Brothers of the Centaurs

Brothers of the Centaurs

As night fell, the centaurs held a feast in the square at the center of their tribe to thank Charles for saving Twilight.

The centaurs' menu far exceeded Charles's expectations. The table was covered with gathered fruits, golden-brown roasted mushrooms, boiled leaves that looked edible, and, to his surprise, even boiled eggs!

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

They also had fruit wine, but Charles stopped drinking after one sip. It contained too many impurities, and it would definitely give him 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 thought the bubbling liquid in the cups was some kind of potion. After taking a sip, things got a little out of control.

After drinking a cup of Happy Water, Ronan collapsed onto the table and wailed. If only the child who had been killed could have tasted such a delicious drink.

Twilight took a small sip, then immediately ran off to share it with the other children.

As for the Great Elder, he was already dancing there, thanking the stars for bringing him such deliciousness.

When Twilight came to ask whether there was any more, Charles brought out his entire stock and shared it with the other centaurs.

A bearded fellow named Bane downed two bottles of Happy Water, then came over and patted Charles on the shoulder. "If anyone bullies my brother in Hogwarts in the future, bring him to the Forbidden Forest. I'll make sure he regrets it!"

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

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

Charles grew a little timid at the sight of this. He had never expected the centaurs to go so crazy over Happy Water.

Once the whole tribe had calmed down, everyone continued eating.

Charles discovered that all the remaining Happy Water had been claimed by adult centaurs like Ronan and Bane.

The Great Elder took a sip of Happy Water and a bite of roasted mushroom, then said to Charles, "Sweet things represent strength. You need strength to survive. In the Forbidden Forest, the only sweet things are some fruits and honey. They're very precious."

Charles also ate a roasted mushroom. After hearing that, he said, "Great Elder, I don't know much about your traditions and customs. If I say anything wrong, please point it out. I'll correct myself."

The Great Elder nodded.

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

The Great Elder slowly replied, "I understand what you mean. We only exchange supplies with friends we trust, such as Dumbledore and Hagrid. If you have something, you can trade with us as well."

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

The Great Elder answered, "Muggles and wizards are both two-legged beings."

Charles understood. The centaurs probably had their own rather rigid traditions and customs, but the pressure of survival had made their bottom line more flexible.

Like his new brother Bane across from him and Ronan beside him, Charles "remembered" that the two had flown into a rage because Firenze had allowed Harry to sit on his back. Yet now, at the prospect of obtaining more sweet water to replenish their strength, neither of them said a word.

Charles thought about it and decided they had a point. The hatred of a murdered father and the grief of a murdered child were enough to make humans pay a great deal. There was nothing wrong with the centaurs making their bottom line a little more flexible.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What supplies do you need most right now?"

The Great Elder answered, "Sweet things and salty things. Food would be best."

Bane immediately added, "Sharp arrowheads would be best."

Ronan nodded.

Charles thought about it. Food would not be difficult to purchase, and arrowheads—or even complete arrows—could be custom-made. The problem was transportation.

Although he could ask the Old Man for help, Dumbledore would definitely find out about it. If the Old Man's identity were exposed, even Voldemort would bring two pounds of fruit and a tin of tea to 3 Privet Drive during every holiday.

After turning it over in his mind, Charles finally decided to ask Dumbledore for a solution. Who else had connections as wide-ranging as his?

Then he thought of another question and asked cautiously, "Forgive my bluntness, but do you grow crops?"

Judging from the table, the centaurs probably raised chickens, but all the other food had been gathered.

Bane's brow furrowed. He held back his anger and said unhappily, "We would never plow fields like mules!"

"Sorry, that was thoughtless of me." Charles immediately apologized sincerely, while also figuring out what had touched a nerve.

The centaurs did not want others to treat them like livestock such as mules, so they refused jobs like carrying things and plowing fields.

This was probably because wizards had once enslaved them as livestock, making them especially sensitive about such matters.

"What if it doesn't involve plowing?" Charles asked cautiously again. "For example, tossing pumpkin seeds onto the ground like trash in spring, then discovering a patch of ripe pumpkins in autumn."

This time, it was not only Bane. Ronan, the Great Elder, and the other centaurs nearby were all dumbfounded as well. Surely even a mule could not be incapable of throwing things around?

Charles gave them time to digest the idea before saying, "I can provide you with sugar and salt. What would you like as your staple food?"

The Great Elder said, "We want oats. Some olive oil would be best, too. And if we could have some axes, saws, hammers, nails, and pots, that would be even better."

Charles noted everything down one by one, then said, "I'll bring some samples over first in a while. You can see which ones suit you."

At that moment, the Great Elder said, "Thank you very much. You may take whatever herbs you like from our storeroom."

Charles smiled. "Don't mention it. We're family, after all."

"There's something I'd like to ask about."

He had seen quite a few glowing plants here that had not appeared in his "memories." One resembled an epiphyllum, closing its petals during the day and glowing red when it bloomed at night. Another grew in clusters of flowers that looked like bunches of stars.

There were even more besides those, in all sorts of colors. Some were planted in front of and behind the houses as streetlights, while others grew in wooden flowerpots and could be taken home.

He asked the Great Elder whether he could take some home to plant. The Great Elder told him to just say how many he wanted, and the foals would dig them up for him.

Charles was delighted. He decided to take some back and plant them in his own plot of land when he had time. It would certainly be interesting.

However, as the Great Elder spoke, he kept gulping down Happy Water and forgot to explain how to deal with the "dragon fruit" once it bore fruit.

The centaurs had no nightlife. After dinner, everyone returned to their own homes.

"Huh?" Charles was stunned. "I'm staying at Twilight's place?"

"Of course," Ronan said matter-of-factly. "She's the only one in her home, and there's room."

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

"No." Bane was the one who answered. "Ronan will be busy making a foal tonight."

Charles scratched his head. "But Twilight is a girl."

The other centaurs froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.

One of the centaur uncles 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 anyway, so what are you worried about? Or do humans mate with sheep that have more legs than you, and fish that don't have any?"

Charles fell silent.

The simple, honest centaurs had been profoundly shaken.