Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

The moon rose and slowly swallowed the last rays of the setting sun. The aroma of roast beef and stew still lingered in the Great Hall after dinner. Meanwhile, Lux and Tom had already arrived at the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.

"Are you sure you want to go wearing your school uniform?" Tom frowned as he watched Lux ​​wrap herself in her bulging cloak. From the wicker basket at her waist, Porolumi poked its furry head out, curiously surveying the dim forest.

"If we don't wear the school uniform, we'll be attacked by Aug as if we're monsters." Lux said matter-of-factly. "If we wear the school uniform and Aug or some professor sees us, at most we'll just lose some points. But if we don't wear it, we'll be attacked as dark wizards."

"Pop pop!" Lumi squirmed in the basket, making a soft, sweet sound, and Lux ​​immediately pictured that gruff voice in her head: "What the heck is that! Girl, take me out to get something good to eat?"

Tom rolled his eyes. Of course, he couldn't hear Lumi's inner monologue; he only felt that the poro in the basket was unusually restless. "I hope your plan doesn't fall apart too soon."

The Forbidden Forest's silhouette resembled a crouching behemoth in the thick darkness of night, exuding an aura of damp soil, decaying leaves, and some indescribable smell. Moonlight struggled to penetrate the heavy clouds, and as Lux's boots rolled over the third withered fern, she finally couldn't help but roll her eyes at the air.

"Tom, are you sure these things can really be used as materials?" She crouched down, lifting her skirt, and carefully pried off a stalk of moss that glowed with a ghostly blue light with a silver dagger. "This thing looks more suspicious than your fake smile."

Tom, who was squatting not far away, paused upon hearing this, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes. He was using tweezers to pick up a moth with star-like spots on its wings when he heard this. He tightened his grip slightly, and the poor moth instantly turned into a puddle of blurry green liquid.

"If you had focused on finding materials instead of criticizing me, we might have already found the poisonous tentacles." His voice was like ice, but it was interrupted by a gurgling sound coming from Lux's arms.

Porolumi was happily munching on a dew-covered mushroom, its round body bouncing with each chew. "Relax, little Tom," Lux said, tucking the moss into her pouch and brushing the dirt off her hands. "We've found mandrake roots, moonflower nectar, and freshly dug glowing moss. We've been quite efficient."

She glanced at the pool of green liquid in Tom's hand, her lips twitching. "Although some people handle materials in a way that resembles some kind of dark ritual."

Tom snorted, took a small crystal bottle from his robe pocket, and carefully poured in the green liquid. "This is the fluid of the Star-Patterned Moth. It enhances the stability of the potion, making it much more effective than your gluttonous pet."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Porolumi, who was yawning in Lux's arms, a hint of barely perceptible curiosity in his eyes. This furry little creature hadn't shown any fear since entering the Forbidden Forest with them; on the contrary, it had displayed great interest in all sorts of dangerous plants. It had almost gnawed on a poison ivy leaf just now, only to be snatched away by Lux in time. Indeed, many of the materials were found by this creature called Poro.

Tom wondered if this magical creature might have a talent for finding potions.

"Lumi's my good brother." Lux rubbed Poro Lumi's head, and the little guy squinted his eyes comfortably, making a satisfied purring sound. "Right, Lumi?" Poro Lumi seemed to understand her words, poked his head out from her arms, chirped at Tom, and then pulled his head back to continue gnawing on the remaining half of the mushroom on his paw.

Tom's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything more, simply turning around and continuing forward. The trees in the Forbidden Forest grew increasingly dense, and the moonlight could barely penetrate the layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Moving forward required almost entirely relying on Lux's unique version of "Fluorescent Blink" for illumination.

The air in the Forbidden Forest was filled with the damp scent of earth and decaying leaves, and occasionally the howls of unknown wild beasts could be heard in the distance. "According to the 'Potion Materials Science', poisonous tentacles usually grow in dark, damp places, especially near swamps," Tom's voice was particularly clear in the silent forest. "Let's head east; a snake just told me there's a swamp there."

