Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 166, Section 165: The Centaur Shaman and the Trial of Death
The spiders swarmed in like a tide, but now they are receding just as quickly.

The burning trees and fallen leaves illuminated the surroundings, and the ground was covered with the remains of dead spiders, yellow and green bodily fluids mixed together, and the stench of burning and a nauseating sour smell.

Especially the enormous spider corpse with its seven limbs still twitching, and the various things flowing out of its huge belly after Bane's spear was pulled out... In short, this hellish sight made Padma Pettier and Terry Boots vomit.

Well, after smelling the vomit from the group, the others who had only felt a little nauseous also started vomiting.

This made the whole scene even more disgusting.

Without pursuing further, Bane simply swung his spear forcefully, shaking off all the slimy fluid clinging to his weapon, and spat at the giant spider's corpse—as if that wasn't enough, he also kicked it hard with his hoof, sending it flying even further.

His wild behavior made the apprentices on the other side tremble with fear.

“Don’t worry, little pony, you are safe now,” the centaur named Ronan said as he approached. “The elements and the chieftain have told us your purpose. At least for tonight, the centaur tribe welcomes you.”

“Only a portion of the centaurs, Ronan!” Bane, on the other side, seemed even angrier. “Don’t let me hear you say that again!”

“Calm down, Bane, they’re just a few ponies.” Ron seemed a little reluctant, but he still tried to reassure his companion: “You’ve seen it too, they’ve all gained the earth elemental’s approval—they are shamans too, elemental shamans.”

“I’m not a shaman,” Bain replied gruffly, but he managed to calm himself down, which relieved the frightened apprentices.

For the centaur tribes today, shamans have acquired a unique significance that differs from tradition. Even centaurs like Baine respect those who have acquired new powers and can provide stronger protection for the tribe or capture more prey—and this respect extends to the profession of shaman.

“You can return to the tribe with us,” Ronan said, turning his gaze back to the apprentices who were almost embracing each other. “But we have to wait. I can’t let the flames continue to burn like this, or too many lives will be lost because of this fire.”

The flames from the battle have ignited the surrounding dry branches and trees. Once a forest fire gets going, it becomes incredibly difficult to extinguish. Moreover, this is a forbidden forest, home not only to many rare and magical animals but also to a variety of magical plants.

It would be such a waste if the whole place were burned to the ground by the fire.

After giving his instructions, Ronan started moving again. He waved his hands as if in prayer, muttering incantations. As he did so, the burning flames gradually dimmed, as if they had been doused with water, until not a single flame could be seen, and darkness once again swallowed the forest.

In the light of the torches, the apprentices could also see the wisps of smoke rising from the charred trees.

"Let's go, Ronan." The fiery cloak on his body had disappeared. Baine, holding a spear, walked towards the centaur tribe. As he passed by Mesali, he slightly curtsied to the earth elemental.

They quickly picked up the torches that were still usable from the ground, and the apprentices jogged to keep up with the two centaurs, afraid of being left behind.

"Um, I'm sorry to bother you," Hermione said nervously, walking at the front of the group. "Could you please help me answer some questions?"

Bain continued walking as if he hadn't heard, but another centaur named Ronan sighed and turned his head away.

"Just ask."

He looked very reluctant.

"Thank you," Hermione said quickly, then continued, "Um, I wanted to ask, do centaurs have shamans too?"

"Why can't there be centaurs?" Ronan suddenly stopped and turned around, saying with displeasure, "Don't get me wrong, little pony. The reason we're willing to take you to the centaur tribe is because it's the element's decision."

“And the clan leader,” Bain sneered.

“Well, it’s also the wish of our chieftain,” Ronan sighed. “The chieftain agreed to that man’s request, and the elements also told us to… maintain good relations with you.”

Even the most obtuse person could see the awkwardness and reluctance in Ronan's last words. Clearly, if it weren't for the orders from the elements and the patriarch, he wouldn't want to deal with wizards at all—not even junior wizards.

“That man?” Cedric asked. “Who is he?”

“Your mentor, the messenger of the elements, the boy who survived,” Ronan said after giving him a deep look, “Harry Potter.”

“Oh, I had no idea Harry suddenly had so many brothers,” Ron muttered, trying to lighten his nerves with a joke, but Ronan ignored him.

