19 Chapter 19: Forest Expedition

Chapter 19

"Hermione, what did you guess get for this part?" Padma asked from across the table.

"Um, I wrote that you need to stir the potion clockwise 4 times, 3 counter-clockwise and then let it simmer for 7 minutes," Hermione responded shyly.

"That's what I thought," Padma said as she continued her potions assignment.

"And done," Terry announced triumphantly standing up from the end of the table and stretching his joints.

"Me too," Anthony said snapping his book closed.

"Same," Michael added.

"Wait, already?" Hermione said sounding truly shocked, even she was only half done with the homework.

Lisa who was sitting next to her rolled her eyes, "Don't act so surprised, all of us are actually in the top ten of our year. Even Terry despite how he acts is in third place, just below you."

"S-sorry I'm just used to-" the bushy haired girl started.

"-being surrounded by those less intelligent than you," Padma finished for her with a knowing grin.

"That's-"

"It's fine. I can understand where you're coming from. I love my sister, but she can be… too peppy. Sometimes you need to be challenged to grow," the Indian girl explained.

Hermione didn't know how to respond to that, so she stayed quiet. She supposed that it was true to an extent.

"Ah, don't worry about it too much," Mandy said slapping her in the back, "we're glad to have you join us. I'm sure Gryffindor must be giving you a pretty hard time after losing all those points?"

The bushy hared witch lowered her head.

"Thanks for that by the way," Terry added tactlessly, causing her to feel even guiltier.

Sue Li, the normally forgotten Ravenclaw took this moment to pipe up, "Hey, isn't Charles running a bit late?"

Anthony slapped his forehead, "Oh, right. I forgot to tell you; he isn't coming today. Something came up so he won't be able to make it."

"Really, now you tell us," Padma said narrowing her eyes at him.

"Hey I forgot."

"He's probably just practicing with Flitwick again," Terry said causally getting an elbow to the ribs from Michael who pointed to Hermione, "Oh."

"Charles is getting private lessons with Professor Flitwick," Hermione asked almost accusingly.

Padma sighed, "It isn't what you're thinking. Flitwick asked him if he wanted to learn dueling in his spare time and Charles agreed. He's even planning on entering the dueling competition this summer."

Lisa chose to say her piece too, "Honestly, I don't know how he does it, what with his muggle studies, Quidditch practice, and all the research he does. It's a wonder he even sleeps at all."

"Makes me tired just from watching him," Michael said causing the others to nod.

Hermione couldn't help but feel like she was being left behind again.

(Charles)

"Is there something you wanted Princess? I'm rather busy at the moment," I said using my wand to repair some broken chairs.

The blonde witch continued to stay silent from her place against the wall, just as she had been doing since she entered the newly christened dueling room ten minutes ago.

Flitwick had been kind enough to tell me about the new school rules as result of the student store. Apparently, some of the funds generated by the store would go into fixing the school and managing clubs. So, I took it upon myself to create a dueling club and sign up all of my housemates without telling them. Flitwick was more than happy to be our advisor and had helped me pick a room big enough for practice.

Levitating some tables to the side I was just about to cast a cleaning spell on the floor when I heard her clear her throat behind me.

"You still owe me one favor, I want to use it," she declared with a passive face. Her mask was getting better.

Putting away my wand I turned to her, "Oh? Please do tell."

"As you know, my position as leader is being threatened by the other Slytherins."

I waved her off. "It was bound to happen once the initial shock wore off."

"Yes, well, I still don't like it. I need something that can help me secure it," she said impatiently.

I adopted a thinking face, "Hmm, I suppose I can help. Give me until Wednesday to come up with a plan."

She let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you."

I waved her off, "It's fine, no need to be so serious. More importantly, what do you think of my new dueling club?"

The room was wide with a tall ceiling. It lacked windows but a spell had been cast on a fake window panel to show the outside world. Chairs, tables, and a blackboard had been brought in from storage to be used for lessons. At the very back was a line of wooden training dummies that Flitwick had transfigured for testing out spells.

"I suppose it makes sense for it to be so Spartan in nature, considering spell will be flying back and forth. What I'm more surprised about is the fact you chose to start this club in the first place." she said suspicion coloring her words.

"Well Flitwick came to me with the idea, and it seemed interesting so why not," I answered with a carefree smile.

"Why would he do that?" she asked narrowing her eyebrows.

I shrugged, "Could be a number of reasons. It could be because I'm currently ranked first in all of my classes. Or the fact I'm popular among the other houses meaning more people will be more likely to join. …Or it could even be because I've been getting private dueling lessons from Flitwick for the past four months. Personally, I like to believe it's my natural born leadership skills and handsome face."

"You've been getting dueling lessons?" she questioned.

"What can I say, I'm an overachiever. I'm even planning to enter the junior dueling competition this summer."

