Chapter 87: Encounter with Danger

Under Allen’s guidance, the group pressed deeper into the forest, where the trees grew so dense the path all but vanished; soon, they faintly heard the mournful cries of an animal, filled with terror and despair.

Hagrid instinctively quickened his pace; Allen, Harry, and Hermione followed closely, while Malfoy slowed his steps after hearing the sound...

After bursting through a thicket, they reached the edge of a relatively open clearing in the forest and finally saw their target—the wounded unicorn.

It was a beautiful creature, its body silver-white, its fur gleaming like pearls, crowned with the iconic spiral horn of the same luminous hue; this magnificent being glowed softly in the dim Forbidden Forest, radiating holiness and warmth.

But the unicorn was covered in wounds, writhing in agony on the ground, its silver-white blood staining the earth; on the far side of the clearing, a hooded figure crawled slowly toward the injured unicorn, while the unicorn desperately tried to retreat from it...

The scene was too shocking; the young wizards had never witnessed anything like it—they stood frozen, helpless, while Fang cowered with his tail tucked and his head buried in the bushes, not daring to move.

“Bang!” Hagrid fired the crossbow in his hand; the bolt shot swiftly toward the shadow...

The shadow seemed to have sensed it in advance, instantly accelerating and lunging beside the unicorn; the bolt grazed the shadow’s silhouette and embedded itself in a massive tree, its tail quivering violently with a humming sound.

Hagrid missed.

“Find cover!” Hagrid barked at the young wizards as he reloaded the crossbow. “Don’t come near me—I can handle this monster!”

Allen noticed the red umbrella still strapped to Hagrid’s waist; Hagrid adjusted its position, placing it within easier reach.

Allen opened his mouth to warn Hagrid, but before he could speak, that familiar chill surged through his heart—he could only swiftly draw his wand, racing through spells in his mind that might help Hagrid...

Meanwhile, the shadow had dragged the wounded unicorn behind a large rock; the unicorn continued to moan weakly, its long legs kicking uselessly against the ground...

Hagrid lost his line of sight—he gripped the crossbow in his left hand, the red umbrella in his right, and strode toward the rock, shouting: “You beast who hunts unicorns—show yourself like a man!”

Allen gripped his wand tightly, pointing it at the rock; he decided to cast Petrificus Totalus the moment the shadow reappeared—but the distance was too great, and he doubted he could hit it. Hermione drew her wand in imitation; Neville still hadn’t found his own wand; Malfoy had vanished.

Allen suddenly realized something was wrong—where was Harry?

He turned quickly and saw Harry kneeling on the ground, clutching his head in pain; he rushed over to check on him, but Harry could only writhe, unable to speak.

Then Hermione let out a startled cry; Allen looked up and saw a scene that froze his heart—the shadow had emerged from the other side of the rock, its chest smeared with the unicorn’s silver-white blood, advancing swiftly toward them while waving its wand...

Allen’s mind went blank; he knew he had no time to cast a spell—he could only consider diving aside to evade the shadow’s curse, but Harry still knelt helplessly, unaware of the danger approaching...

Just as Allen was torn between choices, he heard the sound of hooves and arrows slicing through the air.

A lithe figure burst from the forest,

charging straight at the shadow, firing arrows mid-sprint; the whistling arrows forced the shadow to abandon its spellcasting, and the lithe figure closed the distance in moments, engaging the shadow in combat...

Allen recognized the lithe figure—he was the centaur Firenze.

Hagrid now regained his composure; he emerged from behind the rock, having discarded the crossbow, and hurled a red beam from his red umbrella toward the shadow...

The shadow instantly understood the situation—he abandoned further fighting, skimming low along the ground, and vanished behind a massive tree in moments.

Firenze kept firing arrows at the shadow, but none struck; Hagrid stormed after him in furious pursuit...

But Firenze remained where he stood.

“Good evening, Firenze—again,” Allen spoke first. “These are my classmates: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom.”

“Greetings,” Firenze replied politely.

Then he turned his gaze to Harry: “You are the boy of the Potter family?”

Harry nodded dazedly.

At that moment, the unicorn’s weak cries came from behind the rock; only then did they remember they still had a wounded creature to tend to.

They hurried to the other side of the rock to check on the unicorn.

The unicorn’s condition was dire—it continued to bleed, growing weaker by the second; Allen mentally reviewed every spell he knew, realizing only Aqua Eructo could be used to cleanse the wounds.

Then Firenze stepped forward again, took out some medicinal powder from his person and sprinkled it over the unicorn’s wounds; the bleeding ceased almost immediately...

Hermione cast a Levitation Charm on the unicorn, allowing Firenze to better apply the medicine...

“Do you know what the blood of a unicorn does?” Firenze asked suddenly after treating the wounds.

Harry and Neville stared blankly.

“We don’t know—we’ve only used its horn and tail hair in Potions class,” Hermione said after thinking.

“Because killing a unicorn is an act of extreme cruelty,” Firenze said. “Only one who has lost everything yet craves everything would commit such a monstrous sin. Unicorn blood can sustain your life, even when you are on the brink of death—but you must pay a terrible price. By slaughtering a pure, helpless life to save your own, from the moment its blood touches your lips, you will possess only a half-dead existence—a cursed life.”

Harry stared at the back of Firenze’s head, where silver spots gleamed in the moonlight. “But who is that outlaw?” Harry blurted out his question. “If you’re doomed to live under this curse forever, wouldn’t death be better?”

“Precisely,” Firenze agreed. “Unless you use it only to prolong your life long enough to drink something else—something that restores your full strength and magic—something that grants you immortality. Mr. Potter, do you know what is lurking in the school right now?”

“Can you not guess? Who has waited silently for so many years, yearning for a return? Who clings to life, biding their time?”

Harry, Allen, and Hermione exchanged glances—they all understood Firenze’s words.