The Unicorn, whose life signs were like a flickering candle in the wind, reignited with Chu Yang's help, letting out a joyful whinny and slowly standing up.
"Hoo…" Chu Yang collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, feeling completely drained for the first time.
The Unicorn lowered its head, gently nuzzling Chu Yang's pale face, its pure white body emitting a soft glow, sacred and beautiful.
"Sir, you have saved the Unicorn's life. Please allow me to thank you on behalf of the forest. From now on, your life will always be blessed by the forest."
Firenze walked with small, measured steps to Chu Yang's side, bowing slightly, his voice filled with reverence, "You are not in good condition right now. May I be permitted to carry you back to a safe place?"
The safe place Firenze spoke of was Hogwarts; he could tell from Chu Yang's attire that he was a student there.
"Then I'll trouble you." Chu Yang nodded weakly, his entire body as soft as mud.
Firenze bent down, about to pick up Chu Yang, but the Unicorn beside him nudged him away with its head, then rubbed its head against Chu Yang.
"It seems the Unicorn wants to carry you back itself!" Firenze clicked his tongue in wonder, "Normally, Unicorns only allow pure maidens to ride on their backs. This is the first time I've seen a Unicorn willing to let a male ride…"
Hearing Firenze say that, Chu Yang felt a strange discomfort, but the Unicorn seemed insistent on carrying him back, and he couldn't stubbornly refuse.
"Do you need me to help you up?" Firenze asked gently, like a gentleman.
"No, no, just help me up."
Chu Yang shivered and quickly waved his hand; Firenze's words had already made him, a straight man, feel a bit awkward.
Firenze helped Chu Yang up, and the latter laboriously climbed onto the Unicorn's back, then felt the smoothness of the Unicorn's fur.
Just lying on it, Chu Yang almost comfortably fell asleep.
Under the Gekko, Firenze led the way, with the Unicorn carrying Chu Yang following behind. Even if there were some creatures lurking in the Forbidden Forest, they dared not cause trouble.
"Mr. Chu Yang, if you wish to come to the Forbidden Forest again next time, you can blow this leaf. Whether it's day or night, I will come to your side as quickly as possible." Firenze, walking ahead, suddenly turned back and handed Chu Yang a leaf.
The leaf had clear veins and was entirely emerald green, clearly some kind of magical item.
"Thank you." Chu Yang accepted Firenze's gift, curious as to why the other party was so kind to him. Was it just because he saved the Unicorn's life?
Are the relations between these two races that good?
With a head full of questions, Chu Yang, while taking a shortcut through the hunting grounds, bumped right into Hagrid, who, seeing him carried by the Unicorn, was so shocked that he dropped the lantern in his hand.
"Merlin's beard, I must be too tired to be having such illusions." Hagrid mumbled with his eyes closed, and when he opened them again, Chu Yang was already riding the Unicorn in front of him.
"A Unicorn actually willing to let a male ride…" Hagrid looked at the scene in disbelief; in all his years, he had never seen any Unicorn break this rule.
"Hey, Hagrid." Firenze greeted Hagrid familiarly; both of them often patrolled the Forbidden Forest and had met many times before.
"Firenze? Why are you here too?" Hagrid, regaining his senses, then realized how strange the combination before him was.
A human wizard, plus a Unicorn, plus a centaur…
"Someone was hunting Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest. Fortunately, Mr. Chu Yang arrived in time…" Firenze recounted everything he knew, but he hadn't seen the culprit behind the Unicorn hunting, only knowing that the person was very evil.
"I must report this to Headmaster Dumbledore." Hagrid realized the seriousness of the matter and was about to go to the school, but then suddenly remembered Chu Yang and couldn't help but ask, "And why did you sneak into the Forbidden Forest? This could lead to punishment."
Chu Yang whispered, "I came to see the Whomping Willow."
Hagrid suddenly understood, then explained to Chu Yang, "It's getting cold, the Whomping Willow is hibernating in the Forbidden Forest near the hunting grounds, it's not here."
