Chapter 155: The Duel
The thick bushes softened his fall, so Cyrian wasn't seriously hurt. Without even looking back, he scrambled away from Mimiron on all fours, fleeing as fast as he could.
Mimiron didn't pursue him.
Inside his mind, Lord Voldemort had already spoken. The Cyrian siblings were valuable followers in his future plans. For their sake, sparing Cyrian now was acceptable. Besides, with Cyrian's current ability, Voldemort had little interest in him anyway.
"Alright," Mimiron said calmly, turning his gaze toward the remaining students.
"Continue."
Gluk took a deep breath. He exchanged glances with the others, and almost simultaneously they all raised their wands—pointing them directly at Mimiron.
Even though they knew their spells couldn't break through the protection of an Shield Charm, none of them backed down.
"Good… very good," Mimiron said with a pleased smile.
Now this was what Slytherin should look like.
If they had turned on each other as he suggested earlier, he would still have kept his promise—but he would not have respected them nearly as much.
With a casual flick of his wand, he sent a burst of force that knocked them all flat onto the ground.
Gluk's heart sank.
The gap between them and Mimiron felt like an uncrossable chasm.
"You're all impressive," Mimiron said thoughtfully.
"I take back what I said earlier."
"Now you face a new choice."
"Serve my master… or die alone."
Gluk clenched his teeth. Just as he was about to accept—
A sharp, slicing force suddenly surged through the forest.
Bushes along its path split cleanly in half as the attack shot straight toward Mimiron.
CRACK.
A faint fracture appeared on the barrier created by the Shield Charm.
For the first time, surprise appeared on Mimiron's face.
"What spell is that…?"
He muttered to himself, just about to turn and see who had cast it—
But Voldemort's voice rang out urgently in his mind.
"Run! Run now!"
"That's Snape's original spell! At Hogwarts, he's the only one who knows it. You're no match for him right now. If he catches you, we're finished."
"Snape?" Mimiron stiffened.
He remembered those days when Voldemort had been at the height of his power. Back then, Mimiron had been nothing more than a minor follower—while Severus Snape was already one of Voldemort's trusted inner circle.
"Why would he suddenly appear here?" Mimiron muttered.
Despite the question, he wasted no time. Turning instantly, he vanished into the depths of the forest.
"As a potions master," Voldemort explained in his mind, "coming to the Forbidden Forest at night to collect ingredients is perfectly normal."
It was clear that the fragment of Voldemort residing within the Horcrux was far calmer than the one attached to Quirrell's head. Perhaps it was because this fragment had been created before Voldemort had completely descended into madness.
And just like that—
Mimiron fled.
---
Gluk and the others stood frozen, stunned by their sudden survival.
For a moment, none of them moved.
"Could it be… some kind of trick?" one of them asked cautiously.
"A trick?"
A voice suddenly emerged from the bushes behind them.
"You mean a trick to deal with me?"
The leaves rustled.
Then Russell stepped out slowly from the shadows.
"F-Fythorne…?" Gluk exclaimed in shock, instinctively raising his wand in defense. "What are you doing here?!"
"What am I doing here?" Russell smiled faintly.
"You should know that better than anyone. After all… you were the ones following me into the forest."
His lips curved into a smile.
But there was no warmth at all in his eyes.
Russell's gaze remained fixed on the direction where Mimiron had disappeared, wary that the dark wizard might suddenly return.
Was that Quirrell?
He wasn't sure.
After all, at this point in time, the only person who should be hunting unicorn blood in the forest was Professor Quirrell.
Turning back to the group, Russell asked calmly:
"So tell me… how exactly did you manage to provoke a wizard like that?"
Only then did the Slytherin students fully process what had just happened.
The truth was difficult to accept—but undeniable.
Russell had just saved their lives.
And that terrifying dark wizard had fled… because of Russell's spell.
At this moment, the Slytherin students all felt deeply embarrassed.
They had come here to cause trouble for Russell—yet in the end, he had saved their lives.
What kind of ridiculous situation was that?
So when Russell asked what had happened, they didn't hide anything. One of them explained the whole story from beginning to end.
Russell listened quietly, nodding from time to time.
Trying to ambush a unicorn…
That confirmed it.
The one they encountered had to be Quirinus Quirrell.
---
"Let's go," Russell said calmly.
"The Forbidden Forest is dangerous."
"And next time—don't come looking for trouble with me again."
"Otherwise…"
He flicked his wand casually.
A deep slash suddenly appeared across the trunk of a nearby tree, one thick enough that two people could barely wrap their arms around it.
A sharp creaking sound followed.
The remaining wood could no longer support the tree's weight.
With a loud crash, the tree toppled sideways.
Gluk and the others gasped in shock.
If that spell had struck a person…
They would have been cut in half.
When they looked back at Russell, their eyes now held unmistakable fear.
Russell ignored them and turned away, walking back toward the castle.
The Slytherins stared at one another for a moment before hurriedly following after him, hoping to at least say thank you.
But by the time they reached the edge of the forest—
Russell had already vanished.
---
So Quirrell started hunting unicorn blood this early…
Russell pondered the matter as he returned to the castle.
But why didn't he tell me? Why not let me help?
The answer came to him almost immediately.
Voldemort was afraid.
Afraid that if Russell saw how weak he truly was, Russell might start entertaining dangerous thoughts.
Russell let out a quiet snort.
A cruel, suspicious leader who trusts no one…
That kind of person usually fails in the end.
With that thought, he climbed into bed.
Better get some sleep tonight.
---
Meanwhile, Cyrian was still running through the forest.
His nerves were stretched to the breaking point.
His body was weakening rapidly, and his steady breathing had long since turned into ragged gasps.
Then—
A faint light appeared ahead.
Relief flooded through him.
The exit… I'm almost out of the forest!
But just as he was about to break through the trees—
Something suddenly moved beside him.
Before Cyrian could react, his body was lifted straight into the air.
His legs continued running uselessly in midair.
Turning his head, he saw a huge bearded face leaning close.
"Don't eat me!" Cyrian screamed.
Then he fainted on the spot.
---
"What in the world happened here?"
The man holding him scratched his head.
It was Rubeus Hagrid, who had just finished his nightly patrol.
He had been heading back to his hut when he heard movement nearby. At first he thought it was some wild animal.
Instead, he found a student.
Hagrid examined Cyrian carefully but didn't recognize him.
Shrugging, he slung his crossbow over his shoulder and lifted the unconscious boy like a sack of potatoes.
"Hope Professor Dumbledore's still awake," he muttered as he headed toward the castle.
"Otherwise this'll be a right headache…"
---
When he reached the entrance hall, he ran into someone immediately.
"Hagrid?"
The caretaker narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"What are you doing in the castle this late?"
It was Argus Filch.
Hagrid didn't like Filch much, but he still explained honestly.
"I found this student outside the forest," Hagrid said, lifting Cyrian slightly to show him.
"Don't know what happened, but he passed out. Thought I'd better take him to Professor Dumbledore and let him have a look."