Caradoc Dorry was a vampire; or more accurately, a wizard who had only recently been turned into one.
Vampires are the undead. While their bodies are fast and incredibly strong, they possess no life of their own.
They are cold, unfeeling corpses, their souls trapped within dead flesh as the price for immortality.
Just the thought of such an existence was enough to make anyone shudder.
This was likely the reason Dorry had secretly extracted small amounts of blood from the new students during that first class.
Perhaps he needed a specific type of blood to brew a potion that could heal his dying body. Or perhaps, he simply craved a unique vintage.
Whatever the reason, it was clear that the "unique" blood he sought belonged to Rey. That was why Dorry was attacking him now.
Vampires have incredibly resilient bodies; spells like Sectumsempra would have limited effect. Before Dorry could even stagger back to his feet, Rey had already bolted, sprinting deep into the Forbidden Forest.
He ran in the direction he remembered Hagrid taking. In this situation, finding Hagrid was his only hope of survival.
As Rey fled, Dorry scrambled up, spitting sand from his mouth. With a cold sneer, he limped into the forest after the boy.
He had a powerful physique. Even with an injured right foot, his speed far outstripped that of the fleeing Rey.
How fast could an eleven-year-old run? As long as Rey remained in sight, Dorry was confident the boy would never escape his grasp.
Rey felt like he was flying, but no matter how fast he ran, Dorry remained about thirty meters behind him. Rey couldn't tell if the vampire was toying with him or if the injured leg was genuinely slowing him down.
Hagrid didn't appear as expected, and Rey had no idea if he was even running in the right direction.
Dorry was steadily closing the gap. What had been thirty meters was now less than twenty.
During this brief chase, Rey realized that Dorry was herding him like a sheepdog, intentionally driving him deeper into the Forbidden Forest—and away from Hagrid.
In his panic, Rey stumbled upon a small lake. The moonlight was bright, illuminating the area clearly.
On the opposite shore, a black horse was drinking at the water's edge. Rey's sudden arrival caused it to lift its head and watch him.
Rey didn't spare the horse a second glance. He immediately cast a Transfiguration spell, turning a reed into a hollow breathing tube. Finding a secluded spot behind a bank, he slipped into the lake.
He tried to minimize the ripples. The terrain of the Forbidden Forest was uneven, and he hoped that by breaking Dorry's line of sight and submerging, he could evade capture.
---
Twenty meters isn't far, but it isn't close either.
By the time Dorry reached the lakeside, the ripples from Rey's entry had settled, leaving only the disturbance caused by the drinking horse.
The black horse continued to drink. When Dorry arrived, it merely glanced up at him before returning to the water. Dorry, frustrated, scanned the area frantically for any sign of Rey.
Rey, breathing through the reed, had swum underwater until he was right near where the black horse was drinking.
As the horse dipped its muzzle, it locked eyes with Rey beneath the surface.
Noticing the human in the water, the horse seemed stunned, as if it had never encountered such a thing.
And underwater, Rey was stunned too.
This horse was pitch black, its coat glossy and pure without a single stray hair. And protruding from its forehead was a long, spiraled black horn.
This wasn't a horse. It was a black unicorn!
Rey forgot to breathe, staring wide-eyed through the water at the creature above. Only now did he realize that on a dark night, even with moonlight, he shouldn't have been able to see a black horse so clearly.
He could see it because it was a unicorn—it radiated its own subtle aura. Dorry, in his impure black robes, was only visible under the light of a lantern.
Beautiful.
It was truly beautiful. The purity of the unicorn seemed untouched by darkness, despite its color.
Seeing this creature so close, Rey felt as if it surpassed every animal he had ever seen. His soul felt lighter, elevated by its presence.
However, no matter how magical the moment was, Rey was underwater. And forgetting to breathe led to the inevitable: he inhaled water.
He choked. Badly. Not only did it ruin the magical moment, but it also blew his cover. He burst out of the water, coughing and sputtering. If he had long hair, he could have done a dramatic mermaid hair flip. As it was, he just looked like a drowning rat.
The unicorn, startled by the splashing boy, whinnied and bolted. Rey, ignoring his soaked clothes, scrambled up the bank on all fours, following the unicorn's path.
