Forbidden Forest.
A mysterious and dangerous forest.
Under the moonlight, shadows stretched far and wide, the previously silent environment filled only with subtle rustling sounds. But now, this tranquility was shattered by a thunderous roar.
Truly,
it was incredibly frightening.
Hermione, Ron, and Neville stood in the clearing, panting heavily. The sudden loud noise made them tense up simultaneously, and Neville's magic wand fell to the ground with a "clang" in shock.
"What! What was that!"
Neville looked around nervously.
"Huh?"
Ian also looked confusedly towards the direction of the commotion—a distance too far away with too many trees blocking the view, making it impossible for him to see what was happening.
He could only see flocks of startled birds fleeing in all directions.
As if they had encountered something truly terrifying.
And at this moment.
"Roar!!"
An even fiercer roar rang out.
This roar echoed through the Forbidden Forest like rolling thunder, making the leaves rustle and the ground shake, as if the entire forest trembled in fear.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Hermione, Neville, and Ron fell to the ground upon hearing the sound.
Honestly,
there was no dignity left.
Only that gut-wrenching terror completely filled their minds—this had nothing to do with bravery, it was purely an instinctive reaction embedded in their biological genes.
"This, this is..."
Hermione's voice trembled, filled with uncertainty and fear. She was almost scared to tears. If Hermione was this terrified, Neville was even worse.
Neville fainted directly in fright.
Hermione hurriedly checked on him.
Ian sighed, took out a bottle of magic potion, and handed it over. After Hermione fed Neville the potion, his eyelids fluttered and he suddenly woke up.
"Oh my! I had a terrible dream! I dreamed we went to the Forbidden Forest and then encountered..." Neville was sweating profusely, and before he could finish his relieved sentence.
A cold wind blew through.
The night in the Forbidden Forest was shrouded in thick darkness.
Moonlight filtered through the towering ancient trees, breaking into silver patches and casting mottled shadows on the decaying leaves on the ground, the spicy scent of pine needles floating in the damp mist.
Wasn't this just like the Forbidden Forest in his nightmare? No—there was no nightmare! He had fainted in the Forbidden Forest! Realizing this, Neville's voice seemed to choke in his throat.
The face that had been rescued by the magic potion paled once more. If it weren't for Ian's potent potion, he might have fainted again.
How should one put it?
You can't blame these three little wizards for being timid.
Even Ian felt his eardrums uncomfortable upon hearing the roar.
He, a legend, also had some reactions.
Not to mention the three who had just entered Hogwarts and experienced nothing yet—honestly, it's already a testament to being Gryffindor College students that none of them wet themselves.
"Ian... what kind of creature made that sound? Was it a dragon?" Hermione encountered her knowledge blind spot and looked at whom she considered the most knowledgeable senior at Hogwarts with her frightened expression.
Ian remained silent.
"Yes, that's... that's definitely a dragon's sound!" Ron jumped in, his eyes wide in terror, his voice trembling as if squeezed from his throat.
"It's the sound of a dragon! My brother Charlie likes dragons, he used to mess with dragon toys at home, not so scary, but I'm definitely sure this is a dragon's roar!"
He couldn't help but recall his brother Charlie, whom he always struggled to understand why he liked dragons. Now Ron found the hobby even more incomprehensible.
Dragons.
Frightening enough to make him shiver.
How could anyone like them?
"Your brother Charlie? How many brothers do you have!" Hermione, hearing the name for the first time, seemed surprised, and Ron forced a bitter laugh, his voice still trembling.
"Our family is poor because we have so many children, all my things are hand-me-downs from my brothers, even my..." he began to complain incessantly about his life.
Hearing his account,
Neville's complexion became even paler than the moonlight, cold sweat beading on his forehead, pressed his back tightly against a tree, as if it could provide some safety.
"I-I have seen dragons... but their roars... aren't that terrifying..." his legs shook uncontrollably, even lying on the ground couldn't prevent it.
The voice of this little chubby guy grew softer, "I-I feel like my soul is trembling... of course, maybe it's just my cowardice, but I truly feel I might die."
"Blank mind, right? It's not your fault, Neville, we're the same." Hermione swallowed, both scared and curious, "Is there really a dragon in the Forbidden Forest?"
Although she knew extensively about magic creatures and the rich biodiversity of the Forbidden Forest, the notion of a dragon there still stunned her.
Upon hearing,
Ron shook his head helplessly, indicating he didn't know either.
Thus,
Hermione once again looked at Ian.
"Yes, there are dragons in Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest." Ian focused his gaze in the direction of the chaos, his brow furrowed, "However, the dragons here shouldn't be of this breed."
His tone also carried a trace of puzzlement.