0094 Patrolling

Words : 1179 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Time quickly moved into April. During this period, Adrian continued to monitor Quirrell's behavior. Although he had determined that Voldemort had now completely taken over Quirrell's body, when he had the Wisdom Tree analyze Quirrell, it could still only detect information about Quirrell himself. This left Adrian somewhat puzzled. Could Voldemort have a way to evade the Wisdom Tree's analysis? Or was his hypothesis wrong? Beyond this, Dumbledore had shown no movements targeting Quirrell. Everything seemed so peaceful. Oh, and there was one more thing: Adrian had a new assignment—helping Hagrid patrol the Forbidden Forest every night. Recently, Hagrid felt something strange about the Forbidden Forest, as if some monster was prowling around. The centaurs had also told him about unidentified intruders, hoping Hagrid would pay closer attention. So, Hagrid asked Adrian, with whom he had a good relationship, for help. Adrian naturally agreed without hesitation. One night in late April. The Forbidden Forest was shrouded in misty moonlight. Adrian and Hagrid were patrolling the forest as usual. Tendrils of Devil's Snare extended from beneath Adrian's robes, playfully exploring. One of the tendrils accidentally stretched under Hagrid's foot. "Hey, Adrian, take care of your little friend," Hagrid said, holding up a lantern. "It nearly tripped me." "Oh, sorry." Adrian tapped the tendril lightly with his toe, making the Devil's Snare retreat under his robes. However, the Devil's Snare remained restless, even pulling out Adrian's spare wand hidden in his robes to play with. "I've told you so many times," Adrian looked at the Devil's Snare and said, "Plants cannot use magic... wait, what did you do!?" To Adrian's astonishment, the Devil's Snare's tendrils clumsily wrapped around the wand. The wand tip suddenly emitted a dazzling white light, illuminating their surroundings. It was the Wand-Lighting Charm! And a nonverbal spell at that! Well, that was stating the obvious—Devil's Snare couldn't speak anyway. The Devil's Snare, sensing its master's surprise, proudly twisted its tendrils, making the ball of light bob up and down with its movements. "Very nice spell, Adrian!" Hagrid covered his eyes and said, "But we don't need such bright light. If there are intruders, they'll spot us here immediately." Hagrid still thought it was Adrian who had cast the spell. Hearing Hagrid's words, the Devil's Snare waved the wand, and the bright light gradually dissipated. However, an accident occurred. The wand tip emitted a wisp of blue smoke, and a charred crack appeared on it. The Devil's Snare seemed startled too. Its tendrils suddenly loosened, and the wand fell onto the pile of fallen leaves with a "plop." Seeing this, Adrian quickly bent down to pick up the wand, finding that the upper half was completely damaged, with even the unicorn hair core exposed. "Is something wrong?" Hagrid turned his head and asked. "It's nothing," Adrian waved dismissively, then put the wand back into his robes. "That's good," Hagrid turned his head back. "Today, as usual, I'll walk in front, and you follow me." "Alright." Adrian responded, then looked at the Devil's Snare. The Devil's Snare's tendrils hung listlessly, curled up in Adrian's sleeve like a child who had done something wrong. A few small tendril tips cautiously extended, gently winding around Adrian's fingers, swaying slightly with an apologetic air. "It's okay, I'm not blaming you," Adrian comforted it. "Don't worry, child. This weekend we'll go to Diagon Alley and pick out a suitable wand for you." The Devil's Snare immediately perked up, affectionately nuzzling Adrian's wrist before retreating into Adrian's body. Adrian could clearly feel the Devil's Snare's excitement. "Rustle." Just then, a sound suddenly came from the bushes ahead. Hagrid immediately raised his lantern, pointing it in the direction of the sound. "Who's there!" Hagrid's deep voice echoed across the Forbidden Forest. Among the shifting shadows of trees, a tall figure slowly emerged. It was a centaur with dark red hair and beard, and a brownish-red horse body for his lower half, dragging a long red tail. "Oh, it's you, Ronan," Hagrid lowered his lantern, breathing a sigh of relief. The centaur named Ronan did not immediately answer. His nostrils flared slightly, as if sniffing the air, while his vigilant gaze swept the surroundings. After a moment, Ronan finally looked at Hagrid with an expressionless face: "Good evening, Hagrid." Adrian had seen centaurs during his school days, but only fleetingly—he had never interacted with them. After all, apart from Hagrid, centaurs rarely approached any humans. "Are you centaurs patrolling too?" Hagrid asked, puzzled. "This doesn't seem to be your territory." "The entire Forbidden Forest is within our patrol range," Ronan's deep voice resonated like thunder. "Darkness spreads through the Forbidden Forest, and the trajectories of the stars have become chaotic. We have observed ominous signs." "Thank you for the warning, Ronan." Hagrid nodded, then leaned close to Adrian's ear, explaining quietly: "The centaurs never speak normally, but his general meaning is that there's something unusual in the Forbidden Forest lately, possibly outside intruders." "I understand," Adrian said. At that moment, another centaur emerged from the thicket—this one had blue eyes and platinum-blond hair. As he approached, even Adrian could tell that this was an exceptionally attractive centaur. "Good evening, Firenze." "And to you, Hagrid." The handsome centaur responded gently, then looked at Adrian standing nearby. "Hello, sir." Adrian extended his hand and said: "Hello, Firenze, I am Adrian Westeros, professor at Hogwarts." Firenze hesitated for a moment but ultimately shook Adrian's hand. Seeing this, Ronan snorted disdainfully, his reddish-brown tail swishing irritably. "Firenze, you're dealing with humans again," his voice carried obvious reproach. "Didn't the stars tell you this would defile our wisdom?" "Don't mind him," Hagrid immediately reassured Adrian. "Centaurs are just like that." seaʀᴄh thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Adrian shrugged, indicating he wasn't bothered. He had long heard that centaurs were averse to humans. In fact, Firenze's willingness to shake his hand in friendship was already beyond his expectations. "Haven't you looked at tonight's stars, Ronan?" Firenze shook his head and turned to the brownish-red centaur. "He is special." Hearing Firenze's words, Ronan lifted his head to look at the sky, then lowered it to look at Adrian. Finally, Ronan slowly walked up to Adrian. "You are not the brightest star, but you are acceptable. I apologize for my earlier words," he said in a melancholic and slow manner. "Uh... thanks?" Though somewhat puzzled, Adrian thought that the centaur named Ronan must be complimenting him. Ronan nodded, then said to Hagrid: "Farewell, Hagrid. We must continue our patrol." With that, the two centaurs disappeared into the shadowy forest. Afterward, Hagrid and Adrian continued their patrol as well. ________________ You can read more chapters on: /IamLuis

0094 Patrolling

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