"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Quirrell gritted his teeth as he watched Silan ride the dragon, crashing through the tree branches, cursing under his breath.
Not only has the attempt to capture the Unicorn failed, but Silan has also escaped. If he tells Dumbledore about this, it will be a huge problem.
Through the thick flames, Quirrell glared angrily at Hagrid, wanting to rush up and deliver a Killing Curse.
But Quirrell ultimately held back.
Even the centaur, who usually doesn't like to meddle in other people's business, has intervened; this matter has already spiraled out of his control.
The wisest decision now is to retreat quickly.
There was no time left to catch Unicorn, Quirrell resolved to move up the pace of his plans upon returning, making obtaining the Philosopher's Stone his top priority.
Hagrid, holding his giant crossbow, squinted at the figure in the flames, trying to make out his appearance, but the thick smoke mixed with the flames obscured his view.
Make it unclear to him.
But now that Silan and Norbert have left safely, he breathed a sigh of relief.
After the figure disappeared from the flames, Hagrid lowered his giant crossbow and sincerely thanked the two centaurs beside him.
"Thank you, Firenze, and you, Ronan, thank you." Hagrid shook hands with them warmly. "I thought you weren't interested in anything beyond the moon."
He was actually quite surprised. He knew these centaurs very well and knew they never liked to meddle in other people's business.
But for some reason, today I not only led the way for them, but also personally helped them.
"Your friend is special." Firenze, turning his gaze away from the stars. "The Unicorn likes him very much and asked us for help."
Hagrid agreed, his beard swishing across his chest. "I have to admit, you're right, Silan is indeed very different."
"Hogwarts hasn't seen a young wizard like this in years."
Harry and Ron wholeheartedly agreed.
The scene of Silan riding the Dragon into battle had been deeply imprinted in their minds, bringing them immense shock.
Malfoy pursed his lips and nodded reluctantly.
As a fellow Pure-blood families wizard, Prewett certainly had the right to be compared to himself.
After breaking through the tree branches, Norbert spread and folded his wings, spinning as he charged for over a hundred meters.
After spreading his wings again, Norbert flapped them a few times, piercing through the dark clouds in the night sky, and arrived at Hogwarts Castle in just a few breaths.
After dropping Silan off near the castle, Norbert excitedly asked, "How did it go, Master? Did I pass the test?"
"Of course," Silan patted his head, "You did very well, you're already a very good Dragon."
"Yay!" Norbert flapped his wings and cheered, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Go back, Norbert," Silan instructed, "And help Hagrid deal with the Dragonfire."
"Yes, Master!"
Norbert nodded, spread his wings, and flew back towards the Forbidden Forest.
It was just past curfew, and Hogwarts Castle was not yet completely dark; the torches at the entrance were still lit.
Silan turned and walked towards the castle.
After thinking for a moment, Silan stopped and prepared to disguise herself.
After all, to be a perfect victim, it's always better to look rather pathetic.
Silan casually ruffled her hair, tousling it with her fingers, and then used Fire-Making Charm to burn a hole in her outer robe.
Silan felt that wasn't enough, so he grabbed a handful of dust from the ground, smeared it on his face, and finally used Severing Charm to tear his robe.
Silan rubbed her face, a look of fear and unease on her face; she looked utterly terrified.
With his disheveled hair, tattered robe, and the soot and fear on his face, anyone who saw Silan would assume that he must have suffered some misfortune.
To put on a complete act.
Silan was completely immersed in the role from the moment she stepped into the castle, holding her wand and running towards Dumbledore's Headmaster's Office with a look of terror on her face.
Along the way, he would occasionally glance back nervously to see if anyone was following him.
As she ran, Silan suddenly heard Filch's voice.
"That must be a little wizard out at night!"
"Professor McGonagall, come this way quickly!"
Filch's voice grew closer, and he suddenly appeared around the corner, the oil lamp he carried causing Silan to squint.
"Ha!" Filch chuckled smugly. "I knew it, you mischievous little wizard who sneaks out at night!"
"Mr. Prewett? What are you doing here?"
Professor McGonagall, standing behind Filch, looked surprised to see that the young wizard in front of her was Silan.
In her memory, Silan had always been a well-behaved and sensible child who followed school rules.
He never broke school rules by going out at night, and he was never even late once.
Almost all the professors knew he was a good kid; even Snape, when mentioning Prewett, only hummed twice and didn't say a single sarcastic remark.
How could he possibly be out at night?
"You'd better explain..." Seeing Silan's terrified expression, Professor McGonagall frowned, putting his nighttime stroll out of her mind, and asked with great concern, "What's wrong, child?"
"Professor McGonagall..."
Silan trembled all over, cold sweat streaming down his face, washing away the black ash and leaving a noticeable mark.
"Professor McGonagall... someone wants to kill me!" Silan's voice suddenly rose at the end, looking quite frightened.
Upon hearing this, Professor McGonagall was startled, her face instantly darkening as she gripped her wand.
"Don't be afraid, child, speak slowly."
Professor McGonagall felt a pang of sympathy looking at Silan's disheveled hair and her robes, which were clearly torn by external force.
This poor, sensible child was injured like this at school; it's truly my fault.
Seeing Professor McGonagall's angry expression, Silan sensed the atmosphere was just right and pretended to calm down slightly:
"Professor Quirrell asked me to come to his office after class today, and then said that he needed Unicorn Tail Hair to break the vampire curse, so he took me to the Forbidden Forest..."
Hearing this, McGonagall was even more surprised.
"Professor Quirrell?!"
Silan swallowed hard and continued, "After finding the Unicorn in the Forbidden Forest, Professor Quirrell suddenly attacked me, wanting to... wanting to... cough cough cough..."
Hearing this, Silan coughed violently, his face turning bright red.
He deliberately left things unsaid, giving Professor McGonagall ample room for her imagination.
"After I escaped from the Forbidden Forest, I wanted to find Headmaster Dumbledore, and then... I met you."
After finishing her sentence, Silan just gasped for breath and stopped talking.
McGonagall patted his back tenderly and cast a calming Spells on him with her wand.
Taking Silan's hand, Professor McGonagall gritted her teeth and said, "Come on, I'll take you to the Headmaster's Office."
"Professor McGonagall, a night stroll..." Filch asked.
"What nighttime outing!" McGonagall suppressed her anger and said coldly, "I will explain this to Headmaster Dumbledore myself. If you have any questions, go ask him."
After saying that, McGonagall led Silan to the Headmaster's Office without looking back.