Her eyes widened and I could see a million thoughts race throw her mind. "If you're show of wandless magic was anything to go by, I suspect you have a real chance of winning. But are you sure that's a good idea? I thought you said you didn't want to be famous?" she said with panicked voice.

"No, I said I didn't care for fame. But if it just so happens to come my way, I won't turn it down. Besides being well known does have its perks."

Daphne didn't look happy but there was nothing she could say that could change my mind, and she knew it.

Snapping my fingers, I summoned a mana string and collected a clipboard that was on a wall. "That reminds me, do you want to join? I'm accepting new members," I said handing her the sign-up sheet.

Daphne took it, and raised an eyebrow, "And why would I do that? It sounds like sweaty tiring work completely unsuited for a delicate lady such as myself."

I gave her a knowing smirk, "You never know, you might want to consider knowing how to defend yourself at least."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she questioned crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Just saying, the magical world has plenty of hidden dangers, its best to be prepared when something unexpected comes along," I said mysteriously.

Of course, I was aware of the blonde's silly theory of me being a seer. After catching her observing me from a distance more than once, I finally used [Observe] on her to see what was happening. I hadn't made a move to correct her either, as I figured that messing with her would be a good past time.

The blonde witch frowned looking like she was thinking it over before giving a sigh and signing the sheet, "Here."

"Thank you," I said using another mana string to bring it over to me, "Oh by the way, I'd like to ask you for something."

"More books?" she asked almost if expecting it.

"Not this time, I'm afraid. I'm looking to buy an invisibility cloak."

That got her attention as her eyes lit up, "Oh, and what would you need an invisibility cloak for I wonder?"

"Just something I have to take care of. So, think you can help?"

The corners of her mouth hitched up, "I have one remember."

"That's why I asked."

"Unfortunately, I'm rather fond of it," she said looking to be enjoy this too much, "though I could be persuaded to part with it."

Sighing I rolled my eyes, "Alright you made your point, what do you want?"

"200 Galleons," she responded casually.

I raised an eyebrow, "Nice try Princess, but if you want to win our game you're going to have to do better than that."

"Worth a shot, no doubt you already have something prepared or else you wouldn't have mentioned it," the witch said with a shrug.

I gave her a small clap, "You're learning. But yes, there's a project I'm currently working on that I think you'll like. I should be down by this weekend."

"Oh goody, more surprises," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

(Plant Dungeon)

Ssssss.

I watched as my bronze spiders mined the blue magical ore from the walls of the cave, which I had finally renamed Dragon lron.

They would spray the stored-up potion in their abdomen to melt the surround rocks and use their pincers to collect the exposed metal veins in baskets. The baskets were then carried over to a workstation where my sole remaining doll, from my old mob squad, tirelessly used a mallet to crush the brittle metal into smaller pieces until it was a powder the consistency of sand. It would then fill rectangular molds using this sand and leave them to wait until I chose to transfigure them into ingots.

Grabbing on of the already finished products I walked over to a separate workstation.

Small Dragon Iron Ingot- Rank: Special

Description: An ingot made of a magical metal only found in the Artic Wastelands of the [Plant Dungeon]. Dragon Iron is a natural occurring magical metal capable of withstanding extreme temperature. It has a high magical conductivity making it an ideal material for magical objects.

My schedule for today was empty meaning I had the whole day to experiment.

Putting the ingot down, I retrieved the wand crafting manual from my inventory and placed it on a stand to use as a reference.

It was a shame that it wasn't a skill book, as it contained mostly theories, but it did help me understand the mechanics behind the process a little better.

What surprised was that the process was similar to [Doll Creation, where you basically instilled life into an object. The key difference though was that unlike [Doll Creation] where I could program the mind to follow a set of rules, wands got their personalities from whatever core and wood was used to make them. As a result, they tended to be picky in who wielded them. But once they did pick an owner, the wands would be learning alongside them, growing stronger with each spell it was used for. Professional wand makers would train their senses for years to spot the so-called essence of different materials in order to predict their combined compatibility.

Well, I've done everything I could to prepare, nothing to do now than to give it a try.

Grabbing a piece of chalk, I drew the alchemic circle mentioned in the book on the surface of the workbench.

The core of a wand would act as a focus, amplifying any magic that it came in contact with. The wood on the other hand acted as an insulator, helping to stop magic from accidentally leaking out.

Or at least that was how it was supposed to be.

Reaching into my inventory I took out a single piece of Trent wood, shaped and polished to look like a miniature wand. Though if I was being perfectly honest, it looked more like a single chopstick.

Trent Wood- Rank: Rare

Description: Wood taken from a tree that is inhabited by a forest spirit. Years of absorbing ambient magic has given it mystical properties making it an ideal material for magical foci. Wands and staffs made from this wood will be many times more powerful than others.

After learning [Mana Reinforcement Technique] I've been able to sense magic more clearly. The wood was actually a better wand core than an insulator, constantly taking in magic from its surroundings before releasing it into the air. Unfortunately, that was also one of its drawbacks as just touching the wood would cause your magic to be siphoned off.

