When it rains, it pours; when it pours, it pours; when it pours, it pours; when it pours, it pours.
Not long ago, he had been taught a lesson by someone, but he could not retaliate because he had a favor to ask. Of course, he could not retaliate anyway.
But now he finally understood the meaning of the last words he heard that day.
He had been bitten by a dragon.
In just one night, his hand had swollen to twice its original size, and the wound had turned an ugly green. It was obvious that the dragon's teeth were poisonous.
"Looks like I won't be able to hold a pen for a week," Ron said. Ron said, "I finally understand the meaning of that guy's last sentence. This is really the most terrifying creature I've ever met." He said with lingering fear.
"What should we do? Madam Pomfrey will definitely find out." Hermione was a little anxious.
"I'm sure it was a dog bite. Don't worry," Ron said comfortingly, as if he was not the one who had been bitten.
"There's a letter from Malfoy," Harry said solemnly, taking out a letter.
"What does it say?" Ron asked.
"He wants us to bring the Ridgeback to the highest tower at midnight on Saturday, and someone will come to meet us," Harry said slowly.
"Midnight!" Ron shouted, and then said, "It's a conspiracy! He wants us to have our points deducted. Maybe there won't be anyone there, and then we'll be discovered by Madam Loris! Gryffindor's points will be deducted. "
"Ron," Harry said solemnly. "We can only trust him now. Come to think of it, if he wanted to report us, we would have been punished by now. And we have a backup plan, don't we?" Harry laughed at the end.
"The Invisibility Cloak!" Hermione said excitedly.
"The Invisibility Cloak is enough to cover the two of us and Nob." Harry nodded.
They had spent a few anxious days, and Nob was now like a hot potato that they could not get rid of. They only felt that they had never looked forward to Saturday so much.
It was a dark, cloudy night. They arrived at Hagrid's hut a little late, because Pippi was playing tennis against the wall in the hall. They had to wait until he left.
Hagrid had prepared many mice, some brandy, and even a teddy bear for his little dragon. He put all these things into a big crate.
"Good-bye, Nob!" sobbed Hagrid. "Mother won't forget you!" Harry and Hermione covered the crate with their Invisibility Cloaks, and then slipped under their own robes.
The rest of the journey was more daunting than dangerous.
The steep spiral staircase leading up to the tower seemed to be the easiest walk in the world. They didn't take off their invisibility cloaks until they were under the cold night sky. How wonderful! I can finally breathe freely again. Hermione even danced a kind of jig.
"Calm down, Hermione," Harry reminded her. "We haven't succeeded yet."
After waiting for about ten minutes, a few brooms suddenly fell from the sky.
"He didn't trick us." Harry was relieved.
"Are you two Young Master Draco's friends?" asked the tallest of the men. Obviously, he was the leader.
"Yeah." Although he didn't want to admit it, Harry nodded.
"Alright, leave it to us." Then the men tied a few ropes around Nob's body, as if weaving a net, so that he could be safely taken away.
"Happy working with you," said the leader.
"Thank you very much." Harry nodded vigorously. Then the men mounted the brooms and flew into the silent night sky.
Harry and Hermione quietly walked down the spiral staircase, finally free of Nob's heavy burden. Their hearts were as light as their hands. With the dragon gone, they didn't have to worry anymore.
Most people fell when they were closest to success. As soon as they stepped into the corridor, they saw Filch's annoying face.
"It's over." Harry wondered why Filch could see Hermione and himself. As a result, he touched his body and found that his Invisibility Cloak was forgotten upstairs.
-----
Early the next morning, when the Gryffindor students passed by the huge hourglass that recorded the School Cup scores, they thought that something had gone wrong. How could they suddenly lose a hundred points compared to yesterday? After that, the news slowly spread. Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, the hero of two Quidditch competitions, had caused them to lose so many points. He, and another stupid first-year student, had caused them to lose so many points.
Harry was originally one of the most popular and admired people in the school, but now he had become the target of public criticism. Even the students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were not nice to him, because everyone had been hoping to see Slythrin lose the School Cup. No matter where Harry went, people pointed at him, and when they insulted him, they didn't lower their voices. On the other hand, whenever he walked past the Slythrins, they would clap, whistle, and cheer. "Thank you, Potter, you've done us a great favor!"
Only Ron and he were on the same side.
"After a few weeks, they'll forget all about it. Fred and George have been losing points since they entered the school, but people still like them, "Ron comforted.
"But they've never lost a hundred points in one go, right?" Harry said.
Ron didn't say anything.
They now thought that exams were a wonderful thing, so that they could forget their mistakes for a while. He also went to ask Wood to resign from his position as ball seeker, but he didn't agree.
