Cyrus was extremely cautious when she first entered the Forbidden Forest, wandering only along the outer edges. After memorizing the general terrain, she gradually ventured deeper. Along the way, she even spotted Hagrid on patrol with a sturdy black dog.
She felt much more at ease deep in the forest. She loved the thrill of the hunt; only in combat with an enemy could she feel that blood-pumping rush of excitement. Soon, she set her sights on a screw-horned goat grazing in a clearing.
It was massive, even larger than the giant wolf from before. The twin horns on its head were tightly spiraled and exceptionally striking. Cyrus signaled Angus to stay hidden in the distance, then held her breath and crouched, creeping closer step by step. Her right hand was already gripping the dagger at her waist as she took a deep breath.
Suddenly, pushing off with all her strength in her legs, she lunged straight at the goat's flank. The goat was startled, its front legs springing up as it prepared to dodge in the opposite direction. But it never expected that the one launching the sneak attack would move with such agility, leaping directly onto its back from behind as it began thrashing wildly from side to side in a frantic attempt to throw her off.
A sharp dagger flashed past its curling twin horns, driving fiercely straight down from the very top of its head. One thrust, one twist—its massive frame slowly collapsed amid the squelching sound of churning flesh and brain matter.
The moment Cyrus pulled her dagger free, she leaped backward. From the spot where she had just been crouching, another figure suddenly lunged out. Giving Cyrus no time to think, the thwarted four-eyed leopard cat let out a fierce roar and charged straight at her face to pounce and bite.
Cyrus slid her feet, dropping flat to the ground while lunging toward the leopard cat, kicking up with her leg straight into its lower belly. The leopard cat was medium-sized but lightning-fast; knocked over by Cyrus, it scrambled right back up to reposition itself. Realizing the human in front of her was not someone to be trifled with, it locked its eyes on her, trying to find an opening.
Cyrus, too, maintained a defensive stance, though the corners of her lips curled upward beneath the cover of her hands. Humming a melodious tune, Cyrus suddenly burst forward, closing the distance right into the leopard cat's face. The leopard cat seemingly hadn't expected such a straightforward attack; its sharp claws hooked out to swipe at the girl, letting out a roar as it lunged to bite at her neck. Humming her tune, Cyrus lightly shifted her body, evading the beast's razor-sharp claws.
Sidestepping, she spun her entire body around and drove her daggers from the side straight into the leopard cat's neck. The instant the beast's body froze, she grabbed its skull with one hand while violently tearing her dagger across with the other. *Rip*—the leopard cat's head was nearly severed from its body, and blood spurted out in an instant.
The jungle fell eerie and quiet once more, broken only by the dripping sound of fluid and a soft, lingering hum.
Deep within the Forbidden Forest lay a massive lake. The air was thick with the scent of blood, a smell that stimulated the surrounding apex predators.
Some beasts, unable to resist the temptation, entered the area only to never walk out again, leaving behind an even stronger scent of blood. A girl sat by the lakeside, carving up and butchering the carcass of a beast. Sitting beside her was a dog, with a large basin placed right in front of it.
The young girl placed the freshly cut meat into the large basin, and the dog let out a bark at her before digging in with gusto. Every time Angus consumed the flesh and blood of magical creatures, there would be a fluctuation of magic, but otherwise, he behaved just like a normal dog—albeit much larger, with no other special abilities.
Cyrus removed her bandages to take a closer look at Angus, her azure eyes carefully scanning the hound beside her. After a moment, she sighed, closed her eyes, and lay back down on the grass. *As long as you're alive... I'll protect you...*
Many beasts, believing this lake had been claimed by a dangerous apex predator, kept far away from the area. Cyrus felt the gentle breeze and a moment of rare peace; how wonderful it would be if things could always stay this way. Suddenly, from the distant jungle, came the sound of many hooves trampling the grass. She raised her gun and took aim.
"We mean no harm!"