Thankfully I had already come up with a solution. By coating the outside of the wood with Dragon Iron, it should absorb the escaping energy and guided it like a regular wand. Normally metal wasn't used for wands as it was considered a 'dead' material by wandmakers everywhere, unable to bring out the cores true potential and overheat when used. But Dragon Iron as a magical metal didn't have such problems.

Taking my wand in one hand, I placed the wooden stick on the right side, where normally the wand core would go, and the ingot on the other side.

I tapped the four sides of the formula and began the process, the chalk sizzling before erupting in a white flame that gave off no heat. Levitating the wood over the fire, I waved my wand in a circular motion causing the fire to spin rapidly until a mixture fire tornado engulfed it. Switching over to the iron I started to use transfiguration to shape it into a wand. Taking it with my free hand I pointed the end of the handle toward the tornado. I braced myself as the fire started to get sucked inside of the dragon iron, doing my best to keep the suction speed at a steady rate. With one finally push the last of the white flames disappeared into the metal and I was left holding (hopefully) my new wand.

[Craft]'s level has risen by one.

Charles Bell's Magic Wand- Rank: Special

Description: An unorthodox magical wand crafted by the wizard, Charles Bell. The wand measures 10 inches in length with a Trent wood core inside of Dragon Iron casing. The union between these two highly magical materials has resulted in a wand more versatile than conventional ones. Unlike normal wands, this wand lacks a specialty in spell type, but more than makes up for it with its growth speed. It can also passively store magic inside of its wooden core that can be transferred to the user at any time.

Effect: Mana spells cost 75% less mana to use.

Effect: Mana spells are 150% more powerful.

Effect: Mana Storage (0/100) 1MP per minute

Effect: Spells are 50% easier to learn.

I compared it to my current wand.

Blackthorn Wand- Rank: Special

Description: A magical wand crafted by Garrick Olivander made out of blackthorn wood and dragon heartstring. Wand made out of dragon heartstring are known to produce the most power, learn faster than normal and bond strongly to their current master. Likewise, blackthorn wood is said to best be suited to warriors.

Effect: Magic spells cost 50% less mana to use.

Effect: Magic spells are 50% more powerful.

I was pretty sure that the difference in stats was due to the quality in materials rather than my own ability.

Looking at my crafting menu I saw that a new recipe had appeared, meaning I could start mass producing them. What really got my attention however was the mana storing ability of the wand.

My magic generator project had hit a roadblock, as all my prototypes either blew up or didn't work at all. I was sure it had something to do with the conversion rate between the magic in the air and the condensed magic in the device. I'd gone over every possible magical formula, even those in the restricted section, but nothing seemed to work.

But looking down at the new wand in my hand, I couldn't help but think up of new possibilities. It felt as if I was on the brink of a revolutionary break through, not just for the generator, but for my other projects as well.

"Looks like there's a lot of work to be done."

Taking out Ravenclaw's Diadem from my inventory I placed it on my head, this would need my full concentration.

(Sunday)

"That should do it," I said to myself as I finished covering the last of the floor with black foam mates, "Don't want an accident that could have been avoided."

"Having fun, I see," Daphne commented entering the room, cautiously stepping on the floor.

"Ah, Daphne just who I wanted to see," I told her as I stood up.

Daphne walked around the room curiously inspecting some of the training equipment, "Well we did agree to meet today."

"That we did, can I interest you in some cake," I said walking over to where my hat was and taking out a plate with a slice of cake.

She looked tempted but shook her head, "Not this time, this is strictly business. You said you had something worth trading my invisibility cloak for."

Putting the cake back in my inventory, I gave a visible shrug. "I suppose we'll have time for that later," I said before taking out a rectangular wooden box from my inventory.

"Oh great, another box," she muttered sarcastically.

"Aw, you're going to make me believe you don't like my presents," I said mockingly, "Luckily for you, this has no hidden gimmick."

Walking over to a table I set down the box and gestured for her to come over.

"Well, what is it?" she asked impatiently, walking over to me.

"My how impatient you are today, the other Slytherins causing you trouble?" I told her knowingly.

She said nothing but the expression on her face was enough of an answer.

"Well then, get ready to turn that frown upside down Princess because do I have something for you," I said opening the lid of the box slightly before snapping it closed. "Oh, how could I forget, there's something I have to return to you first."

"There is?"

Reaching into my hat I took out the wand making book and placed it on the table, "This was rather helpful in my research, thank you. I took the liberty of adding my own personal notes inside."

She frowned, "You can't be serious. Wand crafting isn't something you can simply learn in a couple months; it takes years of practice and dedication."

"That's what they'll have you believe," I told her with cocky grin, drumming my fingers on the wooden box.

Her eyes widened as she connected the dots, "No. You actually did it."

