The Forbidden Forest
In which Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Draco serve the scariest detention ever.
For being out of line up in the off-limits highest tower and getting caught by Filch, Harry and Hermione have to serve a detention. Even worse, Neville got caught trying to warn them that Malfoy was tattling on them, and he got caught too. Even worse, they lost 150 points for being out of bed after hours and everyone hates them. The silver lining to this predicament, I guess, is that Malfoy got caught trying to bust them.
At one point McGonagall says, "I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?" (243) I think she said that based on what she knew of James and the other Marauders, thinking that Harry would be the same as his father, and I think it was an unfair assumption on her part. Harry is like James in a lot of ways, but I think he also inherited Lily's softer, compassionate touch.
For the next few days, Harry is talked about and hated by all Gryffindors, except for Neville, Hermione, and Ron. Get used to it, Harry. If no one else, Neville, Hermione, and Ron will be a part of the small faction of people you find you can trust in coming years. You'll even start to doubt Dumbledore, but you'll always trust Neville, Ron, and Hermione.
A little bit of irony: they serve their detention after hours in the forbidden forest (key word: forbidden), even though they were all caught for being in a forbidden part of the castle after hours. Though Filch despises the punishments they give these damn'd spoilt rotten cretins, at least the gang gets to serve their detention with Hagrid. Even when he's not spilling crucial plot details left and right, he's still a great guy. Their mission: find dead unicorn.
Whilst frolicking through the forest of mystery, the gang runs into a centaur. Centaurs don't play a huge roll in the books, but they do play an important one. And something tells me that "Mars is bright tonight," (253) isn't just a mysterious observation on the weather. Mars is the bringer of war. Maybe it was in reference to the fight between Voldemort and Harry (spoiler alert—coming up in one chapter), or maybe it was a hint at the war to come. The second wizarding war. If J.K. Rowling mentions something twice in a chapter, it's probably important.
Harry stumbles across something important when he travels deeper into the forest and finds the dead unicorn. A not-human, not-animal being swoops down upon it and drinks the silver blood. And Harry's scar burns badly. Get used to that, too, Harry. Scar = Voldemort. Luckily the centaur, Firenze saves Harry before anything terrible happens. And a little more about the meaning of the unicorn blood is revealed. Basically, if Voldemort gets his hands on the stone, Harry faces the same fate as the unicorn.
In slightly happier news, Harry gets his cloak back. Dumbldore, you goober.
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