He probably remembered Hagrid's repeated warnings, scratched his head with muddy fingers, and when he raised his arm, he saw the broken rope again.
The Giant let out a dull murmur and looked reluctantly at the prey that had fled into the depths of the dense forest, before finally turning around and slowly heading deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
Vid pressed his ear and said, "Don't do anything now; once you're ready, go teach the students. Don't go to the Forbidden Forest, and don't bring up this matter with anyone."
Hagrid hesitated: "And Glopp..."
"Glopp will be fine," Vid said. "The Ministry of Magic won't know he's here."
The certain and reliable tone immediately made Hagrid feel as if he were talking to Dumbledore.
"I understand." He sniffed, murmuring softly, "Thank you, Vid."
...
Ending the call, Vid lightly jumped off the tree branch and transformed back into a Peregrine Falcon mid-air, spreading his wings towards the fleeing Marina.
The Ministry of Magic official looked very disheveled; she fell again, kneeling on the ground, her face covered in dirt and blood.
In this state, even if Vid stood in front of her and cast a Stunning Spell, she wouldn't react.
The Peregrine Falcon flapped its wings, about to land, then suddenly changed direction, landing on a nearby pine tree, peering down.
At some point, a white horse had appeared by the edge of Black Lake.
It was an exceptionally beautiful horse, with snow-white fur that was spotless, its silver-white mane seemed to glimmer.
It lowered its head, searching the snow with its nose, perhaps for newly sprouted grass roots buried beneath.
On the horse's back was a saddle embedded with tiny gemstones, looking luxurious and comfortable.
Upon hearing footsteps, it raised its head, looking gently with its blue eyes at Marina, who was approaching, without panic or running away, as if accustomed to human presence.
——Saved!
The thought immediately flashed across Marina's mind; she didn't think further, assuming it was a horse kept by the school, she dragged her noodle-like legs and rushed forward, grabbing the saddle, scrambling up.
Luckily, the horse had a very good temperament, quietly standing still, even adjusting its body to help Marina get on.
Finally, the woman, trembling, managed to climb onto the horse's back. She lay on the horse's neck, gasping heavily, overwhelmed by the joy of survival, her tears streaming uncontrollably.
The white horse seemed to receive some signal, let out a soft whinny, lifted its hooves, and trot towards the school.
Marina wiped away her tears and turned to look behind.
The dark woods stood there silently, like a black hole capable of swallowing people, the treetops gently swaying in the wind.
The terrifying noise from the Giant had disappeared at some point; only a great flock of birds lingered above, occasionally letting out piercing cries.
She shivered, tapping the horse's flank with her heel, urging, "Quick! Faster!"
The white horse started running, its speed increasing, body rising and falling, jostling Marina along.
Marina reached to tug the reins, but they dangled beneath the horse's neck, and she almost fell off in her struggle.
Afraid to try again, she tightly hugged the horse's neck, letting it carry her swiftly towards the castle.
Suddenly, she leaned sideways — the white horse had suddenly changed direction, charging straight towards Black Lake, blood frothing under its hooves.
"Stop!" Marina shouted, "Wrong way, castle! Go to the castle!"
The white horse didn't stop, its speed escalating, mane fluttering wildly in the wind.
Marina's heart raced, frantically trying to free a hand for her Magic Wand, but her hand wouldn't lift.
She looked down, her pupils constricting sharply.
The seemingly smooth, clean fur suddenly acted like sticky resin, adhering her hands firmly to the horse's neck.
A creature from legend surged into her mind —
Kelpie! This was the legendary Kelpie!
A kind of shape-shifting Dark Magic Creature, often appearing as a steed to lure humans, sometimes transforming into handsome men and beautiful women, fond of devouring people, inhabiting waters.
In Scotland, it's said every lake, every river is protected by a Kelpie. When a traveler rides the horse it has transformed into, they can never dismount, for it will quickly leap into the water, drowning the unfortunate traveler, thus protecting the area it guards.
But wasn't this monster... not sighted for many years now? Wasn't it said that the last one was killed by the propeller of a human cruise ship?
The knowledge from books flashed rapidly through her mind, but in haste, Marina couldn't remember how to deal with this creature.
Moreover, now her hands were firmly stuck, unable to reach her Magic Wand.
Black Lake was close, the despair of impending death eliciting sharp screams, "No—no no no—"
The white horse let out a loud whinny, this time the sound was unkind, becoming shrill, a monster's excited howl.
It carried Marina, all four hooves off the ground, abruptly plunging into Black Lake.
Ice-cold water surged from all directions.
Marina's throat was choked with water, her screams turning into gurgling groans, she struggled desperately to pull her hands from the horse's neck, to no avail, watching helplessly as numerous water plants entwined her arms.