Neville's voice rang out with determination. "Expelliarmus!"
His Disarming Charm shot forward, followed closely by another from Ron.
After months of training with Ted, Neville had become the most skilled among them at offensive magic.
However, their spells collided with an invisible shield surrounding the cloaked figure—the Protego charm deflecting the attacks with ease.
The man spun on his heel, his wand raised, ready to retaliate.
"Take this!" Ron yelled, hurling something straight at him.
With a soft plop, the object burst on impact, unleashing a thick, putrid yellow-green smoke. The stench hit instantly.
"Urgh!" The man staggered, coughing violently as the foul smell invaded his lungs. He barely managed to suppress the urge to retch.
"Run! We can't take him head-on!" Neville shouted, shoving Jerry forward as he reached into his pockets, pulling out several small, lumpy spheres.
As they bolted, Jerry tossed the spheres behind him, scattering them across the forest floor.
Quirrell, still coughing, waved his wand.
"Ventus Maxima!" A powerful gust swept away the smog, but by then, the four had already gained distance, vanishing into the dense thicket.
Before he could pursue, the air around him exploded with motion—several objects the size of Quaffles launched themselves at him, snapping wildly with sharp, jagged teeth.
The vicious creatures were Neville's secret weapon—enchanted Fanged Geraniums, their gaping maws gnashing in the air as they lunged.
"Confringo!" Quirrell cast another spell, sending some of the creatures flying, but as he stepped forward, his foot landed on something small and round.
Ssssst! BOOM!
Sparks erupted beneath him, followed by a series of deafening pops and crackles.
Jerry's Crackling Fireworks—a parting gift from the Weasley twins—exploded in all directions, flashing blinding colors through the night.
A larger, heavier object soared through the air—Ron's last-resort: a Big Boom Pellet.
It struck the ground with an earth-shaking BANG, sending shockwaves through the forest.
Quirrell stumbled backward, his cloak singed from the sparks. His patience snapped.
He raised his wand, preparing a more deadly spell—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three red streaks soared into the sky, bursting into loud, whistling fireworks. A distress signal.
"You fool! Cease pursuit! Retreat!" Voldemort's voice hissed through Quirrell's mind.
The man flinched, his face contorted in frustration, but he obeyed.
With a final, furious glance into the darkness, he turned on his heel and Disapparated.
Minutes later, Professor McGonagall and Snape arrived at the Forbidden Forest, their wands alight.
Hagrid was already there, standing over a lifeless body—a poacher, clearly dead.
The three exchanged glances, the weight of the situation pressing down on them.
"No more student patrols in the Forbidden Forest," McGonagall declared firmly. "Not after this."
By the time Dumbledore was informed, the story had unraveled into something even more unsettling.
Two groups of poachers had been in the Forbidden Forest that night.
The first, mere criminals hunting rare magical creatures for profit.
The second—an unknown, far more dangerous individual.
The latter had murdered one of the first group's members without hesitation.
Had it not been for his distraction with the unicorn's blood, he might have turned his deadly magic upon Harley and the others immediately.
The students' unplanned interference had saved their lives—though just barely.
Thankfully, McGonagall and Snape had arrived in time to rescue the injured unicorn, stabilizing it before it succumbed to its wounds.
Back in the castle, Ted collapsed onto his bed, exhausted.
Just as his eyelids fluttered shut, a familiar notification flashed before him:
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Ding! Hidden Quest Complete: [Save the Unicorn (Blue)].
Reward: 300 XP, Card Acquired: [Holy (Blue)].
[Holy (Blue)]
Material Card
A radiant light untouched by darkness, inspiring awe and reverence.
--------------------
Ted frowned, turning the card over in his mind. What exactly could he do with this? One thing was certain—it definitely wouldn't fuse with [Troll (Blue)].
A Holy Troll? The thought alone was absurd.
Ted hadn't anticipated Professor Quirrell encountering poachers in the Forbidden Forest.
But listening to Hagrid's recounting, the reality became clear.
Poaching had always existed in the wizarding world, but never within Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest—until now.
The recent shifts in magical energy had made the forest's creatures incredibly valuable on the black market, attracting all manner of unscrupulous wizards.
Even worse, the influx of beings from other realms had further complicated the situation.
Some were hostile. Others were simply desperate.
For those with nothing to lose, even Hogwarts' defenses weren't enough to deter them.
The rewards outweighed the risks.
Without Dumbledore's presence, the Forbidden Forest would've already fallen into complete chaos.
Hagrid revealed another disturbing truth—just the year before, a magical smuggling ring had been uncovered in Hogsmeade.
An American wizard had attempted to smuggle a half-grown Wampus Cat—an apex predator with a classification of XXXXX, on par with dragons and basilisks.
