Chapter 6: Forbidden Forest Detour
The main corridor near the Great Hall was cold, the stone floor worn smooth under Alex's feet, carrying the faint scent of candle wax and disinfectant. The late hour draped the castle in an anxious hush, broken only by the distant creak of a settling beam. Alex stood with Harry, Ron, and Neville Longbottom before Professor McGonagall, her emerald robes stiff, her lips a thin line of disapproval. Harry and Neville had been caught out after curfew, while Alex and Ron were paying for the dungbomb prank. Alex's choice to take equal blame had earned him a scathing letter from Snape but a flicker of respect in McGonagall's eyes, a rare nod to his loyalty. "Slytherin's not supposed to care. Let them think I'm an anomaly."
McGonagall's voice was crisp, cutting through the tension. "Five students, out of bounds after hours. Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom—tardiness is unacceptable. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Sterling—the stench you inflicted on your dormitory demands a severe response." Her eyes flicked to Draco, lurking nearby, his smirk sharp with satisfaction. "Mr. Malfoy's report, though exaggerated, confirms a violation. Twenty points from Slytherin, Sterling. Twenty from Gryffindor, Weasley."
Alex's jaw tightened, his fingers brushing his wand in his sleeve. "Malfoy's playing snitch. This isn't over." The escalation of their feud was a dangerous spark, but he kept his face neutral.
McGonagall sighed, her sternness softening slightly. "Your detention won't be polishing trophies. Report to Mr. Hagrid immediately. You'll assist him in the Forbidden Forest—a matter of urgency."
Alex's stomach dropped, meta-knowledge flashing: "Unicorn blood. Quirrell's desperate. This is the main plot, and we're walking into it." Ten minutes later, they stood outside Hagrid's cabin, the air thick with damp earth and pine. Hagrid clutched a blood-soaked bandage, its silver sheen unmistakable. His massive frame trembled, his voice strained. "Terrible thing, this. Unicorns hurt, bleedin' bad. Someone's attackin' 'em. We're goin' in to find the poor creature."
Ron's knuckles whitened around his wand, his freckles stark against pale skin. Harry's eyes were wide, his scar faintly red. Alex took a deep breath, the cold air sharp in his lungs.
[AE: 45/50]
[CS: 15%]
"Centaurs, spiders, and Quirrell. This is no detention—it's a death trap." He adjusted his robes, the rough fabric a shield against the growing dread, and ran a mental checklist of dangers from the movies.
Hagrid split them into groups: Harry, Draco, and Fang went one way; Alex, Ron, Hermione (who'd joined late for a separate infraction), and Neville followed Hagrid. Alex caught Harry's arm, his voice low and urgent. "If you see anything unnatural—anything—run. Don't play hero. That's an order." Harry nodded, his green eyes fixed on the dark forest ahead.
The Forbidden Forest was a suffocating maze, its ancient trees blotting out the moonlight, casting pools of inky blackness. The air was heavy with the scent of decaying wood, mushrooms, and a faint, coppery tang of blood. Twigs snapped underfoot, each crack amplified in the oppressive silence. Alex walked behind Hagrid, his senses heightened, the system humming as he scanned the environment.
[Artificer's Enigma: Environmental Scan: Forest Floor. Cost: 0 AE (Passive Absorption)]
[AE Regeneration: +2/min (Unstable). Ambient Aetheric Saturation: 8.0 units/m³. High-Grade Mana Reservoir.]
The forest was a magical battery, regenerating his AE at an astonishing rate, but the "unstable" warning prickled his nerves. "High reward, high risk. Perfect for crafting, deadly for mistakes." He filed the data, his fingers brushing a tree's rough bark to ground himself.
Ron fidgeted with his wand, his voice a shaky whisper. "This place gives me the creeps. What's killing unicorns?"
Hagrid's massive hand tightened on his crossbow. "Dunno, Ron. Somethin' dark. Stay close."
A faint whimper echoed from the shadows, weak and pained. Hagrid froze, raising a hand. Alex's heart raced, and he activated a targeted scan, focusing on dark magic signatures.
[Artificer's Enigma: Analysis Engaged (Lvl 2)]
[AE: 40/50 Cost: 5 AE (Targeted Dark Magic Scan)]
[WARNING: Extreme Dark Magic Signature Detected. Source: Hooded Figure. Affinity Confirmed: Matches Professor Quirrell's Turban. Threat Level: Catastrophic.]
The feedback was a cold, nauseating wave, like plunging into icy water. Ahead, a hooded figure crouched over a silver-white unicorn, its mane matted with blood. The figure drank from the wound, a grotesque, deliberate act that sent bile rising in Alex's throat. "Quirrell. Voldemort. It's real." He grabbed Hagrid's arm, his voice a sharp hiss. "Hagrid, stop! It's dangerous! Get down!"
Hagrid, impulsive as ever, roared, "Oi! Get away from that unicorn!"
The figure turned, its movement unnaturally smooth, like a snake uncoiling. The air thickened with malice, a sickly-sweet chill that clung to Alex's skin. Hagrid realized his mistake too late, shoving the group behind a briar thicket. The hooded figure glided toward them, silent and relentless, its presence a suffocating weight.
[CS increased by 3%! Cognitive Strain: 18%]
The scan's cost burned in Alex's mind, a throbbing ache that blurred his vision. "Pushing too hard. Can't afford to break now." He gripped a briar, the thorns biting his palm, grounding him as the figure closed in.
A thunderous gallop shattered the silence, hooves pounding the earth. Firenze, a centaur with a palomino body and piercing blue eyes, burst through the trees, his bow drawn. His voice was calm, resonant with ancient authority. "Leave this place, shadow. You have no claim here."
The hooded figure hissed, a dry, scuttling sound, and vanished into the darkness, absorbed by the shadows. Alex slumped against a tree, its rough bark steadying him as he wiped sweat from his brow. Firenze turned to Harry, his gaze softening. "You are the Potter boy. The stars speak of your path. Be wary—the shadow moves under a false face."
Hermione's voice trembled. "What does that mean? Who was that?"
Firenze's eyes flicked to the sky, cryptic and unyielding. "The stars warn of a rising darkness. Trust your allies, but question their masks." He turned, galloping into the forest, leaving the group shaken.
Alex's mind raced, the prophecy's vagueness a puzzle. "False face—Quirrell's turban. But allies? Who's he warning us about?" He ran a quick scan on Firenze's fading magic, desperate for clarity.
[Artificer's Enigma: Analysis Engaged (Lvl 2)]
[AE: 38/50 Cost: 2 AE (Astral Enchantment Scan)]
[Partial Insight: Centaur Magic—Celestial Resonance. Incomplete Data.]
[CS increased by 9%! Cognitive Strain: 27%]
The strain hit like a hammer, his vision swimming. He leaned against the tree, his breath shallow, the forest's unstable energy both a boon and a curse. Hagrid ushered them back to the castle, his crossbow still raised. "No more tonight. You're safe now."
As they emerged into the moonlight, Alex's AE ticked up, the forest's regeneration soothing the ache. "Quirrell's exposed, but I'm burning out. I need the locket—fast." The group trudged back, the prophecy and the hooded figure lingering like a storm on the horizon.
Mechanics Recap: CS at 27%; AE at 40/50 (fluctuating due to instability).
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