The following night, Harry arrived at the Entrance Hall right on time, only to find that Filch and Mrs.
Norris weren’t the only ones waiting for him—Malfoy was there too, looking insufferably proud.
What neither of them noticed was Linus Sunwood hiding nearby under invisibility.
He happened to be taking Norbert out for some fresh air while keeping an eye out for Quirrell, who might be targeting unicorns again.
“Follow me.”
Filch’s voice carried a peculiar joy.
Handing out punishments to students was one of the few pleasures he had in all his years caretaking the castle.
“After tonight, I don’t reckon you’ll be breaking any more school rules, will you?”
He stopped and turned around to look at Harry and Malfoy, who were following silently.
“Hard work and pain—that’s what builds proper character…
Pity they did away with the old punishments, chaining you up by your wrists from the ceiling for days on end…
Don’t go thinking of running off.
You won’t get far.”
Filch jerked his head, signaling them to move along.
“Why are you serving detention?”
Harry whispered to Malfoy, feeling the need to break the sinister chill in the air.
“Shut up, Potter.
Mind your own business,” Malfoy snapped angrily.
*I know why,* Linus thought.
*He was out night-strolling to keep watch on the Gryffindor common room entrance, got nabbed by Filch, and was dragged right to Professor McGonagall.*
Linus would never admit that he had deliberately made noise to get Malfoy caught, all because he wanted Harry to have a companion tonight.
They strode across the pitch-black grounds.
Mrs.
Norris kept sniffing the air around them.
She seemed to sense Linus, but unable to see anything, she could only scratch at Filch’s collar in frustrated confusion.
“There, there, my sweet, don’t fret.
We’ll be heading back soon,” Filch soothed Mrs.
Norris on his shoulder with his lantern-free hand.
The dim moonlight illuminated a massive, looming silhouette ahead.
“Is that you, Filch?
Hurry it up, it’s time.”
Hagrid’s booming voice rang out from up ahead, giving Harry an immediate sense of relief.
Seeing the brightened look on Harry’s face, Filch sneered sinisterly.
“Think you’re here to have a grand old time with that oaf, do you?
Think again, boy.
You’re heading into the Forbidden Forest at night.
Maybe by morning I’ll be picking up what’s left of your corpses.”
Harry’s smile froze, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.
Both stared blankly at Filch.
“We can’t go into the forest at night!
*There are werewolves in the Forbidden Forest,* Linus mused, *but don’t worry.
They signed a non-aggression pact with Dumbledore.
They’re more afraid of you getting bitten by them than you are.*
Having reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Linus took little Norbert out from his sleeve, enlarged her slightly until she was roughly the size of Mrs.
Norris, and let her perch on his shoulder.
Soaking in the forest’s fresh air after so long, Norbert opened her jaws to belch out a plume of dragon breath.
Linus hastily clapped a hand over her snout, forcing two streams of white smoke to shoot out from her nostrils instead.
Norbert gave him an aggrieved glare.
Linus stroked her spine and offered a soothing smile.
“Patience, little Norbert.
Once we’re deeper inside the forest, you can fly around.”
Nearby, Hagrid strode toward them carrying his massive crossbow, with a timid Fang trotting beside him.
“Been waiting half an hour already.
How are you holding up, Harry?”
“You shouldn’t speak to them so politely, Hagrid.
They’re here for punishment,” Filch said.
“Is that why you’re late, Filch?” Hagrid scowled.
“Lecturing them the whole way, were you?
This isn’t the inside of your castle anymore.
They’re in my hands now.”
“I’ll be back at dawn to collect whatever’s left of them.” Filch cast a venomous glare at Hagrid, then turned around and headed back toward the castle, cradling Mrs.
Norris.
“I’m not going into the forest,” Malfoy said, shaking his head frantically at Hagrid as soon as Filch was gone.
“It’s your punishment, and you’re going whether you like it or not—unless you’ve decided you don’t want to attend Hogwarts anymore,” Hagrid countered with even greater firmness than Filch.
“I thought detention was just writing lines!
If my father hears about this, he’ll—” Malfoy protested desperately.
“It’s school rules!
Don’t you get school rules?” Hagrid waved a beefy arm impatiently.
“If you don’t want to obey, you can march straight back to the castle and pack your bags tomorrow!”
Malfoy hesitated for a moment before yielding in silence.
Linus slipped into the forest ahead of them.
Moving a few hundred paces deep, he restored Norbert to her original size.
“Alright, Norbert, go play in the woods for a bit.
Find something to eat if you like, and fly off if there’s danger.
Come back for me in about half an hour—you know my scent.”
Norbert nodded at Linus and eagerly took flight, her wings rustling through the dense foliage.
Hagrid was going solo, while Harry, Malfoy, and Fang formed the other group, fanning out to follow the trail of silvery blood to find out what was hurting the unicorns in the forest.
The forest was pitch-black, illuminated only by the faint light from the oil lantern in Malfoy’s hand.
“I say, Potter…
can you see where the silver blood is?”
Malfoy was terrified, his teeth chattering slightly, though his hands weren’t trembling enough to drop the lamp.
“I’m looking, Malfoy,” Harry replied.
He was scared too, and talking helped soothe his nerves—even if it was with Malfoy.
At least Malfoy wasn’t a strange werewolf or a midnight zombie.
Trotting ahead, Fang turned back occasionally to bark at them, guiding them forward.
Flecks of shiny unicorn blood were scattered along the path.
Harry pushed aside bushes with both hands, while Malfoy pressed close behind, holding the lamp aloft.
Just then, a low whistle swept across the treetops in the distance.
The air was violently agitated, carrying an indescribable foul wind as surrounding branches creaked under immense pressure.
Malfoy grabbed Harry’s robe.
“I say, let’s go back!
It’s not safe here!”
Harry scanned their surroundings warily.
“We haven’t finished our task yet, Malfoy.
You don’t want people calling you a coward, do you?”
“I—I am not, Potter!” Malfoy squeaked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
“Keep moving then!” He feigned composure.
After walking a long way, the silver blood splashes grew thicker, indicating they were getting close to their destination.
“Stay sharp, Malfoy.
If we find something, send green sparks into the sky; if we’re in danger, red sparks.
You remember, right?” Harry crept forward cautiously.
“Of course I know, Potter.
Don’t walk so fast,” Malfoy replied.
Up ahead, Fang abruptly froze.
Harry and Malfoy stopped dead as if struck by a Freezing Charm.
In the distance, a hooded figure in black crouched over a slumping, silvery-white unicorn.
“I-Is it…
drinking its blood?” Malfoy huddled closer to Harry.
As if sensing their presence, the dark figure suddenly straightened up and whirled around.
“Aaagh!” Malfoy screamed at the top of his lungs, falling backward onto the dirt.
He clutched his wand tightly but couldn’t summon a single spell, while Fang turned tail and bolted.
Harry took a sharp breath.
“Lu—Lumos!” He got the spell out, but not even a spark lit up at the tip of his wand.
The hooded black figure stood up and glided toward them.
Suddenly, a massive shower of red sparks burst into the sky directly above Harry’s head.
The figure hesitated for a second, then quickly vanished in the opposite direction.