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At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Augustus and the others waited as Hagrid emerged from the darkness, striding toward them with Fang trotting close behind. He carried his enormous crossbow and had a quiver full of arrows slung over his shoulder.
"You're just on time," he said. "I've been waiting for half an hour. How are you two holding up, Harry, Hermione?"
"You're being too polite to them, Hagrid," Filch said coldly. "They're here to be punished, after all."
"So that's why you're late, huh?" Hagrid frowned at Filch. "You were lecturing them the whole time? This isn't the place for that. Your job's done—leave the rest to me."
"I'll be back at dawn," Filch replied. "Let's hope you all make it out of the forest in one piece under Mr. Augustus's protection. Don't make me come back just to collect your remains." With that nasty remark, he turned and headed back to the castle, the swinging lantern in his hand slowly disappearing into the darkness.
"Alright," Hagrid said once Filch was out of sight, glancing around at the group. "Listen up, what we're doing tonight is really dangerous. I don't want anyone getting hurt. Come with me."
He led them to the edge of the forest and held up his lantern, pointing to a narrow path that wound its way into the thick, black trees. A breeze stirred their hair as they peered into the woods.
"Look over there," said Hagrid. "See that shiny stuff on the ground? Silvery, kind of glowing? That's unicorn blood. Something in the forest hurt a unicorn—badly. This is the second time it's happened in a week. I found a dead one last Wednesday. We need to try and find this one, put it out of its misery."
"Wait—a unicorn?" Augustus's normally calm face showed a flicker of surprise. "A fully-grown unicorn has enough magical power to rival three or four adult wizards. You think these first-years are fit to deal with whatever could kill one?"
He hadn't expected the school to assign such a dangerous task to students like Malfoy and the others. Facing off against a creature capable of killing a unicorn? These kids lived in peacetime and had barely been in a real duel. They'd stand no chance.
"I know it's risky for them," Hagrid replied, waving a hand. "But I'm not asking them to fight the thing that killed the unicorn. Just to look for clues."
"Alright, now we're going to split up," he continued. "Follow the trail of blood—it's everywhere. Looks like it's been stumbling around since at least last night."
"However you split us up, I'm going with Mr. Augustus," Malfoy said immediately, a shiver running down his spine at the thought of separating. "I mean it."
Damn it, there was a unicorn killer lurking in the forest! If he didn't stick with Lord Augustus, even being with Hagrid wouldn't guarantee survival. He might really end up as remains for Filch to collect.
Hagrid thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright. Harry, you go with Malfoy and Augustus. I'll take Hermione and Neville the other way. If anyone finds the unicorn, shoot green sparks into the air—got it? And if there's trouble, red sparks. We'll come to help. Everyone be careful—let's move."
The forest was pitch black and eerily silent. After walking for a while, they came to a fork in the path. Harry, Augustus, and Malfoy took the left path while Hagrid, Hermione, and Neville went to the right.
The three of them walked quietly, their eyes scanning the ground. Every so often, a shaft of moonlight broke through the branches above, glinting off silvery-blue stains on the leaves below.
Harry glanced over at Augustus walking beside him.
"Could a werewolf have done this?" Harry asked.
"No way," Augustus replied. "A werewolf's not fast enough to catch a unicorn. Unicorns are near the top of the magical food chain—almost nothing can take one down alone."
He explained simply that unicorns, symbols of light and purity, were rarely attacked by other creatures. In a way, each unicorn was a living embodiment of the righteous path. Killing one wasn't just an act of violence—it was a direct challenge to the natural order.
"Who cares what killed it?" Malfoy said, scoffing. "Didn't you hear Hagrid? We're just looking for clues. Clues. That's it."
Whatever killed the unicorn, it was obviously vicious and dangerous. No need to play hero. Focus on the mission—search first.
The three of them kept moving deeper into the woods. Half an hour passed, and the forest around them got denser. Trees grew thicker, the path barely passable. The bloodstains became more frequent. One tree root was splattered with so much blood it looked like the creature had thrashed there in agony.
Through the twisted branches of a huge old oak, Harry saw a clearing up ahead.
"Stop," Augustus said suddenly, holding out an arm to block Harry and Malfoy. The calm expression he usually wore was gone, replaced by something solemn and intense. Harry blinked—he had never seen Augustus look like this before.
There, lying in the clearing, something pale gleamed on the forest floor.
It was the unicorn. And it was dead.
Harry had never seen anything so beautiful... or so tragic. Its long legs were stretched awkwardly as if it had collapsed mid-stride. Its silver mane was spread out across the blackened leaves, shimmering like pearls.
But Augustus didn't look at the unicorn. His gaze was fixed on a patch of darkness just beyond it—somewhere no normal eye could reach. Malfoy noticed and glanced that way too, but he saw nothing but shadow.
"Come out," Augustus said coldly. "Hiding is pointless now."
His silver eyes glinted with a strange weight. Even with his ability to see through illusions, all he could make out was a thick, hazy blur of darkness—which could only mean one thing: the creature had at least reached quasi-legendary level.
A bush at the edge of the clearing rustled. Then slowly, from the shadows, a hooded figure stepped out.
The air grew heavy.
Even with the moonlight above and the glowing unicorn corpse nearby, the clearing seemed to dim unnaturally. A suffocating darkness crept over them. The hooded figure stood still, facing them, not tall—but in that moment, it felt like they were the only presence in the entire world.
Malfoy suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. A wave of cold terror washed over him, his face drained of color, and his limbs started to go numb like he'd been plunged into an ice bath. The fear was unlike anything he'd ever known—raw, primal, and overwhelming.
Harry gasped, pain exploding through his scar. It was like it had caught fire—agony like he'd never felt before.
Augustus stood motionless in the blackness. But around him, the air had started to shift. A wave of heat pulsed outward, subtle at first. Then, flickers of red firelight began to spark in the air around him—tiny flames burning defiantly against the darkness.
The sparks blazed in the shadows like the only light left in the world.
"....."