https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-145-In-Search-of-the-Weasley-Twins/12526203/
Chapter 146: Albert's Advance
Chapter 146: Albert's Advance
Ever since Albert entered the Forbidden Forest, Yaya had been running around him, sniffing at the tree roots and leaves and searching for Fred's scent all over the place.
At least, that's what Albert thought.
The rustling of leaves in the quiet forest kept Albert's nerves taut as he remained vigilant for any potential dangers.
Indeed, venturing into the Forbidden Forest at midnight was undoubtedly the most reckless thing Albert had ever done.
He stopped in a clearing, looking up at the sky, trying to spot the red sparks that the twins had sent up.
"Maybe I should have brought a flying broom," Albert muttered to himself, shining his wand around and listening intently. Apart from the sound of breaking branches and rustling leaves, he wondered if there were any other sounds.
To be honest, walking alone on the path in the Forbidden Forest made Albert feel incredibly insecure. The night breeze sent shivers down his spine.
He felt absolutely vulnerable, and that feeling was terrible.
"Yaya, don't wander too far."
Albert halted and called Yaya back before opening the task panel to upgrade his 'All-Around Protection' skill to level 2.
Indeed, improving his self-protection abilities should be a priority.
At least, if danger suddenly arose, he wouldn't lose his life immediately.
As Ollivander had said, a wand made of redwood doesn't bring luck to its owner, but rather, the wizard who uses it already possesses the ability to turn danger into safety.
This wand was indeed a perfect fit for Albert.
Yaya's tracking speed was slow, and Albert followed it patiently for about half an hour, continuously walking on the path.
Maintaining a high level of mental alertness was exhausting, and Albert felt weary. He took out a piece of chocolate, popped it into his mouth, and chewed slowly to alleviate the fatigue that came with being on high alert.
When thinking or pondering, Albert liked to eat something sweet; it helped ease his tiredness and improved his mental acuity.
Yaya seemed to want some too, but dogs couldn't eat chocolate, so Albert could only pat its head and promise to buy it delicious treats when they returned.
"Let's go!" Albert pep-talked himself, regaining his spirit and continuing deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
As they ventured further, the trees became denser, and now the night sky above was almost entirely obscured. Albert's wand was the only faint light in the pitch-black forest.
Beyond the reach of that faint light lay impenetrable darkness and fear.
In fact, Albert had realized that he might have gotten lost and veered off the forest path! To be more precise, it wasn't that he was lost; it was Fred and George who were lost, and Albert, following in their footsteps, had naturally gone astray as well.
If that were the case, things would be a bit tricky, and Albert estimated that he might not be able to find the twins quickly.
At the moment, Albert's only hope was to spot the red sparks rising from somewhere in the Forbidden Forest.
Plans never keep up with changes! Albert sighed softly; he was well aware of this, so he didn't feel annoyed.
In fact, even before entering the forest, he had pinned most of his hopes on the professors, which was why he had sent Lee Jordan back to find Professor McGonagall.
At this moment, who knew what chaos was unfolding at Hogwarts.
However, before the professors arrived, he had to find the Weasley twins first, or the mission might fail.
As for regrets?
Albert never looked back with regrets. If he had stayed, he would certainly not have been allowed by Professor McGonagall to enter the Forbidden Forest. Two thousand experience points and two skill points were worth this adventure, even if it meant depleting a large amount of his stored experience.
Two skill points were indeed precious.
After reaching level 3, upgrading skills with just task experience would be insufficient; using skill points was the optimal method.
"Where on earth are you guys?" Albert muttered softly as he made his way through the low bushes, stepping over fallen trees, and crossing a small stream, his robe getting torn by branches and thorns along the way.
Albert felt that he had walked for a long time, and the dense canopy had completely blocked out the moonlight.
Yaya stopped and barked in a particular direction.
Uh-oh! Albert felt like he was being watched by something hidden in the darkness, a feeling that sent shivers down his spine.
He immediately ran to Yaya's side and, brandishing his wand, cast 'All-Around Protection,' creating a transparent defensive barrier around them in the shape of a bubble.
Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats rang out, and Albert could even feel the ground of the Forbidden Forest vibrating slightly.
