https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-770-Kyle-s-Herbology-Magic-Second-Update-Hehe-/12539414/
Chapter 769: The Dark Forest (There will be another chapter later in the afternoon)
Chapter 769: The Dark Forest (There will be another chapter later in the afternoon)
In a lush forest, bathed in moonlight, the topmost layer of leaves seemed to be coated in a silvery glow. However, the dense foliage blocked out all the moonlight, casting the tree trunks into pitch darkness, with only the occasional flicker of coin-sized lights dancing with the gentle breeze.
This was the origin of the name, the Dark Forest.
Not only at night, but even during the day, this place was shrouded in darkness.
However, on this particular night, the serene forest was abruptly disturbed by the sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs, as if someone was cautiously treading on the thick layer of fallen foliage.
This sudden noise startled the nocturnal birds and small animals, causing them to scurry from their hiding places to seek safer havens. For a brief moment, the quiet forest exhibited a spark of life.
"This place is hard to walk through," Kyle complained as he pulled his foot out of the soft pile of leaves.
"It's always like this," Newt's voice came from beside him. "You'll get used to it, and soon enough, you won't be sinking into the leaves with every step."
Newt seemed to know the Dark Forest well; he effortlessly navigated the solid ground, skillfully maneuvering between the trees.
Unlike Kyle, who not only struggled with every step but also stumbled against trees more than once.
"I don't like it here!" Kyle sighed.
"Most wizards don't," Newt replied. "The dense foliage interferes with spell accuracy, reducing their effectiveness. No matter how many wizards come here, it's of little use. But it is precisely because of this that the forest has become a favorite hideout for some dark creatures."
"So, there really are werewolves here?" Kyle asked.
"Yes, and quite a lot of them," Newt said. "It's safe enough that unless wizards are willing to put in a lot of effort to clear these trees, no one can catch a werewolf here. Over time, the Dark Forest has become their stronghold."
As they spoke, Newt seemed to have stumbled upon something. He slowly crouched down and lifted a small bone from the half-hidden leaves. It seemed to belong to either a rabbit or some kind of bird.
Newt wiped the mud off, revealing tooth marks on the bone.
"Oh, look at this," Newt said. "These are werewolf bite marks."
Kyle leaned in closer to take a look.
However, the surroundings were too dark, and Newt wouldn't allow the use of lighting spells, so he could only barely make out the bite marks.
"Are you sure it's a werewolf?" Kyle asked. "Could it be some other animal?"
"No," Newt shook his head. "These are marks left by a werewolf in its human form, distinct from animal bites. It seems we've entered their hunting grounds."
Newt tossed the bone aside and cautiously looked around.
Kyle's excitement grew.
It had been almost a week since they entered the Dark Forest, and now they finally had a lead.
It all started about half a month ago.
It was about two weeks after Kyle returned to Grimmauld Place when they received news that Lupin had been severely injured and rushed to St. Mungo's.
The culprit—werewolves.
Everyone knew there were werewolves among the Death Eaters. Ever since Fenrir Greyback's fiasco at Hogwarts, the werewolf community had been in disarray.
Later, due to Lupin's persistent persuasion, a portion of the werewolves chose to leave and withdraw from the war, while the more radical and violent ones joined forces, badly injuring Lupin before escaping and pledging their allegiance to Voldemort.
Lately, during every full moon, they would appear in either wizarding villages or Muggle streets, indiscriminately attacking anyone they came across.
Their robust bodies and thick fur made them resistant to most magic. Sometimes, in a single night, they would capture or bite a dozen or more wizards.
The number would be even higher if Muggles were included.
Moreover, these werewolves were cunning; they only acted during the full moon, and their appearances were entirely random. The members of the Order of the Phoenix had tried to set up ambushes, but to no avail.
Perhaps as an act of retaliation, half a month ago, these werewolves had plotted to ambush Lupin, whom they considered a traitor.
If it weren't for Tonks noticing something amiss and rushing there with others, Lupin might not have even made it to St. Mungo's.
Kyle still remembered how Lupin had looked when he saw him at St. Mungo's—his body wrapped in bandages with a noticeable dent on his shoulder, a clear sign of a bite.
Sirius had flown into a rage, shouting and demanding to go after the werewolves for revenge. However, he was restrained by the others.
