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

Lux raised her hands high, frantically gesturing to herself and Tom's Hogwarts robes, which were still recognizable in the moonlight.

Ronan's sharp, hawk-like gaze lingered for a moment on the two conspicuous school robes. His taut bowstring loosened slightly, but the arrow remained unreleased, and his voice was still full of skepticism and authority: "Hogwarts students? Deep in the Forbidden Forest after curfew? And wielding a blade as the sacred unicorn lay dying?"

His gaze swept over Tom's poisoned dagger still embedded in the tree, then fell on Tom's face, which was contorted with pain and fear, and finally settled on Lux. "Lies!"

"No, no, no!" Lux shook her head vigorously, speaking rapidly, "We were led here by Thestrals! This little Thestral," she pointed to the side, "sensed that a sacred life was suffering, and that's why it brought us here. Look, it's still wailing for the unicorn!" The Thestral named White Horse let out a low, long neigh at the opportune moment, its empty eye sockets seemingly also looking at the dying unicorn.

"As for him..." Lux pointed to his swollen wrist and the wand on the ground, "He just dropped his wand and in a moment of panic tried the dumbest way to bleed the unicorn, since it looked like it was in so much pain! But he didn't consider the consequences at all. It was foolish, not malicious, really!"

"..."

Tom felt his wrist hurt even more. He had witnessed Lux's twisted logic once again, but this time he wisely chose to keep quiet. Any rebuttal now could invite that deadly arrow.

Ronan frowned, his gaze shifting between the unicorn's painful gasps, Lux's overly flamboyant yet seemingly anxious face, and the little Thestral that truly exuded an aura of sorrow.

Just as Ronan was pondering, Lux keenly caught a hint of a shift in his attitude.

opportunity!

"Centaur, arguing like this is pointless, saving the unicorn is the priority!" Lux's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable urgency. "I can feel its life force rapidly draining away! The corruption of dark magic is devouring it!"

Before she finished speaking, Lux had already rushed to the unicorn's side, ignoring the pungent stench of rotting blood and the lingering black mist. She swiftly pulled out a vial of [Reusable Potion] that shimmered with a subtle green light from the inner pocket of her robe.

"Stop! What are you doing to a sacred creature?" Ronan warned immediately, his bowstring taut once more.

"Save its life!" Lux didn't even look up, deftly uncorking the bottle. A crisp, herbal aroma instantly filled the air, slightly dispelling the rotten, sweet-smelling odor. "This is our... family's ancestral healing elixir, specially formulated to cure all kinds of wounds!"

She carefully avoided the area of ​​the unicorn's wound covered in black blood, aimed the bottle at its slightly open, panting mouth, and poured the entire bottle of potion into it without hesitation!

"Gulp..." The weakened unicorn swallowed unconsciously.

"Ugh..." The unicorn let out a painful whimper, its body convulsing violently. At the wound, the dark remnants of black magic, like enraged venomous snakes, twisted and eroded wildly, trying to fight back against the pale golden light. Visibly, the parts of the wound edge that were least contaminated by the black magic began to heal at a slow but steady pace.

Although the black mist clinging to it remained stubborn, the unicorn's life force was noticeably stronger than before. Its heavy breathing seemed to have eased a little, and its half-closed eyes opened slightly, revealing Lux's face reflected in its silver pupils, exuding an indescribable gratitude befitting an intelligent being.

Ronan slowly relaxed his arm holding the bow, staring intently at the changes in the unicorn's wound, his pupils filled with shock. He could clearly feel the faint but pure power fighting against the evil black energy.

"Stars..." Ronan murmured to himself, the deadly black arrow lowered, and his gaze towards Lux was no longer one of angry scrutiny. "This... the power contained in this potion... is so pure... almost like the very essence of nature..."

Tom stood to the side, equally dumbfounded, forgetting even the pain in his wrist. He stared intently at the empty, seemingly ordinary little bottle in Lux's hand, his heart churning with emotion.

A family heirloom healing elixir? Specially for treating magical injuries?

