The Forbidden Forest

It was nearly midnight and the whole forbidden forest was quiet.. There were two small shadows just entering the forbidden forest.

The air was heavy and damp in the forbidden forest, thick with the smell of rotting leaves and something wild. Il the canopy of the Forbidden Forest was so dense that it blots out most of the sky. It is a place where secrets were kept and the mysteries unravelled.

"Andy!Are you sure this is the right way?" one boy said. They were now in the middle of the forest 

"Hush! We don't want to attract centaurs" Andy said. 

" But aren't the centaurs friendly?" the other boy known as Teddy asked.

" They weren't friendly before the Battle of Hogwarts but now they are average," Andy replied.

" How do you know that much?" Teddy asked in an awe.

"Because of reading, " Andy said while smiling.

They were talking when they heard a voice behind them. They turned, their wands out but only found a tabby cat

" Meow, " the cat said .

" Please shut up" Teddy said, he was frustrated because of the heart attack the cat gave him.

They turned around and started to walk again.

They had walked just a little further when they heard a growl from their left. 

They turned fastly and found the same monster who had attacked them before.

It looked as if the creature was in no mood to attack. 

Andy and Teddy both raised their wand to curse the creature but at the same moment the creature started to run. Teddy and Teddy both looked at each other and their eyes were saying the same thing "follow him".

They both started to run after them. Fortunately the creature wasn't that fast and it looked as if he wasn't running at full speed. 

After a while the creature slowed a little. Teddy raised his wand.

"Stop! " Andy shouted.

" What?" Teddy asked.

Andy raised his finger at something. It looked like a path. The creature stopped there and was running backwards at its full speed .

"Looks like he wanted to lead us to this path," Andy said.

" So let's follow the path," Teddy said bravely.

"...'Then let's go,' Andy replied."

They ventured onto the path, a narrow, winding trail that seemed to disappear into the dense undergrowth. The air grew heavier, the silence more profound. The gnarled branches of ancient trees reached out like skeletal fingers, their leaves rustling in an unseen breeze, whispering secrets the boys couldn't decipher.

The path twisted and turned, leading them deeper into the forest's depths. The ground beneath their feet was uneven, a carpet of damp leaves and decaying wood that muffled their footsteps.

As they continued, the trees grew taller, their branches forming a dense canopy that blotted out the already dim light. Patches of pale, phosphorescent moss clung to the tree trunks, casting an eerie, otherworldly glow. The sounds of the forest – the rustling of leaves, the snapping of twigs – seemed amplified, each one sending a jolt of apprehension through the boys.

The path began to slope downward, leading them into a small, hidden valley. The air grew colder, a damp chill that seeped into their bones. A sense of foreboding settled over them, a feeling that they were entering a place that had been untouched for centuries.

Suddenly, the trees parted, revealing a clearing bathed in the faint, silvery light of the moon. In the center of the clearing stood a weathered, grey stone tomb, its surface etched with intricate carvings. The air around it shimmered, a subtle distortion of the light, as if the very place was imbued with a lingering magic.

Teddy moved closer, his breath catching in his throat. A large, intricately carved snake adorned the tombstone, its eyes seeming to gleam in the moonlight. And beside it, a name that sent a chill down his spine: Salazar Slytherin.

"Teddy!" Andy was a little behind him and was calling him.

"Here you are " He said and at the same moment he looked at the grave.

"How could this be the grave of Salazar Slytherin?" Andy thought and rechecked the name. It was definitely Salazar Slytherin.

Andy and Teddy both stood still for a moment or two.

"What is this poem written under the name?" Andy, who had just noticed it, asked and started to read it aloud

"When shadows crawl and whispers fill the air,

Two boys will rise, their destinies to share.

One born of light, the other cloaked in night,

Their paths entwined, by Salazar's ancient might.

A serpent's mark, a hidden grave

Will test their bond, and make them slave."

They both went quite once more and this time their hearts were full of fear. They both understood the meaning of the prophecy. 

"Well, well, well!" There was a cold voice behind them. Looking behind they saw a tall man . He had long, pale blond hair, almost white. His face was thin and pale, and eyes cold and gray. He was carrying a walking stick. The man's voice, like chilled steel, cut through the damp night air. 

"Who are you?" Andy managed, his voice barely a whisper.

The man smiled, a thin, cruel curve of his lips. "Names are...not necessary, wouldn't you say? But you may call me...Lucius."

Teddy's breath hitched. "Lucius...Malfoy?"

Lucius's smile widened, revealing a flicker of predatory amusement. "Indeed. Though, I find titles rather tiresome these days. No need for formalities, boys. Just Lucius." He leaned on his walking stick, his gaze sweeping over them, lingering on their wands. "You seem to have stumbled upon something...significant."

Andy, despite the fear gripping his heart, tried to project an air of calm. "We were just...exploring. We didn't mean to intrude."

"Intrude?" Lucius chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. "My dear boys, you were drawn here. Just as the prophecy foretold."

He stepped closer, his cold grey eyes locking onto theirs. "The poem you read...it speaks of you. Two boys, one of light, one of night. Don't you see? You are the subjects of Salazar's prophecy."

Teddy's eyes widened, his gaze darting to Andy, then back to Lucius. "What do you mean? What prophecy?"

Lucius raised a pale hand, gesturing towards the grave. "The one that speaks of destiny, of a bond forged in shadows. A bond that will determine the fate of...many." He paused, letting the words hang in the air. "Teddy, I suspect, is the boy who is born of light, born from a family that some people say is light.Andy...well, he is born from the night or you could say,cloaked in night 

Andy's mind raced. He knew his family had always been…a dark one. Darkest wizards, dark secrets. Teddy, on the other hand, had a good family, related to the boy who defeated the dark lord. 

