Forbidden Forest-2

"Look, that's a Bowtruckle over there. Don't underestimate these little creatures. They may be gentle and shy, but they're fiercely protective of their homes—the trees they live in."

"Anyone who tries to disturb their tree will get attacked. Have you seen those little claws? They're deadly accurate when it comes to gouging out eyes."

Vaughn and Hagrid hid behind a tree, observing a guardian tree from a distance.

It was a magical plant said to repel dark creatures and was an excellent material for crafting wands. Several small twig-like creatures played and frolicked among its branches—Bowtruckles.

Hagrid whispered, "But they're not hard to deal with. They love insects. Catch a few bugs and feed them, and they'll warm up to you—sometimes even gift you twigs from their tree in return."

"That's what I do every year when Ollivander comes to collect materials. Oh, you might not know this, but Hogwarts and Ollivander have a long-standing deal. He buys wand cores and wood from us at a low price. Usually, unicorn hair and suitable wandwood, which I collect. In return, the wands he makes are sold to Hogwarts first-years at half-price."

While chatting, the two of them had unknowingly ventured deeper into the Forbidden Forest.

As they explored and discussed magical creatures, Hagrid's initial formality wore off quickly. Soon, he was chatting nonstop.

But his knowledge of magical creatures was impressive.

He showed Vaughn fairies, house-elves, hairy crabs, and even brought him to a small hill where they spotted a family of mooncalves.

These creatures had large eyes disproportionate to their heads, giving them a silly, adorable look. Their temperament matched—gentle and docile.

A few of the young ones even waddled up and sniffed Vaughn curiously.

Hagrid collected their droppings.

He told Vaughn it was an excellent fertilizer. "Use this on pumpkins and they grow massive."

"This year's a bit late, though. The pumpkins are already ripe, just in time to turn yellow for Halloween. But next year, you'll be eating pumpkins grown with mooncalf poop!"

Vaughn was speechless. It was just manure. Why did he have to say it like that?

"By the way, Hagrid, things have been peaceful in the Forbidden Forest recently, haven't they?" As they moved on from the Bowtruckles, Vaughn asked casually.

"What are you getting at?" Hagrid scratched his head. "If it's about students sneaking in, your two brothers are always raising a ruckus in here. From that perspective—no, it's not peaceful."

"I'll deal with them. What I meant is, have you seen any injured creatures or anything strange? Maybe I could help—brew some healing potions for them."

"You're a good lad, Vaughn," Hagrid said with feeling. "No one's ever offered to make potions for them. Actually... the unicorns seem to be having a bit of trouble lately."

Vaughn perked up. "Oh? What happened?"

Hagrid shook his head. "Don't really know. The centaurs told me they were being attacked. But you know those lot—always mumbling about stars and prophecies. Couldn't get a straight answer from them."

"I did find a couple of unicorns with injuries. But they're so skittish, won't let me get near. I searched high and low but couldn't find the cause."

Vaughn's expression remained calm. It looked like his suspicion was correct—Voldemort had likely already started harvesting unicorn blood.

He glanced up. Judging from the faint light filtering through the treetops, it was still a while until dusk. "Can you take me to see the place?" he asked.

Hagrid didn't think twice. Despite his earlier talk about danger, he had already forgotten it once they were deep inside the forest.

"Sure! Come on—this way. Fang! Stop cowering! Hexby won't hit you again, get up and lead the way!"

More than two hours passed. Eventually, Hagrid brought Vaughn to a clearing—a rare sunny spot within the forest.

There were no tall trees here to block sunlight, so the undergrowth flourished. Some holly bushes were even heavy with berries.

"I cleared this spot over ten years ago. Unicorns love berries, so I planted a few. They've been visiting ever since." Hagrid waved his pink umbrella to drive off some quarreling fairies and led Vaughn to the center of the clearing.

"Just a week ago, I saw a unicorn hiding here with a leg wound. Look, there's still some blood on the ground." He pointed at a patch of darkened soil.

Vaughn knelt down and examined it.

Unicorn blood was originally a shimmering silver-blue, thick with magic and resembling mercury. But now, after a week of exposure to sun and air, the color had changed.

Seeing Vaughn scrutinize it so closely, Hagrid tried to reassure him. "It's normal for a unicorn to get hurt, Vaughn. This is the Forbidden Forest. Everything here competes to survive. It might've wandered into a werewolf's territory, or some other nasty creature got to it."

Vaughn didn't answer. He stared at the patch of soil, then slowly raised his wand.

"Revelio!"

The spell, infused with the will to uncover the truth, struck the dark soil.

A faint white glow shimmered—pure, moonlike, and sacred. It was the residual magic from the unicorn's blood. Faint, yes—but natural, from slow dissipation.

Then, streaks of grey mist began to emerge from within the white. They coiled through the light, like parasites feeding on purity, corroding it from within.

Vaughn could almost smell the decay and rot wafting off the mist.

"Dark magic…" He narrowed his eyes.

He was no longer a novice. The book Introduction to Dark Magic hadn't taught him powerful spells, but it had given him understanding enough to recognize this lingering corruption.

"What's that?" Hagrid's voice came from above. Clearly, he was still a novice in these matters.

At that moment, a panel popped up in front of Vaughn:

[Side Quest Activated]

[Side Quest 2: Save the Unicorn in Forbidden Forest]

[Reward: Random Magical Animal Language Pack]

Vaughn stared at it for a second, then couldn't help but smirk.

Tom… Tom! Even the system is targeting you now. Don't blame me when things get rough.

"It's nothing," Vaughn said lightly.

He opened the satchel enchanted with the Traceless Extension Charm and pulled out an empty vial. Carefully, he scooped some of the tainted soil into it and sealed it tightly.

"Let's head back, Hagrid. I think I need to speak with Professor Dumbledore."

--

--

Show your support with Power Stones, guys!

If we make it into the top 20 rankings at the week's end, I'll drop 2 bonus chapters as a thank-you!