The Centaurs in the Forbidden Forest Are a Bit Dim / Firenze's Kindness Ultimately Goes Unrewarded

After looking around at all the Fantastic Beasts present, Harry asked seriously, "So... are there any who don't want to go?"

No one spoke.

This was a question Harry had to ask. The Fantastic Beasts Scamander had entrusted to him were different from the Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest. Harry might treat them as pets, but he couldn't completely treat them as soldiers to be commanded at will.

"Roar!" After a long silence, the Nundu was the first to respond with a roar full of fighting spirit.

It agreed to go and fight the Centaur!

Moreover, as it agreed, it kept roaring to urge the other Fantastic Beasts to agree as well.

Its actions undoubtedly saved Harry a lot of persuasion.

Because in this little world formed by the suitcase, the undisputed 'boss' of the Fantastic Beasts is not the Dragon and the Zouwu that are always by Harry's side, but rather the Nundu that has always kept a low profile.

Because it is too dangerous, it cannot appear often, but this does not mean that it is not powerful.

Moreover, unlike the Zouwu and Norberta, which originally belonged to Harry, the Nundu and the Fantastic Beasts in the box were initially raised by Scamander. For its original owner, it was the core of this group of Fantastic Beasts!

Sure enough, with it taking the lead, the other Fantastic Beasts also expressed their agreement, and for a time, roars of beasts rose and fell.

"Alright, then tonight, the Swooping Evil and the Graphorn will be the first batch."

After confirming the attitudes of his group of Fantastic Beasts companions, Harry selected the members to be placed in the Forbidden Forest first, and then left Hogwarts Castle with his suitcase.

After that, he first went to Hagrid's Hut. When Hagrid learned of his purpose, he immediately patted his chest and expressed his willingness to go with him to 'release' those Fantastic Beasts.

And so, Harry found himself with another fully armed Half-blood- Giant by his side.

They walked together through the forest, first releasing the Swooping Evil onto a tree, and then carefully choosing a suitable base for the Graphorn to rest and recuperate.

Before parting ways, Harry specifically asked Hagrid to go to the Acromantula's lair and tell Aragog that its youngest child was growing well and was now able to hunt.

Harry believed that the clever and cruel spider could understand what he was saying.

"This... to release such a dangerous creature into the Forbidden Forest, is this Hogwarts's doing...?"

A soft hum came from the darkness not far away, followed by the clatter of horses' hooves... After accurately catching these sounds, a smile gradually appeared on Harry's face.

Very well, it seems the Centaur have realized what they've done.

So, will they send representatives to protest directly to Dumbledore, or will they temporarily swallow their anger and let the matter drop?

Harry is very much looking forward to it, and his 'release' spree will continue tomorrow.

Chapter 222 The Centaur of the Forbidden Forest Are a Bit Brain-Damaged

Since Harry released the first batch of 'little cuties', he has started to take a trip to the Forbidden Forest every few days. During this time, many creatures have appeared in the Forbidden Forest that terrify the native inhabitants.

Examples include the Erumpent, the Occamy, Runespoor.

He brazenly fenced off plots of land in the Forbidden Forest, sometimes even attempting to use his still-immature Weather Charm to improve the environment in small areas. He was blatantly arrogant right under the noses of the Centaur Forbidden Forest.

Harry did this to publicly demonstrate against the Centaur, provoking them to become unable to contain their tension and to start holding large-scale rallies to discuss the matter in a self-righteous manner.

He was also quite confident that the Centaur would not be the first to attack the creatures he had ventured into the Forbidden Forest.

The reason is simple: when the Centaur saw Hagrid accompanying Harry in releasing various Fantastic Beasts in the Forbidden Forest, they were initially suspicious because they couldn't figure out whether it was just Harry's personal action or if Dumbledore was behind it.

These Centaur, living in the Forbidden Forest, are very isolated from the outside world. Apart from one Firenze who is willing to interact with humans, the rest of the Centaur maintain a respectful distance from humans, yet also hold them in contempt.

