Her Romp with Centaurs

ScreamGuy: Thanks for all your reivews. I am very glad you find it hilarious as that was my aim in telling the story…I took out the exaggerated bits with the kittens. You are right, I was getting away with myself there.


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Chapter Four: A Divination Ceremony


Night descended fully upon the forest now so that it was as dark as a raven. The herding ground culminated into a nefarious display, centaurs growing wild. Maybe it was the yellow alcohol or it could just be the excitement of having the human in there midst.

Bane gathered Umbridge in his arms and planted her in the center of their congregating group. She landed with a thump on a stump where she could sit and watch.

In silent horror, Umbridge watched the centaurs converge upon her. She wondered if they were going to attack her. Her hands had a death grip on the stump, with the woman's large posterior curving over it.

She watched in increasing trepidation as the centaurs began to paw at the ground at once. She was dazzled by their activity, as they rotated around her. Music started playing, an ominous drumbeat sounding from somewhere. Umbridge looked around in terror for the source but could not place it.

Umbridge screamed. A ball of fire erupted from a red-coloured centaur. The centaur somehow manipulated through magic emanating from his limbs the fireball to spread in a circle around Umbridge’s stump. She moaned in misery, knowing there was no way she would sneak out now. Everyone could see her stuck in the very center, hot flames scorching her face and making her sweat. Her fat visage turned as pink as her long-lost cardigan.

The centaurs picked up the pace as the lone warrior-sounding drum picked up the beat. Soon their limbs were whirling in the circle with freedom of movement, a kind of dance.

This dance went on for several moments. A scent began to drift over the herding ground – it smelled like flowers and honey with a mix of something dark in it. It was mellow sweet incense being burned. As the scent exuded towards the centaurs, mixing with the fire’s smoke, the centaurs began to dance faster. So fast it became a gallop and they opened their mouths, making weird laughing noises that sounded primitive, still.

Umbridge finally spoke. She yelled over the din, “What? You’re laughing at me! You’re laughing at me!”

A hard-faced gray centaur nudged Umbridge, pausing in his participation in the ritual. He said harshly to Umbridge, face inches from hers “In a manner of speaking we are. But this laughter is talk. Intelligent talk in a universal language, one you humans have never understood!”

“What about? What is it you’re saying?” Snapped Umbridge irritably. Despite the cacophony of the laughter, she looked like a person straining to hear. She was trying to make sense of it all, trying to find a way to categorize this in her mind.

“It is about you,” answered the centaur. And then he returned to the ceremony. Umbridge lurched in dismay and confusion to hear that it was about her. It seemed to only frighten her more.

The universal language continued to trill from the centaurs, each voice contributing the same uniform beauty. It was a form of Divination called Geloscopy. The centaurs practiced it with an infectious laughter, a laughter of truth. It was deep truths that Umbridge could not stand to hear. She kept her hands over her ears, humming madly.

Finally, a centaur announced in regular speech, “Let us ask Safyph if he has consulted the stars!”

The centaurs all turned around suddenly, Safyph; unmistakable with the longest beard was hobbling towards the circle. He hobbled for long ago he was wounded badly in a dispute with another faraway centaur tribe. Respectfully, the centaurs parted. One centaur extinguished the fire with a flick of his hands.

Safyph spoke in clear English. “My sons, I have watched the stars and as I did so, I interpreted the patterns of the mellow sweet smoke…I have come to my conclusion. Let me explain and then if any object, they may offer their rebuttal.”

Safyph threw his head back and looked towards the stars, he took a deep breath, clearly priming himself for a long-winded oration.

“My sons, we stand at the threshold of a great outcome between the tides of good and evil setting upon us now….”

Many of the centaurs raised their lanky necks to the heavens, as if giving homage to their gods. Their black eyes shone through the darkness, reflecting the darkness back into them with the depthless intensity of their gaze.

Like a great philosopher, the wise centaur continued his speech, “The force that pervades the world of the living, the world of which we reside gives all the company we need. This force, the source of all magic and nature has revealed to me tonight the truth concerning the woman. Her fate….She shall be critically significant to what plays out in this world…”

“How is this so?” slowly asked a deep-throated centaur, who still sounded objective. Yet the other centaurs glanced at Umbridge with mixtures of skepticism and dislike.

Safyph broke his gaze at the heavens to look on at his family. “The ever present, greater universal power…has conveyed to me her deeds. Du-Dolunas Umbirch…”

But Safyph was rudely interrupted by Umbridge herself squawking, “Dolores Umbridge!”

