Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 116 Old Deng doesn't want to change professors every day either!

Seeing Dumbledore and Professor Kettleburn's support, Hagrid's tense nerves finally relaxed. All his strength seemed to have been drained in an instant, and he collapsed onto a nearby tree root, panting heavily, his chest heaving. Under Dumbledore's magical intimidation and Professor Kettleburn's insect repellent powder, the eight-eyed spiders dared not linger any longer. They reluctantly let out an angry clicking sound, slowly retreating, and finally disappeared into the dark depths of the forest.

"Merlin's beard—if you had arrived any later, I would have been torn to shreds by these crazed spiders." Hagrid leaned weakly against the ancient tree, his voice hoarse and his face weary. "I followed the trail here, thinking Buckbeak and the others had been dragged here, only to find Professor Cass lying on the ground, covered in wounds. I tried to help him, but as soon as I got close, I was surrounded by these spiders. Unfortunately—I still haven't found any trace of Buckbeak and the others."

Dumbledore slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping across the still-shaken Hagrid, the unconscious Professor Cassius, and the chaotic battlefield—scattered spiderwebs, dried bloodstains, broken branches—his eyes deep in thought, his aura growing increasingly serious.

He waved his wand, and a soft white light fell upon Hagrid, instantly restoring his tattered robes and smoothing the scratches on his body. "Hagrid, think carefully, before you found Professor Cass, did you encounter any other strangers? Or see anything unusual?"

Hagrid frowned, thought carefully for a moment, and slowly shook his head: "There are no other strangers here. I followed the drag marks and spider silk all the way here, and saw nothing but signs of a fight. I initially thought the marks were left by spiders dragging Buckbeak, but when I got here, I only found Professor Cass unconscious. Before I could figure out what was going on, I was surrounded by spiders and almost died here."

Dumbledore's brow furrowed even more as he listened to Hagrid's words. His doubts hadn't been dispelled; instead, they had deepened. Professor Cass's coma, the giant spider's abnormality, and the Hippogriff's disappearance—all of these seemed unrelated, yet they subtly revealed a connection. There must be a secret hidden behind them. He slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Professor Kettleburn and Hagrid: "Sylvanas, I'd like you and Hagrid to first escort Professor Cass safely back to the castle's infirmary and entrust him to Madam Pomfrey's care. Penny and I will stay here to conduct a thorough examination of the scene and see if we can find any useful clues."

"Don't worry, Albus, leave this to us. We'll make sure Professor Cass gets to the medical room safely." Professor Kettleburn nodded without hesitation.

No one expected that his only remaining arm would be so strong, showing no signs of the inconvenience caused by years of using a prosthesis. He walked skillfully to Professor Cass's side, reached out and supported Professor Cass's shoulder, signaling Hagrid to cooperate.

Hagrid's mind was still preoccupied with Buckbeak's whereabouts. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes were filled with worry. He would occasionally glance into the depths of the Forbidden Forest, as if he could see the missing Hippogriffs through the dense foliage. But he also knew that saving lives was the priority. Professor Cass was unconscious and his injuries were unknown. There could be no delay. His massive body played a crucial role at this moment. He steadily crouched down and, with Professor Kettleburn's help, lifted the unconscious Professor Cass onto his back, fearing that the slightest bump would aggravate Professor Cass's injuries.

Dumbledore watched their movements and gently reminded them, "Hagrid, slow down and be careful. Professor Cass is seriously injured and has been affected by the Stunning Charm and Dark Magic. He can't withstand the jolting from your running. Make sure you move steadily."

Hagrid nodded heavily, steadied Professor Cass more firmly, and whispered, "I understand, Professor. I'll go slower."

He glanced one last time at the depths of the Forbidden Forest, his eyes filled with resentment and worry. In the end, he suppressed his eagerness and walked slowly toward the castle with Professor Kettleburn.

Tooth, who had been nowhere to be seen, suddenly emerged from the bushes beside them, barked twice at Hagrid, wagged its tail, and then trotted alongside them.

It seems that the little guy was frightened by the giant spider's imposing presence and hid away. Now that he heard they were going back to the castle, he dared to run out boldly and follow Hagrid closely.

Puni watched Professor Kettleburn's figure with curiosity. This professor only had half a leg and one arm, but he was unusually agile when walking in the forest, even more stable than some able-bodied people, and was not affected by the prosthesis at all. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of terrible accident Professor Kettleburn had experienced to become like this, losing part of his limbs.