Cyrus's raised gun did not lower; if anything, she grew even more cautious. Anyone capable of appearing within the monster-filled Forbidden Forest was more dangerous than any magical creature. Soon, figures with full beards, wild and rugged appearances, human upper bodies, and the lower bodies of horses gradually emerged from the trees—Centaurs.
They pulled their bows to the limit, all aiming straight at Cyrus. Cyrus didn't speak, her gaze shifting to the leader, who was huskier than the other centaurs and possessed a fiery red mane. He held a bow and arrow, though he wasn't aiming at Cyrus. He was so toweringly tall that he had to lower his head to look down at the girl.
"Awakened and returning successor, I am Ronan, leader of the Centaur tribe."
"…………"
"We harbor no malice; centaurs never harm a foal. The Apocalypse stars pierced the dark clouds and guided us here."
Ronan waved a hand to signal the other centaurs to lower their bows, then looked down at the pile of beast carcasses beside the girl. "Hunting is a tradition of our centaur people passed down from ancient times. I respect your formidable hunting skills. We have always lived within this forest; centaurs neither wish nor fear to make enemies of wizards. It is our hope that going forward, both sides can maintain a certain level of respect and leave each other undisturbed."
Perhaps Cyrus's appearance had disturbed the centaurs—they disliked wizards entering the forest and remained somewhat wary of her. Cyrus lowered her hunting rifle. Centaurs existed in the space between humans and beasts.
Yet they much preferred to distance themselves from humans, forming an independent race. Cyrus felt indifferent toward humanity; perhaps because of Angus, animals that displayed no malice toward her were much easier for her to accept.
"I won't disturb you. I'll only come near this area to hunt beasts every day... What do you mean by 'awakened and returning successor'?"
Having received Cyrus's direct answer, Ronan turned and left without a moment's hesitation: "Centaurs are mere onlookers who revere fate."
Watching the centaurs depart, Cyrus pondered Ronan's words. Clearly, there was something wrong with Hogwarts, but as long as it didn't affect her and Angus, it didn't matter. After starting a fire to simply roast and eat some meat, she continued processing the beast carcasses, cutting away the valuable parts according to the records of magical creatures in her books and sorting them into various glass jars.
Once she had packed everything up, she stood up and washed her mud- and blood-stained hands in the lake. Cyrus disliked wearing gloves; they dulled the sensitivity of her hands. Stowing away her weapons, she changed back into her shirt and school robes, draped her Invisibility Cloak over herself, and headed back toward Hogwarts.
It was already four in the morning, and the night sky was gradually growing light. Cyrus entered the lavatory to make sure there were no bloodstains left on her, then made her way to the Slytherin Head of House's office.
She gently placed the jars of prepared materials at the office door before hurrying back to her dormitory. Cyrus couldn't use preservation magic, so the night's hunting spoils had to be delivered to Snape immediately.
Remembering how, during her first trip into the Forbidden Forest, she had accidentally caught a few extra beasts just to establish her dominance—their flesh still stockpiled in her waist pouch—she wished she knew a preservation charm. After a moment of thought, Cyrus returned to the office door and piled all the remaining beast carcasses right there on the threshold.
At that moment, she felt the sensation of a prying gaze. She noticed a carved exquisite green snake coiled around a black disc right in the center of the door. It was flicking its forked tongue out at Cyrus—likely something similar to the portrait guarding the common room.
Cyrus drew her dagger from behind her waist and pressed the blade against the vital spot just below the green snake's head, then placed her index finger over her lips in a silent threat. The green snake immediately slithered backward into the recess of the disc carving, turning back into a lifeless black sculpture.
As the faint morning sunlight filtered through the castle windows and struck the heavy black stone door, the veins on Snape's forehead bulged. With a complexion even stiffer and gloomier than the stone door itself, he stared at the mountain of beast materials piled outside his office.
"Bang!" A massive slam echoed through the dungeons, but the little mountain outside the office had vanished.
Over the weekend, while Snape was venturing into the Forbidden Forest to gather ingredients, he happened to pass by a certain lake. The sunlight was bright, casting a silver shimmer across the water's surface. The light, gentle laughter of a girl drifted over. For a split second, Snape thought he was hallucinating.
