Chapter 86: CH 81 : Journey to the Forbidden Forest
Under Hagrid's guidance, the two followed him into the Forbidden Forest. As they strolled, Hagrid inquired, "What's today's agenda?"
"Today we can etch our hearts. We've built enough trust now. After the etching, we'll be bound," Harry declared.
"What's the soul etching?" Draco eyed them both skeptically.
"An ancient spell for taming dragons," Harry explained succinctly.
"Alright," Draco nodded, already feeling out of his depth. Soon, his initial excitement was overshadowed by the foreboding atmosphere of the Forbidden Forest, causing even his steps to falter, all driven by the desire to encounter the dragon.
Suddenly, he collided with Hagrid's form. As he regained his senses, he noticed a more solemn expression on both Hagrid and Harry's faces.
"There's a scent of blood!" Harry remarked.
Hagrid knelt down, bringing the oil lamp closer. Harry raised his hand and intoned, "Lumos!"
Instantly, a soft glow illuminated the forest. They immediately spotted hoofprints in the dirt.
"Hoofprints?! Are centaurs on the hunt?" Harry speculated, but noticed Hagrid's flushed face. He shook his head gravely. "It's not a centaur, it's a unicorn!"
"Unicorn, are you injured?"
"Yes," Hagrid confirmed, following the trail of hoofprints with his lantern. He appeared anxious. "I hope it's not him..."
"No, it can't be," Harry dismissed. "Logically speaking, Norbert would never leave that area without my permission."
Despite their assurances, both felt a pang of nervousness. If Norbert had indeed harmed the unicorn, it would be a grave matter.
With these thoughts in mind, the group hastened forward along the trail of hoofprints. Before long, they discovered silvery streaks as bright as moonlight on a stone.
It was unicorn blood.
"Bark bark!" Yaya barked anxiously ahead, accompanied by the scent of blood and rustling noises.
They hurried their pace, finding more and more bloodstains. Draco's complexion mirrored the silver hue of the blood as he gazed at the two figures ahead.
He snorted, as if to bolster his resolve, and followed suit.
Passing a small rise ahead, he was immediately struck by the sight of a pure white form sprawled on the muddy ground. He had never witnessed anything so beautiful yet tragic.
Thankfully, it wasn't dead. Its once graceful limbs were now twisted unnaturally, its mane splayed across the dark fallen leaves like pearls.
In the dense canopy of the Forbidden Forest, there was no moonlight. Yet, inexplicably, the moonlight seemed to emanate from the fallen creature.
And...the figure in black robes looming over the unicorn, nibbling at it.
It wasn't the dragon they had initially suspected, but something else... Could it be a werewolf?!
The thought sent a shiver down Draco's spine, yet before he could react, Hagrid, beside him, intervened, forcefully snapping a tree as thick as a barrel.
"How dare you! Come to Hogwarts and commit such an atrocity!" Hagrid roared furiously, charging forth and swinging the broken tree trunk.
"Who?!" The figure, hunched like a beast, lifted its head, its voice hoarse and low, its face splattered with the unicorn's silver-white blood.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry exclaimed, aiming his wand at the figure.
It's human! Only then did Draco realize.
Unfortunately, the figure was agile, evading both Hagrid's assault and Harry's spell.
"Stand still and freeze!" Another curse followed swiftly, blocking his escape route. However, to everyone's surprise, his body transformed into billowing black mist and soared upward.
Simultaneously, Harry felt a searing pain in his scar, as if it were searing into his brain and delving into the depths of his soul.
"It's Harry Potter..." a voice emanated from the hovering figure.
Holding back the intense pain, Harry formed a ring with his fingers, placing it under his tongue, and let out a piercing whistle that echoed throughout the Forbidden Forest.
Before long, a dragon the size of a small house emerged from the dense foliage.
"Attack!" Harry commanded, gesturing with both hands towards the black shadow.
Without hesitation, Norbert aimed at the black mist, unleashing a torrent of flames from his jaws. The black shadow was engulfed in the blaze.
"A dragon?! How is there a dragon here?!" The man panicked. "Can this be hatched?!"
"Go!" Harry ordered.
"But master, the unicorn..."
"That's enough... Dumbledore will take notice..."
With that, the black figure ascended into the sky, engulfed in flames, and vanished.
"Bloody hell!" Hagrid bellowed at the sky. With a wave of his hand, the hefty tree trunk soared into the air like a javelin. Unfortunately, this attack proved futile.
It was the first time Harry had witnessed Hagrid in such a fury. It was evident that it stemmed from the injured unicorn.
"Hagrid, that's enough! He's escaped," Harry said, clutching his throbbing forehead. "Look at the unicorn, it's still alive!"
Awakening from his fury, Hagrid hastened to the unicorn's side. Harry placed a reassuring hand on Draco's shoulder as they approached the wounded creature.
The unicorn lay dying, a gaping hole torn into its abdomen, its flesh and blood exposed to the air, even its internal organs visible.
Draco appeared deeply unsettled, his body still trembling. Harry, having undergone similar scenes during Snape's rigorous training, approached calmly and retrieved a vial of white essence from his pocket.
"Here, Hagrid."
"Oh my God, thank goodness. Harry, it's fortunate you brought these." Hagrid accepted them hastily.
"To think that guy was eating unicorn meat?!" Harry inquired gravely. Despite his desensitization to such scenes, the man's actions stirred disgust within him.
"Administer its blood." After treating the unicorn with the white essence, Hagrid gently lifted it, tears brimming in his eyes. "There, there, it's all over now."
Upon hearing his words, the unicorns grew still, closing their eyes as if seeking peaceful slumber in Hagrid's embrace.
"Hagrid, I believe this must be reported to Dumbledore."
"I understand," Hagrid nodded solemnly. "But who could that guy be?!"
"Quirrell!" Harry asserted.
"What?!" Draco exclaimed.
Harry nodded, his forehead throbbing once more, reminiscent of the sensation he felt at the Hogwarts opening ceremony.
At that time, only Hagrid, Felix, Snape, and Quirrell were present, with Quirrell notably having his back turned to Harry.
Hagrid and Felix were implausible suspects, as Hagrid had assisted Dumbledore in retrieving the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape had already been ruled out.
That left only Quirrell, who had displayed peculiar behavior and had even been frightened by the troll, a topic of discussion among Slytherin seniors.
"Truly?" Draco stared at Harry in disbelief. Upon receiving the likely answer, his complexion paled.
Mocking Quirrell... he had done so frequently.
...
On the eighth floor of the castle, Dumbledore watched the dark figure return to the castle through the window before turning his attention to two letters on the table.
One was from the Ministry of Magic.
The Ministry intended to investigate Hogwarts based on a report alleging that Dumbledore was harboring high-risk magical creatures within the castle.
Included in the inquiry was a document concerning last year's Halloween troll incident and - Felix Jones.
Dumbledore stood before the table, pondering for a moment before picking up the quill with a touch of mischief and appending "Illegal breeding of fire dragons" to the previous letter.
He wagered it wouldn't be long before the fire dragon became a focal point of the investigation.
Thus, he preemptively filled it in.
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