Pure white.
Perfectly flawless.
Not a single speck of dirt stained its body.
Bathed beneath the moonlight, the creature shimmered with faint silver radiance like scattered starlight.
A unicorn.
This was the first time Lucien had ever truly seen one.
Even he couldn't help admiring such a pure magical creature from the bottom of his heart.
"That's our target."
Voldemort's voice was filled with urgency.
"Your task is to kill it and collect its blood."
Beside him, Quirrell's body trembled violently, but Voldemort completely ignored the man's suffering.
Lucien remained perfectly calm.
"Teacher," he said evenly, "slaughtering a unicorn carries a permanent curse."
He showed absolutely no intention of moving.
After all, he had only agreed to accompany Voldemort for appearances' sake.
Lucien wasn't foolish enough to truly involve himself in something like this.
Voldemort's guidance might be useful, but it was hardly irreplaceable.
Even without Voldemort, Lucien still possessed his system, Vita, and Gellert Grindelwald himself.
Trading his future for cursed unicorn blood simply wasn't worth it.
"Lucien."
Voldemort's eyes became bloodshot with rage.
"This is the second time you've defied me."
"If you hesitate any longer, the unicorn will escape!"
Then he lowered his voice dangerously.
"Kill it, and I'll remove the curse personally afterward."
Lucien glanced slowly between Voldemort's face and Quirrell's sickly body.
The meaning in his eyes was painfully obvious.
Do you honestly think I'm stupid?
If Voldemort truly possessed the ability to remove a unicorn's curse, would he still need to drink its blood in the first place?
Bragging was one thing.
Actually believing your own lies was another.
Meanwhile, the sounds rustling through the forest were growing louder.
Even weakened as he was, Voldemort finally sensed that something was wrong.
"You don't need to attack it yourself," Voldemort snapped impatiently. "Just stop it from escaping!"
Realizing he couldn't control Lucien directly, Voldemort finally abandoned all pretence.
He raised Quirrell's wand himself.
If Lucien refused to act, Voldemort would personally kill the unicorn.
Hiss!
Suddenly, several streams of thick white webbing shot out from the darkness.
Every strand flew directly toward Voldemort and Lucien.
At the same time, countless black figures surged from the surrounding forest.
The smallest were the size of hunting dogs.
The largest rivalled carriages.
Acromantulas.
Voldemort's expression changed dramatically.
"Acromantulas!"
"That half-giant bastard actually released Acromantulas into the Forbidden Forest!"
For the first time in a long while, genuine fury and disbelief appeared on Voldemort's face.
Decades ago, he had framed Hagrid and his Acromantula for Myrtle's death.
He never imagined that decision would eventually come back to haunt him personally.
If Voldemort still possessed his original power, these creatures would mean nothing to him.
But now?
Even casting a few spells left him exhausted.
Finding a unicorn tonight had already been unbelievably fortunate.
Who knew when another opportunity would appear?
The unicorn by the lakeside immediately sensed danger and bolted away without hesitation.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A burst of green light shot violently through the darkness.
Unfortunately, too many Acromantulas blocked the line of sight.
The unicorn narrowly dodged aside before the curse could properly strike.
"Bombarda!"
"Diffindo!"
Lucien casually unleashed several spells toward the approaching spiders.
The nearest Acromantulas exploded apart instantly, shattered into fragments by overwhelming magical force.
Dust, leaves, and broken branches erupted through the clearing.
"Teacher," Lucien called calmly, "we should leave."
"If we stay any longer, more spiders will gather."
But Voldemort refused to give up.
"Just a little longer!"
His voice sounded almost desperate.
"I'm killing that creature tonight!"
Ignoring everything else, Voldemort immediately pursued the fleeing unicorn again.
"Understood, Teacher."
Lucien nodded respectfully.
Then, the moment Voldemort turned away—
Lucien immediately hurled several large-scale blasting curses toward the weakest point in the Acromantula encirclement.
And ran.
Absolutely no hesitation whatsoever.
The instant Lucien disappeared, every remaining Acromantula focused entirely on Voldemort.
Within seconds, they completely surrounded him.
"Lucien…"
Voldemort's furious hiss practically ground through Quirrell's teeth.
"My excellent student…"
He genuinely sounded ready to murder someone.
Unfortunately, survival came first.
Ignoring Quirrell's horrified screams and his own deteriorating condition, Voldemort desperately unleashed spell after spell.
Fortunately for him, the earlier Killing Curse had managed to graze the unicorn slightly.
A few drops of silver blood remained scattered across the forest floor.
Voldemort rushed toward them immediately.
