Mars is Bright

In the Forbidden Forest, Dumbledore stood silently amidst ruins, his face devoid of any expression, eerily calm.

"Dumbledore ..." Snape approached and said, "The students have all returned to the castle, and no one is injured."

"Thank you for your hard work, Severus," Dumbledore said.

"What on earth happened here?!"

"Clearly, someone wants to use Unicorn Blood to prolong their life..."

Dumbledore bent down, looking at the dying Unicorn at his feet, and said, "If Hagrid hadn't spotted it in time, it would probably be dead."

"Yes, but now that big oaf almost died." Snape sneered with disdain, "Was it... worth it for such a beast?"

"Everyone has their own principles, Severus, and these principles are difficult to measure in terms of whether they are worthwhile," Dumbledore said. "Just like when you did it for Lily..."

"Dumbledore!" Snape roared angrily, "Don't mention that name again!"

He was breathing heavily, and after a long pause, he continued, "So, do you know who attacked Hagrid?"

"I think so."

Dumbledore took two steps forward, came to a place covered with black ash, bent down and touched the ground.

"Fiendfyre... what a troublesome Dark Magic. If left unchecked, the entire Forbidden Forest might be destroyed."

Then he stood up and went to the other side.

On the ground, two centaurs lay motionless, surrounded by a mess of footprints.

"The Killing Curse ..." Dumbledore said softly, "The quiver is half empty, so they shouldn't have been killed by the Killing Curse the moment they met."

He looks very weak. The Unicorn Blood can only prolong his life, but it cannot restore his strength.

With each word Dumbledore uttered, Snape's expression grew increasingly grim.

"You said before... he wouldn't dare kill anyone now!"

"Not daring to and not being able to are two different things," Dumbledore said calmly. "No matter how many centaurs die, it won't affect Hogwarts, and neither will Hagrid."

Because he knew that the parents and the School Governor wouldn't care about them, and as long as the students didn't die, Hogwarts wouldn't close, so he would still have a chance to get the Philosopher's Stone.

"That's just your guess," Snape said coldly.

"You're right," Dumbledore nodded. "None of us know his true thoughts, which is why I requested a suspension of Quidditch Match."

After a brief silence.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, Snape suddenly asked, "Is it possible that Oren has returned, and he can also use the Fiendfyre and Killing Curse?"

"As far as I know, he's currently hiding from the Auror in the north and won't be back anytime soon."

And if it were him, Hagrid probably wouldn't have been able to leave the Forbidden Forest alive."

Silence fell again until a muffled thud of hooves sounded in the distance.

"Could you keep an eye on him for me? You know who he is..." Dumbledore said softly.

Snape did not respond and left without saying a word.

The sound of hooves grew closer, and soon a group of strong horsemen armed with bows and arrows appeared in the vicinity.

"Don't move!"

"... Mr. Dumbledore?" The centaur leader, upon recognizing the person before him, quickly ordered the others to lay down their weapons.

He stepped forward and asked, "How did you get here? And what happened around here...?"

"As you can see, Magorian," Dumbledore said, "Someone attempted to kill a Unicorn, and Hagrid and two centaurs were caught in the crossfire."

Magorian then noticed that two centaurs were already dead nearby.

A series of stomping sounds suddenly came from all around.

Magorian stepped forward, his voice trembling with emotion, and said, "Druji... Lula... they are all valiant warriors!"

"Ronan, Firenze, send them back to the tribe. I think they'd prefer to stay where the irises bloom."

Two centaurs came out...

When Magorian looked at Dumbledore again, he was very calm.

"Dumbledore, Mars is very bright lately, extremely bright... Be prepared, this is just the beginning, and it's far from over."

Dumbledore bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Magorian."

"I just don't want to see any more centaurs die so tragically."

"Good luck, Mr. Dumbledore, and... Mr. Scamander."

After saying that, he left with the other centaurs.

Dumbledore didn't move; he slightly turned his head and looked in the direction of the Unicorn.

An elderly figure appeared there at some unknown time, his head bowed, gently stroking the Unicorn's wounded body.

In addition, a phoenix was perched on his shoulder.

"How is it?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's bad. She's lost a lot of blood and has several marks of Dark Magic on her body, which makes her very weak." Newt looked up and said, "But fortunately, she was found in time and is not in mortal danger."

"That's wonderful," Dumbledore said. "It saved Hagrid from two potentially fatal curses. If it had died, I don't know how I would have told Hagrid."

"No," Newt whispered, as he took out a bottle of Potions and fed it to the Unicorn, then took out another bottle and applied it to its wounds.

The terrified Unicorn calmed down considerably and gradually fell asleep under Newt's soothing touch.

Only then did Newt take out a box and carefully put it inside.

After leaving the Forbidden Forest, the two went to the Headmaster's Office.

"I'm so sorry to have called you all this way."

Dumbledore poured Newt a cup of tea and said half-jokingly, "But I really don't feel comfortable letting Professor Kettleburn take care of the Unicorn anymore, otherwise Hogwarts will probably need to hire two professors next year."

Newt also recalled the incident last year when Professor Kettleburn was stabbed in the stomach by Unicorn, smiled, and said nothing.

That professor can be a bit reckless at times.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Dumbledore looked at the box beside Newt and asked thoughtfully, "Did you also give Kyle a box like this?"

"Puff..."

Newt spat out his mouthful of black tea.

That's why Dumbledore is considered the strongest white wizard; his reaction time is incredibly fast. He dodged with a simple sidestep, without even getting a drop of water on his long beard.

But Fawkes, who was behind him, wasn't so lucky.

Not a drop of the red tea was wasted; it was all sprayed onto its body.

"Don't get agitated, I was just asking."

Dumbledore blinked and said, "I've had this idea since Halloween, but neither I nor any of the other professors have seen him take any boxes."

"Hmm... maybe... he didn't bring it..." Newt mumbled indistinctly.

Fortunately, someone, or rather a bird, came to his rescue.

After a brief moment of bewilderment, Fawkes, regaining his senses, shook off his feathers and began angrily pecking at Dumbledore's beard.

"Hey, Fawkes, Newt sprayed the tea..." Dumbledore explained, clearly not wanting to take the blame.

But Fawkes paid no heed; it didn't see Newt, it only saw that Dumbledore hadn't helped it block the water.

Moreover, Fawkes really didn't tolerate him at all; every time he bit him, he could peck off a tuft of silvery-white beard.

Dumbledore hurriedly covered his beard, his voice trembling with distress.

Taking advantage of the moment, Newt picked up his suitcase and quietly left the Headmaster's Office.