Unicorns Were Treasures from Head to Toe

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Breeze used the Levitation Charm to guide the unicorn's body out of the Forbidden Forest. He was headed for Hagrid's Hut. He had promised the unicorn he would tell Hogwarts of its death.

In return, Breeze would receive the unicorn's body.

Using the Warming Charm to keep the unicorn's body warm and prevent its blood from clotting, Breeze brought it to the groundskeeper's cottage—Hagrid's Hut—and knocked on the window.

"Oh, who is it?" Hagrid asked in a deep, muffled voice. He seemed to have been fast asleep, and there was irritation in his tone. A dog barked inside, making the night grow noisy.

"Oh, my goodness!"

As soon as Hagrid opened the window, he saw a beautiful unicorn lying outside. Forgetting that he was wearing only thin pajamas, he hurried to open the door and save it.

Seizing the opportunity, Breeze used the Summoning Charm to call the unicorn's body back, leaving a trail on the ground. Then he left.

How much unicorn hair would that cost him? A single magical unicorn hair was worth ten Galleons.

Breeze placed the unicorn's body in the Garden Expand, then turned and returned to Hogwarts Castle. The castle was quiet tonight. Perhaps the little ones had yet to adjust to the start of winter, and the number of students out after hours had dropped sharply.

Breeze had no intention of searching the Forbidden Section for books about souls tonight, either. He had plenty of time. Halloween was only a few days away, and some of the materials he'd ordered for making an alchemical journal were due to arrive. He'd been waiting ages for them. Unfortunately, he still hadn't found any Trance Grass.

Back in the Owlery, Breeze expanded the garden and placed it on the platform outside, where the plants could grow. He brought the unicorn to an empty space on the first floor.

"A unicorn!" Faner heard the noise and had just come downstairs when he saw the dead unicorn lying on the ground. Breeze stood beside it, holding a dagger.

"Have you lost your mind? No matter how short of money you are, you can't attack a unicorn! You'll be cursed!"

Faner rushed down in a fury and hurried over to the unicorn. The lifeless body dimmed the sparks of fire in his lamp oil.

Breeze wordlessly pried open Faner's dazed little head.

"I didn't kill it. In fact, I tried to save it, and helped it fulfill its final wish. This is the payment it gave me."

As he spoke, Breeze plucked a number of leaves from the Four-Leaf Vine on the window, then used Transfiguration to turn them into little transparent bottles.

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

First, Breeze collected the blood still coursing through the unicorn, tinged with resentment. Then he cleaned its neck, cut open the veins, and used fresh bottles to collect the blood the unicorn had willingly offered him.

Controlling it with magic, Breeze didn't waste a single drop. He filled several stacks of bottles.

He wasted none of the unicorn's hair, either. Breeze carefully picked out the strands that still held magic, then wrapped them in slippery cloth made from leaves. He didn't spare the unicorn's hide, either. It was cruel, but Breeze had no habit of wasting resources. Calmly taking what he could was far better than indulging in a saintly pity for the world.

"Don't worry. I won't eat your meat. My diet doesn't call for delicacies."

After collecting the unicorn's horn, eyes, the tears at the corners of its eyes, and its heart—all parts that possessed special magic—Breeze carried the remains, which had no magical value, out of the Owlery and buried them in the garden.

"Thank you for your contribution. I'll plant Moonlight Grass on your grave. I remember unicorns like that plant, too."

"I'll also do everything I can to fulfill your wish."

Leaving the garden, Breeze prepared to find somewhere to store the items. Faner said, "I don't know how you managed to do this."

Faner stared at the unicorn materials filling the floor, all of them seeming to radiate light and goodwill. His snake-like face twisted.

"I've never heard of a unicorn letting a wizard trample all over its body. This is even worse than what they did to me when they made me into a lamp wick!"

Still shaken by his own doubts, Faner turned to Breeze and muttered, "The leaves of the Four-Leaf Vine block magic. You just need to put everything somewhere safe. I'll keep watch over it."

"Thank you, Faner."

Breeze waved his wand and silently cast the Levitation Charm, floating the bottles, cloth bundles, and jars up to the second floor. Faner followed, and darkness settled over the first floor once more.

On Halloween Eve, the whole of Hogwarts Castle was filled with the sweet smell of pumpkin. Breeze had just come through the Great Tree portrait when he caught the scent. He was on his way to the Owlery to collect his parcel; he had specifically requested that it be delivered there.

After taking care of the package, Breeze straightened his clothes before heading down from the Seventh Floor.

"Breeze?" Cho Chang of Ravenclaw looked at him in surprise.

