Mars Is Bright Tonight
The night was deep.
Under the effect of the Disillusionment Charm, the four figures blended into the environment.
They were experienced, like seasoned hunters, easily evading Filch, skillfully dodging the patrolling professors, and quickly crossing the castle towards the Forbidden Forest.
As they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a piercing bark suddenly erupted from Hagrid's Hut.
"Fang, what's wrong? Is anyone outside?"
The oil lamp inside the cabin was lit, Hagrid, wearing a fur coat, peeked through the crack in the door. The cold wind howled outside, but he didn't see a single person.
"Damn it, how many times have you howled tonight?"
Hagrid slammed the wooden door shut in anger. He turned around and saw that Fang had already slipped into the warm bed while he was away!
Hagrid roared, "Get down here right now! Fang... Hey, stop biting! My little baby is sleeping, don't disturb it!"
A dog barked and a chair was overturned inside the room.
"Stop fooling around, Fang."
Hagrid's voice rang out again.
"I understand, I understand why you're so restless... I'll introduce you to Mrs. Norris from Filch when I get back."
It's okay, Bobocha won't know, hehe~
A lewd laugh came from inside the hut, and soon the oil lamp was turned off.
Hagrid fell asleep again.
Hearing snoring coming from inside the house, the four carefully crossed Hagrid's house, passed through his fields, and entered the Forbidden Forest.
After he was completely far away, Cedric asked in confusion, "Who is Hagrid's little baby?"
Fred shook his head. "I don't know either. Hagrid was away from home for several days during Christmas, and when he came back, he became very secretive."
"Did he get another Magical Creatures from somewhere?" George asked.
The four exchanged a glance.
That's quite possible!
Last year, Hagrid got Fluffy, so William wouldn't be too surprised if one day he found out that Hagrid was keeping a dragon in his cabin.
"If only it were a fire dragon," Cedric said smugly. "Then it would have the Dragon Heartstring."
No, Hagrid definitely won't give it to me. Thunderbird is better; that way I can pluck its tail feathers every day.
Cedric started daydreaming again.
Actually, he had a Thunderbird tail feather in his possession, which William had obtained from Newt.
Thunderbird tail feather can be used as wand cores.
Wands made from Thunderbird tail feather are difficult to wield, but they typically possess immense power, making them suitable for Transfiguration.
Most notably, because the Thunderbird is extremely sensitive to supernatural dangers, wands made from its feathers are said to be able to fire spells first.
Cedric, upon receiving the Thunderbird tail feather, was so excited that he almost stole William's first kiss. Fortunately, William dodged in time and kicked Cedric away, thus preserving his chastity.
The four left the edge of the forest and ventured deeper. William was still holding a parchment map.
That map wasn't the Hogwarts Magical Map, but the Forbidden Forest map.
The Forbidden Forest is vast and fraught with danger.
This place is home to countless Magical Creatures tribes, and some tribes can be in great danger if they accidentally wander in.
For example, the Centaur Tribe... they are extremely xenophobic, and any shaman who tries to enter their tribe will be killed.
Hagrid lived on the edge of the Forbidden Forest for fifty years, and he knew most of the forest like the back of his hand.
Over the years, he has created a set of commonly used maps, marking the territories of countless Magical Creatures and the locations where common plants grow.
Even if Professor Sprout wanted to go into the Forbidden Forest to pick plants, he had to be led in by Hagrid.
So William got a map from Hagrid to help them roam the Forbidden Forest.
Hagrid was reluctant for William to enter the Forbidden Forest, but he was even more afraid that they wouldn't have a map and might accidentally wander into dangerous areas.
So in the end, I gave it to them.
William and his group won't be going any deeper tonight; they're just here to collect Hallucinogenic Mushroom.
The Hallucinogenic Mushroom mature during this period, and if they are not harvested in time, their aroma will attract other creatures.
Hallucinogenic Mushroom are an important component of Felix Felicis), and it is because of this component that excessive consumption of Felix Felicis can lead to side effects such as blind arrogance.
The Forbidden Forest was dark and silent. They followed the marked trail for a while, then turned right at the fork in the road.
This is a narrow, winding path that gradually disappears into the depths of a dark, dense forest.
"What's that?" Cedric suddenly asked, pointing to a spot.
A ray of moonlight shone through the branches above, illuminating a patch of silvery-blue blood on a fallen leaf.
William's wand lit up, and he raised it high, the light dispelling the darkness.
Under the Lumos, the pool of blood Winky.
William's expression changed. "It's Unicorn Blood!"
Unicorn are beautiful and pure creatures. They are golden when they are young, and turn pure white when they are fully grown.
These creatures are gentle, beautiful, and possess great magical abilities; few creatures in the Forbidden Forest dare to harm them.
It's very unusual to have so much Unicorn Blood on the ground.
"That Unicorn must be badly injured." William frowned.
"Should we split up and search separately?" Fred asked.
"Don't separate. Unicorn possess powerful magic, and I've never heard of Unicorn being harmed before."
Therefore, any creature capable of harming Unicorn is no ordinary being.
With all four of them together, William was confident he could protect them; if they were separated, problems could easily arise.
They followed the trail of blood past a moss-covered tree stump. William could hear the gurgling of water; clearly, there was a stream somewhere nearby.
They walked even slower than before, straining their ears to catch the faintest sounds.
Suddenly, they saw something moving among the vines ahead.
All four of their wands were pointed forward.
The thing emerged from the vines and stared directly at William and the others.
It turned out to be a Centaur —its upper body was human with platinum blonde hair, but its lower body was a creamy, shiny horse with a long silver tail trailing behind it.
"Oh, it's you, Firenze." William breathed a sigh of relief and put down his wand.
"How are you?" Cedric greeted him.
Firenze was a Centaur, whom William and his men had seen several times before and naturally recognized.
"Good evening, young wizard," Firenze said, his voice low and sorrowful.
"Are you going to attack me with your wands?"
"No, Firenze," William explained, "We found Unicorn Blood. Is something attacking it?"
"Yes, we Centaur have discovered it too."
Firenze sighed, tilted his head back, and gazed at the sky, exuding an air of melancholy.
Before he could speak, George quickly exclaimed, "The stars are very bright tonight!"
"That's right, Mars is very bright," Fred grinned.
"Venus is still as bright as ever, even brighter than Mars," Cedric said earnestly.
"The moon is the brightest, and it's also the biggest and roundest," William said quietly.
Firenze: "..."
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