The Scent of Danger Drew Closer

As autumn gave way to winter, the castle corridors gradually became decorated with ice crystals.

The days had been unexpectedly peaceful.

The Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets had not appeared again, and Professor Quirrell had shown no further signs of unusual behavior.

Once the Quidditch season began, Harry had to attend practice three times a week.

Perhaps because she was a girl, or perhaps because Harry's stamina was noticeably worse than that of the average Quidditch player compared with Harry Potter's, Wood's training schedule was even more punishing than in her previous life, often lasting until nightfall.

Once, as she dragged her broom back to the castle, she happened to "run into" Snape at the entrance.

The Potions Professor said nothing. He simply pressed a bottle of Invigoration Draught into her hand and disappeared down the corridor.

Professor Snape's concern left Harry utterly baffled. In the end, she could only put it down to how closely she now resembled her mother.

Likewise, she attributed Snape's nitpicking in her previous life to how much she had resembled her father. As for her own behavior as a problem child, Harry never once considered it.

The last Quidditch Match before Christmas was Gryffindor against Slytherin.

When Harry's broom suddenly began to twitch and buck wildly, just as it had in her previous life, cries of alarm immediately erupted from the stands.

"Look at Quirrell!" Hermione, who had come prepared, was watching the High Table intently through binoculars. The moment Harry's broom began to twitch, she had already noticed something was wrong with Quirrell. "His lips are moving!"

Snape, beside Professor Quirrell, was also staring at Harry, his lips moving nonstop. But Harry had already sided with Snape, so when she got into trouble, Professor Quirrell was the first person they watched.

The two crept beneath the High Table. After a moment's thought, Hermione boldly cast a fire spell on Professor Quirrell's purple scarf. Snape saw her cast it, and his eyebrows rose. Not only did he refrain from stopping her, he even helped cover for them.

Professor Quirrell was in trouble now. By the time he realized his scarf was on fire, half of it had already burned away. Forget continuing to jinx Harry-Quirrell was entirely focused on making sure no one saw what was behind his scarf, and he hurriedly left his seat.

The outcome of the match was never in doubt: Harry easily caught the Golden Snitch and won.

Draco, sitting in the stands, was both excited and frustrated. After Lucius learned that Draco wanted to sponsor a batch of flying brooms for the Slytherin Quidditch Team himself, he had made a point of testing Draco's flying skills. It had ended with Lucius laughing at him.

Draco's dream of joining the Quidditch team at the same time as Harry had evaporated like a soap bubble.

On Christmas Eve, Hogwarts lay beneath a blanket of pristine snow.

Harry found a familiar package beneath the Christmas tree in the common room. Holding her breath, she unwrapped it, trembling with excitement. When the Invisibility Cloak, light as air, slid into her palm, her fingertips trembled slightly.

The treasure that had accompanied her through countless adventures was back in her hands.

"Merlin!" After Harry put on the Invisibility Cloak, Ron stared at her vanished body, dumbfounded. "That's so cool!"

Harry laughed. With the Invisibility Cloak, there were many more things she could do. At the very least, Neville would no longer catch her sneaking out of the dormitory at night.

On a morning after the snow, Harry was making her way through the thick snow toward the castle when she heard heavy footsteps behind her. She turned and saw Hagrid lumbering across the courtyard.

"Hagrid!" Harry ran over, and a familiar rusty smell immediately filled her nose.

It was the smell of blood.

Hagrid hastily covered the mark on his chest with a large hand. "It's not my blood. I was in the Forbidden Forest..." His voice suddenly dropped. "Another unicorn's been hurt, just like last month."

Harry's heart sank.

The same thing had happened in her previous life. Quirrell had hunted unicorns in the Forbidden Forest to keep Voldemort alive.

"Where?" Harry asked, forcing herself to stay calm.

"Near the border of the Centaur Tribe's territory." Hagrid's beard trembled. "By the time Firenze found it... I have to tell Dumbledore right away!" He hurried off, then suddenly looked back. "You lot stay away from the Forbidden Forest, you hear?"

Watching Hagrid walk away, Harry unconsciously touched the scar on her forehead.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice suddenly came from behind her. "What are you standing here daydreaming about? Professor McGonagall is looking for you."

Hermione stopped short. Her gaze fell on Hagrid's footprints in the snow, and she looked at Harry in confusion.

"Hagrid just came by," Harry explained to Hermione. "He said a dead unicorn had been found. I suspect it has something to do with Professor Quirrell."

If it had something to do with Professor Quirrell, then it had something to do with You-Know-Who.

Hermione immediately grabbed her wrist and whispered, "Why do you think that?"

Harry shook her head and answered just as quietly, "I don't know how to explain it, but that's what happened."

Hermione glanced at her. "Did you have a dream about that person?"

Although it had nothing to do with that, Harry nodded anyway. Hermione had given her a very good reason.

"In that case, we have to tell Hagrid," Ron said.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance. Only Ron still looked as though he knew nothing.

A jumble of footprints marked the snow.

Harry and Hermione dragged Ron across the courtyard at a run, finally catching Hagrid before he reached the stone bridge.

"Hagrid! Wait!" Harry panted as she stopped the Half-giant. "We know who hurt the unicorn! It was Professor Quirrell!"

Hagrid's large hand jerked, and his lantern cast swaying shadows across the snow.

"Don't talk nonsense!" He glanced nervously from side to side, his voice barely above a whisper. "How could Professor Quirrell..."

"Because he's loyal to-" Hermione blurted out, then clapped a hand over her mouth as if she had suddenly realized something.

"Shh!" Hagrid's face turned deathly pale. He clapped a huge, hairy hand over Hermione's mouth. "Don't say that name!"

His voice trembled. "What do you kids know?"

Ron puffed out his chest in protest. "We know plenty! He was the one who did something to Harry's broom..."

"Listen!" Hagrid suddenly crouched down, his enormous body casting a shadow over the snow.

His rough finger touched each of the three on the tip of the nose. "The professors are handling this. All you need to do is-"

"Study hard and stay out of trouble," Harry finished glumly. It was exactly what Hagrid had said in her previous life.