Rotten leaves gave off an eerie crunch beneath Snape's boots.
It was as though he were stepping on countless tiny bones. The glow from the tip of his wand illuminated the forest before him, its dense woods as lifeless and oppressive as something built from stacked blocks.
There was not the slightest hint of life.
A closer look revealed even more oddities—the trees were arranged far too neatly, the rhythm of the wind sound never changed, and even the soil beneath their feet lacked its proper dampness and tiny creatures.
This was clearly not how a normal Forbidden Forest should look.
"What do you mean, it isn't a real forest?" Although Hermione had noticed something was wrong as well, her imagination was limited, and she could not immediately grasp the meaning behind Snape's words.
"Idiot. We're trapped in a special space. Even I failed to notice how we were trapped in it. It's as if it had already affected us without making a sound." Snape muttered in a low voice, a rare trace of tension in his tone. "It's Space Magic, a power capable of containing a vast area."
Though he could not fathom what kind of power a wizard or creature capable of wielding such magic might possess, Snape could still discern the general nature of their current predicament.
Cold sweat slid down the back of his neck and into his collar.
Hermione could not help drawing in a sharp breath at his words.
"There's magic like that!?"
None of the books she had bought had mentioned anything similar.
"The Wizarding World far exceeds your imagination, first-year brat." Snape gritted his teeth, not out of anger, but to suppress the unease and inner conflict in his heart.
"What should we do now?"
Hermione was equally lost when it came