Lifting the lid, I revealed a set of four wands placed carefully on a red velvet bottom. I was able to make a whole new set by recycling the wood and cores of some wands I found in the Room of Requirements.

"Do these actually work?" she asked looking at me excitedly. Black market dealers were always in search for cheap unmarked wands.

"Why don't you try them out," I offered, snapping my fingers, causing one of the training dummies lined against the wall to march toward the center of the room.

Looking at the selection, she took the wand that had the appearance of a white rose stem.

"Do you know the basic stunner spell?"

"Of course," she stated before turning around and pointing the wand at the dummy, "Stupefy!"

A red jet of light crashed into the dummy knocking it back a few feet.

"Impressive," I praised her.

"I feel I should be saying that. This is spectacular work," she told me as she held the wand up to her eye to inspect.

"So, does that mean we have a deal?" I said putting out my hand.

She looked between my hand and the wands before finally taking it, "We have a deal. I give you the cloak later tonight."

"Perfect," I agreed handing her the box, "And I can start teaching you, once you finish reading that book."

"Glad you didn't forget our original deal."

"Just don't come to regret it later."

(Third Floor)

The days leading up to the exams were filled with last minute cramming sessions and desperate pleas to borrow notes. I'd been approached more than once one such desperate individuals, and every time would say the same thing, "I lent them to Daphne Greengrass." That was usually enough to get them to stop bothering me. If I knew the blonde witch, she was most likely making copies and selling them at an astronomical price. Not like I really cared as I was far too busy with my own schemes.

After having Hermes deliver Daphne's invisibility cloak to Harry's room in the middle of the night, I dedicated most of my time in my various pet projects.

After studying the properties of Dragon Iron, I had made some outstanding breakthroughs. The first and most important was the creation of my magic generator. Using what I learned about wand crafting I was able to build a better version; whose sole purpose was to collect the surrounding magic and store it for later use. I had five of these generators in the Room of Requirements, probably the most magically abundant place in the entire school.

With the addition of the generators I could finally start to expand my doll army. As one could guess, the Mechanical Spiders were the first to get upgraded due to their overall usefulness. Currently I had them collecting harvesting materials in the [Plant Dungeon] along with Hermes and Jack, my sole remaining mobster doll. The best part was that any monster they killed would give me loot and experience, so I would be leveling up without doing anything.

On a lesser note, I was finally able to figure out how to make the two-way mirrors receive calls from other mirrors. The way it worked was that each mirror was installed with a special 'microchip' made out of Dragon Iron that would act as their calling number. If you wanted to call them, you just needed to write the number of the corresponding mirror on your own screen and you would be connected in seconds. Once I learned how to get them to store music and take pictures, I could start to market them and selling them to the populace.

So again, one could say I was fairly busy these days. Though that didn't mean I couldn't make time to just relax. Afterall one has to enjoy life simple pleasures too.

Whine. Whine. Whine.

"Aw, who's a good boy~" I cooed as I scratched the middle head's neck, getting a happy purr that shook my entire body. The two other heads nudged me with their wet cold noses wanting some of my attention too.

Increased Affection with Fluffy.

"Thanks again for letting me help you feed him, Hagrid," I said looking back to see the half-giant bringing in the last of the barrels filled with raw meat.

"Just make sure not to tell anyone, students aren't supposed to know about Fluffy," he warned before staggering over to the side where a large wooden basin was located.

I gave the three heads a pat before walking over to one of the barrels, "Here, let me help."

"No. There's no nee-" he started before stopping when he saw me lift the 200-pound barrel over my head, "Ahem. Just set it over here, I guess. Your pretty strong Charles."

"I get that a lot," I shrugged as I walked over at placed it on the place he had indicated. Truthfully, I could lift a maximum of around 1400 pounds and carry 200 pounds comfortably without getting tired.

Fluffy wasted no time to devour the large tub of meat, bones and all, making me all the more eager to have it as my pet.

Taking a seat on an empty barrel I turned to Hagrid, "I'm still amazed how you managed to tame him so well. Was it difficult?"

"Not at all, he's always been rather well behaved. Then again, I did get him as a pup," Hagrid said scratching his beard in thought, "But it really was no different than training any other animal."

"(Sigh) I wish I could do that, tame magical creatures," I lamented.

Hagrid clasped me on the back reassuringly, "Oh I'd say you pretty close already. Pandora seemed to have been rather fond of you."

Smiling, I turned to look up at him, "I do kind of miss her."

The half-giant gained a sad but fond smile, "I do too. Hope she's doing alright."

"She's probably leader of her own pack by now," I declared getting a chuckle from the large man. "Remember that time when she snuck out of the hut and ended up fighting that family of ferrets."

"Hahaha, I remember. We found her covered in dirt chewing the leg of one of them," he said with a chuckle.

A comfortable silence descended on us as we watched Fluffy finish eat the food.

"So, is it true that detention will be in the Forbidden Forest tonight?" I asked casually, as if I was asking for the weather.

