The Return to Hogwarts

Hagrid finally realized that his deliberate display of professorial authority was completely ineffective against the three children. Just as Hermione had said, the most urgent task was to get Malfoy out of the Forbidden Forest. As for the dog, Hagrid still considered it nothing more than a magical creature with wondrous abilities.

"All right!"

Hagrid glanced at the Invisibility Cloak Harry was holding and said angrily,

"Don't expect this to be over. You three, once I find Malfoy, all four of you can be put in solitary confinement together!"

Although being confined with Malfoy was disgusting enough, Hagrid finally agreed to take them into the Forbidden Forest. This was only the second time Harry had such an opportunity since entering Hogwarts; the first time was when they encountered Voldemort, who was out for a midnight snack, in the forest during their first year.

"There's no way I'll run into him tonight—"

Harry muttered to himself, but his voice was drowned out by the rumbling sound that pierced the quiet night. As Hagrid's motorcycle spewed a burst of brilliant blue and white flames from its exhaust pipe, it leaped thirty feet into the air and sped into the Forbidden Forest.

Not long after they disappeared, a man rushed from the direction of the castle. He examined a piece of parchment in his hand carefully, but found nothing. Then he looked up and around, and immediately spotted Tooth, gazing in one direction from the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"They went in, didn't they?"

Ya Ya recognized the newcomer. It stopped its threatening whimpers and nodded. After receiving confirmation, the person did not hesitate and strode towards the forbidden forest.

Wow!

Suddenly, a rustling sound of leaves echoed from the treetops at the edge of the forbidden forest, like the sound of birds taking flight. Under the cover of night, a dark cloud also swiftly entered the forbidden forest.

"It'll be ready soon, just a little longer—"

In the howling wind, a suppressed, trembling sound came from the vegetable garden on the small hill.

In late January, the breeze on the Hogwarts campus already carried a hint of spring, but the Forbidden Forest at night was a completely different story from the campus.

The air here was thick with a cold, damp moisture, and every so often they went along the narrow path they were on, they would encounter a strange, ethereal white mist. Each time they passed through the mist, Hermione would let out a 'giggle' of surprise.

"Oops, I really should have brought a scarf!"

Ron also said, his back trembling.

Ten minutes after entering the Forbidden Forest, the excitement of trespassing to track down a dog that might be Sirius Black and incidentally sending Malfoy to solitary confinement had worn off. Now, they faced a gloomy, ghostly primeval forest, where eerie howls that sent chills down their spines could be heard from time to time.

Ron was shivering from the cold, his hair and eyebrows were covered in ice, and he could only keep warm from the fur on Hagrid's mole fur coat.

The sight of the tangled, sprawling vines and the scars on the old tree stumps that looked like monster faces as they rushed past her made Hermione tremble with fear. She gripped Harry's sleeve tightly, her palms already damp with sweat.

The darkness that enveloped the Forbidden Forest seemed to devour all light, whether it was the moonlight and starlight in the sky or the light from the headlights of the motorcycles they were riding on. Visibility was so poor that Hagrid had to squint and concentrate on observing the footprints on the soft, fallen leaves.

"I was just thinking, Hagrid!"

Harry yelled, his voice barely drowning out the roar from the exhaust pipe.

"The day before school started, I ran into Black when I was testing out my fire bolts on the playground. He didn't make a move then, probably because he was afraid of being exposed and unable to escape the Dementors. He might not have found a chance to sneak into the castle this week either. But why is he chasing Malfoy tonight?"

"I don't know, Harry!"

Following the faint footprints was already exhausting enough; Hagrid didn't have time to answer his question.

"I've heard rumors that Malfoy's father was a Death Eater, but after Voldemort's downfall, he pretended to have no connection with Voldemort. Do you think this might have angered Black, who was loyal to Voldemort, and made him want to kill Malfoy in revenge?"

If that's the case—

Ron gasped as he spoke.

"Should we slow down, at least until Malfoy is finished—"

"Don't say that name!"

Hagrid growled angrily.

"Otherwise, I'll put you down and let you run behind the motorcycle. This motorcycle is getting old, and it's a bit strained to carry four people!"

Hagrid always believed that the dog that could only grow bigger was just Harry's wild imagination, which annoyed Harry.

"Oh, look over there—"

Suddenly Hermione released Harry's arm and exclaimed in surprise, pointing to the increasingly faint path on the ground to the right.

The three who had been alerted also turned their attention to the direction Hermione was pointing. Several shadowy lights appeared in the direction Hermione was pointing. The lights remained stationary, and Harry could feel several gazes coming from that direction as well.

"Oh ho, an old acquaintance, let's go ask for directions!"

Hagrid immediately recognized who the torch belonged to, and he said happily.

As soon as the motorcycle entered the area illuminated by the torches, Harry immediately recognized them—they were centaurs, whom he had encountered before when he was a first-year student and was punished by being sent to the Forbidden Forest for 'labor'.

There were about twenty centaurs in front of them. These centaurs were holding torches in one hand and spears in the other, their faces full of murderous intent. Even when they saw Hagrid, they didn't give him a friendly look.