Sirius was alone, and even though his Animagus form was immune to werewolf bites, he would be no match for their numbers.
Furthermore, in Animagus form, he couldn't use magic. Even Lupin, a true werewolf, couldn't manage it. The idea of a single dog taking them on was nothing but a pipe dream.
However, just as everyone was arguing and discussing how to get revenge for Lupin, something unexpected happened—Newt suddenly arrived.
It wasn't until Newt stated his purpose—to take someone with him to deal with the werewolf problem—that the room fell silent.
Before he could finish, Sirius Black was the first to jump up, eager to join him. However, his request was politely turned down by Newt.
It was a very polite refusal. As someone with social anxiety, Newt rarely refused others, and he could only stammer that Sirius was not a good fit.
Naturally, Sirius didn't take the rejection well at first, insisting that his Animagus form would be an asset and that he was the best candidate present.
Thankfully, the others knew better and persuaded him that his place was by Lupin's side at St. Mungo's.
Anyone with half a brain knew who Newt was looking for... After all, aside from Kyle, the members of the Order of the Phoenix weren't familiar with Newt, and some had never even met him before.
And indeed, Newt had come specifically for Kyle.
In Newt's words, ever since Christ's graduation, he had been working tirelessly to address the threat posed by werewolves, and now that Kyle had graduated, it was only natural for the torch to be passed to him.
In a sense, it was a family legacy.
And so, Kyle found himself accompanying Newt into the Dark Forest, searching for any signs of werewolves.
It had to be said that this process was excruciatingly boring.
"Do we have to keep looking?" Kyle asked, looking around. "Why don't we make some noise to attract the werewolves? I have cows and sheep in my trunk, and werewolves should find them irresistible. We can just lie in wait nearby..."
"There have never been cows in the Dark Forest, Kyle," Newt shook his head. "Werewolves are still wizards at their core. They won't fall for such an obvious trap."
"What about rabbits, then?" Kyle continued. "I brought a variety of animals from the Forbidden Forest before I graduated, including rabbits."
"The rabbits here are a completely different species from those in the Forbidden Forest," Newt said, shaking his head again. "Kyle, you need to be more patient. Due to their living environment and instincts, werewolves are more vigilant than the average wizard. If they sense anything amiss, all our efforts will be for naught. So, we mustn't rush."
"Your father was much better at this than you," Newt added. "When we were searching for a group of vampires who had sided with You-Know-Who in the Cambrian Mountains, he remained patient for three whole months."
"Alright, alright, I get it," Kyle sighed. "I don't like it here. Not one bit."
The Dark Forest was too densely packed with trees; from above, one could only see leaves, nothing else.
Otherwise, he could have ridden Norberta and flown above, and with a Fire Dragon's speed, he estimated that he could locate the werewolves in a day.
But that approach certainly wouldn't work now.
Kyle sighed again, trying to calm himself, and continued to follow Newt.
...
Several more days passed.
As Newt had said, this was a task that required patience. Aside from a few bones, they hadn't found any other traces, not even a single werewolf hair.
Kyle began to wonder if there was an issue with Newt's intelligence, and he considered voicing his concerns several times, but ultimately held his tongue.
Meanwhile, Newt noticed Kyle's changing mood but chose not to say anything.
Kyle had few shortcomings, and if one had to be named, it would be his lack of patience.
It wasn't that Kyle had a hot-tempered personality; on the contrary, Kyle could be very patient when it came to certain matters, such as guiding Fudge and convincing him of Voldemort's return.
Whether it was due to Kyle's persuasion or other reasons, the Ministry of Magic had indeed released a statement before Voldemort's rise, preparing the public.
Newt's comment about Kyle's "lack of patience" referred to situations outside of specific actions, like their current task of searching for an enemy's traces.
Perhaps due to their different experiences or a bad habit picked up from Dumbledore, Kyle preferred to face his opponents directly.
He was willing to spend time devising strategies against his enemies rather than aimlessly searching for them.
However, in a real war, not all enemies would stand idly by and wait. More often than not, they would hide in the shadows, only emerging to cause chaos when the time was right, much like the werewolves.
This was a constant headache for the Aurors and the Order of the Phoenix, making the task of finding them all the more crucial.