He turned sharply to look at me. "Where'd you hear that from?"

"I overheard Filtch mumbling it to his cat," I stated with a shrug, "Is it true? I thought students weren't allowed in there, hens the name forbidden."

Hagrid gave a sigh, "Well no point hidden it if you already know."

"Can I ask why?"

"Need help tracking down an injured unicorn," he admitted.

"…that seems kind of dangerous. Are you sure its okay to let first years go?" I asked worriedly.

The large man puffed his chest and spoke in a confident tone, "They'll be just fine, so long as they stick with me."

"Still," I muttered with a frown before gaining a look of realization, "Wait, if all you really need is for more people to help you search do you think it's possible for me to join you?"

"What?" he replied looking taken aback by the seemingly random question.

Gaining an excited look, I went on, "Yeah, I mean if you're sure there's no real danger, then there's no harm in letting me accompany you. I've also been getting dueling lessons from Professor Flitwick, so I know plenty of defensive and offensive spells just in case."

"Not really my place to say, you should speak to Professor McGonagall," he tried to protest but I wasn't ready to give up.

Getting off the barrel I turned to the door, "I'll go ask right now."

I ran out the entrance before he could protest any further.

(Hagrid's Hut)

As expected, I was able to gain permission to join the search. After all, if they were willing to let a couple of inexperienced first years enter the forest by themselves, what was one more to them.

Of course, I had to tell Flitwick, as he was my Head of House, but other than giving me a brief lecture about the dangers of the forest he seemed to agree that I was strong enough to protect myself.

"How much longer are they going to take?" I asked before biting into the giant turkey leg covered in bacon, grease smearing the edges of my mouth.

"Shouldn't be too long," Hagrid muttered throw a mouthful of turkey, "Mmm, this is really good."

"Thanks," I said taking one last bite and throwing the rest to Fang who was looking at me with pleading eyes. Liking my fingers clean I continued to talk, "So what were you saying about music?"

"Hmm, right. You'd be surprised by how many creatures like music, it's how I trained Fluffy."

"Really? Are you planning on taming anymore creature?" I said offhandedly.

"Actually, I spotted a hippogriff grazing in the woods two hills east of here."

"A hippogriff, those are the one that part horse and bird, right? I read that those are quite temperamental," I said getting up from my seat as I noticed people coming down the hill, "Looks like they're here."

Hagrid turned around too, "I guess its time." Standing up he threw his unfinished leg at Fang and went to fetch his crossbow.

I took this time to check my own equipment. Seeing as I didn't know what to expect I prepared for everything. I had on a pair of dark blue pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a pair of comfortable running shoes. At my waist I attached a utility belt for easy access tools I might need such as my wand, a knife, a modifies flashlight, a first aid kit and some leather pouches with an expandable charm filled with potions. I was wearing a set of knee and elbow pads for added protection as well as a leather vest over my shirt. The last two pieces of my gear was a crossbow and my trusty top hat.

While it was true that I had better equipment, I was not so foolish as to let it be seen by others.

Caw!

Hermes landed gracefully on my shoulder, the shadows of the night doing a remarkable job of hiding his body.

'I found it just like you asked, and I managed to keep it from dying, but it's still injured and growing weaker by the second,' Hermes reported his take on the unicorn's state.

'Good job,' I said petting his head.

Placing a smirk on my face I walked forward to greet the group of students, "Well, well, well, if it isn't Hogwarts most notorious delinquents."

"Charles!" Hermione shouted in surprise. Harry and Neville also looked shocked at my entrance.

Draco on the other hand frowned, "Bell? What are you doing here? I figured you too much of a goody two shoes to get detention."

I gave a snort, "Me? Detention? You wish, I actually volunteered for this."

"Why would you-" Harry stared to say before getting cut off my Flitch.

"Enough, already. This isn't some tea party for you lot to talk amongst yourselves," he said nastily.

Hagrid stepped forward brandishing the large crossbow over his shoulder. "You can go back to the castle now Filch; I can handle it from here. Harry, Hermione," he greeted them.

"You shouldn't be too friendly with them Hagrid," Filch said, "they're here too be punished, after all."

"Is that why they're late, you been lecturing them," Hagrid questioned with a frown, "It's not your place to do that, you've done your bit, you can go back to the castle."

The unpleasant man looked visibly upset as he turned around, "I'll be back at dawn for what's left of them."

Once he was gone, Malfoy turned to complain to Hagrid, which I ignored in favor of talking with the others.

"Hey Hermione, Harry," I said before turning to the plump boy and sticking out my hand, "And you must be Neville, right? It's nice meeting you."

He took my hand and shook it nervously.

Harry stepped forward, "So, Charles do you know why we're here?"

"Isn't it cause you guys got caught out of bed," I stated joking.

"Charles please, this is serious," Hermione pleaded shivering slightly from the cold.

