Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 104 Centaur Xinglun

He genuinely cared about Puni and didn't want him to get into unnecessary trouble because of his special status.

Puni stopped and pondered for a moment. He felt that Regulus was right. The Guardian Charm was indeed useful, and after learning it, he could better hide his secrets and avoid being noticed by others.

Thinking of this, he nodded deeply and said decisively, "If you can teach me, Uncle, I would be happy to learn this magic."

There's no harm in learning another kind of magic anyway; on the contrary, it provides an extra layer of security. Having made up their minds, the two didn't linger any longer, quickened their pace, and successfully left Azkaban.

The round trip from Azkaban took a considerable amount of time, and by the time Puni and Regulus returned to 12 Grimoire Square, it was already dinnertime.

Normally, Puni rarely stayed here for long, let alone had dinner here, but today was a special occasion, so he stayed and had dinner with Regulus. After dinner, they chatted briefly before he got up to say goodbye and prepare to return to Hogwarts.

As Penny walked out of Number 12 Grimmauld Place and arrived at Professor Flitwick's office at Hogwarts via the Floo Network, he immediately saw Professor Flitwick sitting in an extremely tall chair.

Professor Flitwick, a short man, looked rather comical sitting on his high chair. In front of him was a thick stack of workbooks, and he was bowing his head, carefully grading them, his pen moving quickly across the paper, his expression focused and serious.

"Hello, Professor," Puni said politely.

"Hi, Puni!" Professor Flitwick looked up, pushed up his glasses, and smiled gently. "I know you might not be in a good mood lately. Anyone would be upset after what happened to the Black family. But if you go to the hall now, you might be able to have something to eat and chat with your friends to ease your mind."

"it is good."

Puni himself wasn't actually feeling too sad. He didn't have much of a connection with the elders of the Black family, and their passing didn't have a significant impact on him. But he naturally couldn't say this to Professor Flitwick, since Professor Flitwick was just trying to be kind to him.

So Puni simply nodded slightly, responded, and turned to leave Professor Flitwick's office.

Stepping out of the office and down the stairs, Puni couldn't help but sigh at the stark contrast between the atmospheres of Hogwarts and Azkaban. Azkaban was eerily silent, filled with despair and coldness, and everyone's face was etched with numbness and pain. In contrast, Hogwarts was filled with laughter, warmth, and liveliness, brimming with youthful energy.

On the way down from Professor Flitwick's office to the lobby, Puni even saw several couples cuddling together, whispering sweet nothings, some even stealing kisses, their faces full of youthful innocence and sweetness.

As he entered the hall, Puni's eyes quickly scanned his surroundings, and soon he spotted his friends in familiar spots.

Marcos was huddled together with Eddie and Roger, their heads close together. All three of them were looking down intently at their newspapers, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones, seemingly engrossed in their discussion.

As for Qiu Zhang, perhaps it was a telepathic connection, as soon as Puni saw her figure, she seemed to sense something, slowly raised her little head, and accurately cast her gaze in Puni's direction.

The moment Qiu Zhang saw Puni, the slight gloom on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a bright and cheerful smile, his eyes curving into crescents, making him look exceptionally adorable.

Seeing Qiu Zhang's smile, Puni's mood improved as well. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a gentle smile. Then she took a few steps and slowly walked to Qiu Zhang's side, her gaze soft.

Just then, Marcos, who was sitting opposite, suddenly put down his newspaper, looked up, and called out to Puni in a mocking tone, "Hey, Puni, you're finally back! I saw you stare straight at Cho Chang the moment you entered the hall, completely ignoring us friends!"

Eddie and Roger, who were standing nearby, also looked up, their faces showing expressions similar to Marcos's. They winked at Puni, clearly agreeing with what Marcos had said.

Stop spouting nonsense.

Puni rolled his eyes.

He had a meal with his roommates.

Dumbledore was eating at the time, and Puni was about to leave when he suddenly came over.

"Puni, come with me."

"Hmm? Okay."

Puni was taken aback, feeling a bit strange at being called out by Dumbledore, but he still agreed.

Time flew by and the next day arrived.

Dumbledore said he would take him to see the Forbidden Forest.

Puni didn't understand.

Dumbledore, however, only said that as a talented young wizard, he should see more of the school.

