Of Course, It Was All Dumbledore's Doing

Witnessing the scene, Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, her eyes brimming with anger. She hadn't anticipated that the assailant attacking Hagrid would be so deranged as to set fire to the Forbidden Forest...

Had she arrived even a moment later, the inferno might have been beyond control.

But despite her fury, McGonagall immediately knelt to examine Hagrid's injuries.

After ensuring his life was not in danger, she sighed in relief, waved her wand to draw out the dark magic from the wounds, and cast several healing spells to stop the bleeding and mend the flesh.

"This is all I can do for now. You'll need to rest and recover under Madam Pomfrey's care," McGonagall said.

"Thank you... I'm fine, really... Could you check on Cecilia? I think she might still be saved..." Hagrid's voice broke, his face wet with lingering tears.

"Cecilia? Who is that?" McGonagall asked, puzzled.

"That's the name Hagrid gave the unicorn... It took an Avada Kedavra curse to protect him," Evan chimed in, having observed Hagrid's exhaustion.

"She's gone, Hagrid," McGonagall said, her voice heavy with sorrow as she turned to the lifeless unicorn on the ground.

"It's my fault... I killed her..." Hagrid's shoulders shook as he sobbed uncontrollably.

McGonagall, realizing she would get no answers from Hagrid, turned her questioning gaze to Evan, who looked relatively unscathed.

"Halse! What on earth happened here? How did Hagrid get hurt?" McGonagall's face was stern. A unicorn was dead, and Hagrid had been struck by a dark curse in the Forbidden Forest; the situation was grave indeed.

Evan did not conceal the truth, recounting how he and Harry found Fang injured outside Hagrid's hut and how they suspected Hagrid had encountered an attack in the forest.

"And to not delay calling for help, Harry and the others went to seek assistance while I rode Norbert ahead. I arrived just in time to witness a cloaked wizard about to harm Hagrid, so I used the dragon's breath and the impact of diving from a height to launch a surprise attack, which successfully drove the attacker away."

McGonagall's lips tightened. Even though Evan had summarized the events, she could imagine the perilous scene. Evan's quick thinking to utilize the dragon's aerial advantage had earned her admiration.

Once Evan had finished recounting the events, he pointed to the scorched area where the cloaked wizard had been flung.

"Professor McGonagall, the cloaked wizard thrown by Norbert landed over there. I believe he was seriously injured but likely still alive."

"Are you certain?" McGonagall furrowed her brow. According to Evan's description, the combination of dragon impact and flames should have left no chance for survival.

"Professor, as you can see, there's no body there. I don't think he could have burned to ash in such a short time, could he?" Evan shrugged regretfully, disappointed that Quirrell had managed to escape despite his efforts.

McGonagall was about to agree when a thought struck her.

"Wait a moment, who set that fire?"

"Of course, it was me..." Evan said sheepishly before earnestly explaining that it was a necessary precaution against a dark wizard capable of casting the Avada Kedavra.

McGonagall's mouth twitched as she gazed at the smoldering remains of the forest.

Had the boy been overly cautious?

Especially since she couldn't bring herself to reprimand Evan; the cloaked wizard's use of the Avada Kedavra and his escape from the fire affirmed his dangerousness.

"Professor, I believe the assailant is seriously injured and might not have gone far. If you pursue now, you might still catch him," Evan urged, his voice tinged with urgency.

Should they not seize the chance to finish off Quirrell and Voldemort while they were weakened, rather than wait for them to recover and seek retribution?

"No, the priority is to ensure your safety. We'll leave the pursuit to Albus," McGonagall replied without hesitation. Chasing an unknown and potentially dangerous enemy into the forest was exceedingly risky.

Of course, her concern wasn't for her own safety, but rather the fear that the cloaked wizard might return to harm Evan and Hagrid if she left.

Evan sighed, knowing that with Voldemort's abilities, even if severely injured, he would have vanished by the time Dumbledore arrived.

"There's something else I need to ask you, Halse!" McGonagall's gaze shifted to Norbert, who lay sprawled lazily on the ground.

"Where did this dragon come from? When Hermione told me you rode a dragon to save Hagrid, I thought they'd gone mad! There are no dragons at Hogwarts, and keeping one without the Ministry's permission is illegal!"

McGonagall's words were sharp, not sparing Evan any face-saving grace. The dragon's roar had been heard by more than just her, and an investigation by the Ministry could lead to Azkaban for the dragon's keeper!

Hagrid, having somewhat recovered from his shock, saw Evan fall silent under McGonagall's questioning and spoke up, his voice strained.

"The dragon is actually..."

"Dumbledore instructed Hagrid to keep it!" Before Hagrid could confess, Evan interjected, deciding Dumbledore should take the fall for allowing Quirrell to roam free for so long.

"Albus?" McGonagall's tone softened considerably, though she still seemed incredulous.

"Indeed, it was I, Minerva."

Dumbledore's voice floated from the other end of the forest, followed by his distinctive silver beard. Clad in a deep purple robe adorned with silver stars, his cloak trailing on the ground, Dumbledore's brow bore an unusual trace of worry.

It was the first time Evan had been caught red-handed in passing the blame, and he felt a bit awkward. Fortunately, Dumbledore did not expose him, instead helping to corroborate his story.

"How could you allow Hagrid to do such a thing? What if the Ministry comes to inspect? What are we to say?" McGonagall's brow was deeply furrowed.

"I'll explain the reasons to you later. For now, I need to know exactly what happened here," Dumbledore said, turning to Hagrid.

Hagrid, now somewhat more composed, began to recount the events in a halting voice...

Tips:

For some reason, some special episodes cannot be uploaded here.

I uploaded the whole thing on Patreon, plus 20 new chapters.

If you're interested, check out Patreon

Copy to browser open:

patreon.com/user?u=111514881