A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 37 First Contact

Owen stopped in his tracks, raised his wand, and made the light at the tip of the wand shine even brighter, illuminating the location of those eyes.

Those small, bright eyes reflected the light from the wand, squinting slightly and seeming to shrink back.

Irving then got a clear look at the little guy.

The small animal in front of me looked like a kitten, its head and body only about the length of an adult's palm, and its tail about the same length as its body. Its light brown fur, soaked by the rain, was covered with beautiful dark spots of all sizes. Its body beneath the fur was slender and streamlined, making it look like a leopard cat, but it had large ears and a tuft of fluffy long hair at the tip of its tail, like a lion's tail.

At this moment, the little guy was shivering and huddled in a shallow tree hole under the tree, his body soaked to the bone, but his bright eyes were always staring straight at Owen, with a wary look and a hint of intelligent scrutiny.

"A civet cat? There are civet cats in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Hmm, judging from its size, it's probably less than half a month old. A little guy like that can't survive alone in the Forbidden Forest. Its parents and siblings should be nearby..." Owen squinted, trying to find its parents through the dense rain, but to no avail.

"Meow—"

Seemingly realizing that the person in front of him meant no harm, the little guy let out a soft, delicate cry, its voice high-pitched and weak, trembling slightly, which made Owen almost unable to move.

"Alright, clever little guy." He went to the kitten and bent down to pick it up. The little guy curled up obediently in Owen's palm, its wet, golden round eyes staring at him pitifully, its long tail gently curling around Owen's wrist.

Owen knew that takins were magical creatures with exceptional perception, allowing them to discern human kindness and malice, and to distinguish between trustworthy and suspicious individuals. They were intelligent, preferred to be alone, but once they trusted someone, they would provide loyal assistance, making them beloved pets of wizards.

The little creature clearly realized Owen wouldn't harm it, and cleverly chose its most effective tactic against him—acting cute. It was obviously trying to find a temporary meal ticket to escape its current predicament; staying in this environment for too long would kill it, as it lacked the ability to live independently!

"By the way, how did you get separated from your family?" Owen dried the water off it, cast a water-repelling spell on it, and looked at the fluffy little guy in his arms. He couldn't help but rub it against the little guy, who made a comfortable purring sound.

"Tsk, just like a cat." Although Owen really wanted to pet the cat, he would never forget his business. He didn't linger for long before continuing on his way, his steps never faltering as he struggled along the original path.

With such a good opportunity tonight, there shouldn't be any students trespassing into the forbidden forest in the pouring rain. He should take this chance to get rid of that troublesome fax machine.

The raven perched on his shoulder remained a faithful guide, cawing loudly whenever Owen went astray until he found the right path.

However, the kitten in his arms gradually began to move restlessly. It struggled anxiously, nibbling at Owen's fingers with its fine baby teeth, letting out low growls, and even arching its body, trying to jump out of his arms.

"Is there any danger?" Owen reassured the little one in his arms, carefully dimming the light of the illumination charm. He was mentally prepared for the possibility of being attacked by dangerous animals in the Forbidden Forest, but he didn't notice anything unusual around him, so he could only silently increase his vigilance.

The dense rain in the dead of night made visibility extremely low; only when lightning flashed did the surroundings momentarily become as bright as day. The sound of the rain made one feel as if they were on the edge of a waterfall; the pattering downpour almost drowned out all other sounds.

Irving's three-piece night-walking kit had long expired, but it was of little use in the forbidden forest on a rainy night. The downpour interfered with the vision of all the animals and washed away all smells and sounds.

Owen cautiously pushed aside the bushes blocking his way, and just as he was about to pass through, he heard a long, clear, mournful cry coming from ahead. The sound was crisp and melodious, yet it carried pain and sorrow, making one involuntarily feel a pang of heartache.

Irving looked up at the prominent hill in front of him and saw only silvery-white specks of light splashing in the rain, eventually being washed away by the downpour into a muddy puddle.

A blinding flash of lightning suddenly ripped through the deep black sky, illuminating the night as if it were daytime and revealing the scene unfolding on the high ground. Owen wondered whether he should be grateful for the sudden opening of his view and the bright light ahead.

A figure shrouded in a black cloak is standing on a wounded unicorn, a glass bottle between pale fingers, collecting the blood flowing from the unicorn's wound.

In the instant the lightning flashed, Owen saw most of the face under the hood—it was Quirinus Quirrell, their beloved Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!

At the same time, Quirrell suddenly turned his head and looked straight at Owen, who was crouching in the bushes!

"Thunderous explosion!" Quirrell raised his hand in a friendly greeting.

Fortunately, Owen had already ducked into the bushes and rolled away, narrowly avoiding the incoming spell. He watched as the Explosion Spell struck a giant tree and exploded into a huge flame. Amidst the deafening roar of the explosion, he didn't hesitate to run in the opposite direction.

"Damn it, it's him!" Although Owen was prepared to be attacked by a magical creature, it was definitely not Quirrell! Quirrell should not be hunting unicorns in the Forbidden Forest so early, so Owen was not mentally prepared to encounter him.

"As expected, once you know the plot, even if you already know the future will never follow the original story, some subconscious choices will still be unconsciously influenced. Tonight's events were due to being too presumptuous; I must learn from this and be fully prepared in the future!"

