Forbidden Forest

In a quiet corner of the Ravenclaw common room, Eddie Camilleche, a second-year student who looked both sharp and a bit restless, leaned in mysteriously towards Silas, who was yawning over a copy of A Beginner's Guide to Ancient Runes.

"Hey, Silas," Eddie whispered, a mix of embarrassment and anticipation on his face. "Can I ask you something... Do you know any ways to make money fast? You know, something that doesn't take much time but has a good return?"

Silas looked up from his book, glancing at Eddie with a knowing smile. He closed the book and said in a tone that suggested he understood perfectly, "Want to earn some pocket money? Easy. Go buy the ingredients for Buff Awakening Potion, brew it yourself, and sell it to those cramming for exams. There's always a demand for this stuff, and the profit is good."

He paused, seeing Eddie's hesitant expression, and added, "Don't worry, Camilleche, I know you're a bit short on cash lately, so I won't mock you. Making money isn't shameful."

Silas, of course, knew that Eddie would eventually embark on this "entrepreneurial" path (and be "punished" by Hermione), but he didn't think it was a big deal.

However, Eddie shook his head, a hint of Ravenclaw academic pride and dignity showing on his face. "No, no, Silas. I'm the top student in the second year! Selling these... these opportunistic potions goes against a scholar's principles. I need to earn money through my own merits."

Silas almost burst out laughing at this. (Internal monologue: Principles? You'll be doing this in a few years, and you're acting all high and mighty now.)

But outwardly, he nodded in understanding. "Alright, alright, having principles is good. Since we're both Ravenclaws..."

He stroked his chin, thinking of a more "eco-friendly" way to make money that fit Ravenclaw's image of "wisdom."

"How about this, I'll take you to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. I know a few spots where unicorns sometimes appear. When they shed their coats, they leave behind some loose silver mane hairs. Those things are in high demand for potion ingredients and high-end magical fabric markets. One strand can fetch ten Galleons! And it doesn't harm the unicorns; it's just picking them up. That's principled enough, right?"

Eddie's eyes immediately lit up. "Unicorn hair?! Ten Galleons a strand?! That's perfect! That's perfect! It's safe, profitable, and fits the Ravenclaw spirit of exploring the mysteries of nature!"

Silas watched Eddie's excitement and chuckled inwardly. (The edge of the Forbidden Forest? Unicorns? Let's hope we're lucky and don't run into any Centaurs or worse... But, for the sake of money, a little risk is worth it.)

"Then it's settled," Silas said, standing up. "Let's find some time this weekend, and I'll take you to try our luck. Remember to bring a sturdy bag."

A "Forbidden Forest treasure hunt" money-making plan, orchestrated by Silas and walking the line of school rules, was quietly taking shape under Ravenclaw's aura of wisdom. As for whether they would encounter trouble? Silas felt that with him around, it wouldn't be a big problem.

As it turned out, Silas and Eddie's "hair-collecting" operation was indeed smooth at first. They moved cautiously along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and thanks to Silas's keen sense of energy fluctuations (and a bit of luck), they actually found a moonlit clearing where they collected a few small clumps of soft, silver-glowing unicorn mane hairs. Eddie was flushed with excitement, carefully wrapping the precious "trophies" in a silk handkerchief.

However, just as they were preparing to return laden with their findings, a fierce fighting sound suddenly erupted from not far away, followed by Hagrid's angry roar and a sickening, corrosive sizzling sound, like strong acid eating away at something!

"What's going on?" Eddie nervously grabbed Silas's sleeve.

Silas's expression darkened. He sensed a familiar, nauseating dark magic fluctuation, along with the panic and anger in Hagrid's massive life force.

"Shit..." Silas cursed under his breath. "It's Hagrid! He's fighting someone! Eddie, take this and return to the castle immediately the way we came! Hurry!"

Although scared, Eddie looked at Silas's grave expression and shook his head firmly, his face showing a determination mixed with fear and loyalty. "No! Silas! You were willing to help me make money and treated me like a friend. I... I can't leave you to face this alone! I'll go with you! My magic isn't strong, but I can still help a little!"

Silas looked at Eddie, who was clearly terrified but trying to act brave, and felt a slight stirring in his heart. He was actually touched by this "foolish" loyalty.

"How should I put it..." Silas's lips curved into a faint smile. "It's quite touching. But stay close to me, don't wander off!"

Without further hesitation, he raised his hand and opened a portal right in front of them, leading in the direction of the sounds! He stepped through, and Eddie gritted his teeth and followed.