Tom's mind raced. In the years they had lived together in the orphanage, he had never seen Lux take out anything like this. Her so-called Crownguard family was mysterious and unpredictable. Could they really have such a background?

This potion, capable of instantly stabilizing a dying unicorn's injuries and counteracting powerful dark magic contamination, is of immeasurable value. Lux used it so easily? To save a... beast?

Tom's gaze toward Lux ​​became extremely complex, a mixture of disbelief, intense curiosity, and a hint of hidden annoyance that he himself was unaware of.

[Reusable medicine enters cooling phase: 29 days 23:59:59]

[System Notification: Consumables have been used up. No new potions can be generated during the cooldown period. [Quest Completed: Sunshine, Rainbow, Little White Horse], Light Value +1]

Lux glanced at the system notification, her heart briefly fluttering with joy at the small amount of Light Points before the month-long cooldown period dashed her hopes. She looked at the empty bottle with a pang of heartache, then at the unicorn's still-serious injuries, and sighed, "Alas, this is all I can do… Respected centaur, the rest is in your hands."

Ronan had completely abandoned his hostility. He strode to the unicorn's side, knelt on one knee, and gently stroked the unicorn's forehead with his calloused yet incredibly gentle hand. He softly chanted an ancient and melodious language, and as he chanted, a faint, moonlit silver light flowed from his palm, slowly seeping into the unicorn's body, beginning to suppress and purify the stubborn black magic contamination.

"The forest will never forget this kindness, child with a pure heart." Ronan looked up at Lux, his eyes solemn.

"Your medicine and kindness have slowed its journey to the stars. Although the pollution has penetrated deep into its bones and is difficult to eradicate, at least it has been given a chance to breathe, and perhaps it can hold on until it finds a more powerful purifying force."

Ronan paused, his gaze sweeping over the unicorn's dull horn. He reached out and, with gentle yet swift movements, carefully plucked a small tuft of silvery-white hair from the thickest part of the unicorn's mane, closest to its shoulder blade. Even in the unicorn's severely wounded state, these hairs still shimmered with a faint but pure pearly sheen.

He handed the tuft of hair to Lux: "This is a gift from the forest, and its response to your kindness. Take it, young wizard."

"Thank you! And thank you for it!" Lux's voice was filled with genuine gratitude; this potion was definitely worth it.

Tom's gaze was also fixed on that tuft of fur, a greedy glint in the depths of his eyes. Unicorn materials have always been the core ingredient of powerful potions.

"Alright." Ronan stood up, his tone much gentler. "This place is no place to linger. The source of the dark magic has not yet been determined. Take your belongings and leave the Dark Forest immediately. I will escort you to the edge of the forest."

Lux and Tom both breathed a sigh of relief. Lux quickly tucked the precious unicorn fur close to her body, kicked Tom's wand back to him, and picked up Lumi, who was still trembling on the ground.

Escorted by Ronan, the two, a poro and a horseman, quickly returned along the way they came, with the white horse following behind. The atmosphere was even more silent than when they arrived, with only Lumi occasionally muttering to Lux in her mind, "That scared me to death" or "That big guy smells like grass."

Finally, the trees at the edge of the Forbidden Forest thinned out, and the majestic outline of Hogwarts Castle became clearly visible in the moonlight. Ronan stopped. "That's enough. Remember tonight's lesson, young wizards. The mysteries and dangers of the forest are far beyond your current capabilities. Cherish your house and obey its rules."

"We understand, thank you, Ronan," Lux said sincerely.

Tom nodded silently.

Ronan gave them one last, deep look, especially at Lux, before turning away. His tall figure silently disappeared into the dark forest behind him, as if he had never been there.

"Phew..." Lux let out a long breath, feeling her legs go weak. Tonight's events had been too many.

Tom immediately checked his wrist; the spot where Lux had hit him with "Expelliarmus" was red and swollen, and still a little sore.

His face darkened, he cracked his knuckles, looked at Lux, and said in an icy tone, "Your family's secret elixir..."

"Shh—!" Lux suddenly put her index finger to her lips, looking in horror toward the exit of the Forbidden Forest.

