0173 The Forbidden Forest

Words : 1673 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

In just over ten minutes, Adrian's Mutation Factor had worked its silent magic, accelerating the ancient beech tree's growth progress by an astonishing half. Perhaps soon, it would undergo true "Mutation" under the influence of his ability. Adrian had already made his decision: when he had time, he would carefully transplant this tree to his private plantation. The effort would certainly be worthwhile. In fact, Adrian had now become picky. Gone were the days when Adrian added plants to his plantation arbitrarily. Experience had taught him wisdom, and he now followed a strict premium approach—a choosy process where not just any random plant qualified for entry into his magical plantation. Adrian's hand patted the beech tree's rough-textured trunk with affection. He released his magic power once more, letting it flow through his fingertips like warm honey. The energy seeped into the tree's core, and instantly, the restless rustling of leaves stopped. The beech tree settled into peaceful stillness, as if sighing with contentment. A wry smile appeared on Adrian's lips as he reflected on his role. He felt like a wet nurse tending to the surrounding plants, and this particular beech tree was undoubtedly the most demanding patient among them. However, he couldn't remain here in this place indefinitely. The December wind had grown increasingly bitter. Ice crystals formed in the air, and Luna instinctively pulled her woolen cloak tighter around her shoulders. "It seems I should go," Adrian said, giving the trunk one final, reassuring pat. He spoke directly to the tree, not caring whether the plant could truly understand his words. "Next time, I promise I'll take you with me to your new home." Adrian waved his wand, and a warm orb floated toward Luna, circling around her. "What is this marvelous thing?" Luna asked with childishly, her hands reaching out to capture the orb. It playfully dodged her attempts, continuing its orbit around her while radiating heat. "A warming charm of my own creation," Adrian explained. "It will keep you comfortable throughout our journey." He gestured for her to follow and began walking in northwestern direction. "I believe we still have sufficient time to visit the unicorns. I know where they live. In weather like this, those cautious creatures won't venture out to roam the open clearings." Few young wizards could resist the legendary allure of unicorns, and Luna was particularly inclined to their charm. "Coming!" Luna called out cheerfully, her voice ringing like silver bells through the air as she hurried to match Adrian's walk. For the entire magical morning, Adrian served as Luna's patient guide and protector as they stayed with the unicorn herd. Being a young female blessed with a pure heart; Luna was warmly welcomed among the unicorn family. She spent hours gently stroking their noses, feeding them winter berries from her hands, and thus she had a wonderful time. Of course, Adrian wasn't without his own gains—he managed to collect another large bundle of tail hair from the unicorns. Even in winter, those tail hairs remained incredibly smooth, unlike Adrian's own hair, which became like dandelion fluff in winter weather. When they finally departed the Forbidden Forest at noon, the pale winter sun hanging low in the overcast sky, Luna's expression clearly revealed her reluctance to leave this magical sanctuary behind. Even Lockhart's shampoo was powerless against it. When they left the Forbidden Forest at noon, Luna clearly looked reluctant to go. "Remember this well, Luna," Adrian said with concern. "Never go into the Forbidden Forest alone under any circumstances. This place hides dangers that would terrify experienced adult wizards. When you walk among these trees, mortal danger lurks beside you at every moment—like those Acromantula spiders I quietly drove away while you were occupied with the unicorns." His expression softened slightly, "Of course, whenever you wish to visit again, I would be more than happy to escort you safely." Luna nodded obediently. For Adrian, Luna was an irreplaceable assistant, so he was naturally willing to fulfill such small reasonable requests. Early the next morning, before dawn had fully broken across the Scottish Highlands, Adrian brought a suitcase-style portable teleportation gate and headed to the beech tree's location. The transplanting operation needed to be completed as early as possible to minimize stress on the awakening tree and avoid unwanted attention from other forest inhabitants. As soon as Adrian entered the depths of the Forbidden Forest, following the familiar path toward his beech tree, he encountered an unexpected sight: Hagrid was also there. He wore a coat made from some unidentifiable creature's thick fur—possibly dragon hide. A gleaming woodsman's axe hung at his leather belt, while his massive hands firmly gripped a frantically flapping, indignant rooster. Hagrid's wild beard appeared damp with morning dew as he'd been patrolling the forest grounds for quite some time, likely since before sunrise. "Morning, Professor Westeros!" Hagrid's booming, cheerful voice inadvertently startled several white birds from their perches in the high branches. "What brings you to our