The Dense Forest

The roar of a dragon suddenly ripped through the quiet night sky of Hogwarts.

"Hagrid!"

Harry shouted, immediately jumping on his broom and flying off.

"Gryffindor…"

Wade sighed helplessly.

Hagrid had only just entered the Forbidden Forest, at least a mile away from where the fire appeared, so he couldn't possibly be in danger.

Wade also mounted his broom and entered the Forbidden Forest. He gained altitude, using his excellent eyesight to navigate through the dark tree canopy.

Ahead, Hagrid, carrying a barrel of mead and calling out "Norbert's" name, was rushing wildly through the Forbidden Forest towards the source of the fire. His hunting dog followed closely behind. Harry, seeing that Hagrid was unharmed, had already flown ahead towards the dragon.

They were both fast, and soon they arrived near a cave. Wade saw Harry standing by, pale-faced, while Norbert, as large as a house, lay on the ground with huge, gruesome wounds on its eyes and chest, blood gushing out.

"Norbert—"

Hagrid shrieked in grief, throwing himself over his dragon baby, trembling as he checked for a heartbeat.

A few dying sparks of fire flickered from Norbert's nostrils.

"Don't be scared, sweet baby… Mommy's going to heal you now—"

Hagrid's hands shook as he fumbled in his pockets for healing Potions.

Wade remained in the air, scanning the surroundings vigilantly. The dark, dense forest was silent. The dragon's roar had silenced all other noises. Now, there was only the sound of the wind, Hagrid's wails, and the crackling of dry branches burning in the fire.

Wade shot two red spark signals into the sky and then laid down detection spells before descending.

Hagrid was pouring dittany onto Norbert's wounds, but the blood flowed like an opened faucet, quickly washing away all the medicine.

"This is a wound caused by Dark Magic; ordinary healing potions won't work."

Wade said, pointing his Wand at Norbert's wound and quietly muttering a counter-spell—fortunately, he had just learned it from Remus two days ago—Half a minute later, the bleeding finally stopped.

Hagrid watched eagerly, only now daring to ask, "Is he alright?"

"No," Wade replied. "This is all I can do. The rest will require someone more specialized. But at least… its… uh, its life should be saved."

"Thank you, Wade… Thank you so much!" Hagrid's tears streamed down his face. "If Norbert had died, it would have felt like my heart was torn out."

He clutched the Norwegian Ridgeback's fearsome head tightly. The dragon weakly opened its eyes, watching Hagrid cry hysterically, hot air puffing from its nostrils.

"What happened here?" A cold, seemingly very angry voice sounded nearby, making Harry, who had been dazed, turn deathly pale.

Snape, dressed in black robes, emerged from the darkness. He stared at everyone with eyes that seemed to want to drain their blood. His black robes billowed behind him like dark clouds, as if he hadn't run but flown there.

Immediately after, a tabby cat leaped from a tree branch, transforming into Professor McGonagall in her pajamas as she landed. Seeing the scene, she gasped, "A wounded dragon! What is going on?"

Before Harry could answer, more people appeared—Professor Quirrell, stumbling through the trees, pulling at his scarf, and Dumbledore, who appeared suddenly with a flash of light.

For a moment, the scene was strikingly similar to Halloween, only without Professor Flitwick, and Dumbledore in his place.

Only…

Harry's body trembled slightly, and he instinctively took two steps towards Hagrid.

"Someone hurt Norbert, Dumbledore!" Hagrid pulled out a large handkerchief to wipe his tears, crying, "Please save him, this child is badly injured!"

Dumbledore leaned down to examine Norbert. The wounds caused by Dark Magic were distinctly characteristic, yet they showed a tendency to close. Dumbledore was only slightly surprised, quickly realizing who among the three present had the ability to do this.

"Very impressive Dark Magic counter-spell, Mr. Gray," Dumbledore praised.

Wade bowed slightly, saying nothing.

"Don't worry, Hagrid," Dumbledore said gently. "Madam Pomfrey will heal her. Minerva, would you mind moving this child to a more suitable location?"

"—Alright."

Professor McGonagall, who had been sternly staring at the two students, only looked away when she heard Dumbledore's instruction, and used a Levitation Charm to carry Norbert away.

"Slowly, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid couldn't help but caution. "He's still a baby! It's all my fault for not taking good care of him…"

"Keeping dragons privately is forbidden," Snape remarked coldly from the side. "Hagrid, I thought you knew that."

Hagrid bit his lip, his massive body looking pathetic.

"We'll discuss this later," Dumbledore said calmly. "Harry, Wade, why are you two here? Running out of the castle at night and coming to the dangerous Forbidden Forest is not a wise move."

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I was in the dormitory… looking at the stars and stuff," Harry suddenly stammered. "I accidentally saw Hagrid go into the Forbidden Forest… Then I heard a dragon's roar and saw fire… I was worried something had happened to Hagrid, so I flew over to check… and then Wade came too…"

He conveniently omitted the fact that they had both violated Curfew and flown around the school beforehand.

"Did you see what injured the dragon?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry shivered, still seemingly afraid. Wade said, "No. When we arrived, the scene was already like this."

Dumbledore nodded, looking at the pool of blood on the ground, lost in thought, while everyone else waited with bated breath.

Suddenly, hoofbeats echoed from inside the cave, and a pure white, sacred creature emerged. It glowed faintly, its long legs limping, and silvery-white blood dripped from its body.

"Merlin!" Hagrid exclaimed. "That person dared to hurt a Unicorn!"

The Unicorn bowed its knee to Dumbledore, then leaned against Hagrid, seemingly seeking his help.

Dumbledore used a spell to heal the Unicorn's wound and told Hagrid, "Take it to Madam Pomfrey as well. And take Wade and Harry—I think they need a calming draught."

Hagrid nodded, picking up the Unicorn without hesitation, and called out, "Come with me, children—Thank you for worrying about my safety. But I must say—this was too dangerous, truly very dangerous. Don't run around like this again next time."

Harry mumbled in acknowledgment, then turned to see Snape frowning, seemingly wanting to object to Dumbledore letting them off so lightly. But Dumbledore said, "Severus, Quirinus, could I ask you to patrol around the Forbidden Forest tonight? Perhaps the one who wounded the dragon is still lurking nearby… Of course, for safety, it's best if you don't separate…"

The dense forest blocked Harry's view.

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