Instantly, two centaurs invaded her bit of space between them and the stump she reposed on. They roared warningly, “Be quiet, woman!”

Umbridge did not speak, but nervously sputtered at the two centaurs before her. She cowered back on her stump, feeling cold, as she was of course, still naked.

Safyph sighed and continued with even more sagacity. “As I was saying…Dolores Jane Um-Umbridge shall be responsible for many deaths. My sons, it shall not involve our race. So I urge you to see the truth! It is best we not interfere…”

Bane shook his fist zealously and waved it at Umbridge down below. He ranted, “Then we will kill her! Kill her for her injustice and for any abuse of power she is guilty of! If we do, surely less will die!”

Before Safyph could formulate his slow, but thoughtful answer, Roran broke into the argument. “We must not! The Umbridge woman is fated to persecute other beings and creatures….But she will not target us Bane!” What Safyph was saying was true. Within the next couple of years Dolores Umbridge would serve on the Muggle-born Registration Commission, sending thousands of witches and wizards to the dementors and their eventual deaths.

Bane rallied at once and clomped over to Roran. He swung a punch to Roran’s broad sternum. A bruise would be there later. “How do we know she will not effect our race? This one, or another of the blasted humans could be the one who exterminates us, Roran!”

Safyph finally spoke, chastising his disputing sons, “Peace Bane. Roran, I have the answer. My sons, peace. There is a solution to this. One we will resolve without violence amongst each other!

Bane retreated from Roran’s space and hung his head with mixtures of shame and defeat. “Dolores Umbridge must die of her own doing. For we must follow tradition. Tradition dictates we do not interfere with human lives…If we do now, I guarantee humans will restrict our herding grounds even more. For they will not be happy we killed one of their leaders…So it is written in the stars….”

“What will we do Safyph?” asked a red-bearded centaur.

“To stay neutral we will leave her to die alone in our forest. Tonight we shall move to our herding ground beyond the mountains. The blame for our harm of a human may not be directed at us….I shall not let it happen! My sons, let us go now. We have all the provisions we need, our bows and arrows are all the protection required for the journey. So let us leave for the other home.”

Umbridge screamed. Magorian had picked up Umbridge. She trembled in a voice of terror, “Where are you taking me?!”

“Where shall we leave her to die, Safyph?” asked Magorian curiously.

“I know just the place, my sons. It is well secluded in the forest. It is unlikely her race could ever find her!”

“Good!“ said Bane heartily. The others assented to this, cheering triumphantly. The more than fifty centaurs filed out of their herding ground, Safyph leading the way.


*


A little while later, Magorian released Umbridge from his grip. He shoved her against a bald tree trunk. His hairy, thick arms had a rope in them and with it, he tied her to the tree, his brawny arms making the rope as taut as it would go. It would be impossible for Umbridge to break free of the bonds. Especially since she was incapable of practicing magic, as she hadn’t a wand anymore. There was no chance for escape at all.

The other centaurs crowded and watched Magorian pay the last bit of attention to Umbridge. Magorian smiled at the woman as she begged for mercy. “No! No! Please! I’ll do anything! Don’t leave me! Not here! Not here!”

Magorian did not respond but continued to smile as he tightened the cords around her pelvis. Magorian felt a sense of sweet revenge at getting back at Umbridge for tying himself up before when she had had her wand.

“We leave you to starve woman,” was all Magorian said.

“I suggest you remain quiet or some other beast will come by to eat you!” murmured another unidentified centaur in the darkness. The centaurs chuckled at this remark, their neighing laughter ringing.

Umbridge listened quietly in a shocked daze of denial, hearing the centaurs clomping away. Their hoof beats, pounded the earthen floor, until it echoed away into nothingness. The herd climbed the mountains, a couple of miles outside Hogsmeade village. They would cross over the mountains and rivers, arriving at their alternative herding ground.

And Dolores Umbridge remained tied to a tree, deep under a hollow glen, deep in the Forbidden Forest. She sobbed and sobbed as felt the silent darkness envelope her. She felt like she was surrounded by death, for not a being stirred within this lonely void except for her. She would wait until the dawn, and then maybe she would have the courage to scream until something found her. For now she sobbed like a wounded animal, a whimpering kitten.


Note: Please review! There will be only one more update. The last update will not have the centaurs.