Forbidden Forest so early on this fine winter morning?" "I need to collect some rather specific botanical specimens," Adrian explained tactfully. Hagrid nodded—such reasons were not unusual. The Forbidden Forest's well-preserved ecosystem consistently yielded excellent wild medicinal ingredients and rare magical components that were impossible to cultivate artificially. Professors from various courses would frequently come here to gather wild materials for their research and classroom preparations. Snape was perhaps the most regular visitor to the Forbidden Forest. "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" The conversation was suddenly interrupted when the rooster in Hagrid's grip chose that moment to crow at the absolute top of its lungs. The sound echoed through the forest like a trumpet blast, and the bird began flapping its wings with desperation, managing to wriggle free from Hagrid's shortly surprised grasp. "Blast!" Hagrid exclaimed, immediately scrambling after the escaped rooster. "Come back here, you troublesome little rascal!" The chase might have continued indefinitely had Adrian not intervened. With a casual flick of his wand, he cast a gentle Binding Charm that captured the rooster without causing it any harm. When Hagrid had the indignant bird firmly and safely in hand once again, Adrian asked curiously. "What are you planning to do with a rooster, Hagrid?" "It's all because of that terrible monster lurking somewhere in the castle," Hagrid explained, glancing around nervously and instinctively lowering his usual loud voice to a whisper. "According to the old legends and what I've read in my creature books, they say a rooster's crow is precisely what basilisks fear most in this world." Adrian nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, such a legend existed in various magical texts—ancient stories claimed that upon hearing a rooster's call, a basilisk would immediately perish. However, Adrian thought this was certainly an exaggerated claim born from centuries of magical folklore rather than documented fact. If an ordinary barnyard rooster could truly solve the basilisk problem with such simplicity, the situation would be almost absurdly manageable. "And what about that?" Adrian inquired, pointing toward the axe at Hagrid's leather belt. "Oh, this old thing," Hagrid replied with obvious pride, patting the axe's handle and showing his honest, gap-toothed smile. "I'm planning to cut down a suitably sized tree to construct a proper chicken coop and several protective cages—you know, many students and staff members have made identical requests for roosters since news of the basilisk spread. With whatever wood remains after the main construction, I can craft a new chair for my hut and finally repair my door frame that's been hanging crooked for weeks..." "That sounds like quite an ambitious and practical project," Adrian smile and said. "You can bet it is!" Hagrid responded with enthusiasm. "I've already found the perfect tree for my purposes. I was just heading there when I encountered you." Observing Hagrid's enthusiasm for work and high spirits, Adrian raised his hand in a friendly farewell gesture. "I'll be continuing on my way then, Hagrid. Good luck with your construction project." "See you later, Professor," Hagrid replied warmly, also beginning to move through the forest. However, their paths didn't diverge as expected. Instead, they were walking in identical directions, following the same trail deeper into the forest. Adrian immediately had an ominous premonition about this unexpected coincidence. His ominous premonition was confirmed when both of them went their way through the familiar groves and clearings until they simultaneously came to a complete stop beneath the exact same thing—the beech tree. "Hagrid," Adrian said with a strange expression as he stared at the tree before them, "surely you're not planning to harvest this tree, are you?" "Aha! It's absolutely perfect, isn't it?" Hagrid exclaimed with obvious delight, walking toward the tree and drawing his sharp axe from its leather sheath. He began measuring the tool against the trunk's circumference. "A magnificent beech tree with absolutely beautiful grain patterns, excellent natural hardness and exceptional durability... truly perfect in every way. It will make the most wonderful chicken coop imaginable." Adrian rubbed his forehead with his free hand, feeling the beginning of a tension headache. Just as Hagrid was completing his preliminary measurements and preparing for his first cut, Adrian suddenly experienced an unusual sensation. Adrian looked up at the tree and somehow sensed what could only be described as a distress signal emanating from the plant. Just as Hagrid raised his axe and prepared to deliver the first blow to the trunk, Adrian quickly stepped forward. "Wait, Hagrid! You can't cut down this tree!" "Why not?" Hagrid asked, scratching his head in genuine confusion, his axe suspended mid-swing. "This tree... is special," Adrian began initially wanting to rack his brains for a suitable excuse, but finally decided to be honest. "I want to take this tree with me. It would be very useful to me." ________________ You can read more chapters on: /IamLuis

0173 The Forbidden Forest

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