A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

All I need is a small lantern, you wouldn't disagree, would you?

“No, of course I won’t agree,” Filch sneered. “I have no sympathy for students who make mistakes, so don’t expect me to help you, not even a little bit.”

"Forget it, Aaron, there's no need to look for him," Draco said unhappily.

"Forget it! This forest becomes much more dangerous at night."

If you can't see clearly, you might stumble into the lair of some ferocious beast.

"No, the creatures of the Forbidden Forest will give me face." Hagrid puffed out his chest proudly. He had a good relationship with the creatures of the Forbidden Forest and was confident in saying such a thing.

Animals will give you face, but what about plants?

You should know that dangers in a forest aren't just limited to animals.

Hagrid paused for a moment, then thought of the various injuries he had suffered due to the uneven terrain of the Forbidden Forest and didn't know how to refute it.

But it seems that getting another lamp is necessary.

“Filch, look at this…”

"Hagrid, you don't need to persuade me anymore. Don't blame me for not giving you face."

“I’ll buy it,” Aaron said directly.

“This property was allocated to me by the school; I have no right to sell it to you.”

"Then is renting it out okay?"

"Hmph! I disagree."

Aaron held up one finger. "One Gallon for one night."

“I admit the price is fair, but I don’t need the money.”

"Five Galleons."

“This…” Filch hesitated. He didn’t have any expenses, and he had saved up a sum of money over the years at Hogwarts, enough for his retirement.

But no one would complain about having too much money. However, seeing five students who had made mistakes ahead of him, he gritted his teeth and said, "This isn't about the money."

"Ten Galleons, or forget it if you don't agree."

"At worst, I'll suffer a little loss and use the Fluorescent Light spell for illumination; I still know that spell."

"Wait, deal." Filch quickly placed the oil lamp in Aaron's hand, afraid that he would change his mind.

"Wait a moment." Aaron picked up Abe and, under its reluctant gaze, reached into the pocket of its clothes. After rummaging around for a while, he pulled out a handful of Galleons. "Exactly ten, no more, no less."

The transaction was complete. Filch, clutching a handful of gold coins, staggered into the night, while Aaron now held a lantern emitting a bright light.

Chapter 62: An Unknown Enemy

The Forbidden Forest is composed of countless towering trees and various plants. The thin mist in the night makes it look even more sinister, and the occasional howls of wolves from afar make the group feel uneasy.

Hagrid led the way, guiding the group along a path into the forest and deeper into the woods.

Aaron was especially glad he had rented a lamp, otherwise he might not have been able to see the road at all.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Hagrid saw a pool of viscous silver liquid on the ground ahead and frowned.

"What is this?" Harry asked.

“I’ve seen unicorn blood before.” Aaron crouched down and rubbed a little blood between his fingers. “The blood is very fresh; the initial assessment is that the victim was seriously injured.”

"He's right, a unicorn died a few weeks ago."

The death was particularly gruesome; almost half of the blood in its body had been drained.

This is the second one. Our job is to find the poor thing and protect it.

“This is no easy task.” Aaron pondered for a moment and said meaningfully, “This forest is very dangerous now, and it’s probably not just the animals and plants that are at risk.”

I suggest we change the time of our punishment, preferably during the day.

“Yes! It’s convenient during the day, and you don’t need to carry a lantern,” Hagrid said. “But a unicorn can’t wait that long; one night is enough to turn its condition from severely injured to dead.”

“But I don’t think the safety of the five of us wizards is any less than that of a unicorn.”

Draco's expression changed slightly, and he involuntarily swallowed. "What do you mean? Don't scare me!"

"Calm down, at least we're safe now." Aaron patted him on the shoulder and explained, "Unicorns are noble, and under normal circumstances, this forest won't harm them; in fact, some creatures will even protect them."

However, according to Hagrid, one of them had already died, and the second one was in very poor condition.

It's highly unusual for two unicorns to be attacked in such a short period of time.

“That’s why we’re here,” Hagrid said matter-of-factly. “That unicorn needs our help, so please have some compassion.”

Aaron's lips twitched slightly. "No one is more loving than me."

But the situation is different now. There are definitely alien creatures in the Forbidden Forest, and they're quite powerful. Nobody knows if they'll attack us.

“How do you know?” Harry asked. “It’s all just speculation, and we’re safe with Hagrid.”

Aaron pointed to the silver bloodstains on the ground. "Unicorn blood can prolong life, and there shouldn't have been any instances of unicorns being attacked or even killed in the Forbidden Forest before!"

