Bowtruckle
Skylar's personality was far from pure. In fact, most Slytherin boys had virtually no chance of getting close to Unicorn; they were lucky if they didn't get gored to death by its horn.
However, Skylar knew Human Transfiguration, and with his skill, he didn't need to use a wand or chant any spells to perform Human Transfiguration.
Unnoticed by the others, Skylar walked slowly through the snow. With each step, his aura subtly changed. By the time he reached the Unicorn, he was radiating the purest, most sacred feminine aura. This aura was imperceptible to the human eye and senses, but was most deeply felt by creatures with "telepathy" like the Unicorn.
The Unicorn let out a gentle cry, its head resting lightly against Skylar's chest, rubbing gently up and down.
"Well done! Slytherin deserves full marks for Mr. Malfoy's pure heart!" Professor G. P. P. said with an approving look.
This time, not only the young wizards of Slytherin, but even the young wizards of Gryffindor gave Skylar a soft round of applause.
"How could that be?" Ron whispered in Harry's ear, "Don't be ridiculous. A cunning and ruthless Slytherin, a member of the House of Malfoy, with a pure heart? I bet he secretly used some kind of magic to bewitch the Unicorn."
Well, as expected of Ron, he really hit the nail on the head. But apart from Harry, it seems no one else will believe him. Including Skylar, who is gazing at Hermione with admiration and clapping her hands gently.
"Professor, I'd like to try too." Ron was unwilling to let Skylar steal the spotlight, so he mustered his courage and volunteered to be the second person to try.
Unsurprisingly, he was hit in the chest by the Unicorn's horn, thrown several meters, and landed face-first in the mud, his mouth full of white snow.
Having witnessed Ron's fate, no other boy was willing to try approaching the Unicorn again, and the class ended there.
"I wish she could stay, teacher!" said Parvati Patil, as class ended and everyone was on their way back to the castle for lunch. "This is the kind of Care of Magical Creatures I envision... respectable creatures like Unicorn, not monsters..." Parvati's voice wasn't quiet; even the young Slytherin wizards could hear her.
"What about Hagrid?" Harry asked angrily.
"What about him?" Parvati said coldly. "He can still be his gamekeeper, can't he?" Ever since the ball, Parvati had been cold to Harry. Poor Harry thought Parvati had a great time at the ball and that the problem lay with Parvati. He didn't realize how much he had hurt the girl by neglecting her in such a romantic and solemn occasion.
Parvati, after all, came from a prestigious family. The fact that she took a liking to Harry, who was small and unremarkable, was largely due to Harry's reputation as the Savior and his status as Champion, which would allow his dance partner to be the opening act and enjoy the feeling of being the center of attention. But what happened? Their dance duo was treated like they were invisible. Harry barely even glanced at her, and didn't even say a word of praise for her appearance.
What is this? Are they treating her like a tool? Then don't blame her for her bad attitude now.
That evening, Harry, Harry, and Meghan tried to find and contact Hagrid, but Hagrid seemed to be avoiding them. The trio knocked on the door of Harry 'Hagrid's Hut for a long time without receiving any response.
For a whole week, they didn't see Hagrid. Hagrid didn't appear at the faculty desk during mealtimes, nor did they see him on the Hagrid fulfilling his duties as a gamekeeper. Professor Grubbly-Plank continued to serve as the substitute teacher for the Care of Magical Creatures.
In mid-January, the students all went to Hogsmeade Village for a visit.
Skylar once again led the members of the Sleeping Dragon Society, all in their third year and above, to the Three Broomsticks for a gathering to enhance their communication and friendship. The Sleeping Dragon Society now had 31 members, including 12 newly joined Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw wizards. They were surprised to find that the Three Broomsticks had so many food and drinks besides Butterbeer, and all the expenses were paid for by the generous Skylar. They were pleasantly surprised by the Fawley of the organization and felt a greater sense of belonging.
During the gathering, Skylar saw Harry, and their trio sullenly approach the Three Broomsticks and sit at a table chatting. Meanwhile, in a dimly lit corner, Ludo Bagman sat with a group of Goblin. Bagman nervously whispered something to Goblin, who all crossed their arms and looked menacing.
Just then, Bagman glanced at the bar, saw Harry, and stood up. Bagman hurried over to Harry, leading Harry to the far end of the bar, away from Madam Rosmerta. The two talked in hushed tones for quite a while, until Bagman left, looking somewhat disappointed and annoyed. They thought they had been very discreet, unaware that their conversation had been observed by Skylar's sharp eyes from another corner.
It was a sunny Saturday in late January, a rare sight in Scotland in January.
On the Black Lake, Skylar, Daphne, and Astoria waited quietly. Soon, Morrie, Cho Chang, Luna, and Susan appeared in the distance.
To Skylar's surprise, Luna didn't appear in her usual outlandish attire. Today, Luna was dressed very... normally, which was quite unusual for Luna. Luna wore a simple, well-fitting pale yellow dress, her long, soft, pale golden hair flowing in the wind, and a necklace strung with brightly colored flowers around her neck. When she saw Skylar a few meters away, her eyes lit up with an unusual gleam, and a radiant smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
"Good morning, beautiful ladies," Skylar wisely refrained from commenting on Luna's attire. "I've invited you here today to explore a wondrous place within Hogwarts."
"Skylar, where are we going?" Susan looked left and right, but couldn't see anything interesting nearby, so she couldn't help but ask.
Skylar smiled, drew his wand, and with a gentle wave, summoned a thick, withered tree trunk before him. He then aimed his wand at the trunk and cast a Transfiguration, transforming the trunk into a small boat. He laughed and said, "Today, let's experience boating on the Black Lake!"
The girls boarded the small boat, with Skylar being the last to get on. The boat's interior was quite simple, but it didn't feel crowded. The girls sat on benches along the sides of the boat, while Skylar stood alone at the bow, casting Wind-Spinning Vortex Curse with his wand and guiding the small boat slowly toward the center of the Black Lake.
As the girls admired the surrounding scenery, they chatted and laughed softly, their voices mingling and their feelings for each other gradually warming up.
About an hour later, the small boat docked at a small island in Black Lake. Luna looked on with curiosity; she had never known there was such a place in Black Lake. She asked in a somewhat dreamy tone, "Ah! Where is this?"
"This place—" Skylar deliberately kept everyone in suspense, "Is a very interesting place. You'll see when you come with me... Don't be nervous, there's no danger here. Just treat it as a picnic in the countryside."
The group followed Skylar's footsteps, stepping onto a muddy path and entering a vast forest.
"These trees are..." Daphne frowned slightly, as if she had already sensed the unusual nature of this forest.
"Magical Rowan..." Luna murmured, her eyes fixed on the towering trees. "It has many names—the exorcising tree, the Wiggentree, the holy tree... Anyone who touches this tree will be protected from attacks by dark creatures; if its branches are made into amulets, they can ward off Evil Spirit and misfortune..."
Skylar's eyes revealed admiration. Although every girl here came from a family with a long and distinguished tradition of learning— Cho Chang was skilled in Transfiguration, Susan in law, the Greengrass sisters in Fantastic Beasts, Morrie in calming people down (of course, she didn't know that she was a descendant of the Rosier Family and skilled in elemental magic); when it came to understanding magical plants, Luna was still the most skilled among them.
"You're right, it's Magical Rowan, but look closely at the top branches. Those are the most special kind of Magical Rowan — Flying Rowan. This kind of mountain pear wood cannot survive on its own; it must grow on other mountain pear wood to survive. So it also has another nice-sounding name—"
"Flying Rowan."
(Note: Epiphyte is a parasitic plant that relies on other plants for nutrients to survive.)