"Hibernating?" Chu Yang was startled; it was the first time he had heard that magical plants also hibernated.
"Not truly hibernating in the strict sense, it's just that its activity will be much weaker than usual. It's always like this when it's at Hogwarts, but if you get too close, you'll still wake it up, and then it'll get very angry."
Hagrid emphasized the last sentence, having just witnessed it not long ago, and the scene was quite shocking.
"In that case, let it continue to rest."
Chu Yang had just finished speaking when he sneezed.
After his magic was almost exhausted, his cold resistance had temporarily decreased.
"We should quickly send Mr. Chu Yang back to the school. In such cold weather, he will get sick if he stays outside."
Firenze had no time to bother with Hagrid anymore and wanted to bolt, but the Unicorn was a step faster than him, already galloping towards the school without stopping.
Hagrid froze for a moment, then quickly chased after them.
They were not far from the school, able to clearly see Hogwarts standing majestically on the cliff.
After sending Chu Yang back to the school, the Unicorn and Firenze plunged into the forest surrounding the school.
The belated Hagrid, not daring to disturb Dumbledore's rest, carried Chu Yang and ran towards Dumbledore's quarters.
Late at night, Dumbledore, who was about to go to sleep, was pulled out of bed by a series of urgent knocks.
When Dumbledore opened the door, he saw Hagrid covered in snow, and Chu Yang on his shoulder.
"A few quiet months, and I almost forgot your talent for trouble. Tell me, what happened? I can handle it."
Dumbledore, sensing that something big had happened, calmly wiped his glasses, sighing with a bit of weariness.
Chu Yang "Oh'd" and then calmly said, "I accidentally ran into Voldemort…"
Dumbledore's action of wiping his glasses abruptly stopped, and Hagrid also froze in place, both staring blankly at Chu Yang.
"You didn't tell me that just now." Hagrid swallowed, cold sweat dripping, "The mysterious person Firenze said was hunting Unicorns was Voldemort?"
Dumbledore's face also looked very grim. "Hagrid, what exactly happened?"
Hagrid recounted Firenze's words again.
"I understand, Hagrid, you go back first. Remember, don't let a second person know about this." Dumbledore's voice sounded a bit tired.
"Okay, I promise." Hagrid didn't want to disturb Dumbledore's rest and quietly exited the room.
Dumbledore asked, "Chu Yang, was the Voldemort you met Professor Quirrell?"
Chu Yang nodded, then asked, "Headmaster, you made Hagrid leave because you don't want others to know about Professor Quirrell and Voldemort's relationship so early, right?"
"That's right, I haven't figured out how to deal with the returning Voldemort yet." Dumbledore shook his head, "Let's not talk about that for now. How did you escape from Voldemort's hands… Oh, Firenze saved you, right?"
"Yes." Chu Yang decided to let this beautiful misunderstanding continue.
"You are very lucky, but not every time you encounter danger will your luck be so good!"
Dumbledore, uncharacteristically angry, said sternly, "If it weren't for the concern that this matter leaking out would cause unnecessary panic, Slytherin would be docked 50 points because of your actions!"
"I know I was wrong, Headmaster Dumbledore." Chu Yang smiled awkwardly; 50 points was not a small sum, perhaps he wouldn't be able to earn it back throughout the entire school year.
Didn't he just say he could handle it? Why is he getting anxious now?
The reason Dumbledore dared to let Harry Potter confront Voldemort directly was because he had the blood protection charm cast by his mother at the cost of her life.
As long as Harry was not of age, Voldemort could not harm him.
But Chu Yang did not have such protection.
In Dumbledore's eyes, let alone Voldemort, even Death Eaters with a little fame could pose a threat to Chu Yang. Chu Yang, who had not yet grown, must not be exposed to Voldemort too early.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Dumbledore made a rare decision.
