Harry frowned seriously. The pages of his magical tome flipped at full speed, as if searching for the right spell. Suddenly, they stopped on one that seemed to have appeared at that very moment. After all, the tome always gave him the spells he needed.

  Harry read the page quickly. He did not have time to fully understand it, only to invoke it.

  “The Crossroads of the Night!” he shouted, raising his wand toward the sky.

  At once, the spells flying toward Percy began to veer off in different directions. The fire serpent twisted violently and crashed into the nearby trees, setting part of the forest ablaze. Even so, the flames behaved strangely, extinguishing themselves as the serpent lost its form.

  The shadows moved in an unnatural way, as if multiple moons were shining over them. A total disorientation struck all three, causing the spells cast by both Harry and the hooded man to vanish or shoot off in erratic directions.

  They could see themselves standing in the same place, yet at the same time felt as though they were standing in every direction at once.

  Percy spoke toward Harry in confusion, but no sound came from his mouth. Instead, his voice seemed to come from a distant tree, so far away that Harry could not understand what his brother was saying.

  As the hooded man looked around in surprise, he suddenly raised his wand and pointed it toward Percy.

  “Avada Kedavra.”

  The voice seemed to come from the sky, the ground, and the trees all at once.

  Percy dodged by jumping to the side, but his body moved against his expectations, throwing itself in the opposite direction.

  The green spell shot straight into the sky, and the man fixed his attention with even greater intensity on Harry’s magical tome.

  Again and again, he raised his wand. Green spells and shouted incantations erupted from different points in the forest. Magic flew in every direction, but never where he aimed.

  Harry, having already spent an enormous amount of magic, dropped to his knees, breathing heavily.

  Suddenly, a sound like glass shattering echoed through the air. The sounds returned to normal, and the shadows slipped back into their proper places.

  The man looked around for a moment before lifting his wand again. “That was something I had never seen before. But it seems your luck has run out,” he said, as if he had stopped playing and was now ready to catch them and claim their objects.

  Percy stood in front of Harry, ready to protect him, his expression truly serious.

  Before he could make his next move, a sharp whistle cut through the air.

  An arrow struck the man square in the chest, and he screamed in pain for the first time.

  “AAh! Who is there?” he shouted furiously.

  More arrows followed immediately, forcing him to move his wand to defend himself, causing them to ricochet away. Two more could be heard. One of them did not seem aimed directly at the man; it struck a branch behind him before bouncing and embedding itself in his leg, shattering his shield. The second hit him cleanly in the shoulder.

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  At the same time, rapid footsteps approached, along with Hagrid’s voice shouting Harry and Percy’s names.

  The hooded man, screaming in fury and pain, moved his wand quickly as his body transformed into a kind of black mist. He then shot toward the trees, using them as cover while more arrows flew in his direction.

  Percy turned to see where the arrows had come from and spotted a centaur standing among the trees. The centaur held his gaze for a moment, then looked toward Harry before stepping slightly closer.

  It was the same centaur he had seen before, when he was following Grover.

  “That completely confirms what I had already theorized,” he said while looking at Harry. In his hand, he held a large bow that looked surprisingly simple, and a quiver hung from his human waist.

  Harry lifted his head and looked at the centaur with a completely confused expression. Percy, on the other hand, seemed to have many things to say, but before he could speak, more sounds approached.

  “Harry, Percy!” Hermione shouted. Behind her came Hagrid, Neville, and Draco.

  “Thank Merlin, you’re all right,” Hagrid said immediately upon seeing them. Then his gaze fell on the centaur, and he frowned in confusion. “Uh… who are you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before,” he asked.

  “Just a centaur passing through,” he replied with a calm smile before turning to leave.

  “Wait!” Percy said.

  “I understand you must have many questions. Do not worry; you will have time later. For now, it is better to leave this forest. Your pendants can no longer hide you,” the centaur said before disappearing among the trees with complete calm.

  At the word pendant, Percy brought a hand to his chest. There, his amulet with the small protective sword was cracked in half. Harry did the same; his was broken as well.

  Suddenly, a growl echoed through the forest, making Hagrid lift his head at once.

  “That… I’ve no idea what that was,” he said with concern, as if he had heard that beast for the first time. “We’d better leave,” he added as he quickly lifted Harry. He glanced at the dead unicorn for a moment, sadness in his eyes, but getting the children back to the castle was the safest choice.

  Without saying much more, they all moved quickly out of the forest.

  Minutes after they had left, a massive creature began to move among the shadows and emerged into the clearing. It stared at the unicorn for a moment and sniffed it, lingering especially on the handprints smeared with its own blood that covered the body. Then it opened its mouth, ready to devour it.

  Suddenly, a black mist appeared at its side, making the creature freeze and turn sharply.

  There, standing calmly, was a beautiful red-haired woman. She gave it a brief glance.

  “A corrupted forest spirit? That is not something I see very often,” she said with interest before raising her wand. An enormous surge of black fire slammed directly into the beast, which began to burn instantly. “Tsk… it seems I need to clean things up faster than before,” she muttered tiredly.

  Then she turned her gaze toward the castle, visible in the distance, her expression heavy with memories, before allowing herself a faint smile.

  “Hiding is useless. That equine scent is always unmistakable,” she said coldly as she turned away. “Chiron,” she added, with slight irritation.

  The same centaur from before stepped out of the forest, his bow in hand, watching her with a serious expression.

  “Lady Morgana, that only further confirms my suspicions,” Chiron said, meeting her gaze.

  “Did you come to take my dear godchildren?” Morgana asked, holding his stare without flinching. Her words were cold, as if she were fully prepared to destroy him should he dare to answer yes.

  Chiron showed a brief look of surprise at hearing the relationship mentioned. Then he grew serious before replying calmly.

  “You know they are in danger on this continent. I believe they will soon need to go to the camp,” he added, not stating it outright, but leaving the meaning clear.

  Morgana stared at him. The air around her began to darken, as if night itself were descending upon her. The shadows of the trees stretched and grew, swallowing nearly all the light. Chiron glanced around for a moment, yet showed no fear at the power Morgana was unleashing.

  That seemed to irritate her for an instant. She clicked her tongue, aware that Chiron was right. Everything returned to normal.

  “There is no need for you to tell Percy and Harry anything… I will do it,” she said coldly, before her body was swallowed by darkness and vanished.

  Chiron looked for a moment at the spot where the massive creature had once stood, now reduced to dust. Then he turned his gaze to the unicorn’s corpse and shook his head in disapproval.

  “Even in a place so magical, such horrendous beings exist,” he murmured, lifting his eyes toward the sky. “Mars is truly bright tonight,” he added, before disappearing once more into the forest, fading among the trees.