The bickering between Harry and Draco finally came to no conclusion. Hagrid stepped out of his hut, lantern in hand, leading his large black dog, Fang.
He nodded with a gentle smile at Harry, then gave instructions to the two Young Wizards present.
"Something has been harming Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest lately. Our main goal in going into the Forbidden Forest today is to investigate exactly what is hurting them."
"This is very dangerous, so you must stay safe."
Harry was originally a bit nervous, but at the thought of Draco Malfoy being right beside him, he immediately hid his anxiety. No matter what, he couldn't let Malfoy see him as a joke.
Draco, however, couldn't help himself. "Something that harms Unicorns?!"
"This is too dangerous! I want to go back; my father wouldn't agree to me going."
Hagrid gave an unceremonious snort. "This is the detention content set by Headmaster Dumbledore, and Professor Snape has also agreed to it. You can let your father talk to them."
Draco bit his lip and fell silent. The person his father was currently most wary of was Dumbledore, and Professor Snape was his father's partner.
Since both of them had agreed to this detention, it meant... there was no room for maneuver for him at all.
Listening to Hagrid's words, Lynn's brain also performed a rapid analysis.
Something that harms unicorns—Unicorns possess very powerful magic abilities, and even an average adult Wizard cannot contend with one alone. This meant that whatever was in the Forbidden Forest now was very powerful.
Turning her head slowly and mechanically toward the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid's next words surfaced in Lynn's mind.
This was the detention content set by Headmaster Dumbledore, which meant that the person who wanted Harry Potter to see something in the Forbidden Forest was Headmaster Dumbledore.
Lynn reached a conclusion without any emotional fluctuation: that also meant Harry Potter would definitely be fine.
After all, it was impossible for Headmaster Dumbledore to harm Harry Potter. As for what he wanted Harry Potter to see in the Forbidden Forest, it was likely the thing that was harming the Unicorns.
In just a dozen seconds, Lynn's brain had already sorted out almost the entire truth. Hagrid, Harry, and Draco were all ready, and with Hagrid leading the way, they walked into the Forbidden Forest.
Lynn and Hermione followed behind them under the invisibility cloak. Hermione pursed her lips, feeling Lynn's temperature beside her, and couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.
"Lynn... what do you think the thing harming the Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest could be?"
Lynn didn't sense Hermione's nervousness at all. She spoke in a flat tone, simply stating facts. "I don't know what it is."
"But being able to harm a Unicorn proves it is very powerful and very evil."
Hermione shuddered violently; she clearly agreed with Lynn. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Hermione reached out and drew her wand.
Beside her, Lynn's wand was already in her right hand, ready at all times to deal with any possible emergencies.
At first, everything was peaceful while they walked through the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. As they went deeper, the path they were on split into two small trails.
Hagrid looked at Harry with some difficulty. "Harry, we might have to split up."
"What?!" Before Harry could speak, Draco was the first to shout in disbelief. "The two of us alone in the Forbidden Forest?!"
Harry felt irritated listening to the guy beside him shout. He turned to Draco and mocked, "What's wrong? Are you scared, Malfoy?"
"Who's scared!" Draco glared at Harry fiercely, putting on a brave front. "You're the one who's scared, Potter!"
Harry's lip twitched as he turned to Hagrid. "No problem, we can find it faster if we split up."
Hagrid nodded and handed a lantern to Harry. "If anything happens, just fire red sparks into the sky."
"Okay," Harry agreed as he took Hagrid's lantern.
Beside them, Draco looked down at the majestic-looking Fang and quickly spoke up. "We want Fang to come with us."
Hagrid reached out and handed Fang's leash to Draco. "Alright, but I have to warn you, he's a real coward."
After a few more instructions, Hagrid headed toward the left path, while Harry and Draco led Fang down the right path.
Lynn and Hermione followed them under the invisibility cloak. Lynn's dull eyes scanned everything around them; though they lacked luster, they wouldn't miss a single clue.
As they went deeper, Lynn keenly spotted some slight signs of running and fighting on the ground.
She suddenly looked up, but before she could say anything, she heard Draco let out a panicked shout. He then dropped Fang's leash and turned to run without looking back.
The reason for his flight was right there on the clearing in front of Harry.
Lynn looked expressionlessly at the Dark Shadow huddled on the ground nearby. In front of the shadow was a small pool of silvery-white blood and a Unicorn that was neither dead nor alive.
Draco's exclamation had clearly attracted its attention. The Dark Shadow suddenly looked up, staring directly into Harry's face.
Harry held his breath, drew his wand, and fired red sparks into the sky.
The Dark Shadow lunged toward him rapidly. Under the invisibility cloak, both Lynn and Hermione raised their wands in unison.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Stupefy."
The two spells hit the Dark Shadow one after another, causing it to pause in place for a moment.
Hermione, hidden under the invisibility cloak, shouted to Harry with a trembling voice, "Harry, run!"
Hearing Hermione's trembling shout in his ear, Harry pinched his palm hard to regain his ability to move. The next moment, he raised his wand toward the Dark Shadow without hesitation.
Run? How could he run! Hermione was here, and Lynn was here too. He could never bring himself to abandon his friends and flee.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Harry followed Hermione's lead and used a Full Body-Bind Curse on the Dark Shadow. However, the effect was not significant. The Dark Shadow was clearly enraged; it pulled out its own wand and directly deflected Harry's curse.
Then, it actually bypassed him and rushed straight toward Hermione and Lynn. Their incantations and shouting had just exposed their positions.
Watching the Dark Shadow charge over, Lynn didn't even need to think. She reached out, threw off the invisibility cloak, and stepped out, shielding Hermione firmly behind her, just as she had when they encountered the Troll.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Her wand traced a circle in the air as her emotionless incantation rang out. All the fallen leaves in the area floated off the ground, rising into the air and spinning rapidly, encircling Lynn, Hermione, and Harry firmly in the center.
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