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Chapter 203: Mars is Bright
Chapter 203: Mars is Bright
At this moment, in the depths of the Forbidden Forest, Dumbledore stood silently amidst the ruins, his face devoid of any expression, a terrifying calmness emanating from him.
"Dumbledore..." Snape approached and said, "The students have all returned to the castle, and no one is hurt."
"Thank you for your efforts, Severus," Dumbledore said.
"Then what happened here?!'
"Obviously, someone wanted to prolong their life using unicorn blood..."
Dumbledore bent down and looked at the dying unicorn at his feet. "If Hagrid hadn't discovered them in time, it would have died."
"Yes, but now that oaf almost lost his life instead." Snape scoffed contemptuously. "Was it worth it... for a mere beast?"
"Everyone has their own beliefs, Severus, and such convictions are difficult to measure in terms of worth," Dumbledore said. "Just like how you once persisted for Lily..."
"Dumbledore!" Snape roared angrily. "Don't mention that name!"
He breathed heavily for a moment before continuing, "So, do you know who attacked Hagrid?"
"I think so," Dumbledore replied.
Dumbledore took a couple of steps forward and reached an area covered in black ashes. He bent down and touched the ground.
"The Killing Curse... A troublesome piece of Dark Magic. If left unchecked, it could consume the entire Forbidden Forest."
He straightened up and moved to another spot.
On the ground lay two motionless centaurs, surrounded by scattered footprints.
"Avada Kedavra..." Dumbledore murmured. "Half the quiver is empty. They weren't killed by the curse immediately upon meeting him.
He must be weak. Unicorn blood can prolong his life, but it doesn't restore his strength."
With each word Dumbledore spoke, Snape's expression grew grimmer.
"You mentioned before... He dare not kill!"
"Daring not to and being unable to are two different matters," Dumbledore said calmly. "The deaths of centaurs, even Hagrid, wouldn't affect Hogwarts.
Because he knows that the parents and the board of governors won't care about them. As long as the students are unharmed, Hogwarts won't be shut down, and he still has a chance to obtain the Sorcerer's Stone."
"That's just your speculation," Snape said coldly.
"You're right," Dumbledore nodded. "We don't know his true intentions, and that's why I requested the Quidditch match to be postponed."
After a brief silence, Snape, hoping for a glimmer of reassurance, asked, "Could it be Oren? He also knows how to cast the Killing Curse and Fiendfyre."
"As far as I know, he's hiding from the Aurors up north and won't be back anytime soon," Dumbledore said. "And if it were him, Hagrid probably wouldn't have made it out of the forest alive."
The scene fell silent once more until the distant sound of hoofbeats reached their ears.
"Would you watch over him for me? You know who he is..." Dumbledore said softly.
Snape didn't respond and left without a word.
The hoofbeats grew louder, and soon, a group of robust centaurs carrying bows and arrows appeared.
"Don't move!"
"Mr. Dumbledore?" The leader of the centaurs, Magorian, recognized the person before him and quickly signaled for the others to lower their weapons.
He stepped forward and asked, "What are you doing here, and what happened here...?"
"As you can see, Magorian," Dumbledore said, "Someone tried to kill a unicorn, and Hagrid and two of your kin were caught in the crossfire."
Only then did Magorian notice the two deceased centaurs lying nearby.
The sound of stamping forehooves filled the air around them.
Magorian stepped closer, his voice thick with emotion. "Druji... Lura... They were valiant warriors!"
"Ronan, Ferenze, take them back to the tribe," Dumbledore said. "I believe they would prefer to rest where the irises bloom."
"Dumbledore, Mars is shining brightly these days, very brightly... You must prepare yourself, for this is just the beginning, and we are far from the end."
Dumbledore bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for the warning, Magorian."
"I just don't want to see any more centaurs perish."
"Good luck to you, Mr. Dumbledore, and also to Mr. Scamander."
With that, he left with the other centaurs.
Dumbledore, however, remained still, tilting his head slightly to glance in the direction of the unicorn.
An aged figure had appeared there at some point, his head bowed as he gently stroked the unicorn's wounded body.
On his shoulder perched a phoenix.
"How is it?" Dumbledore asked.
"Not good," Newt replied as he lifted his head. "It lost a lot of blood, and there are traces of Dark magic on its body, which has left it very weak." He fed the unicorn a potion and applied another onto its wounds. "But thankfully, we got to it in time, and its life is no longer in danger."
"That's a relief," Dumbledore said. "It took two deadly curses for Hagrid, and if it had died, I don't know how I would have explained it to him."
"It will be fine," Newt said softly, tending to the unicorn's wounds. The once terrified unicorn had calmed down under Newt's care and was now drifting to sleep.
Newt then took out a box and carefully placed the unicorn inside.
After leaving the Forbidden Forest, the two men made their way to the Headmaster's office.
"I apologize for calling you here," Dumbledore said, pouring Newt a cup of tea. He added with a hint of jest, "But I really couldn't trust Professor Kettleburn with the unicorn again, or we might have two new professors at Hogwarts next year."
Newt recalled the incident from the previous year when Professor Kettleburn had been gored by a unicorn and smiled without saying a word.
Indeed, the professor could be rather rash at times.
"Oh, and one more thing," Dumbledore said, eyeing the box by Newt's side thoughtfully. "Did you give Kyle a similar box as well?"
"Pffft—"
Newt spat out his tea in surprise.
Dumbledore, arguably the greatest wizard, was quick to react, sidestepping the spray of liquid so that not even a drop touched his long silver beard.
However, the same could not be said for the unfortunate Fawkes.
The tea drenched the phoenix from head to tail.
"Don't get worked up, I'm just asking," Dumbledore said, blinking innocently.
"It's just a thought I had after Halloween," he continued. "But I haven't seen him carrying any such box, nor have the other professors."
"Um... maybe... he didn't bring it..." Newt mumbled incoherently.
Fortunately, someone, or rather something, came to his rescue.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Fawkes shook off the tea and began angrily pecking at Dumbledore's beard, still furious about the drenching.
"Hey, Fawkes, it was Newt who spat the tea!" Dumbledore explained, clearly not wanting to take the blame.
But Fawkes paid him no heed, focusing solely on the fact that Dumbledore had failed to shield him from the liquid.
And Fawkes was truly peeved, plucking out a tuft of silver beard with each peck.
Dumbledore frantically tried to protect his beard, his voice turning pained at the loss of his precious facial hair.
Seizing the opportunity, Newt quietly picked up his box and slipped out of the Headmaster's office.
(End of Chapter)
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