Mars Is Bright Tonight

Harry and his friends were overjoyed to learn that this confinement involved working with Hagrid.

"I'll be back at dawn to clean up their remains!" Filch declared ruthlessly, then turned and walked towards the Castle, his figure disappearing into the darkness.

"Hagrid!" Harry greeted him excitedly, wanting to talk about Norbert, but Crabbe was there, so he stopped talking.

"Come on, we have important business to do in the Forbidden Forest tonight." Hagrid didn't say much more and led the group towards the cabin.

Loren surveyed the Forbidden Forest with great interest; he had never been there at night before. Tonight, Harry would encounter Voldemort, hunting for blood, but Voldemort had been easily repelled by a Centaur.

That's unrealistic. Even Voldemort, who was parasitizing Quirrell's body, couldn't be defeated by a Centaur.

Clearly, this is yet another troll-like plot. It seems illogical, but that's just how it is.

Loren dared not place his hopes on nothing; his wand was hidden in his sleeve, and the spells [Piercing Bolt], [Fire Charm], and [Lumos] were at his lips, ready to make a big splash at any moment. If he could attract Dumbledore's attention, Fawkes could bring the headmaster over instantly.

As they walked, Hagrid explained the situation for the evening, "According to the usual rules, you should be allowed to chop wood until your hands cramp. But we have other things to do today, so we need to go deeper into the woods."

Crabbe objected vehemently, "I'm not going into that Forbidden Forest! Anything that needs to be done should be done by the servants, not me. At most, I'll have to write a self-criticism or something. If my father finds out about this, he'll—" He was referring to Hagrid as that kind of servant.

Although Malfoy didn't say anything, he had a similar thought.

Hagrid was a little angry when he heard this. "I'll tell you that's how Hogwarts is. Listen, if you do something wrong, you have to pay the price, or you're out."

This was the first time Loren and the others had seen Hagrid so angry, and they fell silent in fear.

Crabbe glared angrily at Hagrid, but then lowered his gaze.

"Okay," Hagrid said, "Now listen carefully, what we're doing tonight is very dangerous, don't do anything unnecessary."

Hagrid led the group to a cabin on the Edge of the Forbidden Forest, told them to wait outside, and went inside.

Everyone else peered curiously into the Forbidden Forest, but Hermione peeked through the crack in the door and saw Hagrid carrying a massive crossbow and a full quiver of arrows. Most importantly, there was a familiar chest next to the table.

That's Loren's box!

Hermione looked delighted, but didn't say anything. She grabbed Loren's sleeve and pointed it out to him.

Loren saw the box, exchanged a glance with Hermione, and their expressions were the same. He guessed that Charlie's friends must have taken Norbert away and returned the box to Hagrid.

Hagrid emerged fully armed, sending Fang ahead to scout the way, leading the group deeper into the Forbidden Forest.

Harry noticed a small Pink Umbrella tucked into Hagrid's leather jacket at his waist. He thought he probably knew one of Hagrid's little secrets.

The Forbidden Forest was dark and silent.

Hagrid stopped at a fork in the road and pointed to a patch of light on the grass, saying, "Look over there, do you see that shimmering thing on the ground? It's silvery-white, that's Unicorn Blood."

"This is a special situation, so your work is different from usual."

"A Unicorn in the Forbidden Forest has been badly injured by something. Another one died last week, and we must try to find this poor Unicorn and save it."

"This path is my patrol route, and it's usually safe. Okay, now let's split into two groups and follow the trail of blood."

"What if the thing that harmed the Unicorn finds us first?" Malfoy couldn't help but ask.

Hagrid said, "As long as you stay with me and Fang, no creature in the Forbidden Forest will harm you."

Hagrid initially thought it was a creature from the Forbidden Forest that had harmed the Unicorn. But Loren knew it was Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, who had done it, and they absolutely could not part ways.

Under Hagrid's protection, they might have a chance to fight off a weakened Voldemort, thanks to Hagrid's high magic resistance and physical attack, until Dumbledore arrives to help. If they split up, the young wizards and Fang would be easy prey even against a half-crippled Quirrell.

"Hagrid," Loren interrupted, "Remember the Acromantula from before?"

Hagrid thought Loren was afraid the Acromantula would harm them. "Remember, don't worry, Aragog has ended its hibernation, and its offspring have also woken up from hibernation. They won't be indiscriminate eaters anymore."

"You said that some outside creatures had entered the Forbidden Forest. This incident might have been caused by that guy."

Hagrid's expression was uncertain, showing some surprise and lingering fear. "You're right, I almost made a big mistake."

