Brothers of the Centaurs

Chapter 22: Brothers of the Centaurs

Night fell, and the centaurs held a feast in the central square of their tribe to thank Charles for saving Twilight.

The centaurs' menu far exceeded Charles's imagination. The table was laden with gathered fruits, roasted golden mushrooms, boiled leafy greens that looked edible, and surprisingly, boiled eggs!

Only adult centaurs working in defense and hunting were allowed to eat eggs. Older children like Twilight, who worked in gathering, could eat them if they worked hard enough.

They also had wine brewed from fruits. Charles took one sip and stopped; there were too many impurities, and he was sure to have a headache the next day.

So, he took out his stock of Happy Water from his Bag of Holding.

At first, the Great Elder, Ronan, and Twilight looked at the bubbling liquid in the cups and thought it was some kind of potion. After taking a sip, the situation got a little out of control.

After drinking a cup of Happy Water, Ronan slumped over the table and wailed, wishing his own child who had met with misfortune could have drunk such a delicious beverage.

Twilight took a small sip and immediately ran off to share it with the other younglings.

As for the Great Elder, he was already dancing, giving thanks to the stars for the deliciousness.

When Twilight came to ask him if he had any more, Charles brought out his entire stock to share with the other centaurs.

A grizzled old fellow named Bane, after finishing two bottles of Happy Water, came over and clapped Charles on the shoulder, saying, "If anyone bullies my brother here at Hogwarts, bring them to the Forbidden Forest. I'll make sure they regret it!"

Ronan came over and asked if his next child could also be named Charles.

Finally, the Great Elder declared, "Charles is our two-legged brother!"

Charles felt a little intimidated by the situation, not expecting the centaurs to go so wild for Happy Water.

After the entire tribe calmed down, everyone continued eating.

Charles noticed that all the remaining Happy Water was eventually taken by adult centaurs like Ronan and Bane.

The Great Elder, alternating between sips of Happy Water and bites of roasted mushrooms, said to Charles, "Sweetness represents strength. With strength, one can survive. In the Forbidden Forest, the only sweet things are some fruits and honey, which are very precious."

Charles, also eating roasted mushrooms, said after hearing him, "Great Elder, I don't understand everyone's traditions and customs. If I say anything wrong, please point it out, and I will correct it."

The Great Elder nodded.

Charles carefully asked, "Do you trade with... Hogwarts? For example, exchanging herbs for sweet candies?"

The Great Elder said slowly, "I understand what you mean. We only exchange goods with trusted friends, like Dumbledore and Hagrid. If you have something, you can also trade with us."

Charles asked again, "What if those goods are made by Muggles?"

The Great Elder replied, "Muggles and wizards both have two legs."

Charles understood. The centaurs likely had their own rather stubborn traditions and customs. The pressure of survival had probably made their bottom lines more flexible.

He thought about Bane and Ronan opposite him. In his "memories," these two had been furious because Firenze had let Harry sit on his back. Now, with the possibility of obtaining more sweet water to replenish their strength, they remained silent.

Charles thought it made sense. The hatred for a father's killer and the grief for a child's death could make humans pay a great price. What was a little flexibility in their principles for the centaurs?

He pondered for a moment and then asked, "What supplies do you need most right now?"

The Great Elder replied, "Sweet and salty things, preferably food."

Bane immediately added, "And preferably sharp arrowheads."

Ronan nodded.

Charles thought about it. Procuring food wouldn't be difficult, and arrowheads or even entire arrows could be custom-made. The problem was transportation.

Although he could ask the old man for help, Dumbledore would surely find out. If the old man's identity were revealed, Voldemort himself would visit Privet Drive No. 4 during the holidays with fruit and tea.

After much deliberation, Charles finally decided to ask Dumbledore for help. Who else had such connections?

He thought of another question and asked cautiously, "Forgive my presumption, but do you grow crops?"

Judging by the table, the centaurs probably raised chickens, but other food was gathered.

Bane frowned, suppressing his anger, and said unhappily, "We won't plow fields like mules!"

"Sorry, I was too abrupt." Charles immediately apologized sincerely, finally understanding their sensitive point.

The centaurs didn't want to be treated like mules or livestock, so they refused tasks like carrying loads or plowing fields.

This was likely because they had been enslaved by wizards in the past, making them sensitive to such matters.

"What if it's not plowing?" Charles asked cautiously again. "For example, throwing pumpkin seeds on the ground like trash in the spring, and then discovering a patch of ripe pumpkins in the fall."

This time, it wasn't just Bane; even Ronan, the Great Elder, and the centaurs nearby were stunned. Mules couldn't do something as careless as throwing things around.

Charles let them process this internally for a moment before saying, "I can provide you with sugar and salt. What kind of staple food do you want?"

The Great Elder said, "We want oats. Preferably a little olive oil. It would be even better if we could have some axes, saws, hammers, nails, and pots."

Charles noted everything down one by one and then said, "I'll bring some samples over in a while for everyone to see which ones are suitable."

At this point, the Great Elder said, "Thank you very much. You can take any of the herbs from our warehouse as you wish."

Charles smiled and said, "You're welcome, we're family."

"I have something I'd like to ask."

He saw many glowing plants here that were not in his "memories." One looked a bit like a night-blooming cereus, its petals closed during the day and emitting a red light when it bloomed at night. Another type had clusters of flowers that looked like a cluster of stars.

There were many others, in various colors, planted in front of and behind houses as streetlights. Some were planted in wooden pots and could be taken home.

He asked the Great Elder if he could take some back to plant. The Great Elder said to just say how many he wanted, and they would have the foals dig them up.

Charles was very happy and decided to plant some in his own plot of land when he had time. It would definitely be interesting.

It was just that the Great Elder was drinking Happy Water greedily as he spoke, and forgot to mention what to do if these "Dragon Fruits" bore fruit.

The Centaurs had no nightlife; after dinner, they all went home.

"Huh?" Charles blinked in surprise. "I'm staying at Twilight's place?"

Ronan said as a matter of course, "Yes, she's all alone at home now, so there's space."

Charles asked, "Can I stay at your place?"

"No," Bane replied. "Ronan is busy making foals at night now."

Charles scratched his head and said, "But Twilight is a girl."

The other Centaurs were stunned when they heard this, and then burst into laughter.

One Centaur uncle asked him, "How many legs do you have?"

Charles held up two fingers.

The Centaur uncle laughed and said, "Your legs are different from ours, so what are you worried about? Do you humans worry about sheep, which have more legs than you, or fish, which have no legs?"

Charles fell silent.

The simple Centaurs were deeply shaken.