The Unicorn is a Treasure Trove

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Breeze used the Levitation Charm to carry the unicorn's carcass toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest. His goal was Hagrid's hut; this was the promise Breeze had made to the unicorn: to inform Hogwarts of its passing.

And in return, Breeze would receive the unicorn's body.

Using a Warming Charm to keep the unicorn's body warm and prevent its blood from coagulating, Breeze placed the creature outside the hut of the gamekeeper, Hagrid, and knocked on his window.

"Oh, who's there?" Hagrid grumbled in a muffled voice. It seemed he had been fast asleep, and his tone was somewhat disgruntled. Inside, the sound of a dog barking erupted, making the night noisy.

"Oh, heavens!"

As soon as Hagrid pushed open the window, he saw a beautiful unicorn lying outside. Ignoring the fact that he was only wearing thin pajamas, he hurried to open the door, desperate to save the creature.

Taking advantage of the moment, Breeze used the Summoning Charm to recall the unicorn's body, leaving a drag mark on the ground, and then vanished from the scene.

Think of how many unicorn hairs were lost—a single magical unicorn hair was worth 10 Galleons.

Breeze tossed the unicorn's carcass into his Garden Expand and turned to head back to Hogwarts Castle. The castle was very quiet tonight; perhaps the students hadn't fully adjusted to the arrival of winter, as the number of night-wanderers had plummeted.

Breeze had no intention of visiting the Forbidden Section tonight to search for books on souls. He had plenty of time, and Halloween was only a few days away. Some materials he had ordered for his alchemy notes were due to arrive, something he had been waiting for for a long time—though, unfortunately, he still hadn't found any Trance Grass.

Returning to The Owlery, Breeze deployed his Garden Expand on the outdoor platform to ensure the plants within could grow, while he brought the unicorn to the empty floor of the first level.

"A unicorn!" Faner, hearing the commotion, had just come downstairs only to see a dead unicorn lying on the floor, with Breeze standing nearby holding a dagger.

"You've lost your mind! No matter how short of money you are, you cannot lay a hand on a unicorn. You'll be cursed!"

Faner rushed down in a rage, hurrying toward the unicorn. The sight of the lifeless body made the flames of his lamp-oil flicker and dim significantly.

Breeze speechlessly pried open Faner's distracted little head.

"I didn't do it. In fact, I wanted to save it. I helped it fulfill its final wish, and this is the payment it gave me."

As he spoke, Breeze plucked many leaves from the Four-Leaf Vine on the window and used Transfiguration to turn them into transparent, empty bottles.

"I must hurry, or the unicorn's blood will lose its magic."

Breeze first collected the blood that held the unicorn's lingering resentment, then cleaned its neck. After slicing open the jugular vein, he used new bottles to collect the blood the unicorn had willingly offered him.

Controlling the flow with his magic, Breeze didn't waste a single drop, filling several stacks of bottles.

The unicorn's hair was not wasted either; Breeze carefully selected the strands imbued with magic, wrapping them in cloth made from transformed leaves. He didn't spare the unicorn's hide, either. Though it was cruel, Breeze had no habit of wasting resources; obtaining benefits with a cool head was far more correct than the sanctimonious pity of a saint.

"Don't worry, I won't eat your meat. My diet doesn't require delicacies."

After collecting the unicorn's horn, eyes, the tears hanging from its lashes, and its heart—parts possessing special magic—Breeze took the remaining body, which had no magical value, out of the tower and buried it in the garden.

"Thank you for your contribution. I will plant Moonlight Grass at your grave; I recall that unicorns enjoy that plant as well."

"I will also do my utmost to fulfill your wish."

Leaving the garden, Breeze prepared to find a place to store the items, but Faner said, "Though I don't know how you managed it..."

Faner looked at the floor filled with unicorn materials, brimming with light and benevolence, his snake-like face twisting.

"I have never heard of a unicorn allowing its own body to be trampled by a wizard. This is even more excessive than when you turned me into a lamp wick!"

Deep in self-doubt, Faner turned to mutter at Breeze, "The leaves of the Four-Leaf Vine can shield magic. You only need to find a safe place to store them, and I will help you keep watch."

"Thank you, Faner."

Breeze waved his wand, silently casting a Levitation Charm to carry the bottles, cloth bundles, and jars up to the second floor. Faner followed, and the first floor plunged back into darkness.

On the eve of Halloween, the entire Hogwarts Castle was filled with the sweet scent of pumpkin. Breeze had just entered through the portrait of the Great Tree when he caught the smell, and he prepared to head to the Owlery to retrieve his package—a specially requested delivery address.

After processing the goods, Breeze tidied his attire before heading down from the eighth floor.

"Breeze?" Cho Chang of Ravenclaw looked at Breeze with curiosity.

"I went to the Owlery to pick up some things. What are you doing here?"

"I went to see the owls and wandered around a bit." Breeze countered, "Do you need help?"