He decided not to meddle in other people's business, he would use his studies to numb himself. He tried his best to remember the complicated potion formulas, the spells and spells, the major magic inventions and the dates of the Fairy Rebellion, as if that would make those words and supercilious looks disappear from his mind.
He decided not to meddle in other people's business, but this principle was soon broken again.
He heard Snape threaten Quirrell again, and this time Snape succeeded.
In the library.
"I'm going to stop him," Harry said.
"Harry, I think we should take care of ourselves first." Ron weighed his words.
"I think so too," Hermione said weakly.
"Even if I'm expelled, I can't let him succeed." Harry clenched his fists.
Hearing Harry's determination, Ron said, "If you die, then die. At worst you'll be expelled. I'll help you, we're friends after all."
Hermione bit her lip, as if she was struggling in her heart, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
The next morning, Harry and Hermione both received a note at the breakfast table. The two notes were identical: Your confinement begins at eleven o 'clock tonight. Look for Mr Filch in the foyer — Professor McGonagall.
The endless supercilious looks and disdain made Harry almost forget that he was going to be punished by confinement. Harry thought that Hermione would complain that it was taking up her study time, but she didn't. She felt that it was all right — mistakes should be punished.
At eleven o 'clock that night, after saying goodbye to Ron in the common room, the two of them went to Filch's office to receive their punishment. They felt uneasy all the way, not knowing what kind of punishment they would receive. As they slowly approached Filch's office, they saw a person in the dim light who should never be there — Malfoy.
"Follow me," Filch said. He lit a lamp and led them out. "I think that if you want to break the school rules in the future, you'll have to think twice, right?"
"Why is he here?" Harry asked loudly. Hermione was also very surprised at this moment. She lowered her head and intertwined her fingers, not knowing how to face him.
Filch said in his gloomy voice, "Professor McGonagall was worried about you, so he found a bodyguard for you. It's strange that you can still have a bodyguard when you're being punished." Filch looked a little incredulous.
"Actually, I'm not that happy." Malfoy shrugged. "But I have to get my wand back, don't I?" As he said that, he twirled his wand twice with his hand. Obviously, he also had to pay a price to get his wand back.
After that, they strode across the dark field. Hermione whispered to Harry, "Where are we going?"
Harry whispered, "I don't know."
"Stop guessing. We're going to the Forbidden Forest," Malfoy said calmly, as if he had heard their conversation.
Night fell, and the moonlight was very bright, but clouds kept drifting over to cover the moon, plunging them into darkness. The moist and cold night wind caressed them, making them shiver uncontrollably. Harry and Hermione, especially, were frightened by this news. The Forbidden Forest was equivalent to a forbidden area for many ordinary students, symbolizing danger and terror.
"It's said that there are werewolves in there," Harry whispered.
"Ha." Malfoy sneered. "It's more than that. We might meet eight-eyed spiders, night herons, unicorns, centaurs, and so on. It'll depend on luck," Malfoy added in his mind. "Today, we might even meet Voldemort."
Hermione's face became paler with every word Malfoy said. She looked at Malfoy in confusion, as if to find some fear on his face, but found nothing. She couldn't help but think, Isn't he afraid at all?
"I have good news that I can tell you," he suddenly said.
"Mr. Draco, don't you think you're talking too much?" Filch interrupted.
"Oh, that's good." Malfoy stopped talking.
Of course, Harry and Hermione soon knew what good news it was. They saw Hagrid striding towards them from the darkness, with Fangs following behind him. Hagrid carried his huge stone bow, and a full quiver of arrows hung from his shoulder. Harry and Hermione couldn't help but smile when they saw him.
"Oh, are you here to play? You're so happy? " Filch seemed to hate seeing people happy. His identity as a squib had twisted his mind. He said viciously, "You'll have a good time in the Forbidden Forest." Leaving behind such a cursed sentence, he wobbled towards the castle with the lantern in his hand and left.
"Now listen carefully. What we're going to do tonight is very dangerous, and I don't want anyone to be in danger. Follow me over here. " Hagrid led them to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, raised the lantern high, and pointed to a winding path that gradually disappeared into the depths of the dark forest. They looked into the Forbidden Forest, and a breeze blew their hair.
"Look over there," Hagrid said. "Do you see that shining thing on the ground? Silver white? That's the blood of a unicorn. One of the unicorns in the Forbidden Forest was injured by something, and it's very badly injured. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We have to find that poor unicorn and free it from its pain. "
"Now we have to split up and follow the blood trail. As long as you stay close to me and Fangs, you won't be hurt by the creatures in the Forbidden Forest," Hagrid said proudly.
"I'm afraid there are more creatures in the Forbidden Forest," Malfoy's voice came from behind Hagrid.