Instead of splitting up, the six young wizards, led by the Half-Giant and a hound, chose a path and gradually explored the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

They walked on in silence, their eyes fixed on the ground. Every now and then, a ray of moonlight would shine through the branches above, illuminating a patch of silvery-blue blood on a fallen leaf.

If anyone were to meet Loren's gaze, they would notice an exceptionally bright blue light in his eyes. In his eyes, the Unicorn Blood was brimming with an inky glow—full of energy, and also brimming with a severe curse.

This Unicorn is dead, and only the blood of a dead Unicorn carries a severe curse.

But Hagrid didn't know that he wanted to find the poor little creature as soon as possible and save it.

"Could it be that Werewolf killed the Unicorn?" Harry asked quietly.

"Hey! Werewolf can't handle Unicorn. Don't be fooled by their appearance. Unicorn are not to be trifled with." Hagrid was relatively optimistic. "Besides, Werewolf don't usually live in the Forbidden Forest; they're not considered animals."

The group walked for nearly an hour, venturing deeper into the forest. The trees became denser, the branches and grasses tangled, and the path was almost impassable.

The bloodstains on the ground became increasingly dense, and a lot of blood was splattered on a tree root.

Ahead were tangled and intertwined branches, and beyond that, a clearing could be vaguely seen, with movement coming from within.

Hagrid put his arm around the six young wizards and sheltered them behind a sturdy oak tree. He cautiously peered through the gaps in the branches.

A the Dark Lord leaned over the Unicorn's neck, making sucking sounds as he drank its Unicorn Blood.

The Unicorn's body was covered in silvery-white fur, which shone brightly in the moonlight. Its long legs were stiffly straight, and its mane, spread across the dark fallen leaves, radiated a mournful light.

Enraged, Hagrid raised his giant crossbow and fired an arrow.

Call out!

The Dark Lord seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. With a wave of his hand behind his back, he swept the arrows away, which then embedded themselves into the tree trunk beside him.

The arrow had penetrated more than halfway into the tree trunk, its fletching trembling incessantly, demonstrating the anger and power of the Half-Giant's shot.

The Dark Lord turned around and flicked his finger upwards like a magic wand towards Hagrid. The tangled branches shattered with tremendous force, and Hagrid was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the oak tree where Loren and the others were hiding.

Several young wizards vaguely heard the sound of the tree trunk cracking.

Crabbe stood frozen in place, his eyes blazing with a fierce fire. If he possessed that power, he could kill Malfoy, Potter, and all of them.

"Hagrid!" Harry immediately rushed to Hagrid's side. In an instant, the scar seemed to catch fire, a sharp pain piercing through Harry's head, blurring his vision.

"Run! Harry!" Hagrid roared, standing up and shoving Harry aside. He leaned against the oak tree, smashed the trunk in half with his shoulder, and hurled the trunk at the Dark Lord.

The encounter turned out completely differently than Loren had imagined. Hagrid could withstand the damage, but such an attack would kill their children.

There was no time to make a sound; he grabbed Hermione and Ron and ran back as fast as he could. Malfoy ran even faster than them.

Hagrid threw the tree trunk, not even glancing at the spoils behind him, and grabbed the stunned Harry and Crabbe, running off. Although they couldn't see what was behind them, they all knew that the tree trunk wouldn't harm the Dark Lord.

Hagrid's blood was boiling. He had never encountered danger in the Forbidden Forest before, and he attacked recklessly, forgetting that he had students to take care of.

He made a grave mistake tonight, and this time he wasn't innocent. As the Keeper of Keys Hogwarts, he should pay with his life if anything happened to any young wizard here.

He was running as fast as he could, with the two little wizards tucked under his arms. Suddenly, he felt a pulling force on Harry.

Harry was kidnapped by the Dark Lord using magic!

Harry was unconscious; his stiff body, like a withered tree, flew toward the Dark Lord.

"Harry!" Hagrid's eyes widened in anger, and he put Crabbe down and turned to leave.

Suddenly, an arrow shot towards the Dark Lord.

Although the shot missed, it interrupted his magic.

Harry fell from the sky.

A figure with silver mane leaped into the air, carrying Harry on its back. It then swiftly fired several more arrows at the Dark Lord and charged towards Hagrid.

"Firenze!" Hagrid couldn't help but let tears fall onto his beard.

The Dark Lord was about to give chase again, but two more Centaur emerged from the jungle, drawing their bows and unleashing a flurry of arrows.

Seeing that the crowd had grown, the Dark Lord disappeared, dragging the Unicorn's corpse with him.

"Ronan! Bane!" Hagrid greeted the two Centaur gratefully, feeling his heart about to stop pumping blood and his head spinning.

After the Dark Lord disappeared, Harry's headache subsided, and he slowly regained consciousness. Crabbe pretended to be terrified.