Looking at the large box in Cho's hands, Breeze asked like a gentleman.

Cho looked at Breeze, her face flushing, and she shook her head. "It's nothing, just a costume. Oh, right, you haven't forgotten that we need to dress up for Halloween, have you? Some scary characters are a staple of this holiday."

Dressing up... Breeze hadn't prepared at all. Perhaps he should try to fit in rather than being too unconventional.

"I think I shall try to consult Professor McGonagall about human Transfiguration, or ask her to cast it for me."

This was the most perfect solution Breeze could think of; he couldn't exactly buy a costume on the spot, and owls didn't have the strength for that kind of delivery.

"Hmm, that's certainly an interesting idea." Cho smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Human Transfiguration was not something a second-year student like her should know about, or rather, not many upper-year students would study it in depth; it fell into the category of extracurriculars.

Breeze realized he didn't have much common ground with Cho, so he didn't stand there awkwardly.

"Then I'll head to class. Goodbye." Breeze greeted Cho and walked toward the greenhouses. Today was about germinating the seeds of Flame Grass. Professor Sprout had been waiting for this batch of seeds for a long time; winter required this plant to keep Hogwarts Castle warm. One only needed to brew them into a potion and sprinkle it on the walls and floors.

"Now, who can tell me the characteristics of Flame Grass?" Professor Sprout looked at Breeze, and Breeze stood up.

"Flame Grass can bring warmth to an environment. They usually sprout in winter and wither in summer. Their growth cycle is very fast; they mature in three days and remain in a mature state for several months..."

"Oh, five points to you, very thorough. Now, everyone take a seed and a flowerpot. During class, I will teach you how to care for it. Next week, I want to see them still alive; this will be your homework..."

With the morning and afternoon classes, the young wizards completely forgot about the Flame Grass, because tonight was the Halloween feast—a day all the young wizards looked forward to, where they could wear costumes and participate in trick-or-treating.

"Ron, Hermione hasn't shown up all afternoon... hurry."

Breeze, who had just been preparing to head upstairs to find Professor McGonagall, heard Harry and Ron talking; it seemed to be about Hermione.

"Hermione has been acting strange these past few days. Aside from Quidditch practice, she's been buried in piles of books in the library. It seems that since the Gryffindor team's Beater positions are full, she was temporarily moved to Chaser. Could that be why she's upset?"

A woman's heart...

Breeze shook his head. Everyone has their own things to face. Breeze was not the type of person to take the initiative to care about others; he understood his own selfishness, and he did not loathe this quality.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Come in."

A voice drifted from Professor McGonagall's office, and Breeze walked inside.

"Oh, it's Order. Is there something you need?"

Professor McGonagall was grading assignments with a quill. Seeing that it was Breeze who had walked in, her tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and her tone became less stern.

Breeze said sheepishly, "It's like this, Professor. You know what day it is today... I forgot to buy clothes, so I wanted to ask for your help."

"Help?" Professor McGonagall set down her pen, puzzled. "What could I possibly help you with?"

Breeze said, "Human Transfig... well, I know it's very dangerous, but after the guidance you gave me previously, I have pretty much mastered Transfiguration Structural Studies. I would like to delve deeper into some Transfiguration magic."

McGonagall rubbed her temples. She found it hard to believe. She had already known of Breeze's talent for Transfiguration when she first saw his notebook on Transfiguration Structural Studies, and after adding corrections, she had even written some of her own insights in the notebook. But she had never imagined Breeze could master it so quickly. She said in shock, "You really learned it!"

"I can demonstrate." Breeze took out his wand and tapped his black wizard's robe, which was trimmed in silver and green.

In an instant, the robe transformed into a set of silver-white robes. Bright blue fine hair sprouted from the back, extending into a long Unicorn tail at the base. The hood on his head became the head of a Unicorn, sitting firmly atop Breeze's head, while the Unicorn's limbs became the pant legs, shoes, sleeves, and gloves.

"Oh?"

Professor McGonagall's face lit up with surprise. She hurriedly pinched Breeze's small cheek, then stroked the supple robe and the Unicorn's horn. Upon feeling the magical structure within, she immediately understood Breeze's genius.

"Have you seen a Unicorn?" Professor McGonagall's expression remained normal, making Breeze realize that the Unicorn incident from a few days ago had not spread as widely as he thought. But surely Hagrid would have told the professors at Hogwarts, or perhaps Dumbledore had kept it under wraps?

"I have seen one. It was a week ago. It seemed to have lost its way and wandered to the border between the Black Lake and the Forbidden Forest. I have never seen such a beautiful creature."

Breeze was not at all worried about being linked to the death of a Unicorn. Those who kill a Unicorn are cursed, and Breeze was not. If Dumbledore asked, Breeze could provide him with some information; this was a promise made to the Unicorn.

"However, the Unicorn was quite wary. It left before I could even get close to it."