Something unusual is happening, which means something is out of control, and the unknown is the most terrifying thing.

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions on their faces became somewhat unnatural.

They admitted they were frightened, and from Aaron's words, they could easily guess that someone was hunting unicorns for their blood.

Those who can be so arrogant in the Forbidden Forest are definitely not ordinary people; they would be no match for them if they encountered them.

“Hagrid,” Ron looked at him pleadingly, “can we leave this forest? There are only a few of us here, and if you don’t tell us and we don’t tell us, no one will know.”

"No, once I say solitary confinement, it means solitary confinement."

Professor McGonagall had already given me a good scolding because of Norbert's affair, and Dumbledore was caught off guard and in a flustered state.

I have my pride too; I can't let my personal feelings get the better of me anymore.

Ron lowered his head bitterly, and the others also looked grave, knowing that there was no escaping it this time.

"Don't worry too much, maybe it was a werewolf that attacked the unicorn!"

"Werewolf?"

"That's even worse. The moon is still very full tonight, and the werewolves' fighting power will be even more ferocious." Draco subconsciously took a step back, a chill running down his spine.

He originally thought that solitary confinement would just mean being locked in a small dark room and writing self-criticisms, but this solitary confinement was completely unexpected.

Turning a dark room into a forbidden forest was already absurd enough, but now writing a self-criticism involves finding a critically injured and dying unicorn, with the possibility of being attacked in the process—that's even more outrageous.

It's unacceptable, and one instinctively wants to resist it.

"Okay! I know what we're going to do tonight will be dangerous, and I don't want anyone to be in danger."

But this was your punishment, and you couldn't escape it.

"But the problem is that the danger this time is unknown."

Hagrid paused for a moment, then stared at Aaron seriously. "If everything is already known, what's the point of having us?"

The Forbidden Forest is dangerous enough. Didn't Filch say he'd collect your bodies? You don't think he was joking, do you?

Furthermore, even if there are unknown creatures, I can guarantee that they are no more dangerous than the dark creatures in the Forbidden Forest.

"Fine!" Aaron shrugged helplessly. "You're right, we brought this on ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Hermione looked dejected and subconsciously bit her lip.

If she hadn't kidnapped Abbey, Draco wouldn't have found out, Aaron wouldn't have broken the school rules, and they wouldn't have been caught red-handed by Filch and Professor McGonagall.

Ultimately, she bears a large part of the responsibility for their current situation.

"As long as you know.

Now we'll split into two groups and search along the trail of blood.

"Wait, we're going to be divided into groups?" Draco asked in surprise. "Don't tell me Gryffindor is in one group and Slytherin is in another?"

"This isn't fair. You outnumber us by twice. We're in great danger."

"I didn't say that.

As long as you're with me or YaYa, the creatures in the Forbidden Forest won't harm you.

"And I'm being fair. You, Ron, and Harry are in my group, and Hermione, Aaron, and Toothbrush are in another group." Hagrid said, winking at Hermione and subtly giving her an OK sign.

The opportunity is yours; whether you seize it is up to you.

Hermione gave her a grateful look and nodded emphatically.

I didn't have time yesterday, but I have plenty of time today. I must apologize first, no matter what.

“I disagree,” Aaron said. “This grouping feels really awkward, and I suggest we change it.”

What happened last night made me very unhappy, and it's not so easy for me to let it go.

Teaming up with Hermione might disrupt team unity, which would be very detrimental.

“Uh…” Hagrid paused, glanced at Hermione whose eyes were slightly red, took a deep breath and said, “Rejected, objection overruled.”

"I'm in charge of your confinement, so you have to listen to me."

"Ha! Hagrid, your actions only make me suspect you have ulterior motives."

I thought you were a fair person! Now it seems I was wrong.

"I..." Hagrid hesitated, torn between his inner thoughts and his own.

He did have a little selfish motive in arranging Hermione and Aaron together, wanting to clear up the misunderstanding between them.

After all, he's only twelve years old; there's nothing he can't explain clearly.

If Hermione sincerely apologizes, the relationship will gradually recover after a while, and Aaron doesn't seem to be the type to hold grudges.

But now he has been given a hat called 'justice', and this hat seems to be flying off, which makes him very uncomfortable.

"I decided on your pairing with Hermione. If you feel it's unfair, I can give you another person."

This is the limit.

Aaron didn't raise any further objections. Hagrid had already put it that way, so he had to be sensible and give him face.