All of Draco's sounds were trapped in his throat as he stared blankly at the hole Harry had left in the tree trunk, nearly losing his ability to speak.
As for how many of Harry's punches his head could withstand?
Ha ha.
Draco felt he couldn't withstand even one punch; one punch from Harry would send him to meet Merlin, and perhaps not even a full punch would be needed, just a bit of force could flatten him into a pancake.
And even that was an understatement.
So Draco shook his head frantically, his grey eyes filled with terror, the fear almost spilling over.
Harry also thought he saw something suspicious and glistening in his eyes.
It seemed he had scared the young heir to tears.
So Harry's conscience pricked him, and he stepped back with a smile, offering a half-hearted reassurance: "Alright, don't worry, I won't beat you to death. For now, there's no need to come to blows with you anyway."
Harry paused, muttering quietly: "If it does come to blows, I'll avoid hitting your face."
Draco heard him, and his face flushed bright red with a mix of anger and fear.
But he didn't dare to curse.
"Er, Harry, are you two doing something…"
Just then, a hesitant voice came over. After carefully checking the unicorn's condition and confirming it was beyond saving, Hagrid felt sad.
He pulled some dry grass from the side, turned it into a few small white flowers, and placed them on the unicorn's wound.
Then he turned around and saw…
Well.
It was hard to describe Harry and Draco.
From Hagrid's perspective, it looked like Harry was cornering Draco and bullying him.
Hagrid looked a bit uncertain.
"Nothing." Harry turned calmly, giving Hagrid an innocent smile. "Hagrid, what about the unicorn? Can we leave now?"
"Yes, yes." Hagrid glanced at Draco, who seemed scared half to death, and nodded repeatedly.
"Come on, let's go." He straightened up, ready to lead Harry and Draco out of the Forbidden Forest.
Draco's legs were still weak; he was terrified. Harry shrugged, reached out to grab the back of the young heir's collar, lifted him slightly, and gave him a shake. "Time to go, young heir."
Draco: "…"
Wuwuwu…
Just then, two tall figures leaped out from the side. Hagrid immediately became alert, stepping in front of Harry and Draco, but relaxed when he saw who it was.
"It's you, Firenze." Hagrid wiped away non-existent sweat, smiling as he greeted the approaching centaur.
"Hagrid." The centaur named Firenze nodded slightly in greeting to Hagrid, then looked past him and saw the dead unicorn under the tree behind them.
A faint, almost imperceptible trace of regret appeared in the centaur's eyes as he sighed. "A unicorn has been killed."
The centaur behind him remained silent but looked up at the night sky at that moment.
After a moment, he turned his head and gave Harry a deep look, saying in a low voice, "The light of Mars grows ever brighter."
Mars represented war.
Harry rolled his eyes inwardly: What was that supposed to mean? Was he trying to be sarcastic?
But Hagrid didn't understand, and Draco wasn't in the mood to listen.
Hagrid chuckled and made some perfunctory remarks before bidding farewell to the two centaurs. He led Harry and Draco away quickly, muttering to Harry, "Those centaurs are always so mysterious, saying things people can't understand."
Then he hesitated again. "Harry, that thing you used just now…"
He meant the gun.
Harry tilted his head. "What about it?"
"Nothing." Hagrid sighed. "I mean, it might be dangerous. Dumbledore might not allow it at Hogwarts."
"Oh, don't worry." Harry pointed with a smile towards the now-close castle, where two figures were standing at the entrance. "I think Headmaster Dumbledore already knows."
Standing at the castle gate were none other than Snape and Dumbledore.
Hagrid's words died in his throat.
"Hagrid, thank you for your hard work." Dumbledore took Harry and Draco from Hagrid with a cheerful smile. "It's very late. Go get some rest."
"Alright, Professor Dumbledore." Hagrid replied in a muffled voice, gave Harry a worried look, and then left.
Snape's gloomy gaze swept over Harry briefly before he reached out and pulled the pale-faced Draco to his side.