"Mr. Chu Yang, the school has decided to give you a long holiday starting tomorrow, until Christmas ends." Dumbledore looked at Chu Yang with an apologetic gaze. As headmaster, he believed he had failed in his duty by not being able to guarantee the safety of students at Hogwarts.
"Christmas ends?" Chu Yang was full of questions. He had just received permission to enter the Restricted Section, so why was he being given a holiday now?
"Yes, with your progress, even missing more than a month of classes won't be a problem at all." Dumbledore smiled.
Dumbledore was silent for a while, then sighed, "This is for your safety. An excellent Slytherin like you, Voldemort won't let you go. When he comes for you again, you'll only have two choices: either become his Death Eater or be killed by him."
Actually, neither would happen. If Voldemort came for me, he would only get beaten up by me…
Chu Yang really wanted to answer like that, but he would definitely be seen as a lunatic by Dumbledore, so he could only agree to Dumbledore's arrangements.
It wasn't just Chu Yang who was suffering, but also Professor Quirrell, who was severely struck by Wood Release.
The power of Wood Release was unquestionable.
That blow shifted Quirrell's internal organs.
It's no exaggeration to say that he was half-dead; if he hadn't run fast enough, Voldemort would have had to find a temporary Horcrux on the spot.
Even if he managed to escape, it would be impossible for him to recover in less than a month or two.
As such, Professor Quirrell would find it difficult to continue teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Regardless of whether Dumbledore had discovered his identity, Voldemort did not want him to continue appearing in front of people.
So that night, Professor Quirrell quietly disappeared from Hogwarts.
The next day, Dumbledore, upon hearing the news, did not feel relieved by Professor Quirrell's disappearance. He knew that Voldemort, without the Philosopher's Stone, would not easily leave Hogwarts.
They must be hiding somewhere in the castle.
This thousand-year-old castle held too many secrets, even Dumbledore could not fully comprehend them all.
If Voldemort wanted to hide, it would be very difficult for him to root the other party out.
Voldemort and Professor Quirrell, having moved from the open to the shadows, undoubtedly became more threatening, making Chu Yang's temporary departure from Hogwarts an urgent matter.
Before leaving, with Dumbledore's permission, Chu Yang went to the Forbidden Forest again and successfully found the Whomping Willow. After several months, the Whomping Willow's massive body had grown even taller, like an ancient tree that had grown for a thousand years.
After supplying the Whomping Willow with some natural magic, it slowly sat down, falling into a deep sleep like a satisfied child.
Chu Yang didn't bother it anymore, took out the leaf Firenze had given him, put it to his lips, and blew, summoning the other party.
A unique melody echoed through the Forbidden Forest, and not long after, hoofbeats came from deep within the Forbidden Forest.
Firenze, with his almost perfect face, leaped gracefully, standing tall beside Chu Yang, and smiled, "Respected Mr. Chu Yang, we meet again."
Chu Yang went straight to the point, "I have some matters I hope to get your assistance with."
Firenze bowed slightly, and said sincerely, "Please speak. As long as it is within my capabilities, I will do my best to fulfill your request."
Chu Yang was about to speak when the previously sleeping Whomping Willow, as if sensing Firenze's presence, suddenly woke from its slumber.
The awakening of the colossal creature caused a tremor in the surroundings, as if the entire Forbidden Forest was about to collapse.
The Whomping Willow swung its branches, hard as steel whips, fiercely at Firenze.
It thought Firenze would pose a threat to Chu Yang, so it instinctively launched an attack!
And the unsuspecting Firenze was directly struck by a branch, flying out of Chu Yang's sight.
Chu Yang looked up and angrily shouted, "You idiot, why do you always hit your own people!"
The Whomping Willow's magnificent body trembled violently. Chu Yang's roar made it quickly realize its mistake, and it immediately retracted all its branches, curling up like a child.
"Firenze, are you alright?"
"Oh, I'm fine, just a little sore, and my ribs seem to be broken…"