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

"I went to see the owls, then wandered around a bit." Breeze asked Cho, "Need a hand?"

Seeing the large box in Cho's hands, Breeze politely offered to help.

Cho looked at Breeze and blushed slightly, then shook her head. "It's nothing. It's just a dress. Oh, right—you haven't forgotten you need to dress up for Halloween, have you? Scary characters are a big part of the holiday."

Dress up... Breeze hadn't prepared anything at all. Perhaps he should try to fit in instead of standing out so much.

"I think I'll ask Professor McGonagall for advice on Human Transfiguration, or ask her to cast it for me."

That seemed like the perfect solution. He couldn't exactly buy an outfit at the last minute, and the owls weren't fast enough to deliver one.

"Hmm, that's certainly an interesting idea." Cho gave an awkward smile, unsure what else to say. Human Transfiguration was far beyond the knowledge of a second-year student like her. Even older students rarely studied it in depth; it was considered outside the curriculum.

Breeze realized he and Cho didn't have much in common, and saw no need to stand there awkwardly.

"I'll head to class, then. See you." Breeze said goodbye to Cho and headed for the greenhouses. Today, they would get the Flame Grass seeds to sprout. Professor Sprout had been waiting a long time for this batch. Hogwarts Castle needed the plant to keep warm in winter; they only had to brew it into a potion and sprinkle it on the walls and floors.

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

"Flame Grass brings warmth to its surroundings. It usually sprouts in winter and withers in summer. It grows quickly, maturing in three days, and can remain mature for several months..."

"Oh, five points. That's a thorough answer. Now, everyone take a seed and a flowerpot. I'll teach you how to care for it during class. I expect to see them still alive next week. That will be your homework..."

As the morning and afternoon classes went by, the young wizards completely forgot about their Flame Grass. Tonight was the Halloween Eve feast, after all—the day they'd all been looking forward to. They could dress up in outlandish costumes and go trick-or-treating.

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

Breeze had just been about to go upstairs to find Professor McGonagall when he heard Harry and Ron talking. It seemed to be about Hermione.

"Hermione's been acting strange these past few days. Other than practicing Quidditch, she's been buried in piles of books in the library. I heard Gryffindor's team already has enough Beaters, so they temporarily moved her to Chaser. Could that be why she's upset?"

Women's thoughts...

Breeze shook his head. Everyone had their own problems to face. He wasn't the sort of person to go out of his way to care about others. He understood how selfish he was, and didn't hate that about himself.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Come in."

A voice came from Professor McGonagall's office, and Breeze walked in.

"Oh, it's Order. What can I do for you?"

Professor McGonagall was marking assignments with a quill. When she saw Breeze enter, the frown between her brows eased, and her voice lost some of its sternness.

Breeze said sheepishly, "Well, Professor, you know what day it is... I forgot to buy an outfit, so I was hoping you could help me."

"Help you?" Professor McGonagall set down her quill and asked in confusion, "What can I do?"

Breeze said, "Human Trans—well, I know it's dangerous, but after your guidance earlier, I've nearly mastered Transfiguration Structural Studies. I think I can delve further into Transfiguration magic."

McGonagall rubbed her brow. She could hardly believe it. When she'd seen Breeze's notes on Transfiguration Structural Studies, she'd already recognized his talent for the subject. After correcting them, she'd added some of her own insights to the notebook, but she'd never imagined he could master it so quickly. Astonished, she asked, "You've really learned it?"

"I can show you." Breeze took out his wand and tapped his black wizard's robe, edged in silver and green.

The robe quickly transformed into a silver-white cloak. Fine, bright-blue fur sprouted across its back, and stretched into a long unicorn tail at the hem. The hood became a unicorn's head and settled firmly over Breeze's own. The unicorn's legs formed the trouser legs, shoes, and sleeves, while its hooves became gloves.

"Oh?"

Professor McGonagall looked delighted. She hurriedly pinched Breeze's cheek, then felt the smooth robe and the unicorn's horn. As soon as she sensed the magical structure within it, she understood that Breeze was a genius.

"Have you seen a unicorn?" Professor McGonagall asked calmly. Breeze realized the incident with the unicorn a few days ago hadn't spread very widely. But surely Hagrid would have told the Hogwarts professors. Or had Dumbledore kept it under wraps?

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

Breeze wasn't worried about being linked to the unicorn's death. Whoever killed a unicorn would be cursed, and he hadn't been. Besides, if Dumbledore asked, Breeze could give him some information. He had promised the unicorn he would.

"But the unicorn was wary. It left before I could get close."