Dumbledore chose that moment to speak. "Mr. Malfoy must be tired as well. Severus, would you take Mr. Malfoy back?"
His gaze fell on Harry, who appeared calm. Through his half-moon spectacles, his blue eyes held a sharp, appraising look. "I believe I need to have a talk with Mr. Potter."
Harry blinked. "Alright, Professor."
Snape shot Harry one last glare before leaving with Draco without looking back.
Harry followed Dumbledore all the way back to the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore smiled and tapped the desk with his wand. A cup of honey tea appeared in front of Harry. He playfully winked at Harry. "A cup of honey tea?"
"No, I prefer black tea." Harry declined the honey.
Dumbledore shrugged and swapped the tea for black tea.
Then there was silence. Harry drank his tea calmly, waiting for Dumbledore to speak.
Dumbledore, however, remained silent.
So Harry asked for a lamb chop as well.
After about twenty minutes, Harry finished the lamb chop. Dumbledore finally couldn't hold back any longer.
He folded his hands under his chin, his gaze heavy as he looked at Harry, and slowly spoke. "Harry, I heard you're carrying some…"
He paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. "Some dangerous weapons used by Muggles?"
"Oh, yes." Harry's tone was light, with no intention of hiding anything. "If you mean a gun."
"May I see it?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"Of course." Harry agreed readily, pulling the Magnum from his coat and placing it on the desk in front of Dumbledore.
Dumbledore then picked up the gun and examined it closely.
After a moment, he spoke with a hint of wonder. "Oh, it looks very… cool?"
He quickly added, "And, of course, very dangerous."
"A handgun isn't really that dangerous." Harry disagreed. There were plenty of things far more dangerous than a handgun.
But he still preferred handguns. "Compared to other weapons, though, handguns are much lighter and easier to carry."
Dumbledore looked at Harry, who seemed to see nothing wrong with this and even appeared slightly pleased, and felt a rare headache coming on. "That doesn't change how dangerous it is."
"Harry, Hogwarts is full of young witches and wizards. Do you think a gun is appropriate here?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Harry asked back calmly. "Have I killed anyone at school? Besides, I do have a gun license."
"No, what I mean is…" Dumbledore looked at Harry helplessly. "The danger posed by guns might be greater than you imagine. Having it in the school is simply too risky."
"I think I'll have to keep it temporarily, to prevent any terrible accidents."
Dumbledore spoke tactfully, meaning he wanted to confiscate Harry's gun.
Harry played dumb, speaking cheerfully. "Oh, Headmaster, if you want it, I can give it to you. The family will just send me a new one anyway."
Dumbledore was speechless.
Amidst his exasperation, he caught a key phrase.
From home? But as far as he knew, the Dursleys weren't that crazy… allowing a child to carry a gun? That was absurd.
So Dumbledore hummed thoughtfully. "It sounds like you get along quite well with your aunt and uncle?"
"Of course." Harry's eyes curved into a smile. "My aunt and uncle are very interesting people."
"My family is very worried about me, especially after learning about my past and the blood purity discrimination among wizards."
"They think I need some reasonable means of self-protection."
The 'family' here, naturally, didn't just refer to the Dursleys.
And in truth, the Dursleys weren't that worried; they would only think that Hogwarts, which was about to receive Harry, was the one facing danger.
"Well then…"
This was good, at least Petunia cared for her sister's child.
Dumbledore sighed, but still returned the Magnum to Harry.
"However, Harry, I think you need to understand the wizarding world's attitude towards Muggles. If you use Muggle weapons to hurt someone, you might attract the attention of the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot."
Dumbledore said earnestly, "Harry, I hope that when you use such a weapon, it's after careful consideration."
Harry answered readily. "Of course."
"It's not like I'm a devil or anything."
He playfully made a gun shape with his fingers and pressed it to his temple. "Using guns improperly means tears for loved ones."
Dumbledore chuckled. "Alright, alright."
"Harry, it's time you went back to rest."