The Hooded, Cloaked Monster

After that brief interruption, the three continued onward. The trees in the Forbidden Forest grew thickly, but cool moonlight still filtered through the gaps in the leaves onto the grass, keeping the forest from sinking into total darkness.

When they reached a fork in the path, Luo Bin suddenly stopped. His brows knitted tightly, as though he were pondering something deeply troubling.

"Luo Bin, why have you stopped?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"Last time, I found the moonflower while chasing a unicorn. I didn't pay attention to which path I took at the fork!"

"Then should we split up?"

Harry's eyes widened slightly. If they split up, one of the three would inevitably be left alone. Going through the Forbidden Forest alone was far... far too dangerous.

"We'd better stay together! Let's just pick one for now. I have a vague memory of the scenery along the way. If we take the wrong path, we can double back."

"All right!" "All right!"

Harry and Hermione agreed at the same time.

Then, citing her sixth sense, Hermione pulled the two of them onto the path on the right.

The path was about a meter wide. Apart from a handspan of exposed soil down the middle, the rest was covered in shin-high weeds, making it impossible for the three to walk side by side.

Luo Bin scouted ahead, Harry guarded the rear, and Hermione walked between them. After a while, Luo Bin stopped again. Lowering his eyes, he said gloomily, "We... picked the wrong path!"

"Huh?"

"I remember that, not long after I started chasing the unicorn, there was a fallen log covered in moss across the path. I jumped over it."

"Oh, sorry. Looks like my sixth sense isn't all that accurate either."

Fortunately, they had not gone far. The three quickly turned around, with Harry taking the lead this time. Halfway back, the sharp-eared Luo Bin suddenly heard a strange sound.

Swish, swish! Swish, swish!

Something seemed to be gliding over the tips of the grass in the distance!

The sound was faint, so faint that neither of the two ahead reacted at all. Luo Bin, however, could tell that whatever was making it seemed to be heading their way.

What was it?

A spider?!!

No. Aragog's offspring made a rhythmic sound when their feet stepped on the grass. Rustle, rustle, swish. Rustle, rustle, swish...

A snake?!!

No. Snakes slithered near the roots of the grass, making one long, muffled swishing sound. The sound in the distance was two long, soft swishes!

An owl skimming the grass to catch a mouse?!!

That wasn't right either. An owl caught a mouse in an instant!

If I can't figure it out, I'll leave it for now!

How did I fall behind?

Snapping out of his thoughts, Luo Bin suddenly realized he had fallen about three meters behind Hermione and hurried to catch up.

As he ran, the swaying hem of his robe brushed the grass tips on either side, making a soft swishing sound!

The two swishing sounds matched perfectly, sending a chill down his spine!

Luo Bin froze on the spot. Surely my luck couldn't be that bad?

Perhaps sensing that Luo Bin had fallen behind, Hermione turned around. Seeing him just over a meter away, his face frighteningly pale, she was about to ask whether he felt unwell when he clapped a hand over her mouth.

Luo Bin traced a "◎" in the air, pointed at the large tree ahead, then made a climbing gesture. Terror filled Hermione's eyes, but she gritted her teeth and nodded.

She turned around, took a deep breath, and tapped Harry on the shoulder. When he turned to face her, she covered his mouth and repeated Luo Bin's gestures.

Then the three extinguished the lights on their wands and quickly climbed into a high fork of the tree, peering intently down through the gaps in the leaves.

The "◎" gesture, a small circle inside a larger one, was something they had agreed upon before entering the Forbidden Forest. If anyone sensed danger but could not speak, they would draw a "◎" with a finger. The greater the difference between the circles' diameters, the greater the danger.

The small circle Luo Bin had just drawn was only the size of a mung bean, while the large one was bigger than the pizzas served specially in the Great Hall. This left Hermione and Harry terribly nervous and frightened. They wanted to ask, but did not dare, afraid of attracting the unknown danger.

Luo Bin crouched furthest in, his ear pressed against Hermione's hair. He could hear her heart pounding wildly. At this rate, she might have a heart attack before Voldemort even discovered them.

Luo Bin took her small, sweaty hand. When she turned toward him, he reassured her with his eyes: Don't worry. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you!

Even in such a tense situation, her friend still spared a thought for her feelings. Hermione was deeply touched. She managed a smile, then nodded to show that she felt much better now.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her right arm. Turning her head, she saw Harry pinching her arm, staring down in terror. She frowned and glanced down. When she saw the black hooded cloak floating above the grass tips, her expression became just like Harry's.

The figure glided lightly over the grass like a ghost. Its hood bobbed up and down, and the unknown creature wrapped inside it seemed to be searching for something.

Swish, swish, rustle, rustle. It stopped beneath their tree. All three held their breath. Luo Bin gripped his wand tightly, silently running through every spell he had learned. If the hooded monster showed any sign of climbing the tree, he would unleash one spell after another.

Fortunately, after circling the tree three times, the figure glided away. A long while later, Luo Bin let out a breath, followed immediately by Hermione and Harry.

"Luo Bin, what was that monster?" Hermione swallowed and asked in a whisper.

"I'm not sure either, but one thing's certain. It definitely isn't native to the Forbidden Forest!"

Telling them it was Voldemort would scare her half to death. Luo Bin decided to keep it from them for now!

Hearing Harry, Luo Bin and Hermione turned toward him. He was clutching the scar on his forehead, his face contorted in pain. "Harry, Ron was right. You need to ask Madam Pomfrey for some anti-inflammatory medicine."

"No, it feels like the mark is pulling at the nerves around it and making them hurt too. This isn't an inflamed wound. It's warning me of danger. Luo Bin, thank you. If you hadn't sensed the danger in advance, I can't imagine what horrible things might have happened."

"Then... are we still going to pick moonflower?" Hermione asked, torn.

"Yes. We're already halfway there, so why wouldn't we? Besides, if we don't pick it tonight, will either of you have the courage to come back to the Forbidden Forest anytime soon?"

"Hermione, Luo Bin's right. Ron's still waiting for the moonflower to cure his poisoning. That thing seems to have glided far away. We can climb down now!"

With two of the three agreeing to continue, Hermione stopped wavering. They climbed down from the tree and returned to the fork, where they took the other path. Before long, they came across the moss-covered fallen log.

"If we'd chosen this path back then, we wouldn't have run into that monster. We might already have picked the moonflower and made it back to the castle by now!"

As she spoke, she lifted the hem of her robes, lunged forward, and took a long stride over the fallen log. Luo Bin and Harry crossed it the same way. After following the winding path for over a kilometer, the three heard the gentle burble of flowing water.

"Luo Bin, we're almost there, right?"

"Yes, Harry!"

Following the sound of the water, they passed through low bushes, crossed the wet grass, and walked along the stream for a while. At last, they spotted the moonflower.

Just as it had been described in the Hospital Wing, it stood graceful and slender, with vividly multicolored leaves and hazy blossoms, possessing an ethereal, tranquil beauty.