Everyone was stunned.
They had lingered too long, and now they had drawn the attention of Professor McGonagall.
"Unbelievable! Sneaking out in the middle of the night and making such a racket!" she scolded, arms crossed, her sharp gaze scanning the group.
She took in the sight of four Gryffindors, and three Slytherin. A collective crime, no doubt.
"Twenty points deducted from each of you! And a month of detention!"
The next morning, students gathered at the entrance of the Great Hall, eyes fixed on the house point hourglasses.
Gryffindor had lost 80 points overnight, while Slytherin was down 30. The news spread like wildfire.
As if things couldn't get worse, Professor McGonagall had handed their detention over to Filch.
Filch, naturally, had no intention of going easy on them. While detention usually meant polishing trophies or scrubbing toilets, this time, he had other ideas.
"You're all heading into the Forbidden Forest," he sneered, clearly savoring their distress.
Harley and Malfoy exchanged uneasy glances.
"Brilliant," Harley muttered. "Absolutely brilliant."
Malfoy, pale as a ghost, looked like he was about to write home for his father to intervene. "You can't be serious! The Forbidden Forest is—"
"Dangerous?" Filch finished for him, grinning wickedly. "Exactly. Don't get eaten."
That evening, Filch practically skipped as he led the group to Hagrid.
"Make sure they learn their lesson," Filch said, his voice thick with satisfaction.
Hagrid rolled his eyes. "I don't need you tellin' me how to do me job."
Everyone who had spent time at Hogwarts knew one universal truth—Filch was universally disliked. Even the most trouble-prone students could agree on that.
As Filch sauntered off, his lantern swinging, Hagrid sighed, rubbing his forehead. Seven students. Seven! How was he supposed to keep them all safe?
"Right then," he said, deciding on a plan. "We'll split up."
He gestured at Malfoy and his two Slytherin companions. "You lot are with me."
Then he turned to Harley and the others. "The rest of ya, you'll be with Fang. He's a coward, but he knows the forest well. Stick close to 'im, and most creatures will leave ya alone."
Fang whined as if in protest.
"Oh, and if ya run into trouble, use green sparks. Red sparks if it's real bad. You know the spell, yeah?"
The students nodded hesitantly, and just like that, they were off, lanterns and wands lighting the way as they stepped into the dense, dark trees.
The Forbidden Forest at night was a nightmare of shifting shadows and eerie sounds. The towering trees swallowed most of the moonlight, leaving them in near darkness. Every snapped twig and rustling leaf sent shivers down their spines.
A few minutes in, Harley whispered, "Ted? You there?"
Ted had sworn never to set foot in the Forbidden Forest that year. But this was different.
If they ran into Voldemort—
No. He couldn't rely on luck. If an attack came, he had to stall for time. Voldemort was weak in this state, relying on Quirrell and desperate for the Sorcerer's Stone. He wouldn't risk a scene.
If Ted could hold him off for even a few seconds, it might be enough to force him to retreat.
Steeling himself, Ted borrowed Harley's Invisibility Cloak and slipped it on. "I'm here," he whispered. "Don't react. Just pretend I'm not here. Stick with Fang and be ready. The Forbidden Forest is no joke. If anything happens, do exactly what we practice in dueling."
His voice echoed strangely, shifting around them—one moment behind, then to the left, then right.
The others stiffened, unnerved.
Ted had already activated his spells: Muffliato to distort his voice, a silencing charm to erase his footsteps, and a scent-masking potion to avoid detection.
...
The Forbidden Forest at night was a whole different world.
The towering trees swallowed up most of the moonlight, leaving only fractured beams breaking through the dense canopy.
Shadows stretched and twisted, playing tricks on the mind.
The deeper they ventured, the more the sounds of the forest came alive.
Insects buzzed from unseen places, distant creatures let out strange, indistinguishable cries, and every now and then, a gust of wind sent leaves rustling and branches creaking, making even the bravest among them flinch.
Malfoy trailed behind Hagrid, his legs stiff with nerves.
