Exploring the Forbidden Forest
The first week of school has come to a close, and Hogwarts is welcoming its first weekend.
Skylar had already thoroughly studied the Forbidden Forest Map, planned various routes, and made preparations for all kinds of situations, such as concocting a number of potions and poisons that might be needed.
Early in the morning, Skylar cast Invisible Phantom Charm on himself and then secretly sneaked into the Forbidden Forest alone.
The Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts is a vast, sprawling forest inhabited by many kinds of creatures, including species that are now extinct. It is a veritable wilderness, and no wizard has ever been able to explore the entire forest, because it is too large and too dangerous. Throughout history, there have been numerous students who have disappeared in the Forbidden Forest.
The trees here are extremely tall, all over tens of meters high, so they block out the sky and create complete darkness. Only creatures living in the Forbidden Forest can adapt to this environment; they either possess eyesight that allows them to see in the dark, or extraordinary hearing, or keen observation skills.
The outer perimeter of the Forbidden Forest wasn't particularly dangerous, and it was clear that Hagrid, the gamekeeper, regularly cleared the area. Prepared, Skylar easily crossed the perimeter, passing through the territory of Hagrid's twelve Hippogriff, and continued deeper into the Forbidden Forest. After several studies, Skylar had already identified the two most dangerous areas within the Forbidden Forest: the Acromantula's lair and the Centaur Tribe territory.
Skylar proceeded cautiously, constantly checking the map to ensure he avoided the two areas. Strange roars echoed from the darkness, and occasionally, he could see malevolent eyes Winky in the shadows. At one point, what appeared to be a gathering place for some social animals emitted a nauseating stench.
Skylar gripped his wand tightly, carefully surveying his surroundings. Suddenly, he stopped and looked down at the footprints on the ground. He recognized them as wolf footprints, several times larger than those of ordinary wolves, likely belonging to a giant wolf, probably as large as Fluffy. Skylar knew that there were no true Werewolf in the Forbidden Forest, but there was a pack of wolves with intelligence approaching that of humans.
There's an interesting story behind the origin of this wolf pack. Legend has it that on the day of the full moon, two Werewolf that transform into wolf forms mate under the moon. The pregnant female wolf will then give birth to pure wolf cubs, not Werewolf that can transform. This rare occurrence has only happened twice in history.
One such incident occurred in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts. At the time, the headmaster of Hogwarts was Dumbledore, who magnanimously allowed two Werewolf to raise Little Wolf in the Forbidden Forest. As the Little Wolf grew, they became a pack of highly intelligent silver Silver Wolf with beautiful silver-white fur. Apart from being intelligent and spiritual, these Silver Wolves were no different from ordinary wild wolves. They did not possess the Werewolf's bloodlust or their craving for human flesh, so they were not much more dangerous than ordinary wild wolves.
Under Dumbledore's deliberate arrangement, rumors of Werewolf in the Forbidden Forest began to spread among the students, with the aim of deterring them from sneaking into the Forbidden Forest. This rumor still circulates among the students to this day, Skylar has heard it from more than one person, including Draco.
Skylar wasn't afraid of a giant wolf, but wolves are social animals, and he wasn't sure if he could handle a large pack. Just to be safe, he slightly deviated from his planned route and continued deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
Skylar first encountered three Red Cap, a type of small, ugly monster resembling Goblin. They were bloodthirsty and murderous by nature, and after killing their prey, they would smear their blood on their skulls, hence the name Red Cap.
Red Cap have no magical abilities, but they are strong and fast, making them quite dangerous to Muggle and young wizards who are just learning magic. However, with Skylar's strength, he can easily handle them. Skylar used Transfiguration to create dense, winding vines, captured Red Cap, and then used Severing Curse to cut off their skulls. Bloodstained skulls are good materials for making cursed Dark Arts items, Skylar certainly wouldn't let them go to waste.
[Red Cap Skull Obtained!]
Then Skylar encountered a Blood-sucking Bugbear. The bear spirit is a mutated Boggart, an aggregate of fear, skilled in transformation, and usually appears in the form of an Australian koala, but with sharp fangs and long claws.
The Blood-sucking Bugbear is the most ferocious variant, frequently attacking poultry. Hagrid's chickens are often attacked by the Blood-sucking Bugbear, causing him considerable headaches. Of course, in front of Skylar, who knows Occlumency, the Blood-sucking Bugbear poses no threat whatsoever; Skylar simply uses "Riddikulus" to repel it.
(Note: Blood Sucking Blood-sucking Bugbear, originally translated as vampire monster, appears in the Chamber of Secrets where Hagrid suspects a fox or Blood-sucking Bugbear in the Forbidden Forest after his chickens are killed; in Dungeons & Dragons it is translated as a tyrannical bear -Gnome, a type of giant Gnome; but in Scotland folklore it is actually another type of Boggart, where "bug" means bogey, and "bugbear" literally means boggard bear or bear-shaped Boggart. The author follows Rowling's usual practice and chooses the second interpretation.)
Continuing onward, Skylar finally encountered the big boss of this adventure—an Acromantula as tall as two adult wizards.
