Chapter 435: Giant, Centaur, and Final
Chapter 435: Giant, Centaur, and Final
By the end of May, Harry's mental state seemed to have improved, possibly because his brain was no longer being subjected to the intense strain. However, with the fifth-year students all busy with their studies, Harry had not found much time to practice Occlumency.
Due to his busy schedule, Harry often went to bed with his mind still brimming with the day's lessons, making it hard for him to fall asleep. When he did manage to drift off, his overworked brain often filled his nights with silly dreams about exams.
Occasionally, he still dreamed about the dark corridor and the dusty shelves lined with Crystal Orbs. The only consolation was that a part of his brain felt guilty as it wandered down the corridor toward the Black Gate, and would try to wake him before he reached the end of his journey.
Naturally, Harry dared not tell anyone about these dreams. If he did, both Ginny and Hermione would insist he return to Snape for more torment.
Amidst this chaos, the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw Tournament was about to begin, marking the Quidditch season's Final. Despite Hufflepuff's narrow victory over Slytherin in the previous match, Gryffindor did not have high hopes for winning, mainly due to Ron's poor record as Keeper. However, Ron himself remained optimistic.
"Maybe that's for the best", Liam said to Hermione. "At least his success rate is decent when he's in a good mood."
The night before the Tournament, Liam secretly made his way to the Centaur settlement. Earlier, Firenze had told Liam that Hagrid's brother was hiding in the Forbidden Forest, and Liam had been thinking about how to help the Centaurs. Naturally, chopping up Hagrid's brother was immediately ruled out. As a small Giant, Hagrid's brother would not resort to cannibalism, and Liam's moral limit did not allow for his death.
After much thought, Liam found a solution through Alchemy. Today, he was heading to the Forbidden Forest to deliver the Alchemical items to the Centaurs.
As he approached the Centaur Village, he saw Wolf playing with his tail. Liam greeted him, "Good evening, Wolf. Is Aunt Betty at home?"
"Aunt Betty is waiting for you at her place. Just go on in", Wolf said, sitting down. "By the way, I'm almost done with the stack of books you gave me. Do you have any more?"
"Of course, what kind of books are you interested in this time?" Liam asked. "Last time you asked for encyclopedias and history books. What are you looking for now?"
"Well, do you have any books about the outside worlds?" Wolf looked up at Liam. "I want to know what the world beyond the Forbidden Forest is like."
"I think I do have something like that. Let's go to your place, and I'll bring them out. Otherwise, I'd have to carry them", Liam replied, feeling a bit sad. He had stored a large number of books at the Multiverse General Store as trade items, including a complete set of travel guides, which would be perfect for Wolf.
When they arrived at Wolf's house, Liam noticed that it looked much the same as the other Centaur homes: a small, four-meter-high conical hut with a tall, wide door. Inside, Wolf uncovered the Lantern Plant, and the room instantly brightened.
Wolf's home was simple, with a small low table, a few bookshelves, and a small nest made of soft plant fibers. As he explained, since he couldn't cook, he usually ate at Aunt Betty's, so there was no need for cooking utensils or dishes in his home.
Liam retrieved the books from the Multiverse General Store and placed them next to the low table. He then bid farewell to Wolf, who was eagerly starting to read.
"Some people are less studious than a wolf", Liam thought, reflecting on Crabbe and Goyle, who had been causing trouble under the guise of the investigation team.
He walked up to Aunt Betty's house and found that Aunt Betty was already standing at the door waiting for him.
"Sorry, I just dropped off some books for Wolf, making you wait", Liam quickly apologized.
"Wolf has been much more composed lately. I guess reading has its benefits. Thank you for giving him so many books", Betty said with a smile. "Besides, the wind tells me everything that happens around here. I just stepped out and wasn't waiting for you here, so you don't need to apologize for that."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Liam took out 12 bracelets from his pocket. Each bracelet was adorned with several bells. These bracelets were forged from dark steel, but upon closer inspection, one could see beautiful patterns on them. Additionally, Betty noticed that the bracelets were inlaid with numerous silver runes, each about the size of a pea. Under the moonlight, these runes seemed to emit a faint blood-red glow.
Betty took the bracelets and ran her hand over them, using Nature Magic to sense for a moment before looking down and asking, "Did you kill those Giants a few months ago? I can sense their wails from these bracelets."
"Yes", Liam nodded. "They were eating people, so I killed them. These bracelets were made from the halberds used to slay the Giants. Just a gentle shake of the bells will intimidate the Giant in the Forbidden Forest. You won't have to worry about that Giant destroying the Forbidden Forest anymore."
"Thank you, you've really gone out of your way", Betty said with a smile. As a Nature Magic caster, she was different from vegetarians or extreme environmentalists. In her view, if Giants ate people, they should be prepared to be killed by humans. Whether they ate people or were killed by humans, it was all part of the natural cycle. Therefore, she had no bad feelings about Liam killing the Giants.
"Then I'll be on my way. I hope the Forbidden Forest can return to its former tranquility." After saying goodbye to Aunt Betty, Liam returned to Hogwarts Castle.
The next morning was the Final. Due to the excessive behavior of the Slytherins in the investigation team, the other students, unable to tolerate it any longer, launched multiple attacks. Several Slytherin Quidditch team members, who were part of the investigation team, ended up in the Hospital Wing. This allowed Hufflepuff to defeat Slytherin in the previous Tournament, giving Gryffindor a chance to win.
After breakfast, Liam and Hermione made their way to the Quidditch pitch. Unfortunately, they arrived a bit late and spent quite a bit of time finding seats at the very top of the stands.
It was a clear, cloudless day, perfect for a Quidditch match. Not long after the Tournament started, Liam noticed Hagrid and Harry disappear from the stands. It wasn't that he was particularly focused on them; Hagrid's size made it hard to miss him.
"What's Harry up to?" Hermione also noticed this.
"Probably Hagrid is introducing Harry to his brother", Liam said casually, watching the game. "I gave the Centaurs an idea, so Hagrid's brother shouldn't be causing them trouble anymore."
"That's great—oh, no!" Hermione exclaimed as Ron missed a ball from Davis.
Fortunately, Ron managed to save the other balls in the following part of the Tournament. In the end, Ginny caught the Snitch just a hand's length ahead of Zhang Qiu.
After the cheering crowd carried Ron away, Liam and Hermione descended from the top of the stands and returned to the castle. On their way, they saw Harry walking out of the Forbidden Forest.
Harry's face was also beaming, indicating that Liam's gift to the Centaurs had worked, and Hagrid's brother was likely no longer as aggressive. Overall, it was a perfect day.
(End of Chapter)
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