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HRA# Chapter 50: The Scholarly Newt and the Centaurs' Rite
🕑 Added 2025-02-23 16:22:23 +0000 UTCThe suitcase that had piqued his curiosity suddenly appeared right before him, within arm’s reach.
No, something wasn’t right. The suitcase he had seen in his divination was newer, without the frayed edges. The one the elderly man carried bore the marks of time—its faded patches and scuffs spoke of long years and many journeys.
"Oh! Newt!" Hagrid exclaimed, his voice filled with joy as he strode forward and enveloped the elderly man in a bear hug. "I never thought I’d see you here—did you come because of the centaurs' invitation too?"
It was hard to believe such an expression could appear on Hagrid’s face—like a devoted admirer meeting a long-revered idol, overflowing with excitement.
"Yes, I visit them every year, tending to their ailments when I can—uh, Hagrid, thank you for the hug," the old man explained with some difficulty.
To be honest, Harry could clearly see the hint of helplessness—and pain—on the old man's face when Hagrid squeezed him in his enthusiastic embrace. Hagrid’s hugs were a little too forceful.
"Oh, sorry! Harry, I should’ve introduced you first." Releasing Newt, Hagrid turned to Harry and said, "This is Newt Scamander, an incredibly brilliant Magizoologist. If you take Care of Magical Creatures in your third year, the textbook you'll be using was written by him."
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, right?" Harry nodded. "When I first entered the wizarding world, I read it to learn about magical creatures. It was very detailed."
No wonder Hagrid was so enthusiastic—Harry knew all too well how much Hagrid adored magical creatures, especially those that looked particularly ferocious.
"Hello, sir. I’m Harry Potter. It’s a pleasure to meet you," Harry said, extending his hand.
"Uh, hello." It wasn’t Harry’s imagination—Newt looked a little uneasy. He gave Harry a brief handshake before quickly patting his suitcase and saying, "I noticed you were looking at it. Well, it is indeed a very good suitcase."
Hagrid let out a hearty laugh. "This is a suitcase that makes the Ministry of Magic nervous, Harry! There are quite a few legendary tales about it."
"Does it have any special properties?" Harry asked, intrigued.
"Oh, now that’s not my story to tell, Harry. But if you behave yourself, maybe Newt will invite you inside for a look," Hagrid said teasingly. Then, in a loud whisper that even Newt could hear, he added, "Newt isn’t very good at talking to strangers, don’t take it personally."
What was this? A loud secret?
And honestly, Hagrid, you’re really not suited for keeping secrets—especially since you’ve just let slip that the suitcase is big enough to enter.
Harry could see Newt’s discomfort.
But he had a feeling that this difficulty in conversing with strangers only applied to topics unrelated to magical creatures. Because as soon as the three of them sat around the fire and the conversation turned to centaurs, Newt became remarkably talkative.
"Centaurs are a truly unique species. They prefer solitude, avoiding both wizards and Muggles alike," Newt spoke at length. "Though they claim to have lived in these lands since ancient times, owning this forest as their rightful home, my research suggests they originally came from the mountainous regions of Greece, migrating to Britain a few centuries ago."
"So that means Hogwarts was founded first, and the centaurs arrived later?"
"Perhaps." Newt shook his head. "It’s been too long—no one can say for sure."
"Then what about their origins?" Harry pressed on. "I mean, how were they created? Were they naturally occurring? Or were they the result of some ancient wizard’s experiment? What’s in their nature?"
Harry was actively searching for a reason to distrust centaurs—well, truthfully, he was just looking for flaws.
Because just seeing centaurs made his skin crawl. He wanted to rid himself of that discomfort.
A well-intentioned purge.
Before he could say more, Newt’s hand shot out and covered Harry’s mouth, his movements unexpectedly swift for someone of his age.
"You’re quite bold, child," Newt said in a hushed voice. "We are in the centaurs’ territory. And for the record, they are a distinct species—not something created by wizards. Centaurs detest that kind of speculation."
"Yeah, exactly," Hagrid added, poking the fire. "You should know, centaurs are a very proud race. They take great pride in their heritage, and they really don’t like being used by wizards—whether intentionally or not."
"Sounds like they have a strong sense of honor," Harry said dryly.
He felt disappointed.
"Uh, kid, I can hear the hostility in your words… Have centaurs harmed you before?" Newt asked, equally dryly, his gaze flicking to the horns on Harry’s head and the totem standing behind him.