With a wave of his wand, the floating droplets rose into the air before pouring directly into Quirrell's mouth.
The effect was immediate.
The previously weakened Voldemort suddenly seemed revitalized.
A terrifying magical aura erupted outward instantly.
With a casual flick of his wand—
Several dozen Acromantulas swelled grotesquely like overinflated balloons.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions echoed endlessly through the forest.
Green slime splattered across trees, rocks, and dead leaves as silence rapidly returned to the clearing.
Voldemort slowly turned his gaze toward the direction Lucien escaped.
Then he laughed softly.
Coldly.
Dangerously.
"Lucien…"
"My wonderful student…"
"You truly are exceptional…"
…
Lucien, meanwhile, felt absolutely zero guilt about abandoning Voldemort.
Payment matched effort.
If Voldemort expected unpaid overtime involving cursed magical creatures and giant spiders, he was delusional.
Accompanying him tonight had already been generous enough.
Risking his life for free?
Impossible.
Using hidden passages marked on the Marauder's Map, Lucien quietly returned to Slytherin dormitory without anyone noticing.
After sleeping peacefully through the night, he arrived early for breakfast the next morning.
Just as Lucien began calmly eating, Quirrell entered the Great Hall.
His face remained pale, but compared to previous days, his condition had clearly improved considerably.
Even his steps seemed steadier.
The moment Quirrell noticed Lucien, a strange smile appeared on his face.
Although beneath that smile…
There was unmistakable resentment.
"Good morning, Professor Quirrell," Lucien greeted politely.
Quirrell looked visibly surprised.
"G-Good morning, Mr. Grindelwald."
"It seems you rested well last night, Professor," Lucien observed casually. "You look much healthier today."
Under normal circumstances, Voldemort rarely revealed himself publicly.
He only emerged during private lessons or important matters.
Inside the Great Hall, surrounded by professors, Voldemort would never risk exposing himself.
And compared to Voldemort, Quirrell was dramatically easier to manipulate.
After only a few exchanged sentences, Lucien immediately sensed the difference.
Quirrell appeared noticeably more confident than before.
Clearly, something unexpected happened after Lucien escaped the Forbidden Forest.
More importantly—
Lucien was completely certain Quirrell wouldn't dare attack him publicly.
Their conversation gradually drifted into meaningless pleasantries.
Then suddenly—
"Idiot!"
Voldemort's furious voice exploded inside Quirrell's head.
"Can't you tell he's probing you for information?!"
Quirrell instantly realized his mistake.
His expression changed immediately before he hurriedly excused himself and fled the hall.
Lucien smiled faintly while watching him leave.
Interesting.
Voldemort's condition clearly wasn't nearly as stable as he pretended.
Which meant only one thing.
Sooner or later, Voldemort would have to return to the Forbidden Forest again.
And next time…
Lucien fully intended to sell that information for an excellent price.
…
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month had gone by.
Christmas was approaching.
Just like Lunar New Year in the East, Christmas remained one of the most important celebrations in the West.
The atmosphere throughout Hogwarts had become increasingly festive as the holidays drew near.
The only thing unchanged was Harry and Ron's complete lack of progress regarding Nicolas Flamel.
Without Hermione pushing them constantly, the two boys had nearly forgotten about him entirely.
Meanwhile, Voldemort's situation continued worsening.
The unicorn blood from the Forbidden Forest only delayed the inevitable temporarily.
And since that morning in the Great Hall, Lucien had completely cut off contact with Quirrell.
He didn't even attend Saturday lessons anymore.
Voldemort could vaguely sense that Lucien was quietly monitoring his movements from the shadows.
Although he didn't understand Lucien's true intentions…
He was absolutely certain they weren't good.
…
Inside Slytherin dormitory, Lucien casually packed his belongings for the holiday.
Truthfully, "packing" mainly consisted of selecting several books he hadn't finished reading yet.
Although he hadn't earned many achievement points recently, Lucien's natural talent alone had still allowed his strength to improve rapidly.
His Disarming Charm had successfully advanced to Level Seven.
Several other spells had also improved significantly.
This Christmas break would be the perfect opportunity to strengthen his equipment further before the school year's final confrontation.
Soon afterward, the Hogwarts Express carried students back toward Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Waiting quietly in the distance stood an elegant woman wearing deep green robes.
The moment Lucien saw her, a genuine smile finally appeared on his face.
"Aunt Vita."
"It's been far too long."
....
Join my exclusive P@treon community for 60+ thrilling chapters!
Link: pa*treon.com/MidnightWonder (Remove the *)
If you join now you will get 2 Chapters for free as well.
Don't miss out, join now!