Bab 275: Chapter 275: Ambushed
Before leaving, Albert glanced back at the forest behind him and said to Hagrid, "Do Centaurs not differentiate between wizards and Muggles? Those guys prefer to be aloof and detached observers."
Hagrid, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks, looked at Albert, then surveyed their surroundings. He replied, "Centaurs aren't easy to get along with. It took me many years at Hogwarts to learn how to interact with them."
"I've looked up some information about Centaurs in the library. They're skilled in magical healing, divination, archery, and astronomy," Albert said. Since his encounter with the Centaurs, he had spent some time researching about them. These creatures would rather be classified as beasts by the Ministry than interact with wizards.
There's a joke in the Ministry that someone has been "sent to the Centaur Liaison Office," implying that they're about to be fired, as Centaurs don't use a Centaur Liaison Office and generally don't welcome Ministry officials.
"Don't provoke Centaurs recklessly. They're usually quite proud," Hagrid warned with concern, knowing that Albert hadn't had a pleasant interaction with the Centaurs.
"I usually don't go around provoking others," Albert shook his head, following behind Hagrid as they continued walking in the direction Ronan had indicated.
However, luck wasn't on their side.
They had been searching the Forbidden Forest for quite some time, yet there was still no sign of Fluffy. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.
This wasn't a good sign.
"Let's head back, Hagrid," Albert looked at Hagrid's back and suggested, "We need to try a different approach."
"I'm going to see Aragog," Hagrid hesitated for a moment before saying, "Perhaps Aragog might know where Fluffy is."
"Who's Aragog?" Albert asked curiously. He suspected it might be the name of the giant spider Hagrid had raised back in the sixth year.
"Aragog is a giant spider I used to...," Hagrid hesitated for a moment before telling Albert, "raise."
"So, it really is a giant spider? I won't go with you then. After what happened last year with those spiders, I'm not on good terms with them. Be careful yourself," Albert didn't oppose Hagrid going to find his giant spider Aragog, but he wouldn't accompany him.
Only a fool would willingly march into the lion's den.
"Don't worry, I'll be there. They won't harm you," Hagrid assured with determination, thumping his chest.
"You probably don't know, but last year I killed several of those giant spiders to save George and Fred when they were surrounded. I also took down over a hundred of them," Albert looked at Hagrid, his expression suddenly becoming strange. "I do believe you'll do your best to protect me, but I don't trust the giant spiders. They're cruel and enjoy eating human flesh. I'm sure those big fellas won't mind if I walk right into their trap."
"With me there, Aragog's colony won't harm you," Hagrid insisted after a moment of pause.
"Aragog might not, but the other giant spiders might. Only a powerful Dark Wizard could possibly command those massive spiders with force," Albert didn't doubt Hagrid's intentions, but he didn't trust his judgment on this matter.
"I'm going back," he turned around, preparing to find a place for Apparition to return directly to the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.
"Wait, I'll accompany you..." Hagrid was worried about Albert heading back alone. After all, he was the one who had offered to help find Fluffy. He felt responsible for Albert's safety as well.
Just then, the surrounding area was filled with rustling sounds, as if something was rapidly approaching their location.
"Be careful! Come close to me!" Hagrid raised his bow and aimed in the direction of the approaching noise.
At the moment the sound rang out, Albert was already on high alert, waving his wand to prepare a defensive spell to protect himself.
However, it was too late.
A dark figure shot out of the forest like an arrow and lunged at Albert.
"Watch out!" Hagrid shouted in shock and anger, shooting an arrow towards the dark figure. But the figure easily dodged the arrow. Just as the figure was about to pounce on Albert, he muttered something and raised his left hand in a pushing motion.
Boom!
A dull thud echoed through the Forbidden Forest.
The high-speed assailant that had attacked Albert slammed into an invisible magical barrier like a charging bull colliding with a thick city wall. The result was obvious.
The dark figure was sent flying backward by the force of the impact, crashing to the ground and unable to get up again.
"Expulso!" Albert swung his wand, unleashing one of the most powerful offensive spells he currently knew. An orange magical force concentrated on the dark figure, obliterating it into pieces.
The attacker's body exploded into fragments, and Albert had to step back, looking at the fallen section of spider leg near his feet. He murmured, "Too bad, my reaction was a bit excessive."
The giant spider's body had been nearly blown apart, rendering it almost valueless.
Seeing a handful of Galleons slip through his fingers, Albert felt somewhat frustrated by his overzealous reaction.
The rapid change of events left Hagrid's emotions fluctuating like a roller coaster. He had initially been angered by the audacity of the attacker, but he hadn't expected Albert to swiftly counter and kill the assailant.
"Are you alright?" Hagrid hurried over to check on Albert.
"I'm fine," Albert reassured him. "I wouldn't have come with you into the Forbidden Forest if I didn't have a way to protect myself."
Hagrid let out a wry smile, looking at the remains of the attacker. His expression grew even more complicated. He had gone from being angry that someone was attempting to ambush Albert to witnessing Albert's quick and effective retaliation.
"You don't have to blame yourself," Albert comforted him. "I'm heading back."
"Wait, I'll walk you back," Hagrid quickly caught up. He couldn't just let Albert go back alone after such an incident.
"Don't worry, we'll find Fluffy," Albert reassured casually. After all, the protections of the Philosopher's Stone were at his disposal.
"However, I still think it's best if you voluntarily confess this to Professor Dumbledore," Albert suggested. "The Headmaster won't hold it against you."
Hagrid fell silent once again, hesitating.
"Think about it carefully. It's better to find Fluffy before it causes trouble for you," Albert said.
On the way back to Hogwarts, they didn't encounter any further attacks, and they safely returned to Hagrid's cabin. Before parting ways, they agreed to meet up in the afternoon.
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