Lying Low and Growing Strong

After resolving the Forbidden Forest issue, Dumbledore looked at Eli on Firenze's back.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to take my student back."

Eli had his face covered and could not see who it was.

Firenze took several steps back. Though he had not heard what Eli said before passing out, Eli's covered face made it clear that he did not want his identity exposed.

Ronan suddenly stepped forward and stood between Dumbledore and Firenze.

"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore, but I believe we have an obligation to protect the privacy of the Centaur tribe's most honored guest."

Though his tone sounded calm, Ronan's grave expression revealed his inner tension.

Refusing one of the strongest wizards alive required a certain amount of courage.

The Centaurs all edged closer to Firenze.

Dumbledore was somewhat surprised by the Centaurs' reaction. He had not expected those who had always despised wizards to defend someone so fiercely today.

Fortunately, it was Dumbledore standing here. As a white wizard devoted to justice, he rarely chose to use force.

If it had been Voldemort, things would not have remained so peaceful.

He pursed his lips helplessly. The gesture looked strangely out of place on a man over a hundred years old.

"Very well. Since you insist, I am proud of my student for earning your friendship."

After offering a brief farewell, Dumbledore Apparated away.

Ronan and the others immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure exerted by that legendary wizard had been overwhelming.

Though he was a decent man, intimidation came from strength.

No one could ignore Dumbledore's terrifying magical power.

Ronan turned to face Firenze. "Firenze, you will escort our honored guest out. Remember to bring back his name."

He looked at the unconscious Eli lying across Firenze's back, his expression complicated.

He handed Firenze a bottle containing some restorative potion.

With the unconscious Eli, Firenze arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, with the castle right before them.

"Where is this... Firenze? Where are we?"

Firenze put away the bottle and answered with a smile, "I've brought you to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The castle is nearby. How do you feel? Better?"

Eli got to his feet, but a wave of weakness nearly made him collapse again.

He had to admit, the Centaur tribe's medicine was remarkably effective. At least it had spared him a great deal of suffering.

Thinking back to what had just happened, Eli broke out in cold sweat.

He had been far too impulsive, unleashing magic so recklessly without leaving himself any reserves.

That kind of overexertion was extremely damaging.

Fortunately, Ronan had no longer wanted to kill him.

Otherwise, he would already have been on his way to reincarnation when he passed out.

In any case, this incident had taught him a huge lesson.

That was, never act on impulse!

"Thank you, Firenze. I feel much better."

Firenze told him everything that had happened after he lost consciousness.

By the time Eli finished listening, his back was drenched in cold sweat.

Old Dumbledore had come too!

Still, it was not surprising. He had caused such a huge commotion that if Dumbledore had not noticed, then the greatest white wizard of the century would have been nothing but an empty title.

Fortunately, Ronan and the others had not exposed his identity.

Thinking of this, Eli was rather surprised. That stubborn fool Ronan had actually chosen to protect him in the end.

That was probably the greatest gain from this trip: the friendship of the Centaurs.

"My name is Eli. Eli Hall."

He pulled down his mask.

Though Firenze had mentally prepared himself, he still found it unbelievable when he truly saw how young Eli was.

"My name is Firenze, the next chieftain of the Centaur tribe!"

He looked quite proud.

Eli smiled, then suddenly asked, "By the way, Firenze, why were you fighting that group of Acromantulas?"

At the mention of Acromantulas, anger and resentment appeared on Firenze's face.

"As guardians of the Forbidden Forest, the Centaur tribe naturally bears the responsibility of maintaining its balance. But ever since Aragog, the leader of those Acromantulas, arrived in the Forbidden Forest sixty years ago, all kinds of creatures here have suffered under their threat!"

As though recalling something painful, Firenze turned away.

"Relying on their astonishing breeding rate, they expanded their population tremendously in a short time! Their territory grew larger and larger, forcing other races to leave."

"We have sacrificed many of our people in our fight against the Acromantulas!"

With a solemn expression, Eli patted Firenze's horse back.

Forgive him; he simply could not reach Firenze's shoulder.

"You've all done well!"

Firenze turned around, his face solemn. "We owe today's success to your help. You will forever be an honored guest of the Centaur tribe!"

He bowed deeply to Eli.

Now Eli felt embarrassed instead and hurriedly helped Firenze up.

"Oh, don't say that. Everyone has a duty to protect the forest!"

He might have forgotten who had just set the Forbidden Forest on fire.

Seeing Eli's playful expression, Firenze smiled as well.

"I must say, that truly was magnificent magic!"

Eli became even more embarrassed. "Stop praising me, stop praising me. I might get cocky..."

He was even acting a little bashful.

Firenze burst into hearty laughter at his reaction.

The two chatted easily, and Eli liked this friendly Centaur very much.

It was already deep into the night, and Eli needed to return to the castle unless he wanted to be late tomorrow.

Firenze looked at the sky, his expression growing heavy. "Go back quickly. Nothing will be safe anymore. Mars has grown brighter."

Eli was utterly confused by this sudden air of mysticism.

Still, he trusted the Centaurs' astrological divination abilities greatly. In the movie, Firenze had said those words to Harry.