The two centaurs' unfriendly attitude made the apprentices nervous, and they dared not ask any more questions—especially after the attack by the eight-eyed giant spider, no one wanted to keep these two powerful centaurs away from them.

In fact, as the group continued onward, the sights along the roadside made them lose all interest in chatting.

They were passing through a spider's territory.

Everywhere there were traces of battle: scorch marks from fire, broken trees, and destroyed spider webs.

“These damned monstrous spiders are everywhere,” Bane said angrily.

“They’ve had no rivals since we left,” Ronan said, shaking his head. “The elements won’t let this forest become their territory.”

“That would be for the best,” Bain scoffed. “Do you think there’s any chance of a shaman appearing among those hybrid spiders?”

"I don't think so." After hesitating for a moment, Ronan said uncertainly, "Although they can talk, they have no feelings. Even their dead parents or clansmen are food for them—the elements shouldn't need such helpers."

Baine's concerns were actually issues that the centaur shamans had discussed among themselves. They couldn't imagine how powerful those huge, aggressive, and venomous spiders would become after being able to use all sorts of spells; it was a nightmare.

“No,” a cool voice interrupted the conversation between Bane and Ronan. The voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm enough. “They don’t like those spiders. They don’t have any real intelligence.”

Bain and Ronan looked toward the source of the sound and saw the inconspicuous little pony in the crowd with a calm expression—it didn't even seem afraid of them like the others.

“How did you know?” Ronan asked.

“The elements told me,” Luna tilted her head and said, “Can’t you hear me?”

Bain and Ronan looked at each other in bewilderment.

Did you hear what the element said?

Did the elements directly tell the foal their thoughts?
For the modern centaur tribe, such a thing is still somewhat unimaginable. After all, only after sacrifices and rituals during festivals can the centaur shamans, led by Triton, barely understand the elements' intentions.

But judging from the little pony's tone, it's as if she can ask the elements and get answers at any time.

“Wait, let’s not talk about that now,” Katie Bell said, staring intently at the cocoon hanging on the right side of the road—a cocoon woven from spider webs. “What’s that?”

The cocoon had already cracked in part, so if you looked closely, you could barely see part of what was inside. What Katie saw was a hand—or rather, a hand, with what appeared to be a ring on the finger. The whole cocoon looked bulging.

Bain glanced at the "corpse" and continued walking. "If you were caught by those hybrid spiders, you would be made into this cocoon and then drained dry."

At this point, Bane glanced at the apprentices, whose faces were paler than the dead. Perhaps out of concern for the foals, he spoke a few words that were unusually gentle. "It won't hurt much. The poison of those bastards is indeed potent. You would have died before you were eaten."

Okay, maybe that's a conciliatory remark.

In short, with the centaur leading the way, the rest of the journey felt more like a picnic, filled with a sense of security, and the apprentices only needed to muster their strength and keep moving forward.

Even so, it was by no means an easy task. After all, it was not a flat area. Walking on uneven ground or small slopes, climbing up and down was common, which made it even more physically demanding.

Centaurs, after all, have four legs, and their life of running and hunting in the forbidden forest year-round has made their bodies very strong and well adapted to this environment.

So much so that when, finally, as the apprentices helped each other out of the last tree at the edge of the forest, almost everyone breathed a long sigh of relief—a feeling of finally surviving.

What followed was a feeling of fatigue from within the body. After all, it was already around 4 a.m., and although the apprentices had taken a nap during the day as Harry had suggested, tonight's experience had taken a heavy toll on them, as they had never stayed up all night before.

The long journey left many with blisters on their feet, and the threat posed by the eight-eyed giant spider was unforgettable. Yet, even so, at this moment, not a single apprentice harbored any regrets.

From the moment they stepped out of the forbidden forest, their eyes were drawn to the continuous flames on the opposite hillside.

Centaurs—they had never seen so many centaurs before, at least dozens, everywhere from inside the huge cliff crevice to the surrounding hillside, and the flames were one after another, huge torches stretching from the crevice to the highest point of the cliff.

Unfortunately, they couldn't see what lay beyond their current position.

Mosali mumbled something, and before Luna could answer, he crumbled into ordinary rocks scattered on the ground—that was how he left.

“He said: No fighting, no fun,” Luna translated briefly, while the others looked at each other blankly.

