The Mysterious Figure in the Forbidden Forest

"Wes, are the students easy to get along with?"

Dumbledore smiled as he offered him some candy, but Wes waved it away, indicating that he was not interested.

"If you have something to say, Headmaster, just say it. I'm very busy." Wes brushed back his slightly messy hair.

"Three classes a week—you're the most idle among the professors."

Dumbledore continued.

Wes spread his hands helplessly. "All right. What is it? Please, give me your orders."

Only then did Dumbledore take a transparent bottle from beneath the desk. It contained some kind of bright silver liquid.

Wes recognized what was inside at a glance. It also gave off a soft glow that was deeply alluring.

"This is..." Wes's eyes widened involuntarily as he gripped the bottle tightly. A flash of greed crossed his face, but he quickly concealed it.

"This is Unicorn blood." Dumbledore's expression was grave.

Wes reacted quickly. He stared at Dumbledore in shock. "Someone has been hunting Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest?"

Unicorns were incredibly powerful, pure, and noble magical creatures, with almost no natural predators.

For someone to collect an entire bottle of such rare Unicorn blood, they must have deliberately carried out a cruel hunt in the Forbidden Forest.

"The situation is worse than that." Dumbledore frowned and put the bottle back beneath the desk. Wes's reluctant gaze followed it.

"Someone broke into the Forbidden Forest. Not only did they kill a Unicorn, they drank its blood."

"What a waste." Wes said instinctively. The moment the words left his mouth, he felt Dumbledore's gaze sharpen. He hurriedly corrected himself. "I mean, how awful."

Dumbledore rolled his eyes, then said solemnly, "Unicorn blood has powerful healing properties, but legend says Unicorns are sacred creatures blessed by the gods. Cruelly killing one and drinking its blood brings a terrible curse."

Wes nodded in agreement. "Even evil Dark Wizards would not lightly do something so insane, unless they were at death's door with nowhere else to turn."

"Exactly." Dumbledore took off his glasses and carefully wiped them. "I need your help, Wes."

"Me?" Wes looked puzzled.

"Yes, Wes," Dumbledore said firmly.

"No problem, Headmaster. I'm part of Hogwarts too. It's only right that I do my part for the school."

Wes answered without hesitation.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Wes. The Forbidden Forest is too large for Hagrid to patrol alone. I hope you can help him." Dumbledore looked at Wes expectantly.

"Hagrid is my good friend. I'd be happy to help him."

"Then I'll leave it to you. If you encounter danger, be sure to send a signal. I'll arrive immediately," Dumbledore instructed.

"Don't underestimate me, Headmaster. My experiences over the past four years have made me a qualified explorer."

Wes stood up confidently and strode out of the Headmaster's Office.

For the next week, Wes patrolled the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid, but nothing unusual happened during that time.

Hagrid remained on guard. Gritting his teeth, he swore that he would catch the hateful culprit and use them to honor the dead Unicorn.

However, Wes guessed that Hagrid was so determined partly because he wanted to vent his frustration over Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback who had been sent away.

Norbert had hatched from a dragon egg Hagrid won from a mysterious gambler. Unfortunately, Draco later reported him, and Hagrid had no choice but to send Norbert away. He had been depressed about it ever since.

That night, Wes went to Hagrid's hut as usual, and they agreed to make another patrol.

Just as the two were about to set off, they saw the school caretaker, Filch, leading Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy slowly out of the castle toward the hut, constantly threatening the two children as he went.

"All right, Mr. Filch, please stop frightening these two little ones. They've had enough bad luck already."

Wes stopped Filch in time.

"Very well, Professor Erwin." But in the end, Filch still said in a mocking tone, "I hope you make it back safely from the Forbidden Forest."

Paired with his gloating expression, it was hard to believe that was a sincere blessing.

The moment he heard the words "Forbidden Forest," Draco's face turned deathly pale, and his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Don't worry. We'll be going in with you," Wes reassured him softly.

"I know you. You're the new Professor of Runes." Draco cautiously edged closer to Wes. "You have to protect me. My father is a school governor, and I'll have him promote you."

Wes could not help laughing.

He did not dislike Draco.

In his eyes, Draco was simply a spoiled child.

"Then I'll be relying on you, Mr. Malfoy." Wes smiled.

Draco proudly raised his chin and shot Harry a provocative look.

Harry could not be bothered with him.

Soon, the four split into two groups and entered the Forbidden Forest from different directions.

The tall, dense trees completely blocked out the moonlight, making the Forbidden Forest seem even darker and more terrifying.

With only the faint glow of the kerosene lamp in their hands, they could barely see the road ahead.

Draco clutched tightly at Wes's robe, so frightened that he was nearly in tears.

"That was my oversight." Wes quickly took out a lantern and snapped his fingers lightly. Light instantly spread out, driving away the darkness around them.

Only then did Draco let out a long breath.

Wes handed the lantern to Draco.

Draco frowned. "My father said only servants carry lanterns for others."

"This lantern has a protective charm on it; it can—" Before Wes could finish, Draco snatched the lantern away and explained with a red face, "You're a professor, and I'm a student. It's only natural for a student to carry a lantern for a professor."

"Well said. If this were class, I'd definitely give you extra points, Mr. Malfoy." Wes smiled.

Then Wes began leading Draco through a careful patrol. Whenever he found valuable herbs along the way, he casually collected them.

Gradually, Draco stopped being as nervous as he had been at the beginning.

He began to treat this punishment as a special journey, gradually discovering the magical and beautiful side of the Forbidden Forest. Magical creatures he had never seen before were everywhere here.

Just then, a mournful cry suddenly rang out.

Draco's heart clenched, and he asked tremblingly, "What was that?"

Wes swiftly drew his wand, his expression turning especially serious. "Stay with me, Mr. Malfoy."

With that, he jogged toward the source of the sound.

Draco hurried after him on his short legs.

Along the way, the tree roots, weeds, and small animals blocking their path seemed to sense their urgency and moved aside of their own accord.

Wes suddenly stopped in front of a large tree.

"Hide here."

Wes had Draco hide behind the tree before stepping out himself.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Draco poked his head out.

He saw a snow-white Unicorn glowing with holy light lying helplessly on the ground, blood pouring from its neck.

A mysterious figure completely concealed beneath a black robe was greedily drinking the Unicorn's blood.

Draco hurriedly covered his mouth with both hands, afraid he would cry out.

Wes immediately rushed forward and waved his wand. Caught completely off guard, the mysterious figure was blasted away by magic and slammed heavily into a nearby tree trunk, then lay motionless on the ground.

Wes remained extremely cautious, keeping his distance as he continued to point his wand at the other person.

"Playing dead won't work, Mr. Poacher!"

Wes shouted at the mysterious figure on the ground.

"Confringo!"

Wes immediately followed up with a powerful spell.

At that moment, the mysterious figure rolled away nimbly, and the ground where they had just been standing exploded into a massive crater.

The mysterious figure swiftly got to their feet and pulled out a wand.

The two still stood facing each other from a distance. The mysterious figure was hidden beneath the black robe, their face completely obscured.

With wands in hand, they faced off beneath the moonlight. A fierce battle was about to erupt.

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