But you can't really blame Owen for this. After all, the Weasley twins have been to the Forbidden Forest countless times since the start of the school year, and Hagrid treats it like his home, wandering around everywhere. Owen, on his first visit to the Forbidden Forest, just happened to run into Quirrell... He was just incredibly unlucky.

"In this heavy rain, instead of resting, you're looking for unicorns!"

Owen angrily chanted "Knox" at his wand, extinguishing the illumination spell. After dodging another attack spell that followed, he turned and chanted "Faint" at the pursuing figure.

A red flash shot out from the tip of the staff. Irving didn't have time to look back at his gains. He quickly circled around to the back of a thick tree trunk and continued running.

The cat in his arms had already nimbly scurried into his collar, shrinking and trembling violently, while the raven on his shoulder had already taken flight and disappeared into the dark jungle.

Owen had no intention of fighting Quirrell. Even disregarding the Voldemort on Quirrell's body, Quirrell himself was someone Owen couldn't handle in his current state.

Don't be fooled by Quirrell's usual stuttering and timid demeanor; it's all an act! His opponent is a genuine Ravenclaw graduate, though his expertise leans more towards theoretical research and his practical skills are questionable. But being a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is enough to prove that his spellcasting skills are definitely not bad among adult wizards! Even with his intelligence diminished by Voldemort's possession, he's still not easy to deal with.

While the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors at Hogwarts change annually, it's not a position that just anyone can fill. Each year's professor is a highly skilled wizard, demonstrating Dumbledore's emphasis on this role. Even the most despised Umbridge undeniably possessed considerable magical ability… except for Gilderoy Lockhart, who, before being exposed as a fraud, was an internationally renowned and accomplished wizard, a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Class III.

Using the tree trunk behind him for cover, Owen ran while chanting the Disillusionment Charm, but suddenly felt as if the air in front of him had solidified into a gel-like substance, instantly creating immense resistance. He crashed into it and was bounced back, his focused chanting interrupted.

Owen used the momentum from being bounced back to twist his waist and change direction, running to the right. At the same time, he pointed his wand directly at the sky, and a bright light shot straight up into the gloomy sky, exploding into huge red sparks beneath the clouds. Simultaneously, a spell whistled through the air at the spot where he had just stood, blasting a deep crater in the ground.

"Obstacles everywhere!" Owen retorted with the same spell, his peripheral vision catching the pursuing black figure pause slightly.

"Shatter to pieces!" After casting a shattering spell at the stopped figure, Owen continued running without looking back. He waved the tip of his wand at himself a few times, finally managing to make himself invisible.

The somewhat clumsy Illusion Spell was greatly enhanced by the torrential rain. Instead of continuing to run in the same direction, he instantly turned and changed direction, rushing towards the bushes to his right.

"I hope Hagrid can see the sparks I set off..." Owen didn't really have high hopes, but it was worth a try; maybe it would scare Quirrell away.

Quirrell had just used his Ironclad Charm to deflect the incoming spell when he saw Owen's figure disappear into the dark, rainy forest. Distracted, he unleashed several Explosive Charms around the spot where Owen had vanished, the violent explosions engulfing the area, but he couldn't find him.

He then realized his mistake and, with a ferocious expression, frantically chanted "Appear in human form" towards the vicinity, trying to use it to break the illusion spell. But the smoke and fire from the explosion, mixed with the torrential rain, completely obscured his vision.

"Master...Master! That little wizard disappeared! He just used the red spark to call for help!" Quirrell's voice was sharp and terrified. "He...he might have seen my face!"

"Useless!" A cold and high-pitched voice came from his mind, causing him to clutch his head in pain.

Owen was using the smoke and dust as cover to speed up his retreat. Quirrell's spell had indeed broken his not-so-sophisticated illusion spell, but the subsequent blast spell provided him with visual protection, at the cost of his robes being blown to shreds and his skin being painfully hit by flying dirt and rocks.

"Dumbledore really dares to put anything dangerous in Hogwarts..." After experiencing it firsthand, Owen truly felt Quirrell's danger; this was a ruthless person who dared to storm Gringotts alone.

"I'll go back and complain to Dumbledore... no, Professor Snape. I don't believe they won't do anything about it!" Owen changed direction and continued walking, constantly chanting various spells to conceal his tracks.

At this moment, the little cat in my arms began to struggle and tremble violently again, and made soft whimpering sounds.

Owen suddenly felt as if a hook had snagged the back of his neck, dragging his body backward with immense force, making every step forward painful and difficult. At the same time, a faint black mist spread out, outlining a faint shadow of his transparent figure.

The ground beneath his feet seemed to suddenly become steeper, with soil, rocks, and muddy water sliding down his back. Owen slipped, involuntarily sliding down the back of his neck.

A figure draped in a black robe flew over swiftly, his wand pointing in Owen's direction. The flickering lightning in the sky illuminated the face beneath the hood, which was deathly pale yet held a mocking smile, while his eyes were chillingly cold.

"Damn it!" Even someone as composed as Irving couldn't help but curse under his breath. Are they sore losers?

He racked his brains trying to escape, but he still couldn't stop himself from sliding towards the other person, whose magic was beyond his knowledge.

As the two figures drew closer, Quirrell lowered his wand slightly, pointing the tip at Owen's face.

"The soul leaves the body," he said softly.

(End of this chapter)