Was it boring? They actually thought tonight was quite thrilling...they almost lost their lives.

“Let’s go, they’re already waiting,” Ronan urged.

The centaurs outside had already noticed the group emerging from the Forbidden Forest. There were no shouts; they simply stared at the dusty foals with their gray faces.

From near to far, countless blazing braziers illuminated the dawn, which should have been the darkest hour, making it even brighter than daytime.

One by one, the centaurs walked towards the top of the cliff. Each apprentice stared intently at their surroundings, trying to memorize this strange sight. The centaurs standing on both sides had artificially created a path, and as the apprentices climbed, more centaurs followed behind, surrounding them in the center.

Under normal circumstances, being surrounded by centaurs in the very center would naturally make the apprentices nervous, but things are different now.

Even without a deeper understanding of the centaur culture, each of them felt a sense of mystery—solemnity and reverence, as if they were performing some kind of sacred ritual, and they were part of that ritual.

Inspired.

When they finally reached the top of the cliff, the apprentices saw Harry standing next to an old centaur, dressed in his animal skin shamanic robes, looking at them with a serious expression.

"...Mentor, we've arrived."

Walking at the front of the group, Luna said softly.

“Congratulations,” Harry nodded and said, “Even though the difficulty was very simple, you did indeed complete a trial.”

Harry... well, he was still a little annoyed, after all, he had really suffered a lot during the trials back then.

As a result, apprentices nowadays can easily stroll through the streets and get by.

Harry's words, including those of Hermione, made the apprentices want to roll their eyes—with giant spiders already appearing, how could this trial be considered easy?
However, they wouldn't argue with Harry at a time like this... nor did they have the energy to do so.

“You did very well, little pony,” Triton said with a magnanimous air, “You had courage and the wisdom to fight back—good enough for a little pony, at least.”

"Huh?" Ron was taken aback. "How did you know?"

"Vision," Harry said irritably. "I taught you this spell."

Ron immediately fell silent—and so did everyone else, who were also quickly recalling whether they had made any embarrassing mistakes in their performance that evening.

Then Ron, Zacharys Smith, Roger Davis, and several others immediately looked rather grim.

Because when the giant spider suddenly appeared, their screams were the loudest. Smith even dropped his torch, as if a warrior had lost his sword. They then remembered that Harry had specifically emphasized before they set off that they should hold onto their torches carefully and not let the flames go out.

Harry pretended not to notice the thoughts of the apprentices, and after exchanging a glance with Triton, he stepped aside.

Behind the two of them, a huge bonfire was burning, with flames roaring around it—no, everyone could clearly see that several fire elementals had materialized within the leaping flames.

“Go,” Harry said calmly, “throw the torch into the flames and complete the ritual.”

"Yes."

Suppressing their excitement, the apprentices stepped forward one after another and threw their torches into the fire. Amazingly, even though the torches they threw in were tiny compared to the enormous pile of firewood, they were still incredibly powerful.

However, the flames that were already burning grew even higher to a visible degree, and the heat they emitted made many apprentices take a few steps back—they saw more fire elements leaping and merging into the flames.

“I think you all have your own insights by now.” Turning around, Harry’s gaze swept over the apprentices one by one. “About fire, about the element of fire.”

“Yes, Master!” Hermione exclaimed excitedly, “The existence of fire elementals is absolutely crucial; they are—”

"Shh!" Harry raised his hand to interrupt Hermione, chuckling, "There's no need to tell me. No matter what insights you have, you can't fool the elements, and most importantly, you can't fool yourselves."

"I think you all understand the meaning of fire now: heat, pain, death..."

As Harry spoke, images flashed through the apprentices' minds of the young eight-eyed spiders screaming in agony as they were roasted by the flames, their charred corpses emitting a foul odor, or the scorching heat of their ashes.

“But fire is not just a force of chaos and destruction,” Harry continued. “You must remember this: fire is also a force of life and creation. Light and heat, warmth and safety—these are the powers of fire.”

Without even needing much prompting, everyone couldn't help but recall the moment when the giant eight-eyed spider leaped out of the darkness, and only the torch in their hands and the light it emitted could make those terrifying spiders retreat—that feeling of heartfelt relief and reliance remains clear to this day.

“Yes, mentor, we will never forget that,” Cedric Diggory said with some excitement. “We are ready.”

(End of this chapter)