When Wade returned to the charred land, he saw from afar that Hagrid and Norberta were gone, and the students were in a bit of a panic.
"Quick! Help them over here!"
"Careful, that hurts!"
"Do you need water? I know Aguamenti!"
"Hurry up, what are you waiting for?"
Wade casually grabbed someone passing by and asked, "What happened?"
"You weren't here just now?" Ryan looked a bit surprised, then said, "Norberta accidentally sneezed, and then… you saw what happened."
He shrugged helplessly, then casually helped a younger student fix his robe, which was mostly burned away.
"How come I don't see Hagrid?" Wade asked as he walked towards the center of the chaos.
"Everyone's shouting seemed to startle Norberta just now. Hagrid finally managed to get her back into the cave, and now he's probably trying to calm that big guy down!" Ryan said.
As he spoke, a low roar echoed from the cave, reverberating like waves, and for a moment, the entire forest seemed to fall silent.
After a brief pause, Wade continued forward and, as expected, found that the most severely injured was the unlucky Malfoy.
His wizard robe was mostly unbuttoned, and his usually pale skin was covered in large, terrifying burns, the blood-red and black color sending shivers down one's spine.
Although most of the students present didn't like Slytherin, basic morality and sympathy hadn't disappeared. Many students, concerned yet fearful, surrounded Malfoy. Percy, Penelope, and a few other older students cautiously used Healing Spells.
Malfoy gritted his teeth, tears streaming down his face from the pain, but this time he didn't yell, "I'm going to tell my father!" Instead, he gasped, "Madam Pomfrey, I need Madam Pomfrey!"
"This is terrible!" Hermione said anxiously. "We need to get all the injured to the Hospital Wing quickly."
"Don't worry," Ron comforted. "Madam Pomfrey will fix these minor injuries in no time."
Malfoy glared at him fiercely. "Easy for you to say, it's not you who's hurting!"
Ron pointed at Harry next to him and mocked, "Harry broke his arm before and didn't cry like you, little Draco darling."
Malfoy immediately showed an expression of extreme disgust. "Don't call me by such a disgusting name, who do you think you are?"
"That's enough!" Percy suddenly said angrily. "Anyone who argues again will lose twenty points! I mean it!"
He glared fiercely at his youngest brother, then put down his Wand and said, "This is all we can do for now, let's get back to school as soon as possible."
"But Hagrid hasn't come out yet," Penelope frowned. "Without Hagrid, we shouldn't venture into the forest on our own."
"Let me see." Wade pushed through the crowd, walked over, examined Malfoy's injuries, then reached into his pocket and fumbled for a moment, pulling out a slender crystal bottle.
Malfoy had been watching him with suspicious eyes. Seeing him open the bottle and point its opening at his wound, he immediately asked warily, "What is this?"
"Unless your nose isn't working, it's burn cream."
Considering his injury, Wade didn't mind his attitude, saying in a relatively gentle tone, "To be precise, it's the most effective kind."
Since the last operation to rescue Hailey on the island, Wade had gradually received various Potions from Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey—for colds, detoxification, wound healing, blood replenishment, and more. All types were available, and they were much more effective than the Potions Wade made himself.
There was no helping it; he didn't dedicate much time to practicing Potions, and his skill level was only considered excellent among students. He couldn't compare to a Potions master like Professor Snape.
A light green liquid flowed from the bottle's opening. Wade softly chanted a spell, and the Potion, as if it had a mind of its own, crawled along the wound, eventually covering all the burns.
A few seconds later, the swelling and redness of the wound rapidly subsided. The terrible red and yellow burns gradually became faintly reddish marks. A little charred skin peeled off, and some thumb-sized blisters that had just swelled up also disappeared.
"Fantastic!" Astoria said happily. "You look like you've recovered, Malfoy!"
"But my shoulder still hurts!" Malfoy exclaimed. He reached out and carefully poked it himself, immediately yelping in pain.
"Does it really hurt that much?" Harry asked skeptically.
Malfoy said with a distorted expression, "I really wish you could experience this, Potter!"