Puni was even more confused.

What does Old Deng mean by this?

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and on the quiet outskirts of the forbidden forest, the only sound was the cracking of dead branches as they were broken by shoes.

Two figures, their steps steady, walked slowly into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, their feet glistening with morning dew. They were Puni and Dumbledore.

As you slowly walk along the winding path, all around is quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

After a long silence, Puni finally couldn't help but speak up: "Professor Dumbledore, I'd like to ask you, what is the purpose of bringing me here?"

Upon hearing this question, Dumbledore stopped in his tracks, closed his eyes slightly, and fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding woods, and then he said slowly, "This is actually a very old problem. Your elders made some requests to me before they died, and I granted them."

Uh?

Elders in the family?

Were they the elders who were cursed and ultimately died?

Puni was taken aback, his feelings a mix of emotions.

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Child, the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to young wizards because it's truly dangerous. But since I'm here, you don't need to worry about that rule. Come and explore the Forbidden Forest with me. If you need any magical materials, I can help you get them."

"Thank you, Professor." Puni nodded.

He didn't know what request his elders had made to Dumbledore.

But given the current situation, it's not necessarily a bad thing for him.

The two did not continue discussing the topic, and continued chatting slowly as they walked deeper into the forbidden forest.

The deeper you go, the denser the surrounding trees become. The intertwined canopies of the trees gradually block out the light from the sky, and sunlight can only filter through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting scattered spots of light.

The ground became increasingly damp, covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and moss, soft and sticky underfoot. The surroundings grew darker, the light so dim that one could not see the road ahead.

The two simultaneously raised their wands and softly chanted the Illumination Charm.

A pale white light emanated from the tip of the wand, illuminating the path ahead and revealing the Forbidden Forest.

A somber and oppressive hue enveloped the entire forest, the air thick with the smell of damp, decaying leaves. Many striking white spiderwebs hung from the branches, their webs fine yet resilient, some covered in dust, others still gleaming with a fresh sheen, clearly recently woven.

Dumbledore stopped and looked closely at the torn spiderwebs on the branches of a nearby tree. He then turned to Puni and asked, "Look at these spiderwebs. They look like they were forcibly torn apart by some large creatures. The remaining fragments are still hanging on the branches. It's clear that something big happened recently."

"Some time ago?" Puni paused.

Was it during the time when Hagrid said there might be problems in the Forbidden Forest?

For some reason, Puni always felt that countless cold eyes were hiding in the darkness, watching him and Dumbledore.

Just as Puni finished speaking, a series of "hissing" sounds suddenly rang out around them. The sounds were not loud, but they were exceptionally clear, coming from all directions and lingering in their ears.

Clearly, these giant spiders had been lurking around them for some time, perhaps waiting patiently from the moment they entered the area, until the two were completely encircled by them, at which point they finally revealed themselves.

Penny said to Dumbledore, "Professor, are there really this many spiders? I think their numbers need to be controlled."

These eight-legged arthropods are already quite ugly, making people feel disgusted just by looking at them. What's even more terrifying is that they have highly venomous mouths, are good at ambushing, and can also spit out sticky spider silk. Once you get entangled in the spider silk, it's very difficult to escape.

"Yes, there are indeed too many of them. There was a riot a while ago, and many people died, but there are still so many."

Dumbledore's gaze swept across the surrounding darkness: "It seems these big guys intend to surround us."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dumbledore slowly raised his wand.

Beams of dazzling light shot out from the tip of the wand, like sharp swords, precisely targeting the spiders lurking in the surrounding darkness.

The moment the light struck the spiders, those spiders that were previously wriggling and scurrying suddenly became motionless, falling into complete silence, their bodies devoid of life, as if they had instantly turned into stiff sculptures.

Immediately afterwards, a gentle breeze blew by, and these "sculptures" shattered instantly, turning into countless tiny fragments that were scattered by the wind and disappeared without a trace.

Puni blinked.

Such powerful magic, executed with such swift and decisive precision...

Watching the giant spiders instantly turn into scattered fragments, Puni snapped out of his shock. He gripped his wand tightly, his gaze falling on Dumbledore, and asked softly, "Professor, what kind of magic did you just cast? I've never seen anything like it before."

