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Chapter 399: Conflict in the Forbidden Forest
Chapter 399: Conflict in the Forbidden Forest
Lynx, lying at the center of the Magic Array, sat up like a human. She then placed her two paws in front of her and stared at them curiously. She then looked up at Liam, who was sitting on a tree trunk. Liam immediately understood and conjured a Mirror.
"It looks a bit fierce", Hermione said, somewhat disappointed, after looking at herself in the Mirror Liam had conjured. "It doesn't look as cute as your Panda."
"Ah, well, even in two lifetimes, there aren't many animals that can be universally considered cuter than Pandas. That's why so many countries want to import them", Liam replied.
"Actually, Lynx, being a big cat, can be quite cute", Liam consoled her. "Anyway, the important part of this Transfiguration is the power boost. Look at yourself and see if there's anything special about this form. When I transformed into a Panda, it was incredibly strong and had powerful defensive capabilities."
"Okay, let me see." Hermione began to feel her new body and soon started running. Liam was surprised to see that after a few minutes of adaptation, Hermione in Lynx form ran extremely fast and had excellent mobility. She could traverse complex terrain quickly and quietly. However, she seemed to struggle with her new body, occasionally bumping into things or falling over.
"Let me help you practice", Liam said, pulling out a bamboo stick and tying a bunch of colorful feathers to it. He then began to dance the stick in a sword-like manner, engaging Hermione in a mock battle.
Of course, neither of them used their full strength. Liam's purpose was to help Hermione adapt to her new body, much like how he had been trained by Beorn when he transformed into a Panda.
After about ten minutes, Hermione's movements became increasingly fluid, and she gradually adapted to her new form. This was one of the advantages of Liam's Transfiguration: when successfully communicating with nature, one would gain the innate abilities of the transformed animal, allowing them to quickly access all the memories and skills associated with that form.
Through a series of tests, Liam discovered that Hermione's Lynx form, while not as strong or defensive as his Panda form, was far more agile and mobile. If Liam's Panda was like a heavily armored infantry, Hermione's Lynx was akin to an Assassin.
"Alright, you now move like a true Lynx. Let's take a walk in the forest", Liam said, stopping his movements. After mastering her new form, continuing the practice would be less meaningful.
He waved at Hermione to follow, then transformed into a Panda and ran out first. Since they were now animals, running through the forest would be beneficial.
Hermione hesitated for a moment before jumping down from the tree and following Liam. As she ran, she felt the power coursing through her body, her blood seeming to burn with the joy of a successful Transfiguration.
"What's that sound?" After running for about ten minutes, Hermione suddenly stopped. Her ears twitched, as if searching for something.
"What?" Liam also stopped, knowing that as a Panda, his hearing was inferior to that of feline animals.
"It sounds like some evil creatures that don't belong in the Forbidden Forest are nearby", Hermione turned her cat face to look at Liam. "I hear the Centaurs shouting. Something must have entered the Forbidden Forest."
"We can go check it out. If there's any danger, we'll help the Centaurs", Liam waved his not-so-bear-like paw. Following Hermione's lead, they spent about seven or eight minutes finding the source of the sounds.
"Heavens, Werewolves." After rounding a small hill, they saw what was causing the commotion: several Werewolves were darting through the forest, trying to attack but being repelled by the Centaurs' arrows. When Liam and Hermione appeared at the edge of the battlefield, both the Centaurs and the Werewolves paused for a moment before resuming their fight. One Centaur approached Liam and Hermione.
“Firenze, do you need any help?” Liam recognized the Centaur approaching.
“Liam, it’s you, and the companion you brought to our village last time. Are you Animagi?” The young Centaur lowered his guard upon recognizing Liam’s voice. “No, humans can quickly be identified when they transform into animals, but I didn’t recognize you as a Wizard until you spoke. Could this be natural Transfiguration? But after the Druid Order disappeared, no one seemed to know how to do it—”
“Let’s not get into that now,” Liam interrupted Firenze, finding it rare for humans to keep up with the Centaur’s wandering thoughts. If he let Firenze ramble on, they might not get to the point until dawn. “Can you tell us what’s going on with these Werewolves? We came to help after hearing something was wrong.”
“Thank the stars for our meeting,” Firenze smiled. “A few Wizards in black robes burst in and injured a Unicorn. We discovered them, and the Unicorn said one of the Wizards used a tube to take a vial of its blood. So, a few of our teams started tracking those Wizards, but we were stopped by these Werewolves.”
“Wizards?” Liam found this odd. Cursed Unicorn Blood could be bought on the black market, so it didn’t make sense for someone to go all the way to the Forbidden Forest for it.
“What do you need us to do?” Hermione asked straightforwardly. “Help you deal with these Werewolves?”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Ferren shook his head. “These mindless Beasts are no match for us; they’re just meant to delay us. However, a friend of the injured Unicorn seems to have cornered a few of the Wizards. I hope you can help them.”
“Of course.” Liam and Hermione transformed back into human form and dashed off in the direction Ferren indicated. It didn’t take long to see three Unicorns surrounding a Wizard in black robes, attacking him. However, the Wizard occasionally fired a Cruciatus Curse or Killing Curse from his wand, keeping the Unicorns at bay, forcing them to attack from a distance with white light from their horns.
“Come on, little lambs, you can’t win against me. You’ll just end up giving me more blood,” the black-robed Wizard taunted.
“That’s a Death Eater,” Liam observed the masked Dark Wizard. It was clear that someone skilled enough to use Unforgivable Curses and harm a Unicorn couldn’t be a good person. “Transform back to human form and use your rings. He’s an old Dark Wizard, don’t hold back.”
“Got it.” Hermione and Liam transformed back into human form and simultaneously cast Shadow Blade. Two silent, swift shadows shot toward the Wizard. Even though he sensed them at the last moment and moved slightly, he still took two deep cuts on his shoulder and waist.
Just as the black-robed Wizard turned to retaliate, Liam manipulated the shadows to come alive and wrap around his legs. Hermione’s blood-red spell struck him again, causing him to scream in agony. In his struggle, his hood fell off, revealing a pale, twisted face.
“Dolohov?” Liam immediately recognized him. “No need to take him alive. He killed Mrs. Weasley’s two brothers.”
“Understood.” Hermione pursed her lips and made a gesture with her hands, firing a blood-red light orb enveloped in shadows at Dolohov.
“Who are you?” Dolohov, having been caught off guard by the ambush and hit repeatedly, hadn’t managed to defend himself or even identify his attackers.
Liam found the flow and pacing of the narrative very comfortable, and it seemed to be written by an experienced author. He recommended it to everyone. (Although recommending similar books might highlight his own shortcomings, as a Harry Potter fan, he still wanted to share his favorite books with fellow enthusiasts.)
(End of Chapter)
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