"But… Salazar Slytherin fled from this place after his wishes were not fulfilled,he did flee, right?" Teddy asked.

"Precisely," Lucius said, his eyes gleaming" but Salazar Slytherin, sensing his mortality, journeyed back to Hogwarts. He sought refuge within the Forbidden Forest, a place reflecting his inner darkness. Years and remorse had diminished him. He discovered a secluded hollow, a place to succumb. He exhaled his final breath and this place.He made his own grave and he himself wrote the prophecy. Now, you are going to fulfill his prophecy of reviving him.

" But the prophecy does not include the word revival " Andy said,a little hope flickering in his heart.

" This prophecy is not complete here " Lucius replied and hit the tombstone with his stick,the prophecy disappeared and another prophecy appeared in it's place

"But deeper still, a blood-soaked, whispered plea,

A fragment waits, for one to set it free.

The serpent's heir, with venom in his vein,

Will seek the shard, to break the ancient chain.

The sleeping lord, in fragments bound and deep,

Awakens slow, from centuries of sleep.

A ritual cast, beneath a moonless sky,

Salazar's soul, reborn, will rise and fly."

"Revive him?" Teddy stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief. "But...how? And why us? We're not his heirs."

"Exactly!" Andy interjected, his voice laced with a mixture of fear and defiance. "We're just students. We have no connection to Salazar Slytherin."

Lucius chuckled, a dry, rasping sound that sent shivers down their spines. "Ah, but that's where you're mistaken. The prophecy speaks of a bond, not blood. And the bond is here, now, in this very place. Also, you are his heirs, maybe not by blood, but by destiny. The prophecy says so." He points to the newly revealed prophecy on the grave. "Do you think Salazar would write a prophecy that is not true?"

"But...but that's impossible," Teddy said, his voice barely a whisper. "My family...they're nothing like that."

"And mine..." Andy began, then trailed off, remembering the whispered stories about his family's dark past. "Even if...even if there were dark wizards in my family, that doesn't make me Salazar Slytherin's heir."

"...Denial is a common first reaction," Lucius said, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "But the truth, my dear boys, has a way of revealing itself. The magic within you, the connection you share...it will not be denied. You will see."

He paused, his gaze sweeping between Teddy and Andy, a predatory glint in his eyes. "However," he continued, his voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper, "only one of you can truly bring Salazar back. Only one of you possesses the necessary...spark."

Teddy and Andy exchanged uneasy glances. "What do you mean?" Teddy asked, his voice barely audible.

"The prophecy, as you've seen, speaks of a 'serpent's heir,'" Lucius explained, tapping his walking stick against the tombstone. "That heir must possess a certain...affinity for Salazar's magic, a connection to his very essence. It is they who will retrieve the fragment, break the ancient chain, and speak the words to awaken him."

"But how do we know who that is?" Andy questioned, his brow furrowed.

Lucius smiled, a thin, cruel curve of his lips. "The grave will show you. When the time is right, it will react to the true heir. A test, if you will. The one whose magic resonates most strongly with Salazar's will be granted the means to complete the ritual. The other...will simply be a witness."

He leaned closer, his voice laced with venomous suggestion. "Of course, a true heir would not let an opportunity like this slip away. They would prove themselves worthy. Wouldn't they?"

He then points to the new prophecy and says "Read it again, pay attention to the line, 'The serpent's heir, with venom in his vein, will seek the shard, to break the ancient chain.' Only one of you has the venom, only one of you is the heir."

Before either boy could respond, a sharp, cracking sound echoed through the trees. A shower of silver light erupted from the forest's edge, illuminating the scene like a sudden, blinding dawn.

"Lucius Malfoy!" a stern, familiar voice cut through the air. "Stand down!"

Professor McGonagall, her face etched with determination, strode into the clearing, her wand raised and glowing with potent magic. Beside her, Professor Dumbledore, his flowing beard and piercing eyes. 

"Minerva," Lucius said, his voice laced with disdain. "Aberforth. How…unexpected."

"Unexpected, perhaps," McGonagall retorted, her voice sharp as a winter wind. "But not unwelcome. We received…disturbing reports of your presence in the Forbidden Forest, and your…intentions."

Aberforth stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Lucius. "Leave the boys, Lucius. They have no part in your twisted schemes."

"Schemes?" Lucius chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. "I merely offer them a chance to fulfill their destiny. A chance to bring back a wizard of unparalleled power."

"A wizard who sought to purge the magical world of those he deemed unworthy," McGonagall snapped. "A wizard whose ideas led to nothing but bloodshed and hatred."

"History is written by the victors, Minerva," Lucius said, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism. "And the victors, as you know, are not always right."

A tense silence settled over the clearing, the air thick with unspoken threats. Teddy and Andy, caught between the two forces, watched with bated breath, their hearts pounding in their chests.

Suddenly, Lucius raised his wand, a jet of emerald light erupting from its tip. McGonagall and Aberforth reacted instantly, deflecting the curse with practiced ease. The clearing erupted in a flurry of magical energy, spells flying back and forth, illuminating the darkness with flashes of light and color.

McGonagall, with a flick of her wand, transfigured a nearby tree into a massive, snarling boar, which charged at Lucius, forcing him to retreat. Aberforth, meanwhile, conjured a w

all of thorny vines, trapping Lucius between the boar and the impenetrable barrier.