Eli also looked up at the sky.

"Huh? Isn't it cloudy today?"

"..."

The mysterious atmosphere was completely ruined, leaving Firenze somewhat awkward.

"Ahem... Anyway, it's getting late. Hurry back to the castle!"

Eli did not linger any longer, but suddenly thought of something and turned back to ask.

"By the way, what was that medicine you gave me?"

That medicine had truly been miraculous. He had overexerted himself so badly, yet it had helped him recover so quickly.

If he ever needed it in the future, it would be immensely useful.

Firenze suddenly said with a mysterious expression, "Unicorn blood!"

"Oh... What?!! What did you say?!"

Eli's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Brother, that was not something people should drink!

Anyone who drank that stuff would be cursed. They would definitely die horribly.

To his surprise, Firenze suddenly burst out laughing. "Hahaha, I was joking. It's a potion we brewed ourselves. Next time you visit, we'll give you some."

Looking at Firenze's prankster expression, clearly pleased with his revenge, Eli was speechless.

Did even Centaurs know how to scare children now?

"Fine, I'm leaving."

Eli turned and walked away, while Firenze laughed as he returned to the Forbidden Forest.

Back at the castle, Eli sneaked toward his dormitory like a thief. Keep it quiet, no shooting!

He reaffirmed it once more: next time, he absolutely had to learn the Disillusionment Charm properly!

Just as Eli was sneaking back in timidly,

a sudden noise ahead nearly scared him to death.

"Peeves, you can't do this!"

Eli listened carefully. It sounded like the Weasley twins.

Those two had actually run into Peeves.

Peeves loved pranking students most. Unlike other ghosts, he could touch physical objects.

In the entire castle, the only ones he feared were Dumbledore and the ghost Bloody Baron.

"Those two unlucky fools ran into Peeves while out at night. If that guy tattles on them, they're in for it!"

Since it was the two of them, he would lend a hand!

Eli quietly approached, pressed his wand against his throat, and produced an aged voice.

"Peeves, you're causing trouble again!"

The wildly arrogant Peeves instantly turned cowardly the moment he heard that voice, vanishing in a flash.

Eli stepped out, and the twins saw him while still shaken.

"Oh, I thought it was really Dumbledore!"

"We nearly died!"

Eli was amused by the way the two spoke in turns.

"Alright, hurry back!"

The twins looked at Eli expectantly.

"That trick you used was so cool!"

"Teach us quickly!"

These two carefree fellows gave Eli a headache.

Through Ron Weasley, they had gotten to know one another.

When Eli watched the movies in his previous life, he had liked these two amusing fellows very much.

"Alright, alright, I'll teach you tomorrow. Go back and sleep tonight!"

Seeing Eli agree, the twins ran off excitedly. Who knew whether they were returning to their dormitory or doing something else.

Finally back in his dormitory, Eli collapsed weakly onto his bed.

He was so exhausted that he did not even want to move, and he fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes.

No one learned of that night's adventure, though he looked rather listless during the day.

During this period, he had essentially kept to himself. Other than magic, there was only more magic.

Desperate to become stronger, he devoted all his attention to studying.

He had never gone to the library. With Old Voldemort's memories, what did he need a library for?

Voldemort's insights into magic alone had already benefited him enormously.

So aside from classes, he went to the Room of Requirement to study the memories and practice magic.

At night, he secretly slipped into the Forbidden Forest to absorb souls.

It was worth mentioning that Acromantulas had become his primary targets for soul absorption.

After that night, they had become extremely timid. More often than not, Eli was the one chasing them down to kill them.

Not only did they provide him with quite a few souls, but they also supplied him with a large number of giant spider corpses.

After all, these magical creatures, rated at four stars and above in danger, were practically valuable from head to toe!

Their venom alone could sell for 100 Galleons a pint!

Eli, who hunted Acromantulas every day, had now become a hidden tycoon, just waiting to sell off those materials.

Even Draco Malfoy, his roommate, barely saw him outside of class these days.

Of course, after their unpleasant argument that day, the two had barely spoken.

Draco was still the same proud young nobleman.

Their relationship seemed to have returned to how it was when they first met.

His relationship with Harry and Ron Weasley had also become just as hostile as in the original story.

However, what Eli had not expected was for Hermione Granger to suddenly stop him.

He had been about to head up to the eighth floor and the Room of Requirement.

"Hermione? What is it?"

Hermione held a stack of books, looking exasperated by his failure to live up to expectations.

"Eli, I mean, you clearly have such great talent, so why aren't you making good use of it?"

Eli froze for a moment, not quite understanding what Hermione meant.

"Uh..."

Seeing Eli remain silent, Hermione assumed he was ashamed and continued.

"I've never seen you in the library lately!"

Eli suddenly understood. I already have the notes of a powerful expert, so why would I go to the library?

But he did not blame Hermione. She meant well, after all.

"Oh... Uh... I've been busy lately, so I'll explain it to you later."

Knowing how clever and persistent this young witch was, and afraid she might draw something out of him if they kept talking, Eli dashed away.

"Hey, you!"

Hermione watched Eli disappear into the distance and stamped her foot angrily. Am I really that scary?