"Lucien?"
Hagrid looked utterly confused.
"This is his first time in the Forbidden Forest. Why were yeh waiting fer him?"
"Because the stars guided me here."
Firenze's sapphire-blue eyes never left Lucien from the moment they met.
Lucien himself was equally puzzled.
"The stars revealed that an honoured guest would enter the Forbidden Forest tonight," Firenze said calmly. "I have been waiting here for quite some time."
Astrology?
Lucien's interest immediately rose.
Through Grindelwald's bloodline, he possessed the same prophetic eye as Gellert Grindelwald himself. It allowed him to glimpse fragments of the future.
Unfortunately, his ability was far weaker than Grindelwald's.
At best, he could only foresee events a few seconds ahead. Worse still, using it consumed enormous amounts of magical and mental energy. Severe overuse could leave him bedridden for days.
Compared to that, astrology seemed far gentler.
While less direct and precise than true prophetic sight, it clearly possessed its own unique advantages.
"The stars only told you that I would arrive?" Lucien asked.
"Of course not."
Firenze stepped forward slowly, his long platinum-blond hair swaying gently behind him. Ignoring the equine lower body, the centaur was strikingly handsome.
"The stars showed me that the fate of the centaur race is about to change."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"If Mr Grindelwald is willing, I would like to invite you to the settlement of the centaurs and unicorns. There, I can explain the prophecy in full."
"A settlement with unicorns?!"
Before Lucien could respond, Hagrid nearly shouted in excitement.
"A whole unicorn colony? Blimey! Human wizards almost never get ter see that many beautiful creatures at once!"
The half-giant rubbed his hands together enthusiastically before turning hopefully toward Firenze.
"Firenze, could I come along too? Yeh know I've always loved unicorns—"
"I'm sorry, Hagrid."
Firenze shook his head gently.
"The centaurs have never welcomed other intelligent races. Including giants."
Hagrid's smile stiffened slightly.
"Still," Firenze continued, "if the opportunity arises in the future, I will introduce you to some unicorns personally."
Then he turned back toward Lucien.
"Mr Grindelwald, please follow—"
Whoosh!
Before he could finish speaking, an arrow suddenly tore through the air from deep within the forest.
It shot directly between Firenze and Lucien.
"Firenze, you traitor!"
A red-haired, red-bearded centaur burst from the shadows with a drawn bow aimed directly at them. Fury blazed within his eyes.
"The centaurs do not welcome wizards! Yet you not only reveal prophecies to him — you even wish to bring him into our settlement!"
His voice thundered through the forest.
"I will report this to the tribe immediately! You will be banished from the Forbidden Forest!"
"Mr Centaur," Lucien said calmly, though his eyes had already turned ice-cold, "I suggest you lower your weapon."
"Get out of the forest, little wizard!"
The red-bearded centaur stamped violently against the ground, kicking up dirt and leaves.
Compared to Firenze, he was clearly far more aggressive.
And far less rational.
"Expelliarmus!"
Lucien had already drawn his wand the instant the arrow appeared.
The Disarming Charm exploded forward without the slightest hesitation.
Boom!
A sixth-level Expelliarmus was far beyond the level most elite Aurors could achieve.
The red-bearded centaur looked as though he had been struck head-on by a speeding carriage. His entire body flew backward violently before crashing into a massive tree.
Crack!
Wood splintered everywhere.
The bow flew from his hands as blood sprayed from his mouth. A visible dent caved inward across his chest.
"Mr Grindelwald, wait!"
Firenze was visibly shocked.
"Ronan had no intention of truly attacking you!"
He clearly hadn't expected Lucien to retaliate so decisively. Even less had he expected Ronan to be defeated so effortlessly.
By the time Firenze reacted, Ronan was already sprawled across the ground coughing blood.
Hagrid stood completely frozen.
In his mind, Lucien had always seemed polite, calm, and harmless. The sudden ruthlessness left the half-giant's brain blank for several seconds.