Puni remembered that his family also had a magical creature breeding farm, but he didn't do the basic work; he just needed to give them instructions. However, he had never heard of anyone suffering such a serious accident, losing limbs, because of breeding magical creatures.

Puni had been looking forward to the Magical Creatures Protection class, but unfortunately, it was an elective for third-year students and not open to younger students, which inevitably disappointed him.

The Forbidden Forest returned to silence only after Hagrid, Professor Kettleburn, and Tooth had completely disappeared behind the dense trees. The wind rustled through the treetops, a stark contrast to the sounds of the fierce fighting and the clicking of spiders. On the ground, the mess left by the fight still remained: broken bushes, scattered spider silk, dried blood, and remnants of insect repellent powder sprinkled by Professor Kettleburn.

The air was filled with a mixture of smells: the pungent odor of insect repellent powder, the foul stench left by the giant spider, and a faint, indescribable ominous scent that lingered around, making one feel uneasy.

Dumbledore slowly stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic scene, his expression grave: "These eight-eyed giant spiders probably didn't attack the animals in the Forbidden Forest simply because they were looking for food."

He paused, then added, "Think about it, if they were just hunting for food, given Professor Cass's condition, he would have been completely corroded and digested by the spiders' venom long before Hagrid arrived. He wouldn't be alive at all."

Puni thought about it carefully and realized it was true. The venom of the Octopod Spider was extremely corrosive; once bitten, if not treated promptly, the venom would soon seep into the entire body. He looked at Dumbledore and asked softly, "Professor, what do we need to do here now? Is there some hidden clue?"

Dumbledore slowly turned to Penny, his blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles becoming unusually focused and deep, as if they could see through the appearances before him and see the essence of things. His voice was not loud, but very clear, each word reaching Penny's ears: "Now, what we need to do is carefully explore this area and find out what exactly happened here. Often, the most subtle and easily overlooked traces will tell us the most truthful facts."

Having said that, Dumbledore didn't unleash any dazzling magic. He simply began to slowly walk along the edge of the scene, surveying it step by step. His eyes were exceptionally sharp, not missing a single detail, carefully scanning every broken bush.

Every footprint, deep or shallow, especially around the spot where Professor Cass had collapsed unconscious, was the focus of his investigation. After surveying the area, Dumbledore stopped and his gaze fell on a fallen leaf not far from where Professor Cass had lain.

Puni followed his gaze and saw that the fallen leaf had obvious signs of corrosion. It was black in color and the edges were curled. It did not look like it had been burned by flames. Instead, it looked more like it had been eroded by some kind of corrosive liquid or magic.

In addition, Dumbledore noticed that Professor Cass's wand had fallen into a pile of leaves not far away, quite a distance from his hand, and its placement was very strange. It didn't look like it had fallen naturally after an accidental fall; rather, it looked like it had been forcefully thrown there.

Just then, Puni also noticed something unusual. Pointing to the fallen leaves covered in corroded marks, along with the messy footprints and spider silk around them, he said to Dumbledore, "Professor, look here. Are these corroded marks caused by the Octopods? I've never seen them secrete a liquid that can corrode fallen leaves like this. Their venom, though potent, wouldn't cause marks like this."

When Dumbledore heard Penny's question, he slowly shook his head and looked at him with a hint of approval: "Penny, these are definitely not marks that the Eight-Eyed Giant Spider could have made."

As he spoke, he slowly squatted down, tilting his wand and touching the blackened, corroded earth with its tip. As soon as it touched the ground, a faint but eerie blackish-purple light appeared on the tip of the wand. The light was dim and cold, and just looking at it sent chills down one's spine.

"This is a mark left by dark magic," Dumbledore said in a low voice, "an extremely insidious curse-like spell. Once it hits, it can quickly break the victim's will and slowly devour their life force. It is extremely vicious."

Upon hearing this, Puni took a few steps back, increasing the distance between himself and the corroded area.

"Then...Professor Cass, was he struck by this curse and fell into a coma?" Puni steadied himself.

"Things are not that simple, and that's the most puzzling part." Dumbledore slowly stood up, put away his wand, and the dark purple light instantly dissipated.

His gaze shifted to the spider silk and footprints left by the eight-eyed giant spiders on the ground. He frowned and pondered, "Moreover, the attack patterns of these eight-eyed giant spiders are also very abnormal. Their targets seem unusually clear. First, they targeted the hippogriff tribe, and then they concentrated their attacks on Hagrid and Professor Cass. This is not at all like a blind attack launched because of hunger."

