"I'm glad you understand." Morris nodded and looked at Hagrid. "So... how do we sort this out?"
To be honest, he didn't want to make an enemy of anyone.
He had always been reasonable, provided the other party was willing to be reasonable too.
Bane's aggressive attitude had forced him to defend himself, but that didn't mean he was a belligerent person.
Wasn't it better for everyone to get along?
Well, now this centaur named Bane had taken so many of his curses that he would be bedridden for at least several days.
Hagrid scratched his head, looking somewhat troubled. "I'll explain everything to Firenze and the others. Most centaurs are quite friendly. Bane... was just an exception. I hope you won't get the wrong idea about them."
Firenze was probably another centaur's name.
"Let's hope so," Morris replied. "I should be going, then."
With that, he turned and started walking toward the castle.
Although he was still some distance from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he should still remember the way he had come.
"Wait!" Hagrid called after him. "Aren't you coming with me to see the centaurs?"
Morris stopped, glanced back at Bane lying on the ground, and shrugged. "I'd rather not, Hagrid. Judging by this centaur's attitude earlier, there's no telling whether I'd make it back safely if I went with you. Sorry for the trouble, but please explain everything to them for me. Don't worry about me. I can protect myself. Goodbye."
Before Hagrid could say anything else, Morris had already hurried off along the path they had taken.
Watching him disappear among the trees, Hagrid could only sigh.
To be honest, he should have kept an eye on Morris, but he couldn't leave the unconscious Bane alone in the Forbidden Forest either.
Dangerous creatures could appear here at any moment.
One careless moment, and Bane might become food for some wild animal.
He scratched his head in distress and finally decided to make sure Bane was safe first.
After all, judging by Morris's performance just now, since he could take down a centaur, he presumably wouldn't run into too much danger.
First-years these days really were something else.
Muttering to himself, Hagrid bent down and hoisted Bane onto his shoulder, the centaur's heavy body forcing him to use all his strength.
The bigger headache now was how to explain this to the other centaurs in a little while.
Meanwhile, Morris was making his way alone along a dim path.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, he confirmed something he didn't want to admit-
He was lost.
Although he had told Hagrid that he still remembered the way, those winding paths had already grown hazy in his memory.
And the surroundings all looked more or less the same.
After taking two wrong turns, he had successfully arrived somewhere he had never been before.
"Now this is a problem..."
Morris looked up at the sun overhead. It was almost noon.
He still had Herbology that afternoon.
Just then, he noticed something moving slowly in the shadow beneath a large rock up ahead.
Only after approaching did he realize it was a spider, alarmingly large, its torso alone almost the size of his head.
An Acromantula?
Morris recalled the name Hagrid had mentioned to him.
He examined the spider before him closely-it did indeed have eight eyes, and it wasn't small either.
It was well worth studying.
"Weakening Curse!"
"Wailing Curse!"
The two curses shot out and struck the spider.
Caught by surprise, the spider went limp and immediately collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Morris found that his two curses were exceptionally effective when used together.
The Weakening Curse could greatly diminish physical strength, while the Wailing Curse struck directly at the mind.
Combined, they produced an effect similar to a powerful Stunning Spell.
The results were outstanding.
He cautiously approached the unconscious spider and gently prodded its furry abdomen with his wand.
The spider showed no response, its eight legs splayed limply across the ground.
Good. Morris nodded in satisfaction.
He waved his wand and used Transfiguration on a piece of dead wood at his feet. Under his control, it eventually became a crude but sufficiently sturdy wooden box.
After stuffing the spider into the wooden box, Morris cast a Levitation Charm on it to reduce its weight.
Once he reached the castle, he would have plenty of time to study it at his leisure.
Now, it was time to keep looking for the way home.
Using the sun's position to find his bearings, Morris believed he probably wouldn't stay lost for too long.
Just then, a familiar cry suddenly came from overhead.
Morris looked up and saw a black speck standing out starkly against the blue sky.
As the dark shape grew clearer, a Thestral folded its wings and landed lightly before him.
The Thestral nuzzled his hand affectionately.
"Oh, it's you, little fellow."
After studying it closely for a while, Morris was surprised to discover that this was the very Thestral that had carried him yesterday.
"Have you been following me all along?" He swung onto the Thestral and let out a long breath. "Take me to Hogwarts. Sorry for the trouble."
The Thestral gave a soft whinny, spread its wings, trotted a few steps, and then took to the air.
The wind whistled past his ears. Looking down over the entire Forbidden Forest from high above, Morris couldn't help calming down.
Now that he thought about it, soaring through the sky on a flying horse really was an absurd thing.
This was a world ordinary people could never understand.
Only at moments like this did he truly feel that he was a wizard.
The Thestral flew very fast, taking only two minutes to bring him near the Great Hall at Hogwarts Castle.
Morris swung lightly down from its back.
"Off you go." He patted the Thestral's body. It nuzzled his palm reluctantly before slowly rising into the air.
Once the Thestral had completely disappeared from sight, Morris looked around.
He had already checked the surroundings beforehand and only chosen to land here after confirming that there were no students.
If Professor McGonagall caught him again...
"Meow-"
Suddenly, a cat leaped out from behind a stone pillar and walked unhurriedly up to Morris.
Morris froze in place, staring fixedly at the cat before him.
That familiar ginger fur, those familiar dark markings, that familiar gaze.
There was absolutely no mistaking it. This was...
The cat's body began to lengthen, its fur slowly receding.
A few seconds later, a living, breathing Professor McGonagall stood before him.
She said coldly, "Mr. Black, I don't think I can pretend I didn't see what just happened."
"..."
Morris had the distinct feeling he had heard exactly the same words yesterday.
He smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, Professor. I just thought Thestrals were very safe."
He discreetly watched the professor's expression and added, "Besides... I don't think there's anything in the Hogwarts school rules against riding Thestrals."
Professor McGonagall gave him a sharp look. "Well, have you read the school rules, Mr. Black?"
"Uh... no, I haven't," Morris answered sheepishly.
Still, he didn't think there would be such a rule.
Professor McGonagall sighed softly, her expression softening a little. "You're right. The school rules do not explicitly prohibit riding Thestrals, and I won't deduct any points from you."
"But as your professor, I hope you understand that, for your own safety, it would be better not to do dangerous things like this. You're causing trouble for other people."
Morris nodded obediently. "I won't do it again."
It seemed Professor McGonagall had no intention of punishing him.
Sure enough, Professor McGonagall was a kind, reasonable person.