[Bonus for Powerstones!♥]
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Tonight, including Wade and Tom, there were a total of five students assigned to the Forbidden Forest for their detention.
Aside from André Shafiq, a senior student, the other four were all first-years.
"Alright, we're about to set off," said Mr. Ogg, the gamekeeper, as he came out of his cabin with the hunting hound on a leash.
"Tonight, we're mainly patrolling two paths. So, we'll need to split into two groups..." Mr. Ogg hadn't even finished speaking when André and the others already looked uneasy.
"Mr. Ogg, we... we're just a few people, and we still have to split up?" André hurriedly asked.
"Haha! Of course," Mr. Ogg said matter-of-factly. "If it were just patrolling one path, I could do it myself. Why would I need you lot? It's precisely because there are several paths to cover that I need extra hands."
"But..." André tried to say more, but Mr. Ogg was already growing impatient.
"You're the only upper-year student here tonight, aren't you?" Mr. Ogg asked.
"Y-yes," André stammered.
"Good. Then it's settled. We'll split into two groups: I'll take two of the younger ones, and you'll take the other two. We'll each patrol one of these paths..."
"Ah? Mr. Ogg! I... I'm leading a group?" André was dumbfounded.
He was already frightened enough himself. Originally, he thought that with Mr. Ogg leading the way, at least their safety wouldn't be an issue. But now, not only was Mr. Ogg not taking him along, he was actually making him lead two first-years?
"Eh?" Mr. Ogg frowned slightly and said, "What's the matter? Is there a problem? You're an upper-year student, almost of age already, fully capable of handling the outer edges of the Forbidden Forest. The outskirts aren't particularly dangerous. Most dark creatures and magical beasts don't wander that far out. If they did, the area around the castle would be swarming with them, wouldn't it?"
"But... but what if something happens? I don't know if I can handle it. I might just be able to protect myself, but with two younger students, I might not be able to take care of them all," André said nervously.
Mr. Ogg replied, "Hahaha! Don't worry, I've assigned you to the safer path. That route is regularly patrolled by centaurs, and if there were any threats, they'd have dealt with them long before now."
"And generally speaking, centaurs won't trouble wizards, especially not students like you, and especially not in the outer parts of the forest. They have an agreement with Hogwarts."
"Of course, that assumes you don't foolishly provoke them."
"If you do encounter something truly dangerous that you can't handle, just fire a red signal into the sky, and I'll Apparate to your location immediately."
"Alright, any more questions?"
At this point, with things said so plainly, what choice did André have but to grit his teeth and go along with it?
"And... Mr. Ogg, what exactly is our task?" André asked bitterly.
"It's very simple. Check the paths for any traces left behind by magical creatures, like droppings and such. If you find any, use this bag to collect a sample. I need to determine if there have been any unusual migrations. Also, if you see any broken signposts or anything else along the way, fix them up properly. Very simple—basically, it's just like taking a walk down the path and then coming back. Alright, let's split up now. You little ones, who wants to come with me?"
As soon as Mr. Ogg finished speaking, the other two first-years immediately raised their hands.
Seeing that Wade and Tom weren't reacting, Mr. Ogg said, "Alright then, looks like you two have no objections. You two, follow me."
He turned to Wade and Tom and said, "You two go with this upper-year here, and take the small path over there. Oh, and bring Bork along, he might be of use to you."
As he spoke, Mr. Ogg sent his hunting dog over.
"Woof! Haah, haah, haah!"
In the wizarding world, animals seemed to have a bit more intelligence, and Bork, upon receiving the command, trotted over to André's group.
"Alright, grab your gear and let's go!" Mr. Ogg instructed, handing each of the two first-years a bag, then headed off down one of the paths.
André, his face ashen, picked up a bag from the ground. "L-let's go too."
Wade chuckled, "Don't worry, André. Honestly, you're in good hands coming with us. It might even be safer than going with Mr. Ogg."
André thought it over carefully and suddenly felt there was some truth to that.
In André's eyes, Wade's strength was both mysterious and formidable.
And Tom wasn't weak either—compared to the other first-years who could barely manage a simple Levitation Charm, he was leagues ahead.
Which meant that leading these two might actually be safer than taking the other two completely clueless first-years.
With this thought, André's expression eased a little.
So, the three of them and the dog set off in silence.
The Forbidden Forest was dark even during the day.
At night, it was pitch black. Not even the stars above were visible, as the thick, towering canopy completely blocked them out.
The special lantern in André's hand barely managed to illuminate a space of five or six meters around them. Beyond that, the darkness swallowed everything, making it impossible to see clearly.
As soon as they stepped fully into the Forbidden Forest, they were completely engulfed by darkness.
André felt a chill run down his spine. The thick darkness offered him not even the slightest sense of security.
It felt as though countless unseen eyes were watching him from the depths of the unknown, keeping his heart on edge the entire time.
The hunting dog, Bock, was leading the way at the front of the group.
In the middle was a nervous and uneasy André.
And behind André followed Wade and Tom.
Compared to the overly anxious André, Wade and Tom seemed much calmer.
Wade wasn't afraid because he had full confidence in his own abilities.
As for Tom, he managed to stay relatively calm simply because Wade was right there beside him... ehm..
If anything really happened, with this guy's strength, they shouldn't be in too much trouble...
"There's nothing dangerous around us, don't worry," Wade said.
"How can you tell?" André asked, puzzled.
Wade raised his hand, revealing Nagini coiled around his wrist.
Hisss~<
"She told me. Snakes can sense the heat around them… if any creature approaches, she'll let us know immediately."
Wade's explanation did little to ease André's anxiety. It just sounded too unbelievable. You're telling me a little snake can serve as an early warning system?
André couldn't bring himself to trust that at all! He'd rather put his faith in the hunting dog Bock leading the way up front!
But Wade and Tom didn't care whether André believed them or not.
After walking another hundred or so meters, Wade and Tom suddenly came to a stop.
André, already on edge, immediately noticed the absence of footsteps behind him. He turned around at once, "What the..?"
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