Following Dumbledore's train of thought, Penny frowned, his mind racing through various possibilities. After a moment, a bold conjecture suddenly came to mind. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Professor, I have an idea. Do you think it's possible that the sudden increase in the aggressiveness of these eight-eyed giant spiders, even their targeted attacks, isn't their own will, but rather that they're being guided by someone, or even controlled by dark magic?"

Upon hearing Penny's conjecture, a sharp glint flashed in Dumbledore's previously calm eyes: "Your conjecture is bold, but also highly probable. Although the Octopods possess considerable intelligence and are capable of simple communication and coordinated hunting, it is absolutely impossible for the entire colony to exhibit abnormal behavior and launch a unified attack on a fixed target on their own. There must be an external force intervening and influencing them in secret."

Having said that, Dumbledore didn't linger. He strode to the center of the clearing—the very spot where the drag mark had started and the most crucial area of ​​the entire scene. He slowly closed his eyes, raised his wand, placed it in front of his chest, and began to chant an extremely complex and obscure incantation. The incantation was deep and ancient, each syllable carrying powerful magic, echoing through the silent forest.

As the incantation was recited, invisible ripples seemed to slowly spread through the air, distorting and swaying the originally dim light around them, forming faint shadows.

Puni stood to the side, feeling a powerful yet gentle magic flowing quietly in the air, enveloping the entire exploration area. It was Dumbledore's Rewind magic, used to recreate what had happened at the scene.

This state lasted for several minutes. Dumbledore kept his eyes closed, his brows furrowed, his expression focused and solemn, and the incantation in his mouth never stopped. Only after a moment did he slowly stop chanting, open his eyes, and his expression became more solemn than ever before, even carrying a hint of imperceptible coldness.

Puni followed his gaze and saw that among the previously blurry marks on the ground, several very conspicuous footprints suddenly appeared. These footprints were marked by a faint white light and were clearly identifiable. They were obviously not left by Professor Cass, as Professor Cass's shoe prints were completely different in size and much fainter.

"Although the traces were deliberately concealed and are somewhat blurred, I am certain that there was another person in this clearing before Professor Cass lost consciousness," Dumbledore said. "That person is mysterious and skilled in dark magic. He used powerful dark magic to knock Professor Cass unconscious. In addition, he also seems to have used some kind of magic on those giant spiders that could control their minds, making them attack according to their own will."

All his previous doubts were now explained. Professor Cass was not the intruder who attacked the Hippogriff. On the contrary, he was likely a victim as well. Perhaps he had discovered the mysterious man's plot and tried to stop him, which led to a sudden attack from the shadows. He was knocked unconscious before he could cast any defensive magic.

The real mastermind, that mysterious figure, used dark magic to control the swarm of eight-eyed spiders, deliberately creating chaos, attacking the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest, and even knocking Professor Cass unconscious. What was his purpose in doing all this? Was it to steal the magical creatures, or did he have a more sinister and terrifying motive?

Penny looked at Dumbledore and asked, "Professor, can we discern the identity of that mysterious man from these traces? Who exactly is he?"

Dumbledore shook his head: "No, the other party is very cunning and adept at hiding his identity. He deliberately cleaned up and covered up the traces at the scene, leaving too many clues to directly determine his identity."

As soon as he finished speaking, he changed the subject, his gaze becoming sharp and increasingly serious: "However, a few things are certain. His choice to operate inside the Forbidden Forest, his precise control of the eight-eyed spider, and even his accurate location of Professor Cass's whereabouts indicate that he is very familiar with the layout of Hogwarts and the terrain of the Forbidden Forest. Moreover, judging from his methods, his target is probably not just a few magical creatures; there must be a much larger conspiracy behind it."

Dumbledore slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over the dense woods and looking toward Hogwarts Castle. His eyes were deep and solemn, as if they could penetrate all the obstacles and see everything inside the castle, and as if he were pondering the true purpose of that mysterious person.

"We must return to the castle immediately." Dumbledore withdrew his gaze. "Professor Cass's safety is of paramount importance. He is currently the only person who may have seen the mysterious man's true face. If he can wake up, he may be able to provide us with crucial clues to find the mastermind behind it all."

Puni stood to the side, looking at Dumbledore's solemn expression, and could vaguely sense that the headmaster's heart must be filled with anger at this moment.

Hehehe~ There's nothing we can do about it.

The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts is never easy to obtain. Every year, various unforeseen circumstances affect the teaching of this course, and it is even difficult to find a suitable professor to teach it.

Now, the newly arrived Professor Cass has been attacked and fallen into a coma, which is undoubtedly another provocation against Hogwarts.

Old Deng doesn't want to change professors every day!