Astoria said with a mix of helplessness and confusion, "Why are you still asking for trouble when you're injured? Are you really not afraid of everyone leaving you in the Forbidden Forest?"
Although he knew Hagrid, as a professor, wouldn't abandon his students, Malfoy's face paled when he heard that, as if he was somewhat scared.
"This is, after all, an injury caused by a Dragon," Wade explained. "The surface skin has mostly healed with the Potion, but the deeper layers haven't yet—if you don't touch the wound, it shouldn't affect normal movement."
Malfoy was half-convinced. He carefully put on his robe and took a couple of steps. Indeed, he no longer felt the cutting pain he had experienced earlier.
He mumbled something, wanting to say thank you, but the words didn't come out.
While he hesitated, Wade had already been pulled away by others. After all, Malfoy wasn't the only student with burns, just the most severely injured.
Malfoy didn't dare make any big movements, carefully adjusting his clothes. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone lingering nearby. He looked up and saw it was Harry, who asked mockingly, "What? Want to interview me about my feelings on being injured?"
"No," Harry said, a bit embarrassed, rubbing his nose. "Malfoy, since your injury will heal quickly, you won't complain to your father, right? You know this was completely an accident…"
The first time an accident happened in Care of Magical Creatures class, Harry felt it was all Malfoy's fault, because Hagrid had repeatedly said to respect the Hippogriff, but Malfoy deliberately provoked and insulted Buckbeak.
But this time… he just happened to stand a bit too close to the Dragon's nose. Hagrid was definitely more responsible.
Upon closer inspection, whether it was raising a dangerous Norwegian Ridgeback in the Forbidden Forest or bringing a group of students to observe and interact with a Dragon up close, it was certainly a violation of regulations.
Harry belatedly realized how reckless Hagrid's actions were, which made him sound particularly unconfident when he told Malfoy he hoped he wouldn't pursue the matter.
"How I choose to act is none of your business, Potter!" Malfoy said coldly. "Stay away from me!"
After driving away a few Gryffindors, Malfoy didn't dare make any big movements. He carefully supported his injured shoulder, maintaining a cautious distance from the others.
At this moment, Malfoy was glad that Blaise and the others hadn't come over, as well as those annoying Weasley twins. Otherwise, those guys would surely pretend to be casual and deliberately touch his injured spot.
A figure approached from behind. Malfoy thought it was Harry again and turned his head in annoyance, only to see the petite Astoria.
He frowned and asked, "What? Are you here to plead for that brute too?"
"No." Astoria shook her head and said, "I know you won't pursue it."
"How do you know I won't?" Malfoy drew out his words maliciously. "I'll have my father skin her alive, and Hagrid too! He'll never be a professor again, and he'll be sent to Azkaban!"
If Harry and the others had been there, they would have certainly started fighting, but Astoria just shook her head again.
"You won't. You like Norberta, more than any of us do."
Astoria stated confidently, "And even now, you refer to Norberta as 'she' instead of 'that beast'—that's what you always call the Hippogriff, right? I've heard you do it several times."
Malfoy awkwardly turned his head away, then after a moment, asked, "So why are you here? To laugh at me too?"
"I just thought you might not want to be alone right now, when everyone else is with their friends."
Astoria walked beside him, hands behind her back, swaying slightly, and asked directly,
"Why are you always so mean to others? Potter and Gray weren't malicious just now, and neither was I. And, you might not like Ron Weasley, but his brother just healed you a few minutes ago."
Draco Malfoy looked at the golden-haired girl's clear, limpid eyes, and suddenly felt that the long-suppressed jealousy, resentment, fear, and doubt in his heart were like smelly socks hidden under the bed—unpresentable.
Finally, he just said, "Do I need a reason to dislike someone?"
Astoria didn't retort. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Well, I can understand that then... After all, I have someone I dislike too."
Malfoy paused, curious. "Who?"
Astoria didn't answer, just looked up at him silently.
Malfoy began to feel confused, then suddenly realized after a moment, "—Pansy?"
"I feel like she often bullies my sister, but when I tell Daphne to stay away from Parkinson, she acts just like you did, telling me to mind my own business."
Astoria sighed, "Why are you all like this? You know they're bad friends, but you still can't break ties?"
