Led by the two centaurs, Lewis crossed a lush green hillside and arrived at a vast, secluded valley.
At the valley's entrance, Ronan and Firenze stopped.
Firenze suddenly let out a series of sharp whistles.
At once, the surrounding bushes trembled, and several centaurs of varying appearances emerged. Bane was among them. Their sudden appearance startled Lewis.
For a moment, it felt like the classic scene of hidden warriors leaping out from behind screens, ready to chop him into pieces.
Fortunately, there were no three thousand centaurs—and no blades.
Instead, the centaurs split into two lines, bent their front legs, lowered their proud heads, and bowed their upper bodies, as if saluting someone of higher status.
A particularly imposing centaur stepped forward. He had golden-red hair and a matching beard, his human half striking and dignified, while his lower body was a gleaming reddish-brown horse with a long red tail.
Lewis gave him a quick once-over.
Centaur men really were handsome… no wonder Firenze would one day captivate so many young witches.
Though he hadn't yet seen any female centaurs—he couldn't help but wonder how they looked.
Firenze and Ronan immediately bowed as well, placing a hand over their chests. The red-haired centaur acknowledged them with a nod.
Then Firenze stepped forward and whispered something to him.
The centaur leader turned his gaze toward Lewis.
"Welcome, Lewis Green. I am Magris, chieftain of the centaurs. The stars have foretold our meeting," he said, his voice strong and resonant. "Firenze has told me of what you did for the unicorn. It is an honor to meet you."
His tone was warm—but Lewis frowned slightly.
Centaurs were famously aloof.
They disliked involving themselves in wizard affairs, preferring isolation despite their mastery of healing, divination, archery, and astronomy.
They were proud—so proud, in fact, that they rejected the Ministry of Magic's classification system, choosing to be labeled as "beasts" rather than share the same category as hags or vampires.
Even the Ministry's Centaur Liaison Office existed in name only—no centaur would ever use it.
And yet now, their leader was treating him with such respect.
Respect like this always came with a price.
Lewis didn't feel flattered—he felt wary.
He dismounted Lurue, bowed politely, and got straight to the point.
"Respected chieftain, what is it you wish for me to do?"
He had no intention of playing a stargazing guessing game.
Behind Magris, Bane snorted in displeasure, stamping the ground.
But a simple gesture from Magris silenced him instantly.
Clearly, the chieftain held absolute authority.
"We do require your help," Magris admitted calmly. "After you saved the unicorn—Lurue, as you named her—the stars shifted. According to our readings, you possess the power to change the fate of our people."
Again with this "changing fate" nonsense.
Hearing it repeated so many times, even Lewis almost started believing it himself.
Change the centaurs' fate?
Since when?
His gaze drifted to his pouch.
Ever since arriving near the centaur territory, the Scholar's Moonstone inside had been surging with energy.
"…Perhaps your divinations are accurate," Lewis said slowly, "but I don't know what power I possess that could help you."
He remained cautious.
Helping Lurue had already been a calculated risk—helping an entire centaur tribe was another matter entirely.
"I understand," Magris said with a faint smile. "We can glimpse fragments of the future, but not its details. Still, the stars tell us this: once the one of destiny arrives in our tribe, everything will fall into place."
He gestured toward the valley.
"Why not come with us? We will offer you hospitality. You may rest, eat, and leave whenever you wish."
Stay briefly, have a meal, and leave freely?
Lewis considered it.
It didn't sound dangerous.
He glanced at Lurue, who tugged lightly at his sleeve, clearly wanting to follow.
Magris noticed and nodded generously.
"Of course. Our unicorn friend is welcome as well."
After a moment's thought, Lewis agreed.
"Very well."
"Then come, honored guest."
Magris raised his hand, signaling the others to prepare.
Lewis had been active all night—fighting Voldemort, running through the forest, traveling from the unicorn nest to the centaur territory.
Even riding Lurue hadn't erased his exhaustion.
And berries alone weren't nearly enough to fill his stomach.
He was curious, too—what kind of food would centaurs serve? Surely it couldn't be worse than British cuisine.
As they moved forward, following a stream that led toward the Black Lake, they passed through thorny thickets and entered the heart of the valley.
Lewis's eyes lit up.
Before him lay the centaur settlement.
Within a ring of wooden fences stood clusters of conical tents, made from wood and hides. A few stone structures were scattered among them.
The tents were decorated with colorful patterns, feathers, flowers, and vines, giving the entire place a raw, primitive beauty.
Young centaurs ran and played freely, while the adults watched Lewis—the two-legged outsider—with curiosity and caution.
Only after Magris approached did they relax.
The foals, however, were less restrained.
They continued playing, some even approaching Lurue out of curiosity—until they noticed Lewis and ran back, hiding behind the adults while peeking at him.
Lewis, in turn, observed everything carefully.
Wizards and centaurs were both proud races, and that pride had kept them from truly understanding one another.
Very few wizards had ever studied centaur society in depth.
To Lewis, this place felt mysterious—
and irresistibly fascinating.
Chapter 68: The Stone Circle
The feast did not begin immediately.
Before that, Firenze guided Lewis through the centaur settlement.
The centaurs continued their daily tasks—
weaving, drying herbs, preparing to head out—
but all eyes turned toward the boy as he passed.
For the first time, Lewis finally saw female centaurs.
Their lifestyle resembled that of a primitive tribe:
males hunted, patrolled, and defended;
females gathered, crafted, and handled food.
It explained why Lewis had never seen them before—
they simply didn't take part in patrols.
The female centaurs had human upper bodies like women, more slender and refined than the males, yet still carrying powerful, wild musculature.
They wore their long hair in braids, often adorned with feathers, bells, and wizard-style ornaments.
Surprisingly, they also wore clothing on their upper bodies—
contrary to the common wizard belief that centaurs didn't wear clothes at all.
But it made sense.
They were intelligent beings, influenced by human culture over time.
Firenze explained, "Some of our ancestors believed armor was cowardly… but if it saves lives, then it has value."
"At least against Acromantulas," Ronan added, "it protects against their venomous fangs."
Bane snorted. "But noisy ornaments will get hunters killed."
As they talked, they reached the center of the settlement.
There stood a massive tent, richly decorated, guarded by two centaurs.
And before it—
a vast stone circle.
The stones, each over a meter tall, formed four or five concentric rings around a central pillar.
Each stone bore unique carvings, with the central one the most intricate of all.
"May I take a closer look?" Lewis asked.
"This is our sacred site," Firenze said. "A place of ritual and stargazing. But as our honored guest—you may enter."
"Thank you. I won't disturb anything."
He patted Lurue gently, signaling her to wait outside, then stepped into the circle alone.
He wasn't here out of curiosity.
He ignored the surrounding stones entirely and walked straight toward the center.
The Scholar's Moonstone in his pouch had been reacting violently ever since he approached.
Now, it pulsed like a heartbeat.
Lewis was almost certain—
this stone circle, like the one in the Moonstone garden, was a relic of ancient druids.
Perhaps even connected to the origins of centaurs themselves.
Standing before the central stone, he saw it—
a half-spherical indentation.
The exact size of the Moonstone.
Coincidence?
Not a chance.
Without hesitation,
Lewis took out the Moonstone—
and pressed it into the slot.
The moment it clicked into place—
the world changed.
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