Bring a fairy tale to Hogwarts!

Chapter 81 The Changes in the Horsemen

After leaving the eight-eyed giant spider, Victor and Hagrid re-entered the dimly lit Forbidden Forest. Because it was a winter night, there was little sound around them, only the faint thud of Victor and Hagrid's boots sinking into the snow.

As they walked, Hagrid brought up the topic he couldn't understand again.

"What kind of monster is Aragog afraid of? There shouldn't be anything scary in the school."

“I don’t know either,” Victor said as he stepped over a fallen pine tree. “As I said before, my spells only reveal what they fear most, but I don’t know what it is.”

"As for the monsters at school—my third eye tells me that this year's school life will be a bit turbulent. Considering that a giant monster appeared at school before, it's normal for other monsters to appear as well."

"That's different. That troll was brought in by Quirrell with Dumbledore's permission, but it accidentally went out of control," Hagrid said.

"oh?""

"Listen, I can't go into too much detail, but it was during that matter—that matter involving Luwei—that it was secretly brought in," Hagrid said, scratching his head. "There aren't any trolls in the school itself. They're too smelly and they attack other creatures indiscriminately; they're a disaster. It's practically impossible to keep them in the Forbidden Forest."

"I see."

"Victor said calmly."

But at the same time, he slowly closed his eyes thoughtfully—so the troll was brought in by Quirrell, but it went out of control in his hands? That sounds so unbelievable.

Quirrell's ability to complete the alchemy recipe within a Christmas holiday demonstrates that he is not an incompetent wizard, but rather possesses considerable magical skill.

Even if a wizard of this caliber consults information before dealing with a troll, he shouldn't let the troll go out of control and smash everything in sight, right?

The question of what purpose the troll might have had in its loss of control is quite intriguing.

But while Victor was still lost in his thoughts, a sound suddenly came from the dense forest ahead. The sound of bandits was initially faint, but it grew closer and louder.

Finally, it stopped not far away.

At this moment, Yaya behind Victor took a few steps back, tucked its tail between its legs, and hid behind him.

Hagrid raised his lantern higher, aiming it in the direction the sound came from. But his expression didn't show any worry; instead, he explained to Victor:

"Oh, just one or two centaurs. We've passed through their territory. This happens to be the shortest route back to Hogwarts, so encountering one or two is normal. Don't worry, they're usually very friendly—"

Before Hagrid could finish speaking, the branches in front of him were pushed aside, and a centaur emerged from them.

It was human only from the waist up, with red hair and a beard, but from the waist down it was a shiny brown-red horse with a long red tail trailing behind it.

However, contrary to what Hagrid said, as he slowly stepped out on his horse, he was holding a small bow and arrow in his hand.

The bow and arrow were pointed at the ground, but the centaur's hand gripped them tightly, as if he could pick them up and use them at any moment.

From the moment they stepped out, the centaur's red eyes stared intently at the two men—Hagrid had never seen them put on such an expression before.

"Oh, it's you, Ronan." Hagrid extended his hand to shake his. "How are you? This is Victor, the divination professor at the school. We just happened to be passing by."

Unexpectedly, the centaur named Ronan did not reach out to shake hands. Instead, he took a few steps back, using his bow and arrows to avoid Hagrid's hand. At the same time, his red eyes remained fixed on the two of them.

"Good evening, Hagrid, but you should leave now. Immediately."

"What?"

Hagrid was acting strangely. Clearly, Ronan's words were completely inconsistent with his past image.

But Ronan repeated in his deep voice, "Leave, Hagrid. We do not welcome outsiders tonight."

"But why?" Hagrid was genuinely confused. "Has something happened over there? You know Hogwarts will always be your loyal ally. I can come and help you—."

"This has nothing to do with Hogwarts. This is our business. Since the day before yesterday, we've all seen the comet's tail touch Venus. Good heavens, what does that mean?"

Hagrid grumbled, seemingly annoyed by the centaur's indirect approach. He knew nothing about astrology. Unfortunately, Ronan offered no explanation.

But at this moment, Victor, who was behind, said:

"Misfortune and rebellion".

"Hmm? What's that?" Hagrid asked.

"Comets are often called 'broom stars' or 'hags' in many places. They are ominous signs, representing disaster and chaos because their trajectory is never predictable. As for Venus, also known as the morning star, it often symbolizes rebellion and depravity, and in many papal texts represents angels who have gone astray."

Victor's tone was flat and monotone, devoid of any personal emotion, yet it still managed to provoke the centaur before him.

Ronan raised his bow and arrow slightly, then took a few steps back, adopting a defensive and wary posture. He said to Victor in a restrained voice:

"We will not defy the prophecy of the stars. Even if rebellion is a secret contained within it, we will still obey."

"So leave our territory, stranger. If you take a step forward, you will be met with the hostility of the centaurs. The centaurs have no interest in understanding you."

But the meaning of stars also goes...

"We don't need to listen."

Ronan abruptly interrupted Victor before he could finish speaking, raising his bow and arrow fully. As he raised it, he retreated, warily watching Victor—Hagrid had been ignored.

"Leave. This is the final word. We have no intention of making enemies, but guided by the stars, we decline all visitors tonight."

Victor shrugged. He actually wanted to say more, but Hagrid quickly stepped forward and pulled him back a few steps, signaling to the centaurs that they meant no harm.

Victor had no choice but to give up.

To be honest, he was just curious. These centaurs did seem to have a strong connection to the stars, and he just wanted to ask them what they had seen.

But Hagrid had already reacted, and he was too lazy to be the villain who disrupted the harmony.

They kept walking to the side, away from Ronan. But after taking a few steps back, more centaurs emerged from the woods, silently watching them from behind the bushes.

The centaurs had a variety of hair colors. As he left, Victor saw a centaur with black hair and black sideburns, and another with gray hair and a brown body. Their expressions were melancholic with a hint of restlessness, and several centaurs' hooves were constantly scraping the ground.

Just as the two were about to leave the area completely, a centaur with flowing golden hair suddenly appeared from the side. His eyes were an astonishing blue, like two dreamlike sapphires.

Bathed in moonlight, he said to the two of them:

"The stars' paths have been disrupted, Hagrid, but the secrets they hold remain. You must remind them to be vigilant, for the comet foreshadows a terrible success that will come soon. You must also ensure that failure is not far off."