However, Firenze has now been expelled from the Centaur Tribe, so these Centaur are now completely deaf!

Harry didn't believe they could use astrological calculations to know that his box of Fantastic Beasts had absolutely nothing to do with Hogwarts.

So even if a very small minority of Centaur believe that Harry is acting on behalf of the school, their entire tribe will inevitably discuss the matter together... because they will certainly feel arrogant and indignant, believing that Hogwarts has invaded their territory.

These arrogant fellows have an extremely strong sense of territory. Hogwarts merely lent them the Forbidden Forest to live and reproduce, but they treated it as their own exclusive territory.

Moreover, they are actually quite adept at saying one thing to someone's face and another behind their back. According to some information Harry has recently gathered, most of the Centaur in the Forbidden Forest are quite disgusted with Hagrid, and there are even some radicals who have said behind his back that they want to shoot Hagrid.

The reason for this is that Hagrid fed the Acromantula.

The Centaur believed that the ever-growing spider swarms were polluting the forest, and more importantly, occupying the Forbidden Forest territory that rightfully belonged to them. So, even though the Acromantula were eighty feet away from the Centaur settlement and the two sides had had little interaction in recent decades, they still regarded the Acromantula as enemies, and naturally, they also came to hate Hagrid.

But when they meet Hagrid, they still reluctantly call Hagrid a friend.

The reason is quite simple: Hagrid fed the Acromantula.

It is an undeniable fact that the Acromantula are currently the most powerful species in the Forbidden Forest, so as long as Aragog is alive, Hagrid can roam freely in the Forbidden Forest.

These Centaur were definitely unhappy with Hagrid, but they couldn't afford to offend the Acromantula, so they could only maintain basic politeness towards Hagrid on the surface.

So to be honest, in Harry's eyes, Centaur were really just a bunch of weak, arrogant, and annoying creatures.

In comparison, the Merpeople of the Black Lake, who had also given up their human identity and were also using Hogwarts' territory for shelter, were better able to understand their place than these clueless Centaur.

So Merkus and her Merpeople community were eventually able to gain Harry's friendship, and even improve their originally harsh living conditions with Harry's help... But Harry never considered negotiating with the Centaur.

"Alas, that wretched horse in the castle has become increasingly outrageous lately. It has released many dangerous creatures into our Forbidden Forest. What should we do?"

"Yeah... now even creatures like the Nundu have been released. I really don't understand... does Hogwarts want to start a war with us?!"

One night, in a secluded area of Forbidden Forest, almost all the members of the Centaur Tribe gathered to discuss recent events in the Forbidden Forest.

They have held several such meetings recently, but have basically failed to reach any conclusions. Some radical Centaur have clamored to kill these invaders who have occupied their territory, but in the end, they have all been stopped.

The reason they didn't dare to touch Hagrid before is the same: the Centaur generally believe that Hogwarts and Dumbledore are behind these Fantastic Beasts, so they dare not make a move for the time being.

But just when they were about to continue observing, Harry suddenly unleashed the Nundu!

This is absolutely terrifying for all Centaur, because as one of the most dangerous species in the world, even a Nundu could wipe out an entire Centaur tribe!

The breath of the Nundu carries a terrifying venom; a single sneeze from it could wipe out an ordinary human village of a hundred people. Even the Centaur Tribe in the Forbidden Forest, far larger than the average community, numbers less than sixty Nundu —not nearly enough to cause them any harm.

"Don't panic, everyone, don't panic!" Seeing the herd descending into chaos, Centaur who looked quite old quickly spoke up to calm them down.

This was a Centaur with gray hair and a face etched with the marks of time. Unlike the other Centaur wore no adornments, he wore a somewhat decayed wooden headband, which seemed to be some kind of identification.

After looking around, he focused his gaze on a Centaur had once been on good terms with Hagrid: "Ronan... where is Firenze now?"

"Chiron, wasn't Firenze driven out by his people?" Ronan replied in a melancholy voice. "For the past year, he's been wandering alone in the Forbidden Forest ..."

