The Silent Bookstore Manager at Hogwarts

"Harry, even with the Invisibility Cloak, Professor McGonagall still caught you... Don't you find it funny when you say that?"

Two nights later, Red was sitting quietly in his room when he heard the message Harry had sent him.

Of course, they didn't research any particularly new methods; they simply used the unique properties of Red's soul essence in conjunction with the Great Technique to transmit information over short distances.

"Actually, we should be considering pagers or other wireless devices, but we can't find any convenient means of communication here at Hogwarts, so this is the only option we have."

Harry felt helpless at the thought of it. He didn't want Professor McGonagall to catch him secretly smuggling Norbert out of the country, but the key issue was that Malfoy, that bastard, had actually called the professor over to arrest them.

Harry alone would certainly not get caught, but asking him to protect Ron and Hermione from getting caught is a stretch.

"So, because Hagrid let slip, Malfoy was able to guess your timing and thus precisely intercept you with Professor McGonagall, is that correct?"

Red wasn't particularly surprised. Malfoy seemed too fixated on getting revenge on Harry, and even after being lightly hypnotized, he couldn't forget the idea. As for why Red didn't use heavy hypnosis, he was afraid that if he crippled Malfoy, it would be difficult to explain to Dumbledore, since he knew about Malfoy's family background.

"Ah, that's right. It's because of this that I'm now being assigned to the Forbidden Forest with Malfoy for night watch."

Harry looked up at Malfoy's somewhat panicked expression. Right now, just staring at Malfoy with a blank expression was enough to make the other man break out in a cold sweat. He didn't know where Malfoy got the courage to cause trouble at a time like this. Fortunately, Norbert had already been packed into a special leather case and sent away by a 'courier'. Otherwise, Harry suspected that if Professor McGonagall found out about Norbert, Hagrid's position as the Ranger might be in jeopardy.

"Alright, you restless brats, hurry up... In the past, you would have been hung upside down in the basement."

Mr. Filch, as always, spoke with malice, reminiscing about the punishments he had given to students who broke the rules in the past. Of course, Harry didn't know if his past might have gone back to the Middle Ages hundreds of years ago, but he didn't think Dumbledore would allow such a thing to happen.

Malfoy felt utterly innocent. He had only wanted to report Harry for violating school rules, but why was Professor McGonagall including him? Not only were Slytherins deducted fifty points, but he was also forced to go into the Forbidden Forest with Harry. Just thinking about it terrified Malfoy. He had actually been disciplined by Harry with a stick once, and he absolutely did not want to experience that feeling of almost being sent to the infirmary again.

"Hagrid..." Harry called out. He sensed danger. This was a special precognitive ability granted to him by the "Commandment of Scars." The more scars he had and the more experience he gained, the clearer his sense of danger became.

"Harry?" Hagrid turned around in confusion, only to find Harry looking like a seasoned hunter, leaning down gently and gazing into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

"Malfoy, you'd better be careful... something's not right here."

Harry kindly offered a reminder, and then immediately sent a distress signal to Red. The bloody aura emanating from the depths of the Forbidden Forest made Harry uneasy, along with the intense malice emanating from it.

"What...what are you saying?"

Malfoy, panting, looked at Harry's serious expression and instantly realized that Harry wasn't threatening him or provoking him, but simply stating a fact...

But this raises an even more terrifying question: if even Harry, who can easily take down a dozen Slytherin students, is so wary, what exactly will they face in the Forbidden Forest?

A sudden, unprovoked gust of wind stirred Hagrid's lantern, and the swaying light terrified Malfoy even more. He could vaguely see, deep within the Forbidden Forest, where the roots of the trees were intertwined, a silvery liquid emanated an unsettling odor under the light—the smell of blood.

"What is that...?"

"The blood of some kind of creature..." Harry replied after glancing at it, his gaze fixed on the depths of the Forbidden Forest, where the smell of blood was even stronger.

"Unicorn blood... I discovered a few weeks ago that a unicorn had died unexpectedly here... So what we need to do now is find these poor creatures. The owner of this blood is seriously injured, and if they don't receive timely treatment, they will lose another member of their kind."

Hagrid explained that he was somewhat surprised by Harry's sudden display of skill like a seasoned hunter, but he lowered his guard after Harry showed his naive side, which was perhaps just Harry's natural talent.

"We'll have to split up here. If we all stay together, the unicorn might not even survive by the time we find it... Harry, would you be okay with being paired with Malfoy?"

Harry didn't refuse. Malfoy shrank back when he saw Harry's expressionless face, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to suggest switching groups because of his pride. After all, he found the Weasley guy more annoying.

Harry smelled blood, blood with a very special power, but Harry didn't want to explore those things right now; there was only one thing he cared about.

"Malfoy, be careful with the lantern... the blood is quite fresh... which means..."

"So, the person who harmed the unicorn might still be in the Forbidden Forest... Is that what you mean, Harry Potter?"

Malfoy shuddered. Harry looked unusually reliable at that moment, and he suddenly realized that Harry was perhaps just as reliable as a teammate.

"That's right, that's why I said to be careful. This guy dares to come here to poach, even with Hogwarts' reputation. He's either out of his mind or incredibly strong. Either way, he won't hesitate to kill a young wizard."

Harry calmly analyzed the situation. Red's support might not arrive in time, so he had to be extra careful to avoid stepping into a trap.

"Harry...that's a unicorn, isn't it?" Malfoy gasped, raising his finger to point to a dying unicorn wailing on the shore of the lake.