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Chapter 183: The Unicorn's Special Ability
Chapter 183: The Unicorn's Special Ability
"A Philosopher's Stone?"
Kyle's eyebrows shot up, his interest piqued.
"The kind made by Nicholas Flamel... Is there such a treasure hidden in Hogwarts?"
"That's classified, Kyle. It's not something wee young witches and wizards should be concernin' themselves with," Hagrid said sternly, his face serious.
"Classified, huh?"
Kyle shrugged nonchalantly. "If that's the case, then I won't pry any further."
Hagrid paused, surprised at how easily Kyle had let it go. Harry, on the other hand, had pestered him with questions for quite some time.
The two chatted a while longer, and Kyle genuinely seemed to have no further interest in the Philosopher's Stone, never bringing it up again.
Hagrid sighed. "Truth be told, I wish Harry were more like ye."
"What about Potter? What's he got to do with anything?"
"Nothin', nothin'..." Hagrid quickly shook his head. "I mean, he came by earlier as well."
"That's good, Hagrid," Kyle said with a smile. "It shows he cares about you, too."
"Aye..." Hagrid nodded.
It certainly felt nice to be cared about, but he wished Harry's curiosity could be toned down a notch. It would be better if he didn't grill him about Fluffy and the Philosopher's Stone every time they met.
"By the way, when did Potter drop by?" Kyle asked.
Hagrid thought for a moment. "About an hour ago, I reckon. They only had one class this mornin', so they came by early."
"They?"
"Yeah, Hermione and Ron were with him. Those three have been thick as thieves lately."
As he spoke, Hagrid stood up and stirred the pot again with a spoon. This time, he also tasted a bit of the concoction.
Kyle's stomach churned at the sight, and he forced himself to ask casually, "By the way, Hagrid, have there been any strange occurrences in the Forbidden Forest lately?"
"The Forbidden Forest?" Hagrid asked, his spoon paused in mid-air.
He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Not that I know of. I haven't been in there much lately because of Fluffy. Why d'ye ask?"
"No reason, really. I was just curious," Kyle said. "The wizard who used dark magic on Fluffy obviously had some sort of agenda. But after attracting Professor Dumbledore's attention, he probably won't dare to try anything else on Fluffy. So, I'm worried he might set his sights on the Forbidden Forest instead."
"You think he might target the creatures in there?" Hagrid was taken aback, and the spoon clattered to the floor.
"It's just a hunch," Kyle said, his expression unchanged. "After all, there are plenty of dangerous magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest—werewolves, Acromantulas, or even unicorns..."
"If they were to go berserk and escape from the forest, it would cause quite a stir at Hogwarts as well."
Hagrid picked up the spoon from the floor and began pacing, deep in thought. After a long moment, he said gravely, "Ye're right. I'll go take a look in the forest shortly."
"Be careful," Kyle advised. "A wizard capable of using dark magic on Fluffy is likely as powerful as the Professor. You must be extra cautious when you go into the forest."
"Don't you worry, I will," Hagrid assured him, unconsciously reaching for his pink umbrella. He walked over to a rack near the front of the house and picked up a stone bow that was hanging there, brandishing it for a moment.
In the Forbidden Forest, this would be far more useful than magic.
"But there's one thing you got wrong, Kyle," Hagrid said, placing the bow back on the rack. "Unicorns aren't dangerous. They're gentle and pure magical creatures with very limited attack capabilities. Even if they went berserk, it'd be hard for them to harm anyone."
"Oh..." Hagrid was momentarily lost for words.
He wanted to argue that Professor Kettleburn was an exception; anyone with common sense wouldn't try to hug a unicorn's head when it was angry.
According to Professor Kettleburn at the time, he was trying to comfort the unicorn and calm it down.
Hagrid still didn't quite understand that explanation, even now.
He didn't know if the unicorn had calmed down, but Professor Kettleburn certainly seemed calm while being treated... Calm enough to pass out, that is.
"And... a unicorn's horn isn't its only means of attack," Kyle continued. "Remember, its blood is also deadly. What if it runs to a crowded place and self-destructs, spraying its blood everywhere?"
"Even if it doesn't drink it, just getting it on their lips is enough... That kind of curse is hard to remove."
"Oh?" Hagrid was flabbergasted once again.
This idea was even more outrageous than what happened to Professor Kettleburn.
"Don't forget about Rogue, Hagrid,"
Kyle said seriously. "If he could do that to such an adorable three-headed dog, he certainly wouldn't hesitate with a unicorn."
"Ah... Yes, you're right."
Hagrid's face slowly turned solemn, and he nodded gravely. "I'll keep an eye on those unicorns. Fortunately, I know where they usually roam."
Kyle stayed a little while longer before bidding Hagrid farewell and returning to the castle.
The smell wafting from the pot was becoming increasingly pungent, and Kyle feared that if he stayed any longer, he'd end up vomiting his lunch.
The afternoon class was Defense Against the Dark Arts.
When Professor Quirrell walked into the classroom, everyone noticed the bandage wrapped around his arm.
"Professor, are you injured?" someone asked.
"Just... a minor injury," Professor Quirrell stammered. "I was watching a Quidditch match when... I don't know who kicked me, but I fell off the stands and broke my arm..."
"But Professor, wasn't that a few days ago?" someone else piped up. "I broke my arm during Flying class last year, and Madam Pomfrey fixed it in an instant."
"That's different..." Professor Quirrell's face reddened. "I was... cursed by a vampire... It's hard to recover from that..."
"But Professor, didn't you say the vampire's curse only made you afraid of the wind?"
"Maybe... I must have forgotten to mention it..."
Quirrell seemed reluctant to discuss the matter further, and he simply ignored the other students' questions, forcibly changing the topic to the lesson at hand.
Today's lesson was on how to identify and deal with Red Caps.
They were pesky creatures that resembled fairies and could be found wherever there was bloodshed. They typically lurked in the dungeons of castles or the trenches of battlefield ruins, waiting to ambush lost souls.
However, Professor Quirrell seemed unable to find any Red Caps, so he resorted to using a large lizard as a stand-in.
This lizard was a veteran of Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, having played the role of a Hinkypunk in the previous lesson. It could even be considered an assistant teacher.
"Let's assume... this is a Red Cap..."
Professor Quirrell held the lizard on his shoulder and began to stammer his way through the textbook content.
(End of Chapter)
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