"Hmph. Trying to escape? Not that easy. A black unicorn... well, isn't that a bonus. Perhaps the blood of both of you will let me live."
"Everte Statum!"
With a soft cry, Dorry pointed his wand at Rey and fired two Knockback Jinxes.
He had retrieved his wand. However, basic jinxes like this were probably among the few spells Dorry could still cast. As he transformed into a vampire, his body was dying, and his ability to channel wizard magic was fading.
Two bolts of white energy slammed into Rey's back. He was sent flying, crashing to the ground right in front of the unicorn.
Rey scrambled up. The fall hurt, but the power of Professor Dorry's magic had weakened significantly.
He was on his feet, but he had no strength left to run. Just standing took everything he had.
Rey waved his wand at the unicorn, gesturing for it to run.
Unicorns were pure creatures, innocent as children. Rey had read about them in the library. Their blood could keep you alive even if you were an inch from death, but that was the extent of the lore.
Black unicorns were incredibly rare; most books didn't even mention them.
Regardless, Dorry clearly had no intention of letting Rey go, and he seemed intent on killing the unicorn too.
His body was dying. He wanted to live. So that Knockback Jinx hadn't just been for Rey—it was aimed at stopping the unicorn as well.
Perhaps Dorry's control was slipping, because both spells had hit Rey instead.
---
Rey had initially thought the unicorn was a horse and planned to mount it to escape. But realizing what it was changed everything.
Drinking unicorn blood could save your life, but it cursed you forever.
Rey couldn't bring himself to harm such a pure creature. Even riding it felt like a blasphemy. He abandoned the idea naturally.
In that moment of proximity to the unicorn, the lingering guilt Rey felt over killing the man in the alley seemed to be purified. Telling the unicorn to run was his way of saying thank you.
In his past life, he was just an ordinary guy. Killing someone, no matter how justified, left a mark on the soul that no amount of outward calm could hide.
The black unicorn glanced at Rey one last time, then galloped away into the darkness.
"A black unicorn is a rare prize. I can't let it escape."
Dorry had crossed the shallow part of the lake. Wand raised, he aimed at the retreating unicorn.
"Stupefy!"
"Stupefy!"
Rey cast the same spell, intercepting Dorry's attack. The two jets of red light collided in mid-air with a loud bang.
The shockwave forced Rey back several steps. Dorry merely swayed backward before taking two steps forward. "A vampire's body... aside from the cold and the lack of pain, it truly is superior to a wizard's. If I could become a vampire capable of wielding magic... I would gladly give up my sense of pain."
"My blood... can make you that kind of vampire?"
Rey was breathing heavily. The spell collision had drained a significant amount of his remaining energy.
"No. Your blood is precious, but not enough on its own. However, if I add the blood of a unicorn... I think it might just be enough."
"Drinking unicorn blood brings a curse."
Rey asked, puzzled. Dorry had to know the consequences.
Dorry stopped ten meters from Rey, sneering coldly. "Hmph. A curse. I am already becoming a walking corpse. What is a curse to me? I suggest you stop resisting. It will save you a lot of pain."
Rey gripped his dark purple wand tightly. He took a deep breath, and then, unexpectedly, he smiled. He raised his right hand, leveling the wand at Dorry.
"Actually, I know another spell. I tried to use it once before, in a crisis. But it failed. Later, I did some research and finally understood why it didn't work."
"Oh? And what reason prevented you from using this life-saving magic?" Dorry clearly didn't believe Rey's bluff. Given his current physical condition, he didn't fear any attack spell Rey could throw at him.
Standing his ground, Rey stared calmly at Dorry ten meters away and said coldly, "It was because... I didn't mean it enough."
His voice was icy, filled with killing intent. That was the resolve Rey spoke of.
The moment Rey spoke, Dorry felt the intensity of that intent. For the first time, an involuntary urge to dodge seized him. A screaming instinct told him that if Rey's spell hit, he might actually die.
But even though he wanted to dodge, his arrogance had cost him the window of opportunity. Besides, Rey had already cast the spell.
"Avada Kedavra!"
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