Ronan was very respectful because 'Chiron' was not the name of a Centaur, but rather a title used by Centaur to address the current tribal chief.

The Centaur who is asking the question is Chiron, the leader of the entire Centaur Tribe and the most respected prophet.

However, while showing respect, Ronan also felt a great sense of regret, because among the entire Centaur race, the only one who could speak with the wizards of Hogwarts was Firenze, who was considered to have fallen into depravity.

However, it was precisely because Firenze was considered to have too close a relationship with humans that he was expelled from his tribe.

To this day, there isn't a single Centaur who can properly negotiate with Hogwarts...

"Hmph, I would never allow that good-for-nothing who willingly became a human mule to return!" Bane roared arrogantly and disdainfully. "If those wizards in the castle dare to cause trouble, we'll wipe them all out! The Forbidden Forest is our Centaur territory, and we will never allow outsiders to set foot in it!"

"Sigh..." Ronan shook his head speechlessly after hearing Bane's words.

They were just saying they didn't even have anyone to negotiate with, and now they've discovered there are quite a few warmongers like Bane in the tribe...

"Hehe~" At this moment, someone who had been hiding in the shadows also let out a mocking sneer.

They're on the verge of extermination, yet they're still arrogantly spouting nonsense. Are they just brain-dead?

Chapter 223 Firenze's Good Intentions Were Ultimately Misplaced

A complete mess...

After Bane's outrageous remarks, the fifty-odd Centaur in the Forbidden Forest began arguing amongst themselves again.

Bane's words resonated with young Centaur because they had been raised with a lot of boastful education from their elders, who believed that the planet was the boss, the Centaur were the second-in-command, and humans and other species were all idiots.

However, Ronan and some of the older Centaur knew very well that bragging was just bragging and shouldn't be taken seriously.

But whether it's a radical Centaur like Bane or a conservative Centaur like Ronan, they ultimately share many similarities... For example, they look down on Firenze, who 'bows and scrapes' to humans, and they take it for granted that the entire Forbidden Forest is their own territory.

"Quiet... quiet! Magorian, what do you think?"

After speaking once again to quell the chaos among the tribe, the great prophet known as Chiron looked at another Centaur, who had a reddish-brown body and long, jet-black hair. His cheekbones appeared higher than those of ordinary Centaur, and his expression was very arrogant.

Similar to Chiron, he also wore an ornament that other Centaur wouldn't wear; it appeared to be a jewel hanging around his neck.

Chiron seemed to value this Centaur named Magorian highly, his gaze always filled with expectation.

"Obviously, knowing that the other side controls the Nundu, it would be absolutely unwise to act rashly." Magorian pondered for a moment, then replied in what she thought was a wise tone, "Therefore, what we should do now is figure out why that wretched horse is acting this way, and what Hogwarts and Dumbledore behind it want to do to our Forbidden Forest ..."

"Hiss~"

A sudden, unexpected neighing sound came from the forest. The Centaur looked up and saw a Unicorn taking a solitary stroll nearby.

It swaggered through the forest, seemingly oblivious to the Centaur gathering there. When the Centaur realized the noise came from Unicorn, they all lowered their guard.

Unicorn are the only creatures in the Forbidden Forest that Centaur do not oppose, because Unicorn are known for their pure hearts, and more importantly, they will never encroach on Centaur's territory or food. Therefore, Centaur are happy to coexist peacefully with Unicorn.

However, these Unicorn clearly failed to recognize the sarcasm in the unicorn 'Centaur recent roar.

These Centaur keep claiming the Forbidden Forest as theirs; do they have any shame?

Thinking this, the Unicorn casually walked slowly toward the center of the Centaur gathering, as if it were about to pass through the crowd of Centaur.

The Centaur did not drive it away; some even voluntarily made way for it.

They were used to living peacefully with the Unicorn and knew that these pure and beautiful creatures had their own independent nature, so rather than driving them away unfriendly, they would rather just move aside and make things convenient for everyone.