Tom followed her gaze and his heart sank.

On the edge of the forbidden forest, in a clearing illuminated by the moonlight, stood two figures.

On the left, Professor Albus Dumbledore, wearing a grey dressing gown, his auburn hair and beard fluttering slightly in the night breeze, had lost his usual gentle smile, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.

On the right, Professor Horace Slughorn, wrapped in a thick, dark green wool cloak, his round face filled with shock and disappointment, looked at Tom, the student he had just praised in class and considered to have a bright future, and then at the blonde girl next to him, whose hair was covered in leaves and whose robes were smeared with mud. He vaguely remembered her as the Gryffindor student who learned spells quickly but always caused trouble.

Dumbledore took a small step forward, his voice low but carrying a heavy weight, clearly reaching Lux and Tom's ears: "Mr. Tom Riddle, Miss Laxana Crownguard, I think you may need to give us a very, very full explanation."

His gaze swept over the bloodstains on Tom's robes, then settled on the disheveled appearance of the two men, who had clearly just emerged from the depths of the Forbidden Forest. "For example, why were you in the Forbidden Forest after curfew? And what made a centaur guardian personally escort you out?"

Professor Slughorn added, his voice trembling with grief, "Tom! My child! I can't believe it! You...you..." He had clearly noticed the unusual bloodstains, and his face darkened further. "And this young lady! Gryffindor courage shouldn't be wasted on things like this!"

Lux felt a chill run down her spine. Oh no, she'd been caught red-handed. Instinctively, she tried to cover the bag containing the unicorn fur even tighter.

Lux forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Professor... well... it's a long story... we actually are..."

"No need for further words, Miss Crownguard," Dumbledore interrupted her calmly, turning his gaze to Tom. "Mr. Riddle, I'd like to hear your side of the story."

Tom swayed almost imperceptibly. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his mind racing as he considered how to minimize the damage, how to reduce or share the responsibility.

"Professor..." Tom tried to keep his voice steady, "We...we didn't mean to break school rules. Tonight we noticed some unusual commotion in the Forbidden Forest, and out of curiosity and a sense of responsibility towards magical creatures, we followed..."

"Then," Dumbledore's gaze pierced Tom like a thorn in his side, "you found the wounded unicorn?"

"...Yes," Tom admitted with difficulty.

"What did you do to it?" Slughorn asked anxiously, his fat face showing worry.

"We saw that it was badly injured, and Lux ​​took out a medicine from her family to try to heal it. I... I was so shocked by the sight that I did something irrational and alerted the centaurs." He cleverly covered up his murderous intent so that even if a Hogwarts professor confronted the centaurs, there would be no conflict.

Upon seeing the unicorn hair, Professor Slughorn gasped, "So much unicorn hair! Merlin's beard!"

You should know that a single unicorn hair costs 10 Galleons, and this clump has at least forty or fifty hairs, which is quite a lot of money.

Dumbledore's gaze lingered on the hair for a moment, and finally, he sighed softly, a sigh tinged with barely perceptible worry.

"Curiosity? Responsibility? Impulse?" Dumbledore's voice returned to calm, yet carried a weighty, judgmental tone. "What high-sounding words, Mr. Riddle, Miss Lacus, but none of these can conceal the fact that you disregarded school rules, trespassed into the Forbidden Forest, and placed yourselves and others in extreme danger. If the centaurs had not arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Professor Slughorn, who nodded.

"Gryffindor," Dumbledore's voice announced clearly, "for Miss Laksana Crownguard's serious breach of school rules, ignoring curfew and trespassing into the Forbidden Forest, endangering herself and her classmates, twenty points are deducted."

"Slytherin," Professor Slughorn continued, "because Mr. Tom Riddle also seriously violated school rules by ignoring curfew and trespassing into the Forbidden Forest, he will also lose twenty points."

"Now," Dumbledore waved his wand, and two gentle but irresistible forces fell on the two of them respectively, "return to the castle immediately. We'll discuss tonight's events and the subsequent detention tomorrow. Professor Slughorn, please escort Tom. Miss Lux, come with me."