Sitting by the lake was a girl with her long hair unbound, holding a small ball in her hand. Beside her, a dog wagged its tail, barking excitedly at the girl as she threw the ball, then sprinting after it to retrieve it. It sat obediently in front of the girl, waiting for praise.
Though bandages covered most of the girl's face, the frost that usually coated her features had melted away, and her smile was as gentle as a spring breeze.
"Care to explain why a first-year witch is hanging out in the depths of the Forbidden Forest with her dog, Miss Sean!"
"This is a place Angus found. It's beautiful, isn't it?" Cyrus's mood seemed quite good.
Snape's face darkened as he snapped at her, "It seems school assignments are far too effortless for Miss Sean. Then allow me to congratulate you on earning detention for the next month."
"In my office, every evening after dinner! Now, follow me!"
With that, Snape spun around with his signature swirl and strode away. Cyrus immediately got up and gave chase. Following Snape to the door of his office, Snape turned back, frowning darkly.
"I do not wish for my office to reek of beasts!"
Cyrus paused by the door in silence, signaled Angus to wait outside, and stepped into the gloomy, chilly office. Snape let out a cold huff and flicked his wand, summoning jar after jar of beast eyes, teeth, and internal organs. He sat down in his desk chair, fixing a cold gaze on Cyrus.
"What is the meaning of this, Miss Sean?"
"Angus only needs a portion of their flesh and blood. The remaining viscera and pelts are of no use to me. I read in books that these can be used as potion ingredients."
"Oh? So this is—charity from Miss Sean?!"
"No, sir."
"Take them away!"
"…………"
Once again, after a gap of several days, Snape was met with Cyrus's rogue style of conversation, which felt like punching a thick stack of cotton. A few days ago, when he found the glass containers left by his office door, he had assumed they were potion ingredients he'd ordered himself, only to look closer and realize they were the internal organs and bodies of various magical creatures.
While not exceptionally rare, these were still dangerous entities from the Forbidden Forest. At the time, he had vaguely suspected a certain figure, but the Medusa guarding the door stubbornly refused to say who it was. He had originally planned to keep an eye out during his turn for night patrol next week. Never had he imagined that this child would brazenly hang out deep in the Forbidden Forest as if it were her own backyard.
The two fell into a brief silence, staring at each other as if engaged in a silent standoff.
"I hardly think that the hundreds of house-elves at Hogwarts are so busy that they haven't the time to prepare food for you and your pet."
"Angus can only eat the meat of magical animals, sir."
"To think that even Miss Sean's pet is so delicate! A laughable excuse. Do you honestly believe the hundreds of house-elves at Hogwarts would poison everyone's food just to murder the two of you?!"
Snape was already growing accustomed to this girl using silence as an evasion tactic whenever she encountered a question she didn't want to answer. He flicked his wand, summoned two buckets of flobberworms, and gestured for the girl to process them, before lowering his head to grade essays.
The herb-scented office was heavy with the faint scent of blood as both of them silently went about their tasks. To Cyrus, processing these flobberworms—which most other students found utterly revolting—was an absolute breeze. The small blade danced in her hands, and within moments, she had finished dealing with both massive buckets of worms.
Watching the girl's nimble and precise handiwork, Snape recalled how deft and efficient she was in Potions class, unlike those brainless dolts who couldn't understand a single word he said.
Snape's expression softened slightly. He had anticipated that this girl would stir up a mountain of trouble after entering the school, but these past few months had been unexpectedly peaceful.
That old fool Dumbledore undoubtedly knew about Cyrus sneaking into the Forbidden Forest at night and chose not to stop her. Snape felt his eyelid twitching; how could both the old and the young do things in such an outrageous manner?
For some reason, Snape recalled the day he had been petrified all those years ago, and a sudden wave of irritation washed over him. "Let us hope—Miss Sean doesn't turn up in the Hospital Wing missing a limb one of these days!"
"Now—get out!"