The Forbidden Forest was pitch black and silent, with moonlight pouring down through the branches above, like shattered crystals, scattering silvery shards across the fallen leaves.
Not long after they started walking, Kael suddenly found the surroundings familiar.
Not far away, a group of Moonstruck Beasts were staring with wide eyes, curiously observing them through the thicket.
At this moment, Hagrid suddenly spoke up: "Apart from the unicorn foal, there are also far fewer Moonstruck Beasts here."
Kael's heart was pounding, but he calmly asked, "Are we also looking for them today?"
"No, no need," Hagrid shook his head and said, "Because the other Moonstruck Beasts here don't show any unusual signs, so I think they might have gone to the southern woods where there's a bigger Moonstruck Beast colony."
"I see... that's good."
Kael breathed a sigh of relief and continued following Hagrid deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
However, before leaving, he took out a handful of Dittany Leaves and tossed them nearby, as a treat for the Moonstruck Beasts.
Hagrid noticed Kael's action, but he was preoccupied with thoughts of the stolen unicorn foal, and so didn't pay much attention, assuming those Dittany Leaves were ones Kael had grown himself.
The further they walked, the more anxious Hagrid's expression became.
Kael observed his demeanor, and contemplated before saying, "Could other animals have stolen the unicorn foal?"
"Impossible," Hagrid replied, "Unicorns are very protective of their foals, and these creatures have strong magical abilities. Without schemes or tricks, even a Fire Dragon wouldn't easily approach and take their foals."
They walked past a moss and mushroom-filled woodland, arriving by a meandering creek.
"Woof..." Fang suddenly howled.
In the silent Forbidden Forest, the sharp barking sounded exceptionally jarring.
"Fang, did you find something?"
Hagrid hurried over, grabbed an arrow and fitted it onto the crossbow, ready to shoot at any moment.
Fang sat there, tapping a nearby branch with its front paw, upon which hung a palm-sized piece of black rag.
"Good job, Fang, well done!"
Hagrid took the rag, gently rubbed it in his hand, then placed it under his nose to sniff.
"Coarse texture... and this special scent," Hagrid muttered, "I know, someone unfamiliar must have been in the Forbidden Forest."
"Isn't it just an ordinary rag?" Kael asked.
"No, it's not," Hagrid said firmly, "This cloth is made from special vines, very coarse in texture, and clothes made from it are very uncomfortable, though they are durable and wear-resistant.
So only those doing long-term field tasks, such as Aurors or dragon handlers, would wear it."
This piece of rag was the first clue they found.
Hagrid wanted Fang to track the person's scent, but Fang just circled around and returned to the same spot.
Hagrid looked somewhat disappointed.
They continued along the creek, carefully searching the nearby area for something.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered by them.
"Who's there!" Hagrid raised the giant crossbow in front of Kael and shouted: "Come out, I see you."
"Clop clop..."
Accompanied by a sound of hooves, a half-human, half-horse creature stepped into the clearing.
The upper body was human, with red hair and beard, but below the waist was a reddish-brown horse body with a long red tail trailing behind.
"Oh, it's you, Ronan." Hagrid breathed a sigh of relief and said, "How are you?"
He stepped forward and shook hands with the Centaur.
"Good evening, Hagrid," Ronan's voice was deep and mournful, "You wanted to shoot me with an arrow?"
"Just in case, Ronan," Hagrid patted his quiver, "There's a young wizard with me this time, I need to ensure his safety.
Oh, by the way, this is Kael Chopper, a student at Hogwarts."
Then he said to Kael, "This is Ronan, a Centaur."
Upon seeing it was a male Centaur emerging, Kael's interest waned, but out of politeness, he nodded and said, "Hello."
Ronan took a good look at Kael, placed his arm on his shoulder, and slightly bent his knees: "Good evening, pleased to meet you."
Kael felt puzzled, sensing something was off about this Centaur, as his behavior seemed overly formal.
Centaurs are proud creatures, and generally, they would only nod slightly when facing strangers, rather than bowing deeply… like earlier.
That sort of courtesy is reserved only for Dumbledore.
"Ronan, it's a pleasure to encounter you here," Hagrid put away the giant crossbow and said, "A unicorn foal was stolen, did you see anything?"
Ronan did not respond immediately, his eyes fixed on the sky.
"Don't worry," he said, "The stars are normal tonight."
"Yes, as usual," Hagrid replied perfunctorily, glancing up, continuing, "But did you see anything, Ronan, anything unusual or unfamiliar people?"
"You're acting strange," Ronan said inexplicably.
"I'm perfectly fine!" Hagrid was becoming impatient, "I mean, did you see anything abnormal?"
"Follow me." Ronan gave them a glance and turned, heading into some low bushes.
Hagrid and Kael quickly followed.
They passed through the bushes and stopped at a sturdy tree, and by this point, Ronan had disappeared.
"This is unusual, a Centaur leading us," Hagrid looked around, whispering, "These Centaurs know many things but are always tight-lipped, I always thought they were uninterested in anything beyond lunar phenomena."
At this moment, Fang suddenly lunged forward, barking repeatedly beneath the tree.
"Already found something?"
Hagrid and Kael hurried over.
Where Fang stood, a chunk was missing from the tree's trunk, looking as if bitten, with very noticeable corrosion marks along the edges.
Hagrid inspected closer, stroking his chin, saying, "This must be some evil Dark Magic."
Kael, due to his height, couldn't see the opening and circled around it.
This tree was truly massive, with a diameter of nearly five meters, a rare size even for the Forbidden Forest.
Compared to it, the surrounding plants seemed stunted, growing small and short, Kael didn't even need to approach; a casual glance revealed almost everything.