"Not them," Harry shook his head. "Let’s just get back to centaurs, Mr. Scamander."
"Alright then." Newt wisely dropped the subject and continued, "Originally, centaurs were classified as 'Beings' by wizards. But in 1811, they themselves requested to be reclassified as 'Beasts' to avoid sharing the same status as banshees and vampires."
"The Ministry of Magic did set up a Centaur Liaison Office," Hagrid chuckled, "but it’s never actually done anything!"
"Indeed. In the Ministry, 'being sent to the Centaur Liaison Office' is a euphemism for being fired." Newt shared the joke, and he and Hagrid burst into hearty laughter.
"And what about the wizards?" Harry asked. "Surely they wouldn’t have willingly given the Forbidden Forest to the centaurs—it’s part of Hogwarts, after all."
For any British wizard, Hogwarts was sacred, full of cherished memories.
"Of course not." Even Newt shook his head this time. "Centaurs are forest-dwelling creatures, found across Europe. A single herd typically consists of ten to fifty centaurs. The Ministry allocates designated territories for them."
"So the Forbidden Forest is just one of those centaur habitats?" Harry asked.
"Not just centaurs—the Forbidden Forest is vast," Newt said seriously. "As far as I know, there’s even a werewolf pack living deep within it. They’ve been neighbors to both Hogwarts and the centaurs for a long time, and they coexist peacefully."
"I see." Harry nodded. "So the Forbidden Forest is… a centaur reservation."
He borrowed a term from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them—like a dragon reservation.
"From a wizard’s perspective, yes. But from the centaurs’ point of view, it’s a different story." Newt said softly. "I think you’re beginning to see how wizards view other species, Harry."
"As the dominant ones," Harry summed up in one phrase. "But this forest was Hogwarts’ land first, wasn’t it? If centaurs originated in Greece?"
"Yes, theoretically," Newt sighed. "But Hogwarts has limited staff. Hagrid, as Gamekeeper, only patrols the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. The school simply doesn’t have the resources to oversee the entire area—and the Ministry wouldn’t allow the Headmaster that much power anyway."
"And no Minister of Magic would want a war with centaurs on their hands," Newt concluded. "Especially when it comes to land and racial tensions. Centaurs are notoriously quick to anger."
"According to Greek records, centaurs had a rather turbulent relationship with the locals. Many were heavy drinkers, rowdy and rough-tempered, always getting into fights with humans."
Newt recalled his past travels to Greece and spoke in a low voice.
“The most famous conflict happened after a wedding. The centaurs got a little too carried away in their celebrations and actually tried to steal the bride. Naturally, this led to a large-scale war—and of course, the centaurs lost.” Newt couldn’t help but chuckle as he spoke. “To this day, scenes from that war remain one of the favorite decorative motifs for Greek pottery artisans.”
“Alright, I understand completely now.” Harry nodded.
Centaurs, outsiders, treating the land that wizards had kindly given them as their own and then turning hostile, trying to drive wizards away. Crude, irritable—it all matched! It all made sense!!!
“Wait a minute, Harry, your expression is starting to look a little scary again,” Hagrid stammered. “Are you thinking about something... terrifying?”
“No, you’re overthinking it, Hagrid.” Harry replied with a perfectly natural expression.
“Speaking of which, Harry,” Newt leaned in excitedly, “that totem by your side—it is a totem, right? It looks very different from the ones used by centaurs, and it doesn’t resemble the totems I saw during my travels in Africa either.”
“Hmm, this kind of decoration and the patterns on it... May I ask about its specific meaning? Why is it adorned with bull horns? This is the first time I’ve seen a wizard in Europe carrying a totem around.”
“Because Harry is a Tauren, Newt,” Hagrid casually answered on Harry’s behalf. “If you ask him, that’s all he’ll tell you.”
“A Tauren?” The moment the topic touched on his area of expertise, Newt’s curiosity exploded, completely overshadowing his usual social anxiety. He spoke quickly: “Tauren? I did travel to Greece to search for that particular creature recorded in ancient mythology, but aside from murals and pottery paintings, I found nothing.”
“I am indeed a Tauren, Mr. Scamander,” Harry stated with a blank expression.
“Are you?” Newt frowned slightly. “As far as I know, there is no recorded Tauren race in the wizarding world. The only references to such a being come from Greek mythology. And besides, the Potter family was human. I don’t recall them having any unusual bloodline traits.”
