Chapter 58: Mars Tonight...

Hagrid really didn't like Filch—especially his habit of constantly threatening and intimidating students. And he disliked it even more when those threats were directed at Harry and Harold. So the moment he arrived, Hagrid waved him off impatiently. "Your job's done. I'll take it from here." "I'll be back at dawn... to collect what's left of them," Filch spat viciously, then turned and stomped back toward the castle. The moment he was gone, Malfoy started complaining, saying he absolutely refused to go into the forest. But Hagrid ignored him completely. Even when Malfoy started name-dropping his school governor father, it didn't help. "You can go back right now if you want," Hagrid said. "If you think your father would rather see you expelled, then by all means—go pack your bags." Malfoy didn't move. He glared at Hagrid, but then lowered his eyes and, sulking, followed Hagrid and a large black dog into the forest. "A unicorn's been injured," Hagrid said gravely. "It's the second time. I found one dead just last Wednesday. We need to find this one fast..." "No—I'm not going!" Malfoy panicked again, unable to hide the fear in his voice. "What if the thing that attacked it is still out there?" "So long as you stay with me or Fang, no creature in the Forbidden Forest will dare come near you," Hagrid assured him. Then he gave the students instructions for what they were to do. Malfoy glanced back at the dark path behind them but eventually gave up on turning back. Muttering under his breath, he trailed after the group. "Relax, just think of it as camping," Harold said, deciding to offer a bit of comfort. There really wasn't anything to fear. Even in the Forbidden Forest, Dumbledore would never allow students to be put in real danger. Especially not with Harry among them. For all Harold knew, the Headmaster might even be watching them from his office window at that very moment. Harold turned his head, peering past the swaying branches of the trees toward the distant castle. Where was the Headmaster's office window again? He couldn't quite spot it, but he was sure that a few windows near the top of the castle were still glowing with light. "Harold! Were you even listening to me just now?!" Hagrid's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Harold nodded quickly. "Of course. Stay safe, don't wander off, stick close to you or Fang, and if there's danger, shoot red sparks into the sky." Hagrid blinked... Had he said all that in that much detail? "Right... that's it exactly." He nodded. "Now, we're going to split into two teams..." "I'm with Fang!" Malfoy immediately shouted—this time, fully alert. He looked so determined, you'd think he was choosing a fire-breathing dragon instead of a black boarhound. Harold stared at Malfoy in disbelief, trying to figure out what part of his brain made him think being with a two-foot-tall dog was safer than sticking with an eleven-foot-tall half-giant. But Hagrid didn't argue with the choice. When they reached a fork in the path, the group split. Harold, Harry, and Hagrid took one path; Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the other. The forest at night was eerily quiet. Even the insects had fallen silent. All that could be heard was the soft crunch of leaves beneath their feet. The air carried a strange scent—like dewy grass, or perhaps fallen leaves drifting in a deep, still pond. Harold didn't know how he could tell the difference between morning dew and wet leaves, but that was the feeling that sprang to mind. "It's unicorn blood," Hagrid said, staring at the silvery-blue stains on the fallen leaves, his face dark with worry. "Could it have been a werewolf?" Harry asked. "Wouldn't be that fast," Hagrid replied. "Unicorns have powerful magic. A werewolf wouldn't hurt them so easily." Hagrid picked up the pace, forcing Harry to jog to keep up. Neither of them noticed that someone was no longer in their group. Harold had originally been walking behind Hagrid, but when they passed a particularly large smear of silver-blue blood, he suddenly stopped. Frowning, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the wand shaft made from Whomping Willow. The wand shaft had long been completed. Its severed ends were engraved with intricate magical runes. But now, one of those runes was pulsing with a silver-blue glow—matching the color of the unicorn blood on the ground. "Wand-core rune... Covenant and Protection," Harold muttered. "The unicorn is calling for help..." It was an ancient rune—one of the very few designed to protect the wand core. According to legend, this rune would "remember" every core it had seen, and resonate with them under special conditions. As for what counted as special—Garrick Ollivander once said: "When a wand is broken, destroyed, or when the core is on the brink of death." That's why most broken wands could still function for a while with just a bit of magical tape. But this shaft didn't even have a core. There was only one explanation: the unicorn that left this trail had once donated a tail hair for use as a wand core—and that hair had been recorded by this rune. So when Harold passed by, the blood's magical essence triggered the rune's memory and created a magical resonance. Understanding this, Harold immediately placed the wand shaft flat across his palm and held it close to the blood. In an instant, the rune glowed brighter and began to subtly pull the shaft in a specific direction. Harold didn't hesitate. He took off running. Ten minutes later, he caught up to Hagrid and Harry, who were talking with two centaurs. "Ronan, have you seen a student? He's gone missing—I have to go find him," Hagrid was saying. The centaur Ronan had his head tilted toward the sky, eyes fixed. "Mars tonight..." "HAGRID!" Harold shouted, cutting them off. "Harold?" Hagrid turned in surprise. "Thank goodness—you scared me half to death. Where did you—?" "I know where the wounded unicorn is!" Harold gasped, out of breath as he ran up beside them. "What?" "No time to explain!" Harold glanced at the wand shaft, now fading in color, and took a deep breath before sprinting again in a new direction. "It's dying—we have to hurry!" Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, Harold was already disappearing into the trees. "Harold, stop! Don't run in the forest like that—it's dangerous!" Hagrid shouted, charging after him without thinking. Harry followed right behind. And in a blink, the clearing was empty—except for the two centaurs. The reddish-brown centaur named Ronan stood motionless, staring after them. After a long pause, he slowly opened his mouth, as if awakening from a dream, and muttered a few quiet, stubborn, unwavering words. "...So very bright." (End of Chapter)