Gone was the arrogance he carried in the daylight; now, he wanted nothing more than to cling to Hagrid's massive form like a terrified sidekick in a horror game.
But Hagrid's strides were long and steady, forcing the students to scramble to keep up.
Despite his fear, Malfoy didn't dare fall behind—every shadow, every tree trunk, seemed to hide some lurking creature waiting to pounce.
Within minutes, sweat dripped from his forehead, though whether from fear or exertion, he couldn't tell.
The Forbidden Forest was filled with strange sights.
Glowing blue vines curled around tree trunks, opening like eerie neon flowers. A massive beetle perched on a rock, letting out a noise that sounded suspiciously like the twang of a poorly tuned guitar.
An unknown bird, startled by their presence, screeched a ghostly wail before vanishing into the night sky. Malfoy and his group practically fell over themselves in terror.
Just when things couldn't get worse, they stumbled upon something completely unexpected.
A creature, about five feet tall, emerged from the shadows.
Its body was covered in dark red camouflage-like scales, making it almost invisible in the dim forest.
They were only a few steps apart when both sides realized each other's presence.
At first glance, it looked like a raptor straight out of a Jurassic Park movie.
Its head was large, with a short but sharp beak, and a fleshy crest that flared open like an umbrella when startled.
Its wings seemed too small for its body, but its long, ostrich-like legs were thick and muscular, ending in razor-sharp claws.
Malfoy let out a scream that could rival a banshee, his voice so high-pitched it almost broke reality.
Goyle and Crabbe, in sheer panic, turned to run—only to immediately trip over tree roots and go sprawling onto the forest floor.
Before they could bolt again, Hagrid grabbed them by the collars and held them in place. "Now, now! Stay put! If ya run off in 'ere, ye'll be lost faster than a Muggle in Diagon Alley."
Hagrid, unfazed by the terrifying raptor-like creature, stepped forward with an easy grin. "Relax! This here's just a big monster bird. It ain't dangerous."
The so-called 'big monster bird' immediately pecked Hagrid's outstretched hand, hard.
Hagrid chuckled. "See? Jus' playin'."
Malfoy, still shaking, could barely process what he was seeing. "Safe?! That thing looks like it belongs in a survival horror game! It's got claws, a beak, and scales! What part of that is safe?!"
Hagrid just laughed. "Oh, c'mon, it's harmless… mostly."
Malfoy wasn't convinced.
While Malfoy's group had their terrifying encounter, Harley and the others weren't faring much better.
Fang, though familiar with the forest, could only do so much to guide them safely.
Ron, exhausted, leaned against what he thought was a large rock—until it moved.
The 'rock' slowly stretched upward, revealing a bizarre head covered in emerald-like bumps and ridges.
Its mouth, sunk inward like the petals of a wilting flower, opened slightly. Two sets of golden eyes, with scattered black pupils, blinked lazily.
On its head, a cluster of tentacle-like appendages twitched and extended.
Ron shrieked and practically climbed the nearest tree.
Harley and Neville immediately drew their wands, ready for a fight.
"Wait!" Ted's voice came from seemingly nowhere. "Don't attack! It's harmless!"
The boys hesitated but lowered their wands.
"That's a giant rock snail," Ted explained.
"They're harmless, just slow-moving magical creatures. The worst thing they do is eat garden plants. But they're fascinating! I've only ever read about them—this is the first time I've seen one in person."
The giant snail gave the group one last look before retracting into its shell, which seamlessly blended into the environment, making it appear as just another boulder once more.
Jerry, one of the more curious students, watched in awe. "A magical animal from another world… maybe it's a fellow traveler like me."
The night's patrol had been exhausting.
Two hours of trekking through the dense forest, every step filled with tension.
Though they had encountered some strange and fascinating creatures, they had, thankfully, avoided any real danger—at least for now.
But with nearly a month of nightly patrols left, Ted couldn't shake the feeling of looming dread.
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Word count: 1512
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