I am Slytherin

The cow's fur kept shining, repeatedly negating Tom's magic, but the defense wasn't invincible, and it also consumed the cow's stamina and magic power.

After more than ten attacks, the sheen on its fur began to dim.

"All done, time to harvest!"

Andros was amused. "Your fighting method is too underhanded. You don't engage in any head-on confrontations at all, but instead use the environment to create advantages for yourself."

"As long as we win." Tom cast another Impact Charm.

Andros's smile vanished abruptly. "Watch out, Tom, something's getting close."

A rapid thumping sound came from afar, not the sound of human footsteps, but the sound of hooves pounding on fallen leaves. Many hooves.

"Stop!" A furious shout came from above.

Tom didn't stop; instead, he raised his wand high, and the ice and snow transformed into a giant iron hammer, which he brought down fiercely. "Go to sleep!"

An arrow whistled past Tom, missing him by a meter, while the giant hammer struck the Re'em's head. The bull let out a mournful cry and collapsed to the ground.

A Centaur leaped out from behind the bushes; his upper body was human, and his lower body was horse.

The naked human half-body was very strong, with muscles bulging like stones on his arms. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, the arrowhead pointing at Tom's face.

"Put down your wand, you poacher!"

Tom conjured a warm blue flame in one hand, shining it brightly on himself. "Open your horse eyes and take a good look! This is fucking Slytherin uniform!"

The Centaur showed no sign of putting down his bow and arrows. "If you're not a poacher, why are you attacking the Re'em?"

Tom swore. "What I do is none of your business! Do Hogwarts students need your permission to come to the Forbidden Forest?"

He took a step forward. "And put down your bow and arrows. Who gave you permission to point them at me?"

The Centaur's eyes narrowed. "Release the Re'em and come with me. I'll make sure you're really a Hogwarts student."

Tom's patience ran out, and he raised his wand.

Dark clouds appeared out of nowhere above the Centaur ' heads, and bolts of lightning struck down, blue arcs of electricity exploding in the darkness and illuminating the entire open space.

The Centaur stared in horror, then shot an arrow at Tom's chest while simultaneously spurring his horse to dodge the lightning strike.

Tom neither dodged nor evaded; the giant steel hammer transformed into a sturdy shield, blocking the arrow.

But how could Centaur be faster than lightning?

The first blow struck his shoulder, the second his back, and the third his horse's leg.

The Centaur collapsed to the ground, his body limp, the bow and arrow slipping from his grasp and rolling far away.

Tom dashed over at the speed of a sprint champion, looking down at the convulsing Centaur.

Which hand did you use to shoot the arrow?

The Centaur lay sprawled in the snow, gasping for breath in pain, but his mouth remained as hard as a rock. "Despicable wizard! You dare to ambush me? My people are on their way, and they will not let you get away with this!"

Tom's ears twitched, and sure enough, he heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from afar.

He chuckled, looking down at the Centaur on the ground. "Oh, not much skill, but you've got a whole repertoire of threats."

"I love how you guys are so bad at the game, yet you still have the nerve to threaten others."

Tom crouched down, pointing his wand at the Centaur's face. "I'll ask you one more time, which hand did you use to shoot the arrow?"

The Centaur's lips trembled. "Left, left hand."

Tom glanced at his left hand; his fingers were still trembling, and bits of grass and dirt were stuck under his fingernails.

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll take your arm as a lesson."

"Next time you point an arrow at me, I won't just chop off your horse's leg, I'll chop off its head."

He simply couldn't understand where these Centaur living in the Forbidden Forest got their inexplicable confidence that they could control the students of Hogwarts.

He stood up, put away his wand, and walked over to the Re'em.

The cow was still panting on the ground, its eyes half-closed, and the sheen on its coat had completely disappeared.

Tom took out a knife, cut open the cow's neck, and blood spurted out, which he caught in a bottle.

The Centaur got up from the ground, leaned against a tree, and watched Tom collect the blood.

Tom collected the blood and began plucking the fur. The golden fur shimmered with a silvery-white light in the moonlight and felt like silk to the touch.

He stuffed the wool into the bag, then tried to cut off the horn, but the horn was too hard for the knife to cut.

He cast a Severing Charm with his wand, and the horns broke off. He then stuffed the two horns into his bag.

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer in the distance, and a group of Centaur galloped through the wind and snow, each with a bow drawn and arrow nocked, their eyes fierce.

"Orion!"

The lead Centaur spotted his kin lying on the ground groaning in pain. Just as he was about to order his men to fire, he roared, "Stop! Those are Hogwarts students!"

Tom had already retreated to a safe zone when they approached, and with a flick of his wand, several steel shields instantly began to swirl around him.

A realization dawned on him: why not use Dark Magic? Could Albus Dumbledore still keep two generations of Dark Lord pinned down?

Because Transfiguration is so incredibly useful, Albus Dumbledore is practically the Jackie Chan of the Wizarding World; he can conjure up anything to block damage.

This thing is practically the "all-purpose shield" of the Wizarding World.

The Centaur were furious, their eyes red, but their leader held them firmly down.

"Magorian, he cut off Orion's arm! We must repay blood with blood!"

"Ronan, wake up!" Magorian growled. "If you hurt a Hogwarts student, Albus Dumbledore won't let our entire race off the hook!"

The moment the name "Albus Dumbledore" was uttered, the Centaur had been so aggressive just moments before, instantly deflated, their bows and arrows drooping unconsciously.

Magorian then turned to Tom, her face grim. "Little wizard, I am Magorian, the Centaur chieftain. You must give us an explanation. Why did you harm my people?"

"Explain?" Tom raised an eyebrow, his tone self-righteous. "I've already revealed my Slytherin identity, and you still expect me to reason with you?"

He pointed to the arrows on the ground. "He shot me in the chest first, and I was just retaliating. If it were you, could you have tolerated it?"

Bane's face contorted with rage. "Then you shouldn't have cut off his arm!"

"I'm Slytherin now, what makes you expect me to be a good person?" Tom said matter-of-factly.

"He wanted to kill me, and I was already being very lenient by not killing him outright."

With arrows pointed at him, Orion had no way to refute them.

Magorian glared angrily at the Centaur on the ground, cursing inwardly: What a troublesome idiot.

The Centaur are inherently divided into factions, with Bane and Orion being extremely hostile towards humans.

Ronan is a neutral party, with only a few people being friendly towards humans. As the chieftain, Magorian has no choice but to prioritize the survival of her people.

He took a deep breath. "Even if Orion was in the wrong first, you shouldn't have hit him so hard."

"I only collected some cow blood and hair, and even prepared medicine. Is that poaching?" Tom scoffed. "I think you're meddling too much. Do you own the Forbidden Forest?"