They were centaurs, and Albert breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that these creatures usually wouldn't harm Hogwarts students.
Soon, two centaurs appeared on either side of Albert. He felt a bit tense as they drew their bows and aimed their arrows at him, an experience that was a first for him in both his past and present lives.
That feeling was uncomfortable, and Albert gripped his wand tightly, making sure that his defensive barrier wouldn't be pierced by the centaurs' arrows.
"Who are you?" a coarse voice demanded.
"Albert Anderson, a student of Hogwarts," Albert replied, trying to keep his voice as friendly as possible.
"This is no place for a foal," the centaur warned gruffly.
"I have two friends who are lost in the forest. I need to find them as soon as possible," Albert explained his presence in the forest.
"There were two other foals who entered the forest; I remember..." The centaurs lowered their bows and approached Albert, stepping into the radius of his wand light.
This was Albert's first encounter with centaurs, and the sight was bizarre—the upper half of a man with red hair and a beard, and the lower half of a reddish-brown horse, with a long, trailing tail.
"I know I shouldn't have come here," Albert said softly, "but I need to find them... If you could just give me a little help..."
"We do not aid humans!" The brown-black centaur roared at Albert.
"Oh, I'm sorry. If I have offended you in any way, I apologize," Albert said calmly. "I don't understand your ways, and I don't wish to have any unpleasant conflicts with you. I'm just here to find my friends, and once I do, I will leave immediately."
"That's enough, Bane," the reddish-brown centaur soothed his companion. "He means no harm."
"He came uninvited..."
"I hope we can avoid any conflict," Albert interrupted, his voice turning a bit cold.
At that moment, Albert considered whether to take down these two centaurs, but if he did, his search for the Weasley twins would likely come to an end.
He wasn't Hagrid, and the centaurs didn't seem as friendly as the legends suggested.
However, it wasn't difficult to deduce that Fred and George hadn't encountered any centaurs, or else Albert would have heard about it from these centaurs.
"You should be able to tell that I'm not as weak as you think," Albert said, staring at the centaurs. "There's no need for conflict. I just want to find my friends and leave with them.
"Of course, I leave the decision to you."
"Do you know Hagrid?" The chestnut-colored centaur suddenly changed the subject. He had recognized Yaya, Hagrid's dog, from the start.
"Yes, I'm Hagrid's friend. I had intended to ask him for help, but Hagrid wasn't in his hut tonight, so I could only bring his dog with me to search in the Forbidden Forest." Albert narrowed his eyes at the chestnut centaur and continued, "Hagrid once said that as long as I'm with Yaya, no creature in the Forbidden Forest would harm me."
"Follow me, Hagrid's friend. I have a rough idea where your friends are," the chestnut centaur said as he turned and walked into the forest.
"Ronan!" Bane was displeased with his companion's behavior.
"We never attack foals," Ronan replied, stopping in his tracks. "I saw red sparks light up on the other side of the forest earlier."
"That's right, then. They might be in some trouble!" Albert breathed a sigh of relief. The red sparks meant that Fred and George were still alive.
"Yaya, come!" Albert dispelled the protective barrier around them and quickly followed the centaur's footsteps.
"However, I must warn you that the forest beyond is dangerous," Ronan said to Albert. "Those giant spiders will eat any animal that ventures there. I do not advise you to go that way."
"Thank you, but I won't abandon my friends." Albert shook his head, refusing the centaur's suggestion. "I will take responsibility for my recklessness. If I get eaten by the spiders, it's my own fault, and it has nothing to do with you."
"Very well!" Ronan looked deeply into Albert's eyes and nodded. "Follow me; it's quite a distance from here."
About twenty minutes later, Albert stood wearily under a tree to rest. Even though Ronan had slowed down, he still found it challenging to keep up with the centaur's pace.
"From here on, you're entering the hunting grounds of those giant spiders. But I still advise against going any further," Ronan warned.
"Thank you, Ronan. I will remember you and your help," Albert said with a slight bow to express his gratitude.
"If you can bring your friends back safely, I will guide you out of this forest," Ronan said, turning to leave.
