe in Firenze, nor did he know if he could really see some glimpses of the future. Still, he did not seem to have entered the true prophetic state; like Professor Trelawney who was usually not worth believing at all.

“Where is Peter Pettigrew?”

“He should have been seriously injured near Aragog’s Lair, but he will come soon. There are a lot of Acromantulas chasing him.” Evan, who was lost is thoughts, came back to his senses. He pointed ahead and said: “We are heading in that direction, to an open space from which he’ll be passing around half an hour from now.”

“Time is tight!” Firenze did not ask why Evan knew about this. He lowered himself on to his front legs. “We must hurry! You can get up. It will be quicker this way.” Firenze said, letting Evan clamber onto his back.

Evan had never had such an experience. He rode the Centaur and felt like riding a horse, but this was a bit different. He didn’t feel even the slightest bump. Firenze was as delicate as a reindeer, and very fast.

Walking through the jungle, it took them less than five minutes to arrive into the place where Evan used Mr. Weasley’s old car before.

The dark woods were quiet, and what was happening in the far-away Aragog’s Lair seemed to have nothing to do with it. Through the sparse trees, the starry sky could be seen.

“Okay, let’s wait here, thank you for helping me, Firenze!” Evan slipped from his back. “I just met Ronan and Bane. The two of them refused to help me…”

“It’s not surprising that Centaurs usually don’t help humans. We must never disobey what’s told by the sky. If a planet’s trajectory had predicted your death, then even if you die beside them, they would never help you.”

“But you helped me, you are different from other Centaurs.”

“Everyone has different understandings of the signs in the sky, so our practices are different. I once said, if necessary, I will stand side by side with humans.” Firenze looked up at the sky. “I have to admit though; I am a different kind in my ethnic group.”

As he finished his words, silence ruled for a while, as none of them uttered a word.

In the darkness, Evan thought of the thing that was preserved within the Centaur’s tribe, the magic item that was said to have massive power, the Secret Treasure Key left by Gryffindor.

“Firenze, if I want to get the thing that is kept in your tribe, what should I do?” Evan suddenly asked, “I heard that I need to get the approval of the Centaurs, what does that really mean?”

“For those who are chosen by fate, the planets will give a clear omen, and then the elders will make specific requests and ask you to do something for us.” Firenze replied gently, he was still looking at the sky.

“An omen from the planets?”

Evan was speechless at that point.

He wanted to be accepter, and the Centaurs made specific requirements for this. He could understand that as long as they were ones that could be fulfilled.

But what is the clear omen from the planets?

He could not see any connection between the planet’s and his own fate. These mysterious things are really a headache.

Firenze did not answer Evan’s question. He pointed to the brightest star in the sky and said calmly, “Mars is bright tonight.”

“I know, Ronan and Bane have just said that. What does this mean?” Evan sighed. The Centaurs were all like this. He thought that Firenze would be a little bit normal, but it seems that his normalness has its limits after all.

“That is an omen.” Firenze simply said, “The harbinger of calamity, the worst omen of all. It is not a coincidence that you’ve appeared here tonight, Evan. Maybe you are the one chosen by fate, but I must warn you…”

Evan didn’t talk; he waited for Firenze to continue.

“No matter what your purpose is, the one that makes you want to get that powerful magic item.” Firenze looked down at Evan, his sapphire-like eyes glittering under the night sky, “I have to remind you, that thing is completely different from what you think.”

“Completely different?!”

About the Key to the Gryffindor Secret Treasure, Evan did have a few conjectures, but Firenze did say that it was totally different from what he imagined. Why did he say that? He did not even hear Evan’s guesses, and yet he dared to come to such a conclusion?

“Yes, it’s totally different! In fact, it’s not even complete. It split up back in the day with the internal division of the Centaurs. We did not fulfil our original oath. For centuries, our tribe elders have been feeling worried for this.”

“What did you say? It’s not complete?” Evan was stunned.

“This is a very long story, a dark history about Centaurs.”

Firenze turned around and avoided Evan’s question.

He just vaguely said that the Secret Treasure Key that Gryffindor left behind was split because of an internal division of the Centaurs’ tribe. He obviously did not want to explain the matter in detail.

It could be seen from his expression that, for the Centaurs, this was not something to be proud about.