Wentworth: "…"
Hagrid, standing nearby, was visibly pleased to hear that Wentworth was willing to enter the Forbidden Forest with them.
After all, at Hogwarts these days, no one saw Wentworth as just an ordinary second-year student. With him joining the group, Hagrid, who had been somewhat worried about Harry and the others' safety, felt much more at ease.
Once Filch had left and everyone was accounted for, Hagrid spoke up:
"Our main task tonight is to track down the culprit attacking unicorns in the Forbidden Forest! Since Wentworth is willing to go with you lot, I reckon we should split into two teams to search more efficiently."
At this, Hagrid gave Wentworth a pointed glance, and Wentworth nodded in agreement before suggesting,
"I agree with Hagrid. How about this—everyone else forms one group, and we let Draco go on his own? As a distinguished member of the noble Malfoy family, I'm sure a little trip into the Forbidden Forest shouldn't be too much trouble for him!"
Draco: "…"
Of course, Hagrid wasn't about to let Malfoy go alone. In the end, under Hagrid's arrangement, Draco and Harry formed one group under Wentworth's lead, while Ron and Hermione were grouped together with Hagrid. With their teams decided, they set off into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
At the same time, in a secluded part of the Forbidden Forest, a man with sapphire-blue eyes and flowing platinum-blond hair stood in a clearing, his gaze fixed upon the night sky, unmoving.
At first glance, anyone would assume he was simply an extraordinarily handsome man.
But looking lower, one would see that instead of human legs, he possessed the body of a horse.
A centaur.
Just then, the rustling of trees echoed from behind him, and another centaur emerged from the dense forest. Addressing the stargazing centaur, he said,
"Firenze, I heard from Bane that you defied his orders and left the herd… just to save a human child? I want to know why."
Without turning his head, Firenze responded,
"Ronan, even the most mindless beasts know to protect their young. Why must there always be a reason?"
Ronan scoffed at this answer and retorted,
"But those mindless beasts only protect their own young. I've never seen one risk its life for another's."
Firenze did not argue. Instead, he simply replied in a calm voice,
"That is why they are mindless beasts. And we are not."
Ronan was momentarily stunned by the response, but then his face twisted in frustration.
"Firenze, you're just twisting words! Don't think we don't know what you're really trying to do—you're planning to save that child. Harry Potter!"
"You realize what this means, don't you? The moment you do this, the centaurs will have chosen a side. Neutrality is our way of survival! Do you want to doom us when the Dark Lord returns and brings destruction upon our kind?!"
For the first time, Firenze turned around to face his old friend, his expression steady as he asked,
"Is this so-called survival nothing more than cowering in this forest, clinging to existence?"
Ronan was taken aback, momentarily speechless. Then, anger flaring, he snapped,
"Firenze, do you even understand what you're doing? Every centaur knows it—a great war is coming, one that will sweep through the entire wizarding world! You're going to get us all killed!"
But instead of answering, Firenze once again raised his head to the sky, as if unwilling to argue further.
Ronan let out a short, bitter laugh. Striding forward, he stood directly in front of Firenze and locked eyes with him.
"Firenze, I won't let you go. You will not save that human child!"
Firenze glanced at him, unfazed, making Ronan falter for a moment.
Just as Ronan thought his words had convinced him, Firenze suddenly said,
"There's no need for you to stop me. In fact, I am no longer needed there."
Ronan blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Firenze gazed at the stars above, his expression clouded with uncertainty.
"A new star has appeared, shining with unparalleled brilliance, threatening to outshine all others. But instead, the stars have chosen to shelter beneath its light. Any star that dares to defy this radiance is doomed to fade into nothingness."
Hearing Firenze's cryptic words, Ronan also looked up at the sky, yet comprehension eluded him.
Still, seeing that Firenze had no intention of leaving, Ronan finally let out a long breath and relaxed slightly.
Meanwhile, deeper in the Forbidden Forest, Draco and Harry followed behind Wentworth as they trudged through the trees.
Yet despite their efforts, they had found nothing.
Suddenly, Wentworth stopped in his tracks. Without warning, he smacked his forehead with his palm.
Startled by the abrupt action, Harry and Draco both froze. Harry quickly asked,
"Wentworth, what's wrong?"
Wentworth turned to Harry, a look of frustration on his face.
"Nothing… I just realized I've been incredibly stupid!"
Harry and Draco exchanged bewildered glances.
Then, to their surprise, Wentworth stepped behind them and said,
"Alright, you two lead the way now!"
Harry immediately waved his hands in protest.
"Don't be ridiculous, Wentworth! We don't know the way!"
Wentworth rolled his eyes.
"And you think I do?! Just go on ahead—I have complete faith that you'll lead us right into a trap—er, I mean, straight to the culprit!"
Hearing Wentworth's words, Harry gulped, nervously drawing his wand before picking a random direction and forging ahead.
Not long after, Draco suddenly pointed at the ground and shouted,
"Look! Look over there!"
The three of them hurried forward. Under the glow of the moonlight, they spotted a shimmering pool of silver-white liquid on the forest floor, glistening beautifully.
Draco reached out, tempted to touch it—
But Wentworth swiftly stopped him.
Draco frowned. "Wentworth, do you know what this is?"
Scanning their surroundings with wary eyes, Wentworth muttered,
"If Professor Snape were here to hear that question, I reckon you'd be spending the next month in detention, catching up on your Potions lessons!"
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