Then...
A scream echoed around the grounds of Hogwarts. Then silence. Buckbeak reared up, kicked out his sharp taloned feet and flapped his large wings. "Kill the creature!" Walden Macnair exclaimed. Buckbeak too strong for his ropes broke free and flew toward the forest. Heavy hooves thundered across the forest as Eskandar followed the call of the Hippogriff, he recognised that sound from anywhere. He skidded to a stop as he met the grey half-horse creature in the clearing. His panicking wild stare confirmed his worst nightmares. The scream was hers, Winifred was dead.

He walked closer, his barefooted hooves stomped against the earth, his tail swished in agitation and gently rubbed Buckbeaks snout. "Take me to her," he bit back the tears that strangled his vocal cords. He followed desperately behind, the pair reached the treeline where he stopped and waited for the three figures to disappear into Hagrid's house. As soon as the door slammed shut and the bolt slid across the door Eskandar and Buckbeak emerged, they kept as quiet as they could. He trotted to her final resting place, the pumpkin patch, so many happy summer memories now turned to black and white in his mind the warmth too.

When he reached her he swore he saw her twitch but it was only caused by the wind. He wanted to her get back up, to say she fooled him but no. She remained silent and lay where she fell, he collapsed with a thud, strong legs weakened by the sight of her lifelessness. The earth giving way under his weight. His quiver rattled on his back and the silver pendant she made herself for him encasing his favourite stone tinged against the buckle that crossed over his lean chest. Buckbeak nudged her with his beak and called to her softly. He picked up her small frame in his arms and hugged her to his chest. His tears fell uncontrollably and onto the smashed pumpkin that broke her fall.

She was cold, something he refused to accept. "I will find a way to bring you back, I promise," he said as he rose slowly, delicately balancing her in his arms. Buckbeak reared and called loudly, perhaps a little too loudly as the executioner, Walden and Hagrid emerged. Both creatures spooked.

"Looks like we've got a double execution!" Walden exclaimed, Eskandar looked at Buckbeak and placed her body onto his back.

"Take her back to the others," he told him. The Hippogriff bowed before carefully taking off-balancing her on his back. Eskandar pulled an arrow from his quiver and loaded his bow.

"No. Don't!" Hagrid exclaimed, he lowered his bow for a few moments.

"See, Centaurs can listen," Walden mocked him, with that he loosed the arrow into the man's shoulder. The executioner charged Eskandar, he turned and used his powerful back legs to kick him back into Hagrids prized pumpkin.

"Not that pumpkin!" he exclaimed. With a trail of dust, Eskandar was gone and galloping deep into the belly of the dark woods, he spooked a suckling unicorn who jumped and hid behind its mother whose ears pinned with aggravation. As soon as he reached their camp, he found her laid on glowing moss in the middle of it. Sad glassy eyes surrounded him, they were all trained on her. The one being who cared for them and the world around them, their protector against the modern world. He collapsed again and covered his face with his hands.

"I should have been there for her," he sobbed, a dapple grey bodied female slowly approached him from behind and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"There was nothing you could do, they would have killed you too," she said. The rest of the centaurs gathered around the black-bodied centaur and his fallen mate. He gently took her pale hand in his and kissed her knuckles, if only he could feel her touch his cheek one last time and chuckle at the warm grin she used to give him after they did something they shouldn't have. It was all gone now. His heart was shattered, he could feel the broken pieces floating around in his chest. However, luck was on his side. A centaur with a dark purple body and black feathers emerged from the group.

"Do you wish for her to be returned to you?" she asked.

"More than anything," he sobbed looking up at her through liquid crystal tears.

"Since you saved my life from who shall not be named I owe you this. Bring her to the lake," she instructed. He nodded, a thick black braid tied off with a bead she too made him slipped from behind his ear and swung into view. He picked up her freezing body and took her to the lake not far from the camp and placed her down onto the Sorceress' deer skin rug. She placed one hand in the water and one on top of her heart. She began to chant, the water glowed and travelled her arm, across her shoulders and down the other to dissipate into her chest, it took several attempts but after the third, she took a breath and stared up at the sky with new eyes. As her gaze landed on Eskandar she leapt up and wrapped her small arms around his warm chest. Together they cried, he pressed her into his chest he never wanted to let her go again.

                                                                                        💀💀

Now...

Winifred and Eskandar sat in the pumpkin patch, the dead and broken ones removed a long time ago. She sat against his belly, her notebook lifted to the sun-blocking its warm rays from her eyes she had left her sunglasses in Eskandars other pouch. He flicked his tail and a few tapped against the leather of her combat boot.

"You and your clan have enough food for the winter?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, she ticked it off in her notebook. "You don't need to worry about us." She placed her book down and laid her head against his back.

"Yes I do," she replied and rested her hand along his back and scratched his spine, like a dog his back leg began to move. "I don't know if what is affecting the Thestrals can be transferred to you."

"I thought you said it was just a disease transferred through their species?" he asked.

"Yes, but I've seen this kind of thing before with black magic," she replied and played with the horsehair bracelet around her wrist, which was made from hair from his tail and a metal horseshoe hung in the middle.

"When is Hagrids next class?" he asked.

"Relax, we have time," she said and picked up her book again. However, heavy footsteps interrupted them.

"I hope you two aren't ruining my newly planted seeds?" he asked, they both looked at each other and chuckled.

"No," Winifred replied.

"How are you feeling now?" Hagrid asked sitting in front of the resting pair. Eskandar shuffled uncomfortably.

"Like I was never dead," she replied.

"Well, you weren't for long..." Eskandar interrupted him.

"Can we please not talk about this, my heart can't take it," he said and hauled himself up, Winifred was unprepared and fell backwards.

"Eskandar!" she exclaimed. He huffed and helped her off the floor. He knelt down, hugged her and left leaving just Winifred and Hagrid alone.

"Centaurs, they can be moody," he said. "Let's get ready the first of the classes will be arriving soon."