Lux nodded and followed behind him. As she walked, she cautiously observed her surroundings. Because of her memories from her past life, she knew better than Tom how many dangers lurked in the Forbidden Forest—that there was almost no danger, and the people would help. Although Hagrid and his pack of "pets" weren't there yet, the Forbidden Forest in this era was probably even more primitive and dangerous.

After walking for about half an hour, the trees ahead gradually thinned out, and the ground became increasingly muddy. A strong, fishy stench hit them, causing Lux to frown involuntarily.

"Looks like we're almost at the swamp." Tom stopped and took a wand from his robes. "Flash."

A faint beam of light shone from the tip of the staff, illuminating a patch of murky water ahead. Green duckweed and decaying branches floated on the surface, and occasionally bubbles rose from the bottom, making a soft "pop" sound as they burst.

"The poison tentacles should be around here." Tom raised his wand, the beam of light slowly moving above the swamp. "Their vines usually twine around tree trunks near the water, and their color is similar to ordinary vines, but if you look closely, you can see tiny poisonous thorns on them."

Lux took out her wand as well. "I'll go check that out over there." She pointed to a thicket of bushes on the left. "Be careful not to fall in."

Tom gave her a disgruntled look: "The only reason I fell in was because you kicked me in." Lux shrugged, picked up Lumi, and headed toward the bushes. Lumi seemed very interested in the swamp, squirming restlessly in her arms and sniffing the air with his little nose.

"Hey sis, something seems off here, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Be careful." Lumi told Lux ​​what she was thinking, and Lux ​​rubbed her rear end. "It's okay, I'll just give you a super long-range shot and you'll be done for."

"What about Tom the Brothers?"

"Tom has his own way."

Lux carefully examined each tree trunk but found no trace of the poisonous tentacles. Just as she was about to move to another spot, she seemed to catch a glimpse of something moving in the woods across the swamp. The thing was very tall, at least two meters high, with a slender body that looked like it was made of black shadows. It had a pair of huge wings on its back, the edges of which were jagged as if they had been torn. Most strangely, its head seemed to have no facial features, only a blurry black shadow.

"This is terrifying! How can she look so horrifying?" Lux's heart skipped a beat.

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in her mind: [Side Quest Triggered: Tame a Thestral. Quest Reward: Experience +100, Control Guard*1. Quest Hint: Thestrals are magical and rare creatures. Only those who have witnessed death can see them. Although they appear terrifying, they are not inherently ferocious. Once you gain their trust, they can become reliable companions.]

Lux froze. Tame a Thestral? Was this system serious? She glanced at the creature on the opposite bank that looked exactly like a Nightmare, then looked down at herself, and couldn't help but mentally complain, "System, are you sure this thing matches my style? You want me to tame a creature that looks like it crawled out of hell?"

[System Notification: Thestrals are highly intelligent creatures with a keen sensitivity to magic. The host's magic has brought them a unique experience.]

"A different feeling? They also like Pretty Cure?" Lux rolled her eyes, but her heart was already beginning to waver.

The rewarded experience was enough for her to level up and unlock new skills, and Thestrals were excellent mounts, but the problem was they seemed a bit irritable. As she was pondering this, she suddenly heard Tom's voice from behind: "What are you looking at?"

Lux turned around and saw Tom standing not far away, looking at her with a furrowed brow. "Nothing," Lux said vaguely, "I think I saw something over there, but I'm not sure if it's a poisonous tentacle."

"I think this pitch-black forest is more terrifying than the Howling Abyss," Lumi's voice buzzed in Lux's head. "Hey sis, shall we head back? My fur's getting a bit cold..."

Tom followed her gaze to the other side of the swamp, a puzzled look on his face. "There's nothing there except trees. Are you seeing things?"

Just then, a strange sound came from ahead. It was not the chirping of insects, nor the sound of wind, but a heavier, hollow sound, like hard hooves striking the soil covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, with an unsettling rhythm.

Tom immediately extinguished the light from his wand and pulled Lux ​​behind a huge, moss-covered ancient tree. "Shh!" he whispered, holding his breath and listening intently.

The sounds grew closer, and there was more than one. Something was moving across the clearing in the woods not far ahead of them.

