[ Location: Hogwarts Grounds - Edge of the Forbidden Forest ][ 11:00 PM ]
"A pity they let the old punishments die," Argus Filch wheezed, holding a lantern that cast long, dancing shadows on the grass. "Was a time detention would find you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons. God, I miss the screaming."
I walked beside Hermione, who looked like she was going to be sick.
'Dude needs a hobby. Maybe knitting or therapy.'
"You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight," Filch sneered, stopping at the edge of the trees. "He's got a little job to do inside the Dark Forest."
"The Dark Forest?" Malfoy squeaked. He sounded like a rubber duck that had been stepped on. "We can't go in there at night! There's... things in there! Werewolves!"
"There's more than werewolves in there, lad," Filch grinned, his teeth yellow in the lantern light.
Shikamaru yawned, stretching his arms. "A forest? That's it? I thought we were going to clean cauldrons. A night walk is... acceptable."
Filch stared at Shikamaru. He clearly didn't know how to handle a student who treated the Forbidden Forest like a park stroll.
Hagrid strode out of the gloom, crossbow in hand, Fang at his heel. He looked miserable. His eyes were red and puffy.
"Abou' time," Hagrid grunted. "I've been waitin' for half an hour. Bin cryin' over Norbert. Poor Ron's still in the hospital wing with his hand swole up like a melon cause of him."
"Hagrid, get it together," I whispered. "You're the adult here. Allegedly."
"Right," Hagrid sniffed. "Right. Listen up. We're lookin' for a hurt unicorn. Found one dead last Wednesday. Now somethin's hurt another one. We gotta find it and put it out of its misery."
"And if the thing that hurt the unicorn finds us first?" Malfoy asked, his voice trembling.
"Not if yeh stick to the path," Hagrid said. "Now, we're gonna split up."
'Ah. The classic horror movie mistake. Let's split up so the monster can eat us efficiently.'
"Harry and Hermione, you come with me," Hagrid ordered.
"And me?" Malfoy demanded.
"You go with Vivan and Shikamaru," Hagrid said. "And Fang."
"I get the dog?" Malfoy sneered, looking at the boarhound. "Fine. But I want it noted that this is servant's work!"
"Just walk, Malfoy," I sighed. "Before I decide to practice my levitation charm on your left lung."
[ Location: Deep Woods ][ Time: 11:45 PM ]
The forest was silent. Unnaturally silent. The moonlight filtered through the canopy in thin, silvery beams that illuminated the gnarled roots and creeping moss.
We walked in a single file. Fang in front, Malfoy in the middle shaking, me and Shikamaru bringing up the rear.
'System. Scan for hostiles.'
[ Error: Radar Module not purchased. Use your eyes, host. ]
'Sarcastic System. Love that for me.'
"This is ridiculous," Malfoy whispered, jumping at the sound of a snapping twig. "I'm going to tell my father. He'll have Dumbledore sacked!"
"Draco," I said calmly. "If you say 'father' one more time, I'm going to glue your mouth shut with tree sap."
"You wouldn't dare," Malfoy challenged, though he moved closer to Fang.
"Try me."
Shikamaru stopped. He held up a hand.
"Wait," he whispered.
"What?" Malfoy spun around. "What is it?"
"Blood," Shikamaru pointed at the ground.
It wasn't red. It was silver. It glowed in the darkness, a shimmering trail leading off the path and into a dense thicket of thorns.
"Unicorn blood," I murmured. "It's beautiful ,cursed and expensive."
"We should fire the sparks," Malfoy fumbled for his wand. "Call Hagrid!"
"Not yet," Shikamaru said, his eyes sharp. The lazy slouch was gone. He looked like a ninja now. "Something is close. Moving."
He formed a seal with his hands. The shadows around us seemed to deepen, stretching toward the thicket.
'He's using Chakra. Risky, but if we get jumped, I'd rather have a Shadow Bind than a Disarming Charm.'
"Let's check it out," I said, gripping my wand in one hand and preparing a Telekinetic Grip with my mind.
"Are you mad?!" Malfoy hissed.
"Stay here then," I said, stepping over the roots.
We pushed through the brush. The air grew colder.
And then we saw it.
In a clearing ahead, a white shape lay on the ground. Its legs were splayed at odd angles. Its mane was spread out like pearls on dark velvet.