Hagrid couldn't help but tremble when he heard this voice. He had tried his best to ignore Malfoy. Their last conversation was definitely not pleasant, but he still said gruffly, "That's why we have to be more careful. You take Fangs with you."
After saying this, the black hound behind Hagrid licked its paws. It wasn't clear whether it was satisfied or dissatisfied with this decision.
"Right, he's a coward. You have to be careful." Although Hagrid didn't have a good impression of Malfoy, he still reminded him.
"You don't have to worry about that," Malfoy said calmly. He then turned and walked towards the fork on the right.
"Harry, Hermione, let's go this way." Hagrid used his huge body to lead the way for the two of them. His body almost completely covered the faint moonlight, and the two of them were surrounded by darkness.
They walked in silence, their eyes fixed on the ground. From time to time, a ray of moonlight shone down from the branches above, illuminating a silver-blue bloodstain on the fallen leaves.
Harry could see that Hagrid was anxious.
"Could it be that the werewolf killed the unicorn?" Harry asked.
"It can't be that fast," Hagrid said. "It's not easy to catch a unicorn. They have strong magic. I've never heard of a unicorn being hurt before. "
They walked past a moss-covered tree stump. Harry could hear the sound of running water. Obviously, there was a stream nearby. On the winding path, there were still specks of unicorn blood.
"Are you all right, Hermione?" Hagrid asked in a low voice. "Don't worry. Since it's so badly injured, it can't have gone far. We'll be able to … Oh no, hide behind that tree!"
A faint sound came from afar, and a Centaur walked over. It was a human from the waist up, with red hair and a beard, but from the waist down, it was a reddish-brown horse with a long red tail behind it.
Hermione and Harry opened their mouths wide, stunned by the creature in front of them.
As for Malfoy, he was surrounded by dense bushes. Fang only dared to follow him from a distance, not daring to approach. It seemed that there was something dangerous ahead.
"I was supposed to be a bodyguard, but now I'm being protected by a dog," Malfoy mocked himself. Malfoy mocked himself, but he did not dare to slack off in the slightest. The dangers ahead were unpredictable and terrifying. He could very well face the world's most powerful Dark Magus alone today.
The forest grew thicker and thicker. He kept walking through it, carefully avoiding some of the sharp protruding branches so that he would not be scratched. As he walked deeper and deeper into the forest, his gaze suddenly pierced through the tangled branches of an ancient oak tree. He could see an open space in front of him. The ground emitted a pure white light.
Seeing this, he could not help but tense up. Suddenly, a bush at the edge of the open space shook. Then, a hooded figure flashed out from the shadows. It slowly crawled on the ground, like a gradually approaching beast. Harry and Malfoy controlled themselves to remain calm. As for Fang, he was scared out of his wits. The hooded figure came to the unicorn's side. It lowered its head, aimed at the wound on the side of the corpse, and began to drink its blood.
"Who is it?" The black figure seemed to have sensed the presence of people in the surroundings. It looked around and actually found a direction, floating towards Malfoy's position. It was like a ghost, making it impossible to see where it was going.
"What frightening perception," Malfoy's heart turned cold.
"Hiss …" The figure slowly came before Malfoy, letting out a sound similar to a snake's hiss. It gave people goosebumps. Fang was already paralyzed with fear, trembling non-stop. The face of the person under the cloak was tightly covered, making it impossible to see his true appearance.
"Father was right. I've finally found you, Lord Dark Devil King!" Malfoy's face suddenly revealed a fanatical expression, and his tone was overflowing with joy.
"Oh? Young Magus, let me recall whose child you are. "Voldemort had originally been prepared to make a move, but this sentence dispelled his killing intent. "Platinum hair. Hmm, you must be Lucius' child." The black figure under the cloak let out a cold, piercing voice, and there was a hint of surprise in its tone. Under the night sky, Voldemort's vision was not affected. "What's your name?" He asked, trying to make himself as amiable as possible, but this kind of emotion did not match his hoarse voice.
"My name is Draco, Draco Malfoy. Respected Lord Dark Devil King. " Malfoy tried to make himself appear enthusiastic. He moved his facial muscles, revealing a fanatical expression, making himself appear pious.
"Oh, that's unbelievable." The Dark Devil King under the cloak seemed a little surprised. He continued, "I didn't expect the most loyal Death Eater to be Lucius. How ironic." Perhaps he was thinking of his previous subordinates, Malfoy guessed that he revealed an ugly smile under the cloak to show his sarcasm.
"You're not bad," Voldemort said.
"My father never gave up looking for you!" Malfoy began to smear his father's name. "He firmly believed that you would return one day."