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore smiled gently, his expression calm, and explained slowly, "It's nothing special; I just made a small modification to the Petrification Charm."

As he spoke, he gently put his wand into his robe pocket, his voice still gentle and calm, as if his casual act of dispelling the spiders' encirclement was nothing more than a trivial matter.

Should we make only a few changes?

Puni doesn't think so.

From his perspective, this magic requires the caster to remain completely silent throughout the spellcasting process, without uttering any incantations. Furthermore, the waving motion of the wand must be continuous and fluid, without any pauses. The slightest mistake could lead to the failure of the magic, or even backfire on the caster.

After dealing with the spiders around him, Dumbledore smiled gently and slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the towering tree behind him.

Then he spoke, his words echoing slowly through the silent forbidden forest: "Friends from the forest, since you are already waiting here, why don't you come out and meet us?"

However, there was no response from behind the tree. The surroundings remained silent, with only a gentle breeze rustling the leaves and the occasional chirping of birds in the distance breaking the monotony, which only made the silence behind the tree seem more deliberate.

Dumbledore waited patiently for a moment, and seeing that there was still no movement behind the tree, he raised his hand, preparing to open the door again, trying to persuade the other party to show themselves.

Just as he was about to speak, a young yet steady voice suddenly came from behind the tree, breaking the silence: "Guests from outside the forest, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation, nor did I have any malicious intent. Please don't take offense. However, I must remind you that the spiders will soon gather again. You should leave here as soon as possible to ensure your safety."

The voice sounded very young, but it lacked the impetuousness of youth. Instead, it revealed a maturity and composure beyond its years, and it was also very polite. You could feel from the words that the other party had no hostility.

Puni's heart skipped a beat.

He was right; it wasn't just the giant spiders spying on them from the shadows, but also someone else.

The other party was very friendly and sincere, but he never showed up. He hid behind a big tree, deliberately concealing his figure, making it impossible for anyone to see his appearance or determine his identity.

Seeing this, Dumbledore showed no displeasure. Instead, he maintained his gentle smile and said softly, "Ahem, thank you for reminding me, friend. Since you are so concerned about our safety and willing to offer this advice, could you please show yourself and tell us some information about the Forbidden Forest? After all, I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is both my responsibility and my duty to protect the peace of this area and to know everything about the Forbidden Forest."

After a moment of silence, a deep voice responded from behind the tree: "Alright, I'll come out to see you."

As these words were spoken, a tall, dark figure slowly emerged from behind the tree.

Puni looked over.

This figure was actually half again as tall as Dumbledore, with a tall and strong build that gave off a strong sense of oppression.

When the figure fully emerged from the shade and stood in the light, Puni realized that the person's upper body was human, while the lower body was that of a horse with strong limbs covered in thick hair, and a belt made of rough animal hide around the waist.

The centaur looked at Dumbledore with a hint of respect in his eyes, took a small step back with his forelegs, and said respectfully, "I know you, Headmaster of Hogwarts Castle. You may call me by my name, Xinglun."

"I was patrolling the Forbidden Forest when I stumbled upon those giant spiders."

Xinglun abandoned his formalities, his expression turning serious, and slowly said, "Recently, food in the Forbidden Forest has become increasingly scarce. To fill their stomachs, the spiders have become more and more ferocious, constantly encroaching on the activity areas of other animals and attacking innocent creatures without any scruples, posing a great threat to the inhabitants of the Forbidden Forest."

As he spoke, Xinglun turned slightly to the side, raised his front hooves, and showed Dumbledore and Penny the scars on his body.

Puni looked closely and saw that Xinglun's strong body was covered with wounds of various sizes and depths. Some wounds had already scabbed over and healed, leaving dark marks, while others had not yet fully healed and were still dark red with slight swelling at the edges, indicating that they had been injured recently and were still throbbing.

In addition, Puni noticed that Xinglun's limbs and torso were wrapped with some sticky white spider silk. The silk was stuck to his hair and looked somewhat messy. The texture and pattern of this silk were exactly the same as the spider web they had just seen on the tree branch. It must have been entangled by the silk sprayed by those giant spiders.

Puni pondered to himself, and judging from the scene before him, Xinglun must have accidentally stumbled into an ambush trap set by the spiders while on patrol and was attacked by the giant spiders.