The further they walked, the denser the trees became.
Although there were no leaves on the branches, the forest was so dimly lit that she could barely see her surroundings.
Marina frowned slightly—continuing forward would bring her close to the center of the Forbidden Forest.
Could it be that Dumbledore took action, forcing the Acromantulas to move deeper in?
But now that she had come this far, she couldn't possibly give up.
Marina whispered a curse, illuminating her path with a glow that revealed footprints on the ground. Adjusting her direction, she flew silently, then suddenly halted, holding onto her broom.
The surroundings suddenly became very quiet... eerily quiet.
The birds that had been chirping were now silent, the rustling of small animals treading on snow had vanished, even the wind seemed muffled, and only thunder rumbled in the distance.
For some inexplicable reason, the usual sounds of the forest now had her on edge, her throat tightening with tension.
Swallowing hard, Marina lightly lifted her broom and glided like a cloud over a natural barrier of intertwined branches.
A few tattered strips of cloth clung to the gnarled branches, clearly remnants from that clumsy Gamekeeper.
In front of her lay a clearing.
To be precise, a clearing that once was densely wooded.
The trees—most of them thicker than her waist—had been uprooted and lay haphazardly around, largely covered by snow.
In the center of the clearing was a huge mound of earth, covered with messy fur and dead grasses. The ground was filled with chaotic footprints, packing the snow down.
Marina circled the clearing slowly, holding her nose, as she ventured closer to inspect the heap of ragged fur.
Judging from the footprints on the ground, the Gamekeeper seemed to frequently linger here, yet nothing noteworthy seemed to catch her eye.
Could the Acromantulas be hibernating nearby, and this foul-smelling mess simply their leftover prey remains?
Unexpectedly, the Acromantulas seemed to have a penchant for cleanliness...
Marina was in the midst of this thought when she suddenly heard a sound:
Rumble… rumble…
She froze, her scalp tingling, her breath catching.
The sound, like distant thunder, seemed to come from much closer for some reason.
Marina clutched her Magic Wand tightly, her knuckles white, her body trembling slightly.
Staring ahead, she recognized a crucial detail she had previously overlooked—
The edges of the clearing, where the snow was not completely compacted, revealed a few leftover footprints.
But that footprint… seemed significantly larger than the ones she had seen during her journey here.
She instinctively kicked off with both feet, about to take flight, but her broom abruptly lurched forward and halted, almost throwing her off.
In bewilderment, she glanced back and saw two fingers thicker than her wrist pinching the broom's end.
Soon after, the giant mound of earth began to move.
The ground trembled, trees quivered, dried grass slid off, and the dirty fur began to rise.
Marina displayed a mixed expression of laughter and tears, utterly at a loss.
The fur wasn't spider leftover prey remains; they were crudely sewn animal pelts!
The earth mound shifted, and an ugly, rock-like head emerged, splitting open—revealing a pair of barely-awake small eyes...
Then came the gray-brown skin, wrinkled and dotted with bumps; shoulder muscles like hills; a round belly capable of swallowing a person whole; and arms as thick as tree trunks, with fingers clamped around her broom end...
Marina opened her mouth but could make no sound.
She felt like she was losing her mind.
For some inexplicable reason, in this critical moment, it was as if she had split into two: one part frightened out of her wits, the other noticing in distraction that the giant before her had no neck, his curled hair moss-like.
The creature did not fully stand; he sat with legs outstretched, bending slightly forward, staring curiously at the "flying bug" he captured, scratching his belly with the other hand, creating a rough scraping sound.
Marina's eyes were fixed, her entire field of vision filled by that face—cloudy eyes, a flat nose, teeth large as half a brick, and a giant shadow closing in.
The Giant reached out, attempting to grab her.
Marina's scalp tingled, her throat finally managed to squeeze out a piercing scream:
"Ah!!!"
The Giant, seemingly startled, withdrew his fingers a little, nearby pine trees shaking violently, dry branches snapping.
Marina tilted, tumbling off the broom. Shaking uncontrollably, she scrambled up and fled.
"Roar——!!!"
A deafening roar shook the ground and trees as the Giant stood, his footsteps causing the surroundings to tremble.
Marina stumbled and screamed as she dashed into the forest, branches whipping her face, leaving streaks of blood.
The towering trees provided a thin veil of security. In her haste, she glanced back, saw the Giant roaring furiously, but his wrists and ankles were bound with ropes, the other ends tied to big trees.
—Ha! The creature was actually kept like a pet!
The thought flashed through her mind, and in an instant, Marina realized this was undeniable incriminating evidence, capable of even expelling Dumbledore from Hogwarts with the right maneuver!
Then, the school would ultimately fall under the Ministry of Magic's full control...
Slowing her pace, about to look back, she saw the trees confining the Giant creak, their roots cracking the frozen soil, countless branches breaking under tremendous force, as pine needles showered down.
The gnarled roots dug fiercely into the earth, yet were slowly pulled free!
Marina envisioned that deforested clearing, screamed, and bolted into the forest.
Nearby, atop the tall Beech tree, a Peregrine Falcon perched on a bare branch, its head turning towards the source of disruption and then back to the fleeing figure in the dense woods.
Around its ears, a ring of pea-shaped brown feathers tipped its head as it tilted—listening to an urgent voice:
"Vid, are you at the school? Hagrid said there's something very urgent to discuss with you."