Once he recovered, he hurriedly grabbed Lucien's shoulder from behind.
"Calm down, Lucien!"
"He was just tryin' ter scare yeh! Don't get so worked up!"
"I wasn't trying to kill him," Lucien replied expressionlessly. "I simply taught him a lesson."
Then he turned toward Firenze.
"Mr Firenze, it seems I won't have the opportunity to hear your prophecy tonight."
His voice remained perfectly calm.
"When your tribe reaches a consensus, feel free to invite me again."
After saying that, Lucien turned and walked away without hesitation.
Hagrid looked back and forth between Firenze and Lucien awkwardly before scratching his beard.
"Firenze… what about his injuries?"
"I'll handle them."
"That's good then."
Hagrid sighed.
"I'll take Lucien back ter the castle first. If yeh need help later, just send Fang ter find me."
Under Firenze's complicated gaze, Lucien's figure slowly disappeared into the darkness.
"Don't touch me, you centaur traitor!"
Ronan struggled furiously as Firenze tried to support him.
Firenze calmly removed a white healing herb from his pouch and pressed it against the wound.
"You know perfectly well," he said quietly, "that he is the one from the prophecy."
"But he's a wizard!"
Ronan's voice cracked with rage, causing him to cough blood again.
"How could centaurs ever place their hopes in a human wizard?!"
"This is the guidance of fate," Firenze replied firmly. "It has nothing to do with race."
"No matter what you say," Ronan growled, "I will never obey a human wizard!"
Back inside Hogwarts Castle, Lucien suddenly regretted refusing Hagrid's offer of a late-night snack.
Unfortunately, after being caught wandering around the castle at night yesterday, he decided it was safer not to risk sneaking into the kitchens again.
"I'll just eat breakfast earlier tomorrow."
The moment he stepped through the castle entrance, a familiar system notification appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations, Host, for completing your first Forbidden Forest patrol.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Forbidden Forest Guardian]
[Reward: 50 Achievement Points]
"Better than nothing."
Lucien returned to the Slytherin common room shortly afterward.
Draco was currently standing atop one of the raised platforms like a victorious hero, loudly bragging about how he had supposedly defeated the "evil" Weasley during flying lessons.
The moment he noticed Lucien returning, Draco showed absolutely no guilt whatsoever.
Lucien simply shook his head helplessly.
"Good job," he said dryly. "A brilliant victory. Falling onto the grass probably toughened your skin considerably."
Naturally, Draco failed to detect the sarcasm.
Back in the dormitory, exhaustion from the past two days crashed over Lucien almost immediately. He barely managed to lie down before falling asleep fully clothed.
The following morning, he entered the Great Hall looking visibly tired.
"Lucien, didn't sleep well?"
Draco arrived together with Crabbe and Goyle. Noticing the dark circles beneath Lucien's eyes, he tried offering comfort in his own awkward way.
"You're lucky today, though."
Lucien lazily lifted his head.
"How so?"
"First class this morning is Defence Against the Dark Arts."
Draco looked delighted.
"Professor Quirrell's lessons are even more boring than Professor Binns' History of Magic classes. He never notices what students are doing."
Lucien suddenly froze.
"What class did you say?"
"Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrell. Why?"
The exhaustion vanished from Lucien's mind instantly.
Damn it.
He had only just escaped Voldemort's attention yesterday, and now he had to face Quirrell again less than twenty-four hours later.
Most importantly…
There was still a Dark Lord attached to the back of Quirrell's head.
"Lucien?" Draco frowned. "You look awful. Are you sick?"
"If I told Professor Snape right now that I developed a fear of heights during flying class yesterday," Lucien asked seriously, "do you think he'd believe me?"
"Maybe if you said you caught a cold while serving detention," Draco suggested uncertainly. "Or got frightened by dangerous creatures in the Forbidden Forest—"
"Or," a cold, terrifying voice suddenly interrupted from directly behind Lucien, "perhaps your Head of House could simply rip your head off instead?"
....
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