The scene on the other side of the portal was shocking! Hagrid was desperately hiding behind a giant oak tree, the tip of his beloved pink umbrella (wand) smoking, clearly having just blocked an attack. The ground and tree trunk where he had been hiding were covered in horrific pits corroded by strong acid, emitting a pungent white smoke! A wizard, dressed in tattered black robes, tall and thin, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood, was pointing his wand at Hagrid, preparing to launch another attack!

"Balzaha Lightning!"

The moment Silas appeared, he didn't hesitate. He raised his hand and unleashed a furious green lightning bolt towards the Dark Wizard!

However, this time, the attack was unsuccessful!

As if the Dark Wizard had eyes in the back of his head, his body blurred like a ghost just as the lightning was about to hit him. The next moment, he was several meters away! His movements were astonishingly fast!

Silas's pupils contracted sharply! This reaction speed, this control over space... it was absolutely not Quirrell's level!

His gaze locked onto the Dark Wizard, sensing the dark magic emanating from him. Although still weak, it was several times more solid and far more sinister and violent than when it possessed Quirrell!

In almost an instant, Silas confirmed the other party's identity – Voldemort! He had changed hosts! And this new host was far stronger than Quirrell!

Silas's heart sank. He said in a low voice to Eddie and Hagrid behind him, "Be careful... this guy is much tougher than last time. My red ribbon... probably won't be able to contain his magic anymore."

The battle instantly escalated. Voldemort's new "skin" brought an unprecedented threat.

Facing Voldemort, who was clearly stronger and had a new "skin," Silas knew the upcoming battle was no child's play. Eddie and Hagrid would not only be unable to help but would also become burdens and targets he would have to protect.

He made a decisive move, drawing circles under Eddie's and Hagrid's feet with lightning-fast hands!

"Sorry about this," Silas said extremely quickly, but his tone carried an undeniable calmness. "The author can't write group fights; the scene gets too messy and falls apart. Let me have a one-on-one."

Before he finished speaking, two golden portals instantly opened beneath Eddie and Hagrid! Eddie only managed a short gasp before falling into the portal leading to the Ravenclaw Tower; Hagrid's massive body also cried out in surprise as he fell into the portal leading to his hut.

Instant clear-out!

Silas's gaze refocused on Voldemort, who had just regained his balance. Without any pause, he clasped his hands in front of his chest, the golden runes of the Ring of the Ragaddor appearing, and furiously injected red energy!

"Borsat's Thunder!"

An incredibly thick, lava-like, scorching red pillar of lightning, carrying a destructive aura, tore through the air and struck directly at Voldemort!

Voldemort (new host), a sneer seemed to appear on his face hidden beneath his hood. He was extremely confident in his magical abilities, especially against such a seemingly young wizard (even though this kid had previously displayed strange spatial magic and binding spells). He didn't choose to dodge again; instead, he arrogantly waved his wand, intending to block it with a powerful Shield Charm, wanting to show this presumptuous brat the true power of the Dark Lord!

"Shield Charm!"

A translucent magical shield instantly appeared before him.

However, the nature of Borsat's Thunder was far from a simple straight-line attack!

Just as the red pillar was about to hit the Shield Charm, it suddenly refracted as if it had a life of its own, like a nimble red electric snake, grazing the edge of the shield and slamming fiercely into a thick ancient tree next to it!

"Boom!"

The ancient tree was blasted with a large hole, but the energy of Borsat's Thunder did not dissipate. Instead, it used the impact force to bounce back at an even more cunning angle, heading straight for Voldemort's unprotected side and rear!

Voldemort had absolutely not expected the opponent's magic to have such bizarre ricocheting properties! His Shield Charm completely defended the front, but was useless against a surprise attack from the rear flank!

"What?!" He only had time to let out a roar of mixed shock and rage!

"BANG--!!!"

Crimson lightning struck him squarely in the back!

A massive explosion sounded, and Voldemort was blasted away like a kite with a broken string, arcing through the air in a pathetic trajectory before crashing heavily into another tree and slumping to the ground. His black robes were tattered from the explosion, and his hood was blown off, revealing the pale, twisted face of a middle-aged wizard Silas didn't recognize—clearly, this was Voldemort's new, unlucky host, found temporarily.

This blow, while not enough to be fatal (Voldemort had many life-saving methods), had certainly put him at a significant disadvantage and left him in a sorry state!

Silas watched Voldemort struggling to get up in the distance, flicked his wrist, and sneered, "Looks like your new shell isn't all that great either."

In the first exchange, Silas, relying on the unique properties of Borsat's Thunder, cleverly bypassed Voldemort's defenses and gained the upper hand! But the battle was far from over.