"I think we convinced Malfoy, didn't we, Harry?"
"I think so, Ron."
Harry nodded. Although Malfoy hadn't given a definitive "yes" by the end, Harry's gut instinct told him they had successfully completed the mission Professor Delfino had assigned them.
The night had deepened. The damp chill permeating the castle's dungeon corridors made it easy to forget the season, tricking one into thinking winter had already arrived.
But the two boys, having completed their mission, didn't feel the cold in the slightest.
On the contrary, having moved past their initial anxiety and nervousness, a fiery sense of purpose burned in their chests, making their blood run hot!
Harry had forgotten about the potential consequences of this scheme. As he sprinted through the underground corridor with Ron, he felt like his entire body was buzzing with adrenaline.
Life was truly, unbelievably strange.
Two months ago, he was trembling under the oppression of the Dursleys, unable to imagine a future. Now, he knew his true identity was a somewhat famous young wizard, and he was currently leading a rebellion inside a magic school under the leadership of a professor.
Ron seemed to have also forgotten the risk of his mother chopping him into eight pieces. He chatted excitedly with Harry about whether Parvati and Neville could rally supporters from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and whether Professor Delfino had managed to persuade his colleagues.
"I take it you've accomplished your mission?"
When Harry and Ron entered the Entrance Hall, they found Professor Delfino already waiting for them.
The handsome wizard—who looked more like a dashing Head Boy than a professor—stood beneath a crackling torch, watching them with a beaming smile.
"We told him exactly what you said to say," Harry said, trying his best to suppress his excitement.
If his awe for Professor Delfino previously stemmed from witnessing him stop a runaway train, now, his feelings toward the professor were mixed with something more subtle—a sense of camaraderie.
"Good work." Ares nodded approvingly.
It was past eight o'clock. In the ancient castle, the shadows of ghosts outnumbered the living, and the grounds outside were even emptier, swallowed by the abyss of night.
Aside from the distant, flickering light of Hagrid's hut, the wind-swept grounds were pitch black. In the darkness, the only sound was the rhythmic lapping of the Black Lake against the shore.
However, the two boys weren't afraid at all.
After all, they were following a powerful professor who possessed a spirit of adventure and rebellion.
"Although Hagrid isn't a professor, his status at Hogwarts is unique," Ares explained to Harry and Ron as they walked.
"Aside from Dumbledore, only the ghosts have been at this school longer than Hagrid. Furthermore, Hagrid has always been fiercely loyal to Professor Dumbledore, and in turn, the Headmaster trusts him implicitly... His support is crucial for us."
"If Hagrid is that loyal to Professor Dumbledore, do we even have a chance of convincing him, Professor?" Ron asked, looking up with his freckled face, his excitement mixed with nervousness.
"Oh, if it were just me, probably not," Ares smiled. "But Harry, with you there, we might just have a shot."
Harry nodded reservedly, though the corners of his mouth betrayed a hint of pride.
In front of Hagrid's hut lay a large vegetable patch he tended himself. On the ground, thick pumpkin vines were laden with fruit—the smallest of which was already the size of Harry's torso. The pumpkins were turning a mottled orange, looking like they would be ready for harvest soon.
The moment they stepped into the pumpkin patch, the large boarhound Hagrid kept started barking madly.
"Quiet, Fang! Yeh'll scare 'er... Oh? Someone's there?"
Further up, Hagrid stood up, revealing his awe-inspiring bulk as he peered down into the dark.
"Lemme see... Oh, it's—ah, Professor Delfino!" Hagrid blinked his shiny, beetle-black eyes, looking surprised. "What are yeh... and Harry, and Ron? You two lil' ones taggin' along at this hour?!"
"Hagrid, we came to—" Harry greeted Hagrid cheerfully, but before he could finish, Hagrid shouted out.
"Stand there! Don't move! I got a patient here... she won't like strangers!"
"What?"
The howling wind made it hard for Harry to hear. He continued to lead the way forward—
Whoosh!
With a sharp sound of breaking wind, Harry saw a silver shadow suddenly bolt up from beneath Hagrid's massive frame, shooting toward the Forbidden Forest like a wisp of smoke!
The thing was fast—like an arrow leaving the string. But Professor Delfino was faster!
One second, he was behind Harry and in front of Ron. The next second, a series of afterimages froze in the dim space as Ares blurred past them!
Hiss—
Harry and Ron froze in their tracks, sucking in a cold breath as they looked toward the edge of the forest.
Just like the time he stopped the runaway train, Professor Delfino appeared in front of the silver creature. His expression was gentle, and his palm was pressed lightly on the creature's head.
"Don't hurt 'er, Professor Delfino! —You two and Fang, stay there!"
It took Hagrid about five or six seconds to snap out of his shock. He roared, abandoning Harry and Ron, and strode toward the forest edge with massive steps.
Only now did the two boys see clearly what the silver thing was.
It was a horse—with a horn on its forehead, a thick mane of platinum-white, and a coat that shimmered like pearl, tinged with a faint pink.
"I know what that is!" Harry heard Ron gasp beside him. "It's a unicorn!"
A unicorn?!
Harry had heard of such creatures in Muggle fairy tales, but he never imagined the wizarding world actually had them—and that they were this beautiful!
He couldn't blink his emerald eyes, staring at the unicorn, which seemed to be enjoying Professor Delfino's touch.
"What's wrong with the little one, Hagrid?"
Ares stroked the unicorn's mane gently, tilting his head to look at its right foreleg. There was a puncture wound there, oozing blood that looked like oil but shone like liquid silver. "Looking at the wound... is that from an arrow?"
"Poor lil' thing got caught in the crossfire," Hagrid sighed heavily. "The Centaurs and the spiders in the Forest are fightin' over territory somethin' fierce. It's been drivin' me mad... wait!"
Hagrid suddenly stopped mid-sentence. His beetle-black eyes widened to their limit... his wild, bearded face twisted into an expression of utter disbelief.
He stared at Ares, whose cheek was being affectionately licked by the unicorn.
"How... how are yeh doin' that, Professor Delfino? Except fer me, these creatures never let grown men near 'em. They won't even let Professor Dumbledore get close... Blimey—"
A sudden, horrifying thought seemed to strike Hagrid. He looked down at Ares's lower body, then back up.
"Unless... you're actually a w—"