Newt had brought Kyle along on this mission partly to give him an opportunity to work on this particular shortcoming.
And for that very reason, Newt wasn't concerned about the passing time; the next full moon was still some ways away, and they could afford to take their time.
The two searched the vast Dark Forest from day to night and back to day again. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, creating bright columns of light that illuminated the forest with an air of mystery and beauty.
Like the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, the Dark Forest was often frequented by magical creatures, so the presence of a Bowtruckle was not unusual.
The little creature leaned close to Kyle's ear, its mouth moving as if it were speaking. However, its voice was so soft that even Newt didn't hear it, and he instinctively turned his gaze to Kyle.
He saw Kyle startle momentarily before his expression turned serious.
"In a cave... footprints... wizards... fire at night... Are you sure about this?"
The Bowtruckle said something else, and Kyle's excitement grew.
"Where is it? Lead the way!"
Then he turned to Newt.
"I've found the werewolves. Follow me!"
After speaking, the Bowtruckle scurried up a tree to their left with its short legs, and Kyle quickly followed suit.
To be honest, Newt was still a bit bewildered.
From Kyle's words, it seemed that the werewolf's hiding place had been discovered.
But could Bowtruckles really be of such assistance? Newt felt that it was a bit surreal, and he followed with a mix of belief and skepticism.
The two men weaved their way through the bushes, and along the way, they encountered more Bowtruckles. The little creatures seemed to be waiting for them, and upon seeing Kyle, they all joined the group.
The Dark Forest was vast, and it was only after half a day that they finally came to a stop.
From a distance, Kyle caught a whiff of a strange scent, like something burning.
Before them was a well-concealed cave. Not only was the mountain covered with lush trees, but the cave entrance was also overgrown with vines. If one didn't look carefully, it would be easy to miss even when passing by.
Newt quietly made his way to Kyle's side. With just a glance, he could confirm with certainty that there were signs of habitation here.
As for whether it was the werewolves... Newt thought that aside from them, no one would bother to camp in such a remote place.
"How did you do it?" he asked Kyle, unable to hide his astonishment.
"With the help of the Bowtruckles, of course," Kyle whispered. "This is their territory."
"I mean, when did you find so many Bowtruckles?" Newt turned to look at the branch behind them.
On a particular branch sat at least a hundred Bowtruckles. From a distance, they looked like a layer of moss covering the branch, and they had all followed along from earlier.
Newt considered himself to be quite vigilant, and he slept lightly. Surely, Kyle couldn't have developed such an extensive network of informants without his knowledge?
"Oh, it was a few nights ago when I was keeping watch," Kyle replied casually. "I was bored, so I thought about finding some helpers to search for the werewolves."
"Are all of these from that time?" Newt asked, pointing at the row of Bowtruckles on the branch.
"What is that?" Kyle turned to look and was startled.
"No," he shook his head. "There was only one that appeared before me at first, and I saw that it was quite brave and not shy, so I talked to it a bit... As for why there are so many now..."
Kyle paused before continuing, "Maybe it went to find some helpers."
In fact, not only Newt but even Kyle himself found it a bit unbelievable. He had only mentioned it in passing, yet this Bowtruckle had actually helped him find traces of the werewolves, and at such a distant location, too.
But Newt didn't think so.
He stared at Kyle, clicking his tongue, "Sometimes, I really envy you guys with these extraordinary talents."
Having the Bowtruckles help was like instantly expanding their team to several hundred members. More importantly, these informants were highly discreet.
Especially in a place like the Dark Forest... Who would suspect a commonly seen Bowtruckle? Even Newt himself wouldn't have doubted them.
The presence of these magical creatures in the forest was only natural, and it would be strange if they weren't there.
However, this method could only be used by someone like Kyle, who could communicate freely with magical creatures. Others wouldn't be able to understand what these little creatures were saying, including Newt himself.
He could only guess at their meaning based on their actions.
Unconsciously, Newt thought of Chris.
If Chris had been able to enlist the help of Bowtruckles like Kyle when they were searching for vampires in the Cambrian Mountains years ago, they probably wouldn't have had to stay there for several months.
It was quite a convenient ability, and Chris was a fool for not making use of it. He really was a stubborn idiot.
How did he end up with such a foolish student?
(End of Chapter)
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