Chapter 37: Horsemen and Mars (Patreon)

When Maca spoke out to deny the existence of werewolves in the Forbidden Forest, Filch snorted.

"Who said there aren't any? For a long time in the past, the howls of werewolves never ceased, and it was the concern of all the students in the school at that time," he sneered.

As he spoke, Hagrid came striding towards them from the darkness, with Fang trailing behind. Hagrid carried his enormous stone bow, with a quiver full of arrows slung over his shoulder.

"It's about time," he said, "I've been waiting for half an hour. So, Maca, Harry, Hermione, what do you think?"

"They shouldn't be treated so kindly, Hagrid," Filch said coldly, "after all, they came here to be punished."

"That's why you're late, isn't it?" Hagrid scowled at Filch and said, "You've been lecturing them, huh? This isn't the place for you to lecture. Your job is done, I'll take over from now on."

"I'll be back at dawn," Filch said, "to clean up their mess."

He said spitefully, then turned and walked toward the castle, the lamp swinging and disappearing into the darkness.

At that moment, Malfoy suddenly turned to Hagrid.

"I'm not going into that Forbidden Forest!" There was a hint of fear in his voice, which made Harry feel happy.

"If you still want to stay at Hogwarts, you have no choice." Hagrid said without mercy, "You've done wrong, and now you must pay the price."

"Doing these tasks is meant for employees, not students. I thought at most we would write some checks or something. If my father finds out I'm doing this, he would-"

"He would tell you that's how things are at Hogwarts," Hagrid said roughly, "Writing checks? What good does that do for you? You need to do something useful, otherwise, you can leave. If you think your father would prefer to have you expelled, then go back to the castle, pack your bags, and leave!"

Seeing Malfoy glare at Hagrid with hatred for a while, he finally lowered his gaze, and Hagrid continued speaking.

"Alright," Hagrid said, "Now listen carefully, what we're going to do tonight is very dangerous, and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"First, come with me over here-"

He led them to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, holding the lamp up high and pointing to a winding path that gradually disappeared into the depths of the dark forest.

"Look over there," Hagrid said, "see that shiny thing on the ground? It's silver! That's unicorn blood. One of the unicorns in the Forbidden Forest was attacked by something, and it's badly injured. This is the second time this week. Last Wednesday, I found one dead - we're going to try to find that poor unicorn and put it out of its misery as soon as possible."

"What if the... thing that hurt the unicorn finds us first?" Malfoy asked, his voice filled with uncontrollable fear.

"As long as you're with me or Fang, no creature in the Forbidden Forest will harm you," Hagrid said, "Don't stray from the path! Alright, now we'll split up and search along the blood trail. There's blood everywhere, and it seems like it's been stumbling and wandering around since at least last night."

"I want Fang!" Malfoy seemed bewildered by the imposing appearance of the large hound and quickly spoke up.

"Alright, but I must warn you, he's a bit of a scaredy-cat," Hagrid said. "So, Malfoy, Neville, and Fang will take one path, Maca, well... Maca, how about you join Fang as well? I think you can help me keep an eye on him, so he doesn't run back if he gets scared."

"No! No, um... Mr. McClain, you go with them. We'll be fine over here... um, no problem," Malfoy's aversion to Maca was now as strong as his aversion to the Forbidden Forest.

"Alright then! Me, Maca, Harry, and Hermione will take another path," Hagrid nodded.

"If anyone finds a unicorn, shoot green sparks, got it? Take out your wands and practice. Also, if anyone encounters trouble, shoot red sparks, and we'll come find you. Alright, everyone, be careful. Let's go."

The thick tree canopies in the Forbidden Forest blocked most of the moonlight, making the forest appear quite dark. Even though Hagrid carried a lantern, it only illuminated a small area around them.

"Lumos," Maca drew his wand, increasing the visibility of their surroundings.

"Thanks," Hagrid said. "That'll help us search more carefully."

They walked a while and reached a fork in the path, where the two groups split up.

They walked silently, their eyes fixed on the ground. Every now and then, they spotted silver bloodstains on the fallen leaves, emitting a faint blue glow in the light.

Meanwhile, Maca had stopped contemplating the Scroll of Truth. It seemed they were about to encounter something interesting, assuming nothing unexpected happened.