"No! Don't let him get near!!"

However, just as the Unicorn was about to pass by Chiron and Magorian, a frantic roar suddenly came from the far end of the Forbidden Forest.

Then a tall Centaur came galloping over, leaped into the Centaur's circle, and reached out to grab the Unicorn in front of him!

"I know you're here! You can fool them, but you can't fool me... Waaah!"

However, just as he reached out his hand, a sharp arrow suddenly struck his wrist, causing him to involuntarily scream in pain, and his outstretched arm retracted due to the injury.

"Firenze, you traitor, how dare you come back?!"

The Centaur rushed back was undoubtedly Firenze, but as soon as he appeared, the radical Bane shot him with a crossbow bolt. Then, a dozen Centaur simultaneously raised their bows and arrows, surrounding Firenze in the center.

"Damn it... Bane, do you know you're burying the Centaur?" Ferenze, clutching his bleeding Firenze, angrily pointed at Bane. "The Acromantula and other terrifying Fantastic Beasts are about to attack, and... Harry Granger is with the Unicorn right now!!"

"Hmph, do you think we'd believe your lies?" Bane glanced back at the Unicorn behind him, his disdain deepening. "Firenze, ever since you decided to become a human's mule, you've really gone down a dark path, actually resorting to lies to slander Unicorn?"

"I..." Firenze was speechless for a moment.

"I think Firenze was actually trying to be helpful... to Expelliarmus!"

Two beams of light suddenly struck Chiron and Magorian without warning, instantly knocking their wooden staffs and bows and arrows away.

Then, two elongated Occamy coiled around the two Centaur like ropes, binding them so tightly that they could not move!

Meanwhile, Harry, who was already riding on the back of the Unicorn, no longer hid. He shook off his invisibility Invisibility Cloak, and his wand and Sword of Gryffindor were both pointed at the necks of the two Centaur!

"I advise you not to act rashly," Harry threatened the Centaur calmly, "Otherwise, if I were to act on a whim, both of your great Centaur, past and present, would die here."

"It's over..." Seeing this, Firenze collapsed to the ground, his entire being quickly swallowed by despair.

Harry released various Fantastic Beasts in the Forbidden Forest, and Firenze, who lived alone, naturally heard about it. His first choice was to contact Dumbledore.

However, Dumbledore's reply was that Hogwarts had granted Harry full authority over the Forbidden Forest, Centaur' subsequent territory and survival issues would need to be negotiated with Harry themselves.

Upon receiving Dumbledore's response, Firenze was utterly astonished. He had known since last year that Harry was a formidable opponent... This kid's approach to negotiation might just lead to the extermination of the Centaur!

So when Firenze discovered that Harry had indeed secretly mobilized a large army to press the border, his first thought was to run back and inform his people, but he was too late.

"How dare you disrespect Chiron! Release him right now!"

Upon seeing a human wizard daring to disrupt their tribe's gathering and even audaciously kidnapping two generations of Chiron, the Centaur led by Bane angrily turned their guns on Harry.

"Bane, you really need to calm down..." Ronan's voice was no longer as calm as it used to be. "Chiron and Magorian are now in that pony's hands. We absolutely cannot act rashly!"

"Human colt, you are Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, aren't you?" Chiron asked slowly, seemingly unconcerned about the sword pressed against his skin. "Do you know what you're doing... Your recent actions are practically an invasion of our Forbidden Forest, and now you've openly declared war on the Centaur! I want to know, is this the courage Dumbledore gave you?"

"You arrogant Centaur prophet, I'd also like to know... who gave you the audacity to mistakenly believe that the Forbidden Forest belongs to the Centaur?!"

"Roar!" *N

A series of angry roars echoed, and Norberta and Zouwu, the two guardian spirits, were the first to revert to their normal forms beside Harry; followed by the Swooping Evil and Occamy circling in the sky, and the Graphorn, Erumpent, and Nundu galloping across the land; and among them...

Acromantula, numbering over a hundred, roamed the mountains and fields!