Visibly frowning I took off my top hat and reached inside, pulling out a sweater and handing it over to her, "Here, you look cold," then I turned to Harry, "And yes I do know the reason. Where here to help Hagrid search for an injured unicorn."

"A unicorn?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yes, apparently he found one dead a few days ago and another appears to have been hurt, so its going to be our job to find it. Depending on its condition we might even have to put it out of its misery," I told them gravely, getting them to gulp.

"W-what do you think hurt the unicorn?" Neville asked in a frightened voice.

I looked at them in the eye, "No idea, but hopefully we don't run into it ourselves."

Harry also had a nervous face, "You think it might be a werewolf?"

I shook my head, "No, there are no actual werewolves in the forest, that just a rumor that the teachers allowed to spread so students wouldn't go in." They let out a sigh of relief that was quickly washed away as a howl emitted from the forest. "There are wolves however."

Once Hagrid was done arguing with Draco, we were led into the forest. Everyone remained silent the entire way until we reached a fork in the path.

"Okay, remember what I said, green sparks if you find the unicorn and red sparks if you're in trouble. Me, Harry and Hermione will take the right path; Charles you take the left with Malfoy, Neville and Fang."

"Got it Hagrid," I said holding the crossbow in my hand, before reaching for my belt and unstrapping a small square pouch. Tossing it to Harry I explained, "Here, take this just in case. It has a basic first aid kit and a compass inside."

"Thank you."

After that we split up and went our separate ways.

As we navigated through the darkened path, I tried to ignore Neville's whimpering and Draco's complaining.

"When my father hears about this, he'll have the whole staff sacked. And how dare that oaf talk to me like that."

"I suggest you complain a little softer Draco, we're not the only ones in these woods" I advised, getting another muffled whimper from Neville. Sighing I took out the flashlight on my belt and handed it to the scared Gryffindor, "Here Neville, why don't you use that to look around too. Just press on the switch to turn it on." I got it to work using a Lumos charm and a modified magic battery.

"Thanks," he said with a smile. He looked to have lost some of his nervousness now that he could see his way.

"Another of your muggle toys, Bell," Draco sneered, jostling the lantern in his hands.

"Is there a problem?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Muggles and their things have no place in our world," he said, "I'd figured Greengrass would have taught you this by now."

"Well I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion," I said with a shrug and turned around.

It seemed like he wasn't done as he ran to stand in front of me, "It's not an opinion Bell, it's a fact! Wizards and Muggles shouldn't be together!"

It was honestly kind of humorous seeing as I was at least a head taller than him and he need to look up to glare at me.

"Look Draco I'm not hear to discuss ideologies with you, I doubt anything I can say will be able to change your mind anyways, so why don't we just agree to disagree and search for the unicorn," I told him in a bored tone. Glancing behind me I gesture for Neville to follow, "Coming Neville?"

With that I stepped around the irked blonde and continued our trek.

"You insufferable know it all, how dare a Mudblood like you try and lecture me?" he cursed at me.

Rolling my eyes, I shot back, "Really? Petty name calling, that's what you resort to? I'm afraid you're going to have to do better than that if you want to get a rise out of me."

Without anymore to say, he settled for glaring at the back of my head.

It wasn't until we walked further into the forest that we finally found a lead.

"Hold up," I ordered as I bent down to inspect the ground. Droplets of unicorn blood painted the surrounding foliage. "Looks like were close. Judging by the size and depth of these horse prints I'd say it was favoring its left side and close to collapsing. I suggest you take out your wands now and move as quietly as you can, we don't know if whatever managed to injure it found it before us."

"S-Shouldn't we inform the others," Neville asked.

"Fatbottom is right," Draco said wearing a similar scared expression, his previous brave facade all but gone.

I shook my head, "If we do that, then we'll be alerting more than just the others. Beside we don't know where it is yet. It would be safer and faster if we sent someone to get them." Clicking my tongue, Hermes flew down and landed on a low hanging branch, "Hermes do you think you can go and get the others?"

"Caw!" he screeched before taking off into the woods.

"So where just supposed to trust your ruddy bird?" the blond demanded.

"You have a better idea?"

"…"

"Didn't think so. Now let's get moving."

We followed the tracks for several minutes before finally spotting the injured unicorn among a cluster of trees. We hid ourselves in some bushes a distance away

"Is it dead?" Draco asked looking honestly mournful, when he saw it wasn't moving.

"I can't tell from this distance, but we probably shouldn't get any closer. Whatever hurt it could be nearby," I told them, "It's better to wait until Hermes brings the others."

Apparently, the unicorn had better hearing than I thought as it lifted its head to look in our direction. It was too far away and too dark to see what kind of expression it had but if I had to guess it would be of pain and acceptance.

"W-we should help it?" Neville stuttered out, squeezing the flashlight in his hands tightly.

I shook my head, "There's nothing we can do and if we go there carelessly it will leave us exposed."

"So, we're just going to watch it die?" the Gryffindor boy asked with a horrified face.

