Chapter 140: "Duel in the Forest Part - 1"

A week before the final exams were scheduled to start, Charles and his friends were told they would have detention at 11 PM. Harry learned about their detention time through the Hogwarts rumor mill, which allowed him to plan accordingly.

That night, Harry intended to confront Quirrelmort once and for all, aiming to rid Hogwarts of Voldemort's presence inside the school for this year. He had extracted all he needed from Voldemort's mind: recordings of the magic and rituals Voldemort had performed on himself, the location of the cave containing the Inferi, and details of the protections at his ancestral Gaunt home.

Harry faced a challenge with accessing a Horcrux in Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts. From Voldemort's memories, he understood that Voldemort could access the vault if Bellatrix was unavailable, thanks to her instructions to the goblins. Unfortunately, this arrangement was of no use to Harry as it did not extend to him, leaving him without a way to access the vault directly.

The goblins in the wizarding world stay out of conflicts like wizarding wars. They don't care who's in charge as long as their business at Gringotts continues without interruption. They neither oppose nor support Voldemort because they aren't afraid of him.

Voldemort was wary of the goblins instead. He knows they hold sensitive information about his true identity and lineage—details that could damage his reputation among his followers who value blood purity.

While Voldemort might have wanted to eliminate the goblins to keep his secrets safe, he respects their strength because he's encountered their powerful magic before. He's not ready to confront them until he's sure he can handle their magical defenses.

The portrayal in some films where Voldemort rampages through Gringotts after his Horcrux is stolen isn't accurate. That dramatic scene doesn't happen in the books and Harry was sure it would not happen in this real wizarding history.

Harry now faced a tricky problem: how to get the Horcrux from Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts. The straightforward approach wasn't an option, which meant he had to consider more complex strategies.

Aside from this issue, Harry's exploration of Voldemort's memories had been fruitful, providing all the information he needed. With no further use for Voldemort's presence at Hogwarts, Harry felt it was time to eliminate the risk he posed once and for all.

Harry wasn't sure how things would go in this world, since he didn't want to go back to the third-floor corridor and wasn't sure if Charles could beat Quirrelmort like the canon Harry did. He was also unsure if the magical protection that saved the canon Harry, which came from his mother sacrificing herself, was the same in this world with his grandmother's sacrifice.

It was also unclear whether this magical protection would cover Charles too, considering they were both present under the protective magic that night. So, Harry was left wondering if the protective magic was on him, Charles, or both of them.

Given the unpredictability of whether Charles's touch would neutralize Quirrelmort as it once did for canon Harry, the risk was too great. Harry feared the consequences if Voldemort were to discover the stone was a fake and react violently, potentially endangering everyone at Hogwarts.

Determined to avoid such risks, Harry resolved to confront Voldemort directly. With a rare opportunity to catch him isolated in the Forbidden Forest, far from Dumbledore's watchful gaze, Harry prepared to end the threat once and for all, ensuring the safety of all without relying on uncertain magic.

As the sun set, casting long shadows across Hogwarts, Harry got ready for what he expected to be a decisive duel. This would be his first magical duel to the death, but he felt prepared.

At eleven o'clock, Harry, disguised in his Arthur disguise and hidden under his invisibility cloak, waited near the castle exit. Filch arrived first, followed by Malfoy and then the golden trio of Charles, Hermione, and Ron.

"Follow me," Filch commanded, lighting a lamp and leading the way outside. His voice took on a menacing tone as he spoke to the students, "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, eh? Hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

Harry quietly trailed Filch and the students, thinking to himself how sadistic Filch was.

As they approached Hagrid's hut, a voice boomed in the distance, "Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

Charles perked up at the prospect of working with Hagrid; it seemed less daunting than the punishment they feared. However, Filch quickly dashed these hopes, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy -- it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

Ron whimpered at these words, and Malfoy froze in his tracks.

"The forest? We can't go in there at night. That's dangerous. I'll complain to my father. You'll be out of your jobs if you send me there. I heard there are all sorts of things in there like werewolves," Malfoy protested.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" Filch sneered, clearly enjoying the fear in Malfoy's voice. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you? Your father can't help you here."

Hagrid approached them from the darkness, his large crossbow in hand and Fang, his boarhound, by his side. "It's time to go. I've been waiting here for long. Let's get going," Hagrid announced.

"I'll be back at dawn," Filch added with a sinister tone, "for what's left of them," and he walked away, his lamp receding into the night.

"Don't need to be too scared," Hagrid reassured them as he led them to the forest's edge. "The forest is dangerous but with me here, it will be a walk in the park."

He pointed to a trail leading into the forest, highlighted by a silvery glow on the ground. "Look there," Hagrid said, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. We're gonna try an' find the injured poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" Malfoy asked, his voice laced with fear.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," Hagrid assured them. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in different directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, eyeing Fang's long teeth.

The group then split into two: Charles, Malfoy, and Fang went one way, while Hagrid, Ron, and Hermione took another path to search for the injured unicorn.