"Kill him! Kill Harry Potter!" Voldemort roared inside Quirrell's mind. His reasoning was clear: Quirrell was in the Forbidden Forest now, and once he killed Harry Potter, he could escape straight through the forest.
Once Harry, his greatest threat, was eliminated, it would hardly matter even if Quirrell died here.
Quirrell immediately swung his wand toward the slight figure in the air. "Avada Kedavra!"
A streak of green light tore through the air, bathing everything in green. Harry's pupils contracted, and he shoved his broom handle down. The Nimbus 2000 plunged like a startled bird, barely skimming the crown of a fir tree. The deadly curse struck the trunk of an ancient tree behind him.
"You despicable wizard! Die!" the Brownish-Yellow Centaur roared, seizing the opening to draw his longbow to its full span. An arrow shot from the string, aimed straight at Quirrell's throat.
Centaurs did not use wands and knew few spells, but they excelled at specialized healing magic, divination, astronomy, and archery. Almost all centaurs used bows and arrows to attack.
Centaurs specialized in archery, and this arrow had been loosed in fury. It flew with tremendous force, swift as lightning, making even Quirrell's heart sink.
As it hurtled toward him, Quirrell had no choice but to turn back and defend himself. "Impedimenta!"
The arrow seemed to strike an invisible barrier, its speed abruptly dropping. Quirrell hit it with another spell, blasting it to pieces.
But in that instant of distraction, the other two centaurs who had fallen into the pit struggled out. Though covered in dirt and wounds, they raised their weapons again.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Two feathered arrows flew at him from different angles. Quirrell rolled awkwardly out of the way, firing spell after spell. "Reducto!"
A flash of red light exploded in the clearing in