Newt was nothing if not straightforward, and when it came to magical creatures, he was particularly firm in his judgments.
“Unless I’m mistaken, the horns on your head were created through Transfiguration. There’s no doubt about it, kid—your species is human, not Tauren.” As he spoke, Newt fell into thought. “But this is strange... Your totem doesn’t look like something haphazardly put together. The craftsmanship, the intricate details, even the inscriptions on it—they seem to have specific meanings rather than being random carvings... This definitely isn’t something conjured out of thin air.”
“No wonder...” Newt muttered under his breath. “No wonder Dumbledore asked me to come take a look...”
“Huh? Dumbledore sent you, Newt?” Hagrid widened his eyes.
“Oh, don’t mind that, Hagrid.” Newt looked a bit flustered, realizing he had let something slip. “I just... um... Anyway, it’s nothing! What I mean is—based on my professional judgment, Harry, you are definitely not a Tauren!”
Newt was exceptionally stubborn about such matters.
“...” Harry sighed, his tone helpless. “You could think of it as a form of self-identification, Mr. Scamander.
“It won’t affect you in any way, nor do I need any special treatment because of it. For certain reasons, I simply identify more with being a Tauren than a human. Does that explanation work for you?”
“Understood.” Newt instantly accepted it. “Geniuses always have their quirks that ordinary people can’t comprehend. Just like how I’ll never understand Dumbledore’s obsession with sweets...
“Just call me Newt, Harry. ‘Mister’ sounds too formal.”
Newt had no interest in titles or excessive formalities.
Wooooo—!
A deep, drawn-out horn blast suddenly echoed through the air. The three turned toward the source and saw a centaur blowing a large horn.
“The ceremony is beginning,” Newt said excitedly. “We can discuss the totem later, Harry. You’ve probably never seen a centaur ritual before—it’s quite a memorable experience for first-timers.”
The setting was a vast clearing within the forest, situated beneath a towering cliffside where the centaur encampment stood, their tents nestled against the rock.
Four towering totem poles surrounded the clearing, each intricately carved with scenes of centaurs hunting and living their daily lives. Thick ropes woven from vines connected the poles, adorned with various animal bones—some small, some large, arranged like primitive necklaces, exuding an unmistakable aura of the wild.
At the center of the four totems blazed a massive bonfire. The meat that had been roasting earlier was now gone, and the centaurs had piled on more wood, sending flames roaring skyward, painting the night in hues of orange and red.
As the horn resounded, centaurs emerged one by one—from tents, from the forest, forming an orderly procession. Their hooves struck the ground in rhythmic unison as they circled the fire, moving in a slow, deliberate dance.
Harry noticed that many centaurs kept glancing in his direction—or rather, at the totem by his side. Their eyes held an unspoken curiosity, as if they wanted to say something but held back due to the ongoing ritual.
“...I thought you’d try to stop them,” Harry murmured to Newt.
From their earlier conversation, he had gathered that Newt was an admirable person—someone deeply knowledgeable about magical creatures, dedicated to their preservation, and committed to saving them from extinction.
Yet during the ceremony, centaurs were offering their hunted prey to the fire—wolves, rabbits, deer, and even magical creatures like the Jackalope, the Bicorne, and the Burrowing Mink...
“I can’t, Harry.” Newt sighed. “This is their way of life. It has been for centuries... Besides, centaurs are classified as magical beasts by their own choice.”
“Meaning they aren’t protected under wizarding law,” Harry concluded.
“Uh, you could put it that way,” Newt admitted. “Look, the ritual is officially beginning.”
The centaurs began chanting in their ancient tongue, their voices deep and resonant. As they moved around the fire, they bowed toward their offerings in reverence.
“They’re giving thanks for nature’s bounty and the sacrifices of their prey,” Newt whispered.
This ritual softened Harry’s hostility. At least it meant the centaurs weren’t just taking without thought—they understood gratitude and restraint.
Unlike the centaurs in his memories, who knew only war and pillaging.
The chant faded, and the centaurs turned as one to face the sky.
The night was clear, the stars bright and countless.
They stared in silence, unmoving.
“Ah, this I know,” Hagrid muttered. “Whenever I see centaurs in the Forbidden Forest, they’re always looking up—at the stars.”
Comments
Samuel S.
"it all matched! It all made sense!!!" Time for democrazy! 😘