The three centaurs at the head were the strongest of the warriors; when the muscles on their arms bulged, they were about as thick as Hermione's waist. And Harry happened to recognize these three strong centaurs.

"What, is a war about to break out here?"

Hagrid landed the motorcycle, but seeing the centaurs' united and righteous expression, he didn't have time to greet them before asking in surprise.

Hagrid held considerable prestige here because he frequently helped the magical creatures living in the Forbidden Forest solve their survival problems. So, when the centaurs behind him were pawing at each other in anger, the centaur on the left gave the village's most elite warriors a warning look, then stepped out of the ranks.

"Good evening, Hagrid."

Ferrenze, with his platinum blonde hair and silver-maned horse body, spoke to Hagrid, then lowered his head and smiled at Harry.

"Good evening, Harry Potter, we meet again."

"Long time no see, Ferencze."

Once he got out of the car, Harry realized how much damage the temperature in the Forbidden Forest had done to him. He rubbed his knees, which were throbbing, and tried to force a smile onto his stiff, numb face.

While Ferrenze and Harry were catching up, Hagrid glanced warily at the fully armed centaurs a few times, then spoke to Ronan and Bane.

"What on earth is going on? Are you planning an attack on Hogwarts?!"

Chapter 293 Catching up

2023-05-15

Apart from the crackling sound of the torches burning, no one spoke; a moment of silence descended.

"Are they really planning to wage war against wizards?"

Hermione had read in some books that centaurs treated wizards unfriendly and refused to have contact with them.

The centaurs didn't answer Hagrid's question, and Hermione's quiet question made Harry's heart clench. He looked at Ferrenze—he liked this centaur because he wasn't as rude to wizards as his own centaur, Bane, and besides, he had saved his life.

Compared to the serious topic of war, even Black's affairs seemed less important. Harry looked up at Ferrenze, hoping for a response.

"Just like back then, Harry Potter."

Ferenc looked up at the moon, then spoke slowly and deliberately.

“You have once again chosen a bright Martian night to venture into the Forbidden Forest, which is unwise. None of us want wizards involved in the war against the centaurs.”

"war?!"

Harry, Bane, and Ronan gasped in unison. Hagrid immediately rolled up his sleeves; he was a head taller than the burly Bane and Ronan. He stood menacingly before the two centaur leaders, glaring at them fiercely. This action drew strong disapproval from Bane.

“We have no grudge against those ponies at school, Hagrid!”

"If that's the case, then who exactly are you gathering people in the middle of the night to deal with? Oh, could it be..." Hagrid narrowed his eyes, "that Aragog's offspring have caused you trouble again? But I've already spoken to them!"

"Who is Aragog?" Ron asked Harry in a low voice. After Harry shook his head, Ron asked Hermione the same question.

"Is there any book that records this name, Hermione?"

The world of the Forbidden Forest is isolated from the wizarding world. Great figures who are renowned in the outside world have no say here, while some of the overlords of the Forbidden Forest are unknown to the outside world. Currently, Hagrid is the only bridge between the two worlds.

"Don't be nervous, Hagrid."

Ferenczek turned his head and said calmly,

"We just wanted to punish those despicable dark creatures living deep in the Forbidden Forest. They've been a bit too active these past few days, constantly appearing in our territory, and this evening they even dared to kidnap one of our own kind."

"You mean"

Hagrid frowned. He was about to name the creatures, but his gaze suddenly fell on Harry and his two friends, who seemed extremely concerned about the question. After a brief hesitation, he said decisively,

“If that’s the case, then your performance is not surprising. But Dumbledore hopes that the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest can have a harmonious and peaceful living environment. If they do, I will report to them. Ferrenzer, Professor Dumbledore will make the trip for you, but now.”

"Centaur need no wizard's protection!"

Bane seemed to think Hagrid had said something rude, and he flew into a rage, "Even if it were Dumbledore, it would be the same!"

Seeing that a conflict was about to break out, Ronan anxiously pawed at the dirt with his hooves, took two steps forward, and stood between Bane and Hagrid.

"Hagrid meant well, Bane."

But Ronan then told Hagrid, "We can solve this ourselves."

"You should respect the rights of the centaurs, Hagrid."

Ferenc patted Bane's back, returned to the front of his herd, and spoke to Hagrid. Then, he looked at a bewildered Harry.

“I think we both have important things to do, Harry Potter. Now, it’s time to part ways.”

The torches quickly disappeared into the dense woods, and darkness seized the opportunity to envelop Harry and the others. The chill from all directions made the three young wizards shiver again. Hagrid walked to the motorcycle, fumbled around for a while, and turned on the headlights. They then stood in the cylindrical light.

“If it were one of their own kind who had been kidnapped, then I wouldn’t be surprised why Ronan and his men would make such a fuss.”

Hagrid frowned and stroked his beard as he spoke.

"The number of centaurs is very small, and each one of them is very precious to them."

Harry nodded with a sense of sympathy. He suddenly remembered that last summer, Professor Blaine had taken him to the underground world deep in Knockturn Alley, a place that overturned his understanding of the magical world. There, Harry had seen a group of dark wizards illegally trading magical creatures, including centaurs. Perhaps that centaur was from Ferrenzer's tribe.