Drawn by the gentle murmur of running water, the group reached a creek where the clear stream shimmered with a faint, ethereal light.
"Harry, do you think there really are unicorns around here?" Malfoy scanned the surroundings, his eyes eagerly searching for a glimpse of white.
Harry, ever the pragmatist, immediately dashed his hopes. "Don't get your hopes up. Even if there were unicorns, they wouldn't give you the time of day."
Malfoy bristled at the comment. "How do you know they wouldn't pay attention to me?"
"Please, unicorns are drawn to purity of heart." Harry raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Even the Qilin, who is willing to deal with men, wouldn't consider you pure of heart, let alone unicorns, who are more inclined towards women."
Malfoy fell silent, momentarily defeated. "…"
Tom, who had materialized behind them with his usual, unsettling silence, offered a suggestion. "Why don't you two transfigure yourselves and try approaching them? Perhaps they won't reject you then."
"…"
That's so like him, Cassandra thought, standing behind them. Only Tom would suggest such a thing. She stifled a laugh.
Hermione, jolted back to reality by the conversation by the stream, refocused on their task. "Right, pure white..." Composing herself, she prepared to search for the item described on the parchment.
"Here it is." Luna, meanwhile, had already plucked a pristine white water lily from the stream with effortless grace.
...
With their first item secured, the group began their return to the dilapidated hut.
On the way back, Hermione continued to wrack her brain, wondering where else they might find the remaining items.
Unfortunately, her studies of magical creatures had primarily focused on their habits and characteristics, not on the specific minutiae of the Forbidden Forest's inhabitants.
It wasn't necessary before, she reasoned. I never imagined I'd need such bizarre knowledge.
Head bowed in thought, Hermione relied on the silhouettes of the group ahead to guide her, maximizing her walking time for contemplation.
Of course, it helps that Tom is here, she admitted to herself. I wouldn't risk doing this anywhere else.
Especially not among Muggles; that would be a one-way ticket to Bedlam.
Come to think of it, this is England. Maybe we could even meet Merlin here.
"…"
As they walked, Hermione suddenly noticed Luna had stopped. "What's wrong?"
Hermione looked up and saw Luna walking towards a hidden area beside the hut.
Her curiosity piqued, she followed, discovering a forgotten pile of rubble concealed from view.
"A pile of rubble? That's it!" Hermione murmured, her eyes gleaming. She eagerly began to help Luna turn over the stones.
Beneath the debris, a single galleon glittered in the dim light. Though tarnished with age and dust, its golden allure remained undeniable.
"Hey!" Harry called from the doorway of the hut, his curiosity piqued. "Did you find something?"
"Yes, the second item!" Hermione exclaimed, ever the know-it-all. "Only one left!"
Luna gazed at the galleon in her hand, her eyes alight with anticipation of the next discovery.
"…"
Harry watched them silently, a strange expression on his face. How long has it been? I haven't even had a chance to unleash my "world-shaking wisdom," and they're already done?
"Harry, what's wrong?" Malfoy peeked out from behind Harry, puzzled by his demeanor.
Faced with Harry's strange silence, even the usually cocky Malfoy could only stand beside him, unsure of what to say.
...
Back inside the cabin, Tom sat to one side, his gaze fixed on the thick branches climbing the opposite wall.
Cassandra, seated beside him, followed his line of sight, intrigued. Tom wouldn't be so bored as to stare at branches…
Looking more closely, she realized the branches seemed to be… moving, growing...
Understanding dawned, and a slight smile touched her lips.
"Tom, your herbalism notes wouldn't be wrong, would they?"
"Even if Professor Sprout is mistaken, I am not." Tom's tone was calm, yet radiated unwavering conviction.
Cassandra had no doubt. In fact, she had more faith in Tom than he had in himself. Her question had merely been a way to show him that she had solved the riddle he had set.
Mistletoe is a relatively obscure plant in herbalism. It often parasitizes other plants, and very few potions can be made from it. Therefore, it is more symbolic, representing love and blessings. It is said that if you kiss someone under mistletoe, the other person cannot refuse... Wait! NO!!!
Too late! The thought of "God is on my side" hadn't even fully formed in her mind before she had to act... Unfortunately, she was a fraction of a second too slow.
The mistletoe sprout had already been picked.
"..."
Hermione, having plucked the mistletoe, suddenly felt the temperature plummet, and a shiver ran down her spine.
Turning around, she saw Cassandra with her head bowed, trying to suppress the furious scowl on her face.
"Cassandra, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, bewildered.
"Nothing, sister. We'll talk when we get back!" Cassandra looked up, a dangerous smile playing on her lips.
She didn't believe Hermione, whose grades were no worse than hers, wouldn't know what mistletoe meant... "I considered you a sister, and you ruined my plans?!"
...
The group approached the three stone boxes and opened them one by one.
"First, let's offer the pure white under the moonlight." As Hermione spoke, Harry carefully placed the white water lily into the stone box adorned with a unicorn relief.
"Next, let's offer the gold from the pile of stones." Malfoy placed the tarnished galleon into the stone box with the Niffler relief.
"Finally… present the tender green shoots from between the bark." Luna placed the mistletoe buds, the Bowtruckle's favorite food, into the stone box adorned with a Bowtruckle relief.
The three closed the stone boxes.
Click.
A small, yet distinct sound reached their ears.
A tiny crack slowly widened beneath the parchment that had been lying there.
Harry and the others gathered around, eager to retrieve the hidden treasure.
Having regained her composure, Cassandra glanced at Tom and casually inquired, "What did you hide in there?"
"An egg." Tom no longer felt the need for secrecy. "A very rare egg."
Hearing this, Cassandra raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "How rare?"
"I just bred it."
"..."
Cassandra remained silent.
"The fluorescent newt… how is it? Do you like the name I came up with?"
Tom elaborated, "It was created through hybridization between the two-headed newt and other magical creatures. Its fluorescence comes from glowworms, which are also very special magical animals."
"Fortunately, there's no reproductive barrier between magical animals."
Cassandra looked at Luna. "She should be particularly interested in this, right?"
It was clear that this unusual creature was a gift specially prepared for Luna.
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