"We won't leave you behind. What if something happens to you?"
Hagrid was the first friend he had made, and he didn't want anything to happen to Hagrid, nor did he want to abandon his companion.
Hagrid smiled gently.
"Harry, I'll be fine. If you stay here, I'll have to be distracted protecting you."
Charlie patted Harry's shoulder.
"Harry, the best help we can give right now is to inform Dumbledore."
"Believe me, Dumbledore is more capable of handling this situation than we are."
Hermione also nodded.
"Charlie is right. We'll only be in the way if we stay here."
Ron, for his part, was eager to leave this cursed place immediately.
The thought of an Acromantula possibly being nearby made him tremble all over.
"Then let's go quickly! I don't want to stay here for another minute!"
Hagrid waved his hand.
"You go quickly, and remember, you must tell Dumbledore!"
Harry was still somewhat unwilling, but Hagrid and Charlie's words made perfect sense, so he could only suppress his reluctance and run back with Charlie.
Meanwhile, Hagrid, with Fang, followed the blood trail forward.
"Fang, it's just the two of us now."
However, Fang's trembling legs didn't look very reliable.
Charlie quickly led the three away, secretly relieved.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly. If he had encountered a Dark Wizard who could just clap his hands and summon anything, he wouldn't have known how to fight.
As for Hagrid, since he had the guts to go after a Dark Wizard, that meant he had the ability.
And what Charlie could do was return as quickly as possible to call for reinforcements.
He hoped Hagrid could hold on... Quirrell followed behind the Unicorn, his footsteps sounding particularly out of place in the Forbidden Forest.
The injured Unicorn stumbled forward, silver blood constantly dripping from its wound, shimmering in the moonlight.
"Damn beast, that Spell didn't cripple it."
Quirrell gritted his teeth, his wand gripped tightly in his hand.
He had been wandering in the Forbidden Forest for a whole month, and now that he had finally found this Unicorn, he absolutely couldn't let it escape.
He didn't know why, but ever since the Dark Lord possessed him, his luck had become particularly bad.
Not only did it take him a month to find the Unicorn, but his Spell had also gone astray.
"Quirrell..." Lord Voldemort's snake-like hiss came from behind his head.
"What are you thinking?"
Quirrell shuddered, quickly apologizing humbly.
"I'm sorry, my Lord, please forgive me."
"Useless, hurry up and chase it." Lord Voldemort's voice was full of disgust.
Lord Voldemort didn't have time to quarrel with Quirrell at the moment; normally he would have severely tortured him, but now he needed him to quickly catch the Unicorn.
Quirrell felt bitter. If the Dark Lord hadn't wanted the freshest Unicorn blood, he would have used Avada Kedavra then and there.
The Unicorn wouldn't have run away.
Quirrell raised his wand, aiming at the Unicorn ahead:
"Cruciatus Curse!"
A red light shot towards the Unicorn, but the clever creature nimbly dodged the attack.
Quirrell sped up, continuing the chase.
Gradually, the Unicorn ahead, due to excessive blood loss, noticeably slowed down.
Its four legs began to tremble, and each step seemed exceptionally difficult.
"Now's my chance!"
Quirrell's eyes lit up, and he raised his wand again: "Stupefy!"
This time, it finally hit the target.
The Unicorn crashed to the ground, its silver mane scattered on the forest floor.
Quirrell excitedly ran over.
"Master, I will offer you the Unicorn's blood."
Lord Voldemort from behind him let out a satisfied laugh.
"Excellent, now drink the blood immediately, I can't wait any longer!"
However, just as Quirrell was about to step forward, he suddenly heard a dog barking in the distance.
"Damn it." Quirrell's face changed drastically.
"Someone's coming."
"Master, Hagrid is patrolling the Forbidden Forest with students; they might have discovered the blood trail and are tracking us," Quirrell said nervously.
"Should I first move the Unicorn to a safe place before you drink its blood?"
Lord Voldemort's voice became extremely angry:
"You fool, I've waited a month, and now you want me to keep waiting?"
"Master, there's really no time," Quirrell said, sweating profusely.
"If we're discovered now, our whole plan will be ruined."
"Do you dare defy me?" Lord Voldemort's voice became sinister and terrifying.
Quirrell felt a sharp pain behind his head, almost collapsing to the ground.
"No, I wouldn't dare!" He clutched his head in agony.
"But Master, if Dumbledore knows you've returned..."
Hearing the name Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort's anger subsided slightly.
He also knew that now was not the time to confront Dumbledore directly.
"Then what are you waiting for? Quickly take the Unicorn and leave here."
Quirrell, as if granted a great pardon, hurried towards the unconscious Unicorn.
He reached out and placed his hand on the Unicorn, performing Apparition.
Fortunately, Hogwarts' anti-Apparition charm only covered the Castle and grounds; the Forbidden Forest was not within its protected area.
With a soft pop, Quirrell and the Unicorn simultaneously vanished from the spot.
A few minutes later, Hagrid appeared in the clearing with Fang.
He looked at the large patches of silver blood on the ground, his face becoming unusually grim.
"Strange, the blood trail ends here." Hagrid knelt down to examine it carefully.
"Where did the Unicorn go?"
He looked around, but apart from the bloodstains, he found no other clues.
"Could it have been dragged away by something?"
Hagrid muttered to himself, his unease growing stronger.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the Forbidden Forest.
The moment Quirrell Apparated, he sensed someone nearby. He turned his head and saw Charlie and the other three.
Note:
Dear readers,
The Lunar New Year is approaching, and I wish you all a new year filled with success, good fortune, and prosperity!
Holiday Announcement:
I'm writing this to announce that I will be taking a short break from posting to celebrate the holiday from February 15th to February 22nd, 2026. I will officially return to work on February 23rd.
Don't worry though! During this break, I'll be busy prepping a bunch of new chapters so I can post them consistently once I'm back. I promise the upcoming parts will be even more exciting, so please stay tuned!
Thank you so much for your understanding and for always being such a supportive community.
Happy Lunar New Year!