Albert watched Ronan's retreating back and then turned toward the forest ahead, knowing that he had to be extra vigilant as this place was more dangerous than anywhere else.
"You shouldn't have helped him," Bane said angrily to Ronan.
"He's Hagrid's friend," Ronan said, gazing in the direction Albert had left. "Even if we helped him, he would have done the same for us."
"They are not welcome here," Bane grunted.
"We never attack foals," Ronan repeated.
This was the ancient agreement between the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest and Hogwarts.
"That foal is not as weak as you think. You should be able to tell that as well," Ronan said, standing in the clearing and looking up at the starry sky. "He's special, yes, very special."
Both Ronan and Bane could tell that if they intended to do something to Albert, he would definitely fight back.
As Albert had said, he had no ill intentions, and he left the decision to the centaurs.
The latter chose to coexist peacefully.
As Ronan had said, the centaurs never attacked Hogwarts students.
...
On the other hand, as Albert ventured into the territory of the eight-eyed giant spiders, he had to be extra cautious.
Ever since he had followed the centaur to this place, Yaya had been unable to continue tracking Fred's scent.
Albert was hesitating about whether to shoot green sparks into the sky when he worried that doing so might attract the eight-eyed giant spiders.
Suddenly, Yaya barked wildly at Albert's back.
"Protego Totalum!" Albert immediately cast the spell, and a protective barrier enveloped him and Yaya. A giant spider appeared out of nowhere behind Albert, its claws reaching for them but unable to penetrate the transparent defensive bubble.
Yaya continued to bark, and Albert stiffly turned his head, his eyes widening as he beheld the monstrous spider before him. His heart skipped a beat.
Unlike the smaller spiders he had seen before, this one was as big as a horse, with eight hairy, black legs and a set of huge pincers that made a chilling clicking sound.
"I hate spiders," Albert muttered as he met the spider's eight eyes. Soon, he noticed that a new task had appeared on his panel.
Angry Retaliation
You seem to have been attacked. It's time to show your attacker who's boss. Defeat the invading eight-eyed giant spiders and let those furry monsters know you're not one to be messed with.
Reward: 1500 experience points, and learn the spell: Aranea Expelio (Spider-Repelling Spell).
"This skill is quite timely," Albert mumbled to himself. He quickly opened his skill panel, upgraded the Disillusionment Charm to level 2, and then picked up Yaya, who was whimpering, before disappearing from sight using the Disillusionment Charm.
The eight-eyed giant spider was baffled as its prey suddenly vanished before its eyes.
In the next moment, Albert reappeared about 50 feet away, forcing down the nausea induced by the Disillusionment Charm. He brandished his wand and shouted, "Stupefy!"
A jet of red light hit the giant spider.
However, the Stunning Spell didn't seem to have much effect and only served to anger the spider further.
"Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy!"
The eight-eyed giant spider charged toward Albert, but the Stunning and Entangling Spells managed to slow it down.
"Protego Totalum!" Albert cast the protective barrier spell again, enclosing himself within a transparent bubble.
The giant spider collided with the barrier but failed to breach it.
Albert could sense the spider's anger through its eight black eyes, and its sharp pincers clicked menacingly, as if saying, "I'm going to eat you."
The spells didn't seem to be very effective. Was his magic too weak, or was the spider too big or its magic too strong?
If he upgraded the spells to level 2, they might be more effective... But first, he glanced at his experience pool, knowing that he would need to learn the Spider-Repelling Spell soon.
It would be best to defeat the spider without upgrading the spells.
What were the spider's weaknesses?
Arachnox?
And...
Its legs? After all, it had eight of them.
Trip Jinx... Leg-Locker Curse... Cripple Curse... and the Dancing Spell...
He hoped these spells would work.
Albert used the Disillusionment Charm again, acknowledging its high practicality despite the nausea it induced.
The eight-eyed giant spider, upon realizing that its prey had disappeared again, looked around frantically, but Albert's voice already rang out.
"Tarantella!"
The Dancing Spell hit the spider's legs, causing it to start an involuntary and frenzied tap dance.
The spell's effect was remarkable.
The spider clearly couldn't tap dance, so it looked like it was having a leg spasm, its body twitching uncontrollably.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