Fortunately, Skylar had made sure he was invisible; otherwise, being ambushed by such a giant spider would likely have ended badly. Skylar knew that creatures living in such dark places were generally afraid of fire, so he didn't hesitate to use Fire-Making Spell on the Acromantula's underside, which was a weakness Acromantula Skylar had already studied.
After the Acromantula's abdomen was set ablaze, it let out a sharp scream, its entire body thrashing wildly in pain. To avoid being caught in the crossfire, Skylar cast Locomotor Wibbly on the Acromantula's two rearmost legs. The Acromantula, as if its legs had been pulled from behind, tumbled forward and died shortly afterward.
Skylar quickly took out a vial and began collecting venom from the Acromantula. A pint of venom was worth 100 Galleon, and Skylar collected three pints from the spider's corpse before leaving satisfied. Fearing encountering even more Acromantula, Skylar decided to leave the Forbidden Forest and retraced his steps.
[Acromantula Venom Acquired!]
Fortunately, he also collected quite a few Jumping Toadstool along the way. Jumping Toadstool are rare ingredients for Potions. Their caps are bright red with many white spots. They have a keen sense of their surroundings and will quickly jump away if they sense someone trying to pick them.
Skylar first used Transfiguration to create a dome to cover them all, then he picked them out one by one and put them into a special container. Each mushroom was worth 3 Galleon, Skylar collected 20 at once, meaning his morning's harvest was already a whopping 360 Galleon. Keep in mind, aside from Ministry of Magic employees, most wizards only earn between 25 and 50 Galleon a month!
[Obtained the Jumping Toadstool!]
The Forbidden Forest truly lived up to its reputation as a lucrative place. Although it took up a lot of his time, he still thoroughly enjoyed it.
Suddenly, Skylar stopped in his tracks. Before him lay an unexpected scene: a gigantic Acromantula, even larger than any he had encountered before, and a giant wolf lay motionless on the ground like corpses.
Skylar cautiously approached to examine it. The venom of the Acromantula had completely dried up and could not be collected, indicating that it had been dead for some time. Although the giant wolf was motionless, Skylar could still feel a faint body temperature on its body. He was considering whether to skin it, since such beautiful fur, even without medicinal or alchemical value, should fetch a good price as a mere decoration.
Skylar took out a pure silver dagger, about to begin peeling the skin off his stomach, when his hand, which was resting on his belly, suddenly felt a strange movement. Skylar frowned at first, then suddenly realized, could it be...?
Skylar was right. He carefully cut open the belly, and without caring about the dirt, he reached his hands through the incision and actually pulled out three Little Wolves!
According to Skylar's estimation, the pregnant she-wolf should have been quietly waiting to give birth within the pack. Unfortunately, the pack was attacked by an unknown number of Acromantula, causing the she-wolf to become separated from the pack. She fought and struggled with one of the Acromantula all the way here, ultimately dying together with it. Sadly, because she had been dead for some time, the she-wolf's remaining vitality was not enough to sustain the Little Wolf's lives, and two of the Little Wolf died shortly after being pulled out of the pack.
Skylar was moved with compassion. He took out several bottles of expensive nutritional supplements from his pocket and fed them all to the last Little Wolf. He then wrapped the Little Wolf in his Night Star Cloak to keep it warm. Under Skylar's careful care, the Little Wolf opened its eyes and let out its first howl since birth.
Despite the weakness of his cries, Skylar was deeply moved by witnessing the birth of a life. A tender corner of his heart was touched, and an indescribable emotion welled up within him, causing his eyes to unknowingly become moist.
Hogwarts allows students to bring their own pets. Except for first-year students who are only allowed to bring owls, toads, and cats, there are no restrictions on the types of pets that students in other years can bring. For example, Ron's pet is Scabbers, and Lee Jordan of Gryffindor once brought a pet tarantula. Of course, there are exceptions for highly dangerous creatures such as Acromantula or Three-headed Dog, but apart from Hagrid, it is unlikely that any other student would keep such terrifying creatures as pets.
Skylar had decided to take the Little Wolf back to Hogwarts and keep it as his pet. From the moment he witnessed the Little Wolf's birth, a bond had formed between him and the Little Wolf that transcended that of a typical master and pet.
Moreover, he has Newt's briefcase, which means he can carry the Little Wolf with him wherever he goes, including to school and home, without fear of being discovered.
Since Dobby wasn't in Britain at the Dobby, Skylar had to go to the Owlery himself, borrow the school's owls, and place a large order for pet food through mail order from the pet store in Diagon Alley. He then personally cared for the still very weak Little Wolf. He named the Little Wolf "Silver Fang."
As the days passed, the pet food from Diagon Alley was finally delivered, Skylar breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, if Little Silver Fang continued to drink his nutritional supplements like that, he would surely bankrupt him.
With Skylar busy taking care of Silver Fang, he had almost no time to deal with the big and small things happening with Harry, and even the Patronus Charm exchange event had to be postponed until next month.
The Slytherin students already knew that Skylar had a beloved pet wolf, and they could always be seen inseparable from Skylar throughout the campus.
Daphne, Meredith, and Astoria were also very excited and often took the opportunity to come and find Skylar, trying to find a chance to tease Little Silver Fang. Although Little Silver Fang was small, he was not lacking in intelligence at all. He knew how to please people and could always make the girls giggle. This made the girls like and love this cute Little Wolf even more.