"Lord Dark Devil King, Harry Potter and the others are now nearby, we can —"
"Your loyalty is enough to shame most Death Eaters," Voldemort interrupted Malfoy's words. Voldemort interrupted Malfoy's words. His voice was faint, but it could be heard that he was very satisfied. "But I have more important things to do now." After saying that, Voldemort sneered and said, "Let that lucky savior live a little longer."
"Who invaded our territory?" Suddenly, the two felt the earth tremble, and a roar came from afar. On the other side of the open space, Malfoy saw a cloud of dust being stirred up.
"These disgusting centaurs," Voldemort said in disgust. "When I get rid of this ridiculous body, I'll teach them a lesson, you're not bad at all." Voldemort repeated this sentence to Malfoy, and then added neurotically, "I look forward to our next meeting." Then, the shadow disappeared into the void, and not a trace of it could be found.
'If possible, it would be best if we never meet again, but it seems unlikely,' Malfoy thought.
The four-legged centaurs were naturally very fast. In the blink of an eye, a small group of centaurs had arrived beside him, raising their weapons.
"Intruder, state your name and purpose." The leader of the centaurs had platinum hair, shocking blue eyes, and the body of a silver-maned horse. He questioned Malfoy, raising the spear in his hand.
"Firenze, wait, it's all a misunderstanding!" Hagrid ran out from behind them, sweating profusely. Hermione, Harry, and a few other centaurs followed closely behind.
"Oh my god, what happened here?" Hagrid looked down and saw a unicorn that had been dead for a long time. Its slender legs were in the same position as when it fell, unnaturally straight. Its mane was white as pearls on the pitch-black leaves.
"Is this a student from your school? Looks like he killed a unicorn, "the leader of the centaurs said unhappily. The leader of the centaurs spoke in an unfriendly tone. Most of the races in the forest maintained friendly relations with each other, not to mention the unicorns, which symbolized purity and nobility. They were the most popular race.
"No, no, no." Hagrid shook his huge head and hurriedly denied it. "He just split up with us. You see, Ya Ya was sent to him by me. He just happened to come across its corpse."
The centaur leader thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "A first-year student shouldn't be able to kill a unicorn, but he invaded our territory. Today's weather is very strange." As he spoke, the centaur raised his head and looked at the stars in the sky. "This is an ominous sign!" he added.
"This is all a misunderstanding," Hagrid said in an exaggerated tone. Although he was dissatisfied with Malfoy's previous actions, his honest nature made him act on his own accord.
"Let me see." The centaur named Firenze seemed to no longer want to talk about this topic. He looked behind Hagrid and saw Harry, and also saw the bright and prominent lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
"Hello, boy from the Potter family," the centaur said in a friendly tone.
"Hello, do you know me?" Harry nodded cautiously, a little afraid of this mysterious creature.
"Do you know what a unicorn's blood can be used for?"
"I don't know." Harry was taken aback when he heard the strange question. "We only used its horns and tail hair in Potions class."
"This is because killing a unicorn is an extremely cruel thing to do," Firenze said. Firenze said, "Only a person who has nothing and wants to get everything would commit such a heinous crime. The unicorn's blood can prolong your life, even if you are dying, but you have to pay a heavy price for it. In order to save your own life, you killed a pure, weak, and helpless life, so from the moment its blood touched your lips, you have a half-dead life, a cursed life. "
Harry voiced his doubts aloud. "If I have to be cursed for the rest of my life, it's better to die, right?"
"Yes," Firenze agreed. "Unless you are only using it to prolong your life, so that you can drink something else — something that can completely restore your energy and magic — something that can make you immortal. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hiding in the school right now? "
"The Philosopher's Stone!" Hermione exclaimed from the side.
"I should have thought of it. Who else could it be other than him?" Harry held his head in self-reproach. Other than Voldemort, no one would be scheming to make a comeback and cling on to life. He would not be afraid of the curse, because he himself was a curse. "I actually thought that Snape only wanted the Philosopher's Stone for its Midas Touch effect." He hit his head hard, as if blaming himself for his stupidity.
"With the guidance of the stars, I can only give you these hints," Firenze said slowly. Firenze said slowly, then paused, "You can go back today. The forest does not welcome humans now." He ordered them to leave.
"Alright, these children should go back too." Hagrid did not seem to understand the situation, but he knew that it was time to go back to school. Harry and Hermione followed behind him in a daze, not knowing what they were thinking.
Suddenly, Harry, who was walking on the road, seemed to have thought of something. He turned to Malfoy, who had been silent for a long time, and asked, "Will you tell them?"
Malfoy said with a half-smile, "Who knows?"
No one saw Hermione biting her lip so hard that it was about to break.