Loren also joined Hermione and Ron.

He carefully examined the Centaur; they had human bodies on top and horse bodies on the bottom, and several of the male Centaur were shirtless.

In Loren's vision, they had a faint glow flowing around them, similar to the starlight in the sky.

"Firenze!"

Bane, the black-haired, black-bodied Centaur, roared, "What are you doing? You're letting someone ride on your back! Aren't you ashamed? Are you some ordinary mule?"

"Remember, Firenze, we swore an oath never to defy fate. Didn't you see how bright Mars tonight? Didn't you see the omens indicated by the planetary movements?"

Ignoring those around him, the black Centaur Bane unleashed his fury on the silver Centaur Firenze.

Firenze was not angry; his voice was calm and steady. "Didn't you see who this is? This is the boy from the Potter family. We need to get these human ponies out of this forest as soon as possible."

"Didn't you notice that Unicorn? Think about why it was killed? If necessary, we should stand with the humans."

Another Centaur, Ronan, with a red beard, red hair, and a brownish-red body, was pacing nervously with his hooves, saying, "I believe Firenze is doing this entirely out of goodwill."

"What does this have to do with us Centaur! Centaur care about astrological Prophecy, we don't need to follow humans like donkeys!" Bane was furious and ran off, swinging his hooves.

The conversation among the Centaur was subtle. Loren initially thought that Bane was blaming Firenze for losing his Centaur identity, and that letting humans ride on his back was a disgrace to the Centaur.

But Firenze's words suggest that the situation is not so simple. Bane is blaming Frenzel for saving Harry, which contradicts Bane's understanding of the astrological signs.

It seems he has already seen from the stars that Harry is destined to die at Voldemort's hands.

And then there's the line, "Mars is very bright tonight."

Loren looked up at the starry sky. The bright moon was surrounded by dark clouds, and no other stars could be seen. If there were a stargazing class today, it would definitely be another fabricated report.

Recalling Flamel's words, Loren had a strong premonition that the Book of Abraham should be opened tonight.

Bane's departure eased the tension. Hagrid took Harry off Firenze's back, held him close to his chest, and only let go after a while.

Harry was confused. After thanking Firenze, he quickly ran to the group of young wizards.

Hagrid began to tell Firenze and Ronan about what had happened that night.

"If you ask me, Hagrid doesn't need magic at all; his body is the most powerful weapon." Ron waved his hands animatedly, mimicking Hagrid's earlier action of breaking a tree and throwing it.

Escaping danger, fear and lingering dread quickly turn into excitement.

Harry was about to reply when he heard Firenze call him from behind.

"Harry Potter, do you know what Unicorn Blood can be used for?"

Harry shook his head blankly. "I don't know."

Firenze told Harry that Unicorn Blood could prolong the life of the dying, but that killing pure Unicorn would also incur a curse on one's life.

Being cursed like this is worse than death, unless it's just to buy time so that a more powerful Magic Power can reshape the body later.

"Mr. Potter, do you know what powerful Magic Power is hidden in the school right now?" Firenze's hooves clattered on the stones.

"The Sorcerer's Stone!" Harry answered silently in his mind.

Firenze asked again, "Can't you imagine who has been silently waiting for years, yearning to make a comeback? Who is clinging tightly to life, waiting for their chance?"

For some reason, Professor Trelawney's Prophecy voice echoed in Loren's mind, "... the changing of the old and the new... the waves... the Black Forest...".

It seems to not only reflect the Albania forests, but also bear some resemblance to the current scene.

Firenze's question was heard by more than one person, and everyone knew the answer— Voldemort.

The young wizards felt as if an iron claw had seized their hearts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood frozen, the answer echoing in their minds.

Crabbe kept his head down, struggling to control his contorted face and suppress his manic laughter. He knew it, he knew it all along: the glory of Pure-blood would not end.

On the other side, Malfoy was simply bewildered, utterly bewildered. His father was a renowned Death Eater, Voldemort's return seemed to bring them only benefit, not harm.

But then what? The Malfoy family isn't doing badly now. If Voldemort had ruled the Wizarding World, how much would the Malfoy family have benefited?

His father had to meet with officials from the Ministry of Magic every month, which caused them to lose a significant portion of their wealth. But his parents seemed to have no objection to this, and when they occasionally mentioned that "glorious" period, their faces showed only fear.

For ten years, Malfoy Manor hosted countless banquets, both large and small. Aurors, Ministry of Magic officials, and Pure-blood relatives alike felt nothing but fear towards Voldemort.

During that glorious period, many Pure-blood also died at Voldemort's hands.

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I've been busy with work these past few days, so updates have been slow. (I hope this is helpful.)