章節 136: Chapter 136: "Back to School and Unicorns"
The halls of Hogwarts had returned to their usual buzz after the holidays, with students slipping back into their academic routines. Charles, in particular, seemed more content, possibly rejuvenated by his break from school pressures. The attention he once craved no longer seemed to weigh on him as heavily.
However, this newfound peace was abruptly shattered the very next morning during breakfast in the Great Hall. In the midst of their morning meal, a bizarre spectacle unfolded: several Hufflepuff first-year students, including Susan, suddenly transformed into oversized yellow canaries.
The Great Hall erupted into chaos. Students stared in disbelief and confusion as the transformed first-years fluttered awkwardly around. Amid the confusion, Harry scanned the room angrily, determined to identify who was responsible for this prank.
During this commotion, loud laughter broke out from Charles and Ron, immediately drawing Harry's attention and suspicion. Choosing to remain discreet, Harry covertly used legilimency to delve into Charles's mind, seeking confirmation of his involvement.
What Harry found was a recent dialogue between Charles and his parents. Charles had shared his frustrations about feeling neglected and less admired at Hogwarts. While Lily had offered words of comfort, suggesting there might be benefits to stepping out of the spotlight, James had taken a different approach.
James had egged Charles on, suggesting, "They're ignoring you because they don't think you're special anymore. Show them they're wrong. Let's use the holidays to devise some impressive pranks. When you pull these off back at school, everyone will look up to you again, amazed not just by your magical prowess but by your cleverness too."
Harry then saw visions of James, Charles, and Remus experimenting together on a mischievous project – canary creams. This prank, originally crafted by the Weasley twins in the books, involved biscuits that, once eaten, would temporarily transform the eater into an oversized canary. The transformation would only reverse itself after the individual molted.
This very morning, with Ron's help, Charles had cunningly distributed these enchanted biscuits among the first-year Hufflepuffs, leading to the current spectacle in the Great Hall.
If this had been just another harmless joke, Harry wouldn't have been so upset. He might have even found it funny, responding with a few quick revenge pranks before moving on from the incident with Charles.
However, what truly angered Harry was discovering the real motivation behind the prank on Susan by delving into Charles's mind. It turned out that Charles had been attempting to prank Harry since the school year began, enlisting the Weasley twins' help, yet failing each time.
After a conversation where Charles had exaggerated a past encounter—claiming Harry had hurt him when Harry had merely disarmed him—James suggested Charles target Harry's friends instead since Charles couldn't outmatch Harry directly. James told Charles that embarrassing Harry's friends would hurt Harry indirectly.
Taking a moment to calm his rage, Harry knew immediate revenge was less important than caring for the affected students right now.
Swiftly, Harry gathered Susan and the other transformed first-years, leading them to the hospital wing. As they walked, he reassured Susan and promised that those responsible would face consequences.
Cedric, who had come to help, leaned in and whispered to Harry, "Do you know who's behind this?"
Harry, keeping his voice low, responded, "I have a pretty good idea. But first, let's make sure these kids are taken care of. Revenge can wait until tonight."
Cedric nodded, a hint of anticipation in his tone, "I'll be looking forward to a good show then."
Once they arrived at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey took over with her usual efficiency. She treated the transformed students, and within the hour, each of them had reverted to their normal selves, no worse for wear.
The rest of the day unfolded without any further disruptions, but as the evening rolled in, the dinner at Gryffindor table turned dramatic. Suddenly, amidst bites and conversation, Charles and Ron morphed into large pythons. Their transformation sent shockwaves of panic and fear across their housemates, causing a chaotic stir at the table.
Harry watched the scene unfold with a slight smile tugging at his lips as the transformed duo hissed and slithered, causing a ruckus. Across the room, he felt Dumbledore's penetrating gaze from the staff table. Their eyes met briefly; Dumbledore's expression was unreadable, but he seemed to understand that Harry was behind the counter-prank, but he didn't act.
Turning his attention nonchalantly back to his dinner, Harry felt a sense of satisfaction with how the evening's events had played out.
Yet, this episode was far from over. Harry was determined to keep up the pressure on Charles and Ron. Charles had expressed a desire to regain his fame, and Harry was intent on ensuring that he would indeed become famous again, but for reasons far less flattering than he might hope.
As Harry pondered his next moves for the prank series, his thoughts drifted to an intriguing discovery he'd made while delving into Charles's memories. During the holidays, Charles had received an invisibility cloak as a Christmas gift, which he cherished deeply. James had declared it to be the ancestral Potter cloak, but Harry knew better—the real cloak was in his possession.
It appeared that Dumbledore had opted not to disclose to James the loss of the true Potter cloak, instead giving him a substitute and claiming it was the genuine article. Harry puzzled over why Dumbledore would risk such deceit, especially given the complications it might cause once the cloak began to show signs of wear and no longer functioned as a real invisibility cloak.
For now, Harry decided not to dwell on Dumbledore's motivations. What mattered was that Charles might use his new cloak to tail Harry during his adventures. Resolving to be more vigilant, Harry made a mental note to regularly check the Marauder's Map before embarking on his nightly adventures, ensuring no unseen followers could cause disruptions.
After finishing his meal, Harry, feeling content, was heading back to the dormitory when he suddenly felt a vibration from his pocket. It was his emergency coin—a signal from the centaurs that there was trouble in the Forbidden Forest. Remembering that Quirrell had not been at dinner, Harry suspected that he might have started hunting unicorns.
Quickly changing into his disguise, Harry hurried into the forest. He activated the tracking charm on the coin, which led him swiftly to where he was needed.
When he arrived, he saw Dorran and several other centaurs standing somberly around an injured unicorn. Harry had often encountered these magnificent creatures during his forays into the forest, but he had never been this close to one; usually, unicorns fled at the sight of him.
Dorran greeted him with urgent relief. "Good, you are here, Wizard Arthur. This young one needs your help."
Without hesitation, Harry began to administer first aid. The unicorn was bleeding profusely from a deep gash, with streams of shimmering silver blood spilling onto the forest floor. Fortunately, the wound wasn't fatal—unicorns were resilient creatures. Harry focused on stemming the bleeding and then carefully healed the wound, confident that once stabilized, the unicorn's natural vitality would handle the rest.
After successfully tending to the unicorn, Harry watched as some of the centaurs gently lifted the creature, taking it to a safe place to recover fully.
After the unicorn was out of sight, Harry turned to Dorran to discuss the day's events.
Harry approached Dorran, his tone filled with concern. "Did you encounter him today? Is everyone alright? Were there any injuries?"
Dorran nodded gravely, "Yes, we did see the dark wizard. One of our patrols heard the distress calls of the unicorns and we immediately came here. Fortunately, the dark wizard fled as soon as he saw us. There was no confrontation, which spared us from potential harm."
Harry furrowed his brow, "Has he already consumed some of the unicorn's blood?"
"It appears so," Dorran replied, a hint of worry in his voice. "And now that he's started, he'll likely continue until he's completed his mission."
Harry reassured him, "I've been keeping an eye on him. He's not as powerful as he used to be. He can't use many of his old spells anymore. As long as you move quickly, you should be able to fight him."
Dorran expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for the information, Wizard Arthur. We'll stay alert."
Harry, noting the lateness of the hour. "I should head back now. Take good care of the unicorn, and don't hesitate to use the coin if you need my help again."
"We will," Dorran assured him, "and thank you for all your assistance, Wizard Arthur."
With the unicorn safe and the situation under control, Harry departed the forest, heading back to the castle. He decided to spend the rest of his night in the Room of Requirements, focusing on his studies, ready for whatever challenges the new term at Hogwarts might bring.
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