"Do you think a werewolf could have killed the unicorn?" Harry asked.

"I haven't seen any werewolves here," Hagrid replied, "but even if they existed, they wouldn't be that fast. It's not easy to catch a unicorn. They are powerful magical creatures, and I've never heard of a unicorn being harmed before."

They passed by a large moss-covered tree stump, where they could faintly hear the sound of flowing water. There must be a stream nearby.

On the winding path, scattered traces of unicorn blood could still be seen.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don't worry, since it's injured so badly, it couldn't have gone far. We'll find it soon. Oh no, quickly hide behind that tree!"

Before Hagrid could even warn them, Maca had already pulled Hermione into the nearby bushes. Hagrid took a quick glance, then held onto Harry's hand and led him off the path, seeking cover behind a tall oak tree.

He pulled out an arrow with feathers, fitted it onto a slingshot, and held it up, ready to shoot.

Soon enough, Harry also heard a rustling sound, as if something was skimming and dragging across the fallen leaves nearby. Hagrid narrowed his eyes, attentively watching the dark path. After a few seconds, the sound gradually faded away.

"I understand," he murmured, "there's something here that doesn't belong."

No one knew the Forbidden Forest better than Hagrid, so Maca wasn't surprised by his accurate assessment.

"Werewolf?" Harry asked.

"Werewolves have average endurance, but they are fast and powerful. They don't move as sluggishly as this," Maca said, pulling Hermione out of the bushes and casting a meaningful gaze into the dark depths of the Forbidden Forest.

"Maca is right," Hagrid confirmed. "Alright, come with me. We need to be careful now."

As they proceeded cautiously at an even slower pace, they suddenly spotted movement in the clearing ahead.

"Who's there?" Hagrid shouted. "Come out quickly—I'm armed!"

"Hagrid, that's a centaur," Maca said.

The creature stepped into the clearing—a human torso with red hair and a beard, but from the waist down, it had a shiny, reddish-brown horse's body with a long, trailing red tail.

Harry and Hermione were astounded, their mouths hanging open.

"Oh, it's you, Ronan," Hagrid breathed a sigh of relief. "How are you?"

He approached and shook hands with the centaur.

"Good evening, Hagrid," Ronan spoke in a deep, sorrowful voice. "Did you intend to shoot me with an arrow?"

"I had to be cautious, Ronan," Hagrid replied, patting his quiver. "There's a dangerous individual lurking around in this forest. Oh, by the way, this is Maca McClain, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger, students from the school up there. Let me introduce you to Ronan, a centaur."

"Hello, Ronan," Maca stepped forward and shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Maca had always been intrigued by the centaur's gift of prophecy, but he knew it wasn't of much use to him. Prophecies were always vague and subject to distortion based on actual choices. So, Maca believed that most prophecies could only serve as a reference.

"Hello, Ronan," Maca said. "Are you students? Do you learn a lot in school?"

"Knowledge is endless," Maca replied. "Systematic teaching can enlighten students."

"It's helpful for exploring the unknown," Ronan nodded.

As he said that, his gaze shifted upward, staring at the sky above the clearing. "Mars is bright tonight."

"Yeah," Hagrid said, looking up as well. "Listen, Ronan, I'm glad we ran into you because a unicorn has been injured. Did you see anything?"

Ronan stared up with unwavering eyes, and after a while, he sighed.

"It's always the innocent who suffer first," he said. "It has been this way for centuries, and it remains the same."

"Yes," Hagrid said, "but did you see anything, Ronan? Did you notice anything unusual?"

"Mars was bright tonight... unusually bright."

The words of the centaurs are always elusive, and conversing with them can be unsettling.

"That's true, but what I mean is, did you observe anything out of the ordinary near our home?" Hagrid showed signs of impatience. "Have you noticed any strange occurrences?"

"I think Ronan is trying to say that with Mars in opposition and its high luminosity, something rather unfortunate might occur," Maca explained involuntarily. "For instance, riots, betrayals, oppression, deceit, or even war."

Ronan couldn't help but glance at Maca, and Hermione and Harry did the same, but Maca shrugged.

"Don't look at me like that, I read it in a book too," he said. "To be honest, I'm not skilled in astronomy or divination. I just recited what I learned."