Chapter 99: Footprints in the Forbidden Forest
Chapter 99: Footprints in the Forbidden Forest
Kyle returned to the large tree, having found no clues. Just as he was pondering how to locate the crevice, Taya suddenly ran over and bit his robe.
"Taya, stop it," Kyle said, patting her head. "This isn't the time for play."
But Taya ignored him and led him to Hagrid's side, then used her front paws to scrape away the fallen leaves on the ground.
Beneath the leaves, two rows of footprints were clearly visible.
"This is..." Kyle took a deep breath.
"Hagrid! Look! There are footprints here!"
Hearing Kyle's voice, Hagrid quickly lowered his head and saw the two rows of footprints as well.
"Well done, Taya!"
Hagrid patted Taya's head and complained, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Upon hearing this, Taya's dog face showed a pitiful expression, and she used her front paws to pat Hagrid's pant legs.
There was moisture and a clear set of teeth marks there.
Obviously, Taya had tried her best to alert him, but Hagrid's attention had been on the tree trunk, and he hadn't noticed.
Helpless, she had turned to Kyle.
"I'm sorry, Taya. I wrongly accused you," Hagrid apologized when he noticed this.
It turned out that not every pet was like Fox, and Hagrid's words quickly cheered Taya up. She lay there happily wagging her tail.
Kyle also took out a piece of Motrat Rat Jerky as a reward and fed it to Taya. Then, he squatted down to observe the footprints.
There were two rows of footprints, and they were very chaotic, as if someone had engaged in a fierce battle here.
The outer row of footprints looked normal, appearing to be the size of an adult, but the row closer to the tree was different.
They were very large, about twice the size of a normal person, and they looked just like Hagrid's.
No, they were Hagrid's.
Kyle suddenly remembered that he had seen similar footprints in the pumpkin patch, and the size and even the tread pattern on the soles were exactly the same.
Kyle frowned. "Hagrid, have you been here before?"
"Impossible," Hagrid said firmly. "A tree this big, I would definitely remember if I had been here, but I have no impression at all."
"Then how do you explain this?" Kyle pointed to the large footprint. "The pattern on it is exactly the same as your shoes."
"What did you say?" Hagrid struggled to lower himself and finally saw the footprints.
Then his pupils shrank, and he exclaimed as if he had seen a ghost, "This is impossible!"
"I definitely haven't been here, I swear!"
Then, as if he had thought of something, he quickly said, "Could it be that I accidentally stepped here earlier?"
"Not likely," Kyle shook his head.
Footprints left recently wouldn't be hidden under fallen leaves.
And... Kyle touched the edge of the footprints again, where the soil was already hard. If they had just been stepped on, the soil should have been soft.
"Let's stop here for today," Kyle stood up and said. "Let's go back and ask Professor Dumbledore. He might know what's going on."
Hagrid was completely dazed at this point, and only when he heard Dumbledore's name did he regain some clarity. He nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Dumbledore must know."
Kyle took out his wand and used a Cutting Charm to extract the footprints along with the surrounding soil.
As they walked back, Hagrid continued to lead the way, but his mind seemed preoccupied, and he appeared somewhat distracted.
"Hagrid," Kyle asked curiously, "how did you know the unicorn's foal was missing?"
"Professor Caterwain told me," Hagrid replied. "He was supposed to come this time, but the unicorn that lost its foal is extremely agitated, so he needs to keep an eye on it and can't get away."
Kyle understood.
Professor Caterwain was also a renowned master of magical creatures and one of Newt's few friends. If it was him, then there was no problem.
However, unlike Newt, Professor Caterwain was more impulsive and reckless, which was why he now only had one arm and half a leg left.
Kyle still couldn't understand why the professor had been sorted into Hufflepuff. No matter how you looked at it, Gryffindor would have been a better fit for him.
The Sorting Hat must have been drinking fake alcohol that day.
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On their way back, they encountered a centaur again, but it wasn't Ronan; it was a young centaur with platinum blond hair.
"Hey, Hagrid, you seem distracted," the centaur spoke first. "That's not good. The Forbidden Forest is very dangerous at night, and don't forget you have a little colt with you."
"Oh, Farrenze... Yes, you're right," Hagrid patted his head and turned to Kyle. "Sorry, Kyle, my mind was a bit chaotic just now."
"It's okay," Kyle smiled. "I believe that with you around, the creatures in the Forbidden Forest won't harm us."
"Thank you," Hagrid also showed a smile.
"Your mind was chaotic?" Farrenze, the centaur, looked at Hagrid, his eyes startlingly blue. "Did you encounter some trouble?"
"I don't know if it counts as trouble," Hagrid scratched his hair. "Farrenze, have you ever seen me in the Forbidden Forest before?"
"Many times," Farrenze replied. "I can almost see you every week."
"That's not what I mean," Hagrid extended his hand and pointed in the direction they had come from, "I mean... over there, next to that huge chestnut tree."
"I think I understand what you mean," Farrenze lifted his head. "Today's Mars is normal."
"Well, I knew it was like this," Hagrid said irritably. "Why can't you just say it directly... Never mind, let's go."
Hagrid walked past Farrenze, and Kyle glanced at Farrenze thoughtfully.
The centaur named Ronan had said the same thing before.
Normal Mars...
Is this normal?
Farrenze didn't leave immediately but followed them all the way until Hagrid brought Kyle to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and then he stopped.
...
Ahead was the nest of the Mooncrazed Beast. Seeing the Mooncrazed Beasts dancing gracefully in the moonlight, Kyle subconsciously recalled the scene of their first night tour when they had almost been caught by Hagrid...
Hmm? Kyle suddenly stopped. If he remembered correctly, wasn't this the path Hagrid had taken to the Forbidden Forest that time?
...
(End of Chapter)
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