Placing a frown on my face I kept my eyes on the unicorn, "I don't like anymore than you. The poor thing has been on the run since last night. It's probably scared and in pain."

"Isn't that more reason for us to help it?" Draco said with a bit of bite.

"At this point, the only help we could give it is a painless death," I snapped at him. Hearing a rustle to my other side I was just in time to see the end of Neville's robes disappear, "Neville! Come back here! Nev-oh forget it. Of all the times for him to suddenly get brave."

Leaving the safety of the bushes we rushed after the foolish boy.

I made it just as he was about to touch it, pulling his hand back and turning him around, "What do you think you're doing!?"

His eyes widened in honest fright as he looked up at me, "I-I'm sorry."

I stared at him for several seconds before sighing and letting go of his hand, "I suppose there's no use yelling at you now." Looking at the injured unicorn I checked its health using [Observe].

Unicorn LV 130

HP: 323/ 50,000

MP: 0/500

Statue: [Cursed] [Poisoned] [Bleeding]

"Seeing as where already here, we might as well help it." Reaching into my hat I took out three pairs of rubber gloves and three disposable face masks. "Here, but these on," I told them putting my own on.

"Why?" Draco asked.

"Unicorn blood is said to curse those who's lips touch it, it's better to not take any chances," I told them, hand them over.

The unicorn jerked its head violently as I bent down to inspect its wounds. That was to be expected as my [Overlord] title caused light creatures to be wary of me.

"This isn't good," I told them, tracing a slash on its side with my gloved finger.

Both boys stood behind me, peaking over my shoulder, "What is it?"

"It's as I feared, this was gone by a wizard," I explained.

"How can you possibly know that?"

Pointing to a patch of skin I directed their attention to the shape of the wounds, "This cut is too neat to be done by an animal. This other one here looks like it came from a blasting charm judging by the size of the bruising."

"How do you know all of this?" Neville asked curiously.

"I've been researching spells ever since Halloween to better defend myself. Neville can you point your light on this part," I directed.

"If your so smart, don't you know any healing spells."

Looking at him I knitted my eyebrows, "Of course I do, but damage caused by dark curses is extremely hard to heal even by professional medi-witches and that's only with the knowledge of the spells used. I count at least 5 that I recognize and 7 that I don't."

"So that's it, there's no hope," Neville said looking to be on the verge of tears.

Draco looked angry for some reason as he kicked a pebble with his foot.

"…Actually, there still might be a chance," I told them reluctantly.

"Well what is it?" the blonde Slytherin demanded.

I reached into my top hat I took out a small red box whose entire surface was covered in numerous locks and chains.

"What's that?"

"I liked to be prepared so I made this in case I was ever injured and in serious danger. It contains… well you'll see in a second."

Snapping my fingers, the locks and chains on the box unraveled and disappeared into hidden compartments. Opening the lid, I revealed a set of eight healing potions divided into two rows of four. Sticking to the top of the lid were three smaller beakers filled with Life Nectar.

Grabbing one of the beakers, I removed the cork and moved next to the unicorn's head, making sure to keep an eye on that horn. Looking at the two boys, I explained, "If we're to save it, we must first get rid of the poison in it's body, this will help with that. Can one of you hold its head steady, I don't feel like getting skewered by that horn today."

"I do it!" Neville volunteered as he moved behind the horse.

Using one of my hands to pry open its mouth open I tipped the contents of the beaker inside, then checked its status to make sure that the [Poisoned] effect had disappeared.

"Looks like it worked," I said letting out a sigh of relief. Turning back to the box I took out a health potion this time and plastered a worried expression on my face, "Now for the hard part." I tilted the unicorns head and dumbed the potion down int's throat, massaging its throat to make sure it was swallowing the potion.

It gave a cry of protest as it tried to jerk away, but it was useless as I had a very firm grip on its horn.

We didn't have to wait long as the effect of the potion made themselves known instantly, the wounds on its side giving off some steam and before shrinking down by fraction.

"Holy hell, that actually worked," I said with a surprised.

"You mean you weren't sure," Draco yelled at me.

"I've only ever tested this potion on myself and some injured birds, so I wasn't sure what kind of effects it would have on a magical creature. But hey, it's not like it could have gotten any worse," I snapped back. Grapping another potion I repeated the process, the unicorn struggling a lot less this time now that it knew we were here to help.

Neville's grip on the horn had slackened as he stared at the potion in wonder, "What kind of potion is that? I've never heard of one that could heal instantly. Most take at least a couple days to heal and the faster ones usually still take a few hours."

"Yes, Bell, where did you get that potion?"

Biting my lip, I answered in a reluctant tone, "…I made it."

"What?"

"What!?"

"It was more of an accident than anything else," I explained, "I was experimenting with some higher-level potions, trying to come up with a way to change their flavor, when I stumbled on to this miracle potion. From what I've seen and tested, it heals most injuries instantly, even those caused by spells. Doesn't even leave a scar behind. Anyways I would appreciate it if neither of you told anyone else about this."