Tom cautiously peeked out, his wand poised to strike. Moonlight, filtering through a sparse gap in the canopy, sparingly spilled onto the clearing. Tom's pupils contracted sharply—there was nothing there! Only the pale moonlight and swaying shadows of the trees! But the clear sound of hooves, like bones striking the ground, was incredibly close!

He instinctively looked at Lux, wanting to confirm if she had also heard the strange sound. He saw Lux staring wide-eyed at the open space with her mouth slightly open, looking at the open space with surprise, and even a little...excitement?

"Tom, it's a Thestral!" Lux whispered, unable to hide her excitement, pointing to the area that was empty to Tom.

Tom: "???"

He followed Lux's pointing finger, his gaze sweeping sharply across the scene. In the moonlight, only the grass blades rustling in the wind and dappled shadows of the trees could be seen. But Lux's earnest expression seemed genuine.

"What...what did you see?" Tom's voice trembled slightly. He remembered Lux's crazy talk at the orphanage. A chilling absurdity crept up his spine. Had Lux ​​finally gone completely insane?

"Horses! Several of them!" Lux gestured, "Skinny, all black, just skin and bones, with eyes... silvery-white? They seem to have no pupils, and their wings are like bat wings, but made of bone!"

Tom followed her gaze to the other side of the swamp, a puzzled look on his face. "There's nothing there except trees. Are you seeing things?" Lux then remembered that Thestrals could only be seen by those who had witnessed death. Although Tom was deep and ruthless, he was still only a twelve-year-old boy. He probably hadn't witnessed or understood death yet, so naturally he couldn't see the Thestrals on the other side.

Lux was reincarnated once and experienced the concept of death, which is a kind of nothingness.

Tom watched as Lux talked to herself in the air, her expression shifting unpredictably, saying things like "Thestrals," "death," and "leveling up." He felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't see her, but he could hear the eerie hoofbeats still lingering at the edge of the clearing. Lux's reaction only intensified the sense of terror.

"Lux! What are you doing? There's nothing there!" Tom couldn't help but growl, trying to bring Lux to her senses.

"Shh! They can hear us!" Lux slapped Tom's hand away, crouched down, and began scanning the surroundings. "I need some meat...meat...ah! I've got it!"

Before Tom could react, she crept towards the warthog with Lumi in her arms. The warthog seemed completely unaware of the danger, still focused on rooting in the dirt. Lux gripped her wand tightly and whispered a spell.

"Wingardium Leviosa"

Under the effect of the levitation spell, the warthog slowly rose up, and then a faint golden light condensed at the tip of Lux's staff, instantly and silently shooting out, landing precisely at the warthog's feet.

puff!

A muffled explosion rang out, not violent, but carrying a peculiar shockwave. Golden light burst forth, forming a brief field of light energy. The warthog didn't even utter a sound before being instantly stunned at the center of the field.

Lux's knockback is that powerful!

Tom was startled by the sudden noise and flash of light, nearly dropping his wand: "Are you crazy! Making a sound will attract Aug!"

"Relax, relax, keep your voice down." Lak didn't care at all, and quickly ran over, struggling to drag the warthog, which was not much smaller than her, to the edge of the clearing. She greeted the air enthusiastically, "Hey, big guy, don't be afraid, I mean you no harm."

The hoofbeats paused briefly, then became clearer and more urgent. Tom could not see, but he could clearly hear the hooves pawing the ground, and... a low, heavy, hissing sound, as if coming from deep within a throat, right there in the clearing.

Tom's palms were drenched in cold sweat as he gripped the wand. His back pressed against the cold tree trunk. The unknown fear was far more suffocating than the known monsters, especially since Lux seemed to have gone mad. All he could see was Lux crouching there, muttering to herself, "Come on, ouch, don't rub against me, your bones are hurting..."

From Lux's perspective, a smaller Thestral, attracted by the smell of blood, is feasting on a warthog.

Lux walked up to it, reached out, and gently stroked its smooth black skin. Thestral let out a low growl, then nuzzled Lux's hand with its head, as if expressing affection.

Side quest completed

[Rewards awarded: Level increased to Lv.2, 1 skill point gained, Control Guardian added to Special Equipment Slot, which you can place anywhere on a flat surface.]