The young Wampus had escaped into Hogsmeade, wreaking havoc before being subdued by Hagrid and Kettleburn, the former Care of Magical Creatures professor.
It now resided deep in the Forbidden Forest.
That very incident had involved Charlie Weasley, Ron's older brother.
Every Hogwarts generation had its own wild tales, it seemed.
Poaching had become more frequent, and the job of a gamekeeper more perilous.
Ordinary smugglers wouldn't dare enter the Forbidden Forest—it was simply too dangerous.
Encountering a Wampus Cat, a pack of trolls, or worse? Most would never make it out alive.
Beyond the danger of the creatures, the forest was home to much darker threats.
Acromantulas. Centaurs with their own rigid laws. Bloodthirsty Red Caps.
Dangerous magical anomalies.
Only the truly desperate or truly reckless would attempt to poach here.
This time, the reckless ones had met Voldemort.
The result? Their doom.
The students' night in the Forbidden Forest had been far more than just another detention.
For both Malfoy and Harley, it was a lesson learned the hard way.
And in the days to come, neither would dare step out of line again.
The Forbidden Forest was alive with chaos.
Spells crackled against tree trunks, the air thick with smoke and magic.
A group of poachers had made the grave mistake of venturing into the forest at night, and now they were paying the price.
A dark figure loomed over the wounded unicorn, its silver blood dripping from the creature's neck.
The figure lowered its head, drinking greedily.
Just a few feet away, a poacher lay sprawled on the ground, his lifeless eyes staring at nothing.
A single curse had ended him—Avada Kedavra.
This wasn't just detention. This was a fight for survival.
After that night, none of them dared step out of line—not with final exams looming just a few weeks away.
...
Exams. The great equalizer. The professors' most powerful weapon. The ultimate nightmare for students.
Even without the dangers of the Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts itself was on edge. Professors were cracking down on students like Aurors tracking Dark wizards.
The smallest rule-breaking resulted in immediate reprimands. Even sneaking around the castle was risky, let alone venturing into the forest again.
To make things worse, homework loads had mysteriously tripled overnight.
It was as if the professors had all agreed that free time was dangerous.
Every spare moment was consumed by essays, spell practice, and last-minute cramming.
After the incident in the forest, Ted kept a low profile.
He stopped volunteering answers in class and made sure to steer clear of Professor Quirrell.
The man had the aura of a caged animal, growing more unstable by the day. Getting involved with him was like poking a sleeping dragon.
But then, one afternoon, while Harley was sneaking through the castle under the Invisibility Cloak, she overheard something strange.
"No! No... I can't do this anymore! Please... I—fine. I will. I understand."
Professor Quirrell's voice was raw, trembling. He sounded terrified.
Harley's heart pounded in her chest as she pressed herself against the stone wall, listening.
Later, she told Ron and Jerry what she had heard. Their conclusion? Snape had to be behind it.
"That greasy bat's probably blackmailing him," Ron said, frowning. "Wouldn't surprise me if he's stealing Quirrell's salary or something."
"Wait—Hogwarts professors actually get paid?" Jerry asked, looking genuinely shocked.
Ted, however, had a different theory. If Quirrell was scared, it wasn't because of Snape. It was because of Voldemort.
...
As final exams approached, the school's atmosphere became unbearable.
The library was overflowing with desperate students, cramming like their lives depended on it.
Even Ron and Jerry, who usually treated studying like a last resort, had started to panic. That alone showed how serious things were.
Time flew by, and before they knew it, June had arrived.
One evening, as Ted was flipping through his abilities, something new popped up:
_______________
Ding! Talent [Knowledge of Other Worlds (Gold)] activated.
Discovered: [Traveler's Delicious Recipe (Green)].
_______________
_______________
[Traveler's Delicious Recipe (Green)] – A collection of exotic recipes gathered by a wanderer in Kalimdor. Requires 180 XP to unlock.
_______________
Ted blinked. "Wait... food recipes? Seriously?"
It was technically knowledge, sure. But was it actually useful?
Curious, he exchanged the XP and let the knowledge flood his mind.
To his surprise, these weren't just any recipes—they were powerful. The kind of food that could restore health, enhance magic, or provide resistance against the elements.
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There were eight recipes in total:
Crunchy Serpent
Monster Omelet
Redridge Goulash
Tender Wolf Steak
Ghoulfish Delight
Baked Salmon
Carrion Surprise
Mind Lemonade
-------------------------
Ted grinned. "Well, guess I won't be eating bland Hogwarts food anymore."
With final exams and an unstable professor looming over them, maybe a good meal was exactly what they needed.
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Word count: 1573
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