It was the unicorn.
Dead.
But it wasn't alone.
A cloaked figure was crouching over the beast. It was drinking. The sound of wet slurping echoed in the clearing.
I froze.
'That's him. Voldemort..'
My Magical Resistance flared from a tingle to a burn. The magical pressure radiating off the figure was immense. It felt like standing next to a leaking nuclear reactor.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Malfoy screamed. It was a high, piercing shriek that shattered the silence.
The hooded figure snapped its head up. Unicorn blood dripped from its mouth, staining the hood silver.
It hissed.
It hovered over the ground, moving toward us like smoke.
Malfoy turned and ran, taking Fang with him.
"Coward!" I yelled.
That left me and Shikamaru.
Shikamaru dropped into a stance.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!" he whispered.
His shadow shot forward, racing across the moonlit grass to catch the figure.
The shadow connected.
The figure stopped.
"Got him!" Shikamaru grunted, sweat popping on his forehead immediately. "He's... heavy and his is energy is... cold."
The figure struggled. It looked down at the shadow connecting them. It laughed—a raspy, wheezing sound.
"Curious... new magic..."
The figure flared its aura.
SNAP.
Shikamaru was thrown backward as if he'd been hit by a truck. His shadow bond shattered.
"Shika!" I yelled.
The figure lunged at me.
'Telekinesis! Max Output!'
[ Ability Active: Telekinesis. ]
I thrust both hands forward.
I just tried to keep him away.
An invisible wall of force slammed into the figure.
It paused. For a second.
Then, the figure raised a hand. No wand.
Just raw dark magic.
'Fu*k can't bro use wand, so I can at least disarm him with Expelliarmus, that's why I hate plot armor'
'Its partialityyyy'
BOOM.
My telekinetic shield shattered. The backlash hit me like a physical punch to the gut. I flew backward, slamming into a tree.
[ HP Critical. Magical Resistance Overloaded. ]
My vision swam. My chest burned where the spell had grazed me.
The figure loomed over me. It reached out a hand, dripping with silver blood.
'This is it. I'm going to die in a forest before I even get a girlfriend.'
I reached for my gun ( which I bought from system in morning) in my inventory. 'If I'm going out, I'm going out shooting.'
Suddenly, thunder hoofbeats shook the ground.
A massive shape leaped over me. A centaur.
"BEGONE!"
The centaur reared, kicking out with powerful hooves.
The hooded figure hissed, realizing it was outnumbered, and dissolved into smoke, flying away into the trees.
I slumped against the tree root, gasping for air.
"Are you alright, human foal?"
I looked up. The centaur had white-blond hair and startlingly blue eyes. Firenze.
"I've been better," I wheezed, clutching my ribs. "Thanks for the save."
Shikamaru stumbled over, rubbing his head. "That was... terrifying. What was that thing? My shadow felt like it touched ice."
"That," I said, watching the smoke disappear, "was a ghost looking for a body."
'No, My Unicornnnnnn'
[ Location: Common Room ][ Time: 1:30 AM ]
We sat by the fire. Harry and Hermione were there (Hagrid had brought them back safely).
"You saw him?" Harry whispered. "You saw You-Know-Who?"
"I saw something," I said, nursing a cup of hot chocolate. "It was drinking the blood to survive."
"Why?" Hermione asked, trembling. "Why live a cursed life?"
"Because he's waiting," Harry realized. "He's waiting for the Elixir of Life, The Stone."
"Snape wants the Stone for Voldemort," Harry concluded.
I didn't correct him and let him think it's Snape.
"We have to stop him," Harry said. "If he gets the Stone, he comes back. He kills me. He kills everyone."
"We will," I said. "But not tonight."
I stood up. My body ached. My pride ached.
'Telekinesis wasn't enough and magic will take time to learn, Specially Combat and my magic level is still not there. Not even close...He swatted me like a fly.'
I walked to the dormitory stairs.
'I need more power and I need the Stone. Not to use it... but to make sure I get the quest rewards.'
[ System Notice: Survived Encounter with Dark Lord. ][ Reward: 50 Points. ][ Magical Resistance Proficiency Increased (15%). ]
'50 points for almost dying. You're cheap, System.'
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