"It's not as simple as you make it sound!" Malfoy snapped. "These things are complicated. What do you, a little girl, know?"
Astoria said pointedly, "Staying away from friends who make you uncomfortable—I don't think that requires too much profound wisdom... You just lack some courage."
Malfoy was speechless, unable to retort. His usual sharp wit when arguing with Harry seemed to have rusted.
Just then, Hagrid finally emerged from the cave, a large patch of his beard singed, and several new holes in his clothes.
"Alright, kids, is everyone okay?"
Hagrid cautiously looked around, focusing particularly on Malfoy, who seemed to have screamed earlier. Seeing that everyone appeared unharmed (having already been treated by Wade), he finally relaxed and hurriedly said,
"Alright, let's head back to school. Norberta is... uh... not in a good mood right now. Was anyone injured just now? Nothing serious, right?"
Hagrid looked at Malfoy several times, but Malfoy had no time to pay attention to him. He belatedly realized that he had forgotten to retort to Astoria just now. Pansy wasn't a bad friend; she was the most supportive person in all of Slytherin.
But after walking some distance with the group, Malfoy slowly recalled the details of their usual interactions.
He couldn't help but think: What Astoria said... wasn't entirely wrong.
...
Wade stayed at the back of the group, turning a dry branch into a thin wooden board. He wrote a message on it, then went to where he found the wolf cub and hung the board on a tree with a rope.
He quickly caught up with the group ahead, Fang still bouncing along beside him.
"Strange..."
Hagrid couldn't help but glance around as he walked. But the towering trees blocked his view, and Hagrid found nothing unusual.
"What's strange?" Harry asked.
"The Forbidden Forest seems a bit warmer than usual," Hagrid said, puzzled. "And don't you smell it? I keep getting a whiff of roasted meat..."
Harry sniffed, and his stomach rumbled twice.
"You're hungry, Hagrid," Harry concluded, then added, "I'm hungry too. Dinner in the Great Hall shouldn't have disappeared yet, right?"
"Don't worry," Theo said. "If we're back late, we'll go to the kitchens and get everyone some food."
He winked, and Harry immediately smiled, thinking of the abundant food and enthusiastic House-elves there.
He now almost hoped to see an empty dining table when they returned.
At the mention of dinner, Hagrid immediately forgot his earlier thoughts. Besides, his most important task now was to get the students back safely.
The return journey was still smooth and quiet, even eerily quiet. The forest at night usually had all sorts of noisy sounds, but tonight it was so quiet it seemed even the insects were asleep. Only the sound of footsteps and breathing could be heard.
Hagrid felt uneasy and quickened his pace, urging everyone to walk faster. He didn't secretly sigh with relief until the castle lights appeared in sight.
Wade paused slightly. A flash of fire suddenly shot out from the dark forest, flickering past him and disappearing.
Wade tucked his pencil case into his pocket, looking at Fang, who was staring with wide eyes, and smiled softly.
The hound cocked its head in confusion, then shook its head and trotted towards Hagrid's cabin, collapsing onto the steps as if completely exhausted.
"Alright, time to eat now." Hagrid clapped his hands. "If anyone got injured just now, go to the Hospital Wing and see Madam Pomfrey—of course, you all know that. Also, next week, hand in an essay to me on the topic of Norwegian Ridgebacks..."
Amidst the students' loud grumbles, Hagrid expertly assigned homework and strode towards the castle.
More than half an hour later, a hand plucked the wooden sign from the tree. The man, dressed in clothes resembling a tattered display stand, stood beneath the tree, flipping the sign over to examine it.
Beside him were a white wolf and several pups. After a moment, the white wolf impatiently pawed at his leg.
"Don't scratch, this is my only pair of trousers that isn't ripped," the man said in a hoarse voice. "The Wizard took Morris into the castle. He said he'd send the child back once he was healed."
The white wolf whimpered a few times, a hint of human-like worry in its eyes.
"We can't enter that castle, so we can only choose to trust him." The man tucked the wooden sign behind his waist, then said to a small, amber-eyed wolf beside him, "Kallan, tell me exactly what happened from start to finish."
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