The spell shot from the tip of Harry's wand. The unmistakable crimson light of the Cruciatus Curse bathed the surrounding forest in an eerie, blood-red glow.
The black-robed figure leading the charge had no time to evade and was struck head-on.
A horrifying scream echoed through the woods—a sound no human could possibly produce, like stone scraping across glass, making anyone who heard it grit their teeth in discomfort.
The creature that had been diving toward Harry was hurled backward like a kite with its string cut, disappearing deep into the forest.
The searing pain in Harry's scar had vanished.
Or rather, it felt as though he had transferred that agony to the dark figure through the Cruciatus Curse.
Harry gasped for breath. The pain moments earlier had been unbearable. If that torture-like sensation hadn't prevented him from focusing, he probably would have cast a less extreme spell instead of resorting to one of the Unforgivable Curses.
"Harry... Harry? Is that you?"
The weak, ethereal voice echoed beside his ear once more.
"Who's there?"
Harry abruptly looked up. At the same time, he pulled a vial of Invigoration Draught from his robes, pushed the cork loose with his thumb, and drained it in one gulp.
A pleasant warmth spread from his throat throughout his entire body, driving away much of his mental exhaustion.
Casting an Unforgivable Curse always came with consequences.
However, Harry seemed to suffer far fewer side effects than most wizards. He felt neither the agony of a torn soul nor the overwhelming surge of dark emotions. The only aftereffect was mental fatigue after using the curse.
"Harry... I'm here."
Following the sound of the voice, Harry turned toward the unicorn lying on the ground.
She was breathtaking.
Even with her long legs curled beneath her in pain, her beauty remained undiminished. Her snow-white mane lay across the dark tree roots, gleaming like strands of pearls.
"Y-you can talk?" Harry asked, frowning. "You're... a unicorn?"
He hurried over, took out two vials of Invigoration Draught, uncorked them, and carefully poured the contents into her mouth.
Then he put Dawima's wand away, drew his own, and pointed it at the deep wound from which silvery blood continued to flow.
"Episkey!"
Nothing happened.
The gruesome wound showed no signs of healing. Silvery blood continued to stream down her pristine coat and onto the forest floor.
"Harry... it won't work."
The unicorn's gentle voice sounded again. She let out a soft whinny and looked at him with remarkable tenderness.
"If Vivi saw you using the Cruciatus Curse again... she'd be very angry with you, Harry."
Harry sprang to his feet.
"Y-you... who are you?"
He couldn't remember ever meeting a unicorn before.
In fact, unicorns always seemed to favor girls. They never showed much interest in him or Ominis, yet they adored spending time with Vivi, Cassandra, and Poppy.
Could this unicorn have been one of their friends?
"I think you'd be better off giving me a Blood-Replenishing Potion," she said calmly.
Harry immediately began searching through his robes.
He found two potions he'd purchased from a potion shop but hesitated before putting them back. Instead, he took out two brewed personally by Professor Snape.
If anyone could brew potions with the highest restorative quality, it was Hogwarts' Potions Master.
Whether this unicorn was Vivi's friend or a complete stranger, Harry couldn't stand by and watch her die.
After drinking the two Blood-Replenishing Potions, a little color returned to her eyes.
Although the wound was still bleeding, the flow had slowed considerably.
"It's a particularly vicious curse," the unicorn explained. "The man who attacked me... he was surrounded by an incredibly dense aura of cursed magic. I don't know who he is, but I'm certain he's an extraordinarily powerful Dark Wizard... someone comparable to Victor Rookwood."
Following her warning, Harry finally noticed the lingering Dark Magic curse embedded within the wound.
He raised his wand once more and cast the purification spell Vivi had invented specifically to cleanse curses.
"Purusor!"
The effect was immediate.
The dark magical residue slowly began to fade.
Encouraged, Harry continued casting the purification spell.
Unfortunately, once the curse had weakened to a certain point, it refused to diminish any further.
It clung stubbornly to the wound as though it had taken root.
"That spell won't be enough," the unicorn said softly. "Only the fifteen-year-old version of you... or Vivi... could completely remove this curse."
Only then did Harry realize there were still many questions he needed answered.
"How do you know who I am? Have we met before?"
The unicorn smiled mischievously.
"Of course we have, Harry. We've been friends for over a hundred years."
She paused before continuing.
"Oh... so you really did make it back a hundred years into the future. I haven't even had the chance to congratulate you."
Gathering her strength, she slowly rose to her feet.
She circled Harry twice, gently nudged his robes with her muzzle, and smiled in an almost human way.
"My... I only just noticed. You've become a child again. If I remember correctly... you've only recently been Sorted into your Hogwarts House, haven't you?"
Harry scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Yeah... I have no idea how it happened either. When I returned a hundred years into the future, I somehow ended up back in my eleven-year-old body. But... as you can see... that's just how things turned out."
Sadness filled the unicorn's expression.
"After you disappeared, the Order of the Phoenix became little more than a name."
She sighed softly.
"Vivi completely abandoned her studies. She said she was going to find you. Most people believed you were dead. Even Headmaster Black urged her to accept the truth."
She lowered her head.
"She thanked everyone for their concern... and then she vanished. From that day onward, no one ever heard from her again."
Harry's heart sank.
Could it be...
Had Vivi truly become trapped somewhere?
Or perhaps lost within the currents of time itself?
Otherwise...
Why hadn't she come looking for him?
"W-what about Sebastian and Ominis? What happened to them?"
The unicorn thought for a moment before answering.
"The two of them... the last time I heard anything about them was during their seventh year. After that... there was nothing."
Harry's thoughts became a tangled mess.
Where had Sebastian and Ominis gone?
Had the truth about Solomon finally come to light...
...and had the two of them been sent to Azkaban?
The unicorn then lifted her head and looked at him with a gentle smile.
"Don't you want to hear about everyone else?"
Tilting her head slightly, she asked softly,
"For example... Cassandra?"
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