"I won't say anything?" Neville promised.

"…"

Looking at the blonde I narrowed my eyes, "Draco."

"Why should I?"

"…I could tell Daphne that you've been secretly plotting with Flint to overthrow her. I'm sure she would have some words to say with you then," I threatened.

"Fine! I won't tell anyone," he shouted angrily before turning away.

I could tell both boys were lying, but that was okay, as it was all part of my plan.

I expected that word of my miraculous healing potion would spread among both the light and dark fractions, with many approaching me to confirm if the rumors were true. No doubt this would draw attention to me, but I was prepared for that outcome.

It had just finished drinking the four bottles when it suddenly twisted its head to stare into the darkness.

Ah, so it finally noticed our uninvited guest. I'd noticed Quirrell hiding in the shadows for some time, roughly around the time when I took out my box, which was why I had made sure to explain everything I was doing.

In one fluid motion I picked up my crossbow and unsheathed my wand, "Who's there?!"

The other two boys quickly pointed their wands in the direction I was pointing.

Standing up I waited for a response that never came so I pulled the trigger on the crossbow letting the bolt fly. It got deflected but the brief light coming from the shield charm made it known that we knew of his location.

"Neville, Draco, get behind me," I ordered them, which they were both happy to do judging by their petrified faces, "See, this is exactly why I said we should have stayed in the bushes."

Quirrell, hidden beneath the mass of black flowing robes, silently shot a spell in our direction.

With a wave of my wand I created a shield to block it before attacking with my own. "Avis!"

A flock of birds shoot from the tip of my wand and headed in his direction. This was Fourth-year spell, seeing as conjuration was one of the hardest aspects of transfiguration.

"Stupefy! Incarcerous! Reducto! Reducto! Reducto! Expelliarmus!" I shouted, weaving spell after spell.

Quirrell vanished the birds and cut the rope sent his way, before blocking the other spells.

"Bell, do something," Draco, said in a whimper.

I ignored him as focused on the battle at hand, deflecting a particular powerful curse to the side.

While no one was looking I touched the unicorn with the tip of my shoe, where one of my magic batteries lay concealed.

It seemed he was done testing me as the force of his spells got noticeably stronger. I had to give him credit, he was a still a powerful wizard despite his weakening form.

The unicorn seemed to have regained back some of its strength as it tried to stand up just as my shield broke too.

Unicorn LV 130

HP: 1,323/ 50,000

MP: 100/500

Statue: [Cursed]

Extending my hand at Quirrell I clenched it and pulled it to the side, watching as he was slammed into the bark of a tree face first. He had been too focused on my spells to notice the mana threads snaking their way along the ground until they had wrapped around him.

"You did it!" Neville cheered.

"Bombarda!" I shouted, aiming at the trunk of a tree, causing it to explode and tip over, "That won't hold them for long, we need to leave now!"

The unicorn seemed to understand as it bent down slightly for us to climb. Without a moment to waste I helped Draco on its back, followed by Neville. However, when I tried to climb on it's back, it backed away implying it wouldn't let me ride it.

"Oh fine, you ungrateful donkey," I muttered as I reached inside my hat and took out my Nimbus 2000. Mounting my broom, I looked at the others, "I'll follow behind."

Now, there was a reason why unicorns were notorious for being difficult to catch. They boasted one of the fastest traveling speeds in the magical world, some considering close to apperating in the way they could cross long distance in a single stride.

This proved to be true as in the blink of an eye, the three were gone. Fortunately, I had the foresight to place a tracking charm on Neville beforehand. I flew right after them, pushing my broom to its maximum speed just to keep them insight.

It didn't take very long for us to reach the edge of the forest and back at Hagrid's hut.

The two fell off face first once the unicorn had completely stopped and emptied their stomachs in the empty pumpkin field.

I land gracefully on the lawn and took out a note from my pocket. Waving my wand, it transformed into an airplane and flew towards the school in search of Madam Pomfrey. The unicorn didn't look to be able to move any more as it had used all of its magic of magic.

[Quest: Forest Expedition] Complete!

[You earned 200,000 Experience.]

[You obtained the item Pan's Pipes]

[Your level went up by 1.]

Looking down at the two suffering boys I could help but say, "Well, well, well, this sure was an exciting night huh. Maybe next time you'll listen when I say we shouldn't get involved."

(Quirrell)

Breaking free of the strange glowing string, Quirrell made a mental note to keep a closer eye on that boy, he was to smart for his own good.

He winced as a pain on his side told him he at least had one broken rib. If he hadn't hastily cast that shield charm to take some of the impact, he was sure he would have been crushed.

Crawling under the partially knocked down tree, he spotted something where they three boys had been, an overturned wooden box.

The unicorn might have gotten away, but perhaps there was still a chance.