Chapter 772: Heart of the Forest

Andy opened the Carrow's letter first and made a quick sweep.

In the letter, Carrow first talked about how he was grateful for Andy's help, about how he wouldn't be alive without his help, and about how he would still have been a slave to Voldemort, getting tortured by him mentally and physically.

He worded it in a way that made Andy seem like a kind and helpful saviour.

Then he stated that he had caught three evil Death Eaters and wanted to hand them over to him, along with 10,000 gold galleons, to bring justice upon them and to atone for his sins.

He mentioned the address where he had locked the Death Eaters up in the dungeon and asked whether he should bring them to Andy personally or someone else would be sent to pick them up.

Andy burned the letter and sighed at the Pureblood wizard's sophistry.

Did he flatter me to make me hesitate if I had ever decided to finish him off or to gain some brownie points?

Never mind; experiment subjects are what matters.

Andy shook his head and opened Rita's letter.

She also started politely. Starting with a congratulation for defeating Voldemort, then briefing the recent political climate of the British Ministry and policy changes.

First, she talked about law enforcers. About how their training and requirements became stricter and how they started to enforce the laws more strictly.

Second, the power shift inside the Ministry. The Pureblood Supremacist faction seemed to have been pushed out of the centre of power, with Ms Bones' people, the Order's people, neutral Purebloods, and people like Kyle getting promoted and replacing the Pureblood Supremacist faction people's positions.

Lastly, the corruption level has been reduced by a level due to stricter measures.

At the end of the letter, Rita mentioned that Rufus Scrimgeour had contacted her before to get a method to contact Andy because the owl he sent didn't set out to deliver the letter. 

But after learning she also didn't have a contact method, he asked her to deliver a message that Dumbledore didn't try to apprehend Grindelwald, and his suspicion might be true if she got the chance to send a letter. 

Well, that's because I was in Germany. And he still seemed to be hung up on the evil Dumbledore rumour, he-he-he.

Andy burned the letter with a slight smile and started to get ready to leave for the Forbidden Forest with Hermione.

Later, he went to the Ravenclaw common room and waited for Hermione, reading an alchemy book.

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione showed up wearing a mountaineer hat and trousers, with her beaded pouch slung on her shoulders.

"How is it?" Seeing Andy, Hermione gave a slight spin and asked with a smile.

"You look like an explorer." Andy closed the book and stood up, gave her thumbs up, and said jokingly, "Miss Explorer, I will be in your care next. Please lead the way and protect me." 

"Okay, okay. Let's go." Hermione shook her head and said with a slight smile.

They then used a Disillusionment charm on the corridor and made their way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

At the forest entrance, Hermione asked, "So, do you know where to find them?"

"Hm. Acromantulas love to live in the dark, so we can find them in the part where trees are denser, with deep caves nearby." Andy said with a thoughtful look, trying to remember details about it, "Now that I think about it. I remember catching one last year; I noticed it hunting a deer when I was looking for some dark creature."

"I found it near the heart of the forest." 

"Did you look for a dark creature for some experiment?" Hermione asked, staring straight into his eyes.

Honestly speaking, she has no problem with Andy experimenting on dark creatures. Every progress in the Muggle world was under the foundation of countless bones. Unless he starts to hurt innocent people, she won't try to stop him.

"No, no, no." Andy immediately denied it and explained. "You remember Professor Dumbledore brought Harry and me last year to look for the Horcrux where Sirius's brother died, right?"

"I talked about it before."

"You mean the Slytherin locket?" Hermione asked. 

"Yes. I brought Acromantula to drink the poison there. Although Acromantula is a good material, I would find an easy one at Professor Snape's lab." Andy answered while leading the way to the centre.

"Hm. So are we now heading to the centre of the forest?" Hermione asked, following behind. 

"And are you sure they are there, and it's not just that Acromantula got chased away from the group and was hunting around? You know, Acromantulas are social creatures that hunt and dwell in a group." 

"Well, their young ones are usually sent around their nest to act as scouts. When they spot prey or intruders, they alert other large Acromantulas nearby. So if you can't fly, it is difficult to ambush them." Andy replied while summoning Fat Cat to look out. 

"That Acromantula was probably the first one nearby that got notified of the prey back then."

"And if we can find small Acromantulas near the place I found the big one. We can find their nest following behind those small ones."

"Moreover, their nest is easy to notice. They have a habit of waving their silks on the branches and leaves to block the sunlight."

"Just by looking up, we can know if we are in Acromantula territory."

"So, do you know the route to the place you captured the Acromantulas?" Hermione asked, making Andy halt in his step.

Now that he thought about it, he had no idea how to navigate in the forest.

Back then, he randomly searched around after using Apparition.

Damn. In his previous life, he should have watched Man vs Wild seriously. 

Andy scratched his cheek, embarrassed, looking at Hermione.

Hermione looked blankly at him.

So you don't know the way? Then, why were you leading the way that confidently now, as if you know where you're going?

After a few seconds of silence, an idea flashed in Andy's mind.

"Hermione! We can use Apparition to get there." With a wide eye, Andy said in a high tone.

"Right!" Hermione's eyes also lit up.

Then, Andy used Apparition to take her to the heart of the forest.

"Crackle."

After a few seconds, they both appeared beside an oak tree with a pop. The leaves of the trees were dense, effectively blocking the sunlight and making the forest dark even before sunset.

Looking around under the light of Fat Cat and the Wand-lighting charm, they found tree branch-like, hand-sized Bowtruckles jumping around the tree.

Looking at the Bowtruckles, Hermione said, pointing at the little creatures, "We can ask them. They are peaceful and friendly creatures. If we don't harm them and their tree, they won't attack us."

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